Introduction to Family History Blogging

The HCGS Technology Interest Group was reactivated last year so that members could learn about the tools that are available to assist members with their genealogical research.  "Blogs" such as the one you are reading can be a great vehicle for sharing research with family and other stakeholders. 

Kathy Reed has been blogging about her own family's history for more than two years.  The more she has become involved in the blogging community, the more she has recognized the value in organizing her research and sharing it with others.  In conjunction with the PLCH, Kathy will be offering a series of three classes on blogging about your family history.

An overview of the process was presented at an introductory session today at 1:00 PM.  The same talk will be presented at the "Ask the Experts" Day at 10:00 AM on October 1st.  At 1:00 the first hands-on session will be held in the Technology Lab associated with the Genealogy Local History Department.

Sessions 2 and 3 are scheduled for November 12th and December 3rd from 10:30 - 12:00.  Registration is required for participation in the lab sessions. Call the Genealogy Desk to register.

All participants should be fairly comfortable with computers including the ability to conduct searches, add attachments and pictures.  Resources and support will be provided to participants so that they can continue with their own projects between sessions.

Questions?  email Kathy at khreed@cinci.rr.com and put "Blog support" in the subject line.

Introducing Doug Magee - PLCH "Map Librarian"

Map Librarian Doug Magee

Self-described "Map Librarian," Doug Magee, kicked off the year with a presentation on how Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps can be an aid to genealogists.  According to the Map and Geography Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:

"Sanborn maps were made to assist insurance underwriters in determining fire insurance rates for individual buildings by examining the buildings' construction methods, heat and lighting sources, manufacturing uses, and the same attributes of nearby buildings. The maps primarily provide information on the downtown areas of cities and adjoining residential areas. They are especially useful in providing a record of urban development from the 1880s through the first half of the twentieth century."

Doug presented a slide show that can be used to gain a better understanding of the symbols that are used on the maps. 

1887 was the first year that Sanborn maps were published for Cincinnati. They have limited value for identifying a specific home because house numbers were not included on the map.  In addition, the streets of Cincinnati were renumbered in the early 1890s and some street names were changed. The cost of publishing the maps with any kind of frequency was prohibitive, so changes in the forms of cut-outs were provided that could be glued on top of the original map.  Since there is no indication for when these changes took place, the maps do not have as much historical value as they could have had.

We learned that the Sanborn Map of Cincinnati for 1922 is significant because it was not updated and included all of the areas within the city limit. In addition, there are two index books kept at the Genealogy and Local History desk that are invaluable when used in conjunction with the 1922 maps.  The first book is an index listing all of the real estate values for Hamilton County, and the second is a 2-volume Index of Property Owners, Real Estate Atlas of Cincinnati, 1922.

In answer to questions from the participants, Doug discussed some other resources that many genealogists may find helpful.  The Catholic Cemetery Society recently added more searchable databases for cemeteries to their site.  Included are the long-awaited records of the Baltimore Pike Cemetery.

There is also a digitized version of the 1892 Decennial Tax Valuation of Cincinnati online.  It can be downloaded from the Virtual Library from the Old and Rare Books section (R336.220977 C574 1892). 

Finally, I was made aware of the numerous indexes published by William H. Graver, including an index to property ownership maps.  Just when I was beginning to think that I was pretty familiar with some of the resources available at our library, I found out that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface.  Happy hunting!

Note:  To view the Cincinnati Sanborn Fire Maps online, click on this link.

Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR) - Samford

Irish Group 2011

This past summer, Mary Ann Faloon and I  had the pleasure of attending the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR). IGHR provides week-long intensive genealogical training at Samford University.

The experience was somewhat of a cross between a monk-like sabbatical and a college road trip! Mary Ann and I had a great time on the drive down and back and at the sessions. As we approached the campus memories of college  intruded - traipsing down the hall to take a shower was not at the top of my list of pleasurable memories!  We were pleasantly surprised to see that the dorm rooms had in-room bath and shower facilities. Although spartan, the rooms were clean and welcoming. It was a nice change to have all meals provided in the dining hall!

Military 2 Group

The experience was wonderful - genealogy from sun-up to sun-down! Meals were spent meeting other participants and talking about, what else, genealogy! We met many old friends and made new ones. I now have a face to go with the name 'Dear Myrt'!  Next year HCGS is the local sponsor of the The National Genealogical Society Conference giving us all the chance to immerse ourselves in genealogy in the Queen City.  We look forward to hosting our genealogy friends and meeting HCGS members from across the country.

In the meantime, there is a great line-up of local events to keep us happy, including two presentations this Saturday, September 24.  At 11 am Doug Magee will feature the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Map Collection and at 2 pm, Kathy Reed will give an introduction to blogging.  Hope to see you!

Many more events are planned for later this Fall, see the Calendar for further details.

It's Not All Online: Ordering Family History Library Microfilm

The Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City literally has a mountain of genealogical records. Some are available online at FamilySearch. But, most are only available to order and view at your local Family History Center (FHC). Family History Centers are located in the Latter Day Saints’ churches throughout the country.

You don’t have to be a member to use a FHC. In fact, most of the people researching at FHCs are not members. Finding an FHC near you is easy at FamilySearch Centers. Simply type the city and state where you live and click 'Search.' If there is more than one, select a FHC that has hours that are convenient for you.

Now comes the fun part - finding the records of your ancestors! I am looking for the Griffith's Valuation Revision Lists that I learned about in Mary Ann Faloon’s presentation. To find out what microfilms the FHL has, I’ll check their online catalog. It is generally best to search by the place-name for the country and county where your ancestor lived. There may be additional records for smaller administrative divisions that you will want to explore as well.

The format for searching place names is to start with the country or county and then work down to the smaller divisions. For the U.S., it is not necessary to include the country. So, if searching for Cincinnati, you would enter Ohio, Hamilton, Cincinnati. To search for Ballymartle, Ireland, you would type in Ireland, Cork, Ballymartle. Entering only a state and county will list county-wide resources.

Searching for Ireland, Cork, produced a long list of microfilms. “General Valuation Revision Lists, Kinsale Union (Cork), 1855-1956” was found in “Ireland, Cork – Land and Property.” Clicking on the record brings up additional information. There are often multiple microfilms in a collection. A detailed list of what is on each film is in the description. I’m looking for the Ballymartle Electoral Division which is on FHL BRITISH Film 829111 Item 2. Many microfilms have multiple items. So, when I get this film, I’ll advance the film to Item 2.

Great – I found the records I was looking for! Before I leave the catalog, I’ll review the list for any other interesting titles and also check under Ireland, Cork, Ballymartle to see what local records are available. I  found, The Land and the People of Nineteenth-Century Cork: the Rural Economy and the Land in Question. Books are not available on interlibrary-loan through the FHL. A quick check on WorldCat, indicates the book is at the University of Cincinnati.

To order a microfilm you will need to know the title: “General Valuation Revision Lists, Kinsale Union (Cork), 1855-1956” and the microfilm number: “BRITISH Film 829111 Item 2”. Take this information and the film rental fee of about $5.50 to the local FHC (fees vary by location).

Before you fill out a microfilm request form, confirm the film is not already on-loan at the local FHC. The helpful FHC staff will answer any questions. Your request will be sent to the FHL and in 4-6 weeks, you will get a call letting you know that your film has arrived.  Film can be viewed at the FHC but cannot be taken home. 

The initial rental fee allows you to view the film for a short time. If you haven’t finished with the film before it is due, you can renew it or place it on indefinite hold. Not all Family History Centers keep ‘indefinite hold’ microfilms permanently. If you place a film on ‘indefinite hold,’ be sure to let the staff know that you are still using the film actively. Once you have finished, you can request that the FHC keep the microfilm permanently or tell them that you no longer need the film.

Online ordering of microfilms is available for some, but not all areas. See FHL Film Online Ordering Now Available in Cincinnati for information about ordering online.

Happy Hunting!

This is the first in a series of posts that will feature repositories and resources that are not available online. If have any suggestions or would like to feature a repository, please contact Liz Stratton. It is not necessary for you to become a blog contributor. I am happy to post the blog for you with your by-line. Thanks!

Submitted by Liz Stratton; Updated 27 November 2012.

What I Learned Reading The Tracer

I was excited to receive my August 2011 copy of The Tracer.  It seems that every time I dig into my copy lately, I find something directly related to my research.  This edition was no exception.  I've been researching my ancestors who served in the Civil War, some of whom were German.  So of course I was drawn to Don Heinrich Tolzmann's article on Germans in the Civil War. Mary Ann Faloon submitted and article on "More Irish Genealogy Learning Opportunities Available from Home" and Jim Dempsey helped us get a better handle on Probate Court records.  What really caught my eye in this issue, however, was Judy Craven's article on "The Mystery of Passenger #171 . . ."

Scanning the article, I realized that Judy had included a list of 204 passengers from Bremen to Cincinnati in 1852.  Better yet, many of the passengers came from the Oldenburg region of Germany with town names so familiar I can rattle them off in my sleep.

My Vonderheide ancestors emigrated from Holdorf, Germany.  The first family of "my" Vonderheides that came to Cincinnati were included in Judy's list.

Click to view in larger size.

Although not in my direct line, this Herman and Elisabeth were the aunt and uncle of those who were to arrive 29 years later.  They probably were the link that made my g-grandparents decide on Cincinnati.  Judy questioned in her article whether or not Arnold Muthing, passenger #171, could actually be her great-grandfather, Adolph, using his brother's name.  Judy went on to describe her evidence for why she had concluded that "This must be Adolph!"

How did this impact me?  First of all, I grew up in Pleasant Ridge and was in a Girl Scout troop with Carol Muething.  Her mother, Mildred, was one of our leaders.  A quick phone call to Judy confirmed that she knew that family well and that they were related to her.  Secondly, I was encouraged to think that if Judy could find Vonderheides on a Passenger List that I should be able to also. 

For years it amazed me that I could not find "my" family in Germans to America or on a passenger list.  After all, I knew more than most.  I had a copy of  my gg-grandfather's naturalization papers and I knew they had arrived in the U.S. in June, 1881 when my g-grandfather was 7 years old.  Encouraged by Judy's success, I searched one more time.  Here is what I found:

Click to view larger size

The person who transcribed this record recorded the name of passenger #157 as H. o. d. Heide, age 42. Here is the transcription for his wife and three children:

Click to view larger size

My Vonderheide family of 1881 included Hermann Heinrich (age 42), Elisabeth (age 43), Joseph and Heinrich (Henry) twins (age 11) and August (age 7).  The ages for the parents were correct.  Elisabeth could have had the nickname of Liselle.  What was clearly "Heinr." on the original record was transcribed as "Heiur", and "August" was transcribed as "Margurt".  The poor transcription of the names was understandable, but the ages were clearly wrong.  And how did they EVER decide that their surname was HeideHeide?

I have overwhelming evidence that this is the exact time frame for the arrival of my ancestors in Baltimore.  I have the Naturalization record, a written family history and census documents that all support this date.  I'm not surprised that the people responsible for recording the names of the people in steerage were not too concerned about getting the ages of the children correct.  Everything else fits.

So I want to thank Deb Cyprych and Judy Craven for their work on The Tracer and publication of this article.  Without their contributions, I would have never solved this mystery  -- The Mystery of Passenger #157 and his family. And Judy can add her name to the list of HCOGS members from this area.  Anybody for a DNA test?

Why Google+ Could Be a Boon for Genealogists

Patricia Van Skaik
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Co.
AKA DigiGenie

A few weeks ago my nephew invited me to sign up for google+.  Google+ is the new social media application that is part of the google product line.  Although still under development and testing, more than 25 million "early adopters" have already signed on.

Many genealogists/bloggers immediately recognized it's ease of use and set about inviting members of the genealogy community to join their "circles."  As a member of the facebook community, I know that my genealogy friends may not find it interesting to read about how the potty training is going with my grandson.  On the other hand, other "friends" may be bored to tears with my latest genealogical breakthrough.  The "circles" feature in google+ enables you to easily separate all of your contacts into different groups.  Contacts can be placed in one circle (i.e. family), or more than one circle (i.e.family, bloggers, etc.)  You are free to set up as many circles as you want and identify them with any tag that is meaningful to you. When it comes time to post a comment in your "stream" you can easily choose what circles or individuals you want to be able to see that post.

A second feature that I find particularly appealing is one called "hangout."  It is similar to using skype.  You click on the "hangout" function and you can have an online conversation with up to 10 people.  You can decide if you want to use video, audio, text, or any combination.  While in hangout mode, the person doing the speaking is in the center of the display with the other participants displayed below the speaker.  The software will try to identify the speaker and switch to the speaker accordingly.  You just have to be willing to play with it.

To that end, Pat Van Skaik, Liz Stratton and I met at the library to try out the technology with each other.  We had a great time placing each other in circles, posting messages and using the hangout function while sitting in the same room.  Pat, in her role as DigiGenie is in the process of writing an article about how google+ could work for the genealogy community.  We'll post a link to her article after it is published.

So if you want to play, email me at khreed@cinci.rr.com.  I'll put you in one of my circles and send you an invitation to google+.  We can hangout together.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

For a better understanding of google+ and its features, go to this link:  http://www.google.com/support/+/

Genealogy, Tips and Techniques with Karen Everett

Photo Credit:  diaryofaprilisms.wordpress.com

A true sign that fall will soon be here is the announcement that HCGS Education Director, Karen Everett, is announcing her annual presentations.  The sessions are held in three different libraries, making commuting easy.  Check the offerings below, sharpen your pencils, and consider attending one of Karen's always well-received presentations.

Monday, Oct. 3, 6PM "Genealogy, Tips and Techniques" Karen Everett, HCGS Education Director and PLCH Librarian. Location:  Forest Park branch library, 655 Waycross Road.

Thursday Oct. 13 - 7 PM "Genealogy, Tips and Techniques" Karen Everett, HCGS Education Director and PLCH Librarian.  Location:  Anderson Township branch library, 7450 State Rd.

Monday, Oct. 17 6PM "Genealogy, Tips and Techniques" Karen Everett, HCGS Education Director and PLCH Librarian.  Location:  Northside branch library, 4219 Hamilton Ave.