 05 April 1999 In this issue:
Special Message from MyFamily.com: Love talking on the phone, but hate paying the bill? Wish you could stay in touch with your whole family, but worry about the long distance costs? We have the answer! Talk long distance - online - in real time with the MyFamily.com Chat/Who's Online Messaging System. As a member of MyFamily.com, not only do you get your own FREE family web site, you can also see which family members are online and talk to them INSTANTLY! It's all FREE! It's Fun! It's all about your Family. Try it now with your family at http://www.myfamily.com/index.asp?ID=WHOS DATABASES OF THE DAY(Free for 10 Days!) Boston Port Arrivals and Immigrants, 1715-16, 1762-69 Rivaled by few other ports in the middle of the 18th Century, Boston was the destination of many immigrants to British North America. This collection of port authority records reveals a wealth of information regarding some of the arrivals in the years 1715-16 and 1762-69. Organized chronologically, researchers will find the ship's name, captain, date of arrival, where it sailed from and passengers, if any, who came to the city. It contains about 5000 names. For those seeking ancestors who captained vessels arriving in Boston harbor or immigrants who arrived in the city by ship in the mid 18th Century, this can be an illuminating database. Bibliography: Whitmore, William H., comp. "Port Arrivals and Immigrants to the City of Boston, 1715-1716, 1762-1769." Boston: Registry Dept. of Boston, 1900.
Massachusetts Resources in the Online Store Evansville Courier (Indiana), Obituaries, 1998-1999 (Update) Across the Ohio River from Kentucky, Evansville, Indiana is home to over 100,000 people. Founded in 1845 and serving the residents of Vanderburgh County, the "Evansville Courier" is an important element in this community. This database is a collection of some obituaries from the newspaper in the 1998 and early 1999. Information provided often includes birth date and location, occupation, military service, surviving family members, and other biographical facts. Compiled by the UMI Company in connection with the newspaper, it contains nearly 5500 records and about 17,000 names. For questions regarding a particular obituary, inquiries can be directed to the newspaper, 300 E Walnut St, Evansville, IN, 47713, (812) 464-6726. This database contains new material provided by the UMI Company and previously posted material under the title Evansville Courier (Indiana), Obituaries, 1998. Bibliography: UMI Company. "Obituaries from the Evansville Courier, 1998-1999." Orem, UT: Ancestry Inc., 1999.
Indiana Resources in the Online Store
TODAY'S NEW MAP
To view this map, go to:
Maps & Atlases in the Online Store
ONLINE DATA SHOULD LEAD US TO PRIMARY RECORDS, NOT REPLACE THEM By Juliana Smith With the wealth of data that is available online, it can be frustrating to find conflicting information everywhere you turn. While the advent of online genealogy certainly has made researching your family history faster and easier than ever, it is important to remember that data found online should be considered a secondary source and should be verified with primary sources. What does this mean? The Introduction to "The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy" (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry, 1997, edit. Szucs and Luebking) by Robert Anderson, gives the following definitions: " . . . a primary record is one that was created in near chronological proximity to an event by someone who had reasonably close knowledge of the event. A secondary record, then, is one that was created at some remove from the event in question; it represents editorial conclusions based on primary records. The distinction between the two categories is not always obvious." While there are exceptions, most of the genealogical information on the Internet has been transcribed, indexed, or converted by technological means, there is often a great margin of error in this data. Exceptions are when original documents have been scanned and are available online, but even then, the way the records were indexed for the database may be suspect. Although online collections of GEDCOM files can open up doors where previously only brick walls existed, they often contain undocumented information and should always be treated with suspicion. So should we give up on the Internet and go back to our "old ways?" NO! We just need to know, now more than ever, how to evaluate our sources. We still need to practice sound and proven genealogical methods. When we find an entry in an online database, it should lead us to primary records, not replace them. The biggest benefit that the Internet brings us is speed. We can search large quantities of information from the comfort of our homes, and thus save valuable time at archives, libraries, and other repositories. Take the information available at Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com). Using the global search template, researchers can search over 1500 databases simultaneously, a feat that would take years without the Internet. In cases where ancestors appear to have dropped off the face of the earth or been abducted by aliens (there's one in every family!), you may be able to locate them in unexpected locations that might not have been searched otherwise (presumably where the aliens dropped him or her off). The Internet is still one of the greatest and fastest ways to make connections with potential cousins who may information that you have been seeking for years. When you run across information in a GEDCOM collection or on a Web site, check with the person who posted the data and ask them where they got the information. Then verify it. When you find data online, it is also important to cite where you found it. With new sites popping up and new databases being added every day, it will quickly become overwhelming when you go to document all of the information you have found if you have not kept good records of your Internet activities. When you find information that may be useful, be sure to print out, or note in a log, the site or submitter that it came from, any bibliographic citations, and the date you found it. Then use good sound genealogical methodology to verify the information. For more information on analyzing and verifying information, the following books may be of help:
"The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy,"
"Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian"
"Producing a Quality Family History,"
CHANGE IN FEES FOR LAND PATENT COPIES ORDERED FROM THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT From the Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, General Land Office site at: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/ "Effective May 1, 1999 the fee for ordering copies of patents from this web site or from the GLO CD-ROMs will be increased. The fee for the first copy of each single-page land patent will be increased to $2.00. The fee for additional copies of the same document will be increased to $.75 each. This rate increase will help offset the cost of upgrading the web site."
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY LINKS & RESOURCES
Revolutionary War
Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society
Sons of the American Revolution, National Society
David Library of the American Revolution
U.S. Army Center of Military History
War of American Independence: Lineages of Units of the Continental Army
Bibliography: The Continental Army
"The War for American Independence"
The Hessian Web Page
"Revolutionary War Period Bible, Family & Marriage Records"
Ancestry.com Research Guide
Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestors Revolutionary Records - Library of Virginia's Electronic Card Indexes
- Land Office Military Certificates - Revolutionary War Bounty Warrants - Revolutionary War Pensions - Revolutionary War Public Service Claims - Revolutionary War Rejected Claims http://image.vtls.com/collections/cc_military.html#rwar (" . . .list of Virginia veterans who received military warrants for use in the Kentucky Military District.") from the Kentucky Secretary of State's page http://www.sos.state.ky.us/intranet/revwscr.htm SUBSCRIBER DATABASES AT ANCESTRY.COM RELATING TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books (133 Vols.)
Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 1
Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 2
Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3
Abstracts of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 4
Register of Revolutionary War Officers
Revolutionary War Courts Martial
National Register of the Society Sons of the American Revolution
Loyalists in the American Revolution
Yearbook of Illinois Sons of the American Revolution
Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution (17 Vols.)
Roster of Soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution
Pennsylvania Women in the Revolutionary War
Revolutionary War Records of Virginia
Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War
Virginia Soldiers of 1776
History of Virginia Navy in the American Revolution RESOURCES IN THE ONLINE STORE
"U.S. Military Records" by James C. Neagles
"Revolutionary War Genealogy"
SAR Patriot Index CD-ROM
SAR Revolutionary War Graves Register CD-ROM
"Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants"
"Resolutions, Laws and Ordinances Relating to the Officers and Soldiers of
the Revolution U.S. House of Representatives"
"American Genealogical Research at the DAR, Washington, DC"
"Tennessee Soldiers in the Revolution,"
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." Colin Powell, born 5 April 1937
PRODUCT OF THE DAY AT THE ONLINE STORE
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Normally the Utah Centennial History Suite retails for $39.95, but today you can buy it in the Online Store for only $31.95. Stay tuned for more savings!
Best Wishes,
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