In case you ever wondered why a large number of your ancestors disappeared during a certain period in history, this might help. Epidemics have always had a great influence on people - and thus influencing as well, the genealogists trying to trace them. Many cases of people disappearing from records can be traced to their dying during an epidemic or moving away from the affected area. U.S. Epidemics http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001460.html Plagues & Epidemics (from Plumber.com) http://www.theplumber.com/plague.html The American Experience: Influenza 1918 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza/ Plague and Epidemic in Renaissance Europe http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/osheim/ If you have other epidemic links you like, please share here with us. Periods of Disease Year(s) / Region, Area, City or State / Disease 1657 / Boston / Measles 1687 / Boston / Measles 1690 / New York / Yellow Fever 1713 / Boston / Measles 1729 / Boston / Measles 1732-1733 / Worldwide / Influenza 1738 / South Carolina / Smallpox 1739-1740 / Boston / Measles 1747 / Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina / Smallpox 1759 / North America / Measles 1761 / North America and West Indies / Influenza 1772 / North America / Measles 1775 / North America (especially in North East) / Unknown 1775-1776 / Worldwide / Influenza 1783 / Dover, Delaware (was extremely fatal) / Bilious Disorder 1788 / Philadelphia and New York / Measles 1793 / Vermont / (a "putrid" fever) and Influenza 1793 / Virginia (killed 500 in 5 counties in 4 weeks) / Influenza 1793 / Philadelphia / Yellow Fever 1793 / Harrisburg, PA (many unexplained deaths) / Unknown 1793 / Middletown, Pennsylvania (many mysterious deaths) / Unknown 1794 / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Yellow Fever 1796-1797 / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / Yellow Fever 1798 / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (one of the worst) / Yellow Fever 1803 / New York / Yellow Fever 1820-1823 / Nationwide (started at Schuylkill River & spread) / "Fever" 1831-1832 / Nationwide (brought in by English Immigrants) / Asiatic Cholera 1832 / New York and other major cities / Cholera 1833 / Columbus, Ohio / Cholera 1833-34 / Kentucky / Cholera 1834 / New York City, New York / Cholera 1837 / Philadelphia / Typhus 1841 / Nationwide (especially severe in the South) / Yellow Fever 1847 / New Orleans / Yellow Fever 1847-1848 / Worldwide / Influenza 1848-1849 / North America / Cholera 1849 / New York / Cholera 1850 / Nationwide / Yellow Fever 1850-1851 / North America / Influenza 1851 / Coles County, Illinois, The Great Plains, and Missouri / Cholera 1852 / Nationwide (New Orleans 8,000 died that summer) / Yellow Fever 1855 / Nationwide / Yellow Fever 1857-1859 / Worldwide (one of the largest epidemics) / Influenza 1860-1861 / Pennsylvania / Smallpox 1865-1873 / Philadelphia, New York, Boston, New Orleans, Baltimore, Memphis, Washington DC / A series of recurring epidemics of Smallpox, Cholera, Typhus, Typhoid, Scarlet Fever, Yellow Fever, and Influenza 1873-1875 / North America & Europe / Influenza 1878 / New Orleans (last great epidemic) / Yellow Fever 1885 / Plymouth, Pennsylvania / Typhoid 1886 / Jacksonville, Florida / Yellow Fever 1918 / Worldwide (high point year) more people were hospitalized in WWI from this epidemic than wounds. US Army training camps became death camps, with 80% death rate in some camps. / Influenza or Spanish Flu Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

Please excuse my spelling*blush*. www.rootsweb.com/~ncmil/chancmay1863.htm -- Proud member of IBSSG

{form Dick Eastman's Nesletter ~~ Still More Reductions at the National Archives .. Even the New York Times is warning of service reductions at the U.S. National Archives. An op-Ed article in today's New York times by historian David Kahn entitled "History Lessens" describes the current budget shortfall that results in millions of documents not being indexed properly, sometimes not indexed at all. As a result, the general public often cannot obtain the very documents the National Archives is supposed to deliver} History Lessens By David Kahn Published: March 19, 2007 Great Neck, N.Y. EVERYBODY knows how to use a library. You look up the card catalogue in the computer, type in the subject, find the Dewey Decimal System number, walk to the shelf and get the book. It’s different with an archive, where unpublished memorandums, reports, notes and letters are organized not by topic but by the agency that created them. You have to know which agency did the work you are interested in, and whether more than one was involved. The complexity of government means first-time archive users need help. Alone among the world’s great archives, the National Archives of the United States has offered such assistance to visitors. At Britain’s Public Record Office, for instance, a courteous official points to rows of volumes listing the contents of files for the Admiralty, the Foreign Office, Scotland Yard. After that, you’re on your own. It is much the same at France’s Archives Nationales and Germany’s Bundesarchiv. Only at the big modern Archives II building in College Park, Md., will an archivist sit down and guide a user through the maze. But that precious advantage is being lost — and it’s all started to change in the last few months. More than a million cubic feet of documents, nearly enough to fill the Washington Monument, need to be organized, described and filed. This “document surplus” — a term the archivist of the United States, Allen Weinstein, prefers to “backlog” — was caused in part by the wait for a new archives building and by a new emphasis on electronic records. But mainly, with no increase in its budget in years, it comes down to a lack of money. As a result, the archives have hired less-experienced personnel to organize the records, often resulting in people having to hunt longer for what they need. And although 50 professionals have recently been moved to processing, that has left only 22 archivists to deal with the public — and with records they do not know well. Moreover, instead of conferring at their desks, with reference books at hand, the archivists now answer the questions of walk-ins in a glass-enclosed room on the busy main research floor. Written requests for information should be answered in 10 working days, something the archives once did 95 percent of the time; this year it is 75 percent. In the military and civil branch the backlog of unanswered letters used to be 15 to 30; now it is 115 to 130. The financial squeeze has also cut off-peak hours to two nights and one Saturday each month, making research difficult for visitors from afar, and for anyone who works a 9 to 5 job. Why does this matter? Because the National Archives does more than display the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. From its astonishing riches emerge not only the records of one’s immigrant grandparents but the documents and images that produce books and telecasts about this country. Without the services of the archives, the nation risks amnesia and loses direction. The president should ask for the few millions the archives needs to do its job right, and Congress should appropriate it. America must not forget itself. David Kahn is the author of “The Codebreakers.” Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

The Generations Network, Inc, the owner of Ancestry.com, MyFamily.com, Rootsweb.com, Genealogy.com, and Family Tree Maker, has released a statement about recent negotiations with the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In short, the company is now halting the practice of giving free access to Ancestry.com to all Family History Centers. Thousands of genealogists have visited local Family History Centers in order to gain free access to services that normally cost $100 to $300 per year or more. Obviously, those People are going to be very disappointed with this news. Here is the official announcement from The Generations Network, followed by My comments: A STATEMENT FROM ANCESTRY.COM REGARDING THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS On March 16, 2007, a communication was sent to the Directors of Family History Centers from the Worldwide Support management of the Family History Department. Ancestry.com wishes to clarify a number of points not addressed by this communication. - For the past seven years, Ancestry.com has provided all Church family history centers free access to Ancestry.com without a formal licensing Agreement in place or any compensation from the Church. - Over the past several months, Ancestry.com has been working actively to Reach agreement with the Church on a formal licensing arrangement by which It could continue to make its service available to the public for free. Unfortunately, the two parties were unable to reach an agreement on this Matter. - Ancestry.com strongly desires to have a licensing arrangement with the Church that would allow it to continue to provide free access to the public In Family History Centers. The company said it still hopes to create an Acceptable agreement with the Church. The Ancestry Library Edition is Available free to the public in over 1400 public libraries in the U.S. and U K. via a similar licensing arrangement. - Ancestry.com and the Church have cooperated over the years on a number Of projects to digitize and index some important online databases. The Generations Network values its relationship with the Church and is committed To working closely with the Church and all players in the genealogy world to Advance interest in family history across the world. - Because of existing contractual agreements, a select number of Ancestry Com databases will continue to be accessible inside LDS Church family History centers. These include the 1880, 1900 and 1920 U.S. censuses, full Name indices for the British 1841-1891 censuses (England and Wales), World War I draft cards, and a few additional smaller databases. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

www.footnote.com I like this site don't know if its been mentioned before. Lots and lots of Revolutionary and Civil War information and original documents photos etc. -- Proud member of IBSSG

These sites were done nicely. www.factasy.com/civil_war/index.shtml www.bearsystems.com/civilwar/civilwar.html -- Proud member of IBSSG

There is a site www.earlyamerica.com thats often over looked because its not a part of ancestry.com or rootsweb.com It has lots of links, lots of information about each early settlement and several bulletinboards. -- Proud member of IBSSG

Off to Ft Worth, TX this afternoon for a Civil War reenactment; I even get to play dress-up and wear a costume. Of course, I have to work at the event, not play. Do get to go to a cotillion Sat evening, really anxious to see all the costumes the "real" re-enactors wear. Will let everyone know all about it when I get back on the 17th. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

This program showcases the land of saints and scholars as never before. A helicopter-mounted camera shares the vantage point of the Irish faeries of ancient lore, revealing the Emerald Isle in all its "forty shades of green." (CC, Stereo) Check your local PBS for time, "should be" on March 17. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

This is from Rootsweb Review in response to the article about finding Veterans''s records. Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" http://FTP.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt By Rusty Macon Weber My dad served in the army in WWII. As with most everyone else, his Records were involved in the fire in St. Louis. I had never thought Much about his military records as I felt sure that he had them. Going through his things after his death, I found his medals and a Paper showing that he qualified for separation, but not his actual DD 214. I tried everywhere that I could think of to find a copy of it. He had spent a year in the VA hospital in Atlanta. When I called to Ask if they had any records on him, they looked it up on the computer And told me that they had a folder, but couldn't tell what might be In it. I printed out a request and faxed it to them. Within twenty Minutes they faxed back a copy of his DD 214. I was on cloud nine. I Finally had what I had spent two years looking for. About two weeks later, I got a surprise package in the mail. I had Been so excited to get the DD 214 that I forgot that I had requested A copy of the complete file. In the mail were about fifty pages from His hospital stay, which included his dental records, x-ray reports, Operative reports--the whole works. So don't ever give up--there is usually a stray source out there Somewhere, and it's up to us to find it. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://FTP.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By B. Gillespie When my uncle, Jack Gillespie, passed away without heirs, I undertook The task of seeing that he was honored for his WWII service in the Navy. I first worked with the local lawyer assigned to assist Veterans but he was unable to obtain anything from the VA. I then Went into microfilm records of the local newspaper and copied Information about his enlistment, information about where he served, Information about being home on leave, and information about his Having a piano concert in Boston, MA, while serving in the navy. Even With this information the VA said that his records could not be Located probably due to a fire in the records storage. Later, while Talking with a state senator, I mentioned my problems with the VA to Him. He had his aide contact the VA and they were able to "find" his Original signed documents. Needless to say, I am not a fan of the VA, even though I am classed As a Vietnam Era Veteran. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://FTP.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By George McKinney That was a nice article on finding information on veterans. I Recently worked to find information on my Uncle Cecil's service and His flight crew (he was a B29 bomber pilot who died in WWII, and his Records were destroyed in the fire). However, you omitted five Sources I have found useful. First, you have the WWII enlistment records. I use the ancestry.com Version since I'm a subscriber, but there is a free version out there As well. Second, you have organizations of veterans who are associated with Specific military units. Third, you have family letters and photos. Fourth, you have libraries for the military units themselves. Fifth, you have Google. Here's how I used the above. From an old family photo I found a Picture of my uncle and the names of his flight crew. My Grandparent's' home was flooded and it was the only information from His service. I put the names of each member of the flight crew in Google and found that one crew member had dictated an oral history to His local veterans organization. His oral history gave the nickname And number of his unit. I then searched using Google again and found an Army Air Forces Website that contained lots of information. I corresponded by e-mail With them and discovered there was an Army Air Force historical Document center that had flight records for all flights during WWII, Including those my uncle flew on. I then went back to the WWII enlistment records and found the home Towns of all the members of his crew. I went back to Google (white Pages) and found several crew members who were still living in their Original hometowns. I wrote to them and found one was still living. He had excellent memories of my uncle's service, and even had Additional pictures of interest. >From this I have completely reconstructed his service, have a number of photos of his unit, and have established contact with several of his crew or their families. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By Katrina Hargus I think you gave out some great information on the VA office, but here a few things you might want to add: 1) If you think your relative was a veteran, check the state as well as federal military cemeteries. 2) Double-check with NARA (National Archives). Even though the record center in St. Louis burned, there are hundreds if not thousands of records held in other repositories and veterans offices, etc. Keep hunting; chances are they exist. 3) The "magical" one piece of paper does exist. It is referred to as a DD 214. This is the official separation/retirement document. One copy is held by the service department, one is held by the Veterans Administration (if they requested aid or pension), and one copy is given to the veteran. 4) If you do find your veteran you can request replacement medals for your family if you contact the department in which he/she served. Again, your veterans office or your local recruiting office can help with this. 5) When you call the VA 800 number listed in the phone book, you will be connected to the office nearest your home. When you talk to them, explain where your veteran was inducted/discharged. They may give you another phone number to contact. 6) If your veteran or family member worked for the VA in any capacity, their records are not held at the VA office where they worked. For example, my father-in-law and sister-in-law worked for the VA in St. Louis. Both his records and my husband's are held and processed in Lincoln, Nebraska. Not the first place I would look. 7) If you believe your veteran was "career" military or served longer than just the period of conflict, look at the children's birth records. Is there one that seems oddly out of place? If so, check for military bases in the area. This can help narrow your search. My daughter was born at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. Her legal birth certificate is filed in Green County, Ohio. Again, not anywhere people would start looking for her. Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By Rusty Macon Weber My dad served in the army in WWII. As with most everyone else, his records were involved in the fire in St. Louis. I had never thought much about his military records as I felt sure that he had them. Going through his things after his death, I found his medals and a paper showing that he qualified for separation, but not his actual DD 214. I tried everywhere that I could think of to find a copy of it. He had spent a year in the VA hospital in Atlanta. When I called to ask if they had any records on him, they looked it up on the computer and told me that they had a folder, but couldn't tell what might be in it. I printed out a request and faxed it to them. Within twenty minutes they faxed back a copy of his DD 214. I was on cloud nine. I finally had what I had spent two years looking for. About two weeks later, I got a surprise package in the mail. I had been so excited to get the DD 214 that I forgot that I had requested a copy of the complete file. In the mail were about fifty pages from his hospital stay, which included his dental records, x-ray reports, operative reports--the whole works. So don't ever give up--there is usually a stray source out there somewhere, and it's up to us to find it. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By B. Gillespie When my uncle, Jack Gillespie, passed away without heirs, I undertook the task of seeing that he was honored for his WWII service in the navy. I first worked with the local lawyer assigned to assist veterans but he was unable to obtain anything from the VA. I then went into microfilm records of the local newspaper and copied information about his enlistment, information about where he served, information about being home on leave, and information about his having a piano concert in Boston, MA, while serving in the navy. Even with this information the VA said that his records could not be located probably due to a fire in the records storage. Later, while talking with a state senator, I mentioned my problems with the VA to him. He had his aide contact the VA and they were able to "find" his original signed documents. Needless to say, I am not a fan of the VA, even though I am classed as a Vietnam Era Veteran. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By George McKinney That was a nice article on finding information on veterans. I recently worked to find information on my Uncle Cecil's service and his flight crew (he was a B29 bomber pilot who died in WWII, and his records were destroyed in the fire). However, you omitted five sources I have found useful. First, you have the WWII enlistment records. I use the ancestry.com version since I'm a subscriber, but there is a free version out there as well. Second, you have organizations of veterans who are associated with specific military units. Third, you have family letters and photos. Fourth, you have libraries for the military units themselves. Fifth, you have Google. Here's how I used the above. From an old family photo I found a picture of my uncle and the names of his flight crew. My grandparent's home was flooded and it was the only information from his service. I put the names of each member of the flight crew in Google and found that one crew member had dictated an oral history to his local veterans organization. His oral history gave the nickname and number of his unit. I then searched using Google again and found an Army Air Forces website that contained lots of information. I corresponded by e-mail with them and discovered there was an Army Air Force historical document center that had flight records for all flights during WWII, including those my uncle flew on. I then went back to the WWII enlistment records and found the home towns of all the members of his crew. I went back to Google (white pages) and found several crew members who were still living in their original hometowns. I wrote to them and found one was still living. He had excellent memories of my uncle's service, and even had additional pictures of interest. >From this I have completely reconstructed his service, have a number of photos of his unit, and have established contact with several of his crew or their families. * * * Re: "Locating Information about Your Veteran" (http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0221.txt) By Katrina Hargus I think you gave out some great information on the VA office, but here a few things you might want to add: 1) If you think your relative was a veteran, check the state as well as federal military cemeteries. 2) Double-check with NARA (National Archives). Even though the record center in St. Louis burned, there are hundreds if not thousands of records held in other repositories and veterans offices, etc. Keep hunting; chances are they exist. 3) The "magical" one piece of paper does exist. It is referred to as a DD 214. This is the official separation/retirement document. One copy is held by the service department, one is held by the Veterans Administration (if they requested aid or pension), and one copy is given to the veteran. 4) If you do find your veteran you can request replacement medals for your family if you contact the department in which he/she served. Again, your veterans office or your local recruiting office can help with this. 5) When you call the VA 800 number listed in the phone book, you will be connected to the office nearest your home. When you talk to them, explain where your veteran was inducted/discharged. They may give you another phone number to contact. 6) If your veteran or family member worked for the VA in any capacity, their records are not held at the VA office where they worked. For example, my father-in-law and sister-in-law worked for the VA in St. Louis. Both his records and my husband's are held and processed in Lincoln, Nebraska. Not the first place I would look. 7) If you believe your veteran was "career" military or served longer than just the period of conflict, look at the children's birth records. Is there one that seems oddly out of place? If so, check for military bases in the area. This can help narrow your search. My daughter was born at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. Her legal birth certificate is filed in Green County, Ohio. Again, not anywhere people would start looking for her.

Want to see some GREAT pictures of Ghost Towns??? This is a photo collection of more then 1300 pictures from 174 ghost towns and historic places in the United States. Give this site a try: http://www.ghosttowngallery.com/ Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

New Train Wrecks, Tornadoes, Hurricanes and other disasters http://www.gendisasters.com -------- GenDisasters.com chronicles the events that touched our ancestors' lives - Train wrecks, fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, storms, Mining explosions, ship wrecks, drownings, and accidents. Transcribed Newspaper accounts, excerpts from historical books and photographs detail Hundreds of life's tragedies that our ancestors' endured, from the 1800s to The 1950s. (and it's free) --------- Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

[Have list of proposed price increases if anyone would like them; from Eastman's Online Newsletter ~~ Sally] Warning to all U.S. Genealogists! Two rules published in the Federal Register on Monday, February 26, 2007, relate to fees for reproductions of records at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). In the case of Civil War pension applications, the proposal is for a 338% increase! Page 8327 contains a proposed rule revising fees for reproductions to cover NARA's costs for providing copies. On page 8279 is an interim final rule removing fee schedule fees for the reproduction of records of other Federal agencies stored in NARA records centers. The proposals are written in the finest governmental "legalese" language. However, it is obvious that the proposal is to INCREASE all fees. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

Service and pension records for more than two million soldiers who fought in the British army in World War I are being put online for the first time. The documents provide a broad range of detail, from name and next of kin to wounds suffered and conduct record. Sadly, this record set does not contain information about all the five million soldiers from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland fought in World War I. It seems that about 60% of the service records were destroyed in a German bombing raid in 1940. The surviving records, many badly damaged and known as the "burnt documents", were conserved by the National Archives and filmed. The pension record details for about 100,000 soldiers are the first to go online. These relate to some of those men discharged on account of sickness or injuries sustained and include the medical records relating to the disability for which a pension was granted. The service records, which will follow at a later date, describe the careers of soldiers who completed their service, were killed in action, executed or died of their wounds or disease, and provide full details of their service, and, where recorded, death. The number of documents relating to a soldier varies according to their circumstances, but in some cases there are scores, including items of correspondence. All the records are already viewable on 28,000 rolls of microfilm at the National Archives in west London, but it is hoped the digitization process will make them available to a much wider audience. The National Archives described the online release as "tremendously significant" and said it would lead to a better understanding for military historians as well as help those researching their family trees. The release by the Ancestry website, working in partnership with the U.K. National Archives, is taking place in stages over the next two years. The images are available to view on a subscription or pay-per-view basis. The records, known as the WO363 British Army Service records and the WO364 British Army Pension records, can be searched at the website ancestry.co.UK as part of a deal with the National Archives. About 100,000 records are online now, including surnames beginning with A or B, with the rest following by the end of 2008. Searching the name index on the website is free and scanned pages from the original files will be available to members of ancestry.co.UK or on a pay-per-view basis. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

{from another mailing list ~~ Sally} Locating Information about Your Veteran By Doris Demet tldemet@worldnet.att.net Last week, reference was made to a storage warehouse fire that destroyed many military records of surviving WWII veterans, http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/review/2007/0214.txt It wasn't just their records that were destroyed, but others too; those that served right up until the fire. However, there are other places people can find information and build not only their genealogy, but the National Archive records that were lost. I have at least fifteen WWII veterans and three WWI that survived the War and I have found more information on each—I actually started out not knowing half of them were veterans. I have submitted the information to the National Archives to help rebuild their records, and the website mentioned in last week's newsletter is now another way to help them too. The following are steps to help find information on any veteran who is now deceased. (A living veteran can request his/her information from the normal agencies) 1) Death Records--Most death records include whether or not the individual served in the armed forces. This and the age of the person will give you an idea of when he/she served--the average age of entry into any branch of service is eighteen to twenty (average only) for when the draft was instated The age was a little older at other times. 2) Obituaries--Many obituaries will provide information on a relative who served in the armed forces--or at least hint at it. 3) Headstone-Cemetery Records--One thing our qualifying military members can receive is a free military headstone. Check headstones to see if they note any information about your family member's military record. If so contact the cemetery office--they could have even more information because they help order the headstones most of the time. They just might have kept a copy of the "Proof of Service." If this is true then there is a branch of the government where this headstone was ordered from: http://www.cem.va gov/hm_hm.asp BE BOLD. Write or call. Ask questions about the headstone and what proof was submitted for that headstone to be issued and whether you can have a copy of that proof. 4) County Court House Records--Go to the county court house where your veteran was living when he/she enlisted or drafted, as well as to the county where he/she resided after war or peace time service. Many local county court houses encouraged veterans to register their discharge papers, also known after WWII as DD214 forms. That way they would have a safe place to find a copy when they needed one for employment or for veteran benefits such as housing loans, burial benefits, and more. Discharge papers are full of information! 5) Local Contacts--Don't forget about contacts at the local level where your family member lived after his/her service. Contact the local American Legion or VFW (Veteran of Foreign Wars) Organization. They might have some additional information there if your veteran joined their organization. 5) Local Newspapers--Check the local newspapers from when your family served--local newspapers would and still do print the names of those who have locally joined the service and include the branch, promotions in rank, awards or medals issued, where those awards are located, the service number, and a mailing address for friends and family to write to the service member (especially true during war time). Sometimes local papers even include a photo! Many small and large newspapers are on microfilm and you can usually get access to them through interlibrary loan--check with your library for help on that. Since I live in another state than all my family I have been doing this from a small town library, so you can too! If you have to, locate a state library where your family lived, see if they have the newspapers on microfilm, and armed with that information, go to your local librarian. 6) Local Histories--Some communities have a local history naming many of their veterans. It's worth a look. 7) National Archives--Even though they say most of their records were destroyed, this does not mean all were. You can see what the National Archives do have by visiting their website and following their instructions. Fill out their forms with as much information as you can fill out, but remember you don't have to have all of it either http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/ 8) Regional Veterans Administration Office (VA)--The last step that I have found VERY HELPFUL after I have already gotten as much information as possible is to contact your regional Veterans Administration Office (VA). You can find this in your local phone book, in the front "Federal Government Pages." There is usually an 800/toll-free number. Or, you can use this website to locate the one nearest you no matter where in the U.S your veteran enlisted or discharged from http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isFlash=1 Now contact your regional VA Office and find out the mailing address to their "Freedom of Information Officer/Administrator" (FOIA). Write to the regional center closest to you and put Attn: FOIA. You will want to write a letter requesting copies of any and all VA files. Please note that VA files are not a military file, but a veterans administration file. Include the following information, if available: a) Your relationship to the veteran--son, grandson, grandfather, grandmother etc. b) Veteran's full name c) Veteran's date and place of birth--write all you know even if you only have partial information d) Veteran's date and place of death--again, include all you know, even if incomplete e) Veteran's branch of service and when or about when he/she served, even if in the states. Even something like "Army WWII" or "Navy Korean Conflict" is better than nothing f) Veteran's service number and/or Social Security Number g) Your name, address, and signature Now the wait. On average this takes usually ninety to 120 days. Remember that not every veteran has a VA file, but a lot do. If you don't hear from the VA after 120 days, contact them and ask about your request; they do get busy and the FOIA is a volunteer. If there is a record it can consist of just a discharge form (great information) and a burial request for a flag; or it can be jammed full of information, such as enlistment papers, discharge papers, and vital records on the veteran and his wife and children. Each file is different, so keep that in mind when requesting them. Also, note that the VA file is free! I hope this helps those looking for their military family members and that they are as proud of them as I am. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

Misbach Enterprises houses one of the largest collections of downloadable genealogy charts in Adobe PDF format. You can print directly from the web site or store the forms on your local hard drive and then print them later as often as you wish. All the charts are formatted to fit on 8.5" x 11" paper. Go to http://misbach.org/pdfcharts/ www.FamilySearch.org has a collection of online forms, including U.S., British, Irish, and Canadian census extraction forms, family group sheets, blank timelines, and more. The forms are available at http://tinyurl com/2rq3sz Family Tree Magazine has a huge collection of downloadable forms on the company's web site. The forms include pedigree charts, research calendars, note-taking forms, deed indexes, research journal, correspondence logs, family group sheets and census extraction forms. You can see this impressive collection of forms at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/forms/download.html www.ancestry.com has downloadable forms that are as nice looking as the commercially available forms. You can obtain a pedigree chart (called an Ancestral Chart), Research Calendar, Research Extract, Correspondence Chart, Source Summary, and Family Group Sheet. You can do all of this at: http://www.ancestry.com/save/charts/ancchart.htm Canadian census forms for the 1851, 1901, 1906 and 1911 Canadian censuses may be downloaded from: http://www.ancestry.com/trees/charts/canadacensus aspx Similar forms for the 1941 through 1901 decennial U.K. Censuses may be obtained at http://www.ancestry.com/trees/charts/ukcensus.aspx All of the above are available FREE of charge. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

[From one of our members in Indiana ~~ Sally] Here's another good site. www.LostCousins.com Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

The following announcement was written by Library and Archives Canada: Library and Archives Canada is pleased to announce the completion of the database regarding the Likacheff-Ragosine-Mathers collection (LI-RA-MA). This database contains documents created between 1898 and 1922 by the consular offices of the Tsarist Russian Empire in Canada. The series on passports and identity papers is comprised of about 11,400 files on Jewish, Ukrainian and Finnish immigrants who came to Canada from the Russian Empire. The series includes passport applications and questionnaires containing general information. First released at the end of October 2006, the remaining 35 000 digitized images were recently added, bringing up the total of images to 55 000. You are invited to visit the site at: http://www.collectionscanada ca/immigrants. The contributions of many LAC staff were instrumental in the success of this project, and their efforts are much appreciated. Sally Rolls Pavia sallypavia2001@yahoo.com List Owner: GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES-L-request@rootsweb.com Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/GENEALOGYBITSANDPIECES "All incoming and outgoing email checked by Norton Anti-Virus"

Over 90,000 names of people who died or suffered injury in the mines of Great Britain from 1850 to 1914. http://www.cmhrc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/deaths.htm Example: Pre-1840 c.2148 entries BAWDEN Cullen (injured) TURNER Patterson McMINN John MORRIS Cormick McCALLISTER Hector GARROWAY Robert BOLTON John DAVEY Michael PARTLETON George FITZSIMMONS Christopher

American Cultural History www.Kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/19thcentury.HTML Or www.kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.HTML Place your ancestors in historical context with these lively guides to the 19th and 20th centuries—you'll find everything from basic facts and statistics to fads and fashions to education and technology. Profiles of each decade include suggested books for further reading. Early American History www.1st-hand-history.org This lively collection of written accounts from the 1700s and 1800s warns, This is probably not the same history that you learned in school." Clicking through these documents is like interviewing your early American ancestors-listening to real people, not the famous folks who made the history books-express their thoughts, feelings and ambitions. As the site's introduction puts it, "Here is the real pioneer spirit at its best and worst EPodunk.com www.epodunk.com/genealogy Find those obscure and obsolete ancestral towns with this searchable guide to 45,000 cities, villages, towns and townships across America. Search on a place name, and you'll find the name of the county, the county seat and links to various genealogical resources. Map History www.maphistory.info/sum.html Besides an introduction to the history of cartography, this site serves up thousands of links to old-map sites—including hundreds with digitized images—to help you trace your ancestors' whereabouts. TribalPages [one of my favorites] www.tribalpages.com We thought the Web had enough pedigree-sharing sites until we discovered TribalPages, a free service that lets you not only share but also document and view your family history online. Besides searching the database of 12 million-plus names, you can store your own data and get online charts and reports. Looking 4 Kin www.looking4kin.com Maybe someone in this friendly site's genealogy chat room can solve your brick-wall problem. You'll also find an extensive list of well-categorized links here. Directory of Corporate Archives in the United States and Canada www.hunterinformation.com/corporat.htm Start finding your kin's occupational records with this guide to company archives, arranged by corporation, archivist and geographic area. Old Directory Search Olddirectorysearch.com This modest but growing collection of digitized city directory pages includes such volumes as the 1892 Denver directory, 1844 Chicago directory, 1786 New York City directory, 1890 Philadelphia directory and 1837 Cleveland directory. If your ancestors were in the right place at the right time, this site could spell a breakthrough. Pullman Collection www.rootsweb.com/~ssghs/pullman.htm Maintained by the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (SSGHS) in Illinois, this site will get you started digging into the records of some 200,000 former Pullman Car Works employees. Fill out the form here and SSGHS will do a quick search of records from 1900 to 1949, free. Applied Language www.appliedlanguage.com/free_translation.shtml Stumped by that foreign phrase or Web site? This free online resource translates up to 150 words or any Web page between English and 10 different languages (even Chinese). You'll find world maps and online foreign-language dictionaries here, too.