NEOhio Genealogy Blog

Act Now to Avoid Restrictions on Access to SSDI

2012-02-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

The genealogical community needs your help now! The Social Security Death Index is in peril. The press release below was released yesterday. Please visit http://wh.gov/khE and sign the petition. If you don’t have an account at WhiteHouse.gov, see the instructions at http://fgs.org/pdf/rpac_petition.pdf (opens in PDF). Also please pass this information on to your friends, family, fellow

Feb 13, 2012--Pennsylvania Vital Records Become More Accessible

2012-02-03T08:32:00.001-05:00

Many residents of Northeastern Ohio--like me--have ancestors who were born and/or died in Pennsylvania. Compared to Ohio, accessing birth and death records for ancestors in Pennsylvania has been something of a problem. There's light at the end of the tunnel in this situation. When Pennsylvania Vital Records Bill SB-361 (Act 110 of 2011) goes into effect law on February 13th, 2012 it will make

More Czech and Slovak Research Guidance

2012-02-02T14:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I posted information about the Czech/Slovak Research seminar being presented by John Sabol at Western Reserve Historical Society on March 31. Complete details are available at www.wrhs.org or click here. Today, I was reminded that the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society is going to have a presentation by Cynthia Smith entitled "Prague to Cleveland." In this presentation, Ms. Smith

Learning Opportunity: Finding Your Czech/Slovak Roots Coming on March 31.

2012-02-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

An all-day seminar for family history researchers with Czech and Slovak ancestry is being sponsored on Saturday, Mar 31, 2012 by the Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of the Western Reserve Historical Society. It will be held in the Norton Gallery of the Society's History Center at 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 4410. Seminar leader will be John T. Sabol, who will discuss research

Details on the Upcoming Season 3 of WDYTYA

2012-01-24T16:25:00.000-05:00

I guess I am playing catchup here. I announced on this blog in November that NBC was renewing the series, "Who Do You Think You Are" for a third season. But the announcement of who the featured subjects would be got by me earlier this month. I am providing the NBC press release in its entirety below. As you will see, there are twelve subjects listed in the news release, and the trailer provided

Senator Brown Responds to Concern about SSDI Restrictions

2012-01-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

In mid-December, I sent an email to my Senator, Sherrod Brown, expressing concern about his move to limit access to the Social Security Death Index. Yesterday, I received a reply from Sen. Brown explaining his beliefs on this matter. First some background: Brown and three other senators contacted Ancestry.com and other providers of the SSDI to genealogists and requested that they stop providing

Big Attendance at WRHS Free Research Day

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

I'm a little slow in posting this followup. The attendance at Western Reserve Historical Society for the free research day in the Research Center in honor of Martin Luther King this past Monday was very good. At one point during the afternoon, all the computer work stations were occupied. I worked with several patrons, and they generally made some good finds. The event was aimed at attracting

Free Research Day at Western Reserve Historical Society

2012-01-15T08:07:00.001-05:00

Hi Northeast Ohio Gen Researchers! I’m volunteering tomorrow at the Western Reserve Historical Society Research Center (the Library and Genealogy Center renamed) when there will be free admission from 10 am to 5 pm. (All-day parking only $5.) The occasion is Martin Luther King Day, but anyone is welcome to come on down. In preparation, you might want to access the Society’s revamped website,

Finding Your Roots TV Series To Start Mar. 25 on PBS

2012-01-13T17:44:00.000-05:00

The diverse American experience as it relates to race, culture, and identity is the focus of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Presented and written by renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the series continues the quest begun in African American Lives 1 and 2 and Faces of America and carries it to an entirely new level. Each hour of Finding Your Roots will feature two

How to Access Cuyahoga County Historical Marriage Indexes & Records Online

2012-01-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

Many of us with research interests in North East Ohio have utilized the Cuyahoga County Historical Marriage Index mounted on a database server called Courtview 2000. And as many of us discovered beginning about Jan 6, the Historical Marriage Index has gone “missing in action.” The common bookmark, www.probate.cuyahogacounty.us/ml/, now takes you to the Marriage License Registration page of the

CSI Episode Features Genealogical Research

2011-12-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

Series: 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'Episode Title: 'Genetic Disorder'Episode Number: 1210Synopsis: "When the body of a naked dead man is discovered by Dr. Robbins' wife in their master bedroom, it leads to a lot of questions for the CSI team."Original Airdate: December 14, 2011 Some of you may know that I’m a devotee of this program. I have watched every episode, either in real time or on a

RootsMagic 5: First Look at New Features

2011-11-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

This morning, I was surprised to learn that RootsMagic has introduced Version 5. I have been using RootsMagic 4 for some time now and am generally pleased with its features. I had no idea that introduction of Version 5 was imminent. In fact, I learned about the new version being available when I ordered a copy of RootsMagic 4 for a client. Version 5 is what is shipping now. I went ahead and

WRHS Launches New, More User-Friendly Website

2011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

Many changes are underway at Western Reserve Historical Society. We've noted the construction underway in the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum in an earlier posting. Also, several new people have joined the staff at the Society.Another change--one that is especially welcome to genealogists and family historians--is the society’s new website. Here’s the official statement about this development:

Social Security Death Index Under Attack

2011-11-25T07:41:00.000-05:00

Now it's the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) that is under attack by legislators. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that federal legislators have introduced legislation to block our access to the SSDI. (Note: In following this story, keep in mind that the Social Security Administration maintains what it calls the Death Master File. This is released to genealogy database providers like Ancestry,

Adding Family Health History to Your Family Tree

2011-11-23T07:09:00.001-05:00

Did you catch the article, "Exploring your health roots," in yesterday's Cleveland Plain Dealter? In it, PD Reporter Evelyn Theiss strongly suggests that the holiday season that starts tomorrow "is a good time to create a family tree that looks at relatives' medical histories." The article also is available online here. In this connection, I'd like to point out a resource that is readily

Honoring Your Ancestors in Century Families of Ohio

2011-11-23T06:28:00.000-05:00

Have you considered honoring your 20th century immigrant ancestors who came to Ohio before 2011 by filing an application to the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Century Families of Ohio Society? By now you probably are aware that OGS is holding its 2012 annual conference in Cleveland next spring, April 12-14, to be exact, at the Hotel Intercontinental on the campus of the Cleveland Clinic. If you

News Flash: MyHeritage Acquires FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com

2011-11-22T08:49:00.002-05:00

The news release below was just issued this morning: MyHeritage Acquires FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com Significant move into US and addition of historical content mark major evolution for world's most popular online family network PROVO, Utah & LONDON, UK & TEL AVIV, Israel-- MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, announced today the acquisition of FamilyLink.com, Inc.

NBC Announces Third Season for WDYTYA

2011-11-21T17:58:00.000-05:00

There was an item of interest to genealogists and family historians buried in the announcement a couple of days ago with the headline: NBC UNVEILS NEW MID-SEASON 2012 SCHEDULEThe item of interest is in this detail for Friday programming: The returning series "Who Do You Think You Are?" makes its season debut on Friday 3 (8-9 p.m.). "Chuck" will have its two-hour finale on January 27th (8-10 p.m

An Important Annoucement About the 1940 Census

2011-11-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

I have been preparing for researching in the 1940 U.S. Census when it is made available on 2 Apr 2012. And I have given one talk about this preparation, and I am scheduled to give another talk to the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society at its February meeting and present a workshop for the Genealogical Committee of the Western Reserve Historical Society on the first Saturday in March, 2012. We

Dick Eastman on Maine Outhouses I Have Known

2011-10-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

At the Ohio Genealogical Society's Fall Conference on Oct 1, Dick Eastman presented three serious presentations on subjects of interest to genealogists (see my previous posts) and one humorous talk for family historians. Here is a report on that talk: Maine Outhouses I Have KnownSubstituting for Dick Eastman in this presentation was Mr. Harry Eastman, Dick's "uncle," outfitted in overalls,

Dick Eastman on Wikis for Genealogy

2011-10-18T17:09:00.000-04:00

One of Dick Eastman's presentations at the Ohio Genealogical Society Fall Seminar (01 Oct 2011) covered the topic of Wikis for Genealogy. Here is a brief overview of that presentation. What is a Wiki? According to www.dictionary.com, it is defined as a web site that allows anyone to add, delete, or revise content by using a web browser. A wiki is a publishing system. A wiki can be used to

OGS Gen Boot Camp Was Success

2011-10-16T16:19:00.001-04:00

Yesterday (Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011), I attended the OGS Genealogy Book Camp at Camp Isaly, aka the OGS Library in Bellville. I served as a "civilian advisor" to attendees who were learning genealogy in a military setting during the all-day session. The boot camp staff included Drill Instructor Margaret Chaney, Master Sargent Jean Barnes, and Battlion Leaders Sue Zacharias, Dot Martin, and Marlene

Dick Eastman on Sharing Information

2011-10-15T17:02:00.000-04:00

Here is another report on the OGS Fall Seminar featuring Dick Eastman (my first blog posting about Eastman's presentations was dated 04 Oct 2011 and covered his talk on the Organized Genealogist). The following is on his presentation on sharing information. In this presentation, Dick Eastman had two primary areas of focus: 1. Making sure that your data is still readable by future generations. 2

FamilySearch to Launch 1940 Census Indexing Effort on Apr 2, 2012

2011-10-11T07:44:00.002-04:00

FamilySearch has issued a news release about the 1940 Census and its efforts to provide an index. It says, in part: "On April 2, 2012, NARA will provide access to the images of the 1940 United States Federal Census for the first time. Unlike previous census years, images of the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be made available as free digital images. "Upon its release, FamilySearch and its

Photography Seminar To Be at WRHS Oct 29

2011-10-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

The history of photography, types of photos, and the preservation of photographs will be the topics discussed at a Photography Seminar on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Western Reserve Historical Society. The seminar will run from 9 a.m. to noon.Presenters are Dr. John Grabowski and Margaret Burzynski-Bays, of the WRHS staff. Their presentations will be aimed at family historians. They invite you to bring

Dick Eastman on Keeping Up with Technology

2011-10-04T17:52:00.000-04:00

I traveled last Saturday to Bellville, Ohio, to attend the 2011 Ohio Genealogical Society Fall Seminar, which featured Dick Eastman lecturing on “Keeping Up with Technology.”He gave four presentations to about 85 members and guests. To accommodate the crowd, OGS arranged to hold the conference at Citi Church, about a half a mile from the OGS Library and headquarters.Eastman’s first presentation

Learn Genealogy in a Military Setting at the OGS Genealogy Boot Camp

2011-10-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Oct. 15, OGS drill instructors will provide basic training for enlistees—both new and experienced—in genealogy during a day-long (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Genealogy Boot Camp at Camp Isaly, 611 State Route 97 W, Bellville, Ohio. This should be interesting. I'm told the Boot Camp components include Basics of Genealogy, Census Research, and Using the Internet for Genealogy. There also will

Attending Oktoberfest 2011 and Thoughts about German Genealogy

2011-09-03T11:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my wife and I attended the opening day of The Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest (http://clevelandoktoberfest.com/) at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea. We enjoyed ourselves watching ethnic dance groups, visiting with vendors, and eating brats and potato pancakes (with some beer, of course). One of the highlights was the hourly

This Blog Is Now Included on Genealogyblog Listing

2011-09-03T09:36:00.001-04:00

NEOhio Genealogy Blog is now among the more than 1,900 blogs having to do with genealogy listed on "Geneabloggers, the genealogy community's resource for genealogy blogs." Go to http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-blogs/ to check it out. Hopefully, this will help spread the word about what's going on in genealogy in Northeastern Ohio and the Western Reserve.

Changes at Western Reserve Historical Society Don't Affect Genealogy Center

2011-09-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

The WRHS website (www.wrhs.org) currently offers this cautionary note for people planning a visit to its University Circle complex: “Please note that the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection galleries will close Monday, September 5, in preparation for a major renovation of the entire Crawford exhibit area. The Crawford galleries are scheduled to reopen in September 2012. All remaining areas of the

New Editor to Take Reins of Ohio Genealogy News in 2012

2011-08-31T22:56:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Sunny McClellan Morton! She has been selected as the next editor of the Ohio Genealogy News. She will replace Debra Cyprych and Jennifer Hershberger as editor on January 1, 2012. Cyprych and Hershberger have held the co-editorship for the past five years. Sunny writes a regular column and frequent features for Family Tree Magazine and she is the author of My Life & Times:

Ancestry.com Offers Free Week of Access to Immigration Records

2011-08-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

The following announcement was released by Ancestry.com:Week of Free Access Enables Families to Discover Stories of Ancestors’ International Travels and Passage PROVO, UTAH – (August 29, 2011) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced an entire week of free access to its popular U.S. and International Immigration and Naturalization records. The free

Theory Offered in Case of Headstone Mystery in Lorain

2011-08-29T08:41:00.008-04:00

I live in Brecksville in Cuyahoga County, about 40 miles from West 23 Street in Lorain in the next county, which has the same name. With the power of the Internet, I learned about a mystery surrounding a headstone found in a backyard in Lorain—and I was able to follow developments in the story--all without leaving the comfort of my home office. I first learned about the mystery from an email from

Online Genealogical Resource on the Firelands

2011-08-28T06:42:00.000-04:00

I just became aware of the website, "Firelands History Website," at http://firelands.wordpress.com/. The creator, David W. Barton, writes in his welcome message: “Sufferers’ Land.” “Firelands.” These evocative and descriptive phrases refer to a region in northern Ohio set aside by the state of Connecticut for “Sufferers” burned out of their homes by the British during the American Revolution.

News Flash: Footnote Is Refocusing; New Name Is Fold3

2011-08-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

Today the website formerly known as Footnote.com announced the intention to create the finest and most comprehensive collection of U.S. Military records available on the Internet. In the process, the website will become known as Fold3. The official announcement continues: Footnote Gets Focused This announcement isn’t a complete change from what we’ve been doing. Some of our best and most

Learning European Geography the Easy Way

2011-07-24T11:43:00.001-04:00

I make no secret of the fact that I read detective and spy novels. Most of the time I am reading one novel while I have another on hand waiting to be read. Using this system, if I grow tired of the one I am reading--and sometimes I do--I can readily switch to the second one, and keep myself entertained. Recently, I discovered the spy novels by Alan Furst. Beginning in 1988, and continuing

More Advanced Technology for Marking Grave Sites

2011-07-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I posted a report of a geocaching trip that took me, my son, and my grandson to the three cemeteries here in Brecksville, and how the creator of the trip served up a bit of history and genealogy along the way. For that effort, I used my Garmin Etrex Legend GPS unit, which is now about nine years old. I hadn't used it for some time, and had to spend some time getting re-acquainted with

Geocaching and Genealogy in Brecksville on the 4th

2011-07-04T21:01:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I went geocaching in Brecksville and acquired some knowledge of local genealogy as well. I had stumbled on the "Brecksville Bicentennial Cemetery Tour" created by RexC & The Girls on 23 Jun 2011. I downloaded the description of the "tour" and entered the first longitude-latitude data in my hand-held Garmin Etrex Legend. Then I set off with my son and grandson to take the tour. Actually

Learning about Using the 1940 Census

2011-06-30T09:05:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest announcement from Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub of One-Step Research fame about using the 1940 Census when it becomes available next Spring: "In less than 10 months the 1940 US Population Schedules will become public. It will not be name indexed, so it will be necessary to do an address search in order to find families. Address searching involves knowing the ED (

History Detectives Launches New Season

2011-06-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

Well, I caught the second episode of History Detectives last night (Tuesday, June 28). I happened to discover it by chance while flipping through the show guide on my Time-Warner cable box. This morning, when I decided to check out the website for the series (http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/), I learned that the current season launched a week ago. My bad. The new episode involved a

Bedford Historical Society Has Resources for Genealogists

2011-06-28T13:02:00.000-04:00

Last evening, I paid a visit to the Bedford Historical Society in Bedford, Ohio. My objective was genealogical in nature, but before we get into that, here is some background info offered by the organization's website: "The Bedford Historical Society was founded in 1955 to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Bedford, Bedford Township, and portions of the Western Reserve. "It is

Brecksville Bicentennial Recognizes Pioneer Families

2011-06-26T23:00:00.003-04:00

Well, this project is over and it was a lot of fun. I met many descendents of the Brecksville Pioneer Families who came to the four-day Brecksville Home Days on June 23-26. It was enjoyable to put faces with names as we registered those descendents who attended and presented them with Pioneer Families ribbons. Many of the families held reunions during the Home Days celebration, with family

Neel: Welcome to the Dead People's Society

2011-06-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

That was the provocative title of the talk given by Tom Neel at the annual dinner of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society last evening (Monday, 13 Jun, 2011). Neel is the library director of the Ohio Genealogical Society, and he was sharing some of the fruits of his many years of research into the death records of his ancestors. Of course, he talked about the usual sources of death

New Woodland Cemetery Monument to Honor Black CW Veterans

2011-06-14T08:28:00.000-04:00

I learned some Civil War history this morning (14 Jun 2011) while reading an article on the front page of the Metro section of The Plain Dealer. First of all, I learned that many African-Americans from Cleveland served in the Union Army during the Civil War. And that most had to go to Massachusetts to volunteer, because Ohio didn't have any black regiments until later in the war. I also

Display the Stars and Stripes on Flag Day (June 14)

2011-06-14T07:52:00.000-04:00

Today is Flag Day. It's not a holiday where we get a day off from work, or have picnics, or go to special sales. It's just a day to honor the symbol of our country -- the U.S. Flag. June 14 became Flag Day in 1916 but it didn't receive an official Congressional designation until 1949, making it one of our newer observances. It's a day that we all should fly our national flag. It's appropriate on

The Book of Mormon Wins Tony Awards

2011-06-13T10:54:00.001-04:00

I was amazed to learn while watching the Tony Awards special on CBS last evening that there was a new musical on Broadway called "The Book of Mormon." I was even more amazed to see the number of awards it garnered during the program, including the big one: Best Musical. “The Book of Mormon” also collected Tony statuettes for original score, book, orchestrations, set design, sound design,

Five Things You Need to Know About Memorial Day

2011-05-30T07:08:00.001-04:00

When I opened my browser this morning--Google Chrome, set to Google News--the item at the top of the list was "Five Things You Need to Know about Memorial Day." This very well-written item was published on the Internet by the MoorestownPatch, an Internet-based news service covering news and events in Moorestown, New Jersey (there also is a BrecksvillePatch). One important thing that I learned

Nordic Novels Provide Insight Into Swedish and Finnish Culture

2011-05-29T21:24:00.000-04:00

I like to read detective novels. I read most of the better-known American authors as soon as I can borrow their books from the library, which often means waiting for them after requesting them online. When I first heard about the Swedish novels in Stieg Larsson's best-selling "Millennium" trilogy, I turned to reading about crime-solving in Sweden with great interest--along with thousands of

Features of FamilySearch Explained

2011-05-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday, I drove out to Painesville's Morley Library for the monthly meeting the the Lake County Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society. The attraction: a presentation by Alan Rabe on www.familysearch.org. It was well worth the 45-min drive. Alan is the area director for the Family History Centers of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. That's not his day job; he took time off work to

Tip: Use Notepad when Composing Story for Tree on Ancestry.com

2011-05-29T07:49:00.000-04:00

I often use Wordpad when I'm working with the "Add a Story" feature on a Family Tree at Ancestry.com (or to compose a new post for this blog). Wordpad opens faster on my computer than Word, and speed is welcomed whenever I'm working to get a piece written and uploaded. Also, Notepad doesn't impose any formating on what I am composing. The latter feature is particularly important when I am

Keep Your Eyes Open When Researching

2011-05-25T09:45:00.002-04:00

Today, I was reminded of an Aha Moment that occurred in my genealogical research more than 10 years ago. I was checking the Cuyahoga County Historical Marriage License Index (available online at http://probate.cuyahogacounty.us/ml/) for my daughter's first marriage. Sure enough, it showed up as one of the results. The surprise was that another result also showed up: my aunt Wilma Huskonen. She

Oops! Missed the VH1 Episode of 50 Cent's Family History Journey Last Night

2011-05-25T07:23:00.000-04:00

I knew ahead of time about the family history-oriented episode on the rock channel VH! featuring rapper 50 Cent. BUT, I forgot that it was last night. Anyway, I was watching a fascinating documentary on WVIZ (Channel 2 on Time-Warner Cable) about the history of the Cleveland Clinic. I was reminded of my oversight this morning when I opened my email and read the latest issue of "Genealogy Insider

WRHS Receives $12 Million Bequest

2011-05-24T08:52:00.000-04:00

As a member of the Western Reserve Historical Society, I was pleased to see the front-page news report in today's (Tuesday, 24 May 2011) Cleveland Plain Dealer that it would receive more than $12 million from the estate of Kay Crawford. Mrs. Crawford was the widow of Frederick C. Crawford, an avid car and plane collector, and president of Thompson Products that later became TRW. Fred Crawford

President Obama's Irish Roots

2011-05-23T12:19:00.000-04:00

It is a feel-good story involving genealogy and family history.The Internet featured a flood of news reports about the visit President Barack Obama paid today (Monday 23 May 2011) to the small Irish village of Moneygall, in south-central Ireland. It was the home village of his great-great-great grandfather Falmouth Kearney, a shoemaker before he emigrated to America. The stories of this

New Computer Up and Running with Windows 7

2011-05-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

I have spent this past week selecting, buying, and installing a new Dell computer with Windows7. The transfer of existing data files from my 7-year-old PC went smoothly, although it took some time. Restoring the software, however, was a separate process and was pretty intense, partly because I had to find the original program discs or downloads as the first step. As it turned out, some of

Week-Long Gen Ed Program Coming to Pittsburgh in 2012

2011-05-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

The formation of GRIP, the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, was announced recently, and a website launched at http://www.gripitt.org/. Planning now underway calls for a week-long program of genealogical courses beginning Sunday, July 22, 2012 and running through Friday, July 27, 2012. The event is scheduled to take place at LaRoche College, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA

Keeping Your Passwords Safely in the Cloud with IronStratus--for Free

2011-05-08T12:51:00.000-04:00

I think I have found an answer to dealing with the plethora of passwords that I use to access my various Internet accounts, social networks, subscriptions, etc. I have a password database program on my laptop and desktop computers, and I have managed pretty well to synchronize them so that they have the same information. However, the other day I wanted to sign in to a online database from a

My Five Minutes of On-line Fame

2011-05-07T08:34:00.000-04:00

This morning (Saturday, May 7) I am featured in Brecksville Patch, an on-line daily news service covering news and events in my hometown of Brecksville. The reason: I am conducting a free genealogy workshop at the Brecksville Human Services Center on Wednesdays, 1-3 pm through June 8. We utilize the three public access computers at the center to create online family trees for participants. So

Typing European Names Containing Diacritical or Accent Marks

2011-05-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

The other day I wanted to type Finnish surnames accurately into an e-mail message. The Finnish alphabet has two letters with diacritical or accent marks: ä and ö (also the upper case versions: Ä and Ö). I was working in my e-mail client Outlook 2003 and there was no way to insert these characters as there is in Word 2003 (using the drop-down “insert symbol” table). Finally, I remembered that

Bin Laden's DNA

2011-05-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

For the second day in a row, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's main newspaper, devoted its first page to coverage of the tracking down and killing of Osama Bin Laden. As I scanned the front page of today's (Tuesday, May 3, 2011) edition, I was attracted to one headline among the list of articles inside: "A DNA Match. Details on page A9." I immediately turned to this article inside the 10 pages of "

Cleveland Public Library's Digital Gallery Offers Local, Historic Maps Online

2011-05-03T01:45:00.000-04:00

At the May meeting of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society tonight, I learned about the map digitization effort underway at the Cleveland Public Library's Map Department. Tom Edwards was the featured presenter at the meeting. He is the map librarian for CPL, where he had been employed for some 20 years. Edwards presented an overview of the different types of historic maps and discussed

Using Maps in Genealogical Research

2011-04-29T08:57:00.000-04:00

Genealogists have always been fascinated by historic maps. In some cases, they actually show names of ancestors and where they lived. In all cases, they present a picture of a locality and its geographical details, which can be important in understanding the life and times of ancestors. Locally, genealogists have a couple of opportunities during the coming week to learn what maps are available

Annual Conference at Westlake LDS Family History Center.

2011-04-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I plan to attend the annual Genealogy Conference (free) offered by the LDS Family History Center in Westlake from 8:30 am to 2 pm. This year's theme is "FamilySearch on the Internet." Speakers will be Deborah Abbott, Larry Boulden, Casandra Brown, Betty Franklin, Diana Crisman Smith, Gary M. Smith, Gary Teaman, and Marti Halliday. The advance publicity states that the program will

2011-04-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

I signed up today to be notified about the beta launch of YouWho.com, a website that bills itself as "The Next Generation in Family History Services." It claims it will "be a new kind of family history site: a place where the focus is on people—a place to discover who you are. youwho is making it faster, easier, and more enjoyable to connect to your roots." On the YouWho.com website, there is

Courteney Cox to Appear on Next Year's WDYTA?

2011-04-13T08:03:00.000-04:00

"Cougar Town" star Courteney Cox may appear in a future episode of NBC's "Who do you Think you are?" Several genealogy bloggers are reporting that Courteney has revealed that she was invited to be on the show by her former "Friends" co-star Lisa Kudrow who serves as one of the show executive producers. “Lisa asked me to be on it; apparently they’ve found something in my family history, which

Road Tax Plan in Avon Similar to Taxing to Pave Local Roads in 1920s

2011-04-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

This morning's Cleveland Plain Dealer (12 Apr 2011) has an article about how the city of Avon in Lorain County plans to tax local landowners to finance the building of an interchange on I-90 at Nagel Road. The tax plan is based on the theory is that these landowners will benefit from a boost in land values when the interchange is completed. The article reports that many of these landowners are

CCPL Mobile App Downloaded and Working

2011-04-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, folks, I did download the mobile app for the Cuyahoga County Library System yesterday, and it appears to be working. I used it to check the status of a couple of books that I have requested from CCPL. I'm looking forward to using the app to check out the books when they are available to me. This morning, CCPL sent out this news release to subscribers via e-mail: Cuyahoga County Public

The Welsh Are Coming, The Welsh Are Coming

2011-04-12T08:27:00.000-04:00

We've just learned that the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, which puts on the National Festival of Wales each year on Labor Day in a different part of the country, is coming to Cleveland this year. As part of the festival programming, the organization will be offering four genealogy seminars under the heading of "Tracing Your Welsh Ancestors." The presenter is Darris Williams who is

Genealogy Work Session in Brecksville

2011-04-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

This week, I will be conducting a free Wednesday Genealogy Work Session at the Brecksville Human Services Center between 1 and 3 pm, the first of a series. I floated the idea for this activity a few weeks ago with Ted Lux, Human Services Director. He thought it was a great idea. This past Wednesday, I conducted a trial work session with him and constructed a Lux Family Tree on Ancestry.com. He

Cuyahoga County Library System Goes Mobile

2011-04-10T20:41:00.000-04:00

Here is a great local development for those of us who use the Cuyahoga County Library System and smart phones--described in a news release from CCPL: "During the week of April 11th we will be launching CCPL Mobile, an exciting new mobile app that will enhance our customers’ user experience and take our efforts to be the most convenient public library in the nation to the next level. With CCPL

Civil War in the News

2011-04-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

Did you catch the front-page article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer today? Brian Albrecht, staff reporter, wrote the article "From Generals to Soldiers, Ohioans Played Huge Role." Oh yes, the article appears with the tagline: Civil War:150th Anniversary (apparently we will see more coverage of the Susquecentennial).The article begins with a note about the carnage at Gettysburg, Pa., in 1863 when

Research Your Civil War Ancestors

2011-04-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ancestry.com is granting free access to its Civil War Research databases from today (Apr 7) through Thursday, Apr 14. You don't have to be a subscriber to do this research.Simply go to Ancestry.com and click on the "Search Now" button in the 150th Anniversary Box.With this acccess, you can view additional Civil War era documents, like Confederate Soldiers Compiled Services Records and Union

Survey about Internet and Libraries, Repositories

2011-04-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Today I took a survey being conducted over the mail list of the Association of Professional Genealogists.The purpose of the survey was to learn how Internet access impacts the way genealogists conduct family history research. The survey was created by Jennifer Land, a PhD candidate and a genealogist.Jennifer will use the survey as the basis of a dissertation: "From Gravestones to Google:

Military Records of 20th Century Ancestors

2011-04-04T11:05:00.000-04:00

Tonight I am scheduled to make a presentation at the April meeting of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society, chapter of Ohio Genealogical Society. My topic: "Researching Your 20th Century Military Ancestors." I am going to present what researchers can learn about ancestors who served in WWI, WWII, the Korean Conflict, and the Viet Nam Conflict, using resources available on the Internet. One

Membership in Century Families of Ohio

2011-04-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

Tonight, at a dinner at the Ohio Genealogical Conference, I was inducted into the Ohio Genealogical Society's brand-new Century Families of Ohio, a lineage program to honor ancestors who had lived in Ohio at least 100 years ago and back to 1851. I wanted to file the application for this program because it gave me the opportunity to honor my paternal ancestors, Evert Huuskonen and Ida Maria

OGS Conference Workshops Provide Intensive Learning Opportunities

2011-02-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

When I attend OGS conferences, I usually take in one or more workshops, which traditionally have been held on the Thursday before the regular programming takes place on Friday and Saturday. I looked over the workshops being offered for 2011 and have selected two to attend: those being offered by Lisa Louise Cook and Mark Lowe. Here is the complete news release describing the 2011 workshops:

FamilySearch Head to Deliver Keynote Address at OGS 2011 Conference

2011-02-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

The following news release has been issued by the Ohio Genealogical Society: Ohio genealogists should be looking forward to the kick-off presentation at the Ohio Genealogical Society’s 2011 Conference. “We welcome David E. Rencher from FamilySearch as our keynote speaker on Friday morning,” explains OGS President Sunda Anderson Peters. The 2011 Annual Conference will be held March 31 to April 2,

I Have an Aha Moment: My Wife and I Have a Common Ancestor

2011-01-20T22:44:00.000-05:00

I was working on my wife's genealogy on Ancestry.com today and I had an "aha moment" when I discovered we had a common ancestor. Here's how it happened: I was looking at her pedigree on Ancestry, and going back generation by generation into 17th century Massachusetts. She comes mostly from Dutch ancestry on her father's side and mostly German on her mother's side, so we hadn't paid much

Ohio Genealogical Society Heads to Columbus for 2011 Conference

2010-12-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Annual Conference of the Ohio Genealogical Society will be held March 31 to April 2, 2011, at The Hyatt on Capitol Square, in Columbus under the theme “Genealogy through the Centuries.” OGS President Sunda Anderson Peters predicts that “This year’s conference should be of high interest to our membership. Our inaugural class into the society’s new lineage society, Century Families of Ohio

Ohio Genealogical Society Dedicates New Samuel D. Isaly Library

2010-07-23T21:26:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Genealogical Society dedicated its new 19,000-square-foot family history research library in Bellville, Ohio with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, July 23rd. About 120 family historians from around Ohio came to Bellville for the dedication. A highlight was the cutting of the ribbon by Samuel D. Isaly of Mansfield’s Isaly Dairy family. The new library bears his name. Founded in 1959

Learning About Using the Internet Safely

2009-10-02T09:17:00.000-04:00

I have collected large files of information about Internet safety and about protecting my identity, and I use Norton 360 and a couple of other programs to protect three computers on my home network against intruders, but I am always interested in learning more about these two subjects that are so important today.Expecting to learn more, I am looking forward to the Monday evening (5 Oct) meeting

Finding Family on Footnote

2009-10-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

I have put the finishing touches on my PowerPoint presenation on "Finding Family on Footnote.com" for the upcoming Tri-C GO Genealogy Seminar at Western Reserve Historical Society on Saturday, 24 Oct. After discussing the features of Footnote.com of interest to NEOhio genealogists, I hope to go online to actually demonstrate typical searches, using databases with information about Clevelanders,

Complete Program for 2009 Tri-C GO Genealogy Conference

2009-09-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm proud to announce that I am a presenter at the upcoming Tri-C GO Seminar. Here is the news release:On Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, the Cuyahoga County Council of Genealogical Organizations (Tri-C GO) will hold its 2009 all-day Genealogy Seminar at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, with the theme of “Finding Your Ancestors Using New and Time-Tested Resources.” A registration

Historical Marker for Erie Street Cemetery, Cleveland

2009-09-30T09:38:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Cemetery Alliance is holding a dedication of the Eire Street Cemetery Ohio Historical Marker on Saturday, October 3rd at 1 P.M. OCA members and guests are invited.Dr. John Grabowski, Case Western Reserve University history professor and Western Reserve Historical Society vice president-collections will offer historic commentary. Following the formal dedication, brief tours of the

Learning about Military Records Is Focus of the OGS Fall Seminar on Oct. 3

2009-09-28T07:10:00.000-04:00

There is still time to register for the Ohio Genealogical Society Fall Conference on military records on Saturday, Oct. 3. The society has lined up three speakers who know their subjects well. I have heard them speak before.Eric Johnson, Lois Lambert, and Marjorie Waterfield will be the keynote speakers at the Ohio Genealogical Society’s Fall Seminar on “Researching Military Records in Ohio”.

Construction Progress at OGS New Library Posted Online

2009-09-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Are you aware that you can follow construction progress on the new Library building for the Ohio Genealogical Society in Bellville, OH? The steel trusses were erected recently, which means that the roof will be added shortly and the building will be enclosed before winter. That's good news, because it means that construction is on schedule for a Grand Opening by mid-2010.To check progress, simply

WRHS Genealogy Center Seminar: Land, Maps, and Migration Patterns

2009-09-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

In an upcoming Western Reserve Historical Society Genealogical Institute class, John Dailey will present an intermediate level class on “Land, Maps, and Migration Patterns.” A retired surveyor, John brings his wealth of professional experience to his presentations, as well as a deep interest in the history of our region.The 3-hr class is at noon on 26 Sep at WRHS, 10825 East Boulevard, Cleveland,

Ohio Genealogical Society Schedules Groundbreaking for Its New Library on 29 May

2009-05-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Genealogical Society will break ground for its new library and headquarters in Bellville, Ohio, on Friday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m.For several years, OGS has been raising funds to build a library designed to facilitate genealogical research by its members and visitors, and to assure preservation of irreplaceable records of interest to genealogists. The new library building with floor space

Food for Thought on Source Citations

2009-04-23T17:05:00.000-04:00

The following news release calls attention to new thinking on source citations that would make this process easier on us as genealogists."Phoenix, AZ – April 20, 2009. Every genealogist and family historian from beginner to professional will at some time confront the issue of source citations. Although great advances have been made in recent years to standardize and simplify citations, it is

Learn Ways to Share Your Family History

2009-04-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

Have you wondered how you can share some of the results of your family history research with cousins and other relatives? On Saturday, Apr 25, at the Western Reserve Historical Society a panel of experts will provide you with some answers in a seminar entitled "Out of the Showbox! Sharing Your Family History." Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.The panel will discuss a variety of ways to share

Win Some Green! Write about Your Western Reserve Ancestors

2009-04-15T22:47:00.000-04:00

The Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of the Western Reserve Historical Society, has announced a writing competition.The entry should be about a Western Reserve ancestor or ancestral family who lived in the Western Reserve. The present-day counties that were formed within the territory known as the Western Reserve are Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and

Jean Barnes Honored with OGS Fellow Award

2009-04-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

At its annual convention, the Ohio Genealogical Society honors individuals who provided valuable service to the Society and to the field of genealogy over and above the job to which they were elected or appointed, through: volunteer work, special projects, or their expertise or skill in accomplishing a goal for the Society.At its 2009 Conference, OGS conferred this honor on Jean Barnes, a

OGS Lineage Societies Induct Large "Classes"

2009-04-04T23:01:00.000-04:00

A highlight for many attendees attending an Ohio Genealogical Society conference is being inducted into one of the Society’s three lineage societies: First Families of Ohio, Society of Civil War Families of Ohio, and Settlers and Builders of Ohio. The 2009 conference demonstrated that there is continued high interest in qualifying for the three societies. All three inducted large "classes."If you

OGS Seeks Bids for New Library and HQ

2009-04-04T22:15:00.000-04:00

At the Annual OGS Business Meeting and Luncheon, Ohio Genealogical Society President Paul Morehouse and Fund Development Chairman Ted Minier talked about the ongoing process for the new OGS Library. With the necessary funds now in hand, the Society has distributed bid requests to potential contractors. Bids will be reviewed mid-April and a contract will be awarded shortly thereafter. The plan is

OGS Celebrates 50th Anniversary at Annual Conference

2009-04-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

The Ohio Genealogical Society is holding another state conference in an annual series that began in 1962. This one is special because it also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the Society in 1959. The conference is organized under the theme, “Finding Genealogical Gold in the Streams of History,” and featured over 60 lectures, workshops, and programs of interest to

Free Family History Seminar

2009-03-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

The Westlake Family History Center at 25000 Westwood Road, Westlake, OH, is sponsoring a free genealogy conference on Saturday, 25 Apr 2009 from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. This multi-track conference will include a workshop for those new to genealogy, plus a full slate of in-depth seminars for more experienced attendees. See the flyer and registration information here. Please register by April 17.

Free Genealogy "Lock-in" at Hudson Library, evening of 15 Feb 2008

2008-02-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

We've just learned that the next meeting of the Hudson Genealogy Study Group will be an after library hours activity Friday February 15th from 5 to 11 p.m. Such activities often are called "lock-ins." This event will be at the Hudson Library & Historical Society, 96 Library Street, Hudson, Ohio.Attendees will be able to do computer research and access the archives collection during this time.

Ancestry Adds Four Ohio Databases

2008-02-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

Ancestry.com has added several databases that may interest Ohio researchers. With the Ancestry search engine, any hits should turn up in a personal search for ancestors in the 18th and 19th centuries. The databases are:Ohio Cemetery RecordsOhio MarriagesOhio Source RecordsOhio Valley GenealogiesThe above are links to the search form from each database. Remember that Ancestry.com is a subscription