Hello to Lisa and the list. Lisa, what a good idea to do this for your parents! I want to recommend a book I bought last month. The chapter on "Turning paper into people" is wonderful. The author is writing on how to add life and color to ancestors' bare-bones dates, but the questions she suggests would be interesting to you, your siblings and your parents, too: _Producing a quality family history_ by Patricia Law Hatcher. 1996. 278 pages. Ancestry, Salt Lake City, Utah. (I bought my copy from the Ancestry website at www.ancestry.com.) You can expect other recommendations, including websites, from GenTippers! Cheers, Dolly in Maryland On Fri, 23 Jul 1999 [email protected] wrote: > ...(snip)I wrote down a bunch of "memory" questions...(snip)... > Any suggestions?

Thought I would pass along an idea that I just "instigated" among my siblings and hoping and can get them to all go along with it. My parents wedding anniversary is in a couple of weeks, this idea is too late for this year, but hoping to get it all done for next year. I wrote down a bunch of "memory" questions and have asked my siblings to either write down (which I would prefer) or email me the answers a little at a time. (would love to hear some other questions from you guys to send them..see area below for some I sent them) I intend to send them enough questions so that they could answer one every week for almost a year. (Surely they can do it once a week....I even suggested taking a notebook and leaving it in the bathroom for those periods of "contemplation"....Sorry for being so crass, but hey, what better place to think?) I plan on putting the "question" on a pretty background on a page by itself. Then putting the answers from each of my siblings (and their spouses and any children old enough) in the pages to follow and "type" up their answers on one page (for those with hard to read handwriting). If I or any of them have "pictures" to go with the memory, I am hoping to get those too. I'm going to put a "tab" on the side of each "group" with the "question" that was asked as well as a "contents" page at the beginning. Some questions you might think about: What is your very first memory? What was your first day at school like? What is your most embarrassing moment, special moment, proud moment? What do you remember about our grandparents? What was your most special holiday moment and why? Now that you are older...what do you want to TELL our parents? Any suggestions? Lisa

Can anyone tell me how I would go about finding census records. Exactly what information do I need? I think on the request form you need to tell them what page you want. How do I go about getting all this info. Thanks, Jennifer Point Lookout, NY researching (Wondsel, Feller, Behrnan, Vreeland)

Dear Gang.... Blushing.....Was amazed at the number of people that replied to my idea of the expandable folder (PS...buy the PLASTIC ones...they last longer) and the spreadsheets. Since a couple of people asked if I had anymore ideas, this is how I handle the "notebooks". I keep hearing about everyone keeping stuff in "Folders in files"...well I want it where I can SEE it all.... For my "small" families that fit in one binder, I print out a family "outline" for the first few pages, then print out a family group sheet for each person that I have "notes" on or that have children. (I also keep a copy of those spreadsheets that I made in the folder...for those times that I do take the entire folder to the library LOL) For example....my Spellman family outline prints out to 3 pages (but it includes my main "Cotten" line which is in another book) I put all pages (back to back in plastic protection sheets. (when I reach an area in the outline that is for another line that I am researching, I use a label to "See other Family File" on that group sheet. Okay....My first group sheet has Michael Spellman and his wife and children listed. He is my "oldest" ancestor for this group. The "group page" faces front and on the back is the "Notes" page for Michael Spellman. Then in the following pages, I have a copy of his death cert (Facing front) and a "typed" copy of what it says since copies are sometimes so hard to read (Facing back), a copy of his obit and a typed version of it, copy of his wife's death cert, typed copy, obit, typed copy. Of course, put in Birth certs, land deeds etc.... Next, Michael and Julia had 2 children (aren't I lucky...kind of small family for 1870) I then put a TAB at the side, up near the top of each protective sheet that is the same COLOR (to show they are siblings) I got the kind of tabs that are self adhesive, plastic and comes in colors so that I can use groups of colors for each generation. So Michael and Julia have BLUE TABS at the closest area to the top on the side. I put all their information like I did for Michael's. (If I have information on say a spouse's parents, but not "tracing that line yet", I include it in their group. Now, I flip to the end of the FIRST child's area (leaving the second childs area facing me, but I will be working on the FIRST CHILD'S children and placing their information on top (It comes out like the outline) I use a DIFFERENT color tab for each of his/her children and place it the length of the tab BELOW the area where a first one might have been...this allows you to "see" the second tab below the "parents". For example, John and Mary are Blue, the children of John AND the children of Mary are in Yellow (but are found after each parent's groups sheets and information. In each tab, I put the person's name and Date of birth. and continue like this, after putting in all that person's children, then I flip back to the first person's children and go to the second child he has and put that person's children. This way you KNOW by feeling for the next higher up tab WHO is that person's parents (Or the ones below it that are the children)....the other advantage...it a shows by same color that they were born around same "time frame" and also they are 2nd generation, or 3rd generations etc... There are "Labels" that I use to apply to the front of a plastic protector sheet when I want someone to know that there is additional material elsewhere...for example, in my Spellman book, when you turn to the page where my grandparents are, you will find a label next to my grandmother's name that says: SEE STENGER FAMILY. When you turn to the page with my parents on it, it says next to my dad's name: SEE COTTEN FAMILY. Now, my HINTON family is HUGE! dates back to England in 1070!!! (Sorry gang, didn't find all that research by myself!) I divided this into several books. One book has ONLY the ENGLAND Hinton's. The next book has the American Hintons. (Since I am still in the process of compiling all the information I have on these people, I have a feeling I will be subdividing the American Hinton's into the STATES that these Hinton's were from.) If I haven't received alot of correspondence from people and can keep it in the same notebook, I put the "email letters" that I printed out from ONE person in ONE protective sheet cover and place a "clear colored" tab with their name and connection on it. (In my file cabinet is where I keep the "not related.....YET! letters that I want to hold onto to correspond with later). My Hinton and Guice lines are so huge, that the correspondence and information received goes in one binder by itself LOL Another thing......I have an address book that I made out of a small notebook, that is about 4 X 5 inches and spiral bound. I used "tiny" adhesive tabs to divide it into my "names" and made an address book that includes the person's name, email address, mailing address and phone #, and HOW they are connected. Whew....sorry this is soo long! Lisa

Since we are seeing so many "Tips"on organizing, thought I might throw in my two cents worth. To keep from having to "drag" all those notebooks with me, I bought an expandable file folder. I labeled each file separately: Births, Marriages, Deaths, Cemetery, Census and "Other lookups" (The other for those times that I can do lookups for other people or have "swapped" lookups for them in my area for those in their area...believe me...it helps alot!) Next, using a microsoft excel program (or any with a spreadsheet type of format), I made a file for each family surname (and those directly connected to it. I labeled the columns for the Births this way: Name, DOB, Place, Father, Mother, Source, Copy Then in each column, I put the pertinent information for each one that I KNEW and in ( ), I would put what I "thought" I knew. For Deaths: Name, DOB, DOD, Place, Cemetery, Obituary, Source, copy Etc.... This way, I could bring that expandable folder with me to the archives etc and can look at a glance what records I need records on. By keeping a disc of this, you can always update it or just write in the blanks as you find the information. For someone just starting out, this has worked well for me (been doing this about 3 years, but did this type of organization about a year ago.) Hope this helps, Lisa

To Whom it May Concern: My grandmother is currently searching for her grandfather, William Dixon Griffith, and we are having complications finding information. We would be greatly obliged if you could give us the information we need to find our long lost relatives. He was born in the mid 1800's and he died in 1922, when my grandma was a year old. Please contact me as soon as possible at [email protected] Thank you so much for your time and we ask that you hurry. Deepest Regards, Lost in my own Family Tree

Hi Margaret I for one really appreciate your submission. I am not exactly new at this game, I have been working for abour 25 years now on my families off and on. I am just now coming to the place where my families are really getting out of hand. I have about 10 families that need seperating now. What I would really like to know and since you have such a nice style of writing, how to seperate them in the computer files? My main program has been FTM but I am going to switch it tp FO after messing with it all day yesterday and never getting it where I wanted them to be. There was always something missing or misplaced or something, I have been making gedcoms of FTM and transferring it into the FO program. This works some but not to split families. The FTM list suggested I get another Zip program and seperate the files that way. I already have a zip program but it doesn't like the gedcom files or it doesn't like the way I am doing it or somehting. Does Family origins have a way you could do that. I noticed it has something where you can pick just the ones you want. I guess I am just going to have to play around with it and see if I can do it without loosing a bunch of things. Thank you ever so much for the email on orginization. Judy MScheffler wrote: > Organization tends to be quite individual. What works well for > one may not work well for all. Don't feel that you have to do it > one particular way. Just find a way that works for you and try to > be consistent. > > Many of us started out with series of loose leaf notebooks only > to find the notebooks soon became too big and too numerous and we > began to "graduate" from them to a file cabinet and perhaps even to > more than one file cabinet before too long. > > If you decide on the file cabinet (s), get the sturdy deep ones, > not those light weight $25 ones you can find everywhere. The small > ones do not have much usable space and soon you will be heading off > to the store for bigger ones. In the office discount stores, you > can get a pretty good 4 drawer one for about $100. I like the file > cabinet approach because when going on a trip I can simply select > the folders I want, put them in one of those small plastic crates > and place the plastic crate on the seat of the car. > > I have devised my own system for filing, similar to some others > that others have described. When I am just beginning work on a > family, I label a file folder with the surnames of husband and wife > and put everything related to those two families in that folder. > It is then easy for me to quickly pick up that family folder and > take to the library. As I learn more about the families. I > gradually split up the families into more folders and generally keep > them in alphabetical order by surname. You might want to have one > drawer for one branch of the family and another drawer for families > related to anther branch. One can make pedigree charts from their > genealogy program of various sections of their families and put > them in the front of related folders. Someone else suggested doing > the same with family groups sheets. Such summary material helps if > you forget names of the lines to several related families. > > There are some materials that I keep separate from the family > folders themselves. > I tend to keep my vital records and other original source materials > together in one or two file folders in a separate place from my > family folders. If I want a copy of a vital record in a > particular family file, I just make a photocopy and put the copy > in the family file. I find that if I have the originals filed all > over the place, I can never remember which family I put them with. > One may think they have a good memory, but the more information one > accumulates, the more disorganized one tends to become and the more > difficult it is to find something when you want to look at it again > or share it with someone else. > > Locality and census materials can be kept separate also, > particularly if they pertain to many families. There again you can > photocopy individual pages that you want duplicated in your family > files. > > There are some commercial systems that have been listed in the > past. Dollarhide is one, but I have not used it. If someone wants a > copy of an article describing the system, let me know about the > first of August and I will locate it and send it. Do not ask me > now, as I am on vacation and do not have the file on my notebook > computer. I believe there is a computer program by the name of > Clooze or something similar that some people use in organizing their > genealogy papers. > > I also collect old family photos. I copy these with a 35 mm > camera. I then try to keep copies in albums with a code number on > the back relating to the negatives files so I can get duplicates > made for people who would like them. In some cases it is easier to > scan and send photos via email, but the quality is not as good and > the paper and dyes we now have available, will not last as long as > the old black and white photos of the past. Computer media may not > last as long as the old photos either. It is wise to devise more > than one method of saving our precious photographs. > > Whatever system one devises, try to keep the papers picked up > and filed. Those piles of papers tend to quickly get out of > control. Do not rely only on your computer organization because hard > drives, floppy drives and even cdrom media do fail. I back up my > genealogy database to a floppy or zip drive daily and periodically > send copies of my research and vital records to family members > that are interested in my family research. That way should > something happen to me, someone else can preserve my work. > > For most people making use of a computer genealogy program is > an important asset, although we all know in the past people did not > have that luxury. I prefer Family Origins which has a variety of > powerful features, yet is easy for the beginning researcher to use. > Do remember when you add any "facts" to your database to note the > source for EACH fact. Inevitably one soon finds conflicting > information and it is easier to resolve it, if you can determine > where you found it. Where there are conflicts, it is always good to > discuss your conflicts and conclusions in your notes because months > and perhaps 100s of names later you may not remember how you arrived > at your rationale for choosing one date or place over another. > > Hope this is helpful to someone. > > Margaret Scheffler > > ==== GenTips Mailing List ==== > If you need to unsubscribe to GenTips email the command: > unsubscribe > To: > [email protected] > DON'T send it to GenTips-L that won't work!

This is prompted by Margaret S's good summary of organizing your genealogical files. A cousin of my wife had developed a coding system which I used prior to my present computer program, which seems to me simple, useful, and elegant: It is based on an ancestry chart. Using binary coding of 1 for male and 0 for female. My code would be 1, my wife's 0, my paternal grandfather would be 111, her grandmother on her father's side would be 010, and so on. I think it could be a basis for a file drawer filing system. As the numbers get longer, just group them by threes: 100-111 would be my maternal grandmother's great grandfather in her father's line.

My grandmother had a stepbrother Henry ZITTLAU later changed to ZITTLAW. He was born in Poland, possibly Warsaw. The two shared the same father (Christian ZITTLAU), but I am trying to locate his mother who I believe is a SCHAFFRICK. I have sent for his death certificate. His son reported the information and listed the mother's and father's name as Unknown. Henry's son has since died so I cannot contact him. On the death certificate it says "no" for Social Security which I don't know if it means "not known" or "none". Does anyone have any ideas of how to locate his mother's name? I do have his correct birthdate but only a possible birthplace of Warsaw. It could only have been a location close to Warsaw, however, in 1876. He is not listed on the SS Death Index but does anyone know if you can request the SS for an application if you do not know a SS#? I would appreciate any direction. Thanks Ingrid Norris Searching for the surnames ZITTLAU, ZITTLAW, SCHAFFRICK, SCHMELZER

I am looking for any information on the Wall family who moved from North Carolina or Virginia in the 1800 to Georgia. There was one family who moved to Taliferro County, GA and later moved to Oglethorpe County, GA in 1906 or 1907. One of the family was William Edison Wall or William Edward Wall. The name could be spelled Walls.

It sounds like what you have found is old-fashioned photo paper proofs, a material that is no longer used, so far as I know. You can tell if they are paper copies as they will be as flexible as any photographic print. Also, proofs were sepia toned. A tintype is actually on a metal base, and is not flexible like paper. Now, the old proof paper is very sensitive to light, and if you scan them, probably you will ruin them, and not get a usable scan either. My advice is do not scan them. John Subject: Scanning photos Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 01:03:34 +0200 From: "The Leary's" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] I heard that it is relatively safe to scan a tin type photo as long as it's not done many times. I was about to scan what I though was a tin type photo, but the card it is enclosed in says "unretouched proofs...do not open in bright light". Am I wrong to think these are tin types? Should I not try it?

I heard that it is relatively safe to scan a tin type photo as long as it's not done many times. I was about to scan what I though was a tin type photo, but the card it is enclosed in says "unretouched proofs...do not open in bright light". Am I wrong to think these are tin types? Should I not try it?

I actually find the LDS data quite helpful as hints, and no matter what the source of compiled data it helps to check on the validity. Whole fraudulent genealogies were written about the turn of the century, so inaccuracy is not exclusive to the above mentioned data. However, there is something that a lot of people overlook, and that is the original records that the LDS have microfilmed that can be rented in for a nominal fee. How wonderful to be able to search Scottish records or English records or even original Polish records as I have for family data. Much too often people hunting for information on their family tree stop at the 'survey' stage which is looking to see what others have done before you. I for one, use www.familysearch.org for all I can get from it. It is a tremendous resource, but one of many that I use. The value for me lies in being able to do so much planning work from my wheelchair at my computer to prepare for when I can get to the State Library and State Archives, and the LDS FHC to do original research. It is not enough just to gather names to swell the size of the database. Charlene Calvert Pinkowski [email protected]

I find very little of value at any of the LDS sights. The validity of some of the material they do have is also very questionable. If you take their data without double checking it with actual field work, you are making a probable error or multiple errors in your data base. The buyer of easy data beware! RFS.

I Apologize for sending this to the list. But I do not know how else to get unsubscribe from GenWeb. I have send messages with the just the word Unsubscribe to address that was in my welcome letter I keep getting the reply that I am not on the list and I can not be unsubscribe. If I am not on the mail list then why and I still getting the digest. I originally was on the List for GenTips but then I was switched to the digest mode when the change was made a couple of months ago. Is there a new procedure to get unsubscribe? Thank you B Stevens ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 1999 10:18 PM Subject: GenTips-D Digest V99 #227

Celia, chandler is an old English word meaning a maker of candles. It took on other meanings in later years - in particular, a supplier of general provisions, especially to ships. >______________________________X-Message: #2 >Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 22:34:38 EDT >From: [email protected] >To: [email protected] >Message-ID: <[email protected]> >Subject: Chandler >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >I am trying to find the origin of the surname Chandler in the valley of VA. >Could it be French? > >Thanks, > >Celia >

Have you tried Switchboard. The address is http://www.switchboard.com You can search the whole USA for any name. Hope this helps. Bob

Organization tends to be quite individual. What works well for one may not work well for all. Don't feel that you have to do it one particular way. Just find a way that works for you and try to be consistent. Many of us started out with series of loose leaf notebooks only to find the notebooks soon became too big and too numerous and we began to "graduate" from them to a file cabinet and perhaps even to more than one file cabinet before too long. If you decide on the file cabinet (s), get the sturdy deep ones, not those light weight $25 ones you can find everywhere. The small ones do not have much usable space and soon you will be heading off to the store for bigger ones. In the office discount stores, you can get a pretty good 4 drawer one for about $100. I like the file cabinet approach because when going on a trip I can simply select the folders I want, put them in one of those small plastic crates and place the plastic crate on the seat of the car. I have devised my own system for filing, similar to some others that others have described. When I am just beginning work on a family, I label a file folder with the surnames of husband and wife and put everything related to those two families in that folder. It is then easy for me to quickly pick up that family folder and take to the library. As I learn more about the families. I gradually split up the families into more folders and generally keep them in alphabetical order by surname. You might want to have one drawer for one branch of the family and another drawer for families related to anther branch. One can make pedigree charts from their genealogy program of various sections of their families and put them in the front of related folders. Someone else suggested doing the same with family groups sheets. Such summary material helps if you forget names of the lines to several related families. There are some materials that I keep separate from the family folders themselves. I tend to keep my vital records and other original source materials together in one or two file folders in a separate place from my family folders. If I want a copy of a vital record in a particular family file, I just make a photocopy and put the copy in the family file. I find that if I have the originals filed all over the place, I can never remember which family I put them with. One may think they have a good memory, but the more information one accumulates, the more disorganized one tends to become and the more difficult it is to find something when you want to look at it again or share it with someone else. Locality and census materials can be kept separate also, particularly if they pertain to many families. There again you can photocopy individual pages that you want duplicated in your family files. There are some commercial systems that have been listed in the past. Dollarhide is one, but I have not used it. If someone wants a copy of an article describing the system, let me know about the first of August and I will locate it and send it. Do not ask me now, as I am on vacation and do not have the file on my notebook computer. I believe there is a computer program by the name of Clooze or something similar that some people use in organizing their genealogy papers. I also collect old family photos. I copy these with a 35 mm camera. I then try to keep copies in albums with a code number on the back relating to the negatives files so I can get duplicates made for people who would like them. In some cases it is easier to scan and send photos via email, but the quality is not as good and the paper and dyes we now have available, will not last as long as the old black and white photos of the past. Computer media may not last as long as the old photos either. It is wise to devise more than one method of saving our precious photographs. Whatever system one devises, try to keep the papers picked up and filed. Those piles of papers tend to quickly get out of control. Do not rely only on your computer organization because hard drives, floppy drives and even cdrom media do fail. I back up my genealogy database to a floppy or zip drive daily and periodically send copies of my research and vital records to family members that are interested in my family research. That way should something happen to me, someone else can preserve my work. For most people making use of a computer genealogy program is an important asset, although we all know in the past people did not have that luxury. I prefer Family Origins which has a variety of powerful features, yet is easy for the beginning researcher to use. Do remember when you add any "facts" to your database to note the source for EACH fact. Inevitably one soon finds conflicting information and it is easier to resolve it, if you can determine where you found it. Where there are conflicts, it is always good to discuss your conflicts and conclusions in your notes because months and perhaps 100s of names later you may not remember how you arrived at your rationale for choosing one date or place over another. Hope this is helpful to someone. Margaret Scheffler

The name chandler could have come from the employment or occupation as a supplier ie: ships chandler provided the supplies for ships such as the food, ropes, hardware, sails, caulking etc.

There is a comprehensive article about what is happening, directly and indirectly, called: "Databases of the Dead", at: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.07/mormons.html The future of research is suggested in the production of primary source documents on the Internet. One major company is called Primary Source Media, at: http://www.psmedia.com/site/body_index.html They presently work with "rare primary source materials in the humanities and social sciences". This includes US City Directories. Primary Source Media is a part of the Gale Group. The GaleNet Databases has database resources available to most major library centers: http://www.gale.com/gale/galenet/gnetcont.html If you refer to Archives and Library Resources, at: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/archives.htm you will note a section for: Web Pages for Scholarly Societies, at: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/archives.htm#Scholarly_Societies One of the sites listed there is: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Provides unparalleled research services to the academic community. Both online and web-based subscription services allow students, faculty and staff access to a vast universe of information. Considering all of the above, resources for the Future of Genealogy Research are available from: (1) The LDS Church sites, such as those listed at: http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/LDS.htm (2) The ever contracting number of interconnected Independent for-profit organizations [companies]. (3) Group societies and organizations, such as: http://www.publist.com/indexes/REF013000.html This resource is severely restricted at present by lack of representation on the Internet. Less than 20% of individual web pages are indexed by major search engines. (4) The educational information sites in the humanities and social sciences on a college/university level. This would include the Library of Congress web site, Interlibrary Loan and the OCLC FirstSearch system, at: http://www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/fs.htm Respectfully yours, Tom Tinney, Sr. http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/ Listed in: Who's Who In The West, 1998/1999 Who's Who In Genealogy and Heraldry, [both editions]