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EOGN: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

A Weekly Summary of Events and
Topics of Interest to Online Genealogists

Vol. 7 No. 6 – February 11, 2002

This newsletter was sponsored by Ancestry.com,
a leader in providing print and electronic
research information to genealogists.

To learn about Ancestry.com’s
state-of-the-art online genealogy databases
and other fine products,
visit the company’s three Internet properties,
MyFamily.com, Ancestry.com, and RootsWeb.com

Copyright© 2002 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

If you do contact any of the companies or societies mentioned in this newsletter, please tell them that you read about their services in this newsletter.

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Programme de recherche en démographie historique
- Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records
- Society of Genealogists' 10th Family History Fair in London
- NGS Conference in Milwaukee
- Dr. Gary B. Mills, R.I.P.
- Free Photo/Image Editor
- Roots At The Olympics
- Home Pages Highlighted

- Programme de recherche en démographie historique

Are you researching French-speaking ancestors from Quebec province? If so, you absolutely need to spend some time on the award-winning Web site of Programme de recherche en démographie historique. You don’t read French? No problem, as the information on this site is available in both French and in English.

Programme de recherche en démographie historique, or PRDH, is a comprehensive site of Quebec French-Canadian genealogy before 1800. It contains biographical files on all individuals of European ancestry who lived in the St. Lawrence Valley of Canada prior to 1800. A grant from the Government of Quebec’s Fonds de l'autoroute de l’information made possible the creation of this Web site. Produced in collaboration with Gaëtan Morin Éditeur, the site is hosted at Université de Montréal’s Departement de Démographie and is run by Bertrand Desjardins, assisted by Denis Duval.

When researching my own French-Canadian ancestry, the relatively small number of immigrants has always fascinated me. Unlike the waves of immigrants that arrived in what is now the United States or the later arrivals of thousands of immigrants in Canada, the early immigrants to New France consisted of only a few thousand individuals. Many of the immigrants married and raised large families. Even after the English acquisition of Canada, these French-speaking citizens remained a separate community; they rarely married English-speaking, Protestant neighbors. Their descendants intermarried time and again, resulting in a large population with intertwined relationships.

Actually, this is good news for genealogists. With a smaller "pool" of ancestors, previous researchers have documented almost all available facts and published their results time and again. However, access to these printed books, most of them published in French, has not been easy for researchers outside of Quebec province. The Web site of Programme de recherche en démographie historique provides a valuable service that is unavailable elsewhere online.

The PRDH Web site identifies the origin of each French-Canadian family name and provides original information on their descendants through the 1600s and 1700s. The PRDH database contains information from parish registers and other nominative documents. According to the database description found on the PRDH Web site, the information comes from more than 710,000 certificates, including all baptisms, marriages and burials contained in Quebec Catholic parish registers up to the year 1800.

Go back and read that last sentence again. Yes, it really does say "ALL." The PRDH Web site contains information about ALL the surviving records of baptisms, marriages and burials for those years in Quebec. If the record survived, it is listed in the PRDH database. Indeed, French-Canadian genealogists have found that most of the records of the 1600s and 1700s have survived and are available today. It is rare that a genealogist finds any source that holds all the available records for such a large number of people.

The information on PRDH is contained in three interrelated databases:

A REPERTORY OF VITAL EVENTS, 1621–1799

The Repertory of Vital Events includes the some 690,000 baptismal, marriage, and burial certificates registered in Catholic parishes prior to 1800. Added to these are more than 20,000 certificates of various other types: census records, marriage contracts, confirmations, lists of immigrants, and so on. The repertory reproduces, in a standardized form, the basic information contained in these documents: type, place of registration and date of the certificate; and the family name, first name, and characteristics of the individuals cited. Sophisticated search tools make it possible to find certificates by name of person (individuals or couples) and certificate characteristics (type, date, or parish).

A GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY OF FAMILIES, 1621-1765

The Genealogical Dictionary offers a reconstruction of the history of all families who settled in the St. Lawrence Valley, or roughly the current territory of today’s province of Quebec, from the beginnings of French colonization to the year 1765.

The dictionary is based on the linking of individuals to their baptismal, marriage, and burial certificates from Catholic parish registers for the period 1621–1765. It contains the names of individuals who were born in or came to Quebec between 1621 and 1765, along with the names of their parents, spouses, and children. For each person, the dictionary gives date and place of birth, of marriage(s) (if applicable), and of death, if it occurred before 1766. You can easily search the data base using names of people (individuals or couples), and you can further define your search by year of birth or marriage.

A REPERTORY OF COUPLES AND FILIAL RELATIONS, 1621–1799

The Repertory of couples specifies for each spouse the names of his or her parents and the names of his or her other spouses, if applicable, with a link to these couples. In addition, a list of the couple’s children who married before 1800 is supplied, with a link to their first marriage. Thus, not only is the ancestry of the spouses throughout the period established automatically, but married descendants are also listed. Couples are accessed on the basis of their first and family names, using a search you can further define by year of marriage.

One point to note is that the information on the PRDH Web site is copyrighted and remains the intellectual property of the Programme de recherche en démographie historique.

The PRDH Web site has a mixture of free information and "for pay" information. However, the free information available is very limited. To properly utilize this site you will have to pay for a subscription. The free access simply allows you to check whether or not the database contains information on the ancestor(s) you are interested in. Free access will not provide any details, not even locations. Paid subscribers will receive full information from the three separate sections listed earlier.

The fee structure is a bit complex. First of all, there are three classifications of subscribers:

1. Quebec residents
2. Canadian residents, excluding those of Quebec
3. The rest of the world

In addition, the subscriber pays for the number of "hits" or successful retrieval of records. The more "hits" purchased in advance, the cheaper the price per "hit." A Quebec resident can purchase 150 hits for $17.20 (Canadian funds) or up to 10,000 hits for $287.50. A bit of work with a calculator shows that these prices equate to 11.5 cents per hit for the smaller purchase, scaling down to less than a penny per hit for those who elect to pay $287.50.

Canadians from other provinces pay $14.95 for 150 hits and then have an equal number of options, up to and including $267.45 for 10,000 hits. Those outside of Canada pay $17.95 for 150 hits and $287.95 for 10,000 hits. Again, those prices are in Canadian dollars. At today’s exchange rates, anyone outside of Canada would pay $11.24 U.S. dollars for 150 hits and then scale to $180 U.S. dollars for 10,000 hits.

Regardless of your location, you must register and make payment in advance. After your payment is validated, you will receive a notice (usually by e-mail) telling you that you can activate your subscription whenever you want. All you have to do is go to the site and enter your username and password when the identification window is displayed. The subscription ends when you have used up all your hits.

Programme de recherche en démographie historique received the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s "2002 Technology Excellence Award," presented at the recent GENTECH2002 conference held in Boston. Anyone who is researching Quebec ancestry on this site will soon discovery why this award was made: the PRDH online database contains high-quality information about tens of thousands of individuals.

- Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records

Loretto Dennis Szucs and Matthew Wright have just released a new book, entitled "Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records." The book serves as a guide to help genealogists locate and understand U.S. Census records. This new book, published by Ancestry Publishing, covers the Federal population schedules, state and local census schedules as well as special census schedules.

"Finding Answers in U.S. Census Records" starts with a history of the origin of the U.S Federal census. It then goes on to describe each type of census and explores what specific points a researcher needs to keep in mind when working with them. U.S. Federal census counts were made every ten years, starting in 1790. The information obtained varies from one census to the next. Szucs and Wright describe each decade’s enumeration (records collected) and give advice about the information found as well as the possible errors that are frequently encountered. I noticed that they even describe the information available in the 1930 U.S. Federal census, which will not be released until 1 April 2002.

Examples of deliberate false entries are also described. For instance, the authors point out that in the 1857 special census seven Minnesota counties had hundreds of fake names listed, as some local officials were trying to "pad" the population count in order to obtain statehood for Minnesota. Likewise, the 1880 Utah census juggled household information to disguise polygamy at a time when federal officials were seeking evidence in order to prosecute citizens for unlawful cohabitation. Genealogists may encounter other records that are suspicious, as some enumerators (census takers) may have sat in a comfortable location and written information from memory or from hearsay evidence supplied by others, rather than riding out into the harsh weather of that day to obtain an accurate count.

In addition, the book includes three appendixes. The first contains a listing of the major online and/or electronic sources for U.S. Census research. The second is a directory of important libraries and archives with microfilm repositories where family historians can view, rent, create, or buy microfilm copies of their census records of interest. The third appendix contains census extraction forms for all the available census years from 1790 to 1930 as well as a census information request form. You can photocopy these forms in order to use them time and again.

- Society of Genealogists' 10th Family History Fair in London

The Society of Genealogists will hold the tenth anniversary of their popular Family History Fair on 4 & 5 May 2002. The fair will be held at the Royal Horticultural Society’s New Hall and Conference Centre on Greycoat Street, Westminster, London. This is a very popular event that is aimed at beginners as well as at experienced genealogy researchers. Past fairs have seen 4,000 or more attendees, and this year’s event will probably attract at least that many again.

The Society of Genealogists’ Family History Fair always includes a wide range of lectures from genealogy experts on both introductory and specialized subjects, helping those who want to know how to start as well as those who need more in-depth guidance. The fair will also include computer and Internet lectures in addition to demonstrations using the latest software packages. One thing unique to the Family History Fair is the "Advice Centre," staffed by specialists supplying information and help that will save you time and money as well as offering new leads to direct your research.

Nearly 50 exhibitor stalls have already been booked, including local Family History Societies, records offices, professional researchers, publishers and software houses. A complete list of exhibitors is available on the Society’s Web site. A list of lecturers and the titles of their presentations is expected to appear there a few weeks before the Fair.

I attended the Family History Fair a few years ago and was delighted to find a very busy and crowded conference. The attendees were quite enthusiastic about their research efforts. The average "noise level" in the conference center at the Royal Horticultural Society’s hall seemed to be much higher than that at any genealogy conference I have attended in the U.S. or Canada. It was a grand time, and everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy it. I am sure the 2002 conference will be at least as good.

The admission fee for the Family History Fair is a very modest £4 (roughly $5.65 in U.S. funds) if the tickets are purchased before April 26. Otherwise, you may purchase tickets at the door for £6 (about $8.50 in U.S. funds). No wonder the Society of Genealogists can attract so many people to their conferences! Their ticket prices encourage newcomers to drop in. I wish the U.S. genealogy conferences offered tickets at similar prices. If so, their attendance would skyrocket!

- NGS Conference in Milwaukee

The U.S. National Genealogical Society holds an annual convention that is the biggest genealogy conference in North America. These annual events are called the "Conference in the States." Each year’s conference runs for four days and features 150 or more presentations, many of them presented by the leading genealogy lecturers of our time. The conference is held in a different city every year and is co-hosted by a local society in that area.

The 2002 edition of the NGS "Conference in the States" will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 15 through 18 and is co-hosted by the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society. This year’s event is shaping up to be a great one. I browsed through the online brochure and found that the list of scheduled presenters is a veritable "Who’s Who of American Genealogy."

The vendors’ area at the NGS conferences usually is the largest gathering of genealogy vendors found in any one place all year. This year’s exhibitors have the opportunity to develop an online virtual booth well in advance of the conference’s start date. As the conference date draws closer, attendees will be able to visit these "virtual vendors’ booths" online to see what they offer before traveling to Milwaukee. That should save some time while at the conference since you will be able to focus on the vendors that you "pre-qualified" earlier.

The venue for the 2002 Conference is the Midwest Express Center, located in downtown Milwaukee. This three-year-old facility is reported to be a state-of-the-art conference center. The Hilton and Hyatt Hotels are literally just across the street, and six more hotels are within two blocks of the Midwest Express Center. It should be easy to "commute" from hotels to the conference center and back again. The area also has plenty of restaurants.

Milwaukee weather in mid-May is usually quite pleasant with mid-day temperatures in the 60's to low 70's. However, nights can be cool and rain is possible at any time.

The National Genealogical Society has an extensive online brochure that gives a lot of information about the conference, the presentations and the exhibits. For the first time, you can even register online via a safe and secure system for ordering tickets.

I have already made my flight reservations to attend the 2002 NGS "Conference in the States" and learned a few things about geography in the process. Milwaukee is one of America’s smaller cities, and its airport does not have many long-distance flights. The major airline serving Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport is Midwest Express. When making my reservations, I couldn’t find a direct flight from my area to Milwaukee; I found that I would have to change planes somewhere along the route. Every connection I looked at seemed to involve hours of "wait time" hanging around airports. However, a quick look at a map reveals that Milwaukee is not far from Chicago, a city with myriad travel possibilities.

I found it easier and faster to fly to Chicago on a non-stop flight, rent a car there, and then drive for one hour forty-five minutes to Milwaukee. The total time required for travel from my home to the conference hotel in Milwaukee is significantly less on this "fly and then drive" route than it would have been by booking a connecting flight someplace and flying into Milwaukee. In my case, the total expense of one direct flight plus a rental car was significantly lower than any flight combinations I could find that flew into Milwaukee. Your experience may be different, however.

Another alternative is to fly into Chicago and then take Amtrak to Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Amtrak Station is only 2 1/2 blocks from the convention center. I am sure that many people will prefer to take Amtrak all the way from their home cities to Milwaukee, perhaps with a connection in Chicago.

If you are planning on bringing a spouse who is not as interested in genealogy as you are, Milwaukee offers many sightseeing events for other interests. How about a tour of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle plant? Or perhaps your spouse would prefer a brewery tour!

All in all, this year’s conference should be a good one. If you are thinking of attending an educational and enjoyable genealogy conference, I’d suggest that you mark May 15 through 18 on your calendar.

- Dr. Gary B. Mills, R.I.P.

Gary B. Mills, Associate Editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 1987, died 25 January 2002 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Burial was on February 2, 2002 in Shaw, Mississippi. A native of Marshall, Texas, Dr. Mills was born 10 September 1944.

A well-known historian and author, Dr. Mills had been a professor of history at the University of Alabama for a quarter century. Dr. Mills was widely known in both history and genealogy for his trailblazing work on antebellum free people of color. His many professional publications include the award-winning Forgotten People: Cane River's Creoles of Color; a Bicentennial History for the Corps of Engineers, Of Men and Rivers; and Southern Loyalists in the Civil War. He was a longtime board member of the Alabama Men's Hall of Fame, a past camp commander of Sons of Confederate Veterans, a past chapter president of Civitans International, and an active member/director of numerous other historical and genealogical societies.

Dr. Mills is survived by his former wife of many years, Elizabeth Shown Mills of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Other survivors include his mother, Hazel Rachal Mills of Biloxi, Mississippi; son, Clayton Bernard Mills and wife Carrie Starner Mills of Nashville, Tennessee; daughter, Donna Rachal Lennon and husband John Robert Lennon III of Nashville, Tennessee; son, Daniel Garland Mills of Indianapolis, Indiana; and grandchildren, Phillip Daniel Mills, Garrett Sean Mills, Elizabeth Eldorado Lennon, and Ruth Brossette Lennon. Other loving survivors include three brothers, Richard Hugh Mills of Odessa, Florida; Ronald Garland Mills of Benoit, Mississippi; Dr. Timothy Harold Mills of Charleston, Illinois; Dr. Regina Mills Pavlov of Biloxi, Mississippi; and Ramona Mills Adams of Rosedale, Mississippi. He was preceded in death by his father Harold Garland Mills and brother Kevin Patrick Mills.

- Free Photo/Image Editor

Are you scanning old family photographs and trying to restore or enhance them? Have you found your present Windows graphics-editing program to be a bit "weak"? If so, you might want to try out the free version of Ulead Photo Explorer 6.0. It has an excellent reputation.

Ulead Photo Explorer does cropping, color balancing, BMP-to-JPEG conversions and a lot more. In fact, its capability to convert from one format to another is one of its most popular features. There is a commercial version of Ulead Photo Explorer, available online for $24.95 or in a box for $29.95. However, the free version has most of the capability of the commercial version.

The free version does not support GIF files or LZW-compressed TIFF files. Also, there is no tech support available for the free version. Ulead hopes that your experience with the free version will motivate you to purchase the commercial product.

- Roots At The Olympics

While watching the 2002 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, I noticed that every American athlete was wearing a uniform that said "Roots." Does this mean that every athlete will be researching his or her ancestry while staying in the genealogy Mecca of Salt Lake City?

Not quite. Roots is the name of a well-known Canadian manufacturer of sportswear. Roots is supplying the U.S. team with parade, podium and athletic lifestyle wear and has created a retail collection based on the athletes' outfits. Roots also supplied the Canadian Olympic team outfits for the Nagano 1998 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Roots is again outfitting the Canadian Olympic team as well as supplying the British Olympic Team with their parade uniform for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Of course, hundreds of thousands of people have descended upon Salt Lake City for the Olympics. Hotel rooms have been sold out for months. The Family History Library even scheduled extended hours during the Olympics to accommodate those who wanted to use the excellent facilities there. The Library is open until 11:00 PM during the Olympics.

One problem: nobody seems to be going to the Family History Library this week. Several people have reported that the place looks like a ghost town. Apparently the visitors to Salt Lake City this month have something other than genealogy on their minds.

- Home Pages Highlighted

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to earn a living may create an occasional delay.

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