Online Resources

13 August 2007

Family History IS News

If you ever get the feeling that your interest in family history isn't a main stream interest.  Think again.  I just used Google to search the news for "family history" and came up with a very interesting array of family history stories in the news.  One of these was published on Tuesday - the rest are even more recent. the majority are American (that's a function of which news sources Google indexes), but they also represent Pakistan and Australia.

Houston Chronicle, Texas

Carolyn Grovey-Brown, 58, remembers when she was a child walking through the home her great-grandfather built. Family pictures hang on the dark wooden walls of the long, narrow hallway. She walks down the stretch, looking at the pictures and realizing there is a name, a story and history behind each face. She passes her grandfather's bedroom that smells of liniment and orange peels. She looks outside and sees the back porch and a smoking room where her grandparents preserve vegetables. She thinks to herself that this property is more than a house. It is history. History important to not only her family, but to the area and to the memory of slavery.

PakTribune, Pakistan

People with a family history of suicide and mental illness are more likely to attempt suicide than their peers with no such family history, according to Danish researchers. The findings could prove useful in suicide prevention programs targeting adolescents and young adults, the authors of the study note. Researchers from Aarhus University studied the family histories of 4,262 people between the ages of 9 and 45 who committed suicide and a group of "controls," 80,238 people in the general population who did not commit suicide. People who had a parent, sibling or other close relative commit suicide were found to be more than twice as likely to commit suicide than others with no family history of suicide.

Kilmore Star, Australia

UNRAVELLING family histories can seem daunting, which is why it’s worth visiting the local library ... to learn about the tools and techniques available... Yarra Plenty Regional Library ... has prepared workshops to help people trace their family trees for Family History Month. “... more people are coming into the library to use our resources and ... researching family history is more popular than ever...” Online databases have changed how people delve into their family histories, as shown by the popularity of websites ... these new tools allowed people to satisfy a natural curiosity. “People trace their family history for many reasons – to know where they came from, for a sense of identity and place in the world, and to join other people at the library with a similar interest.”

NWI Times, Indiana

One of the things a doctor is interested in when seeing a patient for the first time or making a diagnosis is that patient's family health history. While medical conditions of family members aren't always known, they should be. If you don't know the cause of death of your grandparents or what illnesses or conditions may have affected an aunt or uncle, you might want to ask some questions and do some investigating. Notifying your doctor of certain conditions that seem to run in your family can make a difference in your treatment.

Coshocton Tributne, Ohio

4-H member Ryan Appis of Coshocton was honored at the Ohio State Fair for earning an Outstanding of the Day in the 4-H project of “Family History Treasure Hunt: Year 2” during 4-H Family Life Day. He was then named a state winner and presented the top award of a 4-H Clock Trophy. Participants brought their completed project book and a display signifying their project accomplishments. Next, exhibitors were judged based on knowledge, skill, and understanding. Appis explained his genealogy research of his mother's family back to 1605 and father's lineage to 1800. As part of his “Family History Treasure Hunt” project, he and his family traveled to West Virginia to visit with relatives and research at various courthouses and cemeteries.

WBKO, Kentucky

Logan County commemorates the Aug... the day African-Americans were set free and were no longer considered slaves. Now, Logan County honors this rich history every day with a museum and research center dedicated to black history.... Now everyone in the area can learn about black history through the Western Kentucky African-American Research Center "It was an idea of a lot of older people and local teachers that the history of this area hadn't been exposed the way it should be"...One of the interesting aspects the center brings to light is the rich history of a Russellville community back in the 1800s, called the "Black Bottom." "Former slaves moved here and Civil War soldiers too. They set up churches and businesses in the area. It's been an African-American community for probably 135 to 140-years," Morrow explained. He said the center also allows African-Americans to research their own origins. "There you can research your family history and church history. We're set up to help anybody research anything that has anything to do with African-American history in the region," Morrow said.

News-Record, Greensboro. North Carolina

Wadsworth Congregational Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in 1870, it has a storied history: A slave runs away from Guilford County, earns a college degree with help from a famous poet, returns to the county after the Civil War, buys land from the family of his former master and builds a church. ...Notice of the Star of David, etched in a highly visible glass pane. That pane with the universal symbol of Judaism faces the old Temple Emanuel synagogue across Greene Street. First Presbyterian gave the temple hundreds of dollars when it built there in 1924. Later, the synagogue responded by helping First Presbyterian retire the debt on its building. ... The Piedmont Triad also is home to one-room meeting houses of the Amish, who migrated here from places such as Pennsylvania, some in vans and U-Haul trucks, setting up enclaves in Caswell and Yadkin counties and living their faith out in horse-drawn buggies and with only minimal and necessary uses of electricity. Their friendliness is well-known, but what draws visitors to places like the Shiloh General Store in Hamptonville in Yadkin County -- Amish and non-Amish alike -- at lunchtime are the home-made baked goods and jams, the oversized sandwiches and the natural spices. The Amish also set up to sell their wares in other places around the Piedmont Triad, such as the Farmer's Market on Yanceyville Street in Greensboro. Genealogy buffs might want to check out the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Family History Center ... The Mormon church is known for its collection of census data and other records to help members discover their lineage. If getting away from it all -- within an hour radius of just about anywhere in the Triad -- sounds unrealistic: it's not.

In kinship,
Judii - for the Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta

23 July 2007

Drake, Saskatchewan

Xdrakelogo Recently I mentioned Drake specifically in my blog posting.  What I did say is that they were a small place (Statistics Canada's population count in 2001 was 248, up from 247 in 1996) and that a researcher was looking for data regarding some (past or present?) residents.

What I didn't say is that there are a couple of surprisingly useful resource available online for Drake in the form of images from a recent community celebration.  I found the site through Sheila Hill's excellent site focussing on genealogy in Drake.

  • Drake History Book Committee.  (1987).  Drake:  Past and Present. - local history book of over 450 pages, all online!
  • Bouphaphanh, Chai.  (2006).  Photo gallery of Drake.  This site contains 210 photographs of the front yards of homes, with signs showing who has lived in that home! (signs vary, but may contain original resident and year built!)

Now ... don't you just want to find family members who lived in Drake so you can use these resources?  For other great online help organized geographically, consult MHSA's Mennonite Geneaology Data Index.

In kinship,
Judii Rempel

16 July 2007

RAOGK Partners up with FamilyLink.com

Xraogklg2 I wrote about RAOGK lst week - the "Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness" wherein someone will  obtain a specific genelogical errand for you.

Well, it's partnered, not surprisingly, with a Networking site caled FamilyLink.com wherein (presently) 1,700 individuals 'advertise' their willingness to do research from a specific geographic base and sometimes mention their own genealogical research focus as well. 

It was only a couple of weeks ago that researcher visiting the MHSA really wanted to know something about Drake, Saskatchewan.  It's a very small place and she wanted to know about one surname/family that lived there.  With the right contact ... the question would probably have been resolved in a few minutes just from their personal knowledge.

Unfortunately for us, there are no network listings yet for Ukraine.  But, it's about giving too - not just receiving.

In Kinship,
Judii

09 July 2007

Getting Help from RAOGK

We all need it from time to time.  Me too. 

My needs are to clarify the meaning of a German word (the dictionary definition simply isn't clear enough on "Feuerstelle" to help me understand BH Unruh's book that list Mennonites in the early years in Russia).  Sometimes I'd like a photograph of a cemetery stone and I don't want to wait until I can vacation to that spot to snap it myself.  Other times, it is about getting a vital record from the British Columbia Archives in Victoria - which I know is available for the price of a photocopy - but if I order it formally it will cost $20 (VitalChek: VitalChek).

but, another way is to get the help of someone just as interested in genealogy as me, who is near to the data source and is happy to do a favour - because they know "what comes around, goes around". 

This is where RAOGK comes in:  Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness.  "While the volunteers of RAOGK have agreed to donate their time for free, you MUST PAY the volunteer for his/her expenses in fulfilling your request (copies, printing fees, postage, film or video tape, parking fees, etc.)."  See more answers to questions at their FAQ page (which MUST be read before you ask for help).  Then, see these pages for volunteers in Mennonite-concentrated Canadian provinces.

And, in light of my last posting ... very interesting how FEW Mennonites are apparently listed as volunteers.  In the old days - Mennonite were "Stille in Land" but known for their volunteer spirit (freiwilliges).

In kinship,
Judii

26 April 2007

Digitized Online Resources - Now, Full-length Books

There are several kinds of ways that one can place information about rich data resources (essentially what archivists call "finding aids") online. 

  • Indexes are the quickest approach.  For genealogists, indexes that include surnames are critical.  When they have additional details such as birth or death date, geographic location of birth and death, names of spouse, children or parents - all make them increasingly useful.  cemetery indexes are a good example. 

    With the index that includes an individual of interest, it's just a matter of tracking down the document that is being indexed - to get the richness that can be so helpful.

    See MHSA's Name Index to B. H. Unruh's book, Die niederländisch-niederdeutschen Hintergründe der mennonitischen Ostwanderungen im 16., 18. und 19. Jahrhundert.
  • Transcriptions are much more work and tend to eliminate the need for genealogists to track down the original document.  Transcriptions are distinguished from indexes in that they capture much more - if not all - of the content of a document.

    See MHSA's transcription of Peter Riediger's 1872 immigration to Canada journal entries.
  • Extractions, in fact, are much more common.  These are more than indexes and less than transcriptions.  They are the transciption of limited content from an original document - the genealogical-relevant contents from the are accounts

    An example of this can be found on MHSA's website for Children Vaccinated Against Smallpox, Chortitza Colony in South Russia, 1809.
  • Digitized Books - In recent years, there are more and more genealogically-rich projects of a fourth approach - the digitized book.  Not only are the scanned and placed online, sometimes they are fully searchable.

    The most important for my own research has been Peter D. Zacharias' 1976 local history for Reinland, Manitoba. Reinland: An Experience in Community. But, there are many many such books online.  Increasingly there are ones with content relevant to Mennonite family history.
  • Others just recently found online are:

    Gerbrandt, Henry J. (1970). Adventure in Faith: the Background in Europe and the Development in Canada of the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Manitoba. Altona, MB: DW Friesen & Sons.

    Derksen, Seymor A. (1980). My Father's House. Langham, SK: Author.

    Epp-Tiessen, Esther. (n.d.). Altona: The Story of a Prairie Town. Altona, MB: DW Friesen & Sons.

    Friesen, Rhinehart, Friesen. (1988). A Mennonite Odyssey. Winnipeg: Hyperion Press, 1988.

    Zacharias, Peter D. (1976). Reinland: An Experience in Community. Winkler, MB: Reinland Centennial Committee.

For links to all of these kinds of projects for your research, see the Mennonite Genealogical Data Index for links to projects being placed online from all over.  MHSA's own work in this area can be found as linksfrom our MHSA Projects page.

In kinship,
Judii

02 March 2007

GAMEO

Gameo Whether you are new to doing reading Mennonite history or have been interested for a long time, GAMEO has a lot to offer to you.

GAMEO stands for the Global Anabaptist-Mennonite Encyclopaedia Online and is the substantial project initiated by the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada (an umbrella body of Mennonite history organizations in Canada), now with two additional partners:  Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee, and Mennonite Brethren Historial Commission. 

This week I found myself blank about detailed knowledge of land ownership practices among Mennonites in South Russia. GAMEO is where I turned and found an entry written by James Urry (Search:  Land Distribution).

It's where you might go to learn which Mennonite leaders share your surname or may otherwise be among your direct line ancestors.  Here's the beginning of the entry for Rempel, "A widely ramified family name among the Mennonites in. West Prussia. and America, Rempel is derived from Raganbald or Raganbold, which means "a brave council. It is thought that this family name is not of Dutch origin...".  That's followed by eight biographical entries for individual Rempels written by Alexander Rempel (Search:  Rempel).

This is where you can learn more about the work of the CPR with the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization to settle Mennonites in western Canada written by Jacob Gerbrand (search: Board of Colonization).

This is the eventual location of the five volume Mennonite Encyclopaedia that was begun in the 1950s in Kansas (and which replaced the even earlier, German-language Mennonitische Lexicon).

Why not visit GAMEO, do a few intuitive searches and learn something about the context of your genealogical work.  There is a What's New page so you can dive in weekly and develop your acquaintaince with this formal authority on Mennonite history.

And, if you know of a Mennonite person, organization, congregation or other entity that isn't portrayed in GAMEO, make a comment.  We'll make sure that the Alberta representative for new entries, retired Professor of History Peter Penner, gets your suggestion.

In kinship,
Judii