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The Speaker’s Perspective

3 Oct By Dwight

On August 11th I had the privilege of presenting two classes at the Ohio History Connection in Columbus. This is the state archive. In other words, it was no small gig!

L to R: Liz Plummer, Tom Rieder, Lisa Long, Amanda Rindler
L to R: Liz Plummer, Tom Rieder, Lisa Long, Amanda Rindler

There were about 150 in attendance. My topics were were “Getting Your Irish Ancestors Over the Water” and “Beginning Irish Research.” From my perspective, I was impressed at how professional the staff at the archives was and how they did everything possible to take care of my needs. So from the speaker’s relationship with the hosts, I rate them very highly. The group in attendance was comprised of all levels of family historians. They ranged from novices to professional genealogists. That makes any speaker squirm a bit as a balance has to be struck between not being too technical or insulting.DSC_0605_resize

This group was a bit complicated because in addition in the audience were a number of staff from the Genealogy Department of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Franklin County Genealogical & Historical Society, both of whose members spent their time to help advertise my classes. On top of that were some of the movers and shakers of the annual Dublin Irish Festival, held in Dublin, Ohio, outside of Columbus – also family historians.

So how does any speaker evaluate the needs of such a diverse class of participants? Not easy. My first task was to try and balance a little bit of everything in the two hours allotted. If I had to venture an educated guess, a typical Ohio class would consist of up to 50% to 75% Scots-Irish Protestant needs verses the rest Irish Catholic needs. So 1700s Scots-Irish research had to be considered along with 1840s and 1850s Potato Famine immigrants.DSC_0612_resize

DSC_0604_resizeMy observation was that the class was very well prepared. What I did notice was many came expecting me to give them that one magic answer to solve their research problems. That was not necessarily going to happen as Irish and Scots-Irish research can be very complicated. From my teaching experience, I have learned sometimes by just listening to the questions asked and the answers given, the smoking gun may actually present itself.

DSC_0616_resizeAll that being said and done, it was a marvelous experience and the class was very top notch. The diversity in the class actually brought the discussion up a level. My hope is I struck a balance and ignited some new strategies in the minds of the researchers to help them address their particular issue. As I remind classes, I can feed them sources all day long, but unless they know strategies on what to do with those sources, their research may just remained blocked. While at times Irish research can be as simple as “pushing a button” it is just as often just not that simple.

I hope you enjoy the pictures graciously sent to me by the Ohio History Connection.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Libraries and Archives, Research

Always Check FamilySearch

6 Aug By Dwight

I read a blog recently that was discussing some old records at an archive, which were being restored so researchers can continue to use them. I was puzzled. Then I read the responses to the blog from subscribers stating how wonderful it would be to have these records available. Some stated the records might help them solve difficult research problems. I was puzzled again.

I was Puzzled

Why was I puzzled? The reason was these records have been on microfilm at the Family History Library, in Salt Lake City, since 1976! Always, consult the FamilySearch Catalog to see if the records you want are there. Often blogs touting a new index or records are now available, have missed the fact that these documents have been accessible for decades.

Perhaps the reason for this is many people do not use or even know about FamilySearch. As a non-profit, it is not commercially advertised nor in the public’s awareness. Yet, it is the second largest online genealogy collection. The Family History Library, as a research center, remains the world’s largest genealogy repository of books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche and digitized images.

Always Question Blogs

If you ever have a question as to whether something is available, look at the FamilySearch Catalog. You can consult the various record keeping jurisdictions for a locality such as country, state/province, county, town and parish level. If you still don’t find what you are searching for use the Keyword Search or Title Search. This library’s collections are so vast, that often maneuvering through the FamilySearch Catalog becomes part of the research process itself.

So next time something is posted as being new and wonderful, second guess it and go straight to FamilySearch. You may find that the blog could be incorrect, but you have just been handed information about a record source that is already available to you.

If you would like help with your genealogy please call 385-214-0925.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Libraries and Archives, Strategies

Always Cite the National Archives, Kew Reference

31 Dec By Dwight Leave a Comment

One of the most frustrating parts of following up on research found on the Internet is the lack of proper documentation. One very important area which affects your Irish research is The National Archives, Kew (TNA), reference numbers. This amazing archive outside of London houses over 11 million governmental and public records, comprising one of the largest archival collections in the world. These include records which affects scores of Irish and Irish immigrant families.

The Importance of The National Archives, Kew References

In the case of the TNA collections, the problem sometimes isn’t the lack of records but too many records! Often researchers have spent years in these collections but they fail to document where an important find was located. Fortunately, some databases on TNA website can bring up the reference through a quick search. For unindexed sources, this remains a problem.

A reference such as WO97 may look strange to the lay person; yet to seasoned researchers, they automatically know WO means “War Office” and the 97 is the classification within the WO for the Chelsea Pensioners’ Service Records for the British Army solders (not officers) pensioning out of the Army. This collection alone document tens of thousands of Irish born soldiers. So for those familiar with the records, a reference to WO97 is an automatic recognition point. For researchers less familiar with the records, it provides them with a starting place from which to explore a vast array of British Army records.

Libraries Worldwide use the TNA Record Classifications

Because TNA references are so important, libraries and archives around the world with copies of TNA microfilm will cite TNA references along with their own. TNA website has a dedicated page specifically to citation of documents as Citing Documents in the National Archives. There you will find guidelines to properly cite your findings.

As family historians, we typically want to share our research with others. To avoid duplication of efforts and erroneous conclusions, we need to make sure we carefully and professionally document our findings, statements, logic and conclusions.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Libraries and Archives, Strategies

Central Catholic Library in Dublin

12 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

The Central Catholic Library in Dublin was founded in 1922 and currently has over 100,000 titles. Their collections include religious works, contemporary history and church issues. They also house four daily newspapers and Catholic weeklies from Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, South Africa and the United States. From the very beginning, the Central Catholic Library has made it their policy to welcome persons from all denomination free of charge.

The library’s periodical and newspaper collection are noteworthy. A listing of the periodicals, many of them genealogical and historical in nature, can be found on their website.

A Sampling of the Library Collections

Stephen Brown Research and Reference Library: This is the main reading room and houses theological works, historical works, and information on the religious orders. This room has 45 current periodical titles from Ireland, the UK, France and the United States.

Irish Room: This room has a large collection focusing on Irish history, both religious and secular.

Carnegie Collection: This collection on permanent loan from the Library Council of Ireland covers philosophy, religion and sociology. Within this collection are many books on other Christian churches such as Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians and other denominations.

Jerome Room: This room holds a collection of some 1,200 books printed before 1850 going back to the sixteenth century.

Qualified Staff for Irish Catholic Questions

While this may not be the first repository you would visit or contact about your family history needs; I have found myself seeking their advice on occasion. For example, their staff is very qualified in Irish Catholic matters and being “on the ground” to use that expression, often they can fill in our knowledge gap about Irish culture, attitudes and practices.

If you would like help identifying where your Irish Catholic ancestor was from click here.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Catholic Records, Church records, Libraries and Archives

Baptist Archives in the United States

9 Oct By Dwight Leave a Comment

One of the most difficult tasks in Baptist research in the United States is the congregation was the most important entity. For this reason, records may or may not have been kept depending on the congregation. Another difficulty is determining what happened to a congregation, let alone it records. Types of records which can be helpful would include memberships, transfers in and out, disciplinary, adult baptisms and general minutes. The occasional death, marriage and biographical sketches are always handy.

Congregations are Created and Dissolved

In rural areas, congregations came and went. On the frontier, especially in places such as Mid-South in the 1830s, entire congregations were swept up in the rising tide of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. Thus, a one-time Baptist Church became a Christian Church! In settled areas, such as New England, a Baptist congregation may have been in the same town for several hundred years. Some congregations united with others or changed their names when they moved.

In your search for Baptist records, if you do not live locally in the area of your research, then contact the local genealogical society in the county starting with the links found on sites such as the USGenweb. The local state archive may also have deposited records. Never neglect the microfilm at the Family History Library

Major Baptist Historical Archives

For specific Baptist archives, your search query could use a combination of the word Baptist with Archives, Library or Genealogy. Main repositories are:

American Baptist Historical Society

Free Will Baptist Historical Commission

The Primitive Baptist Library of Carthage, Illinois

Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives

Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society

 

If you are wondering about your Baptist ancestry, click here to begin your journey…

Filed Under: American, Irish Ancestry Tagged With: African Americans, American Frontier, Baptist Church, Church records, Libraries and Archives, Scots-Irish

Provincial Archives of Alberta

13 Dec By Dwight Leave a Comment

The Provincial Archives of Albert (PAA): http://culture.alberta.ca/paa/ is a major repository for records. Their holdings include both private collections and governmental records.

Among the private collections are personal letters and correspondence, diaries and journals, business records, registers and minutes of churches and community groups. Part of these collections include what the PAA terms MUSH Records (Municipalities, Universities, School Boards and Health Care bodies.

Perhaps the best part of the PAA website for the family historian is the section “Research Resources” which provides an inventory of various record types. There are inventories for Newspapers, Faith Organizations (churches), Genealogy (civil registration, censuses, homestead, directories, histories, passengers list, divorce, and probate records), Directories (city, telephone, rural atlas and directories), Maps and Cartographic, and Homesteads.

The civil registration collection consists of births, marriages and deaths from about 1870 through the 1980s. There are indexes prior to 1905 and afterwards they are filed by locality. The homesteads (ca. 1880-1970) are also a major part of the genealogical collection. In 2011, the PAA along with the University of Alberta Libraries and the Internet Archive collaborated to digitize the microfilm of the homesteads. These are now available from 1870-1930: http://archive.org/details/albertahomestead The PAA also has links to the homestead index at the Alberta Genealogical Society website: http://abgensoc.ca/homestead/  

Concerning church registers. The PAA holds the registers for the Alberta and Northwest Conference Archives of the United Church of Canada (ca.1830s-present), the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (ca. 1880-2000), Anglican Diocese of Edmonton and Athabasca (ca. 1870-ca.2000. Note: The records for the Diocese of Calgary are at the University of Calgary), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ca. 1895-ca. 2000)

The PAA has both Archivists and volunteers who can help with patrons and answer enquiries. You may also contact the PAA online with enquiries.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Canada, Libraries and Archives, Research

Donegal County Archives

10 Dec By Dwight Leave a Comment

While there is much material for County Donegal on line and on microfilm, there’s a major repository for county records which should not be overlooked. This is the Donegal County Archives: http://www.donegalcoco.ie/services/communityculturalenterprise/ArchivesService/ It is part of the Donegal County Council.

Within its collections are a wide range of impressive record types, making it one of the largest county based collections in Ireland. Within its holding are the Poor Law Union archives which can be used to document the people in the workhouses. There are also Grand Jury records back to the mid-eighteenth century, school registers, estate records (landlord papers), private papers, court, legal deeds, Ordnance Survey maps and oral interviews. Out of all their collections, probably one of the most significant would certainly be the workhouse records from the local Poor Law Unions.

If you have Donegal ancestors the website inventorying the collections for the Donegal County Archives is worth consulting. They conduct research by mail, and the form isonline. You can also visit the archive by appointment. Information to arrange a visit is also on the website.

As any family historian with Donegal roots knows, the church registers tend to begin late. This reason alone makes the Donegal County Archives a major genealogical repository in the quest to document and extend your family lineage.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Collections, Libraries and Archives, Tax Records

Tasmania’s Heritage: Name Index

19 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

The Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office is indexing various record collections and making them available in searchable databases in the “Name Index”:

Some of the record collections have digitized images to go with the index search. However, for those not digitized, with the reference from the index, a copy can be ordered from the archive. The collections are naturally packed full of Irish who arrived as convicts or as free settlers. The databases include the following:

Arrivals: This includes passengers and ships arriving mainly in Hobart in the nineteenth century. The source for this is a card index. Currently, surnames A-K are part of the Arrivals index.

Census Index: Most of the censuses were not retained by the government. However, what has survived for 1837, 1838, 1842, 1843, 1848, 1851, 1857 has been digitized. A listing of the districts and parishes enumerated are part of this database.

Colonial Tasmanian Family Links Database: Containing 500,000 entries, this database was created from mainly birth, marriage, and death records, held in the Archives Office. The linkage was developed by family historians from the former National Heritage Foundation in the late 1990s. The information is not necessarily verified.

Convict Applications for Permission to Marry: An index and digitized images of records for convicts who applied to marry free people or other convicts from 1829 to 1857.

Convicts (Tasmanian): This is an index to all convicts transported to Tasmania or who were convicted locally in the colony. The collection covers 1804 through 1853 when transportation stopped. The locally convicted convicts extends the database information to 1893. There are about 76,000 entries.

Departures: This collection includes indexes and digitized images to what records are available for departures from Tasmanian ports from 1817 through 1867.

Divorces: An index to the divorces heard before the Tasmanian Supreme Court from 1861 to 1920.

General Index: The sources for this database come from a variety of records. The references are mainly to people’s names, but subjects are also included. Some of the records have been digitized.

Inquests: This is an index and digitized images concerning inquests into people’s deaths from about 1828 through about 1930. Inquests into fires are under the General Index database.

Naturalizations: This is an index and digitized images covering 1835 through 1905.

Wills: This database includes an index and digitized images of Wills and Letters of Administration from 1824 through 1989.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Australia, Collections, Databases, Indexes, Libraries and Archives

Archives of Manitoba

16 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

An excellent place to begin your search for Manitoba ancestors is the Archives of Manitoba: www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives Manitoba was an important part of Canadian history, not only in the early fur trade, but also in the westward migration of the population.

The archive holds many primary records such as homestead files, public school attendance records, wills and estate files, Hudson’s Bay Company servants’ contracts, Hudson’s Bay Company engagement registers, Hudson’s Bay Company personnel files, Red River Settlement census records and private records of early Manitoba families. Although the holdings of the Archives of Manitoba are vast, they do not hold vital records or land titles. The archive website has some research guides to help you understand and access vast collections such as the probates and the Hudson’s Bay Company Archive.

The Hudson’s Bay Company Archive has its own division within the Archives of Manitoba, and is considered one of Canada’s national treasures. It was founded in 1670 and is the oldest charted trading company in the world.

The Archives of Manitoba holds the probates for the province, and these are being indexed on the website. Current online Judicial Districts include; Winnipeg (187—1984), Brandon (1884-1984), Dauphin (1918-1984) and Morden (1902-1965).

Archive staff will conduct limited research for those who aren’t able to visit in person. They also have an extensive microfilm collection which can be obtained through inter-library loan. Online catalogs, such as their “Keystone Archives Descriptive Database” can help you identify sources. Their microfilm collections through 1904 are also available at the Library and Archives Canada: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca in Ottawa and at The National Archives, Kew, England:  www.nationalarchives.gov.uk Also, do not neglect any Mantitoba collections at the Family History Library: www.familysearch.org

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Canada, Databases, Indexes, Libraries and Archives

My Ancestor was an American Spiritualist (Part 4)

3 Nov By Dwight Leave a Comment

In this last installment, I focus on the nineteenth century records to document Spiritualists. There are several repositories that have significant collections; mainly periodicals and directories. Most important are the American Antiquarian Society: http://americanantiquarian.org and the Library of Congress: www.loc.gov  Secondary collections are at Andover-Harvard University Theological Library: www.hds.harvard.edu/library ; New York Public Library: www.nypl.org ; Boston Public Library: www.bpl.org ; Van Pelt Library: www.library.upenn.edu/vanpelt ; Bancroft Library: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu ; and the Cecil H. Green Library: http://library.stanford.edu  

It wasn’t until 1893 that the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (NSAC): www.nsac.org  was founded. The NSAC as the first successful organization to bound together a variety of Spiritualist congregations. They remain the largest such organization. Spiritualist congregations are free to develop their own rituals and practices. There has currently been no study to know what records congregations kept. The NSAC can be contacted concerning member congregations.

Directories and newspapers will list lecturers, mediums and Spiritualist missionaries. Important directories include: Uriah Clark’s Spiritual Register for 1857, 1858-9, 1859, 1860, 1861; and Andrew Jackson Davis’ The Progressive Annual for 1862, 1863, 1864. One of the most extensive and genealogically important direcgtory is James M. Peebles and Hudson Tuttle, The Year-Book of Spiritualism for 1871. This documents Spiritualists before the massive exodus from the movement in favor of the Theosophical Society and Christian Science.

Spiritualist newspapers published advertisements, convention news, directories, local news and letters. Ann Braude’s News From the Spirit World: A Checklist of American Spiritualist Periodicals, 1848-1900 (1989) lists 214 periodicals, by name, time period, geographic, and by publisher.   

The American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR): www.aspr.com is an investigative organization. Their studies have exposed fraudulent mediums as well as investigated what they saw as legitimate claims. Not all investigations were published in their Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. The library houses the correspondences and case files for all investigations. 

It is hoped that my blogs will alert researchers to the potential of Spiritualist records as a valid genealogical resource.

Filed Under: Irish Ancestry Tagged With: Church records, Historical, Libraries and Archives, Theology

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Dwight A. Radford

Dwight A. Radford is a professional family history researcher. Along with his staff they specialize in Ireland, England, Canada, African American, Native American, and United States. Connecting families together through historical documents and then creating a cherished family heirloom published book for generations to enjoy. Full bio…

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