Manasota PAF News
January 2004 -  Volume 10 Issue 4 - A publication of the Manasota PAF User Group, Bradenton, Florida - copyright 2004
NOTE: There was no issue 3 in December 2003
meeting dates & map to the library - members - favorite genealogy links - PAFNews
This is PART ONE - See also PART TWO
PRINT OUT FOR OUR MEETING 3 Jan 2004  - Pat Richley, editor.

BRADENTON FHC HAS ANCESTRY.COM ACCESS  Submitted by Pat Richley, instructor, Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com HOORAY, the local Family History Center at 3400 Cortez Road West in Bradenton, FL finally has access to the internet, albeit it dial-up at the moment! The option for free access to Ancestry.com is now available. You will want to phone 941-755-6909 in advance of your visit to sign up for computer time. They ARE working on getting a high-speed connection. The current hours for the FHC are Mon-Tues 9-1pm and Tues Eve 7-9pm. WOW!!!!! 

2004 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS  From RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine, Vol. 6, No. 53, 31 December 2003 (c) 1998-2003 RootsWeb.com, Inc. http://www.rootsweb.com/ by editor Myra Vanderpool Gormley's article: EDITOR'S DESK. 2004 Survival Tips for Online Genies:

"1. Back up your genealogy files. Save backup copies of your genealogy files to an external hard drive, a Zip drive or a CD or DVD burner -- not just to your hard drive. Uploading a GEDCOM to [RootsWeb's] WorldConnect provides yet another way to prevent loss of your compiled genealogy.

2. Back up your personal files (letters, reports, e-mail correspondence and addresses, photos, and financial records). Save to an external hard drive, a Zip drive or a CD or DVD burner.

3. Print out all of your passwords and the names of all the mailing lists and message boards of interest. Save this information where you can find it in the event of a hard disk crash or other disaster. If you are a county coordinator, be sure you have that website account name and password saved somewhere other than on your hard drive. RootsWeb users can obtain their forgotten passwords, user IDs and information about the mailing lists to which they are subscribed by going to Password Central and requesting same. Click on the PASSWORDS tab at the top of a RootsWeb page, or go to: http://passwordcentral.rootsweb.com/

4. Locate all of your software product keys. In the event of a hard disk crash you will have to re-install all of your computer software and you will need these product keys -- the numbers, letters or codes you must enter when installing some software. Make a record of these numbers. They are probably on your installation disk cases or sleeves. Without them you will have to buy new copies of your software -- and that can get expensive fast.

5. Find all of your software installation disks. Keep them in a safe storage place.

Here's to safe computing in 2004. May your hard drive never fail or any of your files become corrupted, and may you find all those "lost" ancestors, family Bibles and documents, and precious photographs."

To this DearMYRTLE would add:

6. Purchase a new UPS (uninterrupted power supply) unless you bought one within the past 2 years with your computer. They can only absorb some much in the way of power surges before they become ineffective. Many of you have surge protectors without the battery backups. You'll want the battery for the five minutes it give you to save a file and power down your computer correctly. This includes parking the hard disk. You can get one for about $39 at Staples or Office Depot that includes a data connection that can power down your computer in the event you are in the yard or otherwise away from your computer desk when the power goes out. -- People up North don't often think of having a UPS, but we live in the lightening capital of the world. I recommend purchasing a new UPS every time you purchase a new computer. Good brands include APC, Belkin and Triplite.

MAP GUIDE TO US FEDERAL CENSUSES 1790-1920 by William Thorndale and Bill Dollarhide submitted by Pat Richley, Myrt@DearMYRTLE.com I keep forgetting that there are newbies who join the ranks of family historians every year. They haven't heard of this old standard resource that is now available in paperback. Many of us own signed copies of this because the cartographer, Bill Dollarhide, came to the Bradenton/Sarasota area twice to share his genealogy expertise with us. 

"Every once in a while a new book comes along which most genealogists should not be without. This is such a book. Thorndale and Dollarhide's Map Guide is not only helpful for the assistance it provides, it is also put together in a very scholarly manner, ensuring its value and usefulness for a long time to come...This is truly a wonderful book, obviously prepared with a great deal of work and care. It is enjoyable to study even when not seeking assistance on a problem somewhere between 1790 and 1920."  The American Genealogist, Vol. 64, No. 1.

How does it work? Go to the chapter for your ancestor's state to locate a map for the census year in question. You will notice as you look at the other maps for the state how the county boundaries have changed. Sometimes you'll find an ancestor who was enumerated in one county one year, and ten years you cannot find him in that county. He may have a common name, and be difficult to locate. Perhaps he didn't move. Perhaps it was just a matter of a change in the county boundaries, so you'll find him listed in the census for another county.

This can also help if you can't find him at all on a census. Perhaps he died subsequent to his enumeration entry on a previous census year. If you've been looking for his probate record in the county listed that previous census year, and don't find it you might feel stumped. It may be that the county split into two or three counties as the population expanded. Using the Map Guide would give you two or three other places to look for his probate record. NOTE: A person would have a probate record in more than one state and county if he owned property in more than one location. Format: Paperback, Size: 11 x 8 1/2, 445 pp., 1987, 2003. ISBN#: 0806311886. From www.genealogical.com or www.amazon.com .

From the publisher: "The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. Genealogical research in the census, therefore, begins with identifying the correct county jurisdictions. This work shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included are (1) a history of census growth; (2) the technical facts about each census; (3) a discussion of census accuracy; (4) an essay on available sources for each state's old county lines; and (5) a statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost. Then there is an index listing all present-day counties, plus nearly all defunct counties or counties later re-named. The county has always been used as the basic Federal census unit. Genealogical research in the census, therefore, begins with identifying the correct county jurisdictions. This work shows all U.S. county boundaries from 1790 to 1920. On each of the nearly 400 maps the old county lines are superimposed over the modern ones to highlight the boundary changes at ten-year intervals. Also included are (1) a history of census growth; (2) the technical facts about each census; (3) a discussion of census accuracy; (4) an essay on available sources for each state's old county lines; and (5) a statement with each map indicating which county census lines exist and which are lost. Then there is an index listing all present-day counties, plus nearly all defunct counties or counties later re-named."

LEGACY Version 5.0 (NEW!)   submitted by instructor, Pat Richley. Last Tuesday's DearMYRTLElive Family History Hour internet radio broadcast (available on rebroadcast 24/7 at www.DearMYRTLE.com/again.htm ) featured Legacy's training instructor Geoff Rasmussen. Myrt particularly wanted to focus on the Deluxe edition's ability to assist with the data entry of locations in the US relative to the time period of the ancestor's event. Note in the following example, I typed in KING for the county in Utah, and received an interesting error message:

If you have the Deluxe version of Legacy 5 it will advise you, as in this case if the county never existed within a certain state. Let's take it to another level. Suppose we type in a county that DID exist in a given state, but not at the time of the ancestor's event. Note the Legacy Version 5 give you that information:

If you click the SHOW COUNTY LIST button on the "County Didn't Exist Then" dialog box, you'll see the great listing of counties and states, specifically to the Pennsylvania section as follows. This is a GREAT learning tool. You may not necessarily be able to pick the appropriate county, however it gives you some choices. Certainly 1618 isn't a relevant time period for white Americans in the Pennsylvania territory, a fact you may not yet be aware of in your research, as we traditionally think of 1643 as the time when the Swedes started to settle.

LEGACY V 5.0 LESSONS   submitted by instructor, Pat Richley. With our computer hook-up we will preview two segments from the "video" training library on CD available from the folks at www.legacyfamilytree.com . Each is designed to enhance the use of Legacy Deluxe genealogy management software.

LEGACY 5.0 "Search the Internet" OPTION   submitted by instructor, Pat Richley. Legacy is not the first genealogy software management program designed to allow you to search the internet for more information on a specific ancestor in your database. The concept of working through your database about every 3 months using this option cannot be understated.

Clicking the CUSTOMIZE SEARCHES button allows you to change the list of websites that show up on this dialog box. When I clicked the SEARCH button in the dialog box above, Legacy 5.0 searched through Ancestry.com,  and I received the following global search results (hit list.) Note there are 26 items for a very specific name: William Brockerman Wright. Notice that only 1 of the databases on the list is available for free, Ancestry World Tree indicated as free by the yellow pierce of paper icon to the left of the database name on the list.

I must "log in" to Ancestry.com to view the locked databases (as indicated by the closed padlock icon to the left of the database name.) I recommend printing out this report, and using it as a checklist. If you don't have a subscription to the part of Ancestry.com referenced by the hit list, you can take this printout with you next time you visit the Bradenton, FL Family History Center, with its NEW free access to Ancestry.plus for free.

After logging in, I clicked the first item on the list, which happened to be the UTAH DEATH INDEX 1905-1951, where I found the following entry. I had previously known William Brockerman Wright's death date, but with the STATE FILE NUMBER: 1916003835, I can now write for a copy of the original death certificate, where I can hopefully find additional information.

Note that the description of the database, Ancestry.com provides the address for obtaining the copy of the death certificate. It is probably cheaper to order the microfilm, which is also available.

HOW CAN I LOCATE THE MICROFILM? As mentioned above, there is a "death register book". We find in the Ancestry.com database that my ancestor died in Salt Lake County, Utah. My next step is to consult the Family History Library Catalog online for 

1. Go to www.familysearch.org
2. Click the LIBRARY tab.
3. Click the FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY option on the purple navigation bar.
4. Click the PLACE SEARCH button.
5. Type in "Salt Lake" in the upper box. (without quote marks) and type in "Utah" in the lower box. (without quote marks), then click the SEARCH button.

6. Click the Utah, Salt Lake option shown below:

Since "Death Records" is not an option, scroll down, and select VITAL RECORDS. (We don't need to consult the vital records index thanks to our work with Legacy V 5.0 and its search of Ancestry.com.

From the current listing of all types of Salt Lake County vital records, I chose the DEATH RECORDS OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 1848-1950 from the Office of Vital Statistics.

When I get to the page that describes the collection, I read that there are 31 microfilms. I click the VIEW FILM NOTES to locate the one that would have my William Brockerman Wright's death certificate for 1916.

From the following list, I see that I'll need to order film #26558 next time I go to my local LDS Family History Center. I'll print out this page, circle the item in question, and make a notation: "Look for death register entry for William Brockerman Wright - 31 Oct 1916." Sometimes the delay between ordering a microfilm and receiving it causes confusion, and I tend to forget what I intend to look for on the film. After completing my order, the local FHC volunteer will give me a "pink" copy of the microfilm order, which I will staple to this print out. 

NEW TITLES IN OUR VIDEO LIBRARY   submitted by instructor, Pat Richley. Just when you thought you might catch up viewing relevant titles in the Manasota PAF Users Group video library, we found a few new ones, as indicated in our inventory below. Elsie Naylor mans the check-out desk at our meetings October-June. As usual, we preview part of at least one video during each meeting.

	Heritage Album Tips and Techniques by Maureen Taylor
	Identifying & Dating Your Family Photographs by Maureen Taylor
to be released soon	Learning Genealogy.com by Rhonda McClure
to be released soon	Using RootsWeb.com by Rhonda McClure

The is the complete listing of CDs and Videos in our collection for lending to members of the MPAFUG:

This is the end of PART ONE - See also PART TWO
The Manasota PAF Users Group is a non-profit educational organization in the State of Florida. Copyright 1994-2004. All Rights Reserved. dearmyrtle@aol.com Webmaster. Personal Ancestral File is the registered trademark of the Corporation of the President, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The Master Genealogist and FamilyTree SuperTools are  the registered trademarks of Wholly Genes, Inc. Family Tree Maker is the registered trademark of Mattel. RootsMagic is the registered Trademark of Formal Soft. The ideas expressed in this the Manasota PAFNews are merely the opinions of the contributors. The writers, editors, publishers, and the Users Group are in no way responsible or liable for any damages resulting from articles, opinions, statements, advertising, representations or warranties expressed or implied in this publication nor do we endorse or recommend any products or services mentioned or illustrated herein.
meeting dates & map to the library - members - favorite genealogy links - PAFNews