Neglected Cemeteries Fellow genealogists/researchers, Please consider signing this petition for the protection/preservation of "Neglected, Abandoned and Unlicensed Cemeteries in the State of Virginia", particularly if you are researching your own genealogy originating from Virginia. Also, please consider passing this along to others who may be interested in signing such as other genealogists, historians, heritage groups, VFW groups, etc. Thank you for your support and assistance and my apologies to those who may receive this email more than once via the multiple Rootsweb lists that I am subscribed to and have forwarded this to. Sincerely, Sheri Millikin http://www.PetitionOnline.com/hnvr2003/petition.html To: Virginia's lawmakers (General Assembly & Senate of Virginia) We the undersigned request the approval of the Proposed Legislation on Neglected, Abandoned and Unlicensed Cemeteries in the State of Virginia. This proposed act, which may be cited as the "Neglected, Abandoned and Unlicensed Cemetery Act" (proposed/noted as Chapter 3, Article 22A, § 57-22A-1), reads in part the following: (a) The care accorded the remains of deceased persons reflects respect and regard for human dignity as well as cultural, spiritual, and religious values. The General Assembly declares that human remains and burial objects are not property to be owned by the person or entity which owns the land or water where the human remains and burial objects are interred or discovered, but human remains and burial objects are a part of the finite, irreplaceable, and nonrenewable cultural heritage of the people of Virginia which should be protected. (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the provisions of this chapter be construed to require respectful treatment of human remains in accord with the equal and innate dignity of every human being and consistent with the identifiable ethnic, cultural, and religious affiliation of the deceased individual as indicated by the method of burial or other historical evidence or reliable information. We ask the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia to approve this proposed legislation to protect all private/family/non-profit cemeteries, particularly those cemeteries which are no longer on property owned by family members, but still frequently visited by family members, researchers, genealogists, and/or historians. These cemeteries contain the remains of Virginia's forebearers. Men, women and children, all who made great sacrifices in a variety of ways to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Many of these cemeteries contain the remains of Native Indians, founders of many areas within Virginia, African-born slaves and their descendants, Revolutionary War heroes and other war Veterans having served in such wars as the War of 1812, War Between the States/Civil War, World War I and even World War II. Please show them the due respect and decency they deserve and approve this proposed legislation so they may, once again, rest in peace. Sincerely,

A man was charged Friday with identity theft and money laundering after a police investigation into two genealogy Web sites he ran. Elias Abodeely II operated the Web sites FamilyDiscovery.com and Genseekers.com from his home. http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/21905604.html ******************************************************************************************** Many of our readers have expressed concern, outrage, and frustration at the FamilyDiscovery.com site. MyFamily.com, including RootsWeb and Ancestry, is currently investigating these concerns, and will respond as appropriate under current Fair Use Copyright and Truth in Advertising laws. In the meantime, users who have their own concerns or conflicts with this site can file their own complaint directly with the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting https://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm. The FTC has the power to investigate your concerns regarding FamilyDiscovery.com, and to take appropriate action.

Ancestry Quick Tip Jamboree Clues in Home Sources When you are cleaning out attics, closets, and old houses, be alert for books, recipe cards, and old letters-as well as old receipt books. And do think "outside the box." If there is a recipe box in the family, don't forget to check for names on the recipe cards. My grandmother had a wooden file box with hundreds of file cards-many written in fountain or quill pen-where the woman who gave her the recipe wrote her name on the card. I have found some of these people lurking in the family tree, and it was wonderful to see a written artifact like this. Some of the older cards do not have names, but the recipes are extremely old and give one an idea of what they liked to eat! This family was also in the habit of putting their names inside the front covers of their books-either their own or those given/received as gifts. So don't forget to go through all those dusty old books in your grandmom's attic. One was passed down from the original immigrant to his son and then to his granddaughter-they all signed and dated it. Another bad habit they had was to use any available piece of paper for a bookmark. This was where I found my grandmother's birth certificate and Social Security information-she had put them in a book for "safe-keeping," and then she forgot and left them there! Also check old scrapbooks and receipt books-especially the blank pages. They tended to "save" things back there, so they wouldn't lose them. Sometimes they'd write notes to themselves about something that was important to them. Bottom line-as inconvenient as it is, throw out nothing until you have thoroughly gone through it with a fine-toothed comb, and do think "outside the box." People may have left their treasures in weird places. Margaret Davis Sewell, N.J. Writing Your Life's Lessons Now that I am in the "autumn" of my life and both of my parents have been gone for many years, I have found myself deeply interested in family history with many unanswered questions-questions that my parents could have answered. I've decided that this is not going to happen to my children. I have begun to write little stories about my life, with inserted pictures, in a document file, adding the rearranging sequences of events as I remember them. I have also encouraged my husband to do the same. It's amazing the little things you find you have not thought about in years when you start writing them down. I really wish my parents had done this. These stories will make interesting reading for our grandchildren as well, when they are in the "autumn" of their lives. S.J. Meese Ohio California Databases When researching branches of my family, I routinely check the wonderful databases in California (births, marriages, and deaths) for possible relatives who have "strayed" from their home base. I am regularly rewarded for this small effort. Not only has California been a magnet for these relatives during the past 150 years, but its birth, death, and marriage databases are probably the best of any state, and they have powerful search engines. Being able to search on the mother's maiden name and father's name in the deaths database, for example, can be a boon to finding those hard-to-find married women in your family. Sandy Miller Note: For a list of databases for California or another state, just follow this link. Select a state on the map to see a list of all the databases available for that area.

Ancestry Quick Tip Historical Newspapers Search Tip My surname is Boberschmidt and, as you may imagine, there are many possibilities for errors in the name. Newspapers from Edwardsville, Ill. were recently added to Ancestry.com. I usually check about once a week to see if the number of newspapers changes for my surname. Well, it did, and I found that my grandmother along with the four kids, including my father, moved to Edwardsville just after my grandfather died in 1908 from exposure to toxics at a brass foundry at age 44. (His brother died the year before at age 40-nasty things, those brass foundries!) This was a big surprise. I didn't know that they moved from St. Louis to Edwardsville and lived there for a few years. One of the papers was really great: my father got on the first grade honor roll for perfect attendance. Anyway, when I was doing my regular check for new newspapers I quickly typed in "Boberschmidt," but I had typed so quickly that the opening page was not fully loaded. What happened was that "Bober" ended up under surname and "Schmidt" under first name. Since I had already hit the search button, I let it go and planned to just go back after the search finished. Surprise, surprise! There was one entry for "Schmidt Bober" and it was one of the newspapers in Edwardsville, Ill. for the period they were there. Who was this strange person? Well, remember that newspaper columns are fairly narrow and they often use hyphens. That is what happened in this instance; the "Bober" was at the end of one line and the "Schmidt" started the next line with a hyphen after the "Bober." It turned out to be an article telling how my grandmother had just returned from a visit to brothers and sisters in St. Louis. So in trying various spelling variations, remember, in the newspapers you search, your name may have been hyphenated. Give it a try. Leo Boberschmidt P.S. There was also a time where a census taker thought the family name was Bober Schmidt and I found my grandmother indexed under the "Schmidts," so this tip could easily apply to other record types. Thanks to Leo for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to: ADNeditor@ancestry.com

In refrence to the following communication: Had an unexpected funeral to go to, so had a chance to straiten out the death cert.,,The amount I had sent was more than the charge and they no other way than to return the money order, but I now have my grfathers death cert.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,thank you for the help ----- Original Message ----- From: Gold <Silver9876@earthlink.net> To: <ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 12:54 PM Subject: Re: [RC-ROOTS] Information please > > Lillian, > What state is this? > Weird! > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "lillian chastain" <willow358@cox.net> > To: <ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 1:17 PM > Subject: [RC-ROOTS] Information please > > > > Am hoping someone who has sent for a death cert. can help me > understand what these people want. First I sent a check, they replied, that > they did not take personal checks. Alright, I understand that, so I sent a > money order, got the same answer back, I do not send CASH through the mail, > what do these people want.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lillian > > > > > > ==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > > To join the SENIOR-NEWBIE list, for learning to use the computer and the > internet: > > please click here and send: > > mailto:SENIOR-NEWBIE-L-request@rootsweb.com?subject=subscribe > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, > go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > > ==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM DIGEST MODE: > please click here and send: > mailto:ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS-D-request@rootsweb.com?subject=unsubscribe > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > ---------------------------------------------------- > This message has been processed by Firetrust Benign.

Reunion Ideas Our family reunites 2 times per year, once at Christmas and once our summer family reunion. Our Christmas get-together of over 200 family members was shared in the Quick Tips at Christmas time. We are now finishing our plans for the reunion. We have asked every married couple to send a photograph of their wedding, and we have asked each person to send a photo of them as a baby. All of these photos are then made into decorative placemats and laminated. (You don't have to laminate them) We are placing these under clear plastic on the picnic tables and securing the plastic with clips to keep them from blowing away. We did this at Christmas with old photographs. This was the highlight of the Christmas get-together. We had over 200 different old photos made into placemats that will now be used each Christmas. We have also printed our 42-foot long family tree with everyone's most recent photo, birth, marriage, and death date; and we have put together many picnic tables upon which to lay this large family tree. We cover the tree with plastic and clip it to the edges of the table. Carolyn Obertein Saginaw, Mich. Editor's Note: This quick tip has been edited for length. The entire tip can be found in the printer-friendly version, available by clicking on the link below. Easy Family Wall Chart My family reunion was the second after my "lost family" was found after over 100 years. The standard wall chart would be over 400 pages. There wasn't a wall long enough for that, so I used "Family Group Sheets!" I included all facts-birth, death, marriage dates and places, and all spouses. Then, beginning with the Patriarch and Matriarch, place that on one part of the wall. The next would be the oldest child, their oldest child, etc. through the present generations. We had each of six children and their families on various walls. It was a delight to see everyone looking at their family lines. At the next reunion, I will only have to print out a page for those who have had changes and corrections. This saves time, ink, and paper. Because there would be no ancestors of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs present, I just printed out a simple "Ancestral Chart" for each family line back as far as research has led. Those lines were placed above the Patriarch & Matriarch to which each line belonged. An additional tip: The signs were a different color for each of the six children. Each of the nametags for those children's descendants were written in the same color, with the child's name in the upper corner, and the family member's name and relationship to that child in the same color. This made it very easy to know which family each attendee belonged to. Wilma Fields Family Calendars Our Henderson Family is having a reunion this August. Everyone has been asked to bring an item for the auction that will be held on Saturday night. Many of the children have never met the family that was alive when I was a child. I decided that the item I donate to the auction will be a calendar with pictures of our deceased ancestors. Since the photos are black and white, I dressed them up with scrapbook cartoons. The end result is a very cute calendar that is also a keepsake for whoever gets it at the auction. It will be in a book form once the months are torn off. On the front cover I found a cartoon that states "Branches of My Family Tree." This cartoon includes a tree, animals, and butterflies. My family had a ranch in Montana, so I tried to stay with that theme in cartoons. With black and white photos, it is best to use white paper as a background. The cartoons help dress up the white background. Harriett Morley Looking for Suggestions Do you have any suggestions on the best means of copying black and white photos (they're on photo paper)? The photos in question are part of a township history collection, and they cannot be removed from the building. I tried copying them on an office copier using regular copy paper, but the result is not very good. Any suggestions? Phyllis Pawloski Editor's Note: I would think that taking digital photos of them would be one solution, but I suspect that our readers have some tips on how to best do this. If you have a solution for Phyllis, send it to: ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

NO,NO,NO........DO NOT RESPOND. This is a scam to get your personal information. This was just discussed on the Today show this morning. They said no bank will ever send you an email. Don't ever put your info out there on the interenet. They said if you believe that something like this is legitamate...........phone the bank and ask about it. Doris in NW IL What is This??? I received this today from Wells Fargo Accounting, and have no idea what it is. I did not apply for a "New Business Account" with them. Should I respond, or just delete it?? thanks, Lola From: Wells Fargo Accounting <wfba.accounting@wellsfargo.com> Date: Mon Jul 21, 2003 09:46:25 PM US/Central To: Brucerc <brucerc@pcpartner.net> Subject: Re: Wells Fargo Bank New Business Account Application - ID# 4489 Dear Sir, Thank you for your online application for a Business Account with Wells Fargo. We appreciate your interest in banking with us. In order to open a Business Account, we must receive specific credit information that is verifiable. Because Wells Fargo has no locations in your state, we are unable to confirm the credit information in your application. Consequently, we regret to say that we cannot open an account for your business at this time. Attached are your Wells Fargo Application and your Social Security File. Sincerely, Sherli Chin Business Resource Center Services Wells Fargo Bank

In a message dated 7/21/2003 3:26:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, brucerc@pcpartner.net writes: > I received this today from Wells Fargo Accounting, and have no idea what > it is. I did not apply for a "New Business Account" with them. > > Should I respond, or just delete it?? > > thanks, Lola > Hi, Lola- Since the question isn't related to genealogical research -- hints and tips, it would be best suited for a different venue. We are not the best people to ask about this one. If you would like, you could post the question on SENIOR-NEWBIE-L since it does concern an issue related to your use of the Internet and computers--having received this message via e-mail. Thanks! Joan, admin

I received this today from Wells Fargo Accounting, and have no idea what it is. I did not apply for a "New Business Account" with them. Should I respond, or just delete it?? thanks, Lola From: Wells Fargo Accounting <wfba.accounting@wellsfargo.com> Date: Mon Jul 21, 2003 09:46:25 PM US/Central To: Brucerc <brucerc@pcpartner.net> Subject: Re: Wells Fargo Bank New Business Account Application - ID# 4489 Dear Sir, Thank you for your online application for a Business Account with Wells Fargo. We appreciate your interest in banking with us. In order to open a Business Account, we must receive specific credit information that is verifiable. Because Wells Fargo has no locations in your state, we are unable to confirm the credit information in your application. Consequently, we regret to say that we cannot open an account for your business at this time. Attached are your Wells Fargo Application and your Social Security File. Sincerely, Sherli Chin Business Resource Center Services Wells Fargo Bank

Or try" patricia+lee+genealogy" Am proud member of the IBSSG --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!

Thanks to all who responded. I have saved your suggestions and will give them a try. Lola in Iowa

I've never seen a special Google for genealogy... BUT if you type in "patricia lee" +genealogy you will only get 1,680 and I'll bet that if you were to put +your state after genealogy you would get even less... Mary At 04:07 PM 7/20/03 -0500, you wrote: >Isn't there a special "Google" search engine for genealogy? It seems I >used one in the past. > >When I use the regular Google with a first and last name, it returns so >many sites it's almost impossible to sort through all of them. > >For instance, when I put in "Priscilla Lee," I got 2,260 sites. > >If someone knows the url for it, I would really appreciate having it. > >Thanks, > >Lola in Iowa > > >==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== >To join the SENIOR-NEWBIE list, for learning to use the computer and the >internet: please click here and send: >mailto:SENIOR-NEWBIE-L-request@rootsweb.com?subject=subscribe > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, >go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

I don't know of a special Google search engine for genealogy, but there are ways to use Google that can help you find genealogy sites. Go to http://searchforancestors.com/archives/google.html for Google tips for Genealogy Searches. Also, you may want to add a state to your search query to help narrow down the results. With a common name such as Lee ( and which can also be a first name), another thing you can try is surname specific search engines. Try http://searchforancestors.com/quicksearch/index.html for a selection of surname specific genealogy search engines. That should give you some ideas of other places to try. Good Luck, Kathi > Isn't there a special "Google" search engine for genealogy? It seems I > used one in the past. > > When I use the regular Google with a first and last name, it returns so > many sites it's almost impossible to sort through all of them. > > For instance, when I put in "Priscilla Lee," I got 2,260 sites. > > If someone knows the url for it, I would really appreciate having it. > > Thanks, > > Lola in Iowa > > > ==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > To join the SENIOR-NEWBIE list, for learning to use the computer and the internet: > please click here and send: > mailto:SENIOR-NEWBIE-L-request@rootsweb.com?subject=subscribe > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >

Isn't there a special "Google" search engine for genealogy? It seems I used one in the past. When I use the regular Google with a first and last name, it returns so many sites it's almost impossible to sort through all of them. For instance, when I put in "Priscilla Lee," I got 2,260 sites. If someone knows the url for it, I would really appreciate having it. Thanks, Lola in Iowa

This doesn't work for me. I just go back & forth from one page to another and they both say "click here" for free copy. No place to enter my info. What am I doing wrong? Gold ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doris Mathis" <doris40@aeroinc.net> To: <ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 9:15 PM Subject: [RC-ROOTS] Free Access to Burke's Peerage & Gentry Magazine > FREE ACCESS TO BURKE'S PEERAGE & GENTRY MAGAZINE > > Through the end of the month, Burke's Peerage & Gentry, the subscription-based online guide to British aristocracy, is offering free access to Volume 1, Issue 4 of its online magazine, ATAVUS. Read up on the "Great Houses of Yorkshire," the reopening of Churchill's bunker, the Earl of Sandwich's influence on our appetites and more by clicking here. > > http://www.burkes-atavus.com/sites/common/sitepages/at0402.asp > > > > > ==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== > HOW TO CONTACT THE LIST ADMIN: > please click here and send: > mailto:ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS-admin@rootsweb.com > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >

"The Secret Code of Genealogy: Abbreviations and Acronyms" by George G. Morgan: "Along Those Lines." Have you ever noticed that every profession seems to have its own shorthand? Having worked for IBM at one time, I can tell you that their internal language includes hundreds of acronyms which they use to designate products, services, software, processes, and such. However, we humans seem to delight in using acronyms and abbreviations to simplify communications with one another. Our ancestors were no different than us in this respect. Beyond the simple abbreviations on maps of N, S, E, and W, they used any number of abbreviations in their everyday lives. What's more, these notations were in widespread use, despite the lack of sophisticated communications facilities we enjoy today, namely telephone, radio, television, and the Internet. Evolution, of course, is a constant, and some of the abbreviations and acronyms become obsolete over time. When we discover these outdated occurrences in our research, they can sometimes confound us. In this week's "Along Those Lines . . ." column, I want to explore a few examples and to share some resources to help you decode the acronyms and abbreviations of the past. United States Census Records Few documents present so many questions about abbreviations as census records. On population schedules where relationship is listed, some codes are quite intuitive; others are not so obvious. The same holds true for such columns as occupation and citizenship. Here are some examples for you. Na = Naturalized Al = Alien AI = Aunt-in-Law AIL = Aunt-in-Law (again!) Pa = Papers filed (naturalization) Sm = Stepmother Kip Sperry's book helps with many of the codes that were used. However, let's go to some definitive Web resources to help with these conundrums. Here are some great sites for your use. IPUMS-Census Enumerator Instructions (1850-2000) and its companion page, which includes the Census Questions and Enumeration Forms. Ancestor Search-U.S. Census Abbreviations Table of Census Abbreviations The Story of "The" I recently received an e-mail from a reader who had been studying an old Bible from the 1700s and 1800s that has been in his family for more than 200 years. He was particularly interested in uncovering the meaning of an inconsistently used notation "Y/e" or "ye" that appeared in the entries of births, marriages, and deaths. Because the reader had exhausted other resources, he was asking me if I could help. There are a number of places to check to try and locate the abbreviation in question. The obvious place to start is with a dictionary. However, while dictionaries may provide a good starting point for many searches, you just aren't going to find much in the way of obscure, archaic genealogy terminology. When it comes to searching the Web for such information, there are many choices, but none that specializes in genealogy-related abbreviations and acronyms. One massive reference site is Zeal, and it has an Abbreviations & Acronyms database. There's a lot here, and it's difficult to use for genealogy. However, another place I like to check is a website called Acronym Finder. This site has more than 300,000 acronyms and these sometimes include abbreviations as well. Best of all, though, for genealogical use is a good, old-fashioned printed reference book. However, this is not just any book. This is Kip Sperry's new, revised edition of his excellent reference, Abbreviations & Acronyms: A Guide for Family Historians. The first edition of the book was published in 2000, and the new edition, published in 2003, expands and improves on the original edition. A search in Kip's book for "ye" gives me what I need. The "y/e" or "ye" we're discussing is, in fact, an abbreviation used to indicate the word "ye" which was in common use at the time to indicate the word "the." The term "ye" might be used to indicate "the" as the phrase, "ye olde tavern" (the old tavern) where many of our ancestors doubtless spent many hours. It also might be used to indicate "you" or "your" as in the phrase, "God rest ye merry gentlemen." Sperry's book does not just contain the obscure, outdated, and antiquated terms and "secret codes" of our ancestors. He includes contemporarily used terms we might encounter, along with symbols and measurement notations. I've had my copy of the book for less than a month and already it shows evidence of frequent use. Summary Many documents contain their own special code, a combination of jargon, abbreviations, acronyms, and symbolic notations. As researchers, part of our investigative process involves learning about the time period, the law, the specific profession or circumstances which caused the written material we are examining to be created, and the language or idiom used at the time. That means studying history and delving into archives to expand our understanding. By doing so, we gain an even deeper understanding of our ancestors' lives and times. And doesn't that add to the enjoyment? Happy Hunting, George

AncestorNews: Going to the Courthouse by Nancy Hendrickson During my trip east last fall, I went to the Putnam County and Sullivan County, Mo., courthouses, looking for information on my Knox ancestors. At the time, I wrote in this column about how surprised I was to discover that my great-grandfather James Knox owned land in southwestern Kansas. I still haven't figured out what he was doing there, but hopefully next fall I'll get a chance to go to the Seward County, Kan., courthouse and discover more. Although I love Internet genealogy, it doesn't compare to on-site research, particularly in old courthouses. The amount of genealogical information sitting in county courthouses is staggering. Depending on the individual county, you can find birth, marriage, death and land records; probate files (gems!); and wills. The probate files, in particular, can contain a will, an inventory of the estate, a list of beneficiaries, records of an auction, a final accounting of the estate, and bills or receipts. If you get a chance to visit a courthouse this summer, don't hesitate. Even if it's your first genealogy trip and you feel a little uncertain about what to do, go on in and ask a clerk for help. To prepare for your trip, consult these five Web sites: . Courthouse Research (Don't miss the tip on using the Handybook for Genealogists.) homepages.rootsweb.com/~haas/learningcenter/courthouseresearch.html . Getting More of Your Genealogy Road Trip myindianahome.net/gen/jeff/tutorial/courthse.html . National Association of Counties (addresses of courthouses, plus lots more info) www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm . Probate Packets (an excellent two-part article) ancestry.com/library/view/columns/george/2135.asp . Roadblocks to the Courthouse www.familytreemagazine.com/articles/june03/roadblocks.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nancy Hendrickson is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine. She also is a family historian, freelance writer and the author of the new book, Finding Your Roots Online. Visit her Web site or e-mail her at stjoemo@pobox.com.

Cleaning Gravestones By Colyn Blundell colyn.blundell@btinternet.com Regarding the letter by John Cunningham about the admirable work carried out by his Scouts, I would advise a note of caution. "Scrubbing moss from stones placed in shady areas" should not be undertaken without advice from a qualified stone conservator.Moss of all types sets its roots into the stone and whenever it is pulled away some of the stone will come with it. In many cases, particularly with the softer types of stone, this can cause large parts of the gravestone to crumble and the legend to become unreadable. This has happened in the U.K. due to over-enthusiastic family researchers. The legend on some stones here is now totally lost. If cleaning must be done, PLEASE record the legend and place the records in your local archive or record office, to help future family researchers Often information can be found from gravestones which is not available elsewhere, and suspected, or even unknown, relationships can be proved.

Can this be done with IrfanView also? Does anybody have this program? I've been playing around with a picture in the program but can't seem to find a place where I can add comments etc. on a picture... Thanks for any help... Mary At 10:04 AM 7/15/03 -0700, you wrote: >Ancestry Quick Tip Jamboree: Identifying People in Old Photos > >Identifying Digital Photos >On all photos in my genealogy collection, I scan the photos and use Jasc >Paint Shop Pro (other software will work) to add text to the bottom of >each digital photo. I add names, dates, locations, what's written on the >back of the photo, or anything pertinent on the bottom of the photo. You >can change the text color to white on dark photos. Or if you have a lot of >typing, I make a rectangular box, fill it with white paint, and type the >words in the box. For family reunion photos, I scan the photo, put the >generic text at the bottom (1944 Riggs family reunion), then save it >(Riggs 1944 reunion.jpg). The I type the name of the person right on the >chest of the person, or above the person, and once all the people are >named, save the file with a new but similar name (Riggs 1944 reunion >names.jpg). That way if I find new information and some of the names are >wrong, I can start over with the no-names photo, and add the names again. > >Thanks, >Patty Delmott > > >Identify People by Number >Here's a variant of Sally Kramer's Quick Tip in the July 3rd Ancestry >Daily News in which she described a method of identifying the subjects in >a group photo. > >Instead of drawing heads by hand, you can use a photo-editor to adjust the >image whose subjects you want to identify. I use Adobe Photoshop Elements, >v. 2 (APE2), but the following directions are sufficiently general that >they ought to work in other photo-editors. > >Save a copy of the original photo. If it's a color photograph, remove the >color from it. (In APE2, choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Remove Color.) >Then decrease the contrast and increase the brightness until the photo >consists of light, flat, gray tones. (In APE2, choose Enhance > Adjust >Brightness/Contrast > Brightness/Contrast...) > >Then use a Text tool (the Type tool in APE2) to superimpose a black number >on each individual in the gray image. (You may have to set the text color, >and the font style, family, and size before inserting the first numeral.) > >Print the resulting image on the top part of a sheet of paper, and >distribute copies to each person you want to query. With a few copies of >the original image handy, the grayed, numbered image makes it easy for >friends and family members to respond to your request for help. > >Bruce King >New Milford, CT > > >Photocopy the Picture >In large group pictures, you can take a photocopy of the picture and using >the copy, number each of the people. Then, on a separate piece of paper, >write all the numbers, filling in all names and information about the >photograph as you know it. Then let other family or friends fill in the >blanks. This works great for me, and I keep the copy with my family tree >folio. You could also make copies to send to distant relatives for their input. > >Mike Hollis > > >Look at Angles for Faint Writing >I have had a set of photos of my "Great-great-great" relatives for over >five years. I did not know who they were. There appeared to be nothing on >the back or the front identifying them. Last weekend I was going through >some old papers and these 1880s photos slipped out of the cover I store >them in. By a trick of the angle of light I saw on the back of one >"Great-Grandmother Cashel, Grandmother Cashel and a Great-Aunt" written >very faintly in pencil by my father's sister, Aunt Doris. I looked at the >backs of the three other photos at the same angle to the light and lo and >behold-there were the names of those people! The lesson here is, do not >always look at photos straight on. Try various angles of light; you may be >surprised and delighted (as I was) by what you find. > >Pat Almond > > >Family Reunion Photo Pre-Identified >At your next family reunion, before you take a group photo give each >person an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of stiff white paper. Each paper is numbered >with a large black number from 1 to whatever number of people there are >present. Have each member write their full name, address, phone, email, >and which branch/part of the family they are related to. Arrange everyone >for the photo with everyone holding their number just under their face. >Make sure the photographer can clearly see each number. Take a shot. Then >have everyone lower their number and take another shot in the same >position. Afterward, you can easily match up faces with names and you have >the information for a master list of all who attended the reunion. > >Janet Wolf > > >Enlarge Photos >For those who have family photos which are small, especially group photos, >take them to your local office supply store, or where you get you photos >done, and have an enlargement made. > >Sometime back I took a photo from a family reunion and had it blown up, >and once enlarged I was surprised to find my great grandmother, >grandmother, and even my father as a small boy, in the photo. The small >size of the original had kept me (and my older relatives) from identifying >people. The enlargement made it possible to identify nearly all of them. > >Judy Germann > > >==== ROCKINGCHAIR-ROOTS Mailing List ==== >To find SURNAME LISTS: >http://lists.rootsweb.com > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, >go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

Ancestry Quick Tip Mapping Out Ancestral Homes and Burial Sites On a recent trip, my mother was telling my kids about the several homes she had lived in while growing up. When I mentioned that I knew only some of the street names, and realizing that I would never be able to find any of these places without her assistance, I asked her to map out the location of each home. This brought up the fact that many of the buildings no longer exist, which prompted my request for mapping their location on vintage maps. My hopes are that even after my parents pass away, these places will remain tangible parts of my family. Similarly, I have also asked for the gravesites for my grandparents and other relatives to be mapped out. My family came from the D.C. area, and I have a good idea where my maternal grandparents are in Arlington National Cemetery, but I have no clue about my paternal grandparents and the numerous extended family members that are buried in the D.C. area. In fact, on a recent visit, we called home from the cemetery on the cell phone to receive walking directions to my great-grandfather's tombstone! Maps would make it easier for me, and those who come after, to find our family. Randy Grunwell Suwanee, Georgia