FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS APRIL 2012 OGDEN REGIONAL FAMILY HISTORY CENTER th STREET, OGDEN, UT FAMILY HISTORY NEWSLETTER Questions or requests regarding content should be directed to To subscribe or unsubscribe send your address to From the Director's Desk On The Source of Confidence How many times have we heard the admonition that we must stand up to our personal Goliath. We are confronted from time to time with personal and difficult challenges that we must face even as David did. How do we prepare ourselves to face our Goliath's? President Thomas S. Monson tells a story so well: "The battle for our souls is no less important than the battle fought by David. The enemy is no less formidable, the help of Almighty God no farther away. Of all the battles that have been fought over many centuries in the area of the world known as the Holy Land, no single battle is better remembered than the one which occurred in the Valley of Elah during the year 1063 BC. Along the mountains on one side, the feared armies of the Philistines were marshaled to march directly to the heart of Judah and the Jordan Valley. On the other side of the valley, King Saul had drawn up his armies in opposition...as often happened when armies faced each other, individual champions challenged others from the opposing forces to single combat. There was considerable precedent for this sort of fighting;...now a Philistine who dared to challenge all others-a veritable giant of a man called Goliath of Gath. He wore heavy brass armor and a coat of mail. And the staff of his spear would stagger a strong man merely to lift, let alone hurl. His shield was the longest ever seen or heard of, and his sword a fearsome blade. Goliath roared: "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together" (1 Samuel 17:10). His challenge was that if he were overpowered by an Israelite warrior, then all the Philistines would become servants to the Israelite s. On the other hand, if he were victorious, the Israelite s would become their slaves. Goliath roared: "... give me a man that we may fight together" (1 Samuel 17:10). For forty days came the challenge, met only by fear and trembling... "(Thomas S. Monson, "Meeting Your Goliath," New Era, Jun 2008, 2-7) Then came David, described as a shepherd boy, (1 Sam.17:19) with food from his father's house to provide for his brothers who were soldiers in Saul's army. When David heard the challenge by Goliath he said to King Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul responded by saying "...thou art a youth and he a man of war from his youth. When Saul finally agreed he tried to put protective amour on David he refused it saying, "I cannot go with these for I have not proved them." Therein lies the key! David had not proved the amour but he had proved the weapons he chose to take with him. David selected five smooth stones from the brook and with his trusty sling, that had saved him most of his life, he went out to face the giant. (Continued on next page) 1

2 (From previous page) After a not so friendly exchange David said, "This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." As David ran towards the Philistine he put his hand in his bag took thence a stone and slang it, and smote the Philistine...and he fell upon his face to the earth. President Thomas S. Monson has quoted the following line several times: "When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." David had been preparing most of his youth by protecting his family's flocks. The scriptures tell us that on many occasion he had to kill fierce animals even a bear and a lion. David was not a novice, he was well practiced. His confidence waxed strong in his ability to hit his target, he had proved his sling, unlike the amour of Saul. There was a television show the other night called, 'Super Human'. In one segment they had identified a man who could shoot a bow and arrow more skillfully than anyone else. His wife tossed an aspirin tablet into the air and he shot it in two from about twenty feet away. That seems impossible to many but he was confident that he could do it because he, like David, had practiced and practiced and practiced... As I thought about that, a story came to my remembrance from the Old Testament that tells of some warriors from the tribe of Benjamin. "Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed; every one could sling stones at a 'hair breadth', and not miss." (Judges 20:16) When David met Goliath, the time for preparation had past; his practice had developed skills that made him unafraid and confident that he could slay the giant. David, too, may have had the same skill as those 700 from the tribe of Benjamin, (a hairbreadth). Maybe David was left-handed too? May we also develop our talents and hone the kind of skills that we need to meet our individual Goliath with confidence as did David. David had the Lord on his side, President Monson said, "The (our) enemy is no less formidable, the help of Almighty God no farther away." If we will, "Let thy (our) bowels also be full of charity towards all men,...and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God;" (D & C 121:45) Then we can say as did David, 'This day will the Lord deliver 'my Goliath' into mine hand...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Heaven.' How does this story relate to family history? Family history research tools and techniques happen to be a Goliath for many people. To begin, to get off dead center, that is the key. Come to a family history center as a patron, a volunteer, a missionary or just a visitor. We can get you started. Then to practice by doing and doing, sooner than most people think, you will be a skilled family history researcher - possibly not to a 'hairbreadth but good enough to find your family. That is when your confidence will begin to wax strong. Emil O. Hanson, Director 1940 Census Digitizing Note April 2 is coming fast and support for digitizing the 1940 Census should be coming together in every ward and every stake in the church. This doesn't have to be an LDS Church only effort. Everyone and anyone with a willingness to help are invited - there are training power point lessons available on the LDS church site and another was made up by the Ogden Family History Center. The census will be a gold mine for researchers who have had family in this country during that time period. Indexing is a very rewarding effort. 2

3 Digital Books From Eastman's Blog You can search through more than 40,000 digitized genealogy and family history books from the archives of seven important family history libraries in the United States. Best of all, it is available right now and all of it is free of charge. Every word in every book is searchable. No, this isn't on Google Books. It is FamilySearch.org, the web site that hosts the huge databases online at the same site. This has to be one of the greatest online sources available to genealogists today. I am surprised at how little publicity has been generated about this valuable resource. You can perform a search at: Note: Ogden Family Search Center is now a Book Digitizing Center for the LDS Church. Are You Prepared to Help with the 1940 Census? The 1940 census will be released in less then one month -- on April 2nd! Your help is needed to index this most important census. Indexing will be completed, hopefully, in 6 months! It will take more indexers than they now have to index it. FamilySearch, along with Archives.com, Findmypast.com and other leading genealogy organizations, including the Utah Genealogical Association, are joining forces to publish this census. The1940 census is "rich and unique information" which is described in This is how you can help: (1) If you have not done indexing, get started now so that you will know how to do the 1940 census. Go to: to see a "2-Minute Test Drive" and to register. (2) Begin indexing now to gain experience and to be better prepared to index the 1940 census. (3) Remember, to participate in the 1940 Census Indexing project, an additional registration is requested. See familysearch.org/1940census. The "Greatest Generation" The 1940 U.S. Federal Census is the largest, most comprehensive, and most recent record set available that records the names of those who were living in the United States at the time the census was taken. 132 million people were living in the 48 Continental United States in Tens of millions of people living in the United States in 1940 are still living today, making this a record set that connects people with recent family records. Many of these individuals are part of what has been called the greatest generation. These are people who: Survived the Great Depression Fought in the Second World War Innovated technology (TV, Microwave) Sacrificed in the name of freedom Practiced thrift and compassion Understood hard work and industry The people in the 1940 census deserve to have their records preserved and made available online. 3

4 On Pets Emil O. Hanson I teach a one hour class on 'writing your personal history' every month at the Ogden family History and one of the issues that often comes up is whether pets should have an important place in one's history. I am one who believes that pets have a very important place in most family's history. I also happen to believe that we will have them in the hereafter. That will sound silly to many but if you have loved pets as my family has you would believe heaven's abode would be missing part of the family without them. Should we write about them for our descendants? I believe your history would be deficient and have less human warmth without them. The 77th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants states that: "..all these forms of life will come up in the Resurrection, "in their destined order or sphere of creation, in the enjoyment of their eternal felicity." I believe that very scripture tells me that we will have our pets. The following Story by my daughter, Joy Shelton is illustrative: Our Joyful Nest Joy Shelton [from "Our Joyful Nest" Blog, - Feb ] As I've said in another post, I grew up in a family with 5 brothers and no sisters. There were six kids and our parents. When I was in junior high, I came home with a little furry friend. It was not uncommon for me to do this. I was always rescuing an animal. I couldn't help it. But on this day the desire to bring home this animal was worse than ever. This little puppy was so tiny and cute. She was a mutt. They are actually my favorite kind of dog. They always have fun characteristics that don't really match any other dog. This little pooper was part Chihuahua and part Terrier. So. Cute. When I got home, I honestly don't remember my mom saying whether I could keep her or not. But when dad got home, he took that little ball of fur in his arms and said, "If we're gonna keep her, we better name her Sissy Poo, cause she's the only little sister you're ever gonna have!" And so it was, my little Sissy Poo became my little sister. I was so attached. She slept with me every night. She followed me around all day. She was the first to greet me when I arrived home. I remember when I left on my mission, I was so afraid she would die, and there were a few times while I was gone that my family thought she was going to die too. I just couldn't stand the thought of her not being there when I got home. Remember, I got her in 7th grade. I was now years old. She was almost ten years old when I got home. I was so excited to see her! And after a minute or two, she was so excited to see me, I had been gone for a year and a half. A year after I got home from my mission, she was still hanging in there. And another year later I had my first child, Riley. She was still there. Then when Riley was six months old she fell asleep at the top of the stairs and never woke up. Personally, I believe she waited until I had other people to love, my darling, and my son, so that I wouldn't be so lonesome when she was gone. We buried her in the back yard and had a nice little funeral. We all cried and cried. She is still so important to me and that was 25 years ago. She was such a big part of my life. She was my sweet little Sissy. I am so glad I brought her home. I love you Sissy Poo. 4

5 Probate Records Tip Elaine Walton Lewis, Conroe TX [ from Ancestry.com, Jan ] My great-grandparents died in the late 1920s-early 1930s in Keithville, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. I went to the Shreveport Louisiana Courthouse in hopes of finding a probated will. Unfortunately the probate records were not computerized back that far. However, the clerk was kind enough to do a search for John Patrick Walton and much to my delight she hit gold. My great- grandparents estate was probated in August 1964; thirty-six years after my great-grandfather died and thirty-two years after my great-grandmother. The probate record has been a gold mine of information. It mentions children that died in infancy that none of my living family knew about. Now with everything computerized, do yourself a favor and search the older ancestors in the newer records just in case there is a hidden gem out there. Things to Ponder "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29) "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free." (D&C 128:22) Favorite Things Cina Johnson, Ohana Insights Newsletter At the beginning of a New Year we tend set goals for the year. I think it is a good time to reflect upon the blessings of the past year. Triggered by an article in the Denver Post I began thinking about all the ways technology helps us with our family history and uniting us when our families are scattered over the globe. My first thought was of Christmas day. My extended family was gathered in California, Minnesota and Colorado but for an hour it felt like we had all been teleported into one room. How did that happen? We logged onto our computers and had an hour-long video gabfest using Google+ "hangout". We talked, laughed and enjoyed SEEING each other. Through the magic of the Internet and video cameras, we were all together under one virtual roof. I started to think about the Internet, , instant messaging, texting and how easy it is to communicate with other family members and researchers. We can also go to various websites and look at genealogy records that have been preserved and digitized. We can easily find our family members within massive databases thanks to thousands of volunteer indexers who work on computers and connect to the Internet to access and return packets of digitized records. The 1940 US census will be released soon and FamilySearch is hoping to enlist many more indexers so we can find ourselves or our ancestors with a few clicks of a mouse. [Go to Ohana Insights Newsletter to read the rest of this article.] Tip Do you want to know what's new on the new FamilySearch website? Sign in, and then click on 'What's New etc...' 5

6 Top Ten Resolutions: The WorldVitalRecords (see if you can discover a pattern here) 1. Lose Weight 2. Spend more quality time with friends and family 3. Travel more 4. Exercise more 5. Lose weight 6. Volunteer 7. Read more books 8. Learn something new 9. Do more family history 10. Lose weight Finding Variant Names Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter 01/29/2012 Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org announce an improved approach for finding variant names This is a major announcement, in my opinion. The phrase "an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names" is really the same thing as saying "a better way to find name variants than by using Soundex." Soundex has been used for decades although it has numerous shortcomings. If successful, this new method could revolutionize one of the standard tools used by genealogists for decades. The new software tool is being released as open-source software, meaning it can be used by any organization or individuals, free of charge. The following is the text of their release: Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org announce an improved approach to finding variant names in genealogy searches. Up to now, most genealogy websites have had to rely upon Soundex to return variant names in response to searches. These approaches often miss variants that should be returned, or include variants that aren't very similar. Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org have created an open-source database of name variants that is free for any website or genealogy software developer to use. Tested against pairs of names provided by Ancestry.com, it reduces the number of missed name variants by over 25% in comparison with Soundex. How you can help: A large portion of genealogical expertise involves learning variant spellings for the surnames in your tree. Why not share your knowledge with others? By adding your variant spellings to the database, searches on any website that uses it will include your variant spellings automatically. You can review and add variant spellings here: In addition, we need people to review the changes that others have made to the database, to make sure that we have multiple pairs of eyes reviewing the names that are being added and removed. You can review changes that others have made here: If you are a website or software developer: The database and source code are available at: In addition to the database of name variants, the source code also includes a function to return the similarity score between any two names. This function has been found useful in duplicate detection. More information about the project can be found at: names_project 6

7 Searching Electoral Rolls for Ancestors GenealogyInTime Magazine Newsletter 4 February 2012 Most genealogists focus on birth, marriage, death and census records. However, electoral rolls can be just as powerful a source for tracing your ancestors. Many new electoral roll collections in several countries are expected to come online in This article will help you learn what you need to know to use this powerful, interesting and often overlooked type of genealogy record. An electoral roll (known formally as an electoral register) is a list of people who are eligible to vote in a given jurisdiction. Electoral rolls are valuable to genealogists because they tie the name of an individual to a specific address. A typical historic electoral roll lists the full name of the individual and their address. Some electoral rolls also include additional information such as age, the occupation of the individual and the reason they were eligible to vote. In this article, we discuss the ins and outs of electoral rolls, including where to find this valuable resource online. Members Doing Other Member s Work for Money [The following is from a recent thread in the Yahoo group FHCNET(20 Feb 2012). It was in response to several s questioning the propriety of one member charging another for doing their family history. Some of the responses were sympathetic and some were not.] "I have no problem with professional genealogists charging for the work they do. Having said that, it makes me sad when a member would rather pay someone to do their research for them than to do it themselves. They are missing out on so many blessings that come by doing your own research, including being 7 guided by the Spirit to find their own ancestral families. There are many legitimate reasons why one would hire a professional. I am disturbed by those who hire one just to tell themselves they can put a checkmark in their list of things to do by the item "family history." Just my two-bits. (Name withheld) [If one is incapable of doing the work for whatever reason they must be very grateful that someone is willing to spend their time doing it for them even if they are being paid. On the other hand if they can but won't, I agree with - from 'Just my two-bits'. Emil] FaceBook: Time Waster or Road to Success? Bro and Sister Robert Draper Over the past several weeks the Ogden Family History Center has been offering a somewhat controversial course on Facebook with varying degrees of success. The staff/patrons sometimes were not sure of the value of such a course. One Friday morning we shared a marvelous experience that we had. Our daughter decided to put some Draper Genealogy out on FaceBook. In a short while she received contact from a cousin in London, England who happens to be a professional Genealogist. The fellow sent her 800+ names on their family line all sourced and ready to go. NONE of those names were in newfamilysearch! Your experience with FaceBook may of course be different, but the POTENTIAL is there because there are 200,000 users of FaceBook, worldwide. There are also communities of Genealogical endeavor located at the following site: LDS Genealogy Sites on FaceBook: a_facebook_research_community

8 Epiphany Wayne Summers, ORFHC Staff Epiphany an interesting word. It means a sudden, intuitive perception or insight into the reality meaning of something, usually initiated by a commonplace occurrence or experience. Brother Summers recently reported such an experience which he described thus:: "I was teaching here at the center with only moderate success. One morning, as he was leaving his home to come to prayer meeting and start his shift, he had a distinct impression that he was breaking the rules. He mulled this over as he drove to the center and the impression came to him, "You are not having a class prayer, before each class." He determined to follow the direction given to him at his first interview at the center. He started having a class prayer with each group and the quality and usefulness of his teaching increased significantly he felt. He feels that now he works hard, prepares well and leaves the rest to the Lord." FH Consultant Training Ward Family History Consultant Training classes are held each month at the Ogden Family History Center. The Center is located at th Street in Ogden, Utah. The material includes the manual To Turn the Hearts Leaders Guide, the Family History Consultants Guide to Temple and Family History Work and various training videos which have been prepared for Priesthood leaders and Family History Consultants from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Classes will be taught: April AM May 17 6 PM June 11 2 PM Please contact the OFHC at for more information. About Mocavo from the Rootstech Conference Mocavo operates the world's largest free genealogy search and seeks to index and make searchable all of the world's free genealogy information. While Mocavo.com discovers new sites every day, some of the existing sites searchable on Mocavo.com include genealogy message boards, state and local historical societies, the Library of Congress, National Archives, Ellis Island, Find A Grave, the Internet Archive, various U.S. state archives, family trees, and millions of genealogy sites built by individuals. Screen Capture Software Have you ever wished you could cut a section of a.pdf or other document on your computer screen and paste it into a document or save it as a file. The tool that makes this possible is a screen capture program. There are many programs available to do this. An internet search for screen capture software will bring up a number of such programs as well as review articles which compare the various packages. The screen capture package the Ogden Center uses is FastStone Capture. It is simple to use and economical (there used to be a free version on the internet, but is has become hard to find of late). FastStone has a number of output options including one that saves the information as a.jpg file you can later manipulate with your photo software. Another popular program is Snagit. It was featured in a workshop at last month s RootsTech Conference. Snagit is considered by many to be on of the best screen capture programs around. Unfortunately it is a bit more expensive than FastStone. 8

9 Family History Classes at the Ogden FHC Class Name Day Begins Time Room Weeks Cost Instructor Research - Find Ancestors in Other Countries, Part 2 Wed 21-Mar 3:00 PM 27B 1 $0.00 David Havertz Ancestral Quest Complete Wed 21-Mar 11:00 AM 11 4 $0.00 Dale McIntyre Roots Magic Workshop Wed 21-Mar 3:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Roots Magic Workshop Thu 22-Mar 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison FamilySearch.org - What's New Thu 22-Mar 3:00 PM $0.00 Richard Ensign Roots Magic Workshop Fri 23-Mar 3:00 PM 26 1 $0.00 Allen Hardison Computers - Fix Your Own Sat 24-Mar 1:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 Scott M. Berry Roots Magic Basic Tue 27-Mar 3:00 PM 13 3 $0.00 William Lakey Family History - Organize Your Papers Tue 27-Mar 2:00 PM 25 5 $5.00 Joanne Hanson Family History Library (SLC) Catalog Wed 28-Mar 3:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 David Havertz All my Cousins Wed 28-Mar 11:00 AM 13 2 $0.00 Robert Draper Roots Magic Advanced Thu 29-Mar 1:00 PM 13 4 $0.00 Allen Hardison Computers - Facebook Family Unity Fri 30-Mar 2:00 PM $0.00 Ryan Taylor Roots Magic Advanced Fri 30-Mar 11:00 AM 13 4 $0.00 Allen Hardison Roots Magic Advanced Sat 31-Mar 9:00 AM 13 4 $0.00 Allen Hardison Roots Magic Workshop Tue 3-Apr 1:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Roots Magic Workshop Wed 4-Apr 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Family Insight - Basics Thu 5-Apr 3:00 PM $0.00 Richard Ensign Research - US Census Thu 5-Apr 1:00 PM 28A 4 $10.00 Mary Ann Taylor Roots Magic Thu 5-Apr 6:00 PM 12 4 $0.00 Mike Booth Roots Magic Workshop Thu 5-Apr 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Computers - Fix Your Own Sat 7-Apr 1:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 Scott M. Berry New FamilySearch Mon 9-Apr 9:00 AM 11 4 $4.00 N. Kay Walker Research - Find Ancestors in Other Countries, Part 1 Mon 9-Apr 3:00 PM 27B 1 $0.00 David Havertz Research - Wiki Mon 9-Apr 11:00 AM 26 1 $0.00 Allen Hardison Legacy Beginning Tue 10-Apr 11:00 AM 13 6 $4.00 Sam Lower Legacy Advanced Tue 10-Apr 9:00 AM 13 6 $4.00 Sam Lower New FamilySearch - Descendant Line Wed 11-Apr 11:00 AM 13 1 $0.00 Sam Lower Research - Wiki Thu 12-Apr 11:00 AM 26 1 $0.00 Allen Hardison Family History - Consultant Training Thu 12-Apr 11:00 AM $0.00 Emil Hanson FamilySearch Forums Thu 12-Apr 3:00 PM 13 1 $0.00 Richard Ensign Computer - Retrieve Lost Data Sat 14-Apr 1:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 Scott M. Berry Research - Find Ancestors in Other Countries, Part 2 Mon 16-Apr 3:00 PM 27B 1 $0.00 David Havertz Roots Magic Workshop Tue 17-Apr 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Family History - How to Write Your Personal History Wed 18-Apr 3:00 PM 12 1 $0.00 Emil Hanson Roots Magic Workshop Wed 18-Apr 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison FamilySearch.org - What's New Thu 19-Apr 3:00 PM 13 1 $0.00 Richard Ensign Roots Magic Workshop Thu 19-Apr 6:00 PM $0.00 Allen Hardison Computer - Build A Genealogy Blog Sat 21-Apr 1:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 Scott M. Berry Family History Library (SLC) Catalog Mon 23-Apr 3:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 David Havertz Research - Wiki Tue 24-Apr 1:00 PM 26 1 $0.00 Allen Hardison New FamilySearch - DownLoad Descendant Line Wed 25-Apr 11:00 AM 13 1 $0.00 Sam Lower Research - Wiki Thu 26-Apr 1:00 PM 26 1 $0.00 Allen Hardison Computers - Delete Your Viruses Sat 28-Apr 1:00 PM 28 1 $0.00 Scott M. Berry Roots Magic Basic Thu 3-May 1:00 PM 13 3 $0.00 Allen Hardison Research - Descendant Relatives Mon 7-May 9:00 AM 13 7 $4.00 Sam Lower Research - British Isles Tue 8-May 4:00 PM 26 8 $10.00 Fred Moore Family History - Consultant Training Thu 17-May 6:00 PM $0.00 Richard Ensign 9