• The National Archives is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Lincoln issued on Jan. 1, 1863 to free slaves in states that had seceded. You can go online to watch a video about what the proclamation meant and how the document is being preserved, see images of it, and find out about upcoming programs. Also learn about the Emancipation Proclamation’s history at the National Archives; Featured Documents website.

• An interactive online map—a companion to the PBS "American Experience" documentary The Abolitionistslets you explore the story of the abolitionist movement in America. Powered by History Pin, the Abolitionist Map of America has images, documents and videos from dozens of libraries, museums and other institutions.
  
  Cincinnati, located on the boundary of free and slave states, was a major Underground Railroad stop. Our Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Genealogy Local History Department selected images and recordings on subjects such as the site of local antislavery newspaper the Philanthropist, the focus of two anti-abolitionist riots in 1836; and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, where the Uncle Tom’s Cabin author lived with her family for various periods of time from 1833 to 1836. 

• Subscription genealogy site Ancestry.com has added collections to its African-American history records including Danish West Indies Slave Records 1672-1917 (these are also part of Fold3's Black History Collection, which is free in February) and U.S., Buffalo Soldiers, Returns from Regular Army Cavalry Regiments, 1866–1916. Explore Ancestry.com's African-American history records here.

• The Cincinnati library's Genealogy and Local History Department also is one of many libraries offering African-American history and genealogy workshops this month, including a seminar (Feb. 9) and a class on Searching for Descendants of African American Civil War Soldiers (Feb. 23).Learn more here.

• The African-American Genealogical Society of Northern California in Oakland has a Black Family History Day on Feb. 10, with classes, one-on-one consultations and more. Learn more here.

• The African American Genealogical and Historical Society of Tennessee in Nashville is holding a research workshop Feb. 16. Learn more here.

Friday, February 01, 2013 1:45:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• Court Slave Records for Washington, DC
• South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732–1872
• US Colored Troops Civil War service records
• Southern Claims Commission records
• The Atlanta Constitution newspaper
• WWII "Old Man's Draft" Registration Cards

• A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your African-American Ancestors by Franklin Carter Smith and Emily Anne Croom
• Finding African-American Ancestors in Newspapers Family Tree University Independent Study course
• African-American Genealogy Value Pack (combines several of our ancestors research helps for black ancestors)

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 1:20:42 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• Did your ancestor attend Mercer University in Macon, Ga.? Now you can search an online archive of the Mercer Cluster, the university's campus newspaper.  The Mercer Cluster Archive, a project of the awesome Digital Library of Georgia, provides access to papers from 1920 to 1970. 

• The University of Wyoming Lab School's Tassakooma and Yearling yearbooks are now available online for the 1920s, part of the 1930s, and 1953 to 1964. Learn more about the yearbooks here. To access the online collection, visit the University of Wyoming Libraries catalog and then search for either Tassakooma or Yearling.

• Look for a new blog soon from the Library of Congress: To complement its Civil War in America exhibition, the LOC will debut a new blog in November to chronicle more than 40 folks from the North and South whose lives were affected by the war.
  
  Posts will use first-person accounts such as diaries, letters and published memoirs. “Bloggers” will include people such as Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, Stonewall Jackson, William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant,  Walt Whitman, Elizabeth Keckley, Eugenia Phillips and John F. Chase. You can find the blog starting Nov. 12 at blogs.loc.gov.

• Military records website Fold3 reached a milestone this week when when the site exceeded 100,000,000 images of historical records. Read more about this achievement on the Fold3 blog. The site, which launched in January 2007 as Footnote, has worked with partners including the National Archives, Allen County Public Library, FamilySearch and others to digitize records. Ancestry.com purchased the site in 2010 and last year rebranded it Fold3.com.

Friday, October 19, 2012 3:08:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• what types of military records might exist for your ancestors and where to find them
  
• how to track down draft registrations (even if your ancestor never served)
• how to trace ancestors' service in the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars and other US wars
• the best websites for finding military records, including Fold3, the Daughters of the American Revolution genealogy database and more

Thursday, September 27, 2012 9:59:22 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [3]

• I wanted to point you to the Ancestry Insider's interesting post about indexing errors on 1940 census websites. The Ancestry Insider has seen more user complaints about Ancestry.com's index than FamilySearch's, and I'd have to echo that observation (mostly in blog comments and on Facebook). His post includes Ancestry.com's answers to questions about its indexing and auditing processes, and the index augmentation that helps users find records despite indexing difficulties.  

• Love family and food and home cooking? In her Genalogy Gems podcast episode 137, Lisa Louise Cooke interviews Gena Philibert Ortega about her new book From the Family Kitchen and how to dig into your family's food history. You'll find the podcast episode here on the Genealogy Gems website. See more of their interview in this video and take a peek at an old Toas-Tite sandiwsh toasting utensil here.

• This fall, the National Archives will open its new New York City location in Lower Manhattan, in the Alexander Hamilton US Custom House at One Bowling Green (the former facility was on Varick Street in Greenwich Village). The new location will expand the facilitiy's usefulness for research and education, with a welcome center, research center, learning center for school groups, exhibition space and public programs area. Read more about the new location here.

• Military records subscription site Fold3 has released a new collection of Navy Casualty Reports, 1776-1941, documenting deaths of US Navy personnel in wartime and in accidents outside of war.
  
  The casualty reports include records of those who were killed, injured, wounded, diseased or imprisoned, but most report only deaths.The records include four titles: Deaths Due to Enemy Action (includes deaths during the Civil War aboard the Cincinnati and in Andersonville prison, and more), Drowning Casualties (1885-1939), Lost and Wrecked Ships, Explosions and Steam Casualties (1801-1941), and Ordnance Accidents, Aviation Accidents, and Miscellaneous Records. This collection is currently free to search.

Friday, July 27, 2012 2:36:03 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]

• The National Genealogical Society (NGS) has partnered with military records subscription site Fold3 to offer its members a discounted Fold3 rate: NGS members can subscribe to Fold3 for $39.95 per year, and Fold3 will donate 30 percent of the sale back to NGS. To take advantage of the offer, NGS members should visit this members-only page of the NGS website and log in with their member information.

• Ancestry.com announced it has added its 2 millionth active current subscriber. Ancestry.com has given that lucky person, Yvonne Ocheltree of Collierville, Tenn., a complimentary lifetime subscription. Learn more about this milestone and Ocheltree in Ancestry.com's press release.

• The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum has launched a new website hosted by Southern Methodist University, where the library will be located. The site features highlights from the library's collections, as well as online exhibits about President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. You'll also get an early look at the still-under-construction library and museum, scheduled to open in Spring 2013.

• Princeton University has posted online the Sid Lapidus '59 Collection on Liberty and the American Revolution, more than 150 digitized pamphlets, books and prints from the American Revolution era. They include Thomas Paine’s pamphlets “The Age of Reason” and “Common Sense,” and John Adams’ essay "A defence of the constitutions of government of the United States of America." Use arrows to turn each document's pages like a book.

You can find Princeton's other digitized materials (which include historical postcards and photos of the university—interesting if an ancestor went there) in its digital library, too.

Friday, July 06, 2012 1:34:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• US Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970
• Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books
• Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900
• Historical Newspapers, Birth, Marriage & Death Announcements, 1851-2003

• Revolutionary War Pension Files
• Revolutionary War Service Records
• Bounty Land Warrants
• Revolutionary War Muster Rolls

Tuesday, July 03, 2012 11:30:50 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• War of 1812 Pension Application Files: These pension and bounty land records are being digitized as a project with the Federation of Genealogical Societies. So far, only 3 percent of the records are digitized in Fold3's collection—but who knows, you may get lucky.

• War of 1812 Service Records: These records consist of cards compiled from muster, pay, receipt and other rolls for soldiers and sailors who served in the war. For each person named, you'll usually learn his service dates, terms of service, monthly pay, where he served, and other notes.

• War of 1812 Prize Cases, Southern District Court, NY: These records relate to British vessels seized by American privateers and US Navy vessels. "Prize courts" helped dispose of the ship and its cargo as war prizes, and the records document questions asked of sailors, witnesses and others.

• Letters Received by the Adjutant General, 1805-1821: This correspondence came from Army officers and enlisted men, the Secretary of War, President and other officials, and it deals with Army personnel and administrative matters.  The records are part of NARA record group 94.

Friday, June 01, 2012 1:09:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

On Friday's final episode of the NBC genealogy show "Who Do You Think You Are?" TV chef Paula Deen crisscrossed the state of Georgia tracing her maternal roots.

Deen's parents died when she was a young woman, so not much family information had made its way to her. The show focused on her third-great-grandfather John Batts, a slaveowning planter and member of the Georgia legislature from 1857 to 1860.

Batts' son William (brother to Deen's great-great-grandmother Eliza Batts) fought for the confederates in the 12th Georgia regiment during the Civil War. The Georgia Archives actually had letters he'd written home, as well as letters from his commanding officer. These missives gave Deen an intimate view into William's experiences and his family's reaction after he was killed in action.

At Fold3—the first time I can remember this subscription site being shown on WDYTYA?—Deen finds John Batts' application for a pardon from the US government. Most of the South was covered by President Andrew Johnson's blanket pardon, but wealthy planters like Batts had to swear loyalty and provide documentation they'd freed their slaves.

Tax records at Emory University show John Batts' fate. Things went downhill for the family after an economic depression in 1873. Deen and a researcher note declining values of John's personal and real estate until 1879, when the records show all zeros. A newspaper article reveals that John, sadly, had committed suicide.

Although "Who Do You Think You Are?" won't be returning next season, GeneaBloggers reports that for the first time this season, the episode came in first for viewership in its time slot and was the third-most-watched show for the evening.

These two short videos show research not included in Friday's episode, about Deen's fifth-great-grandfather Joel Walker, an early Georgia settler in the Savannah area.

You can watch the full episode about Paula Deen's family history journey here.

Monday, May 21, 2012 9:27:01 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0]

• Research Strategies: Using Land Records, a Family Tree Magazine article digital download from ShopFamilyTree.com
  
  
• Land Records Research Value Pack, a discounted package deal in ShopFamilyTree.com that includes the above Using Land Records article, our Land Records 101 Independent Study Course and two video classes on platting your ancestors' property.
  
  
• Land Records 101: Using Deeds, Plats, Patents and More, an instructor-led Family Tree University course that shows you how to do genealogy research in all types of land records 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:36:46 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [2]

• Military records subscription site Fold3 has added records relating to the Sultana disaster. That's the steamboat whose boilers exploded April 27, 1865, killing 1,700 (mostly Civil War Union soldiers recently released from Confederate POW camps). The ship was carrying 2,200 passengers—far more than the 376 she was built for. Records include lists of former prisoners who survived and those who died. The records are free to search, at least for the time being.
  
  
• The Center for Jewish History (CJH) has announced a partnership with Jewish genealogy expert Miriam Weiner's Routes to Roots Foundation (RTRF). CJH will incorporate RTRF’s Eastern European Archival Database and Image Database into its online catalog, expanding access to genealogy resources from Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Ukraine. Weiner will serve as senior advisor for genealogy services at CJH's Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute.
  
  
• Besides adding 1940 census records and coordinatng the 1940 Census Community Project, FamilySearch has continued adding other records to the free FamilySearch.org. The new resources include seignorial records from the Czech Republic; city records from Nördlingen, Bavaria, Germany; church records from Estonia, Portugal and Slovakia; and marriages from New Jersey. See the updated colelctions and click through to them here.
  
  
• Remember to watch "Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates Jr." this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on PBS, which will feature actors Robert Downey Jr. and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The European-immigrant stories in both stars' pasts are common to many Americans.
  
  
• NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" tonight will repeat the popular Reba McEntire episode. Next Friday will be an all-new episode featuring actor Rob Lowe.

Friday, April 20, 2012 12:41:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [4]

• This Monday at 9 a.m. ET, the 1940 census will be released to the public at 1940census.archives.gov. Archives.com, which designed 1940.census.gov, has put together a cute infographic with information on the census and tips for finding your family. Check it out on the Archives.com blog.

• The founders of Footnote—the site Ancestry.com acquired in 2010 and renamed Fold3—are now working for MyHeritage. Footnote founders Russ Wilding and Roger Bell are serving as chief content officer and VP of product, respectively, at MyHeritage. They'll be instrumental in the Israel-based company's recently announced initiative to develop its US historical records content. Read more about the hire here.

• More than a million Westminster Parish baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538 now available on subscription and pay-as-you-go site findmypast.co.uk. The records come from 50-plus Westminster churches. More Westminster records will go live over the coming months, along with cemetery registers, wills, rate books, settlement examinations, workhouse admission and discharge books, bastardy, orphan and apprentice records, charity documents, and militia and watch records.

• The 2012 Houston, Texas, Family History Expo takes place Friday and Saturday, April 6 and 7. The keynote speaker is Family Tree Magazine's own podcast host Lisa Louise Cooke, and instructors include frequent contributor Lisa A. Alzo. You can register online or at the door, for the whole conference or just one day, or even a single class. Learn more on the Family History Expos website.

Friday, March 30, 2012 11:49:57 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

• Genealogy and family network website MyHeritage now has a feature that lets members easily create family calendars. You can choose from 15 designs and 28 languages, and create a calendar in one click. It's automatically decorated with your family photos and populated with birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other events from your MyHeritage.com family site. You can add or change events and photos, too, and purchase your calendar for as low as $19.95 plus shipping.

• For anyone researching WWII servicemembers, subscription site Fold3 has added the WWII European Theater Army Records, a collection—currently 57 percent complete—of administrative documents dating from 1941 through 1946. They include personal accounts and reports, phone books for US Forces in Paris, troop provisions recorded by the Army Exchange Service and more. Search the collection here with a Fold3 subscription.

• Family tree wiki site WikiTree.com has started a Genealogist-to-Genealogist Sharing Network (aka G2G). It'll allow researchers (whether or not they're WikiTree members) to ask other genealogists for help on topics such as general genealogy, research brick walls, or how to use WikiTree.

• FamilySearch added 20 million new, free records to FamilySearch.org this week for Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, and 13 US states. The release includes 9 million California death records and 5 million Nevada marriage records. See the list of updated databases and link to each one here.

• Florida International University (FIU) has acquired Felix Enrique Hurtado de Mendoza's collection of thousands of books, handwritten and typed letters, photos and other primary documents relating to Cuba and Cuban genealogy. They include rare 17th- and 18th-century books, out-of-print publications, and thousands of unpublished genealogies and family manuscripts. FIU is now raising funds to create a Cuban center for genealogy centered around this collection. Read more about the Felix Enrique Hurtado de Mendoza collection here.

Friday, March 16, 2012 9:54:45 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [0]

Among the records in this collection are:

• Danish West Indies Slave Records
• the 1860 US Census
• US Colored Troops Compiled Service Records and pension files
• Southern Claims Commission files (petitions by Southerners—including many African-Americans—who lost property to Union troops during the Civil War)
• Military Intelligence Division—Negro Subversion (1914–1941)
• Vietnam War Marine Corps Photos

You'll be prompted to register for a free Fold3 account when you click to view a record.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 3:44:07 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [3]

Check this out if you have Revolutionary War or War of 1812 ancestors: Subscription genealogy site Fold3 is making its collection of Service Records of Volunteers, 1784-1811, free through Feb. 5, according to a post on the site's Facebook page.

These images come from 32 rolls of NARA microfilm publication M905. Each soldier's "jacket" typically contains cards abstracting entries for the soldier in original muster rolls, payrolls, receipt rolls, and other lists.

Go here to search this collection. You'll need to register for a free account with the site to view records.

Need research guidance for Revolutionary War and War of 1812 ancestors? Both conflicts are covered in our guide, Research Strategies: 10 Lesser-Known Military Conflicts. It's a $4 download from ShopFamilyTree.com.

Friday, January 27, 2012 3:54:53 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)    Comments [1]

A PBS film called "The War of 1812" is demystifying this conflict with re-enactments, exlanatory animation and the commentary of history experts. That’s a trailer for the show, above.

It premiered on TV last night, but you can watch it online here if you missed it. 

If you have a smartphone, you also can download a mobile app with more videos, guides to battlefields and historic sites, and more. 

Those with War of 1812 ancestors also will be interested in the Federation of Genealogical Societies’ Preserve the Pensions project to digitize pension files for War of 1812 soldiers. Many of these records are already available at Fold3.com. 

You can get more help finding War of 1812 ancestors with these related resources from Family Tree Magazine:

• Timeline of US military campaigns (free article)
  
• War of 1812 records online (free article)
• Find soldiers in 10 lesser-known wars (for Family Tree Plus members)
  
• Military Research Guide CD from ShopFamilyTree.com 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 10:13:05 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [5]

The subscription genealogy website formerly known as Footnote.com will now be called Fold3.

Ancestry.com, which acquired the site along with its parent company, iArchives, last year, is rebranding it with the new name and a new focus on military-related content.

Historical military records have always been one of the site's strengths. The name Fold3 refers to the third fold of a flag in a traditional flag-folding ceremony, which is said to represent the sacrifices of military veterans.

Military records currently on Fold3 come from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War and others.

“We have already begun expanding Fold3’s robust military collection to include new pension application files and draft cards,” says Brian Hansen, Fold3 general manager.

Don't worry—Footnote.com's nonmilitary records, such as city directories, naturalization documents, the Pennsylvania Archives collection and more, will remain on Fold3. Ancestry.com spokesperson Heather Erickson tells me they'll be in an “Other Collections” category.

Thursday, August 18, 2011 2:02:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]