Hi All, My E - H surnames are: Faulkenberry/Fortenberry Forrester Hall Held Hendrix Hollingshead Happy Hunting! Dianne

JUNE ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST Congrats! You have made it to the half-way mark in your "year to finally get organized." Just look at what you've accomplished! After completing last month's assignments, you have now successfully collated all supporting documents into the notebooks or folders designated for each surname, and placed them behind each relevant family group sheet. For the first time, it is possible to show someone your family history without having to go here and there throughout your computer room (or entire home) to get the relevant items proving each person's connection to your family tree. Whereas last month we began to handle the soft goods like quilts, old christening dresses and sun bonnets, this month we'll tackle the old medallions, etc. Remember that $5 gold piece great-grampa always kept in his pocket? The pocket watch from great uncle Arnold? How about that curious turkey bone with the tatted lace overlay! (I have one, and have yet to understand it's significance!) There are uniform buttons and swords from the Civil War, as well as stripes and ribbons from later military conflicts. Other precious items might include: tiny baby-name bracelet, a ring, evening purse, a ladies fan, collar stays, a punched paper book mark, a bow tie, old spectacles, a shaving brush and bowl, a ladies' lace collar, a tiara (not too many in my family), old keys, a pocket knife, a leather golf ball, a few old postcards, a marble pouch, a set of jacks, a single crystal goblet or silver baby cup, a special plate, an old flour sack, a pillow with tatted lace trim, a crazy quilt piano shawl....oh the list goes on and on! Here's the PLAN: ASSIGNMENT AMERICA.... #1 Let's create a shadow box or two, using these precious items. I have a curious looking button with a blue ribbon attached which reads CONRAD WEISER DAY. I received it at the 90th anniversary of the dedication of his homestead as a park in Wolmelsdorf, PA in the late 1980's. I have also collected several printed summaries of his life. I plan to use these with a replica calligraphic letter "W" created by the women in the 1700's at the Ephrata Cloister. In this religious setting, Conrad and two of his children lived several years of their life, dedicating their efforts to God. I plan to create a very nice grouping in a shadow box to display these items proudly in my family room. I can place the shadow box on the fireplace mantle next to my trailing ivy or mount it directly on the wall next to the book case. Why not decorate our home with these unique collections? What conversation pieces! It also takes those items out of that old great grandma's trunk or secretary desk into the light for the whole family to enjoy?!! And speaking of that old trunk, why not use it as a coffee table or end table? This is a great idea, UNLESS it is a camel-back trunk! In that case, I'd recommend you open it, and place plexi-glass across the opening to protect a display of larger family heirlooms like entire uniforms, stuffed teddy bears and the like! For the family reunion, you might consider making a decorative flower box out of that old wooden child's wagon. First protect the wood with a heavy plastic bag liner. Arrange several ten inch plastic pots of impatiens or bright geraniums and marigolds in the bed of the truck. Use spangum or spanish moss around the edges to hide the pots, and increase the humidity for the continued growth of the plants. Put this wagon somewhere along the walkway to your front porch for all to enjoy. You might laminate a sign created with old-timey lettering on your computer, and place it on a stake near your creation to let everyone know the history behind the wagon! You might even go so far as to accept: ASSIGNMENT AMERICA #2 Remembering all you've read of your compiled family history, why not plant some of your ancestor's favorite flowers in your garden or window boxes? If Grampa Joe used to talk of the rope swing in the oak tree, why not make one for the kids to enjoy this summer? (Hopefully you have access to an oak tree.) Flowers like bachelor buttons, delphiniums, and tall purple bearded iris are frequently mentioned in my mother's writings. Why not plant an apple tree, so future generations can actually see where those red things come from? You might make it an event at the family reunion. Something like an ANNUAL PLANT A TREE PROJECT. If you are blessed to actually have a front porch, why not make a wooden porch swing? Hang out a few "parlor ferns!" Build a rose trellis, and be sure to get "climbing" and not "bush" roses to plant on each side! You wanted to make the yard prettier this year, why not decorate it with the colors and scents familiar to our ancestors? While only a select few have cuttings from the actual plants our ancestors once tended carefully, others will have to settle for the best readily available at local nurseries.

USING A LDS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER #6 PERiodical Source Index revised Aug 1997 Once a genealogy student asked her great aunt for family history information. The elderly woman brushed aside the request by saying, "Oh, that was all published somewhere in the northeast over 30 years ago, so there is no need to ask me! Just don't worry about it sweetie!" Bless the heart of this poor beginning student who had tried so diligently to follow the first lesson's assignment to collect data from family members! Her great aunt was not about to say more, and this nearly brought the student to tears! Well, we crossed our fingers, and looked in the FAMILY section of the PERSI index, and sure enough, there WAS an article published in the mid-60's in a tiny publication by a Vermont genealogy society. Sending away for a copy proved very suspenseful but quite enlightening! The article listed the known parents and siblings of my previously discouraged beginning student. Now she was off and running. What was that wonderful index source? PERSI (PERiodical Source Index). This is an index to the extensive collection of genealogy periodicals housed at the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The microfiche version at each FHC indexes over 2,000 of the most popular titles, with years of volumes under each title. It includes nearly all English language and French-Canadian genealogy periodicals. Articles are indexed in the following formats: 1. 1847-1895 (publication dates) LOCALITY (US, Canada or foreign countries) FAMILY (major family names, not every name index) RESEARCH METHODS (how-to type articles) 2. annual updates (divided as above) Column headings in the US PLACES are as follows: Heading Sample State/County PA Adams County Record Type Biography Title Scotch-Irish of York & Adams County Journal PACC (code for magazine title) Volume 3 Number 3 Month Nov Year 1985 If an indexed article interests you as it did my student, you have several options: 1. Search for the article at your local public library genealogy department's periodical collection. 2. Find a copy of the publication at the LDS Family History Library next time you visit. 3. Submit a request listing the article's index entry, complete with the code for the magazine title, etc. in a letter addressed to: Allen County Public Library PO Box 2270 Ft. Wayne, Indiana 46801 You may submit a "reasonable" number (perhaps 4-5) of requests in one letter. You will be charged $4 handling fee for each letter, and 20 cents per page copied. Since the length of articles are not indexed, the actual photocopy fee will be charged after the work is completed. Without PERSI, we never would have found that tiny little genealogical publication in remotest New England. The photocopy provided by Allen County public Library amounted to detailed 24 page document! Definitely do NOT overlook the PERSI. Its very tiny, and can fit in less than half of a typical 4X6 inch recipe box. Be sure to look in each of the update sections. Further Reading: LDS Family History Library, RESOURCE OUTLINE: PERSI - Periodical Source Index. (Available at your local LDS Family History Center.) Addendum: In August 1997, Ancestry Publishing in partnership with the Allen County Public Library made available a searchable electronic version of PERSI through the the Ancestry HomeTown Library located at: http://www.ancestry.com/home/library/abtpersi.htm Although this full PERSI database and hundreds of other databases require a modest membership fee, this might be easier and quicker to use than the microfiche version available at LDS FHCs. There are plans to release the CD-ROM for individual sale by the end of the summer.

Beginning Lesson #6 Government Sources As we progress beyond collecting family history documents found at home or with relatives, we look to other sources for original documents that were created at the time our ancestors lived. The next logical place to look is government sources. Here are some examples of the types of <A HREF="http://ww w.itsnet.com/home/gfa/chap8.html">records</A> you are likely to run into. STATE & COUNTY : vital recors of birth, marriage & death wills & probate records pre-1906 naturalization records land transactions tax lists state/territorial census records FEDERAL: military muster rolls, service records & pension files land grants/homesteads census 1790-1920 naturalizations after 1906 passports EXAMPLE: If you are missing a marriage record for your grandparents, you'll need to contact the goverment agency that holds the old records for the place where they lived. For instance, if your grandparents were married in Erie County, Pennsylvania, you could check either the <A HREF="aol://4344:167.my961114.1399 205.532385881">Handybook for Genealogists (Everton)</A> or <A HREF="http://www .ancestry.com">The Redbook (Ancestry)</A> and discover that the county clerk has marriage records from 1820 to 1935. Since your grandparents were married in 1891, you will need to contact that county clerk. The address, city, state and zip are listed in the books as follows: Erie County Clerk 140 West 6th Street Erie, PA 16501 These books do not list the prices for marriage records, but I would forward a check for $5 with my request. You could elect to call directory information and speak with someone at the clerk's office on the phone about the charge for a photocopy of the marriage record. When preparing your letter of request for the marriage record, be sure to include: both ancestor's full names date of marriage your return address Since you are writing to a governmental agency, it is NOT necessary to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. You can also check the International Vital Records Handbook by Thomas Kemp for the addresses to order vital records from a state or foreign county. ASSIGNMENT: Determine which governmental agencies have the birth, marriage & death records you seek, by first checking the three reference books listed above. Then compose 7 mail your letters of request. When the documents arrive place them in protective top-loading sheet protectors. Remember to enter the information in your computer genealogy program. For instance, a marriage record may list the parents for each of your grandparents. If this information is new to you, add the parents, and reference the original documents which gave you the clues to their identity. References to a marriage record would then be listed in notes/sources (in your genealogy program) under each of the following individuals: groom bride parents of bride (2 more people) if mentioned parents of groom (2 more people) if mentioned So a total of 6 people could be entered into your genealogy program database and documented in notes/sources just from the one marriage record example we have used today!

MAY Organization Checklist! How readily we recall the WWII fighter pilot's last plea for help, "MAYDAY, MAYDAY!" Is THIS how you feel about the accumulated paraphrenalia associated with your family tree climbing? Photocopies, pedigree charts, old photo albums, folders, certificates, old letters, faded lace fans, pocket watches, dust, computer disks, homestead papers, family bibles, maps and the like!?! Well, that's exactly WHY we have this monthly ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST. Just tackle the problem bit by bit, and it isn't so overwhelming after all. Here's the plan for this month: WEEK ONE: 1. Finish organizing all those documents for surnames Q-Z. Remember the past few months you've been putting these in top leading sheet protectors, and placing them in the folders or three-ring binders with the correct family group sheets! If you have been following along, you will ACTUALLY be caught up in your filing, provided you *never* do any more genealogy research! (Ever again!) :) WEEK TWO The rest of the month is devoted to a not-so-talked about part of family history, and that is the accumulation of fabric relics, such as old bonnets, handkerchiefs, wedding dresses, leather booties, mittens and quilts. Perhaps your precious collection includes infant's christening dress. 2. Go to the public library and check out books on care of antique quilts and the like. This will serve to educate you to the special care and handling of these family heirlooms. WEEK THREE 3. Each item needs to be carefully hand laundered, whenever possible using Woolite or Ivory Flakes. There are also special preparations at fabric stores in the quilting department, designed to soften the fibers brittled by age. REMEMBER that wollen baby jackets or mittens cannot be cleaned with water, and doubtless would not hold up to the stress of commercial drycleaning. Proudly place them in a shadow box, archival storage box, or on a padded hanger thinking of those spots as badges of honor! WEEK FOUR 4. You'll need to order the blue ACID FREE tissue paper, and acid-free storage boxes from a company such as LIGHT IMPRESSIONS, which we talked about at length in January. Remember that placing items in plastic only hurts them, because it traps moisture inside, which can cause mildew. It is also important to periodically open each item and fold in a different place, so there will be no damage along the fold lines. Although you'd like to display such valuable items in your home, remember that light and heat can adversly affect the fibers. If you do wish to show that great-grandmother's quilt, do so for special occasions, and return it to its rightful storage place. It deserves a rest! This way future generations will also enjoy the glimpse into the past through this glorius medium!

Using LDS FHCenters #5 SPECIAL COLLECTIONS I & II Revised Aug 1997 Every LDS Family History Center (FHC) in the US & Canada is equipped with a core collection of microfiche which the main Family History LIbrary (FHL) has determined is essential for each FHC to have on hand. Some centers refer to them as the "200 most used reference works." The research outlines accompanying them are called: FAMILY HISTORY CENTER COLLECTION: United States Microfiche Reference Collection, Part I FAMILY HISTORY CENTER COLLECTION: Microfiche Reference Collection: Part II. Each set contains about 1,200 microfiche, copies of about 100 books in print. These are among of the FIRST resources a researcher might consult to determine if there have been any works already compiled to assist them in their family tree climbing. I was helping a patron with German ancestry learn how to begin. In the first collection we found A GENEALOGICAL HANDBOOK OF GERMAN RESEARCH by Larry O. Jensen. All 205 pages fit on 3 fiche! (FHL 6000366-8). The description of the manual states it is a basic guide to genealogical research in Germany. Includes descriptions and examples of records, handwriting and research strategies. We used the alphabet samples to decipher a microfilm of a German church record my patron had ordered but could not understand. The reference collections include many other topics including gazetteers of various My dear friend Elsie wrote anb article for the Cracker Crumbs, the newsletter of the Manasota Genealogical Society here in Bradenton, Florida. She took the time to type in each topic found in these collections. With her kind permission, I am encluding them in this article. (Thanks, Elsie!) SPECIAL COLLECTIONS PART I THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS -History CANADA -Directories, Gazetteers, Military Records, ONTARIO Vital Records, QUEBEC -Census DENMARK - Genealogy (Handbook, Manuals, etc.), Handwriting, Postal and Shipping Guides ENGLAND - Census, Gazetteers FRANCE - Postal and Shipping Guides GERMANY - Emigration and Immigration, Gazetteers, Genealogy- Handbooks, Manuals, Baden-Church Records, Bayern, Pfalz - Church Records, Mecklenburg Church Records IRELAND - Gazetteers NORWAY - Genealogy-Handbooks,Manuals,Etc., Handwriting, Postal and Shipping Guides POLAND - Gazetteers SCOTLAND - Gazetteers SPAIN - Postal and Shipping Guides SWEDEN - Genealogy-Handbooks, Manuals, Etc., Postal and Shipping Guides SWITZERLAND - Names, Personal UNITED STATES - Archives & Libraries, Census, Gazetteers. Genealogy, Historical Geography, Land & Property, Military Records, Postal and Shipping Guides, New England Genealogy. CALIFORNIA - Genealogy CONNECTICUT - Military Records GEORGIA - Vital Records ILLINOIS - Archives & Libraries, Gazetteers, Land & Property, Vital Records INDIANA - Gazetteers IOWA - Postal and Shipping Guides, Military Records KENTUCKY- Land & Property; (COUNTY) Land and Property MAINE - Genealogy MARYLAND - Probate Records MASSACHUSETTS - Archives & Libraries, Gazetteers, Genealogy MICHIGAN - Gazetteers; MISSOURI Bible Records, Gazetteers NEW HAMPSHIRE - Gazetteers,Genealogy NEW JERSEY - Gazetteers NEW YORK - Gazetteers, Probate Records, Vital Records NEW YORK CITY - Genealogy-Handbooks, Manuals etc. NORTH CAROLINA - Military Records, Probate Records OHIO - Genealogy- Handbooks, Manuals, Etc., Probate Records PENNSYLVANIA - Gazetteers, Philadelphia Historical Geography SOUTH CAROLINA - Probate Records; Charlestown Probate Records, TENNESSEE - Church Records, Vital Records TEXAS - Census, Military Records-Pensions UTAH - Census, Genealogy VIRGINIA - Church Records, Gazetteers, Genealogy, Periodicals-Indexes; WISCONSIN - Church Directories, Gazetteers. WALES - See also England WALES - Gazetteers, Historical Geography SPECIAL COLLECTIONS PART II BELGIUM - Gazetteers CANADA - Genealogy CZECHOSLOVAKIA - Gazetteers DENMARK - Gazetteers ENGLAND - Census-Indexes FRANCE - Gazetteers GERMANY - (STATE)-Gazetteers HUNGARY - Gazetteers POLAND - Genealogy-Handbooks,Manuals,etc. SWITZERLAND - Gazetteers YUGOSLAVIA - Gazetteers UNITED STATES - Archives and Libraries, Census, Emigration and Immigration, Gazetteers, Genealogy-Handbooks,Manuals,etc., Genealogy-Indexes, Land and Property, Military Records, Native Races. ARIZONA - Church Directories CALIFORNIA - History CONNECTICUT - Church Records DELAWARE - Church Directories FLORIDA - Church Records, Gazetteers, Vital Records GEORGIA - Land and Property, Probate Records. Taxation IDAHO - Church Directories ILLINOIS - Gazetteers INDIANA - Church Records, Land and Property, Vital Records IOWA - Church Records KENTUCKY - Military Records LOUISIANA - Archives and Libraries, Bible Records, Church Records, Vital Records; MAINE - Archives and Libraries, Gazetteers, Genealogy, Probate Records, (COUNTY) Genealogy MARYLAND - Genealogy, Vital Records MICHIGAN - Archives and Libraries MINNESOTA - Genealogy MONTANA - Church Records, Vital Records NEBRASKA - Gazetteers, Vital Records NEW HAMPSHIRE - Church Records, Genealogy NEW JERSEY - Archives and Libraries, Gazetteers NEW MEXICO - Church Directories, Genealogy- Handbooks,Manuals, etc, Vital Records NEW YORK - Church Records, Genealogy, Genealogy Bibliography NORTH CAROLINA - Church Records OHIO - Archives and Libraries, Church Records OKLAHOMA - Church Directories OREGON - Church Directories, Land and Property. Vital Records PENNSYLVANIA - Church Records RHODE ISLAND - Vital Records SOUTH CAROLINA - Court Records, Military Records, ABBEVILLE Probate Recs. TENNESSEE - Church Records TEXAS - Archives and Libraries, Land and Property UTAH - Archives and Libraries, Church Records, Vital Records, SALT LAKE Bios. VERMONT - Archives and Libraries, Church Directories, Gazetteers VIRGINIA - Church Records, Genealogy, Names, Geographical WASHINGTON Archives and Libraries, Church Records, Vital Records WISCONSIN - Biography.

Beginning Lesson #5 CALENDARS & DATES As you move back in time, you'll run across the fact that our ancestors changed calendering methods. This was to handle the problem with the original Julian calendar, instituted by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. In the year numbered 1582AD, Pope Gregory XIII issued an edict to reform the calendar in order to correct and reduce the accumulating errors. With the newer Gregorian calendar system, leap year was added, and the new year began in the month of January instead of March. The current year, 1996, is referred to as a "leap year" because we have inserted a "leap day" to make the length 366 days rather than the usual 365 days. The official name of the "leap day" is an intercalary day (with the accent on the second syllable). From: <A HREF="http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9602a.htm">"The Gregori an Calendar and Leap Years" -- skw9602a</A> (http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9602a.htm) Naturally because we're living in an imperfect world, different countries adopted the newer calendar at different times! For instance, the Gregorian calendar began on October 5, 1582, but was not adopted by Great Britain and the American colonies until September 14, 1752. Tomorrow I will annotate this article with a simple listing of major countries and when they adopted the Gregorian calendar. Here is a reprint of an excellent article appearing elsewhere in the AOL Genealogy Forum to improve understanding of calendars, days and dates. (author unknown.) DATES, DAYS AND MONTHS It's difficult to understand other languages. Even the most rudimentary things like days and dates turn into a morass if you don't understand the language. It's even worse if calendars changed! We hope to offer a little help here. The following days of the weeks and months of the year may help you translate tombstones or documentary material: THE DAYS OF THE WEEK WELSH * ENGLISH GERMAN CZECH NORWEGIAN (Dydd/Nos) FRENCH Sunday Sonntag Nedele Sondag Dydd Sul/No Sul Lundi Monday Montag Pondeli Mandag Llun Mardi Tuesday Dienstag Utery Tirsday Mawrth/Fawrth Mercredi Wednesday Mittwoch Streda Onsdag Mercher/Fercher Jeudi Thursday Donnerstag Stvertek Torsday Iau Vendredi Friday Freitag Patek Fredag Gwener/Wener Samedi Saturday Samstag Sobota Lordag Sadwrn Dimanche * Welsh does not use Sun-day as in English. Sunday would be Dydd Sul. Sunday night (Sun-night) would be Nos Sul. One also has to watch for mutations in night references to Tues-night, Wednes-night, and Fri-night which become Nos Fawrth (instead of Mawrth), Nos Fercher (instead of Mercher), and Nos Wener (instead of Gwener). THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR ENGLISH GERMAN CZECH NORWEGIAN WELSH FRENCH January Januar Leden Januar Ionawr Janvier February Februar Unor Februar Chefror Fevrier March Maerz Mars Mars Mawrth Mars April April Duben April Ebrill Avril May Mai Keten Mai Mai Mai June Juni Cerven Juni Mehefin Juin July Juli Cervenec Juli Gorffennaf Juillet August August Serpen August Awst Aout September September Zari September Medi Septembre October Oktober Rijen Oktober Hydref Octobre November November Listopod November Tachwedd Novembre December Dezember Prosinec Desember Rhagfyr December NOTE: Notice the obvious influence of Latin, the "language of the church," on the days of the week and month, as in March, for the god of war, Mars. THOUGHTS ABOUT CALENDARS In the ecclesiastical calendar, December was the tenth month, hence the names September (Sept=7), October (Octo=8), etc. The "Old Style" calendar was in effect in the British Empire before 1752, when the present calendar was adopted. The historical calendar recognized January 1 as the first day of the year, while the ecclesiastical calendar recognized March 25 as the first day. Thus, dates between those two days were often written with both year numbers (e.g., January 5, 1712/13). Also, the old calendar was defective by 11 days, so when the switch was made to the new calendar on September 2, 1752, dates were often made compatible with it by adding 11 days. Folks went to bed September 2 and woke up the next day on September 13; there were many protests against the thought of losing 11 whole days out of one's life! Example: Under the double-dating system, George Washington was born February 11, 1731/32 ("Old Style" or "O.S."). Adjusting this to the new calendar made it February 22, 1732 ("New Style" or "N.S."). Next time somebody bemoans the fact that we aren't really celebrating George Washington's birthday when we get a holiday on the nearest Monday to February 22, tell 'em when George was actually born: the 11th day of the 12th month of 1731, not the 22nd day of the 2nd month of 1732! Further readings on the internet include: <A HREF="http://www.math.clemson.edu/~rsimms/g/calendar.html">Julian vs. Grego rian Calendars</A> http://www.math.clemson.edu/~rsimms/g/calendar.html <A HREF="http://www.maa.mhn.de/Scholar/calendar.html">Astronomical Time Keepin g</A> http://www.maa.mhn.de/Scholar/calendar.html <A HREF="http://www.jewishgen.org/mentprog/m_datcon.htm">Automatic Date Conver sion</A> http://www.jewishgen.org/mentprog/m_datcon.htm <A HREF="http://www.sdsu.edu/doc/texi/gcal_5.html">Gcal 2.10 - Genesis of the Gregorian Calendar</A> http://www.sdsu.edu/doc/texi/gcal_5.html <A HREF="http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9602a.htm">"The Gregorian Cale ndar and Leap Years" -- skw9602a</A> http://www.as.wvu.edu/~jel/skywatch/skw9602a.htm <A HREF="http://www.transimage.com/Cal/CalOther.html">TransImage: Calendar/Oth er</A> http://www.transimage.com/Cal/CalOther.html <A HREF="http://www.engr.orst.edu/~crowl/time/britgreg.html">The British Switc h to the Gregorian Calendar</A> http://www.engr.orst.edu/~crowl/time/britgreg.html <A HREF="http://www.veda.is/~adam/calendar.html">the gregorian calendar</A> http://www.veda.is/~adam/calendar.html <A HREF="aol://4344:167.my960227.1391405.509979876">Julian and Gregorian Calen dars</A> aol://4344:167.my960227.1391405.509979876 The bottom line, when you list a date in the US that occurred during the months of Jan, Feb or March 1752 you will list BOTH years as follows: 28 Feb 1751/1752. For other counrties, the duplicate years must be listed on the first year of the acceptance of the Gregorian calendar for that country.

Please unsubscribe me from the list. Thanks! Lisa

Hi Everyone, I have gotten several requests for further information so I am posting it. About the Ancestor Ads Cards The front of the card contains a brief note along with your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. The back of the card contains a bare bones 4 generation pedigree. You decide which generations will be printed on the card. Space permitting, a little information (birth, marriage, or death) can be included for the first three generations. the price is $.10 card minimum of 30 cards per pedigree order. Orders for more than 30 cards should be made in increments of 10. There is a $5.00 set up fee. You may have two pedigrees for one setup fee if sent at the same time. Shipping and Handling is $3.00 They are made for the Greater Omaha Genealogical Society.It is their fund-raiser. The colors are: Cream Parchment, Gray Marble, Pink Marble, Rose Granite, Plain White, and Impressionist (you may select a different color for each pdeigree) Below I will do the best I can to copy their order form. Be sure and send your pedigree chart. Ancestor Ads 3511 Howard St. Omaha, NE 68105 ______________________________________________________________________ Yes, I would like to order Ancestor Ads! My Name_____________________________________________________ My Address____________________________________________________ My Phone # ( )_______-__________ My Email address:_______________________________________________ Number of pedigrees (circle one) 1 2 # of cards for pedigree # 1 (minimum 30):___________________________ card color___________________________________ # of cards for pedigree #2 (minimum 30)_____________________________ card color____________________________________ Totals: # cards:_____ x $.10 per card = $________________ Set-up fee(non GOGS members) =$_________________ Shipping and Handling =$_________________ Total amount due =$_________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Hi All, It has sure gotten quiet on the lists. Hope we get going soon. The following is just to inform you of an interesting thing I found and thought you might like it too. It is not advertising. I came across a really handy object that I thought I would pass information on about. Its called Ancestor Ads. It is a business sized card with 4 generations pedigree on one side and your information on the other. They are really handy to send or give to compare pedigree charts . They are being printed by a genealogical society in Omaha. It is their fund raiser project. I have them and they are really handy to put in my purse. the cost is : $.10 per card ($3.00 for a 30 card/one pedigree order; $6.00 for two etc. They have a minimun of 30 cards needing to be ordered per order- you can order more in incriments of 10.) There is a setup fee of $5.00. Two pedigrees will be allowed on one set up fee, if desired. They must be ordered at the same time. They have 6 colors and you may select a different color for each pedigree. There is also a $3.00 shipping charge. I am not trying to sell y'all something just let you know it is available. from there it is up to you. If you want further information write to me and I will send you the address etc. I got two pedigree sets and really like them. Well I hope to hear from you soon. Dianne

APRIL 1996 Organization Checklist Well, the time has come! Its our FOURTH month of organization checklists. Is it an editorial comment on our current performance that today's list appears on APRIL FOOL'S DAY? ::::giggle:::: I have already heard lamentable tales from several of you who are "organizationally challenged" shall we say???? Well, fear not! YOU CAN DO IT!!! This month's program provides opportunities to catch up. Just insert your procrastinated tasks in the blanks provided amply below, to round out our research checklist for the month. Those not so organizationall challenged will still have lots to do, but can rest on their laurels a bit this month. All will be in readiness for NEXT month's list which proves to be a dilly in my estimation! ::::mysterious giggle:::: WEEK 1: Plan to attend Myrt's "Beginning to Use Your Local LDS Family History Center Chats" Each tuesday in April! These are held in the Family Tree House Conference Room at 10pm on Tuesdays. GFSBarb is the co-host(ess) WEEK 2: Continuing in our project to list all documents in notes for each named individual on our computer genealogy program, work through notebooks (or folders) M-R. (Procrastinators: That's M THROUGH R inclusive!!!) For organizationally challenged, go back and complete notebooks (enter your unfinished ones here!) WEEK 3: Begin writing to other family members for additional input. Check for long list relatives and friends of the family using the Genealogy Forum's link to the PHONE CD's. You'll find this under GENEALOGY RESEARCH. You can specify an area of the country, or do an all inclusive search. Good Luck! WEEK 4: PLAY CHATCH UP! Be sure to (enter your topic here!) in order to be TOTALLY organized as of April 1996!

USING A LDS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER #4 PARISH & VITAL RECORDS LIST In an attempt to save time by locating previously compiled research, you must check the Parish & Vital Records List (P&VRL.) What is the Parish & Vital Records List? The list which consists of microfilm numbers and titles of vital & church records is expanded when the record has been reviewed as part of the Name Extraction Program. This is an organized, systematic process, coordinated by the LDS Church, to review original parish records and place the names & dates in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) for viewing at local FHCenters on microfiche or CD-ROM format. Volunteers are trained in deciphering handwriting peculiarities and in the use of the UDE computer indexing program. They are assigned the task of reading photocopies of pages from a microfilm of an original parish record. For example, our local LDS stake participated in such a project computerizing the christening records for a Catholic church in Mexico City in the 17th century. Photocopies are used in order that volunteers may take the work home to enter the data on their computers. The microfilm remains in the possession of the supervisor. Double entry system prevents transcription errors. The first volunteer views the photocopies and makes a computer entry for each child christened along with the date of the christening and other information mentioned in the record, such as the name of the parents. The second individual uses the same computer disk, but cannot see the first person's entry as he types in the same information. The computer compares what each volunteer has typed. Inconcistencies are then reviewed by a supervisor. If necessary all three individuals look at the microfilm to arrive at the best evaluation of the entry for a particular christening record. Results are entered in the IGI. The final results of the Name Extraction Program are entered into the IGI, which is available on CD-ROM and fiche format through local FHCenters. Such results are considered very reliable since two and possibly three trained individuals are deciphering an original record. Certainly their work is more reliable than I could provide, without the training and experience with page after page of similar handwriting. Where can I view the Parish & Vital Records List? Parish registers for birth, marriage & death, as well as state & vital records which have been extracted (or are in the process of being extracted) are listed in the Parish & Vital Records List. This P&VRL is produced in microfiche format and distributed to each of the 2,500+ local LDS Family History Centers. Why is this important to you to know about? This allows you to prioritize your research time. Make note of the areas which will shortly be appearing on the IGI. Then put your research efforts in other localities. How do I use the P&VRL microfiche? At your local FHCenter, open the fiche drawer, and read the fiche headings for the LOCALITY you desire, perhaps England. Then browse through the subheadings for the county, perhaps Lincolnshire. The P&VRL tells which of Lincolnshire's parish registers have been extracted or will shortly be completed. The P&VRL also reports whether a Bishop's Transcript has been substituted for the original parish register. What are Bishop's Transcripts? Parish priests were required to send quarterly reports to their governing bishop, which became known as Bishops Transcripts (BT). Bishop's Transcripts would not be considered primary records, since it they are handwritten copies of the items the priest entered in his actual parish register. There could be copying errors and skipped entries on the BTs. However, if the original parish register was destroyed by fire/age/etc these BTs are a wonderful substitute. BT is the abbreviation you will find in the Parish & Vital Records List. What about damaged parish records? Also, if the record was hard to read or partially destroyed, the extractors insert a % figure to report their findings. If the indication was 65%, this means that the extractors who reviewed the record estimated they were only able to transcribe about 65% of the book, because pages were damaged or missing for whatever reason. What to do next: When researching in a particular area, check the PARISH & VITAL RECORDS list to determine if name extractions have been done or will soon be completed. -If your ancestor's parish is listed, check the IGI (International Genealogical Index) for the christening, marriage or burial entries extracted. - Obtain a photocopy or print-out of the IGI entry. - Request a photocopy of the original entry using the PHOTODUPLICATION request form available at your FHCenter. -If your ancestor's parish is not listed, then order the original microfiche, and begin reviewing the original records on your own.

Beginning Lesson #4 HOME SOURCES This entire month you've been collecting family history documents from various nooks and crannies in your own home and from relatives. Just so you don't miss anything don't forget that in addition to the normal birth, marriage and death certificates you are likely to find the following: military service & discharge papers naturalization records newspaper clippings - society page, obituaries funeral cards journals letters diaries scrapbooks year books church membership telephone lists photos family bible (check the middle, as well as the front and back pages) casette tapes old movies videos Don't forget to check great-grandma's old secretary desk. I found two sales receipts for hand hooked rugs purchased by one of mine at the end of the 19th century! A sales receipt puts someone in a specific place at a specific time. It never occurred to me to look for a marriage record in that adjoining county, until I found she had lived at an address for delivery of said carpets. That clue led to a BINGO! I found the certificate we hadn't been able to locate since the mid-50's when we began looking! I also have a "priceless to me" Gregg shorthand manual, with some practice pages in my ancestor's struggling pen. Check the old family cookbook, too. When times were rough, people used whatever precious book they had on hand to record names and dates of births, marraiges & deaths. This is quite common in the US Civil War time period, and on the emerging 19th century western US territories. Think again hard. Leave no stone unturned! Next week we'll be discussing the calendar with a few quirky things you'll need to know about converting dates.

MARCH ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST Here's the plan for this month! GOOD LUCK everyone!!!! WEEK ONE 1. To continue our project, this month we'll be taking the file folders or surname notebooks for letters G through L and verify that EACH document we've collected is listed in NOTES for that person in our genealogy program. The importance of systematic and thorough documentation cannot be overemphasized. As we grow in our experience as researchers, we understand the value of primary records to support a lineage, rather than heresay evidence from old family stories. WEEK TWO 2. This is the month to venture outside the protection of old habits, and join your local genealogy society. Ask around at the public library, and perhaps you can discover its meeting times and dates. You may not have ancestors who lived in your immediate area. You WILL, however, meet many interesting folks with varied talents and experiences who might be able to help you learn better research techniques. On my local genealogy society, I have found friends who are much better than I am with their computers. They are willing to share their talents with others. In the past six years of membership in two local societies, I cannot think of more than two meetings devoted to Florida research. Topics have included tracing immigrant ancestors, reports on research trips overseas, spotlights on what's new at local FHCs, migration patterns, New England research, etc. I attend every meeting, and found a new cousin during the intoductions of new members. Our society maintains a five generation chart collection of members, upstairs in the genealogy section of our library. All I can say is try it! You'll like it! WEEK THREE: 3. When planning your summer vacation, check to see what towns of interest to your ancestors are along the way! Make a point to stop by, even if the focus is not genealogy. You will learn much about the lay of the land. For instance, in a recent trip to Germany a friend noticed a striking similarity between the place of origin on the Neckar River and the Tupelhocken Valley of Pennsylvania where her Palatine immigrant ancestor eventually settled. (Brought tears to her eyes as a matter of fact!)

USING A LDS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER #3 THE LDS FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY CATALOG revised 6/97 The FHLC Family History Library Catalog is an essential research tool for US and foreign family historians. Every public library has a card catalog of its holdings and the LDS Family History Library is no exception. Additionally, the FHLC is available through each of the 2,000+ local FHCenters. How does the FHLCatalog compare to other library card catalogs? Remember your library classes in middle school? You learned that a public library card catalog has the following sections: AUTHOR - listing books by AUTHOR'S last name. TITLE - listing books/films/videos/etc by TITLE. SUBJECT - listing topics like NATIVE AMERICANS, or LOYALISTS during the Revolutionary War. The FHLC has these three sections, but adds two additional section of their card catalog: SURNAME LOCALITY Also, the FHLC interfiles the AUTHOR & TITLE sections into one section. Why use the FHLC? Use the FHLC to determine if the library in Salt Lake has any films/fiche available to order to view at your local FHCenter. Since over 5,000 items are being added to the collection per month, this catalog has to updated yearly. If you have ever been to the main FHLibrary, or have seen videos of the extensive collection you know that what is offered at your local FHCenter is merely a drop in the bucket. Most serious researchers order microfilms on a regular basis, by using the FHLC to find the correct film numbers, etc. Many of the books in the main FHLibrary's SURNAME section have been microfilmed. The 200 MOST USED REFERENCE WORKS are already on FICHE at your local Family History Center under the Special Collections I & II classification. How to use FHLC: This excellent resource is available on microfiche and on CD-ROM for those FHCs with FamilySearch (tm) computer systems. Each entry in the FHLC looks like a regular typed card in your local public library's card catalog. Call numbers are listed for books indicating their location at the main FHL in Salt Lake. Books are available ONLY at the main FHL but many are already on microfilm. This is particularly true with older books, where the copyright has expired. If the catalog entry is a microfilm, the film area (for benefit of Salt Lake City patrons) and film number are also listed. The same applies for microfiche. More Details: As I mentioned, the AUTHOR/TITLE are thrown together as one, with authors and titles of books interspersed alphabetically. You would look in this section of the FHLC on microfiche to locate a book where you already know the author or title and are quite sure of your facts. The SURNAME section of the FHLC on microfiche is where you will find all those family histories submitted by professional as well as amateur genealogists. (In other words, you must verify the documentation before accepting them as the gospel truth.) They are filed strictly by surname alphabetically. The catalog cross-lists the top five or ten surnames in each book. Because of this, you may actually find information on your ancestor, if a book happened to be written with a different surname in the title. The LOCALITY sectionof the FHLC is the largest and most used section of the catalog. It is available in both microfiche and CD-ROM format. This is where you look to see which microfilmed original records the FHLibrary for each of the localities where your ancestors lived. These records are not limited to the United States, but include records from all over the world. The collection is generally focused on the pre-1900 time period: bible records census (state, territorial and federal) church records (baptism, marriage, burial) city directories court records (probate, naturalization, civil, criminal) land records (grantee/grantor/tax lists) maps military records (service, pension, bounty land grants) passenger arrival records naturalization newspapers vital records (birth, marriage & death) Using the FHLC Locality Section is the place to save $$$$ by ordering a microfilm of a particular records instead of having to go to every little county to look in the original records books. In this manner, I was able to order Will Book A, Lincoln County KY for 1783 where on page 46 one finds the will of my 6th GGfather Paul Froman. Save your research dollars for those remote areas of Europe or Asia where the microfilming crews have not yet been allowed to work. Many of Anglo-Saxon records go back to 1500 (parish records in ENGLAND for example.) Often, these records would be too fragile to be viewed in person. Archivists are doubly thankful for the invention of the microfilming process, which was perfected around 1947. Microfilms are a solution to protecting these vital records from obliteration due to natural disasters or acts of war. Here's an Example: Suppose you wanted to look at original census records for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 1880. FIRST, you would look in this LOCALITY SECTION of the FHLC. under PENNSYLVANIA then Philadelphia COUNTY then for CENSUS records Then the card catalog would list ALL films pertaining to that subject in DATE order, so you would have to scan down the list past the 1790-1870 census films, in order to find your 1880 census listing. There would also be a listing for the census soundex as well as the actual census films for each county. You would then make a note of the microfilm number to palce your order. How to Order a Microfilm/Microfiche from the FHLCatalog: Your local FHC volunteer will help you fill out an order form and collect a small fee to cover the cost of handling/mailing. All US FHCenters now charge $3.50 for 5 week loan. It can be extended for short term for $3.50, if you find that there are a number of individuals whose records are on the film, and you would like to have more time to sort things out. You can also extend the film to long term loan for another $3.50. That means the film will remain in your local LDS FHC for viewing at any time in the future. Some centers require you to submit a REQUEST to change the film to long term, due to space limitations. When requesting a film, how long does it take to get it? It takes 3-6 weeks for the delivery of ordered microfilms. However, our local FHCenter reports that it normally takes about 2 weeks before the film arrives. The Microfilm Order Center pulls the microfilms on the day they get your FHC order, which your local center can phone or fax to order. If they do not have a rental copy of the microfilm in stock, service center personnel either wait for a return rental, or request another copy if the film's popularity warrants the expense. Microfiche orders are made and shipped separately. The FHC volunteer informs you when your film has arrived. However, oddly enough, under new Microfilm Order Center policy, your rental time starts clicking from the day the microfilm is mailed by the FHC Service Center. For this reason, be sure to go in immediately and view your microfilms. Our local FHC takes appointments for microfilm readers, which certainly helps. What if its a book not available on microfilm? -- If the book you want to view is not yet available on microfilm, you can ask the local FHC volunteer for a PHOTO DUPLICATION FORM. On receipt of this request form, a volunteer at the main FHL will photocopy only that part of the INDEX which would possibly cover your surname. You may subsequently request that a volunteer photocopy the exact pages covering your particular ancestor. Are there books such as the History of Erie Co. etc? Yes, many US county histories were done during the late 1800's. These valuable, though sometimes self-serving publication list older individuals who were interviewed about people/places/news of the early days of the county. Does the FHLC include Passenger lists? Yes, many passenger records, baggage claim lists, and other ships records these are available on microfilm. The FHL has acquired 99% of National Archives passenger records. However, some indexes to passenger arrival records like P. William Filby's popular series are published so recently and are covered by a copyright. You must view these at the main LDS FHLibrary or at your local larger public library. What does the X on the right side of a catalog entry mean? This is a very important point! If you find a book/film which has an "X" beside the film number or call number, it means that the names/dates/events have already been extracted to the IGI (International Genealogical Index) which was discussed in a previous article. I still recommend that you look at the original record, rather than trust secondary information collected in the IGI. Original documents might have additional information not included in the extracted, computerized version. Microfilm Request: -- There is a remote possibility that FHLibrary will microfilm an old book. Such requests are considered rare, and the process takes over a year to run through the system. What about the CD-ROM version of the FHLC? Our center has two computers, so it the microfiche version of the catalog is more readily accessible to researchers. The FHLC on CD-ROM allows searches by: locality microfilm number computer number Additionally, if you find a microfilm you wish to view, you can press a key to find out which local centers have that microfilm on long term loan. If your center, or a neighboring one has the film you desire, you can cut down the research time by going there to view the film. Note that with the FHLC on CD-ROM you cannot query by surname. Any references to books on a specific surname would only pop up if a locality is indexed by the cataloger. The microfilm number search is quite useful when you read in a journal that a certain LDS microfilm has something of interest. Often this eliminates the possibility of ordering the wrong film, due to a typographical error in the journal. The computer search number is useful to the FHCenter librarian. Additional reading: Cerny, Johni & Elliott, Wendy, editors, THE LIBRARY: A Guide to the LDS Family History Library, 1988. pp.-5. Salt Lake: Ancestry Publishing. LDS Family History Library, Research Outline: Using the Family History Library Catalog. IBID., video Using the Family History Library Catalog.

Beginning Lesson #3 RELATIONSHIP TERMS As the collection of primary & secondary family history documents proceeds, you are likely to notice some interesting wording. The phrases we use currently to describe relationships between people are not necessarily the definitions used in previous centuries. For instance: A husband and wife were thought of as a single entity, so the term SISTER could mean either sister or sister-in-law. IN-LAW could also mean a step child. COUSINS could mean anything in a familial relationship OTHER than the immediate family of parents & children. Frequently during the colonial American time period, NIECES & NEPHEWS were referred to as COUSINS. BROTHER & SISTER could denote a religious association, not a blood relationship. SENIOR & JUNIOR didn't always imply father-son relationships, merely that one was the OLDER of that name in the community or extended family. NEPOS is latin for GRANDSON not nephew. MY SON'S NOW WIFE didn't imply a previous marriage. It was used to protect the estate from subsequent wives should this one die and the son remarry. Remember too, that pink USED to be a baby boy's color, and BLUE was for baby girls. For further reading on this subject, turn to Val Greenwood's THE RESEARCHER'S GUIDE TO AMERICAN GENEALOGY. 1983, Genealogical Publishing Company.

Hi was in concact with a person several years ago that had a Family Bible that I now need to refer to and I lost her name and address when I moved. do any of you know where the person with Johannes SCHAEFFER and Dorthea STAMMS family bible is now it was in the hands of someone in the Southern States and the person I was in contact with was in Arizona. Johannes SCHAEFFER lived in Schoharie County, New York. Any help in finding the Bible or the person now working on this line would be very much appreciated. Forrest @nlights.net Delivered from Northern Lights BBS, Everett, WA.

FEBRUARY ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST THANKS for all your letters about our FINALLY GET ORGANIZED January Checklist. For many it gave us the chance to do some of the things we've been putting off for a rainy day. For some of you in the blizzard zone of the winter season, you had more time than the rest of us to organize your computer desk, and get papers filed! CONGRATS to all! Now for this month's list: WEEK ONE: 1. Decide in a genealogy management program, if you don't have one already. There are demos of many in AOL's Genealogy Forum Program Libraries. These are easy to download. Perhaps my best advice is to be SURE that the program is GEDCOM capable. That means it can create for export, or import GEDCOM files so you can share your data with others. If you already have a genealogy program, you can REST UP this week! Or better yet, buy that new one your've been dreaming of, and tranfer your data using the GEDCOM option. Check out all the new options! WEEK TWO: 1. Take the surname folders or notebooks A thu F (which you created last month), and check to be SURE that each name is in your genealogy program. 2. Remember all of last month's filing of genealogy papers? Well, this is the time to verify that everything you have on paper is IN THE COMPUTER! This means list every document as a note under each person listed on the document! Be very specific, naming things as follows: Seattle, King County Health Dept, Birth Certificate #12345567, dated Jan 28, 1951 lists female child as XXXXXXX with father YYYYYYY and mother ZZZZZZZZ. Report date: February 13, 1951, signed by Dr.XXXXXX, attending OBGYN. WEEK THREE: 1. Take that huge pile of photos you've been putting together since last month and begin to sort them into generations such as: Mother as a child Dad's parents our children vacations we took unknown relations from great-grandma's trunk Put these into huge manila envelopes which have been clearly labeled. You need to go through this overview process, in order to determine how much work you'll be doing in later months' assignments. Be sure as you add newly developed photos, that they end up in the correct manila envelopes. You'll find stray sets of prints and negatives all over the house, even months later. Just get them together, and in the right manila envelope! WEEK FOUR: 1. Learn how to join a genealogy related NEWSGROUP from the Internet. .............................................................................. ....................... Now, that list wasn't all that bad, was it? Indeed, you did the worst part last month. Yet, I have been honing the schedule for the remainder of the year, and have come up with some dillys. So stay tuned each month on the 1st for the FINALLY GET ORGANIZED CHECKLIST!

USING A LDS FAMILY HISTORY CENTER #2 THE IGI - INTERNATIONAL GENEALOGICAL INDEX revised 6/97 Genealogists visiting a local LDS Family History Center must begin by checking all known PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED research. One great source is the International Genealogical Index or IGI. The IGI is the single largest genealogical database of names in the world. It consists of names submitted, for any time period, since the Genealogical Society of Utah began to keep computerized records in October 1969. Each LDS Family History Center has a copy of the IGI, which is published on microfiche every 4th year. It is also available on CD-ROM for those centers equipped with FamilySearch (tm) computer systems. Currently there are over 187 million names in the main IGI. HOW TO USE THE IGI? Assuming there is a run on computer time at your local Family History Center, let's discuss the microfiche version of the IGI first. 1. Look for the correct LOCALITY. Suppose that your GGfather was born in Pennsylvania. You would go to the IGI fiche for PENNSYLVANIA. If your GGfather was born in PA, married in OHIO and died in MISSOURI you would have THREE states to look for him! Leaf through the fiche 'til you: 2. Locate the nearest SURNAME at the top fiche label. If the next fiche alphabetically is not the correct surname, you know to use the previous one. There are over 16,000 names on each fiche! Look up the name the way you EXPECT it to be spelled, and if it is not filed that way, the IGI will tell you which spelling to use! Remember we have records from all OVER the world. The FHL chose THE MOST COMMON SPELLING OF A NAME, and interfiles ALL SOUND-ALIKE SURNAMES under that main spelling. If you were to look up your ancestor under one of the less common spellings it REFERS you to the COMMON SPELLING! For instance...all STEVENSONS may be filed under STEVENSEN along with STEPHENSON or STEPHENSEN, etc. THIS IS WONDERFUL! Otherwise, you'd have to think of every possible spelling of your surname and look in each of those places! interfiling variant surname spelling eliminates the possibility of missing your ancestor in this huge database of names. ONCE YOU HAVE FOUND THE CORRECT FICHE: Notice that the IGI lists the information in columns as follows: 1. NAME OF THE INDIVIDUAL 2. NAME OF PARENTS or SPOUSE 3. MALE/FEMALE (if birth or H=husband/w=wife if marriage) 4. TYPE of event. One digit letters indicate the type of record such as: b=birth record c=christening record m=marriage d=death p = probate record n= census record. You are reminded of these abbreviations on each page of the IGI. 5. EVENT DATE 6. COUNTY, CITY or TOWN (Remember we already chose the state before looking for the surname in Pennsylvania!) 7. LDS BAPTISM DATE 8. LDS ENDOWMENT DATE 9. LDS SEALING DATE 10. The last two columns of the IGI give information as to the BATCH NUMBER (of supporting documents) which were used to enter the data into the IGI in the first place. HOW DO NAMES GET INTO THE IGI? Just because your ancestor wasn't a member of the LDS church doesn't mean he won't appear on the International Genealogical Index. It merely means that one of your ancestor's OTHER living relatives has possibly submitted the name to the IGI. There is a SECOND way names get into this HUGE genealogical database. Through NAMES EXTRACTED from ORIGINAL RECORDS, such as census or church records. I have participated in such a "name extraction program" extracting information on Mexico Catholic church christening records form 1680. (That was fun deciphering the handwriting!) This program has provisions for a system of checks and balances, so that two if not three people view each christening record and type the details into a computer program. Once you find an entry in the IGI for someone on your pedigree chart, copy the information. For those centers without microfiche reader/printers, you may use an IGI extraction form, complete with rows and labeled column headings. PHOTO-DUPLICATION REQUEST FORM. No research project is complete without the supporting documents in hand. It is possible to get copies of documents which prompted the IGI entry using the PHOTO DUPLICATION FORM also available at the LDS Family History Center. Such copies can prove MOST enlightening! I have received a photocopy of an original family group sheet which lists other members of the family not mentioned. It was the IGI entry was called a "marriage entry form" of my ggfather in PA. It had an attached family group sheet which listed the known children of the marriage as well as info on his birth in New York. His parents were also listed! Additionally, the family group sheet would have the NAME/ADDRESS/PHONE # of the person who submitted the form. If they are still residing at the location indicated, you may share info with them via mail!!!!!!!!! Other SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS might include such things as entries extracted from a microfilm of the CHRISTENING RECORD of a given church, microfilm of a county's probate records. Generally since the name extraction program involves original records, and the double bind system, we consider them to be more accurate than patron entries. When you complete the PHOTO DUPLICATION FORM and send it to Salt Lake City, a worker in the main FHL Family History Library looks at the film and photocopies the pages regarding your ancestor! In the case of extracted entries, you can get very excited, because you'll usually receive a photocopy of the ACTUAL RECORD of the event, not here-say notations or family tradition! On occasion, the photocopy you will receive is merely a computer printout of the data that was entered in the extraction computers, showing the page where you ancestor's information is listed. This checking of the IGI saves TONS of time when PREVIOUS RESEARCH has been done on you ancestor! If you don't find your ACTUAL ANCESTOR...but find others with the same SURNAME (hopefully not Smith) in the SAME small COUNTY or TOWN. It is a good idea to get the additional supporting documentation, because they are likely cousins of some sort of your actual ancestor! Sometimes...after exhausting all possible avenues, we have to turn to such cousins to trace the line back. QUESTION: When you say these records are from all over the world, do you mean that I can get info about ancestors in Germany? ANSWER: Yes. There could be patron or extracted entries. This grows each year, so check it whenever a new version comes out! QUESTION: How much does the photo duplication cost? ANSWER: About 25 cents per exposure....$2 minimum order. QUESTION: Is there a fee for using a LDS Family History Center? ANSWER: No, each LDS Family History Center is operating as a non-profit organization. If you need to order a microfilm on your area, which is not already on loan from the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, there is a small fee of $3.50 or so to rent the film! The microfilm/fiche viewers are there to be of use to you in your research for free. QUESTION: Do they loan materials for home use, or strictly in the Center? ANSWER: Since the LDS Family History Centers are strictly REFERENCE LIBRARIES, materials must be kept at each center. QUESTION: Is the CD-ROM version of the IGI much different from the fiche version? ANSWER: It is more readily updated. There is currently one addendum which comprises several CD-ROMS. USING THE CD-ROM VERSION OF THE IGI. Many LDS FamilyHistory Centers have been equipped with FamilySearch(tm) computer systems that can read the CD-ROM version of the IGI. There is the MAIN IGI, and the ADENDUM IGI. Be sure to check BOTH for each of your ancestors. Begin by choosing the locality (all US or British Isles, etc.) where your ancestors once lived. Then type the surname and given name of your ancestor, in order to see that alphabetical portion of the IGI database. You will be instructed what CD-ROM to insert in the drive. However, in addition to this INDIVIDUAL SEARCH there is a PARENTS SEARCH option available. If you find one ancestor, with parents listed, go to the parent search option to discover all known children of that couple. When you do find information on your ancestor in the IGI on CD-ROM you can make a paper print-out of the information, a text file copy to floppy disk and a GEDCOM file to floppy disk. The disks are a minimal 75 cents. The text file can be read by your word processing program at home. The GEDCOM file can be imported into your existing genealogy management program on your home computer.

Beginning Lesson #2 CHOOSING A GENEALOGY PROGRAM I hope you made a lot of progress getting your vital records together from last week's lesson. Now, we'll tackle what to do with the information you collected as you climb your family tree. I would like to know what the best software program (preferably shareware) is to track family histories. I am just beginning, and want to start right. -- Thanks. I receive letters from lots of people who have been working on their own for a few months, making custom databases with Excel or DBase IV. I hope to save you similar heartache by telling you there are lots of good genealogy programs on the market today! The advantage of using one of the main stream genealogy programs is that they adhere (sometimes loosley) to a set of guidelines called GEDCOM for transfering data between different genealogy programs. You simply MUST use a program with this file transfer capability. Without it, you'll just have to type all those names in again, when you realize what wonderful programs are actually out there. Here's a list of the ones I here the most about! MAC favorite - Reunion (Leister Pro), PAF-Personal Ancestral File (LDS Church) WINDOWS - Family Tree Maker (Broderbund), Family Origins (Parson's Technology), Ancestral Quest (Infobase), Roots IV(Comsoft), Reunion (Leister Pro), Family Roots (Quinsept), Brother's Keeper (Shareware) DOS - PAF-Personal Ancestral File(LDS Church) Make it your goal this week to find out about genealogy programs and begin to make plan to purchase and install one to organize your family history early on!