Category Archives: News

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

September 30, 2014News, Research MethodsBrick Walls, International genealogical research, SpotlightKyle Hurst

Die Deutsche Schrift Cover — First two images from Fritz Verdenhalven, Die Deutsche Schrift (The German Script) (Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany: Degener, 1991).

An article linked from The Weekly Genealogist had me thinking about how to conduct research in unfamiliar languages. I will soon receive eight microfilm reels containing German Catholic church records. The contents will be recorded in Latin, but key information could appear in German script. Sometimes it melds together to the point I’ve completely forgotten which language I am reading.

For the most part, church, and vital records adhere to a template, so even those of us who do not know the language can parse out facts pertinent to our ancestors. The key to accomplishing this feat lies in referring to guides to the language and/or records.
To help, Rhonda McClure has created a guide to German research for us. Some institutions post online translation tips and vocabulary lists. Brigham Young University offers some great script tutorials, and the FamilySearch wiki features a variety of language aids. Continue reading Sprechen Sie Deutsch? →

Inscribed in the Book of Life

September 23, 2014NewsInternational genealogical research, Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Object Lessons, SpotlightKelsey Sawyer

As we approach the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I was reminded of a variety of early twentieth-century Rosh Hashanah postcards that I had seen in the collections of the American Jewish Historical Society–New England Archives. I remembered how detailed, ornate, and beautiful many of them were, works of art really, so I thought it would be fun to share some of them with all of you as the holiday approaches.

First, here is a brief note for those of you who may not be familiar with this particular Jewish holiday. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is this year celebrated from the evening of September 24 to the evening of September 26. Continue reading Inscribed in the Book of Life →

Further thoughts on genealogical writing

September 16, 2014News, Research MethodsCritical Analysis, Spotlight, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryHenry Hoff

For the past several years NEHGS has been giving seminars on writing and publishing a family history. These have been very popular, and as a result, Penny Stratton and I refocused the two previous NEHGS writing guides to reflect the contents of the seminars. The resulting book is the Guide to Genealogical Writing: How to Write and Publish Your Family History (Boston: NEHGS, 2014), just released. In twelve chapters this Guide covers everything from preparing a short informal booklet up to publishing an elaborate compiled genealogy. Chapters on writing for the Register and for American Ancestors were adapted from the two previous guides. To help readers visualize some of our specific examples, we included plenty of illustrations, most of them from recently published Newbury Street Press books. Continue reading Further thoughts on genealogical writing →

Cheat Sheets: Part Four

September 8, 2014News, Research MethodsCritical Analysis, Early New England Families Study Project, Great Migration Study Project, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryAlicia Crane Williams

The first fourteen steps in my process for creating entries for the Early New England Families Study Project are covered in three previous posts, beginning here:

15. Analysis. Many, many books have been written about genealogical analysis. I have just read the most recent, Bob Anderson’s Elements of Genealogical Analysis, and highly recommend it with one caveat – it is written by a left-brained genealogist. Speaking as a right-brained genealogist, I know some readers may find themselves grumbling about “overkill,” but remember that Bob is examining the process of genealogical analysis on the cellular level. Continue reading Cheat Sheets: Part Four →

A primer on current copyright law

September 2, 2014NewsCritical Analysis, Object Lessons, SpotlightKyle Hurst

Lecture 2 5 screenshot 1 — Images from Anne Gilliland’s lecture “Public Domain,” part of the “Copyright for Educators and Librarians” course at Duke University

In this information age, many of us worry about others sharing pieces we have written, scanned, or recorded. What we may not consider, but should, is whether we ourselves have the right to use, donate, or sell certain items.

Recently, I participated in a four-week online course on copyright (for teachers and librarians) via Duke University. Meanwhile, my colleague Sally Benny attended a two-day education session during the Society of American Archivists (SAA) conference in Washington, D.C. Continue reading A primer on current copyright law →

International posts at Vita Brevis

August 29, 2014News, Research MethodsInternational genealogical research, Jewish Heritage Center at NEHGS, Spotlight, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryScott C. Steward

Following on from Jean Maguire’s post yesterday on NEHGS collection research options covered this year at Vita Brevis, I thought it might be useful to look at the coverage of international research at the blog. A lively group of articles follow, suggesting the range of our bloggers’ interests and research skills, beginning with Lael Dalal’s post on the Aghassi family’s hegira from Iraq to Mexico to Massachusetts:

Isak Aghassi was born in 1889 in Baghdad and worked with his father importing dyes and teas from India, eventually focusing on carpets and tobacco. In 1946, Isak put himself, his wife Marcelle, and his two sons Badri and Jacob on a waiting list as prospective immigrants to the United States. He wrote the American Embassy in Baghdad at least once a year (receiving a yearly reply) inquiring when he and his family would be able to leave their dangerous country. The reply was always the same: the quota was over-subscribed and they would need to wait patiently. Continue reading International posts at Vita Brevis →

Puritan Pedigrees

August 22, 2014Family Stories, News, Research MethodsCritical Analysis, Great Migration Study Project, The Well-Stocked Genealogical LibraryRobert Charles Anderson

Now that my book on genealogical research methods (Elements of Genealogical Analysis) is out, I have turned my attention to the series of lectures I will be delivering in October and November; these, in turn, will form the basis for a future book entitled Puritan Pedigrees: The Deep Roots of the Great Migration to New England.

In most of the Great Migration volumes, I have been able to examine the motivations of the migrating families only in the context of events at the time of migration. A few years ago, while working on The Winthrop Fleet, I began to get a better feel for the deeper connections and influences which had been developing for decades and for generations leading up to the migration decision. Continue reading Puritan Pedigrees →

Notes on Robin Williams’s ancestry

August 14, 2014Family Stories, News, Research MethodsBrick Walls, Critical Analysis, SpotlightChristopher C. Child

RobinWilliamsArmisteadChart_2 — Click on the image to expand it.

When public figures die, I sometimes undertake research on their ancestry as a kind of summing up. In the days since the death of comic and acting icon Robin Williams, for example, I have been thinking about his potential connection to three American presidents.

From most online biographies, one learns that Robin McLaurin Williams’s mother, Laurie McLaurin (Smith) Williams, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, was the great-granddaughter of Mississippi senator and governor Anselm J. McLaurin (1848–1909). However, while most online trees indicated Laurie was the daughter of Laura McLaurin Berry (daughter of Stella Mae McLaurin, daughter of Governor McLaurin), there is disagreement about Laurie’s father, with some identifying him as Robert Forest Smith and others as Robert Armistead Janin. Continue reading Notes on Robin Williams’s ancestry →

Twentieth century research in Massachusetts

August 5, 2014News, Research MethodsBrick Walls, Critical Analysis, Research tips, Spotlight, Western Massachusetts researchAlice Kane

MA_towns2000 — Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Massachusetts is one of a handful or so states that allow relatively open access to vital information. It is certainly possible to conduct family research after 1930 for Massachusetts using a combination of resources. FamilySearch.org provides free access to its record image and index databases that encompass records from around the world. Continue reading Twentieth century research in Massachusetts →

Who was Robert Henry Eddy, and why should you care?

July 31, 2014News, Research MethodsEarly New England Families Study Project, Great Migration Study Project, Spotlight, The Well-Stocked Genealogical Library, Western Massachusetts researchSam Sturgis

Robert Henry Eddy was a life member of NEHGS who died in 1887 and bequeathed a substantial sum of money to the Society.* Mr. Eddy had been an architect, civil engineer, and in later life, a very successful patent attorney. In 1902, NEHGS used $20,000 of the Eddy bequest to establish the “Eddy Town-Record Fund, for the sole purpose of publishing the Vital Records of the towns of Massachusetts.” This fund would become the basis of a major project to preserve early Massachusetts vital records. Continue reading Who was Robert Henry Eddy, and why should you care? →