• 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.

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

The details of this book are based on Beth Sherrill’s own search to locate her birth parents. “It is a how-to for those who also would seek birth parents or children who have been adopted in the past.” The details come from a study of the law, from interviews with those who made the same journey, and the personal search experiences of the authors.

The authors note the laws of most states are written as to discourage biological family reunions for adoptions. However, the laws do not prohibit searchers or reunions. Learning how to navigate the process is part of what this book will teach the reader. However, even before any research is conducted this book examines an equally important question, should an investigation even take place. Searchers, either parents or children, have to examine the possible feelings and ramifications the other parties in the process may experience from any contact or reunions that result from the process.

The book refers to the adoption triad as the adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. The book is intended to reach out to all three members of this group. There is information, and inspiration, within these pages to help all the members of the adoption triad to change the way one thinks of themselves and the others. Genealogists may also pick up a few tricks to assist their own ancestral research along the way.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: A New Way of Thinking

Chapter 2: A Starting Place

Chapter 3: Who’s to Blame?

Chapter 4: Why Search?

Chapter 5: Advice to Birth Parents

Chapter 6: Advice to Adoptive Parents

Chapter 7: Advice to Adoptees

Chapter 8: Needles in Haystacks

Chapter 9: More Detective Work

Chapter 10: Chrysalis

Chapter 11: Importance of Medical History

Conclusion

Index

About the Authors

Get a copy of Missing Pieces: How to Find Birth Parents and Adopted Children — A Search and Reunion Guidebook from Family Roots Publishing; Item #: HBD2534, Price: $26.95.

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

Dominican Republic, Civil Registration, 1801-2010 – 0 – 23,354 – Added images to an existing collection.
Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-2008 – 111,027 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
Italy, Napoli, Monte di Procida, Civil Registration (Comune), 1817-1929 – 19,567 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
Italy, Potenza, Melfi, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1861-1929 – 0 – 34,284 – New browsable image collection.
Peru, Lambayeque, Civil Registration, 1873-1998 – 94,834 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
South Africa, Orange Free State, Estate Files, 1951-2006 – 0 – 163,314 – Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Cádiz, Testaments, 1531-1920 – 0 – 62,290 – Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Province of Sevilla, Municipal Records, 1293-1966 – 0 – 52,917 – Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Province of Tarragona, Municipal Records, 1430-1930 – 0 – 6,163 – Added images to an existing collection.
Spain, Records of Widows and Orphans of Spanish Officials, 1833-1960 – 0 – 9,875 – Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Alabama, Madison County Chancery and Circuit Court Records, 1847-1950 – 0 – 62,144 – Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Delaware, Orphan Court Records, 1720-1975 – 0 – 69,367 – New browsable image collection.
U.S., Idaho, Eastport, Arrival Manifests, 1924-1956 – 217,016 – 0 – Added index records to an existing collection.
U.S., Illinois, Cook County, Maywood, Maywood Herald Obituary Card Index, 1885-2002 – 61,565 – 2 – Added index records and images to an existing collection.
U.S., New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935 – 10,909 – 7,510 – Added index records and images to an existing collection.
U.S., New York, Queens County Probate Records, 1785-1950 – 0 – 121,873 – Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Ohio, Jefferson County Court Records, 1797-1940 – 0 – 162,190 – Added images to an existing collection.
U.S., Texas, Swisher County Records, 1879-2012 – 0 – 93,603 – New browsable image collection.
U.S., Washington, Cowlitz County Civil Court Dockets, 1876-1951 – 0 – 14,203 – New browsable image collection.
United States, Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files – 75,510 – 75,510 – Added index records and images to an existing collection.

Aha! Seminars, Inc., announces that The Genealogy GuysSM Podcast (http://genealogyguys.com), the longest running genealogical podcast in the world, has published its 250th episode. The podcast is a production of Aha! Seminars, Inc., based in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, and began production in September of 2005. The total downloads for all episodes numbers more than 1,230,000.

The Genealogy Guys are George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, both of whom are internationally recognized genealogical experts, speakers, and authors. George is president of Aha! Seminars, Inc., and the author of the book, How to Do Everything: Genealogy, published by McGraw-Hill and now in its third edition. He is also Vice President of Membership for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). Drew is an assistant librarian at the University of South Florida and the author of Social Networking for Genealogists, published by Genealogical Publishing Company. He is president of the Florida Genealogical Society (Tampa), a Director of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Federation representative to the Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO). Together, George and Drew have just written a new book, Advanced Genealogical Research Techniques, which will be released by McGraw-Hill in September.

The free podcast includes genealogical news, press releases and announcements, interviews, book and product reviews, responses to listener email from around the globe, and other features. Each episode is sponsored by RootsMagic, findmypast.com, and the Federation of Genealogical Societies. Recordings of all of the podcast episodes are available for listening and download at http://genealogyguys.com, complete with show notes for each show. Listeners can also subscribe to the podcast in the iTunes store.

About Aha! Seminars, Inc.
Aha! Seminars, Inc., is a Tampa Bay-based company that has been providing training to library personnel across the United States and to genealogists in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. since 1996. The company provides library collection consulting services, genealogical conference and event planning services, and organizes genealogical research tours on demand.

With more than 26 million US and International military records available, findmypast.com is encouraging people to explore and learn about the heroic efforts of their ancestors this Memorial Day. Record sets such as ‘Draft Registration Cards,’ ‘Casualties Returned Alive,’ ‘POWs’ and others will offer a captivating glimpse into the lives and experiences of our veteran ancestors.

The US and International military records will be available free of charge starting at midnight EDT on Thursday, May 23 until midnight EDT on Monday, May 27. Anyone can access the records by registering for free at findmypast.com.

This Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania-sponsored webinar is designed to help the family researcher learn about and develop solid genealogical research skills. Are the records you’ve found relevant to your family? What
proof is acceptable if no original document exists? What other record sources might be available to you? Michael Hait, CG, will help us understand what constitutes a ‘Reasonably Exhaustive Search’ and Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL, will point out the perils of jumping to conclusions while leading us through case studies. The webinar will be moderated by Shamele Jordon.

FREE for GSP members; Non-members $10

Click
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001IuIvFHtPsn81hm3Xh6Zt5OYZEZAZexuYNDbI3WmZn-W9fhrl9M3jIRfr37myE0Yga0MZNx6AFTbJOAWMIBAfR59MNJrkrZwAubl8yx0LfZg59e2C44SzDHTv9fF-hm2jKD3P0LlEmAEZoDS41_r0R6hSnxeDFcDzHDnXmOhb8LU=> here to register now.

Genetic testing has become old-hat in today’s modern world. Most genealogists think about genetic testing from the viewpoint of finding cousins, ancestry, and world-wide places of origin. We typically deal with less than a half dozen genetic testing firms that most genealogists are acquainted with. However, there are all kinds of genetic testing companies out there – and they have many different specialties. FindTheBest.com has a published online list of these companies, complete with their locations, services, and even comparisons. The following guest post was written by Conrad Yu of FindTheBest.com:

When people hear about DNA or genetics testing, (unfortunately) they tend to think about paternity tests as made popular by shows like Jerry Springer or Maury. But the vast majority of genetics testing have other rather important purposes that especially affect those thinking about starting or expanding their families. Because a significant amount of diseases and illnesses have at least somewhat of a hereditary component to their contraction or development,
Whether you want to test for disease risk or determine your ancestry, there are several types of genetic testing that are done for different reasons:

• Diagnostic testing is done for those who show symptoms of a disease that may be caused by genetic alterations, such as adult polycystic kidney disease, iron overload (hemochromatosis), and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
• Genealogical testing allows people to trace their ancestry, enabling them to determine the probability that they are—or are not—related to another person within an approximate number of generations. It can also be used in forensic science to identify crime victims, rule out suspects, or establish biological relationships.
• Pre-symptomatic and predictive testing is intended for those who have a family history of a genetic condition and want to know whether they are at risk of developing that condition.
• Carrier testing can determine if someone carries a copy of an altered gene that would put a child at risk of developing the disorder. This type of genetic testing is therefore best for someone with a family history of a genetic disorder, such as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, and plans to have children in the near future. It may also be useful for those in an ethnic group that has a high risk of a particular genetic disorder.
• Pharmacogenetics can identify what medication and dosage would be most effective and beneficial for those with a particular health condition or disease.
• Prenatal testing can detect changes or abnormalities in a fetus’ genes before birth. Spina bifida and Down syndrome are two genetic disorders that are often screened for as part of prenatal genetic testing. This is often done with an amniocentesis, but this process has been known to pose certain risks, such as miscarriages.
• Newborn screening is the most common type of genetic testing. In the United States, all states require newborns to be tested for certain gene abnormalities that cause specific conditions, such as phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism, as this allows for care and treatment to begin immediately. Diagnostic and carrier testing can also be done to confirm a diagnosis or to let people know if their children are at risk of inheriting a genetic disorder or being a carrier of a condition.
• Pre-implantation testing may be used to lower the chances that someone will have a child with a particular genetic disorder. Also known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), this test requires a woman to conceive a child through in vitro fertilization. With in vitro, eggs are taken from a woman and sperm are taken from a man to create embryos outside of the body. Once these embryos are created, they will be screened for genetic abnormalities. Those without any abnormalities will then be implanted in the uterus in hopes of achieving pregnancy.

  It is important to note that most traditional genetic tests for diagnosing disease, screening for carrier status, or predicting medication response will require a doctor’s prescription or referral. Many other tests, however, can be directly requested by consumers.

Before finding genetic testing centers and testing at any one particular facility, it is important to consider the following:

• Services: It is imperative to determine whether a genetic clinic has the particular test you need. Many genetic testing centers will also provide various services like counseling, ongoing care, and further diagnostic testing for people who are diagnosed with a genetic disorder or condition. See which facilities offer the services or testing you need and narrow your options from there.
• Accreditation: It is also important to consider the various types of accreditation when researching genetic testing centers. A seal of accreditation indicates that the facility has qualified staff members for diagnosing, evaluating, and/or treating patients with hereditary disorders and conditions. It is therefore beneficial to select a testing center with doctors who are certified in the type of genetic health care you need.

The “Old Southwest” generally refers to colonial period American territories ruled, at different times, by the Spanish, French, and British governments. More specifically, this area included the territory east (yes, east) of the Mississippi river, through modern Alabama, parts of Louisiana and Florida, and up to the Flint River in Georgia. Numerous Indian tribes lived throughout the area and it was attractive to many European settlers. These “pre-statehood settlers generated a vast amount of records.” Specifically, there were many records of the type found interesting to many genealogists. Genealogy at a Glance: Old Southwest Genealogy Research, was put together by Dorothy Williams Potter, to help the reader with their late 18th and early 19th century genealogical research in this geographical area.

Finding travelers and immigrants can be difficult for researchers. Fortunately, this guide examines the historical background, early migration, Indian relations, and pre-statehood records for the “Old Southwest”. Major resources are identified and explained, including document collections. Along with some “Quick Facts” and her own tips, Potter has added another excellent research guide to the growing Genealogy at a Glance collection.

Like all the Genealogy At A Glance sheets, this guide is a four-page, full-color limited brochure meant to be easily stored and sized to take with you when conducting related research. Also, like other guides, there are plenty of tips by the author and suggested readings.

Contents

Quick Facts

Settlement Background

• Spanish Occupation
• Indian Relations
• Territorial Organization
• Earliest Migratory Paths
• Main Travel Routes

Major Genealogical Sources

• American State Papers
• Passport Records

Major Document Collections

For Further Reference

Major Area Libraries

Online Sources

• State Archives and Libraries
• National Archives
• Non-government Websites

Find the help you need, and carry it with you, with your own copy of Genealogy at a Glance: Old Southwest Genealogy Research available at Family Roots Publishing; Price: $8.77.

Click here to see a full listing of  laminated guides available from Family Roots Publishing.

Here are just some of the ways this book can help you on a trip to the home of your German ancestors:

• Planning trip finances
• Research tips and tools
• Writing emails to Germany
• Using the telephone
• Locating needed records
• Eating out
• Making appointments
• Visiting the Antiquariat
• Visiting churches and cemeteries
• Finding places to stay

There is much more than these few resources and hints to be found in this guide. Ideas cover every aspect of a trip from planning and financing, selecting places to visit and stay, communication and even going out to dinner. More importantly are the tips and suggestions for conducting research. The authors have collectively made dozens of trips to Germany. Their experience shows as they seek to remove any fears and concerns the potential traveler may have. With this guide there are few reasons (mostly unforeseeable natural disasters) that should keep any researcher from having a successful trip. Look at the contents below to get an even better idea of all this book offers.

Contents

Introductions

Chapter One: Preparing for your visit to the land of your ancestors

• Reasons and goals for the trip
• Identifying the ancestral home town
• Locating the records you need
• Gaining access to the records you need
• Hiring a local expert to assist you
• Deciding when to make your research trip to Germany
• Acquiring your passport
• Making your travel plans
  • Air travel
  • Car rentals for travel in Germany
  • Trains
• Lodging
• Documents, literature, and equipment needed for conducting family history research in Germany
  • Documents and printed materials to prepare for the trip
  • Computer preparations
• Non-research material to collect and organize before leaving home
  • The log
  • Letter of introduction
• German Handshake Packet
• Preparing to use your debit card in Europe
• Preparing to enter a German-language environment
• Gifts to take along
• Luggage selection
• Packing your suitcase

Chapter Two: Getting around in the land of your ancestors

• Landing at the airport in Germany
• You and your money in Germany
  • Need cash?
  • Credit cards
  • Travelers checks
  • Hints for handling money in Germany
• Living between time zones
• Rental cars
  • Picking up your rental car
  • Pointers on driving in Germany
  • Driving on the Autobahn
  • Other driving pointers
  • Driving regulations in European countries
  • Parking your rental car
  • Bicycles
• Traveling by rail in Germany
  • The German railroad “alphabet game”
  • Train information
  • Train reservations
  • Validating the rail pass
  • Handling luggage
  • Conveniences on board
  • Which is your stop?
  • Before leaving the train station
• Taking a taxi
• Using other public tranportation
• Tourist information
  • Finding a room
  • Gathering local information
  • Checking out the Antiquariat
• Sleeping accommodations in Germany
  • Rooms in private homes
  • The Gasthaus, the Gasthof, and the Pension
  • Vacation apartments
  • Hotels
• Restaurants in Germany
  • Water: A problem for Americans
• Telling time in Europe
• Post office service in Germany
  • Basic services and products
  • Shipping extra items
  • Filling out postal forms
• Telecommunications in Germany
  • Public telephones
  • Private telephones
  • Other communication options
• Dealing with emergencies

Chapter Tree: Conducting family history research in the land of your ancestors

• Research at specific locations in Germany
  • The parish office
  • Regional church archives
  • Other church-owned research venues
  • Civil record venues
  • City archives
  • County archives
  • State and national archives
  • Family history societies
  • Family history centers
• Private researchers
• Other research venues
• Visiting relatives
• The Heimatmuseum
• Research in other German-language regions of Europe
  • Alsace-Lorraine, France (Elsass-Lothringen)
  • Austria (Osterreich)
  • Bohemian and Moravia, Czech Republic (Bohmen und Mahren)
  • Liechtenstein
  • Luxembourg
  • Poland
  • Slovenia (Sowenien, Slovenija)
  • Switzerland (Schweiz)
• Research facilities in Europe: seven examples
  • Estorf, Germany: Estorf Lutheran Church
  • Hannover, Germany: Landeskirchenamt, Kirchenbuchamt
  • Basel, Switzerland: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Basel-Stadt
  • Vienna, Austria: Zur Allerheiligsten Dreifaltigkeit
  • Graz, Austria: Diozesanarchiv
  • Plzen, Czech Republic: Stani Oblastni Archiv
  • Ljubljana, Slovenia: Nadskofiski Arhiv
• Record-keeping and documentation

Chapter Four: Enjoying yourself in the land of your ancestors

• Where to go and what to do
• Taking pictures in Germany
• Shopping in Germany
• Chapter Five: After the trip
• Returning home
• Annotated bibliography

Appendices

A English-German vocabulary

B German-English vocabulary

C Vital records vocabulary

D Reading German handwritten church records

E Letters to Germany in preparation for the trip

F Computer Translations

G Archive Games

Index

Useful addresses

Researching in Germany: A Handbook for Your Visit to the Homeland of Your Ancestors – Second Edition is available from Family Roots Publishing, Price: 18.62.

A preliminary survey underwritten by Richland County [South Carolina] has identified more than 450 cemeteries, most of them long-abandoned plots where family members were laid to rest together.

Next, Mike Trinkley of the nonprofit Chicora Foundation will embark on field work to refine the list by photographing the cemeteries, counting markers and developing a county map of the 463 cemeteries – equivalent to one cemetery for every 1.6-square miles of land.

Experts in Southern culture say the large number of burial sites scattered outside church yards here speaks to Southerners’ connections to their families and their land, a desire to stake an eternal claim to one’s home place.

“There’s a long tradition of annual gathering on Decoration Day to clean up graveyards, and a famous blues song by Blind Lemon Jefferson has the title ‘See That My Grave is Swept Clean,’” said Bill Ferris, a history and folklore professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“People are fearsome that when they die, their graves will be neglected and overgrown and totally wiped out, which is often, sadly, the case.”

Read the full article.

After 30 years of combing through databases and Internet search results, a mother and the son she gave up for adoption have been reunited, thanks to a random message posted on the family history record-keeping site Ancestry.com.

Janice Lobaugh, a 48-year-old married mom of two who owns her own real estate company in Wasilla, Alaska, was just 17 when she was forced to give her 5-month-old baby boy, Therman Randall Blair, up for adoption.

“I had a very stressful childhood,” Lobaugh told Yahoo! Shine in an interview on Friday. She and her younger sister discovered they were both pregnant on the same day, and their mother — a single mom already struggling to raise three kids — was not supportive. One Friday when Therman was just a few months old, Lobaugh left him with her mother so she could pick up her paycheck. When she called from a pay phone to check on him an hour or so later, her mom said that Therman wasn’t there.

Read the full article.

Zap the Grandma Gap: Connecting with Your  Family by Connecting Them to Their Family History takes an old idea and breathes new life into sharing family history. I don’t know many genealogists who haven’t complained about how difficult it is to get the next generation interested and involved in their family history. Some offer up stories of selective success, while others offer creative ideas that always seem to go untested. Janet Hovorka has a better idea. In this new and lively book, Janet offers some of the most creative and inspiring ideas for getting children and grandchildren actively involved in their family history. However, the ideas in this book go beyond a few simple strategies by suggesting more than a few ways to make family history an integral part of the family members’ daily lives.

Hovorka uses a metaphorical superhero grandmother who has all the necessary tools and gadgets to cleverly, and enjoyably, make her family’s history a part of their lives. Ideas range across the board; including, using charts as every present wall art, learning about grandma through her favorite recipes, and having children get involved by using the latest technology gadgets to perform searches. These are just some of the basic ideas. The list of ideas goes on and on. Many of these ideas could be implemented with little effort. In many ways, its the constant reminder, the constant effort to share that will win family members over in the end.

The author believes so deeply in the value of family history she feels it is “one of the most important tools you can use to empower your children and help them become well adjusted adults.” Who am I to argue? I don’t think there is a genealogists out there who would disagree. While no family tree is without its scoundrels, neither is there a tree without heroes. “Super Grandma” is here to show everyone the way. Many of the ideas include activities that will help “bridge the generation gap.”

Taking these ideas anyone can turn the “snoring and boring to exciting and inviting.” Take both ideas and encouragement from these tried and tested ideas and make them part of your routine. You may not get a household full of genealogists from trying these ideas, but your family will surely find a greater connection and appreciation for the past and an improved outlook for the future.

The Workbook

Where the book provides ideas and creative solutions to involving younger family members in family history, this workbook provides “step by step instructions, procedures, templates and resources that will help you teach the next generation to love their heritage.” Zap the Grandma Gap: Power Up Workbook is a akin to a lesson manual. Chapter by chapter parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or even older siblings, can help younger relatives learn about their family’s background.

This workbook is so much more than the traditional guide to pedigrees and worksheets. This book offers FUN! The first section gets everyone thinking, “brainstorming,” about their family. Then there are the projects. This is where family history becomes exciting. Help to create visual displays, take an heirloom inventory, or work with social networks—this is where the kids may teach the adults a thing or two. The book will even help you work on organization skills, not by telling someone what to do, but by seeking their input. Learn to let youth find their own way, where the adult helps to nurture a sense of accomplishment.

When it comes to making family history fun for the youth, Janet Hovorka is as creative as I have found. Her ideas strike at the heart of encouragement through participation. What better way to spend an hour with a youth than helping them learn about their family. Unless, you would rather sit in front of the TV and not talk?

About the Author

Janet Hovorka owns Family ChartMaster, a genealogy chart printing company. She writes “The Chart Chick” blog and has written many other genealogical publications. She is the current President of the Utah Genealogical Association and teaches genealogy and library science at Salt Lake Community College.

Contents for each book are listed below.

Family Roots Publishing is offering a temporary discount on Zap the Grandma Gap. Get a copy for only $19.95, nearly 17% off the cover price; $19.95 – Regular $23.95.

Get copies of Zap the Grandma Gap: Power Up Workbook for yourself and for each of those budding genealogists in the family from Family Roots Publishing; Get a copy for only $19.95, nearly 17% off the cover price; $19.95 – Regular $23.95.

Contents (the Book)

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Genius Grandma Knows How Important Her History Is To Connect Herself To Her Posterity And Connect Them To A Healthy Future.

• Understanding and Emotional Healing:
  • Family Issues
• Realizing Potential:
  • Inspiring Stories – Dealing With Challenges
• Spiritual Serendipity:
  • Serendipity Stories
• Envelop Them in Love:
  • Strong Relationships – Common Interests
• A Broad Perspective:
  • Start With the Child

Gorgeous Grandma Infuses Her Surroundings With Her Family History To Instill Her Family With Their Past And Prepare Them For Later Curiosity.

• Visuals/Pictures:
  • Displays – Timelines – Similarities
• Heirlooms:
  • Guess the Heirloom – Heirloom Catalog – Family History in A Trunk – Make A New Heirloom
• Charts:
  • Art Piece – Working Chart – Sugar Cookie Chart – Maps – Timelines – Diorama – Collage
• Gardens:
  • Favorite Flowers – Plant Markers – Vegetables – Herbs – Heirloom Plants

Geek Grandma Knows That The Easiest Way To Plug In To Her Family Is Out On The Net.

• Curious Surfing:
  • Compiled Databases – Find a Grave – Popular Websites – Children’s Websites
• Indexing and Digitizing:
  • Scan Pictures and Documents – Digitize Journals or Family Documents – Indexing – Society Projects – Bribery
• Family Websites:
  • Private Gathering Places – Family Resources Website – Genealogy Software Helps – Photo Sharing Sites
• Social Networking:
  • Family Facebook Group – Twitter Feeds – Blogs – Email Newsletter – YouTube
• Surnames:
  • Name Studies – Meanings – Heraldry – Family Organizations

Gifted Grandma Uses Her Creations to Teach Her Family About Their Past

• Books and Scrapbooks:
  • Short Children’s Books – Kids Illustrate Your Book – What Happened When – Collections of Letters -Give Children Copies – Archival Scrapbooks
• Games:
  • Workbooks – Paper Dolls – Puzzles From Pictures or Pedigree Charts – Bingo, Matching Cards, Memory and Go Fish – Other Games
• Calendars:
  • Current Family Pictures – Pictures at A Certain Age – Ancestor Pictures – Anniversaries
• Time Capsule:
  • Individual Time Capsules – Favorites – Special Events – Cedar Chests
• Recording Their Lives:
  • Keep It Short – Reflective Letters – Statements of Faith or Belief – Journal or Diary – Parent’s or Grandparent’s Journal
• Gifts:
  • Meaningful Moments – Recipes – Heirlooms – Digitizing – Collections, Projects, Crafts – Family History Gifts

Groovy Grandma Uses the History around Her Family’s Past to Make Their Progenitors Come Alive

• Talents:
  • Hit Them Where They Live – Learn Something New That Is Old – Heirloom Re-Creation – Performances
• Skills:
  • Providing Food – Creating a Home – Typical Men’s Work – Do Some Research
• Music:
  • Try Their Genre – Music They Knew – Dancing
• Food:
  • Record Your Recipes – Share Preparation – Involve All Parts of the Family – Dishes
• Traditions:
  • Religious or Ethnic Holidays – Holiday Traditions – Family History Decorations – Antique or Historical Decorations – Superstitions and Sayings
• History in General:
  • Living History – Books about History – Heritage Festivals and Founder’s Days – Culture Night – Museums, Historical Sites – Movies, TV – Language or Culture Classes

Gutsy Grandma Pulls Her Posterity Close by Carefully Creating Today’s History Together.

• Connect With Living Relatives:
  • Family Reunions – Letters – Harsh Personalities – Visits – One Child to Visit – Family Organizations
• Interviews:
  • Video – Transcripts – Family Reporter – Tough Topics – Send A Few Questions at A Time – Interview Locations – Photo and Heirloom Show And Tell – What Was Life Like At Their Age
• Record Current History:
  • Yearly Summary, Monthly Summary – One Manager or Round Robin – Collection of Tweets, Facebook or Blog Posts
• Travel:
  • Prepare Family Members for the Trip – Other Resources – Send Them for Research – Cemeteries – One-On-One-Trips – Who Do You Think You Are Tour
• Events:
  • Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – Scavenger Hunt – Ancestor’s Birthday – Family Show
• Support Other Learning Opportunities:
  • School Reports – Scouts – Create Projects about Family History

Glorious Grandma Works to Organize Her Family’s Story So That She Doesn’t Leave Brick Walls for the Next Generation

• Scope:
  • Leaving A Brick Wall Of Too Much Information – Weeding The Collection – What Resources Will They Have? – Scan and Condense – Process Into Something Usable
• Sources:
  • Primary And Secondary Information – Originals and Derivative Sources – Only What You’ve Seen – Direct, Indirect and Negative
• Citations:
  • Complete Citations – No Abbreviations – Genealogy Standards – Citations Don’t Have To Be Perfect
• Analysis:
  • Unsuccessful Searches – Preserve Evidence You Know Is Wrong – Record What You Know About the Source – Differing Interpretations
• List and Instructions:
  • What Still Needs to Be Done – Color Coded Chart – Organization Hints – Shortcomings
• Archival Storage:
  • Use Archival Materials – Remove Anything Destructive – Don’t Touch Too Much – Set Aside A Work Area – Preserve the Order – Reversals – Donations
• Archiving Photographic Materials:
  • Types of Antiques – Strengthen the Base – Common vs. Precious – Antique Scrapbooks – Protection from Acidic Materials – Protect Negatives
• Archiving Document Materials:
  • Common vs. Precious – Encapsulation – Keep Reversible – Copying
• Archiving Digital Materials:
  • Migration Plan – Naming, Tagging and Filing – Refreshing and Backing Up – Replication in Different Formats – Data Recovery – Digital Will
• Plan for dissemination:
  • Library Of Alexandria Rule – Spread Your History Now

Go Do It
What’s Next?
About the Author

Contents (the Workbook)

Introduction

Brainstorm

• Your Family
• Relative Resources
• Your History
• Ancestral Assets
• Your Current Family
• Reflection Questions
• Lessons to Learn
• Pick a Few Heroes

Projects

• Pictures
• Visual Displays
• Scrapbooks
• Books
• Organization
• Heirloom Inventory
• Flowers and Gardens
• Family History Travel
• Antique Games
• Social Networking

Templates

• Calendar
• Indexing Chart
• Pedigree Charts
• Paper Doll Family
• Recipe Cards
• Family History Baking
• Family History Parties
• Family History bingo
• Games to Adapt
• Scavenger Hunt
• Family Playing Cards
• Activity Books
• Family Ornaments
• Resources
• Family History Gifts
• Interview Questions
• Internet Sites for Kids
• Books
• Incentives
• Starting Places

Energize and Mobilize

• The Plan

Family Roots Publishing is offering a temporary discount on Zap the Grandma Gap. Get a copy for only $19.95, nearly 17% off the cover price; $19.95 – Regular $23.95.

Get copies of Zap the Grandma Gap: Power Up Workbook for yourself and for each of those budding genealogists in the family from Family Roots Publishing; Get a copy for only $19.95, nearly 17% off the cover price; $19.95 – Regular $23.95.

A bill making its way through the Louisiana Legislature would let Cajun citizens celebrate their ancestry by customizing their driver’s license, adding the phrase “I’m a Cajun” below their photograph.

It would cost $5 to add the message; the money would go toward “scholarships distributed by the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, a program promoting French language and culture in the state,” reports NOLA.com.

…

In their current states, neither of the two bills seem to include requirements for proving ancestry or other connections to the culture being celebrated.

Read the full article.

Global family history network makes technology breakthrough that turns dead-ends into new leads

PROVO, Utah, and Tel Aviv, Israel, May 13 2013: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, today announced the launch of Record Detective™, the first technology of its kind to automatically extend the paper trail from a single historical record to other related records and family tree connections.

Record Detective™ turns historical records into smart objects that determine which people they are about, and conducts further research about them. Records found in MyHeritage’s digital archive, SuperSearch, will now include a summary of additional records and individuals in family trees relating to them, thanks to the Record Detective™ technology. This will provide users with new information and clues to take their research to new directions.

Examples of how Record Detective™ benefits users:
When a user finds a gravestone photo, Record Detective™ is capable of automatically finding and displaying who was buried there, and providing a link to the person’s family tree, plus birth, census and marriage records and even newspaper articles about that person.

For users viewing a page in a digitized yearbook on MyHeritage, Record Detective™ will show the people mentioned on the page in their respective family trees and allow users to learn more about their families and get in touch with their relatives (subject to privacy protections).
When viewing a record in the US census collection, Record Detective™ will provide census entries of the same person in former or subsequent years, and do this for the entire household. The additional information could include newspaper articles about the person’s son or the immigration papers of his parents.

The new technology is highly accurate with almost no false positives.

To maximize its benefits, the technology behind the Record Detective™ uses an innovative technique called the Transitive Conclusion Trail. For example, it can link a death record to a birth record of the same person, by first linking the death record to a matching person in a family tree with the same death date, then linking that person through his parents to the same person in another family tree, this time having a birth date, and then use that extra information to locate the birth record of that person. During the process checks are made to ensure the lack of contradictions, and conclusions are made only if they are statistically solid. Users are not aware of the calculations behind the scenes, and are only handed the related information with confidence scores. This way Record Detective™ helps users find relevant information they may have never found on their own.

Licensing
To extend the benefits of this new technology to the wider community, MyHeritage is making Record Detective™ available for license to other family history websites and services that provide historical records, with revenue sharing. By adding just a few lines of code to their webpage, partners can harness Record Detective™ and display for each record, other records and family trees related to it, providing better value for users. Interested parties can contact bd@myheritage.com.

“We’re excited to unveil Record Detective™ – a major addition to the tool arsenal of any family history enthusiast”, said Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage. “Record Detective™ makes a single discovery more interesting and rewarding by linking to more information about the same person. With this powerful new technology, our users will be able to make even more exciting discoveries. This is an industry first, and a testament to our focus on creating truly innovative technologies for family history.”

A summary of any record can be viewed for free and users can choose between affordable pay-as-you-go credits or a Data subscription for full unlimited access to all historical records.

About MyHeritage
MyHeritage is a family history network helping millions of families around the world discover and share their legacy online. As technology thought leaders and innovators in the space, MyHeritage is transforming family history into a pastime that is accessible, exciting and easier than ever before. MyHeritage empowers its global community of users with unique social tools, a massive library of historical content and powerful search technologies. The site is available in 40 languages. For more information visit www.myheritage.com