Family History Compass
A Birds-Eye View of Genealogy
by Juliana Smith

Strangers tend to slow down as they drive down my street these days. They're wondering why my neighbors and I are craning our necks and gazing at so intently in the sky and in the trees.

“It's a bird.” “It's a plane.” “No, it's Underdog!”

Actually, it's not Underdog; it really is a bird. A family, or families (we haven't seen their family tree), of “Monk parakeets” has adopted our neighborhood as their new home and they've captured my interest, as well as that of several of my neighbors. At least once a day I'm out there scanning the trees looking for my green feathered friends. I keep camera and binoculars within close reach so that I can better see and photograph my new pals as they come to dine at my bird feeders. When I see my neighbors, we compare notes on them. They have, in short, become an obsession. (This is familiar territory for me.)

So what are Monk parakeets? Native to South America, these birds were imported to be sold as pets in the 1960s. Released both intentionally and unintentionally, there are now colonies in a number of states, and the colonies in the Chicago metropolitan area have been featured on newscasts and are noted for their ability to stand Chicago winters, which as an area native, I can tell you is no small feat!

They are non-natives to the U.S. that have acclimated themselves and despite obstacles survived. Sound familiar? Yes (you knew it was coming), they remind me in some ways of my immigrant ancestors. In learning more about these birds I've found some other parallels that I thought I'd explore in this week's column.

Identifying Characteristics
In the winter they're easy to spot, their green plumage a bright reminder of spring against the stark backdrop of snow and barren trees. In the summer, seeking them out takes a bit more work, as they tend to blend in with all the greenery. However, they have a distinctive squawk that is easy to identify and when I hear it, it's much easier to find them.

While our ancestors may seem to blend in with their surroundings at times, they too have identifiers that make them easier to pick out. If you're having a tough time spotting your ancestors, put together a profile of that ancestor that includes some of the characteristics that set him or her apart from their surroundings. These identifiers can include:

• Addresses
• Unusual given or middle names
• Other family members
• Age (exact or estimated)
• Occupation
• Place of birth
• Parents' place(s) of birth
• Race
• Other family members
• The names of associates (Friend, neighbors, and extended family may be referenced in various records as sponsors, guardians, witnesses, etc.)
• Religion
• Military service
• Property--Since property was often passed down from generation to generation, a family can often be traced through property holdings.
• Signature--A comparison of your ancestor's signature on separate records can help ascertain if you are looking at the same person.

Where's the Nest?
Monk parakeet nests are easy to spot once you know where they are at because they can be quite large. They build their nest of sticks (a characteristic unique to monks, as opposed to other species of parrots). I have no idea where our monks are nesting, but by observing their comings and goings and listening for their chatter, I am hoping to get a clue as to the nest whereabouts.

We often have to use the same tactic of following our ancestors through various records and years to find out where they lived. Those of you who have been reading this column for any length of time know that I'm a big fan of city directories when it comes to searching for my ancestors. The fact that they were typically printed yearly allows you to track a family year by year. Knowing their whereabouts at a particular time can lead to religious, cemetery, land, and other records. In addition, the addresses and occupational information that is typically included can also help you to identify your ancestor, when there is more than one person in the record group sharing that name.

Where Did They Come From?
The website for the Institute of Biological Invasions (http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html) tells me that the monks are native “exclusively in lowlands east of the Andes from Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil south to the Patagonia region of Argentina.”

I was fortunate in having located the town origins for my Kelly ancestors through a website. I found them in the Emigrant Savings Bank records recently posted here on Ancestry.com, but in other cases I haven't been that fortunate. Some records that can include information as to the origins of our ancestors include:

• Home sources and family members. Typically the easiest to find, they are also sometimes the most overlooked. Diaries, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photos, scrapbooks, bibles, handed-down recipes, heirlooms, and other mementos may hold clues so be sure to go over them thoroughly. My great-grandfather's town of origin was first noted on the back of a photograph from my grandma's cousin. And don't forget to ask family members if they have any information. People are our most fragile sources when it comes to family history.
• Naturalization and alien registrations. Your best bet with these is in the case of post 1906 records. Pre-1906 records typically only list the country of origin.
• Obituaries. Check various papers in all areas in which your ancestor lived and died. Often obituaries of people who had moved away were picked up and copied by the hometown papers. Check as many papers as possible, and for subsequent days. Where a newspaper might only pick up the bare essentials regarding services, subsequent issues or newspapers with better access to family information may include a much more comprehensive obituary that includes information about nativity.
• Cemetery records. (Unless of course you're my ancestors, who clearly thought that just the name was enough information.)
• Death certificates. Again, these will vary in terms of how much information. While some may only include the state or country of birth, others may be more detailed.
• Census records. While most will only include the state or county, in 1920, because of WWI border changes, enumerators were asked to require more specific information for respondents with origins in some countries, including Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, or Turkey.
• Military records.
• Passenger lists. Again, later immigrants will likely have more information than those prior to 1900.

To Sum Up. . .
As I searched for more information on these birds, my appreciation for them has grown. Although in many areas they are considered pests because of perceived risk to agriculture, I can't help but wonder at their ability to successfully make their home in places so foreign to them. Our immigrant ancestors were often unwelcome in their new environment as well, but they overcame these obstacles and their courage created for us the life that we enjoy today.

For More Information on Monk Parakeets:

• Monk (Quaker) Parakeets in North America, www.monkparakeet.com/
• Monk Parrots in the Wild, www.monkparrots.com/
• The Monk Parakeet, Invader of the Month, December 2000, http://invasions.bio.utk.edu/invaders/monk.html

Juliana Smith is the editor of the Ancestry Daily News and author of The Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book. She has written for Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail at ADNeditor@ancestry.com, but she regrets that she is unable to assist with personal research.

Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.

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In the News
FGS/UGS Conference
07-10 September 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Genealogists of all skill levels and interests are invited to join the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Utah Genealogical Association in Salt Lake City, September 7-10, 2005, for “Reminders of the Past—Visions for the Future” conference. This is a unique opportunity to utilize all the newfound knowledge you acquire at the conference immediately at the Family History Library, the largest genealogical research library in the world.

The Utah Genealogical Association hosts the conference in Salt Lake City at the Salt Palace Convention Center. As a “destination” for genealogical researchers, you should plan your visit to beautiful Salt Lake City to encompass September 7-10, 2005. Conference rates at the conference hotel the Marriott Downtown Salt Lake City are offered throughout the week before and a few days after the conference.

Conference Program
Along with the many sessions that offer a wealth of knowledge, the 4 days of the conference will include lectures by some of your favorite educators such as Paula Stuart-Warren, Linda Geiger, Ann Carter Fleming, Tom Jones, Kay Haviland Freilich, Michael John Neill, Pamela Boyer Porter, Elissa Scalise Powell, Elizabeth Shown Mills, Claire Bettag, Beth Stahr, Barbara Matthews, Curt Witcher, plus many more. These sessions will cover research methodology, sources, computer topics, and other very exciting material. Check the registration brochure for all the session titles.

Extended Research Hours at the Family History Library
In addition to the full day attending lectures, luncheons, and exhibit browsing; the Family History Library will be open extended hours the evenings of the conference. Many of the lectures will reference sources available at the Library, and the FHL staff welcomes conference goers who want to utilize the world-renowned resources after of full day of learning. Having this ability to utilize the sources while the examples are fresh is added value of having a national conference in this great location.

Exhibit/Vendor Opportunities
In addition to the planned lectures, sponsored tracks, luncheons, dinners, the banquet, there is the vendor/exhibitor area. Walk through the exhibit and you will be able to peruse, browse, buy, look at, and learn from some of the best vendors, exhibitors and genealogical resource developers in the field. Presentations by the vendors are an exciting part of the hall. See the latest and greatest genealogy tools; watch as the latest genealogical technology is demonstrated.

The Exhibit/Vendor hall will be open from Thursday-Saturday during conference hours. Admission to the hall is free. The exhibitors include virtually all of the commercial firms and vendors.

Earlybird Registration Deadline
Register before July 26th at the discount rate of $159 and save $30.

For more information and registration brochure, please visit the FGS website (www.fgs.org), write, P.O. Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940, or email the office at fgs-office@fgs.org for a registration brochure. (Send your mailing address.) The phone number for the FGS office is 1-888-FGS-1500.

The conference venue, the Salt Palace, the conference hotel, the Marriott Downtown and the Family History Library are all within a comfortable walking distance of each other in beautiful downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. You will not want to miss the event of the genealogical conference season.

Sue Kaufman
National Publicity Chair
FGS/UGA “Reminders of the Past--Visions for the Future”
September 7-10, 2005 Salt Lake City, Utah

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Ancestry Quick Tip
Look for Hidden Photos
by P. McHugh

While visiting my mother recently, I spotted the three picture frames that she displays to show pictures of her grandchildren. I recalled how she stored all of their previous pictures behind the current one. So, I remembered that it would be wise to check all frames for hidden pictures before disposing of any of them.

Thanks to P. McHugh for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do not want your tip included in a publication other than the Ancestry Daily News and Ancestry Weekly Digest, please state so clearly in your message.

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Clipping of the Day
Moravians
The Ohio Repository (Canton, Ohio), 12 July 1833, page 3:

The latest statement of the Moravian brethren make the whole number of their sect, dispersed over the globe, to consist of not more than 16,000 members. Notwithstanding this, they maintain 127 missions for the conversion of the brethren, at an annual expense of 60,000 dollars.

. . . .

During the last sixty years, Russia has acquired by force or fraud, an extent of territory embracing nearly 25,000,000 of inhabitants.

. . . .

United States Military Lands.--All the lots and fractional lots of the United States Military lands not located, and within the Zanesville Military District, may be entered at the land office in that place, on the 4th Monday in July, at the usual price of Congress lands. A large proportion of these lands are in the counties of Tuscarawas, Coshocton, and Holmes. Such of our farmers as want military land, should now, if possible, rake up the money and purchase it, and thus prevent the best land from falling into the hands of speculators, who buy to sell, and often fleece the honest laborers of the soil out of one or two hundred per cent. in advance on the first cost.--Tuscarawas Chronicle.

Subscribers with access to the Historical Newspapers Collection can view this clipping.

Subscribe to the Historical Newspapers Collection at Ancestry.com.

Fast Fact
Irish Research Online Class
28 July 2005 with Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA (Scot)

From clan names to alternate spellings to rare and hard-to-find records, this class will cover it all. In addition to the interactive learning environment, students will enjoy thirty days of access to:

• Ancestry.com's U.K. & Ireland Collection
• U.S. Immigration Collection

A basic working knowledge of computers is required. Click here for more information and to register today.

Product Spotlight
They Became Americans and They Came in Ships

		They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Origins, by Loretto D. Szucs Normally this book retails for $19.95, but today you can buy it in The Shops@Ancestry.com for $15.95.
		They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's Ship, by John Philip Colletta, Ph.D. (Revised 2002 edition) Normally this book retails for $12.95, but today you can buy it in The Shops@Ancestry.com for $9.95.

Thought for Today
Winston Churchill

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.