Using Maps in Genealogical Research

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 and how to use them in their research.

On Monday, May 2, the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society will learn about "Locating Important Homes by Using All Sorts of Maps," from Tom Edwards, map librarian, at the Cleveland Public Library. He plans to show attendees how the CPL's Map Room can unlock any mysteries surrounding the location of ancestral home sites. I have used the CPL Map Room and I know it has a extensive collection of U.S. and foreign maps, domestic and military, that can provide important information to a genealogical research project. Guests are welcome at CVGS meetings, which are held at 7 p.m. in the Independence Civic Center, Independence, Ohio.

On Saturday, May 7, from noon to 3 p.m., the Western Reserve Historical Society Genealogical Committee is offering "Using Land Records and Maps In Genealogical Research," which includes demonstrating and explaining the importance of land records in genealogical research and identifying some sources available, both in hard copy and online. This seminar will be presented by Gen. Committee member, John Dailey, retired  Chief Surveyor, later Vice President of Wheeler and Melena, Inc. A registration fee is required. Questions? Contact Kathryn at foxreinhardt@usa.net.

Annual Conference at Westlake LDS Family History Center.

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 cover a wide range of Internet and other topics. I know most of the speakers and they always have something interesting to say.


See the details and registration info here.

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 only the above information, along with the news that YouWho Inc. has raised $5 million. The site points to a news report on TechCrunch.com with the following report:


"Youwho, an Internet startup very much in stealth mode, has secured $5 million in funding, an SEC filing reveals.

"We don’t know anything about the startup whatsoever at this point, apart from what we were able to piece together from a couple of Internet searches:

"- One of the co-founders is Andre Brummer, former SVP Product at MyFamily.com. [This means to me that there is a very experienced hand at the helm of the new company.]

"- Its logo, tagline and this trademark filing (“providing an on-line searchable database in the field of genealogy and family history”) suggest it has something to do with mapping your family tree in order to find out ‘who you are’ (also see:Geni, Ancestry.com, MyHeritage and others)

"- The SEC filing includes the name Barry Eggers, co-founder and managing director ofLightspeed Venture Partners, but we’re not sure if other investors participated in the round.

"We’ve contacted the company to learn more, and will update here or when they launch."


The company also is advertising for database programmers.


How exactly will YouWho.com differentiate itself from Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, WorldVitalRecords, etc? 

Courteney Cox to Appear on Next Year's WDYTA?

"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 they won’t tell me because they like to surprise the person. It’s an amazing show…”

Once again we hear about "surprise the person," which apparently is a key element in the planning and production process for the WDYTYA producers.
 
Reading this today brought to mind the article in the Spring 2010 edition of American Ancestors, the quarterly magazine from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. In that edition, Joshua Taylor and Gary Boyd Roberts wrote about their research in preparation for the appearances of Sarah Jessica Parker and Brooke Shields respectively on the show during the 2010 season of WDYTYA. In both cases, the NEHGS researchers had to withhold information from their subjects until camera crews were recording the reactions of the subjects as they revealed their research results.

So, even though the subjects are seasoned performers, and probably could act surprised when a new fact is revealed, the producers strive to achieve as much "reality" as possible during the production of each episode.

We have heard also that some celebrities have been researched, but haven't yet appeared on the show because they can't make available a suitable block of time for the travel required by the show's format.

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

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 against the tax plan.

This reminds me of the situation in Brecksville in the 1920s when Route 21 was being paved for the first time. Landowners along the route and on cross roads within a certain distance from Route 21 were taxed to pay for the project. It worked a hardship on farmers in the area, and some lost their land in sheriff's sales when they couldn't afford to pay the taxes.

Knowing about the Brecksville situation of many decades ago comes from research I did on a farm family in the area. It's another example of how looking into family history helps you understand the history of an area.

CCPL Mobile App Downloaded and Working

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 Library is taking convenient borrowing to a whole new level with CCPL Mobile, our new mobile app!
To download CCPL Mobile free from your app store, scan the QR Code below or visit http://ccpl.boopsie.com on your smart phone. With CCPL Mobile you can:

• Check out books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks and other library materials.   
• Search for items in our catalog quickly and with minimal keystrokes. 
• Read item reviews and summaries.
• Access your cardholder account to renew and reserve items.
• Use the GPS-aware locator to find Library branches and hours of operation. 
• Text questions to KnowItNow 24x7.    
• Connect with Cuyahoga County Public Library on Facebook and Twitter. 
• And more...

CCPL Mobile is available free from the app stores of all smart phone and tablet platforms, including Android, BlackBerry, J2ME, Palm OS, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, iPhone and iPad.

Important note: I did have to download an app for Droid to read the bar code above. I found guidance for doing this on eHow.com at the following address (eHow no doubt has instructions for other smart phones as well):

http://www.ehow.com/how_6014014_scan-barcodes-apps-motorola-droid.html

The Welsh Are Coming, The Welsh Are Coming

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 a community manager for FamilySearch. This is an important opportunity to attend Welsh genealogy seminars.

 

For details on the WNGGA, go to its website at www.wngga.org. Festival details can be found on the festival website at www.nafow.org.