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ISSN0736-802X THE LIVERMORE ROOTS TRACER VOLUME XV APRIL 1996 NUMBER 2 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society PO Box 901 Livermore, California 94551
TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME XV NUMBER 2 Calendar of Events 597 Welcome to New Members 597 Obituary 597 Genealogical Resources Available at the Livermore History Center 598 Library News 599 Computer News 601 CD Corner 603 Things to File 603 Under the Genealogy Tree With Jolene 604 Family History Center News 605 Meet the Members Linda TRUDEAU 606 David WHISMAN 607 Billy GREEN 608 Anita ORBIZ 609
Copyright Notice: No articles may be reproduced for profit or commercial gain without the express written consent of the authors, the editors, or the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society.
LIFE MEMBERS OF L-AGS: Beverly Schell Ales Anastasia Alexander Carrie Alexander G. E. "Robbie" Robinson Harriett & George Anderson Judy Person Harry and Kip West BENEFACTORS: Addie Martz Doug Mumma
LIVERMORE-AMADOR GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY P. 0. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551 President David ABRAHAMS lst VP and Membership Chair Lori CODEY 2nd VP and Program Chair Katherine BRIDGMAN and Lucille KUSK0 Recording Secretary Mildred KIRKWOOD Corresponding Secretary David CURRY Business Manager Harold NORRIS Roots Tracer Editors Jolene ABRAHAMS and Regina SCHAEFER Library Chair Judy PERSON Publicity Chair John WALDEN Livermore Cultural Arts Council Rep Leo VONGOTTFRIED Computer Interest Group Doug MUMMA Historian David LINDSEY Publications Chair "Robbie" Robinson The Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society is exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) (literary and educational) of the Internal Revenue Code and California Taxation Code 237020.
The Roots Tracer is a quarterly publication with articles of interest to the genealogist. Members are encouraged to submit their "Profiles" as well as articles of general interest. Queries are free to members, $1.00 to non-members. The deadline for each quarterly is the 15th of June, September, December, and March. Send to: Roots Tracer, P. 0. Box 901 Livermore, CA 94351 Any book presented to the Society will be reviewed in the quarterly along with the purchase price and address of the publisher. Our Library is located in the Pleasanton Public Library building, 400 Old Bernal Ave., Pleasanton, CA. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday, monthly, 7:30 PM, at Congregation Beth Emek, 1866 College Ave., Livermore, CA. Membership in LAGS is open to any individual, library, or society. Our fiscal year is January 1 through December 31. Membership includes a subscription to the quarterly Roots Tracer. Publications Members Non-Members Postage Surname Index (1994) $9.00 $14.00 $2.00 Livermore Cemeteries (1988) $12.00 $17.00 $2.00 Pleasanton, Dublin Cemeteries (1990) $8.00 $12.00 $2.00 Roots Tracer Index $3.00 $4.50 $1.50 The above publications are available on diskette (IBM or Mac) for the same price as the paper copies. When purchased with a book, they are half price. Send check or money order to: Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society P. 0. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551 DUES Individual $12.00 Family $18.00 Life $125.00 Benefactor $30.00 Patron $60.00 Life (Couples) $185.00
CALENDAR OF SELECTED GENEALOGICAL EVENTS (From various sources) APRIL 9 San Mateo Co. Gen Society "How to Use Persi" by Bette Kot, 7:30 PM, Belmont Hall, 1365 Fifth Ave, Ampex Cafeteria, Belmont. APRIL 19 National Archives Workshop "Westward Movement" by Barbara Marshall, Pacific Sierra Region, 1000 Commodore Dr. San Bruno, fee: $12/$15. Contact Rose Mary Kennedy, 415-876-9009. APRIL 20 San Ramon Valley Gen Society with the Danville LDS will present a Family History Seminar. Call Colleen Justis 510-837-1844. APRIL 27 San Mateo Co. Gen Society Seminar with Dr. G. Schweitzer. "Migration Routes and Settlement Patterns 1607-1890". "Tracing Your Ancestors Back Across the Atlantic" and "Gen. Research in North Carolina". Call 415-368-0742. MAY 8-11 National Gen Society Conference, Nashville, TN. Write NGS, Nashville '96 Conference, 4527 17th Street N., Arlington, VA 22027-2399 MAY 14 L-AGS regular meeting, 7:30PM at Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Ave. & South M Street, Livermore. For info (510-447-9386). MAY 16 San Joaquin Gen Society "Your Own Family History" by Milt Grassell, professional writer-publisher. Held at Humphrey's College. MAY 18 Sonoma Co. Gen. Society "Breathing Life Into Your Ancestor" by Susan Simons. Rm 2204, Lark Hall, SRJC. E-mail colsong@vom.com. JUNE 1 Gen. & Hist. Council of Sacramento Valley Present "Tools to Build Your Family History" at the Sacramento City College Cafeteria, 3835 Freeport Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 8:30AM - 4:30PM. Pre-registration $15 for members of Council or Alliance; $18 for non-members; $20 at door. Call Iris Carter Jones, 916-428-2245. JUNE 11 L-AGS regular meeting, 7:30PM at Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Ave. & South M Street, Livermore. For info 510-447-9386. JUNE 22 Knowles/Knoles Centennial Reunion, Princeton, IN. For info 510- 447-9386. JULY 9 L-AGS regular meeting, 7:30PM at Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Ave. & South M Street, Livermore. For info 510-447-9386.
Welcome to New Members Wayne and Valerie Barnes Gayle Cain Charles and Diane Cox Roy Erickson Clarence Gerald Groth Garth and Rose Ludwig Carol A. Tucker David and Carol Whisman Gerald "Gary" Bradley
OBITUARY Don Johnson, long-time member of L-AGS, passed away recently. Don was one of our most knowledgeable members and an avid history buff. Don's great sense of humor and outstanding stories and information will be sorely missed at the meetings.
GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE LIVERMORE HISTORY CENTER B. S. Bunshah The Livermore Heritage Guild's History Center, located in the Carnegie Building on Third Street between "J" and "K" Streets, has a wonderful collection of material to aid genealogists and family historians concerned with the early history of Livermore. The following is a current list of resources: 1. CITY OF LIVERMORE PROPERTY TAX ROLLS, 1887 - 1928 These hand-written tax rolls are arranged in a rough alphabetical order by taxpayers. The History Guild has made a rearrangement of them by property location. However, the location identification does not correspond to the current Tax Assessor's parcel numbers. 2. OBITUARY LISTS: A. From The Livermore Echo Newspaper, Autumn 1887 through 1905. The microfilm of this paper is an incomplete file with many missing issues. The indexing is on-going, and will someday include 1906 through 1918. B. From The Livermore Herald microfilms, July 1899 through July 1957. Once again, some issues are missing from these films. C. From The Livermore Herald, 1970 to date. This is an on-going indexing project. 3. THE NAME INDEX An alphabetical (handwritten) listing of names appearing in The Livermore Enterprise, 1874 - 1876; The Livermore Herald, 1877 - 1898 (a very random collection of papers); and The Livermore Echo (only 1887 and part of 1888 are completed). 4. SELECTIVE SUBJECT INDEX TO ISSUES OF THE LIVERMORE HERALD, July 8, 1899 through December 31, 1957. 5. SELECTIVE SUBJECT INDEX TO ISSUES OF TRI-VALLEY NEWSPAPERS, January 1, 1970 through the current issues. This is an on-going index from hard copies of the three Valley newspapers: The Herald, The Independent and The Valley Times. 6. BOOKS CONTAINING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION A. Woods History of Alameda County, 1883. B. (Pen Pictures ...) A Memorial & Biographical History of Northern California. The Heritage Guild has photocopies of the entries covering the Livermore-Amador Valley from this very rare 1891 vanity publication. 7. FAMILY HISTORIES A. Dyer - owned a ranch to the east of Livermore. B. Cockerton - Altamont/Brushy Peak area. C. DeWelt - Tesla/Carnegie area circa 1905 - 1906. It should be noted that due to increased demands placed upon the limited staff at the History Center, the Heritage Guild now charges $25.00 per hour (with a one hour minimum) for research performed by the staff. There is an additional charge of 10 cents/page for photo-copies and 30 cents/page for prints from microfilms. Copies of photographs in the Heritage Guild collection are $6.50 for a 5 X 7 and $12.00 for an 8 X 10. The History Center is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, September - May: 11:30 AM - 4:00 PM; June - August: 10:30 AM - 3:00 PM, major holidays excepted. There is no charge to researchers (other than for copies) for the use of the facilities. NOTE: From the Livermore Heritage Guild's "Resources for Genealogists" flyer.
LIBRARY NEWS Judy Person We were fortunate to find several books on varied ethnic groups this quarter. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, by Frederick Weis. 7th edition, 1995. This is the gift of Marston Watson, who spoke to our group and requested we use his honorarium to buy this book. It is revised and enlarged, and deals with mostly New England people. A fine addition to the library, for which we thank Mr. Watson. Black Genealogy, by Charles L. Blockson. We've been searching for this for years, and glad it is reprinted. It was first published in 1977, after Roots and the Bi-Centennial had raised interest in genealogy, and remains unique. Almost a third of the text is a directory of research sources. Robert Bartlett of the "Anne" and His Descendants for Four Generations, compiled by Robert S. Wakefield. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1995. Donated by Judy Person. Descendants of Richard Warren of the Mayflower. Wills of the County of Essex (England) 1558-1565, Volume 1, by F.G. Emmison. This has been reprinted by the National Genealogical Society, and is full of information on the domestic life of the ordinary Elizabethans, as opposed to the gentry. Donated by Judy Person. The wills are reprinted and there is a complete index of personal names. How to Document Victims and Locate Survivors of the Holocaust, by Gary Mokotoff. Avotaynu, Inc., 1995. The author of this poignant work was in charge of the National Register of Holocaust Survivors until it was made part of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. It is full of practical information and addresses of resources, and encouragement for families to tell the world about those who were murdered, as more than 250 of the author's relatives were. How to Research American Indian Blood Lines, by Cecelia Carpenter. American Genealogical Lending Library, 1995. Basic sketch of how to get started. Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Volume 8, Family of Degory Priest. General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1994. This rounds out our set with all the families that are completed to date. Mayflower Increasings, 2d edition, by Susan Roser. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1995. Donated by Judy Person. A thorough study, with documentation, of three generations of twenty-seven of the Mayflower families. Includes the court record of my ancestor, John Billington, the first murderer in the colony (!), as well as evidence of the humanity of the others. By the way, I called to replace our defective copy and they ran downstairs to get the LAST copy of this book published in 1995! If you want to buy a book, buy it right away, because publishers are taxed on their inventory. Our Italian Surnames, by Joseph Fucilla. Genealogical Publishing Company, reprint in 1993 of 1949 work. Given names, pet names, origin of Italian surnames, botanical-origin names, etc. Fully indexed. Second Supplement to Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Melinda Lutz Sanborn. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1995. We own the original volume and the first supplement, so this completes the set. Mr. Torrey was a very methodical genealogist, and Mrs. Sanborn acknowledges her debt to the genealogists who discover and send her additions to these works. Surname Index to Sixty-five Volumes of Colonial and Revolutionary Pedigrees, by George Crowther III. National Genealogical Society, 1992. Originally published in 1964. The names are keyed to the works where they are found, and would be useful for people planning a trip to Sutro Library or Salt Lake City, if they suspect early American ancestors. Swiss Genealogical Research, an introductory guide, by Paul Anthon Nielson. The Donning Company, 1979. Guidelines to this area are not easily found, especially in our collection. Topical Index to National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volumes 1-50, 1912-1962. Compiled by Col. Carleton Edward Fisher, B.S. NGS, 1964. ".names of all persons, families, topics and places which form the subjects of the articles." Tracing Your Hispanic Heritage, by George R. Ryskamp. Hispanic Family History Research, 1984. We have a slim volume with good basics on this subject, and this very thorough volume, more than two inches thick, carries on for the serious researcher. Allen County Public Library needs help! The Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library is asking for our help. They are beginning an aggressive collection plan for the western states. Their collection contains little published materials for California counties and are looking for record indexes, abstracts or other compilations that our societies or individual members may published. A few suggestions were: vital record indexes, cemetery transcriptions, business information, chuch or community histories, obituary abstracts, etc. They would be happy to accept this type of material as a donation to pay for having it copied or to purchase it outright (include publishers address and price.) Please keep them in mind when you do publishing in the future. Allen County Public Library, 900 Webster Street (P.O. Box 2270) Fort Wayne, IN 46801-2270, ATTN: Historical Genealogy Dept. World Wide Web. Public access to the Internet, using the Netscape graphical interface which allows viewing of text and images, is available at Internet stations in the Fremont Main, Union City, Pleasanton and San Lorenzo Libraries. The graphical interface on these stations allows the library user to visit a wide variety of World Wide Web sites on the Internet. The service is free to the public and was funded by an Infopeople Federal and State Volunteers are available at several branches to assistnew Internet users in using the Infopeople stations. Dial-In Access to the Library. Al E. Cat, the Library's on-line public access catalog, is now available 24 hours a day by dial-up access to any library user with a personal computer and a modem. The phone number for modem access is 510-794-7381. Terminal emulation should be VT100 and maximum baud rate 9600. When connected, pressto call up the menu. This feature allows a library user to save time by determining ahead of time what resources are available at the library, which branch owns them, and whether they are checked out or not. In addition, job searchers and other library users needing certain types of business information can do their research using Look Smart, described above. Magazine Indexes and Articles. Al E. Cat now includes indexes and text of over 1200 magazines, plus the Health Reference Center of medical pamphlets and magazines. Many of the articles appear with their complete text; others have a summary. Library users can search by subjects or key words to locate articles. Experienced searchers can use a feature which limits searches by date, journal, or other criteria. The database for the magazine section of the catalog is updated weekly and the backfile extends to 1980, so very timely topics as well as topics over the past decade can be searched. The magazine indexes and articles feature of Al E. Cat is a powerful tool which easily locates information and cuts down on the time needed to research information.
Computer News Doug Mumma Meetings held 4th Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. at LDS Church on Mocho St. Future Computer Interest Group Meetings April 25 Ancestral File. Dean Lee will discuss how to submit your data to the LDS Ancestral File, make corrections to previous data that has been submitted and how to use the data. He will answer any question so come prepared to stump him. Dean will also provide an update regarding new acquisitions at the local Family History Center.
Viruses - They can happen to you! The subject of this month's article is dear to my heart because that is exactly what happened to me. I recently purchased a new Pentium computer and had a system crash while I was transferring files from my old machine. It appeared as though the hard drive on the new machine died. Two days later a Dell technician appeared at my door to make repairs. Fortunately, the hard drive was OK, just the information about the hard drive got screwed up in CMOS. While the technician was there, he checked my machine for viruses. BOING! Up went a warning message that my new machine was infected with a virus called "Antiexe." The same was true for my old machine as well as my "loaner" computer. Numerous diskettes were also infected. I was nervous, scared, and embarrassed all at the same time. I knew better than to wait so long to recheck my machine for viruses, especially since I have been helping so many people with their machines. Fear swept over me wondering how deadly and destructive the virus might be. My next panic was how many people I had possibly infected since I have been helping numerous people recently. Was it possible for the programs on the BBS to also be infected? What about the computer diskettes I had created for LAGS. Were they infected? I quickly downloaded several shareware antivirus programs and tried to learn as much as possible about the "Antiexe" virus. In the process, I learned the following facts: * What is Antiexe Virus? This virus is a memory resident stealth infector of master boot records and diskette boot sectors. It was first encountered in January of 1995 and thought to have originated in Russia and is considered a common virus. It is sometimes referred to as CMOS4 or NewBug. * How did I get the Virus? This virus is only transmitted through the use of diskettes and cannot be "caught" from a program downloaded from a bulletin board system (BBS.) When a system is booted from a diskette infected with the Antiexe virus, the virus will infect the system memory as well as the system's hard disk master boot sector. The boot process from the floppy need not be successful for infection to occur. It probably means that my bootable "diagnostics" diskette became infected. * How does the Antiexe virus affect my computer? When the system is first "booted" from an infected diskette, this virus will install itself in memory. The total system and available free memory, as indicated by the DOS CHKDSK program, will have decreased by 1,024 bytes. This virus will also overwrite the system hard disk master boot sector. Once the virus is memory resident, it will infect non-write protected diskettes by infecting the diskette boot sector when the diskette is accessed. This virus is destructive in one circumstance. If the user presses the key combinationand while the virus is performing a disk access, the virus will overwrite the eight sectors on each head and track of the drive starting at sector four. In addition, it will target EXE files which are 200,256 bytes in length. If it finds such a file it will corrupt the files contents. * How do I clean this virus? Use an antivirus program such as McAfee's "VirusScan", Thompson's "Doctor", or Norton's antivirus program. From this information, I felt much better, We checked the BBS and indeed, all the files were OK. I have checked most of the computers that I have worked on recently and most of them were clean and OK. In one incidence, I had borrowed a diskette and used it on my machine. When I returned it, it was infected, but it didn't infect my friend's computer. We quickly disinfected the diskette! All LAGS diskettes are OK. So this brief excursion into the world of viruses has been a real wake-up call for me. While I had been careful to use an antivirus program in the past, I became complacent and removed it after several years of use. I also needed the space it was occupying on my machine and I didn't want it to use any of my machine's memory. That has all changed now. I have installed McAfee's VirusScan program on my new machine and it operates as a TSR program, which means that it is always on guard checking any new disk or program that is used. I tested it on an infected diskette and it works! What is a PC Virus? A PC virus is a software program that attaches itself to another program in computer memory or on a computer disk. Viruses may lie dormant, damage data, cause the computer to crash, or display messages. The primary goal of a virus is to propagate, not only within your system, but also by migrating to other systems. Types of Virus Infectors. There are three types of virus infectors: 1.) File Infectors 2.) Boot Sector Infectors 3.) Multi-Partite Infectors File infectors can only appear in executable files. They primarily infect *.COM and *.EXE files. They may also be found in *.DRV, *.DLL, *.BIN, *.OVL, *.386, or *.SYS files. This type of virus can only become active when the file is executed or run. Method of Infection. File infectors occur by running an infected executable file. A boot sector virus occurs by attempting to boot from a floppy diskette. The attempt need not be successful for an infection to occur. A result such as "non-system disk or disk error" is enough to allow the infector to enter the system. Multi-partite infections can enter the system through either an executable file or a boot sector. In any case, both a file infection and a boot sector infection may result. Cure of Infections. To cure a virus infection, you need to start with a clean start-up diskette that is "bootable". For this reason, it is always recommended to make a "system" diskette for your computer. This is a diskette known to be uninfected, that contains the coded instructions from which the computer can be started. The system is then cold booted using the exact same version of DOS that resides in the hard drive. Other versions of DOS may be used, but problems are likely to occur. This is akin to sterilizing the operation theater. Finally, use the most current version of an antivirus program to clean the system. Infection Prevention. These precaution will minimize the risk of a PC virus infection: 1) Never boot your system from a floppy diskette 2) Always antivirus scan new software before installation 3) Antivirus scan all downloaded files 4) Make use of a terminate-and stay resident (TSR) antivirus program. You can buy one at any computer store such as Egghead, Fry's, Computer City, or Office Depot.
CD CORNER Robbie Robinson This column will be an attempt to keep you informed on CDs that are available for use by the genealogist. I will try to keep you up to date on the latest information CDs and their status. As many of you know, Automated Archives, Inc. produced a line of genealogy CDs that were read with their proprietary Genealogical Research System (GRS) software. They produced a Master Name Index CD that contained all the names that appeared on any of their CDs and listed the CDs where they appeared. Automated Archives, Inc., was bought by Banner Blue in December of 1994. In turn, Broderbund bought Banner Blue in April of 1995. There was a long dry spell on new CDs while they reformatted their product line to make it Windows based rather than DOS based. That has been accomplished and they have also integrated the whole series so that the CDs can be read from their genealogy software program called Family Tree Maker. The CD version of that program has been included on the CD the Family Finder Index, which was the old Master Name Index. In addition, the data from the CDs can be transferred directly from the CD to the genealogy database in Family Tree Maker. Another realignment was to put all of the census indexes for a census year on one CD. This is the 300 series of 11 CDs ranging from pre-1790 to the 1880 federal census. Also, they dropped the three Linked Pedigree CDs and put out the World Family Tree, Vols. 1, 2 & 3. A company called Infobases has put out a CD which is both MAC and Windows compatible, titled Ancestry Reference Library. This CD contains five books: The Source, Ancestry's Red Book, The Library, The Library of Congress and The Archives. On this CD you get the complete text of the original books, plus more than 350 high-resolution pictures and maps. In addition this CD also contains two bonus titles: A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States and American Marriage Records Before 1699. For any genealogist with a CD drive on their computer, this CD is a must buy. There were quite a few sold at the Family History Fair in San Francisco.
THINGS TO FILE The FOIA/PA specialist uses as a reference the "Genealogy Correspondence Resource Guide." This book can be ordered by you from the Immigration Forms Center in Wiliston, VT 05495. Ask for it by name or by its form number, Form M 360 (11/29/91). It will tell you where to find records on everything from ships manifests to head tax certificates, from federal court addresses to what the naturalization requirements were before 1906. Article by Julia Dowd in Central NY Gen Soc Tree Talks Vol. 35 #3 Sept 1995. CIVIL WAR PHOTOS. The U.S. Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA is attempting to collect pictures of every person who served in the Civil War (either side) 1861-1865. The photos need not show the soldier in uniform or even of that time period. The picture can show the person at any time of his life. If you are interested in helping with this ambitious project, send the photo (which will be returned after it's copied) or a copy you had made, to U.S. Army Military History Institute, Upton Hall, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5008. FIVE MOST COMMON U.S. SURNAMES. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the five most common surnames in the U.S. are; SMITH, JOHNSON, WILLIAMS, JONES, BROWN. USA Today, July 31, 1995 via Santa Clara Co. GS NL, 40:12, Jan. 1996.
UNDER THE GENEALOGY TREE WITH JOLENE ORAL HISTORIES (INTERVIEWS) Another form of gathering information, and having a nice visit with older family members, is by interview. DO MORE LISTENING THAN TALKING! 1) Using a cassette-recorder (not a boom box) or a video camera is the best method to record an interview. Do not use 90 or 120 minute tapes for your audio interviews. Use 60 minute tapes which are heavier. Run the tape through the recorder first then rewind. After everything is set up, test it and play it back. Once you have finished the tape, punch out the write-protect tab. Play the tape yearly but not on fast forward. All of this saves voices. The best thing is to transcribe the master tape as soon as possible. Remember to take extra tapes, batteries and consider an AC adapter and an extension cord. Know your equipment and how it works ahead of time. If you are constantly fiddling with buttons and such this could make your subject nervous. It also breaks thoughts and momentum. Label the tapes before you use them it with the date, location and the name of the person you are interviewing. Then at the beginning of the interview give your name, the date, location and with whom you are interviewing. 2) Be sure to ask your subject first if it is okay to record the visit. Take notes also, don't rely on your memory. By taking notes, not in detail, if your subject should stray from the story, with your notes you can bring him or her back to the point before. Also by having your pencil and notepad you have a backup if your equipment fails. 3) Be familiar with as many family names as possible. Prepare by making notes in advance the questions you want to ask. Write down stories you have heard while growing up then ask about them. I take family group records that have been filled out as much as possible. The reason for this is sometimes I find an elder that's not sure of me, what I am doing and if I really belong to this family. My group records give an indication of proof. 4) Try to interview the elders as soon as possible. Remember time isn't on your side because of their age. I have found two hours is about enough time for elders. But I have a 99 year old "cousin" who can talk all day. 5) When interviewing don't forget to ask about documents, photographs or newspaper articles etc. Do they have any you could borrow to have copied. If you have any photos or documents or family keepsakes, take them with you to use in the interview. These things can prompt identifications, stories and details that have been long forgotten. I find people gathered around the dining room table is conducive to good conversation. Although many times interviewing your subject alone can be easier. Not only to know who is speaking but much less distraction. With a solo interview try to make it as much like a conversation as possible. 6) During the interview you will hear names and places that are unfamiliar to you. Be sure to ask the spelling of these words. If grandma talks about "Ma" is this her mother, your great-grandmother? If they talk about relatives with the same name try for a birth date/place or a sibling. Any kind of clarification. 7) Don't try to interrogate the interviewee. Respect their feelings. If you see a look on their face or tone in their voice or maybe their mood begins to change, back off. You want to establish a good rapport with them so you can come back. And don't contradict what they tell you. Either rephrase the question or leave it until later or next time. 8) A few more subjects to ask about are: places of residence, jobs, religion, schools, military service. 9) Ask for a follow-up interview, trying to establish a date before leaving. When you do this, two to four weeks is good. That will give you time to transcribe your tapes into notes. It would be nice to take along a copy for them of what you collected from the first interview. At this time try for some forgotten details. 10) Last, but most important, send a Thank You Note. By showing how appreciative you are may produce more information, photos and documents later. Remember - they didn't have to talk with you.
FAMILY HISTORY CENTER NEWS ALSACE - LORRAINE RECORDS Andriveau, a wealthy Frenchman, hired scribes to copy all the official records of births, marriages, deaths, divorces, etc., from all cities and districts of Alsace-Lorraine. When many of these records were burned or destroyed, French officials asked Andriveau to let them recopy his records; he refused. The LDS was allowed to microfilm the records and they are now available in the Salt Lake FHC Library, but not in Europe! CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 14, #4 (April 1996) FILMING In 1989 there were 1,390 Family History Centers. In 1994 there were 2,305. Nearly 1,200,000 microfilm orders were processed in the last year. Filming is currently underway in northeastern counties of Kansas. Leavenworth Co. deeds 1857-1940; index 1855-1908 on 92 films will be available soon. All the marriages for Montana have been filmed except for 3 counties. The State Historical Societies assessor's census of 1915 for North Dakota on 25 films may already be available. The Sioux Valley Gen. Society birth & death index, 1880-1990 (90 films) and 20 films of Pioneer Certificates are complete. CSGA Newsletter, Vol. 14, #2 (1996) IGI - COUNTRY UNKNOWN TIP If you do not find the person for whom you are searching in the IGI do not overlook the "State Unknown" or "Country Unknown" sections. Most of the entries in this section have place names that were unrecognized by the computer, were not in the correct order, were misspelled or included an unusual abbreviation. CSGA Newsletter Vol. 14, #2 (February 1996 THE SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX This covers mainly people who have died since 1962. When searching, remember to consider siblings as well as your direct ancestors. The Index itself gives the birth and death dates, and the ZIP codes to which benefits were sent. The Index is also now available at the Pleasanton Library. You can obtain the Social Security application form of a deceased person ($7 with number and $16.50 without) from the Social Security Administration. This gives the birth information as well as the pre-marriage names of the parents. It thus has the information that is suppose to be on a death record but often is not. Jim Scofield, L-AGS, April, 1996 IGI ADDENDUM The International Genealogical Index (IGI) 1994 Update, released in July 1995, is different from previous editions. It is a separate set of seven CD-ROM disks known as the "1994 Addendum." If you have previously searched the 1993 edition of the IGI, you will only need to search the 1994 Addendum, as no new names have been added to the main file. For new searches it is recommended that you examine both the Main file and the Addendum because even wen entries found may be for the same name, the records will be from different sources. The Addendum continues the changes which began in previous editions of the IGI. Both the 1993 edition and the Addendum bring together many references to the same person, each leading to a different source reference. Of the 42 million records in the Addendum, over 5 million are extracted records taken directly from primary sources, and the remaining 37 million are "patron submitted." The regions of Wales, Asia, Africa and World MISC cannot be accessed in the 1993 edition now, only in the Addendum. This means you need only search the Addendum for names in those areas. Thousands of names in the 1993 edition of World Miscellaneous Region were evaluated by computer and moved to the correct geographical region. However, in the half-million names still there, records can often be identified by the human eye. from Elizabeth Nichols, "International Genealogical Index (IGI) Updated by Addendum - Pat 1," FGS Forum, 7:3, pp 5-8.
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