The following information is from FamilySearch:

FamilySearch has added more than 2.25 million index records and images this week from Argentina, Austria, Italy, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. Notable collection updates include the 1,152,830 index records and images from the U.S., Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934, collection, and the 244,523 images from the Spain, Province of Valencia, Municipal Records, 1611-1935, collection. See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection – Indexed Records – Digital Images – Comments

Argentina, Santa Fe, Catholic Church Records, 1634-1975 – 1,834 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
Austria, Seigniorial Records, 1537-1888 – 0 – 100,829 – Added images to an existing collection.
Italy, Como, Como, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929 – 0 – 10,431 – Added images to an existing collection.
Italy, Cuneo, Alba, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1910 – 0 – 3,369 – Added images to an existing collection.
Italy, Cuneo, Saluzzo, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1942 – 0 – 106,557 – Added images to an existing collection.
Paraguay, Miscellaneous Records, 1509-1977 – 0 – 200,980 – Added images to an existing collection.
Portugal, Beja, Catholic Church Records, 1550-1911 – 0 – 116,091 – Added images to an existing collection.
Portugal, Portalegre, Catholic Church Records, 1859-1911 – 0 – 146,187 – Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Province of Valencia, Municipal Records, 1611-1935 – 0 – 244,523 – Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Georgia, Fulton County Records from the Atlanta History Center, 1827-1933 – 0 – 31,670 – New browsable image collection.
U.S., Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1934 – 702,642 – 450,188 – Added index records and images to an existing collection.
U.S., Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 – 42,579 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
U.S., Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1891-1959 – 0 – 2,533 – Added images to an existing collection.

The following ws received from Daniel Horowitz at MyHeritage.com:

In honor of Memorial Day next week, MyHeritage is granting free access to millions of military records from their most popular collections. The records can be accessed from here.

The free offer ends on May 28.

The collections will help you journey back in time to some of the most important conflicts in world history, which impacted American families as well as millions of families worldwide.

So – it’s now longer a rumor… The following was received from Matthew Deighton at Ancestry.com:

World’s Largest Online Family History Resource Sponsors TV Series with Personal Look Inside the Ancestry of Beloved Celebrities

PROVO, Utah, May 21, 2013– Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, announces it has teamed up with TLC, Shed Media US and Is or Isn’t Entertainment as an integrated sponsor of the upcoming season of the “Who Do You Think You Are?” television series, premiering July 23.

“We are thrilled to be teaming up with TLC, Shed Media US and Is or Isn’t Entertainment to bring this entertaining and inspiring series back for another season,” said Rob Singer, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Ancestry.com. “Charting one’s family history helps each of us better understand who we are. Through the journeys of these celebrities, we hope millions of Americans will see just how life-changing and rewarding genealogy can be and begin researching their own family history to make discoveries that tell them who they are and where they came from.”

“Who Do You Think You Are?” explores the roots of celebrities who embark on an intense personal journey to discover their family’s past. Some of the celebrities to be featured in these all-new episodes include Christina Applegate, Cindy Crawford, and Zooey Deschanel. Each of the 8 hour-long episodes reveal the real person behind the celebrity as they come to understand the lives their ancestors lived that helped shape the person they are today. As part of the show sponsorship, Ancestry.com provides important family history research on each of the featured celebrities, which is used to build out the story of each episode.

Produced by Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky, the show is based on an original format created by Wall to Wall Media. An earlier version of the series previously aired on NBC for three seasons.

At one point in time or another, every genealogist faces questionable sources and must determine whether to accept or reject these sources as accurate. The question arises, “can we not determine reliably which findings reflect the past?” Then, of course, if we do decide a source is acceptable, or credible, how do we prove this to others?

These are the questions for which Thomas Jones attempts to provide answers in his new book, Mastering Genealogical Proof. Better stated, perhaps, is to say in Jones’ new textbook. For this book is written in textbook style. Each chapter provides the critical learning followed by problems, which provide the reader a opportunity to practice ans set in memory the concepts shared within the chapter.

In 2000, the Board for Certification of Genealogists developed and produced the “Genealogical Proof of Standard,” a.k.a. GPS. This standard was an attempt to create a system for proof, pulling from the field of law and applying the best practices used by genealogists. The final product was a fifty-six point research standard.

Jones’ textbook pulls from the GPS, distilling its contents into an understandable and useable methodology any researcher, student, or newbie genealogist can use. The book teaches and guides the reader with easy to read chapters containing sixty-two real world exercises. The examples were pulled from the author’s own family’s genealogy and contain American, British, Germanic, and Irish roots. These examples demonstrate the use of this methodology across “diverse ethnicities and geographic origins.”

In the author’s own words:

“I wrote this book to help other genealogists understand in a reasonable time frame what decades of trail-and-error have taught me. I hope the text and exercises will save them from the embarrassing blunders and misconceptions I have experienced.”

About the Author

“Thomas Jones is a professor emeritus at Gallaudet University, where he designed and managed graduate programs, conducted research, and taught and mentored graduate students for twenty-seven years. He has co-edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002 and is a trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He coordinates courses at the British Institute, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research; and he teaches in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program.”

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: Genealogy’s Standard of Proof

• What is genealogy?
• Why a genealogical proof standard?
• The Genealogical Proof Standard
• Modern technologies and genealogical proof
• Research and reasoning cycles
• Using the GPS
• Chapter 1 exercises

Chapter 2: Concepts Fundamental to the GPS

• Research questions
• Sources
  • Categories of genealogical sources
  • Importance of source distinctions
• Information
  • Informants
  • Categories of genealogical information
  • Importance of information distinctions
• Relationship of sources and information
• Evidence
  • Categories of genealogical evidence
  • Importance of evidence distinctions
• Relationship of sources and information to evidence
• Chapter 2 exercises

Chapter 3: GPS Element 1: Thorough Research

• What “reasonably exhaustive” means
• Planning thorough research
• Executing thorough research
• Demonstrating research extent
• Chapter 3 exercises

Chapter 4: GPS Element 2: Source Citations

• Citation components
  • Five questions that citations answer
  • Physical sources viewed as images
  • Sequencing citation elements
• Kinds of citations
  • Reference notes
  • Source lists
• When and how to craft a citation
• Resources for citing genealogical sources
• Chapter 4 exercises

Chapter 5: GPS Element 3: Analysis and Correlation

• Tests of analysis
  • Authored work or original or derivative record?
  • Primary, secondary, or indeterminable information?
  • Other tests of analysis
• Tests of correlation
  • Prerequisite to correlation
  • Ways to correlate
• When to analyze and correlate
• Outcomes of analysis and correlation
  • Casting doubt
  • Resolve conflicts
  • Yield conclusions
• Chapter 5 exercises

Chapter 6: GPS Element 4: Resolving Conflicts and Assembling Evidence

• How evidence conflicts
• Resolving conflicting evidence
  • Reasoning
  • Explaining conflict resolutions
• Unresolved conflicts
• Assembling evidence to establish a conclusion
• Chapter 6 exercises

Chapter 7: GPS Element 5: The Written Conclusion

• Proof statements
• Proof summaries
• Proof arguments
  • Differences between proof arguments and proof summaries
  • Divisions within proof arguments
  • Developing the argument
• Clear writing
• Chapter 7 exercises

Chapter 8 Using the GPS

• Chapter 8 exercises

Chapter 9 Conclusion

Appendix A Pritchett Article

Appendix B McLain Article

Glossary

Reading and Source List

Answers to exercises

• Chapter 1 exercise answers
• Chapter 2 exercise answers
• Chapter 3 exercise answers
• Chapter 4 exercise answers
• Chapter 5 exercise answers
• Chapter 6 exercise answers
• Chapter 7 exercise answers
• Chapter 8 exercise answers

 

List of Tables

• Table 1 Suggestions for Identifying Sources to Answer Genealogical Questions
• Table 2 Selected Guides Describing American Genealogical Sources
• Table 3 Long-Form and Short-Form Reference-Note Citations to the Same Source
• Table 4 Selected Documented Examples of Errors in High-Quality Sources
• Table 5 Correlation in a Narrative and a List
• Table 6 Timeline Separating the Identities of Men Named John Geddes in the Same Irish Parish
• Table 7 A Table Correlating Sources, Information, and Evidence
• Table 8 Seven Related Proof Statements in Context

List of Figures

• Figure 1 Who-What-When-Where-Where Elements in Four Citations to Published Sources
• Figure 2 Who-What-When-Where-Where Elements in Four Citations to Unpublished Sources
• Figure 3 Who-What-When-Where-Where Elements in Citations to Published Sources Viewed in Published and Unpublished Media
• Figure 4 Who-What-When-Where-Where Elements in Citations to Unpublished Sources Viewed in Published and Unpublished Media
• Figure 5 Map Correlating Evidence from Ten Deeds, a Chancery Case, and a Land Grant to Help Prove a Relationship
• Figure 6 Illustration and Analysis of an Explanation of the Resolution of Conflicting Evidence

 

Order your own copy of Mastering Genealogical Proof from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $24.45.

There has been a recent rush in the genealogy publishing market to produce two to four page laminated guides. These guides have proven very popular as they typically provide a high density of basic information on a single topic. Guides reviewed on this site cover everything from researching a specific ethnic group or nationality to areas of specific research, like Ellis Island records or U.S. Census Records, and even dating specific types of photographs. Now the New England Historic Genealogical Society has jumped on the bandwagon, and is producing a series of laminated guides called The Pocket Genealogist.

One guide from this new series is The Pocket Genealogist: Genealogical Numbering. Whether you are producing a report from your genealogy software, using an online system, or writing a custom list of family information, number systems are important. Following standardized numbering systems will help your reader follow your intentions. This numbering guide is intended to help you “navigate and implement these basic numbering systems in your writing.

In addition to covering standardized numbering practices, this guide shows the reader how to use the automatic numbering feature in Microsoft Word. Along with this main content, there are a couple of tips which stand out in their own shaded boxes. The NEGHS guides are three-color, four-page laminated guides, pre-punched for insertion into a three-ringed binder.

 

Topics Covered

Ancestor table numbering

Register-style numbering

Automatic numbering in Microsoft Word

Generational numbering

 

Order The Pocket Genealogist: Genealogical Numbering from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $6.81.

Click here to see a full list of laminated guides.

The Irish and the Scots have a nearly inseparable history, if examined on the basis if origin. Scottish Highlanders originally came from Ireland and the two peoples have long been connected by blood, language, and religion. Both, have also, played a significant role in the founding and growth of America dating back to the earliest colonies. The Irish Scots and the “Scotch-Irish”: An Historical and Ethnological Monograph, With Some Reference to Scotia Major and Scotia Minor tell of the lives and history of these two groups. The discussion covers both the historical and ethnic background to the Irish and Scots as well as their place in early America.

This book is comprised of several independent publications produced between 1888 and 1895. Thus, the book is broken into three main sections in accordance with those publications:

• “The Irish Scots and the Scotch-Irish”
• “How the Irish Came as Builders of the Nation”
• “Supplementary Facts and Comment”

In the historical review, reader learn of the relationships between Celts, Saxons, Normans, and various religions practiced by these groups. The Gaelic language is also reviewed. In examining American contributions, the book tells of Irish settlers who played prominently in early American and U.S. history. Adding value to genealogists, the book lists the surnames for many Irish immigrants of the 1700s. There are also lists of surnames of Irish natives who received land grants or had land set apart in the Plantation of Ulster in the early 1600s. There is also a list of Scottish names derived from Irish names.

Obtain a copy of The Irish Scots and the “Scotch-Irish”: An Historical and Ethnological Monograph, With Some Reference to Scotia Major and Scotia Minor from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: HBL0788, Price: $16.17.

The following teaser is from an article posted in the May 15, 2013 edition of NewsDemocratLeader.com:

Logan County, Kentucky: In March, Logan’s magistrates discussed renovating portions of the old county jail on Fourth Street in Russellville. The Archives and Genealogical Society now calls the historic structure home. Problems have been surfacing with rain getting into the building and the electrical system, which is outdated and a safety hazard.

Architect Robert Burge, who was in charge of the old courthouse renovation, was hired by the Fiscal Court to look into the problems and come back to the court with solutions. Burge attended Tuesday’s Fiscal Court meeting to present his findings, and suggest what the county can do to fix the issues.

The archives is the home of some of the county’s oldest documents and is operated by two part-time employees and a handfull of volunteers. The building, erected in 1869, once served as the county jail with living quarters in the front where the jailer lived. The bars are still visible from the outside of the structure, and the cells are all intact. The building is listed on the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, which is good news for the county, as it will be applying for historic funds to pay for the renovation project.

Read the full article.

The following excerpt is from an article posted in the May 17, 2013 edition of TheAtlantic.com:

…If you are the Richard III Society, your answer would be (e). After the discovery of the remains of Richard III in February, a professor at the Society, Caroline Wilkinson, put the new evidence about the king’s body — a centuries-old smoking gun — to use. The professor, The Guardian reports, worked with the forensic art team at the University of Dundee to digitally determine what the king’s face would have looked like in person (well, “in person”). From there, the team used stereolithography — yep, 3D printing — to convert that rendering into a physical model of the king’s face. They extrapolated details like hair color and clothing style from portraits painted during Richard’s time.

Read the full article.

The following teaser is from an article posted in the May 17, 2013 edition of Canada.com:

A time-yellowed, 439-year-old baptismal registry from 16th century France, recently found to contain long-sought clues about the birth and family history of the famed New World explorer Samuel de Champlain, has arrived in Canada to help mark a major milestone in this country’s own birth.

The document that appears to solve a centuries-old mystery about when the founder of New France was born — and whether he was, as generations of scholars have suspected, from a Protestant family — is to be publicly displayed for the first time later this month at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que., directly across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill.

The exhibit, open from May 29 to Aug. 5, celebrates the 400th anniversary of Champlain’s landmark 1613 voyage up the river that runs past Canada’s national history museum. Its curators have been loaned the fragile parish registry by the district archive in France where local genealogist and Champlain enthusiast Jean-Marie Germe unearthed the telltale reference last year.

Read the full article.

The following teaser is from an article posted at the May 18, 2013 edition of Boston.com.

Richard Stower, former minister of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate, has published “A History of The First Parish Church of Scituate, Massachusetts: Its Life and Times.” The book follows the congregation that was gathered in 1634 as a part of the Pilgrims’ Plymouth colony, making it one of the oldest in New England.

“The issues that the early church faced in Scituate and how they developed over time were very influential in New England Colonial church history — I don’t think the history of Scituate has gotten its due in terms of Colonial American history,” Stower said.

Read the full article.

Interesting… Even the world’s most successful genealogy company has one heck of a lot of outstanding debt…

PROVO, Utah, May 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that it has refinanced its Term Loan due December 2018 (the “Old Term Loan”), which had an outstanding balance of approximately $668.3 million immediately prior to the refinancing, for an amended term B loan of approximately $488.3 million due December 2018 (the “Term Loan B”) and a term A loan of $150 million due May 2018 (the “Term Loan A”).

…Subsequent to the refinancing, the Company has total outstanding debt of $938 million.

Read the full article.

I just received news that my friend, Carolyn Barkley, has passed on. This was a bit of a shock, as I didn’t realize she was terribly ill… I understand that she’s been dealing with a misdiagnosed “cough” for some time. Then a few days ago she found that she had cancer. Two days later she was dead. Goodness… Life is fragile. Carolyn always had hug for me when we would meet up at conferences. The last time I saw her was a RootsTech. I along with many others, am going to miss Carolyn.

Joe Garonzik, at Genealogical.com, gave me permission to use the following from their blog.

Carolyn was the creative force behind … www.genealogyandfamilyhistory.com, but she was so much more. She wrote hundreds of articles for the blog, always emphasizing both the conventional and the most current electronic sources and techniques bearing on the topics. Many of her articles were rated by other bloggers as the “best of the week” on the Internet.

Carolyn also wore many other professional hats. She was a master indexer, who indexed a number of our [GPC's] recent reference works, including Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1625, by Martha W. McCartney. Carolyn was a longtime staff member of the Genealogical.com exhibits at the annual National Genealogical Society conferences and other trade shows. She served as president of a number of genealogical societies and other organizations throughout Virginia. In her professional life Carolyn was a distinguished librarian, who served thirty years as the head of the central Virginia Beach Public Library before retiring.

Above all, Carolyn was a wonderful human being. Quick to smile and possessing a hearty laugh, Carolyn was that rare combination of organizational whiz and kind personal friend. She got things done and she inspired and cared about others. We will miss her immensely.

Reprinted below is the obituary for Carolyn Barkley that appeared in a recent issue of The Virginia Pilot newspaper.

Carolyn L. Barkley (1947-2013)
Virginia Beach – Carolyn Linda (Lopes) Barkley, 65, of Wintergreen, VA passed away on Sunday, May 12, 2013 at Augusta Health. Born December 16, 1947 in Springfield, MA, she was the daughter of the late Olivio and Lois (Smith) Lopes. She was the granddaughter of Clifford F. Smith, long time City Clerk of Springfield, and Mildred Carolyn Abbe. In addition to her grandparents and parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William L. Barkley, in 2010. Carolyn earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and her Masters in Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh. She was employed by the Virginia Beach Department of Public Libraries for over thirty years. After her retirement, Carolyn continued to work as a freelance editor and researcher. She spent much of her time traveling. Carolyn has been the genealogist for Clan Barclay International, served as President of the St. Andrew’s Society of Tidewater, the Scottish Society of Tidewater, the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, the Virginia Library Association and many more too numerous to list. Most recently, Carolyn was President of the Wintergreen Nature Foundation. Survivors include her son, Kelley, and his wife, Kimberly (Murray) Powell, of Roanoke; granddaughters Megan Murray, Samantha Kate Powell and Mackenzie Grace Powell, all of Roanoke. A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 19, at the Waynesboro Chapel of Reynolds Hamrick Funeral Homes, 618 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA, with Pastor Matthew Coiner officiating. The family will receive friends following the service. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to donate may make donations to the Wintergreen Nature Foundation, R.R. 1, Box 770, Roseland, VA 22967. Relatives and friends may share condolences and memories with the family online by visiting www.reynoldshamrickfuneralhomes.com.

Published in The Virginian Pilot on May 15, 2013

Have any of you heard of this project? Their stated goal is “to study the surnames, families, clans, of the people of Ulster and their descendants throughout the Diaspora. Another goal is to allow Ulster descendants in the Diaspora to locate their kin still in Ulster and to communicate with them. The Ulster DNA Project will use the Y chromosome test to accomplish these goals. Anyone from Ulster of or Ulster ancestry is urged to participate.”

Here’s the link to their website: http://ulsterheritagedna.ulsterheritage.com/

Reason I’m asking is that I’d bet that my hubby John is not the only Ulster descendants “lost in the woods” and unable to trace his lineage. We have as far as a Mark Phillips who claims land in Georgia after the Revolutionary War. From all the background reading I’ve done on the Scotch-Irish (and I have it on good authority….. the guru of this project…. that it is rightfully Scotch-Irish and not Scots-Irish) show me that his Phillips were very likely among those frontier-loving-dwelling Scotch-Irish folks.

I’m very interested in having him do a DNA test particular to this project. The website gives about three pages of testing options (and pricing). I would very much like to hear from anybody who has contributed to this project; were you pleased with the results?

Donna, aka Mother Hen, until next peek

Archiving valuables and keepsakes is a perpetual problem for the family historian. This may be even more true for the family member who is not a “genealogists” or “family historian” but finds themselves the keeper of the family’s history and heirlooms. Important questions arise, such as the following:

• What should I actually archive?
• Should I archive actual document and photographs, turn paper into a digital collections, or both?
• What is the best process for each?
• What else can I do with all this stuff?
• How do I organize documents, keepsakes, computer files, and heirlooms?
• How do I care for heirlooms, such as jewelry, dolls, medals and ribbons, and more?

All of these difficult questions, and more, are addresses in  Denise May Levenick’s new book, How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn how to preserve family photos, memorabilia, & genealogy records. This new books seems to just about cover it all, while remaining relatively short, concise, yet, informative.

The book is comprised of 16 chapters organized into three sections. The first section helps you organize, prepare, and properly archive all your family’s treasures. Here you will learn to evaluate the value of what you have on hand and determine not only how to preserve these items, but to give consideration to long term storage or even donating items of historical significance.

The second section will help you evaluate and digitize your paper collections, and to manage your computer files. This does not mean you should plan on throwing away mountains of paper. You may be able to toss your own print out, but original documents and photos still have value. Digitizing simply provides a back up to these originals, as well as a means of sharing.

The final section is for the working genealogist or avid family historian. Here the author helps you learn to organize and improve your own files. Looking at area like improved citation, saving time and money, and organizing your software, you can learn to prepare you contributions to the family’s history, so when you pass it on it is ready for the next generation to move forward and not rework it all.

In addition to all the above mentioned information this book contains, I simply like its overall design and layout. The design is clean and simple, but still carries its share of charts, forms, and stand out information boxes to keep the book interesting and easy to follow.

 

Contents

Introduction

Part 1: I Inherited Grandma’s Stuff, Now What?

Chapter 1 Organize Your Objectives

Checkpoint 1: Organize Your Objectives

Chapter 2 Organize Your Plan

Checkpoint 2: Set Your Goals and Timeline

Checkpoint 3: Inventory Your Archive

Checkpoint 4: Order Your Storage Supplies

Chapter 3 Organize Your Assistance From Family Members

Checkpoint 5: Enlist Assistance

Chapter 4 Organize Your Archive

Checkpoint 6: Sort and Organize Your Archive

Checkpoint 7: Catalog Your Archive

Checkpoint 8: Find a Home for Your Archive

Chapter 5 Organize for the Future

Checkpoint 9: Donate Your Family Archive

Checkpoint 10: Plan Your Legacy

Chapter 6 Organize Archival Papers

Chapter 7 Organize Archival Photos

Chapter 8 Organize Artifacts

Part 2: Break the Paper Habit

Chapter 9 Organize and Digitize Your Paper Documents

It’s not practical to eliminate all paper files, but going digital saves storage space and search time. This chapter shows you how to move toward a paperless genealogy office step by step, from scanning to storage.

Chapter 10 Digitize Your Family Archive

Digital copies preserve heirloom originals and give you a working copy for research and creative projects. This chapter presents sample workflows to help you safely create digital copies of archive materials.

Chapter 11 Organize Your Paper Files

Do you feel buried in a mountain of genealogy papers? This chapter offers practical ideas for a personalized filing system to suit your research style and experience.

Chapter 12 Organize Your Computer

Your computer can be a top-notch filing clerk and research assistant with strategies in this chapter for a consistent file-naming system, simple folder structure, and scheduled backup plan.

Part 3: Root Your Research in Strategies for Success

Chapter 13 Organize Your Research

Productive research begins with organized research methods. This chapter outlines effective research strategies with step-by-step ideas, case study examples, and helpful resource checklists.

Chapter 14 Organize Your Source Citations

Without proof, there is no truth. This chapter offers an overview of effective citation styles and helpful checklists for citing your archival materials.

Chapter 15 Organize Your Software Solutions

Technology can advance your genealogy research by saving time and effort. This chapter will help you discover useful services to fit your needs, both web-based and on your computer.

Chapter 16 Organize and Discover Research Connections Online

Social media services, blogs, forums, and List-SERVs can help you find family and break down brick walls. Use the tips in this chapter to expand your genealogy reach.

Conclusion

Index

 

Copies of How to Archive Family Keepsakes: Learn How to Preserve Family Photos, Memorabilia and Genealogy Records are available from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $24.49.

Germans have long been a scattered people. Millions of Americans identify their ancestral roots as German. For many, however, their ancestors spoke German but never lived in what constitutes modern Germany. Some “Germans” never even lived is what could be called a German states or territories. From the middle ages on, German-speaking communities have thrived all across Europe, especially in the Eastern countries. Many identified themselves by their language, culture, and customs as German, but may have lived nowhere near modern Germany. The result is many German documents exist across a large geographical area in Europe. German, as a language, was used in written vital records across Europe. Documents were also written in other languages but by German hands; in particular, French and Latin were common.

Learning to read and transcribe these documents can be a stumbling block. The Gothic alphabet alone can be difficult to read, even if you speak fluent German. Fortunately, Roger Minert has taken his more than 20 years of experience and applied it to producing Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents: Analyzing German, Latin, and French in Historical Manuscripts. The original book is considered by many to be the preemptive guide on the subject. This new second edition extends the offerings, and will to serve those with German ancestry.

This book is so much more than a basic treatment of Old German Script or Gothic letters. This book examine the history, the development, the alphabet, and the handwriting of not only the German language, but also Latin and French in German documents. In the author’s own words, he as added the following features to this book, not previously handled by other authors:

• “a brief but scholarly review of the history of handwriting styles and alphabets in German-speaking regions of Europe
• the introduction of a computerized, normed set of Gothic alphabet characters
• the inclusion of examples consisting of illustrations taken from genuine records
• a methodology for deciphering Latin texts in German source documents
• a methodology for deciphering French texts in German source documents
• the introduction of the only modern technology to be applied to the deciphering of words and names in old handwritten German documents — the reverse alphabetical index”

In addition to all this well-defined and unique information, the author facilitate the learning process with over 150, now, 200 illustrations. These documents are used step by step along the path taught in this guide to decipher German handwriting. In many cases, the author has provided a transliteration to a modern typeset face of the sample’s text, a translation into English, and a useful analysis to better understand both the type of document as well as key points in the deciphering of the contents.

The following are new to this second edition:

• In-depth examinations of the Fraktur, Gothic, and Latin alphabets
• Extensive techniques for analyzing texts
• 44 new documents from many subject areas
• Nearly 200 images from original records
• A new computer font more closely resembling the handwriting of original documents
• Lists of genealogical terms in German, Latin, and French (both alphabetical and reverse alphabetical)

The new edition has 271 pages plus another 10 of front matter, totaling 281 pages. The first edition had a total of 192 pages. So – there are an additional 89 pages in the volume, with no upward change in price.

[A full table of contents is listed below]

 

Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents: Analyzing German, Latin, and French in Vital Records Written in Germany is available from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: M0001, Price: $27.44.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction

How to Use this Book

Chapter 1: The Evolution of Handwriting Styles in Germany

• Introduction
• Early Handwriting Styles
• Handwriting Styles after the Middle Ages
• The Standardization of Handwriting Styles
• The End of the Gothic Alphabet in Daily Use
• Determining the Language of the Handwritten Document
• Notes

Chapter 2: Deciphering German Handwriting in German Documents

• Introduction
• The Gothic Handwriting Alphabet
• Lower Case Gothic Characters
• Upper Case Gothic Characters

Consonant Clusters and Doubled Consonants

• Diacritical Marks and Punctuation
• Crossing the t and Dotting the i
• Abbreviations
• Similar and Confusing Characters
• Numbers and Dates
  • Numerals
  • Days of the Week
  • Months
  • Time of Day
  • Seasons of the Year
  • Cardinal Numbers vs. Ordinal Numbers
  • Feast Dates
  • French Republican Calendar Dates
• Learning to Write in the Gothic Alphabet
• German Language Tools
  • German Grammar
  • German Syntax and Word Order
  • German Vocabulary
  • Archaic German Language and Dialect Variants
• Personal Names
• Place Names
• Determining the Type of Record
• Basic Tactics in Deciphering German Handwriting in Vital Record Entries
  • Extraction
  • Transliteration
  • Translation
• Additional Tactics in Deciphering German Handwriting in Vital Records
  • Index
  • Chronology
  • Alphabet Sampler
  • Vowel/Consonant Environments
  • Syntactic Analysis
• Deciphering Sample Vital Record Entries
  • Church Birth/Christening Records
  • Civil Birth Records
  • Church Marriage Records
  • Church Death/Burial Records
  • Civil Death Records
  • Other Types of Records
  • Summary
• Notes

Chapter 3: Deciphering Latin Handwriting in German Documents

• Introduction
• The Latin Alphabet as Used in German Vital Records
• Abbreviations in Vital Records entries in Latin
• Numerals
• Dates
• Latin Grammar
• The Elements of a Typical Latin Church Book Entry
  • Column Entries
  • Sentence Entries
  • Paragraph Entries
• Tactics for Deciphering Latin in Vital Records in German Documents
• Summary
• Notes

Chapter 4: Deciphering French Handwriting in German Documents

• Introduction
• The Practice of French Record-keeping in Germany
• Church Vital Records in the French Language
  • Civil Registry Vital Records in the French Language
  • Civil Registry Pre-printed Entry Forms
  • Numerals and Dates
• The French Republican Calendar
• French Grammar and Language Tools
  • Gender
  • Number
  • Capitalization
  • Syntax
  • Vocabulary
  • Placement of Adjectives
• Analyzing French Entries in German Church Records
  • Column-entry Church Records
  • Paragraph-entry Church Records
• Analyzing French Entries in German Civil Records
  • Paragraph French Entries in German Church Records
  • Pre-printed French Entries in German Civil Records
• Summary
• Notes

Chapter 5: Additional Documents of Historical Importance

• Introduction
• Autobiography
• Church Certificate
• Personal Letter
• Postcard
• Telegram
• Business Letter
• Employment Identification
• Recommendation
• Business License
• Public Schools
• Government Family Records
• Court (Guardianship)
• Court (Divorce)
• Court (Name Change)
• Marriage Contract
• Military
• Report of Death in Battle
• Proof of Military Service
• Last Will and Testament
• Citizenship
• Residential Registration
• Passenger Lists
• Emigration Application
• Passport
• Trans-Atlantic Travel
• Church Records
• Standards for Church Records
• Church Birth Certificate
• Church Marriage Certificate
• Baptismal Entry
• Confirmation Entries
• Marriage Entry
• Death Entry
• Family Record
• Membership List
• Parish Constitution
• Church Council Minutes
• Baptismal Entry in Latin

Conclusions

Foreign Language Competence

How to Use a Reverse Alphabetical Index

Annotated Bibliography

• Works Cited in This Book
• Additional Works Recommended to Family History Researchers

Glossary

Appendices

1. The Printed Gothic/Fraktur Alphabet
2. German Genealogical Vocabulary
3. German Genealogical Vocabulary: Reverse Alphabetical Order
4. Latin Genealogical Vocabulary
5. Latin Genealogical Vocabulary: Reverse Alphabetical Order
6. French Genealogical Vocabulary
7. French Genealogical Vocabulary: Reverse Alphabetical Order
8. Common Genealogical Symbols Found in Vital Records in Germany
9. German Empire Civil Registry Entry Forms (1876–1918)
10. Computer Translation of Old Church book Entries

Index