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Copyright© 2003 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

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In the past few months I have been collecting URLs (Web addresses) of various online dictionaries and lists that are useful to genealogists. These are useful when trying to decode foreign or obsolete words often found in genealogy work. Here are a few of my favorites:

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Genealogists have many reasons to share files with each other. The obvious use is exchanging GEDCOM files, those repositories of information about hundreds or even thousands of individuals. Other files to be shared could be word processing documents, scanned photographs, or even an entire database from a genealogy program. Many such files are too large to send in e-mail as attached files. You also may want to share with several people. Keeping the files online at a publicly accessible server makes sense, especially when you can control access to those files with a password that you control.

Another reason to place files online is for backups. I am sure that you have read that you should keep backups of your genealogy information, your word processing documents, your check book register, income tax records, and other important files. Ideally, these backups should be kept "off site," not in the same building with your computer. You can backup your files to an online server, then retrieve them at any time, should the need arise. You also can retrieve them from your office computer, from a laptop, or at a friend's house, if desired.

Sometimes simple is best. One online service allows you to save up to 30 megabytes of files in a folder that you control. You can place one or hundreds of files in that space. These can be from Windows, Macintosh, or Linux operating systems. The online server, in turn, is backed up every day by data processing professionals, giving you even one more level of protection. The best part is the price: free.

The preceding is a "preview" of a Plus Edition-only article. The full article is available only to Plus Edition subscribers. Click on Plus Edition for more information.

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- NewEnglandAncestors.org

The New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, is the country's oldest genealogy organization. The five charter members (Charles Ewer, Lemuel Shattuck, Samuel G. Drake, John Wingate Thornton, and William H. Montague), a group of merchants and book dealers, envisioned an association devoted to "collecting, preserving, and publishing (occasionally) genealogical and historical matter relating to New England families".

Throughout its 158-year history, the New England Historic Genealogical Society has been a leader in the genealogy world. This society has always taught its members the proper methods of genealogy scholarship. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (notice the slight name change from that of the Society) is one of the leading examples of high-quality genealogy research with scholarly articles published about many New England families. It is also the oldest of all the genealogy publications, having been published four times a year for the past 155 years. The NEHGS Register system, used in that publication, is a standard method of listing genealogy information in narrative form. Many other publications also use the Register System as invented at NEHGS.

The Society's library and archives in Boston hold some of the best records available anyplace for those researching New England ancestry. In fact, the manuscript collection of the Society is priceless, with a wealth of information not available elsewhere. The focus is primarily New England, but in recent years this has been expanded to include the ancestral homelands of many New England's immigrants: eastern Canada, England, Ireland, and more. There is but one problem: these documents are located in Boston! Not everyone interested in these records can easily travel to read them. This is a large society with more than 20,000 members, more than half of whom live outside of New England. Even those who live within a few hundred miles of the Society's location in Boston may foind it inconvenient to go to the library in person. Luckily, the Society has found an excellent method of serving those members.

While steeped in tradition, the New England Historic Genealogical Society also has become a high-tech organization in recent years. Under the guidance of Executive Director Dr. Ralph Crandall, the New England Historic Genealogical Society now is a leader in electronic publication. Luckily for Society members who do not have convenient access to the Boston repository, this information is available at home, both online and on CD-ROM.

The crown jewel in the online site has to be The New England Historical and Genealogical Register - 1847-1994. The Register has featured articles on a wide variety of topics since its inception, including vital records, church records, tax records, land and probate records, cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, and historical essays. Authoritative compiled genealogies have been the centerpiece of the Register for more than 150 years. Thousands of New England families have been treated in the pages of the journal, and many more are referenced in incidental ways throughout. These articles may range from short pieces correcting errors in print or solving unusual problems to larger treatments that reveal family origins or present multiple generations of a family. Every page of this publication is available online through 1994.

The register is searchable by a combination of first name, last name, start year, and end year. In addition, the search may be for exact spelling of words, "begins with" searches, or Boolean searches. The user can also find information by entering the exact page number(s), a useful feature after finding a reference to the Register in some other publication.

The appropriate page from the Register is displayed on-screen as a graphic image. Each image can be printed or saved to a local hard drive as a GIF image, the latter of which can be imported into other applications.

The Register is but one of the online publications available. It isn't practical to list all of the other publications available on the Web site, but here is an abbreviated list that will give you some insight as to the kinds of publications that are available:

The full list goes on and on and includes a number of family genealogies. Some of these are available as images of old books while others are textual databases with words that can be copied-and-pasted into other documents.

To be sure, you could purchase most of these publications on paper or on CD-ROM to add to your personal library. The cost, however, would be thousands of dollars. It is far more cost-effective to join the Society and then use the online Web site instead.

As valuable as these resources of genealogy information may be, they are only a part of the available information on NewEnglandAncestors.org. Other features of the site include:

• NEHGS Library Catalog
• Helpful Guides for New England Research
• Research Columns: articles on a wide selection of topics, updated weekly, by noted genealogical authors, members of NEHGS, and fellow researchers.
• Locality Research: The articles in this section will provide you with detailed information on how to do genealogical research in the New England states, New York, eastern Canada, England, and Ireland.
• How-To Guides, such as:
  • Making Optimum Use of the IGI by Helen Schatvet Ullmann, CG, FASG
  • A Research Trip to the Family History Library: Twenty Reasons You Should Go by Paula Stuart Warren, CGRSSM
  • Family History Fun for Children by Maureen A. Taylor
  • and more…
• Other articles on:
  • African American Research in New England
  • Family Health and Genealogy
  • Genetics and Genealogy

Again, the above is an abbreviated list.

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The UK Public Record Office recently added PROCAT, an online catalogue of archives of central government, courts of law, and other national bodies. PROCAT contains details of the PRO's holdings of over 9 million files. You can use PROCAT to identify the PRO reference of documents you wish to consult. Armed with your own list, you can then either order documents in advance of a visit to the PRO or request copies to be sent to you in any of several media, including paper, microfilm, microfiche, CD-ROM, or even via the internet.

Quoting from PROCAT's help file:

I did a "test drive" of the new catalogue and found it very easy to use. You can search for any word, not just for surnames. You can also specify a year or a range of years, such as "1914 to 1918." Finally, if you already know the desired department code (e.g. FO) or series reference (e.g. OS 35), you can specify that as well.

I did a search for my own surname and found 161 occurrences. Taking one at random, there was an entry for a legal case of "Bagwell versus Eastman." This is a public record available at the Public Record Office at Kew. The "context" listed the following information:

My thanks to Peter Archdale for telling me of this valuable new resource.

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Any time you surf the Web, especially on genealogy sites, you may see items that were copied from some other source: a book, another Web site, or perhaps a reel of microfilm. When reading some of this material, it seems obvious to me that a few Web site owners are not familiar with copyright laws. Of course, ignorance is no defense in a court of law. If you are posting information on the Web or in any other public place, you need to know the law! Otherwise, you may receive an unpleasant legal document someday.

Many people justify their posting of copyrighted material by claiming that they have a right to do so. Here are some statements I hear or read occasionally:

There is one thing wrong with those three statements: they are all incorrect.

This week I was pleased to read an article on copyrights by Brad Templeton, Chairman of the Board of the EFF, the leading foundation protecting liberties and privacy in cyberspace. Brad is an expert in copyright law and other issues affecting online rights.

Templeton's article is written in easy-to-understand English, not in confusing legalese. While it does not address specific genealogy topics, everything he wrote applies to genealogy sites as well as to others. His article specifically addresses U.S. copyright laws.

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Joseph R. Klett, Chief of Archives at the New Jersey State Archives, released the following announcement this week:

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The following is an announcement from Brigham Young University's Division of Continuing Education:

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The Tulsa City-County Library's new Genealogy Center opened Friday morning at 29th and Harvard. The 5,500 square foot facility has a complete research collection and a whole staff devoted to helping folks research their family tree. There are quite a few records to sift through, including information on the five civilized tribes, the Oklahoma census, and Tulsa funeral home records.

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The following is an announcement from the International Commission for the Accreditation of Genealogists:

• Immigrants, Immigration, and the Records They Left Behind

• The Harold B. Lee Library: Hidden Treasurers for Professional Researchers

• Professional Development: Building, Maintaining, and Running a Professional Practice

• Becoming an ICAPGen Accredited Genealogist CM, Renewing, and More

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One item that caught my eye at the recent Federation of Genealogical Societies conference was a new children's book entitled, "One Tiny Twig." I have seen children's books about genealogy before, but this is the most professional-looking one that I have ever seen. I obtained a copy and brought it home.

"One Tiny Twig" is a story about Emily Twig, a girl who receives a family heirloom as a present on her fourteenth birthday. The heirloom had been passed from generation to generation of Twigs and Emily soon wondered, "Who were these people?" She and her grandfather embark on a search to find out more.

This book introduces the young reader to family heritage as well as to census records, tombstone rubbings, Ellis Island, family name changes, and more. It also encourages the reader to study history as it relates to people and their lives, not as a collection of dry facts in books. Illustrations by a highly-skilled artist accompany each page of text. I was especially delighted with the contagious way Emily’s excitement about her "detective work" came across. The story of "One Tiny Twig" should appeal to grammar school children. The older children will be able to read it themselves; younger ones will need a parent or grandparent's assistance.

I would rate this book as an A-plus for children. I don't award A-pluses very often, but this one deserves the top rating.

"One Tiny Twig" was written by Dan Rhema, and the illustrations were created by Michael Leonard. Both did excellent work in creating this innovative children's book. The book is available for $19.95 from Mesquite Tree Press at 502-262-5726.

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright has written her memoirs, "Madame Secretary." The book will be in stores within a few weeks. Albright says that the hardest parts of the book to write were her divorce and the discovery of her ancestry.

Albright, raised a Catholic, found out that she is fully Jewish, the child of Jewish parents and grandparents on all sides. "My parents were Czech, and they were protecting me because of the war," Albright said.

Subsequent to her discovery, she's been to Prague several times studying her genealogy, among other things.

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The steamship "Portland" set sail from Boston, Massachusetts, on November 26, 1898, primarily carrying Mainers returning to Portland after Thanksgiving. The forecast predicted stormy weather, but the 290-foot ship set off on its 100-mile journey anyway. The weather turned out to be more than just "stormy" as two storm systems collided, forming a devastating gale that destroyed boats and homes up and down the New England coast. The steamship "Portland" never arrived at in the city of Portland, Maine, its intended destination. It was presumed lost at sea with all 192 passengers lost. A few bodies washed ashore in the following days. The loss of the "Portland" remains the worst maritime disaster in New England history, though relatively little is known about it.

Recently researchers John Fish and Arnold Carr finally discovered the wreck of the "Portland" by tracing the trail of debris and bodies to a site between Gloucester and Provincetown, some 460 feet below the surface. Now they are investigating the wreckage by use of an automated underwater robot.

The expedition's lead investigator, Ben Cowie-Haskell, said no one will ever really know why the captain ignored the forecasts. But it's still important to learn as much as possible about what led this spot of ocean to become a mass grave, he said.

Scientists said the quarters of the Portland's mostly black crew are of particular interest. Among those killed were 30 to 40 blacks, making the wreck a huge loss for Portland's growing black community. The quarters, still believed to be intact in the bow, could yield important information about how the community lived in the late 19th century, Terrell said.

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- World's Oldest Woman Turns 116

A Japanese woman, believed to be the oldest person in the world, turned 116 this week. She was born in 1887, when Grover Cleveland was the President of the United States, and Japan was a country in the grips of revolutionary development in the Meiji Restoration. Kamato Hongo is recognized as the world's oldest living person by the Guinness Book of Records.

Kamato Hongo was born on the island of Amami-Oshima, part of a group of islands to the south of Japan's main islands. Mrs. Hongo grew up in a farming family. She married on the island and, with her husband, produced sugar cane - and four sons and three daughters. Among the big events in her life, she recalls the eruption in 1914 of Sakurajima, the active volcano that looms over Kagoshima and still occasionally smokes and belches ash over the city.

Then there were the wars that touched their lives. Her eldest sister's husband went to fight in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Japan's victory gave it a new confidence and set it on its military march. During World War II, although the island was never attacked, Mrs. Hongo's husband was part of the local defense forces. Her eldest son was drafted, only to return wounded.

When her husband died in 1964, Mrs. Hongo moved to Osaka, and in 1983 she came to live with her daughter, Kagoshima.

She doesn't eat much processed food," explains Kagoshima. "She prefers natural food. She also has a very sharp sense of taste. The other day, I gave her some new harvested rice. She told me it was delicious." She sometimes drinks coffee, but mainly green tea. She also used to drink two or three cups of herb wine, but now drinks only one.

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John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, spent his later years in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Chapman died on March 18, 1845, after a brief illness. What happened after that has become the subject of great debate.

Chapman's burial place is unknown although several possibilities exist. Now Steve Fortriede, the associate director of the Allen County Public Library, thinks that he knows. Fortriede updated his analysis in "Johnny Appleseed: The Man Behind the Myth," which was just revised and reprinted.

Fortriede's evidence is circumstantial but compelling. He believes that Johnny (Appleseed) Chapman is buried near the Chapman Memorial in what is now Johnny Appleseed Park.

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The burial location of Christopher Columbus has been debated for years. In the 500 years since his death, Columbus' remains have been moved so many times that today both Spain and the Dominican Republic claim to have them.

Columbus died in the Spanish city of Valladolid in 1509, and his body was initially buried in Spain. But his will requested he be buried on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (the modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti), and the explorer’s remains were taken there in 1537. In 1795 Spain lost the territory to France, and the Spanish government decided to move the remains to Cuba, where they stayed for just over 100 years. Political upheaval caused by the Spanish-American War in 1898 persuaded the authorities to send the remains back to Seville. At least, that’s how the story goes in Spain.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic offer a different story. They claim to have an urn that contains Christopher Columbus’ remains, an artifact discovered in 1877. According to the Dominicans, in 1795 the Spaniards took the wrong body: that of Columbus' son Diego, buried nearby.

Marcial Castro, a high school teacher, along with his college biology professor, Sergio al Garrada, and Jose Antonio Lorente, director of the University of Granada’s Genetic Identification Laboratory, have opened the tomb in Spain and obtained DNA samples.

An analysis is being made although results will not be available for some time.

So far, authorities in the Dominican Republic have refused to make the remains in the urn they hold available for DNA analysis.

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I expect to briefly announce new books every few weeks as announcements are received. Each book mentioned in this new section will be one that is newly published or perhaps is a significant new update of a book published some years ago. This listing is for books published on paper, not on CD-ROM or online. Prices mentioned typically do not include shipping or taxes. More detailed information is available at the Web sites or from the e-mail addresses given.

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