Ancestry.com - Free Access!

For those of you who want to try Ancestry.com but do not know if you really want to pay to subscribe, Ancestry is offering free searches through midnight Monday, September 1, 2014.  You must use www.tryancestry.com to access the records.  I have tried it and you are given access to everything, but wouldn't you know, the records I was looking for were indexed incorrectly.  I found the records just by chance so, hopefully, you will have a better experience. 

Antiques Road Show, Woodmere Cemetery Vandalism

There's good news and bad news, and then there is bad news with hidden good news.  But first the good news.

After four attempts to win tickets through the Antiques Roadshow lottery, I finally got tickets for the Chicago show July 26 this year.  So a friend and I left early that Saturday morning and headed to Chicago.  Our admission was not until 4 p.m., so we checked into the Chicago Hilton, had lunch, and then wandered over to McCormick Place where the show was being held.  We each had two items:  I had a Victorian lamp and a cast iron dog nutcracker.  My friend, Vickey, had her father-in-law's pocket watch and a children's book.  Neither of us had anything of value although, like others there, we were hopeful.  As I approached the appraiser who would look at my nutcracker, he quickly said that mine was the 18th one he had seen that day.  We had a great time, and if you get a chance, please go.  Each person must bring at least one item for appraisal.  Be prepared to stand a lot and maybe bring something to drink.  

The bad news is, if you have followed the news, you know that Woodmere experienced more vandalism.  The chapel was broken into, graffiti was sprayed on one wall, and cremains were scattered on the floor.  One of the grounds crew had taken photographs and after showing me several, I told him not to show me any more.  I was appalled and so disturbed that someone could be so mean spirited.  Earlier that day, a neighbor had called Woodmere to let them know that three young boys threw their bikes over the fence.  The grounds crew spoke to the boys and told them that riding their bikes in the cemetery was not allowed.  So they became the suspects.  Fast forward a couple weeks and this is where the hidden good news comes into play.  One of the boys, about 13 years old, evidently could not handle the guilt and told his mother what he had done.  The mom reported this to the police (way to go, Mom!) and, in turn, Woodmere was informed.  Hopefully, the others involved will either be caught or come forward.  Guilt can be a great thing, no? 

 

Who Do You Think You Are? coming in July!

For those of you who have enjoyed the program, Who Do You Think You Are?, it is returning July 23, 2014 on TLC at 9 p.m. Even though they focus on celebrities that have some startling finds in their ancestry, you may find some research tactics they use to be helpful.

For those of you living in the Detroit area, just know that tours of Woodmere are still going on and you are free to join any of them. Go to the calendar and check out which dates may be beneficial for you. I have started adding a few visits to gravesites that are beyond the notables buried there, and include some of the deceased who experienced a questionable or horrible death, and ones that are just impossible to believe. For instance, there is a woman who was a notable bank robber, pickpocket, and swindler who would, in later years, reform and had even written a book in 1913 about how her crime did not pay. So check out the tour dates and come join us for a fun time.

Interesting Stuff Found in Newspapers

When I am researching newspapers, I make a file of some interesting things I find but are not necessarily pertinent to anything I am looking for. Newspaper writing in the 1890s was quite different from what we read in today’s papers so let me share with you one of my findings. This is from The Detroit Free Press dated June 26, 1890:

“An Extraordinary Case” “Health Officer Duffield was called upon by Undertaker Geist yesterday to interfere in a nuisance case that called for prompt action. The body of the colored man taken from the river on Monday, having been turned over by the coroner to the city for burial, lay in the morgue in a badly decomposed state. It had swollen and burst the coffin and the emanations were simply pestilential. Undertaker Blake, contractor for burying the city pauper dead, had been notified, but was too busy, promising to come for the body as soon as he had time. Dr. Duffield “viewed the remains” and telephoned Mr. Blake that he must make the removal by 2 o’clock or the health department would take the job off his hands. Mr. Blake said he would remove it when he got ready. Dr. Duffield was about to take charge of the case when, fifteen minutes to 2, Mr. Blake’s man appeared and the nuisance was abated. Dr. Duffield was angry, Mr. Geist was mad, Mr. Blake was indignant and everybody in the neighborhood very much out of temper.”

Rick Danes, Civil War, Headstone Dedication

If you don’t know Rick Danes, you are missing out. To say Rick is enthusiastic about the Civil War is putting it mildly. Rick has often conducted headstone dedications of Civil War soldiers buried at Woodmere, and this Saturday you will have a chance to see this happen.

At 11 a.m. this Saturday, June 7, Rick along with members of Robinson’s Battery, Michigan Light Artillery, will be honoring Philip Wilking with a headstone dedication. Philip belonged to Battery C, 1st Michigan Light Artillery and is buried in Section D, Lot 68. This is where the dedication will take place. He is inviting anyone who has a Civil War era long gun to participate in an Honor Guard tribute. Contact him at suvcwcamp427@aol.com. You can also find his website listed under “resources” on my website. Once there, you can check to see where your Civil War soldier ancestors are buried.

Woodmere Cemetery Tours

This is going to be a fun summer giving tours. Three are scheduled so far and you are invited to take a look at which one may work for you. Coming up June 21, is a tour hosted by McMillen Tours. You must contact them for tickets and you need to do so right NOW. If you have taken one of my tours before, you might want to come on this one. We will be visiting gravesites not often covered on my regular tours. Plus, they are including lunch at a local restaurant. Their price is extremely reasonable, so check them out.

Another one scheduled is for a hearse collectors club. Don’t think that you can’t come to this because you don’t own a hearse. They tell me that anyone (including you) are cheerfully invited to attend this tour and meet some of the collectors. That tour, That Had To Hurt, is going to be a fun one since it goes off the usual path as we hear tales about those whose death was bizarre or just plain creepy. You can get more information about these tours, and also one scheduled for the Detroit Historical Society, by going back to the “presentations/tours” link on this website.

I love doing tours of Woodmere. (And I love dressing up in a mourning outfit (www.recollections.biz) that was typical for women to wear when the cemetery was first opened.) It is one of the most interesting historical places around. Yes, there are many notables buried there, but some of the more interesting stories are about people most of us never heard of. One time, a man was found dead on the grave of his wife. He was so distraught over her death that he committed suicide right there at the cemetery. Then there was the man who, during the funeral of his wife, jumped into her grave after the casket had been lowered into the ground. So pick a tour, sign up, and experience a great time at Woodmere Cemetery.

 

Bacon Library Historic Newspaper Digitization Project

I am a big fan of the Bacon Memorial Library in Wyandotte, Michigan. The library, located in the home of one of Wyandotte’s foremost families, is a gem when it comes to genealogy information for Wyandotte and the surrounding area. They are wanting to digitalize the Wyandotte newspapers for 1880-1943 and 2004-present. This is where you can help. You can make a $75 contribution and designate the year you want digitalized and also do so in the memory of someone, say a favorite aunt or wacky cousin. Whatever, you choose, know that your money is being well spent since these newspapers will be offered online for free. If you belong to a genealogy group, you may even take up a collection within your group and do so in honor of someone who has contributed a lot to your group. For more information, contact Anita O’Brien or Jakki Malnar at 734-246-8357. Donation forms can also be picked up at the library.

Non-existent emails, vandalism, and other things

I welcome users of the website to email me with their questions or concerns. However, if someone provides a non-existent email address (maybe you typed your email address in a hurry and made an error?), I can’t respond. So, whoever suz_genealogy@gmail.com is, I have tried emailing you three times and they bounce back with the message that your email address does not exist.

There was more vandalism at Woodmere Cemetery again. The Jewish mausoleums that had been broken into before but then sealed up, were broken into again. I have no idea what it will take to stop this from happening, but it is a shame. And for those who think it is okay to leave your trash around the cemetery, shame on you. What will it take to bring back the respect and reverence once held for the resting place of our loved ones?

I was just talking to an old friend who has dabbled in genealogy. She was unaware of some of the treasures that can be found in local libraries. Sometimes the smallest library has a plethora of genealogy holdings. For instance, if you need a death certificate for someone who died in Wyandotte, Michigan, the Bacon Library in Wyandotte has many years of death certificates (yes, the actual certificate) on microfilm. For 10 cents, instead of the $34 you would pay the State, you can make a copy of the death certificate.

And, if you haven’t checked out FamilySearch.org lately, more and more information is being added-for FREE! And, again, I strongly urge you to give back to the genealogy community by helping with their indexing projects. Obituaries will be going online which will be a tremendous help, so take a part of your day and select a project to help index.

 

 

Salt Lake City, Calendar Changes, Allen County Library

I recently enjoyed a week in Salt Lake City doing research at the Mormon library. For those who have never been there, this is one place you need to visit. The library is open every day except Sunday. The librarians are extraordinary and many of them speak, read, and write languages that you will probably be researching. Also, with FamilySearch adding more and more indexing (have you helped with the indexing?), you are bound to find more information than you can imagine. I always come home with more information than I expected. Check their website for holiday closings. And, if you go, my recommendation is to stay at the Plaza hotel right next door to the library. It is very convenient and reasonably priced.

Also during your stay there, the library offers classes that are typically one hour long, and the nice thing is, they are free. I attended one called “Calendar Changes in German, Dutch, and French Research” and it was worthwhile. Basically, there are two calendars genealogists will be dealing with, the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar. To convert dates and to find out more about this subject, there are some websites that will help you with this: www.calendarhome.com, www.fourmilab.ch/documents/calendar, www.searchforancestors.com/utility/gregorian.html, to name a few. If you have others that you have found helpful, just make a comment to this blog.

For those of you who live in this area, the Dearborn Genealogical Society is planning a trip to the Allen County Library. Check out their website for all the particulars. It is a very inexpensive way to get there, plus you are able to talk to other genealogists who may be able to assist you in your family search.

 

RootsTech Conference and Other Great Things to Do and See

There is a great technology conference coming up. If you can’t travel to Salt Lake City, they are providing some of the sessions to be broadcasted online. This is from their website. You can also go to the website to find what else will be happening during this three-day conference. Curt Witcher will be one of the speakers.

Global RootsTech Conference Announces Free Online Broadcast Schedule
January 29, 2014

SALT LAKE CITY—RootsTech, the world’s largest family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 6-8, 2014, announced today that 15 of its popular sessions will be broadcast live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend in-person worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The fourth-year conference has attracted over 10,000 registered attendees in-person, and leaders expect over 20,000 additional viewers online.

The streamed sessions include a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in mountain standard time (MST):

Thursday, February 6

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Top 10 Things I Learned About My Family from My Couch by Tammy Hepps

1 p.m. to 2 p.m., FamilySearch Family Tree: What’s New and What’s Next by Ron Tanner

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Intro to DNA for Genealogists by James Rader

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Genealogy in the Cloud by Randy Hoffman

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sharing Your Family with Multimedia by Michael LeClerc

Friday, February 7

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family’s Genealogy Hero by David Adelman

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Tweets, Links, Pins, and Posts: Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls with Social Media by Lisa Alzo

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.comby Crista Cowen

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Finding Family and Ancestors Outside the USA with New Technologies by Daniel Horowitz

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Do It Yourself Photo Restoration by Ancestry Insider

Saturday, February 8

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Become an iPad Power User by Lisa Louise Cooke

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Information Overload: Managing Online Searches and Their Results by Josh Taylor

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., A Beginner’s Guide to Going Paperless by Randy Whited

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., How to Interview Yourself for a Personal History by Tom Taylor

5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Five Ways to Do Genealogy in Your Sleep by Deborah Gamble

About RootsTech

RootsTech is a global family history event where people of all ages learn to discover and share their family stories and connections through technology. The first annual conference was held in 2011, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hosted by FamilySearch and sponsored by leading genealogical organizations, the conference includes hands-on demonstrations and forums to provide a highly interactive environment and accelerate learning. Content is geared to young and old, beginner to advanced levels.

Check your local genealogy societies, such as The Detroit Society for Genealogical Research and the Dearborn Genealogy Society, for trips to the Allen County Library. Most of these are day trips and are reasonably priced. They are the second largest library (the first is the Mormon library in Salt Lake City) for genealogy research.