Where Were My Soldiers in 1940?

The release date for the 1940 US census is so close you can feel it! On April 2nd, 2012, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will provide images of 1940 census online. There will be no charge to access these images; however, there will also be no index! At least not right away. And that's where you and I come in.

The 1940 US Census Community project, a joint initiative between Archives.com, FamilySearch, findmypast.com, and other leading genealogy organizations, will coordinate efforts to provide quick access to these digital images and immediately start indexing these records to make them searchable online with free and open access.

Personally, I can't wait. As a case worker subcontracted to the US Army to find the families of servicemen lost in previous conflicts, I usually juggle anywhere from 8-15 cases at a time. Since most of my cases are from the Korean and Second World Wars, I usually find myself longing for information on the family unit in 1940. That alone would be enough to keep me happy, but what is going to go a long way in helping me solve my cases more quickly is that little question "Where were you living on January 1st, 1935?" It's beautiful! In an era of closed vital records, threats to the Social Security Administration's Death Master File and other restrictions on access to public records, it is a relief to be able to get any information on families. I just know my productivity will rise as a result!

We still have to find a way to get these images indexed, though, and that is where the 1940 US Census Community Project comes in. Whether as an individual or on behalf of your favorite genealogical society, you can volunteer to index these images. I signed up at RootsTech last month. It's a great project for your society and there are full instructions on how to organize this great service project on the 1940 US Census Community Project webpage. Take a look to see how you can help. It's actually quite fun to index. You download indexing software and they provide a small batch of records to you. When you complete one batch, they send the next. As I understand it, we will be able to choose which state to index, but not individual towns and cities.

I'm greatly looking forward to this and I hope every genealogist takes a few hours to index some of the 1940 US census. Projections are that it could take six months to complete, but if we really step up our involvement it could be significantly less than that.

Why You Care About MGC, SSDI, the DMF and RPAC

Deciphering the Acronyms

Official hat of the MGC: Minuteman Tricorn hat
Image courtesy of National Park Service

You may have already decided that you don't need to care about this alphabet soup of terms because you don't know what they stand for. Well here's a brief explanation of why you actually do care very much. Today I'm donning my hat as president of Massachusetts Genealogical Council (MGC). MGC is an umbrella organization with both individual and organizational members interested in genealogical and historical research in Massachusetts, and who care about access to public records. MGC monitors legislation, both in Massachusetts and nationally, to ensure that our public records remain accessible. So now I'm very tuned in to legislation, public records access and acronyms of all kinds. It's not anywhere near as fun as doing genealogical research, but it is necessary work.

Image courtesy of the
United States Social Security Administration

SSDI stands for Social Security Death Index, the commercial term for the Social Security Administration (SSA) Death Master File (DMF). The DMF is a list of social security numbers of people now deceased and whose numbers may not be used by anyone ever again. The Death Master File was created at the behest of the SSA to stop identify fraud. And when used properly, it does just that. It is considered a public document under the Freedom of Information Act, and is sold only by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce to commercial entities like Ancestry.com.

The Arguments Against Open Access

There are two main objections to the DMF remaining public. The first is the illegal use of the SSNs of deceased children to claim deductions on income tax returns--eighteen cases of this last year. I don't want to start throwing numbers around, but we all surely realize that 18 out of 300+ million American citizens is a very, very low percentage. What the criminals are doing is reprehensible, but does not warrant removing this important tool from our hands, especially since there is a much better way to control it.

The only time the DMF does not stop fraud is when it is not used. Certain governmental agencies, the IRS in particular, do not consult it. If the IRS did actually examine the DMF, the problem of criminals using the SSNs of deceased children to claim tax deductions would not exist. The DMF is, in fact, the only control we have against criminal use of SSNs.

So there is legislation afoot to close public access to the DMF. But since the problem we have with identity fraud is actually helped by consulting it, taking it away isn't going to help. That's like making public a list of convicted sexual predicators, and then taking it away because not everyone consulted it and someone was victimized.

The other reason given for closing the DMF is that sometimes the SSA goofs and enters the number of a living person into the Death Master File. When this happens, everything stops for that poor individual: no benefits, no driver's license, no identity. We've all heard the "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you're dead," stories, and they are horrifying. It takes these unfortunate people years to regain their identities. But this is a result of a lack of quality control within the SSA that has nothing to do with public access. How does eliminating our access to the DMF stop this problem? It doesn't. It just means that we can't discover what the problem is on our own. It creates a curtain between us and records about ourselves that should not exist.

Some say the government could grant access to the DMF to other governmental entities that need it, but the government is not the only institution that needs to consult it. Financial institutions, hospitals, universities, funeral directors, credit agencies, attorneys and yes, genealogists all use the DMF on a daily basis. Who will decide which of these deserves access?

Most casual genealogists are researching far into the past and do not need the social security entries for anything other than establishing correct identity before moving backwards in time. As vital records in more and more states get restricted, the SSDI becomes an ever more important tool to beginning a genealogical search. Professionals work as heir-searchers, helping to settle estates, and clear titles and testifying as expert witnesses in court cases. Others work on repatriation cases for the US military. The recovered remains of previously unaccounted-for servicemen need to be identified via DNA obtainable only through proven family members. And primary next of kin is determined via kinship determination researched by genealogists. I know in my job as a case worker in repatriation cases I use the SSDI every day, over and over again. Without it I will become much less efficient at what I do. I work under contract for the US Army, and as such am paid by them, albeit indirectly. Will the government grant me access to the SSDI? I highly doubt it.

How You Can Help

If this were all about me, I probably wouldn't care. I'd just take a lot longer to research each case, make more money and forget about it. But it isn't about me. It's about keeping our government transparent, efficient and sensible. The taxpayers are paying me, and I don't want to waste their money.

We all need to get to know our congressmen and women and let them know that genealogy stimulates business, brings patrons into libraries and archives, generates millions of tourist dollars, and is an important field to a nation composed largely of immigrants. Without open access to public records we cannot research our past. I'm hoping genealogists at all levels will get involved.

Follow RPAC, the Records Preservation and Access Committee, a joint committee with representatives from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS). RPAC's legal team works behind the scenes with politicians and legislators to help ensure that access to public records remains open. They are looking for some state liaisons in order to be able to reach out and educate genealogists across the country on issues of public access. Is your state one of them?  I recommend that you subscribe to the RPAC blog's RSS feed, or go to the homepage of MGC where we have the latest RPAC blog posts, as well as our own brand new blog which will be appearing very soon.

Another place where genealogists are gathering around this cause is the Occupy Genealogy group on Facebook. A young but enthusiastic group, it is still relatively unstructured but has lots of members who are passionate about this issue. I am hoping they follow the lead of RPAC and get organized behind a single, calm voice so that we can be taken seriously. We want to come across as informed and serious.

Now is the time for action. Follow RPAC, Occupy Genealogy and MGC. Get to get to know your members of Congress so that you already have a relationship with them before you call them to register your concern with particular bills. Let them know you are a constituent and that you are passionate about this issue. Tell them your concerns. We all want to prevent identity fraud, but in a way that remains true to American democracy. Let's keep these records open for ourselves and our descendants!

World War II Memorial in Washington, DC

Caps for Sale - the State of My Life

Courtesy of http://books.google.com

Someone on my Facebook page asked how many hats I currently wear. Quite a few, as it turns out. Here on my blog I write about things readers might find interesting. To me, my own activities don't fall into that category, but I've had a few people chastise me about that, so here it is.

There is a lot of negative buzz in the genealogical community lately about people overselling themselves, and I certainly don't want to come across that way because in reality I don't think anything I'm doing is all that spectacular. I myself am happy with it, but I'm not out to impress anyone. Then again, it seems kind of dumb that you can read my blog and have no idea what I'm doing. I always say that if you carry modesty too far it becomes an egotistical thing. A person who purposefully does not share anything about him/herself can seem closed-off, and for what purpose?

Courtesy of http://www.networkoffood.com/pies

So, yes, I've got my finger in countless pies these days. It goes in cycles. I take on lots of projects, work really hard for two-three years, nearly burn out, then take a year off to recover. Right now I'm in a heavy work phase and will be for another two years. I have already decided that from then on I will only accept one major volunteer position at a time. Remind me at the end of 2013 somebody!

Love
Being a wife and mother is my favorite thing in the whole world. With two kids in college and one in high school the responsibilities have eased up over the years, but I always put family first.* Home is where I relax, feel centered and can gaze lovingly at my sons and husband when not yelling at them about socks in the middle of the room or toilet seats in the wrong position. My boys are what sustain me. And my friends brighten my days and I am blessed to have so many that I love.

Courtesy www.dtic.mil/dpmo

Job
I work for the American History Company, under contract with the US Army, and have posted about this before. This takes up the bulk of my working time. It is extremely rewarding and my co-workers are the best! I wake up in the morning and start thinking about the cases I'm working on and next thing you know I'm at the computer. Whoosh! Not bad for someone who has trouble getting started in the morning.  I also take on various genealogical research projects, most of which are Massachusetts immigration/emigration jobs.

Volunteering
It may be voluntary for some people, but I feel obliged to give back to a very generous and nurturing genealogical community that welcomed me when I was a n00Bish genealogist. I count myself among the most fortunate people on the planet, having a big warm house, the aforementioned well beloved family, a job I adore, fuzzy cat, dear friends, and several ongoing knitting projects beckoning. Most people on this earth don't know where their next meal is coming from. I never forget about those people. Millions of them, all over the place, suffering in ways I can't even imagine. Is it guilt that makes me volunteer then? Or is it a way to return some of my good fortune to the universe? I don't know. I just know I feel compelled to give my time in some way that benefits others.

That's how I got talked into accepting the position of president of the Massachusetts Genealogical Society (MGC). I have a most spectacular executive board who greatly assist me in the work MGC is trying accomplish--educating the public about legislation that threatens to limit the access to public records. We put on an annual genealogy seminar each year and this year promises to be the best yet.

I've also been working for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) for a year or so, and as of January 1st joined the FGS Board of Directors. Being on the board means added responsibilities, so I'm also the head of the Nominating Committee, on the Conference Planning Committee and editor of the FGS Voice Newsletter. I just published the first issue in the new format yesterday and am hoping subsequent issues won't have so many, umm, issues, as this first one did.

Lest I not neglect the New England Chapter of APG, I should mention that I am currently in charge of publicity for them. I should not be doing this, don't do it well, and am looking for someone else to take it over. Anyone?

Speaking Engagements
I reluctantly accept offers to speak, and have done so a few times in the past few months. I've been a guest on GeneaBloggers Radio on Veteran's Day talking about my military research, and on FGS Radio-MySociety on January 7th, about transitioning new boards with grace and aplomb. I hate listening to myself since it appears that the only word I've ever fully mastered was "ahhh," but I also like to push myself to do things that make me feel uncomfortable, and that definitely qualifies. I also gave what might have been a fine PowerPoint presentation to the Shrewsbury Women's Club, but the projector experienced technical difficulties, so I ended up just talking and gesticulating grandly for a very bored audience! Remind me to tell you about the lady who was stalked by a genealogist that wanted to harvest one of her kidneys.

Publications
I've had a couple of articles printed about me: one in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette and the other in the APG Quarterly, but as for publishing something myself, I still haven't managed it. I've got a little piece I'm going to submit to the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists 2012 Writing Competition that I hope will get published, even if it doesn't win. Some day I'm hoping to actually write up my own family instead of only shoving things into folders and updating the genealogy database. Well, there is this blog, of course. I guess that counts as a publication.

Transferware Collectors Club Seminar
Baltimore, MD, October 2011

Fun Things
Lest I give the impression that I never have fun, I should mention that I belong to a very good community chorus. I also adore knitting, being particularly excited about the colors and textures of the yarn, not so much about the finished garment. I try to do things that are good for me, so I have an appointment to walk with a friend every Mon-Weds/Fri, and go to the gym on Tues/Thurs/Sat. I enjoy kayaking immensely. And so I can play dress-up without bankrupting the household I also sell Mary Kay products. I play word games on my iPhone, do crossword puzzles, love to travel, and am intending to create scrapbooks for all three sons one fine day (before they have kids of their own). I also collect blue and white Staffordshire pottery and go to a yearly Transferware Collectors Club conference with my dear sister. Part or all of the family goes on an annual week-long camping trip in New Hampshire where we meet up with old friends and enjoy the simple life. I love to take family vacations in exotic locations. See? I have fun!

Things I Don't Do Anymore

Re-Dedication of the Col. Timothy Bigelow Monument
Worcester Common, Massachusetts, May, 2008

I did not renew my commission as a Notary Public. I no longer walk 30 miles a week. I won't train for an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer again because it ruined my feet. I don't sew any more. I have a hard time reading non-genealogical books because my time is stretched too thin. I don't have many dinner parties. I haven't cross-country skied in two years. I've given up on home decorating until the last son is out of the house. In fact, the housework, in general, has slid a bit. I haven't done a thing with the DAR since my "reign" as regent of the Worcester chapter ended. I don't sing in the church choir, nor do I make it to church very often. I'm no longer the Church Historian or on the Church Council. I am no longer on any school councils or committees. I do not currently volunteer for APG. My garden is sadly neglected, to our neighbors' chagrin.

Priorities
When you have this much on your plate, you have to constantly try and trim it down. You end up drilling down to the essence of everything you do. If you aren't careful it can be to the detriment of relationships and productivity. You notice the first subheading I listed was Love. You could take all of the other subheadings combined and they wouldn't equal that one. Love is the meaning of life. If anything were to threaten that, I would readily eliminate something else to compensate. I'm so lucky to also love my work, and those that I work with. I'm one lucky lady, that's for sure.

Feedback
Do you think this post is boastful, arrogant or publicity-based? Does it seem self-serving? I'm curious what people think about this one because it is different from my others. Let me know your thoughts!

* Except the time I went cross-country skiing with Jude and left 12-year old Nathan at home sleeping feverishly. God forgive me!

With my boys at the top of Mt. Washington, during a camping trip in 2003.

Open-Mindedness and Compromise Not Dirty Words

Author's children, learning to compromise.

Play Nice!
It's not just true in politics: you see it everywhere you turn. It's a cultural thing. It even rears its ugly head in the genealogy world. It is not fashionable to be tolerant and patient. Somehow people have decided that they must not listen to anyone with a different view, and in fact, must condemn them. Is it for fear of weakening their own opinions? If so, it means that their view is founded on emotion, not facts. I've got nothing against emotion. But first I want to make sure that what I'm getting whooped up about is actually true. Only then can I truly express indignation. Nothing burns me up more than watching someone rant about something that is true only in the ranter's own mind. What a waste of energy. I think fear causes most of this, and fear can be alleviated through gathering more information about an issue.

Some people think they are being objective because they do seek others' opinions. They talk to people (their friends), watch the news (on one channel) or check things out on the web, usually starting with a Google search. It was recently reported in the news that Google searches don't return purely objective results. Google is learning about you by how you act online, what sites you visit, what you search for. So Google brings you what IT thinks you would like to see. This makes it tougher to seek out other points of view. Just as I get my news from multiple sources, including but not limited to various media outlets, so would I like to have a completely unbiased-in-my favor search result. I'm looking for truth, not stroking of my ego. Add to that the fact that Google has their own reasons for skewing the results, based on advertising dollars, and you have a cloudy vision of reality.

So what, you may rightly ask, does this have to do with genealogy? Open-mindedness and compromise are what lead us to continue learning even when we think we know it all, as many seem to these days. In particular, I'm thinking of genealogical societies. There is a crisis in genealogical circles today: a massive clash of the old and new style genealogist. Two vastly different demographic groups are intersecting after years of remaining isolated from one other, and creating what appears to be a rift.

We Can Fix This!
Many societies were founded in the 1980s, before computers, before the internet, when genealogy was unknown to most people. They were a great place to gather with like-minded souls, laugh about loving cemeteries and go on research trips together. The pace of research, and life in general, was exponentially slower. Most societies' members were limited to those able to travel to a convenient meeting place and who had local genealogical interests in common. Sharing surnames was a great ice-breaker and many people learned a lot from their peers. The members considered themselves experienced, well-rounded genealogists.

Once the internet catapulted many of us into warp speed, we found the web to be an increasingly fruitful way to research, organize and communicate with other genealogists. Many, many newer genealogists have never belonged to a genealogical society though, because the drive to network is not as strong nowadays, not at first. Online communities provide so much support that it takes a while for people to realize that there is nothing like live interaction to deepen the connection with others, enhance learning and create friendships with like-minded people. When developing genealogists reach this point in their experience it is natural to refer them to local societies.

No need to resort to fighting.

Lots of genealogical societies are still being run by the folks who founded them. It is a noble and healthy ideal to want to preserve tradition, and any institution is naturally resistant to massive change. But what has transpired with the introduction of the web is that every aspect of daily life has changed radically for the vast majority of the population. If societies do not start finding a way to welcome both younger and newer (not always the same) genealogists, they will simply fade out and finally fold once the older generation passes on.

The open-mindedness needs to go both ways, however. We repeatedly see the techno-genealogists join a society and their first instinct is naturally to help (whip) them into the 21st century. Because they have no need for it themselves, newer members might want to eliminate costly hard copy traditions and slower ways of the well ensconced members. This is generally met with a planted-foot stance and reluctance, if not absolute refusal to cooperate. This is because the two groups have not previously co-existed. So patience on all sides is warranted! There is, after all, a shared goal which can be explored and developed.

What will happen to these two groups?  I find myself smack dab in between and I can see that both sides need tolerance and patience for a few years. Do societies want to continue to survive? If so, they must find a way to welcome these changes without fear of losing the society's identity. The experienced leaders need to nurture and pass the baton to the newer ones. Fresh blood enriches any organization, pumping it with new ideas that create enthusiasm and pride in new accomplishments. They need to happily embrace technology and view it not as a threat, but as an enhancement to everything they have done and are doing. On the other hand, newer members need to understand that not everything can be accomplished electronically. The must listen between the lines and realize that some members are completely threatened by technology for a variety of reasons. They fear that the internet and computers will completely replace telephone calls and letters and paper newsletters, as sometimes they do. Surely there is a way to reassure them that they will still be valued members.

I would like to suggest that deliberate thought be given to connecting these two groups and all societies implement a bridging mechanism.

Hold on to the Past While Reaching into the Future

Cars can use covered bridges, too.

Designate a member to communicate by mail or phone with those who are not tech savvy. Yes, it is a major disruption to the way we conduct business in the 21st century. It interrupts the flow of communication and slows everything to a snail's pace. But generally those not on the computer simply want to be kept in the loop, and it is in the society's best interest to do so, given that they hold within them the institutional memory and have a perspective that we do not.

We can also work with those non-techie genealogists to introduce them to aspects of the web that could help them. Perhaps they do not have a computer. This could be due to financial constraints. Or it could be disinterest or even disdain. Then again, may it is just because they don't know where to start. There are computers in libraries where we can access Ancestry.com and other databases, even set up email accounts. We can have a ten-minute mini-lesson by laptop at the beginning of every meeting, where we offer explanations of jargon, perhaps something like, "What Exactly is a Blog, for Goodness' Sake," or introduce a new website. A little demonstration of how to send email to more than one person, or include an attachment could be very helpful. Seemingly simple things can empower those not familiar with them. Sometimes people just don't know the questions to ask, and once you start explaining you will receive a flood of questions, and see the relief on their faces when they realize it isn't as daunting as they had feared.

Look for ways to record the history of your society and put it up on your website. New members can interview experienced members and write down their memories and highlights from the past.

Alert the membership to the fact that digital publications cost very little to store, nothing to mail, and take up no space. Inventories can be reduced, not eliminated. Assure them that you will still mail out paper copies to those that need them, but that there will be a great savings in cost if publications go digital. With this reduction in printing costs you may be able to reduce or even eliminate dues. There is nothing to lose for those who still require hard copy, and everything to be gained for those that don't.

Lay the Groundwork for the Future
At the same time, the newer genealogists can be tutored in offline record groups, local repositories, and well established methodology. Members with 25 years of experience probably know who the local clerks and librarians are and can share handy research tips. And again, learning the history of your society means you will not repeat errors of the past. So often newer people assume that things have never been done, then find they have. Isn't it best to learn what happened before plowing into it all over again?

Nobody is saying it is easy. Societies are folding all over the country. The only way we are going to prevent that is if we can get these two previously isolated groups to co-mingle. Be open-minded, patient, reassuring and instructive, and with some compromise on both sides we will make it happen!

Brotherhood

[Thank you to Ryan and Nathan for allowing me to use your images royalty-free!]

How I Can Live With Myself, Being Both a GeneaBlogger and Board-Certified Genealogist

The Rules

OK, everybody back to your corners. Here are the rules to polite behavior. Are you engaging in them?

1. Do not insult anyone.
2. Do not generalize.
3. Do not stereotype.
4. Pay attention to who is saying what and how many times s/he repeats it.
5. Count to one hundred before posting. (I know, I know, I didn't follow this with my bow tie comment on Facebook, and I'm very sorry. I'll make it up to you bow tie people.)


The Problem
The online genealogical community is in an uproar over ever-more heated comments in the debate on citing sources on blogs. I don't want to go into detail about the comments. One person in the genealogical community is proselytizing--telling bloggers how to blog. As far as I can tell, just one associate of the Board for Certification for Genealogists, commonly called Certified Genealogists(SM) or CGs. I am one of those AND a blogger, and I'm writing to defend both.

Snarkiness on the list has been dragged out and repeated endlessly by people who are not certified because they do not agree that those principles define professional genealogy. They can't seem to tell us what does, but I don't care what they think and I'm ignoring them. Can you? They have nothing to do with this discussion.

My Credentials Should Not Be Threatening to You
I pursued certification because I wanted to know how well I measured up against professional standards in the field. I'm just that kind of person. I wanted to know if I was doing it "right." I have never been the most confident of people, but I wanted to be assessed. I thought the standards made good sense, would make me more productive and please my clients. I measured up just fine, thank you very much. That's between me and BCG®. It's an assurance to my clients that at least I had the guts to let someone else look at my work and tell me what they thought of it. It's not assurance that I'm going to write fantastic reports every time, just that I want to do so. I do not want to lord my credentials over anyone. I do not think I am better than anyone else. But I worked really, really hard, learned a lot and am not going to apologize for that. I am well aware that a lot of the best genealogists in the country do not have credentials. Just because you never took an IQ test doesn't mean you're not intelligent. And some people who managed to get credentials create some lousy work.

But when are we supposed to follow the standards, including citing sources? In client reports? Of course. In writing articles (though some publications strip them out anyway)? Of course. In writing up our own research? Sure helps if you ever want to find it again. But how about blog posts?

It's My Blog and I'll Cite If I Want To
How about we leave it up to the individual? Yes, vast, angry, oh-so-sensitive GeneaBlogger community, it's up to you, personally, to make that decision. One guy trying to change the world really shouldn't be such a threat. Everyone engaging in genealogy does not have to follow professional standards. It depends on the post. It depends on what you want people to take away from the post. I've got credentials, colleagues who read my work and will judge me on it, potential clients who will be evaluating my posts, and still, only very rarely do I cite my sources in footnote form. I mention the record groups, and anything out of the ordinary or hard to find I include in the body of my post. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS, EVEN FOR PROFESSIONALS AND THOSE WITH CREDENTIALS. There is room for everyone in the sandbox as long as you don't throw sand.

The nature of blogging is casual, transient and in my opinion only one step away from email or writing in a diary. Formal ESM-style citations are overkill there, especially for the happy casual genie. The spirit of citing your sources is to make it clear where you info comes from, and bloggers just naturally do that.

It's Not Compromise, It's Inclusivity

I think it ought to be clear by now that there are two extremes. But that's the point: they are extreme ends of the spectrum of human nature. Those who need every comma in the precise spot and those who talk/write without knowing much. Neither of these is balanced. By taking what one man says and accusing 2,000 other people of subscribing to his theories you stir up trouble. It doesn't have to do with credentials. It's too easy to paint everybody in two camps. Bloggers vs. Credentialed. Everyman vs. Elitists. Democratic vs. Fascist. I have some very good friends who are persnickety about typos, commas and the like, but I am not. I care about bad information, bad manners and bad feeling in public forums. The point is to get the information out where we can access it ourselves and judge for ourselves whether it needs more research or not. The vast amount of information I've only touched on in the blog posts I've read make it clear what a genuinely valuable resource they are. The bloggers will decide on their own format. If you want a precise citation, ask the blogger.

Some of the absolute best GeneaBloggers have now declared themselves against professional genealogy and started to show disdain for what I worked so hard to achieve. All because one guy is advocating citing sources on blogs? Really? Their voices are pervasive and important to me, and I'm sad that something I was proud of having achieved is now being mocked and equated with bad character.

If you've insulted someone, apologize. If you're feeling persecuted, relax! Can we all please take the weekend off and come back with smiles on our faces, ready to do some real genealogy? It's time!

Keeping the Promise

Author Sleeping on the Job
Dreaming of Soldiers Returning Alive

Awake, Ye Blogger!!

Poor PollyBlog. I've failed you miserably. I've been sleeping on the job: so busy working on genealogy that I've neglected to tell you what I'm actually doing, which, after all, was the point of blogging. So in honor of New Year 2012, I will try to pay more attention to you.

You may have heard of genealogists working for the military but wonder exactly what they do. About fifteen months ago I started researching on behalf of the US Army. Since so many people ask me about what I do I thought I'd share a bit of what goes on. I am a case worker, directly employed by The American History Company. They in turn contract with various branches of the United States military to perform research into families of missing soldiers to aid in the repatriation effort. Case workers must be either accredited by ICAPGEN (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) or certified by BCG (the Board for Certification of Genealogists). I did not apply for this job: I was recommended by a colleague. My area of specialization is New England.

Courtesy JPAC Press Center

An Honor Guard from JPAC secures the American Flag over a disinterred coffin during a ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The unidentified Korean War service member was transferred to the Central Identification Laboratory where JPAC scientists will attempt to make the identification. 

You've heard mottos like, "Keeping the Promise," "Fulfill their Trust," and "No One Left Behind." Well, in recent years, legislation has been passed to make sure this happens after the fact as well as in battle. So in 2009 Congress sent a mandate to the Department of Defense to redouble their efforts to find and bring home personnel killed or missing in action in previous conflicts, back to and including World War II. Both military and civilians work on recovery, identification and repatriation of missing military personnel.

 The terms of our contract prohibit us from sharing information that is proprietary to the Department of Defense, but there is plenty of public information about the process.

Repatriation from Korea

Punch Bowl Crater, near Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii 
 Courtesy Hawaii For Visitors website

During Operation GLORY in 1954, North Korea returned the remains of more than 2,000 Americans. At the same, the US recovered remains on South Korean battlefields.

The US identified thousands of these remains. The 848 that could not be identified were buried in 1956 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the "Punchbowl."

So between 1954 and 1990, the US was not successful in convincing North Korea to search for and return additional US remains. However, from 1990 to 1994, North Korea exhumed and returned what they claimed were 208 sets of remains. And then North Korea was once again closed off to the US.

In late October 2011, the US and North Korea reached a new agreement to resume recovery operations in North Korea.

Courtesy JPAC

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command - JPAC, was activated in 2003, in Oahu, Hawaii. The mission of JPAC is "to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation’s past conflicts." The highest priority of the organization is the return of any living Americans that remain prisoners of war.*

Additional info is available on the website of the Department of Defense's Defense Prisoner of War - Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)

*To date, the U.S. Government has not found any evidence that there are still American POW's in captivity from past U.S. conflicts.

Current Mission

A column of the U.S. 1st Marine Divisionmove through Chinese lines 
 during their breakout from the Chosin Reservoir. 
Courtesy Wikipedia.com : 2 Jan 2012

Today the Army is pursuing a two-pronged effort. On the one hand, they are going out into the field on excavation expeditions to retrieve remains of any sericement they can find. They go to battlefields, sites of previous prison camps, crash sites and anywhere an American serviceman is reported to have been seen. They bring the remains back to Hawaii, extract DNA, and keep it on file in a huge database.

On the other hand, each MIA serviceman's case is assigned to a genealogist who is then tasked with locating current day family members in order to find the soldier's official next of kin. In addition, because DNA is essential in identifying remains, the genealogist must determine family members eligible to donate DNA samples. DNA of family members is added to the database and when there is a match, bingo! The remains are returned to the family and closure is finally achieved.

There are lots of considerations when doing this kind of research: privacy, for one thing. Sensitivity to family dynamics is another. The repercussions of the death of a young man can still be discerned in these families, even after sixty years. Family members must be approached with delicacy and empathy. Researchers must learn how to read between the lines when hearing conflicting accounts from family members. Some people are angry that they have never been contacted, and others are delighted that some is still searching for their loved one's remains.

It is extremely rewarding work, if somewhat complicated by the inability to access vital records in many states. And from about 1950 to 1990 there is a great hole in information, be it due to privacy acts or a failure of some institutions to keep up with their filing/storage. I find great satisfaction in this work, however, and only hope that some of the solider's whose cases I have worked on will be returned to their families one day.

Giving Thanks for Some Mayflower Roots

Courtesy Salem History Online

When I was little I played in the woods ALL the time. We built huts, climbed trees, navigated streams and played hide and seek. I'm sure the scenarios we created were far from authentic, but we always loved to imagine what it was like before the Pilgrims arrived. I wondered how the Native Americans lived, how they survived the long, frigid winters. What did they eat? How did they keep newborns warm and snug? We'd blaze trails, paint rocks with swampy water and search for arrowheads amongst the scrubby bushes. The Pilgrims did enter our play world, but they were more incidental. We re-enacted the meeting of the two cultures. How did they communicate; what did they trade, that sort of thing.

Pequot War
Courtesy of Wikipedia

In my teens, just around the time I was learning that the facts were not quite as idyllic as we had been taught, my genealogist mother, Priscilla (Barnes) FitzGerald, was wildly searching for a family link back to the Mayflower. I could have cared less. Lineage societies to me, in the early seventies at least, were nothing more than elitist clubs, their members all trying to out-impress each other. Eventually she and my aunt, Abbie (Barnes) Thompson, discovered that we are descended from Stephen Hopkins. Yeah! File it away for the future when I care or need to impress someone. I rejected the inherent snobbism out of hand.

Years later, the sisters were informed that the Stephen Hopkins line had been discounted by a later Mayflower historian. They could remain members of the Mayflower Society, but no one else could be admitted on that line. So they redoubled their efforts, and by collaborating across the North American continent, eventually found another Pilgrim ancestor: Degory Priest, through their father, William Otis Humphrey Barnes.

By this time I had become a genealogist myself and wanted the experience of submitting lineage papers, so I happily volunteered to unearth the proof. A few years later, Aunt Abbie discovered yet another Pilgrim, George Soule, this time connecting through their mother, Vernetta Gertrude (Jones) Barnes. I submitted this one as well, so we now all have two official Mayflower lines.

Courtesy of gutenberg.org

As a practicing genealogist I had come to realize that the excitement my mother and aunt felt was not because they wanted to distinguish themselves as blue bloods or ennoble the family name. No, they just loved that visceral link to history. Those were our relatives that came over here on that terrifying, dark, dirty, freezing, stinking ship. And when they got here they needed the wise counsel of the Native Americans to survive. With their help they managed to live long enough to produce children who also survived and had children, until eventually I came along to play in the woods twenty miles from where they landed. It is exciting because we've heard the stories told so many times and have already envisioned what life must have been like for them. It is a great way to open up the world of history to everyone, because we all have ancestors. 

It doesn't matter who your ancestors were. The joy we derive from studying history and genealogy is in witnessing the reassuring lesson that although life on this planet has been incredibly difficult for ages, it can also bring great joy. Life springs from death: something of each of our ancestors is alive today in us. We are who and where we are partly because of who our ancestors were. This is true biologically and psychologically––by nature and nurture. They are part of us. Every generation feels the same emotions. It is just the circumstances that change. The Pilgrims had their obstacles, as did my father's ancestors who lived through the Irish Famine, and if they could thrive, then so can we.

Courtesy iSucceed

Descent from Pilgrim Degory Priest

Degory Priest (ca 1579 - 1 Jan 1620/1) and Sarah Allerton ( - bef. 24 Oct 1633)

John Coombs ( - 15 Oct 1646) and Sarah Priest (ca 1615 - aft. 1 Aug 1648)

Francis Coombs (ca 1635 - 31 Dec 1682) and Mary Barker (ca 1647 - aft. 15 May 1711)

Ebenezer Bennett (19 May 1678 - 13 Jan 1750/1) and Ruth Coombs (12 Mar 1680/1 - 11 Mar 1717/8)

Ignatius Elmes [Sr] (8 Apr 1706 - 8 Feb 1762/3) and Sarah Bennett (27 Mar 1707 - 30 Jul 1789)

John Elmes (23 May 1733 - 13 Jun 1811) and Lydia Ryder (5 Feb 1736/7 - 13 Nov 1830)

Reuben Damon (13 Feb 1759 - 26 Dec 1837) and Lydia Elmes/Ellms (14 Sep 1761 - 1826)

Joseph Clapp [2d] (1 Jun 1809 - 13 Jan 1878) and Lydia Damon (13 Jul 1799 - 1884)

William Otis Clapp (10 Jun 1840 - 7 Apr 1901) and Mary Gage Colby (14 Mar 1842 - 29 Apr 1903)

Israel Merritt Barnes [Jr] (11 Sep 1861 - 18 Jul 1920) and Bethia Augusta Clapp (13 Apr 1861 - 6 Feb 1928)

William Otis Humphrey Barnes (16 May 1886) and Vernetta Gertrude Jones (13 Jun 1892 - 1 Aug 1892)

My mother

Me

Descent from George Soule

George Soule (bef. 1600 - aft. 20 Sep 1677) and Mary Bucket/Becket ( - Dec 1676)

Francis West ( - aft. 6 Sep 1687) and Susannah Soule (ca 1642 - aft. 1684)

Jeremiah Fones (1664 - 29 Apr 1747) and Martha West (ca 1676 - 2 Dec 1764)

Capt. Ebenezer Hill (1703 - 31 Oct 1753) and Mary Fones (20 Sep 1711 - ) [needs work...]

William Boone (22 Aug 1743 - 28 Apr 1829) and Ruth Hill (25 Feb 1744 - 12 May 1833)

Richard Jones (ca 1758 - 29 Jan 1842) and Mary Boone (26 Apr 1770 - 9 Mar 1840)

James Jones (27 Nov 1787 - 4 Dec 1877) and Sarah Crouse (30 May 1792 - 3 Mar 1876)

Darius Jones (30 Dec 1811 - 22 Mar 1887) and Rhoda Tripp (1827 - aft 1894)

Jared Smith Jones (3 Oct 1860 - 21 Jun 1943) and Georgianna Hagerman (3 Feb 1868 - 3 Jun 1932)

William Otis Humphrey Barnes (16 May 1886) and Vernetta Gertrude Jones (13 Jun 1892 - 1 Aug 1892)

My mother

Me

A Weigher and Inspector of Bundled Hay: Job Description

Courtesy
Wikipedia Commons

Service on the Old Colony Railroad began in November 1845 with a route from Boston to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The South Shore Railroad opened a line to Cohasset on January 1, 1849, bringing it very close to my ancestors' hometown of Scituate. Initially there were three round trips a day, running through from Cohasset to Boston, making for a very easy commute. The trains opened up a whole new world to people who had for generations been farmers and mariners.

My great great grandfather, Israel Merritt Barnes, was the first in the family to take advantage of the proliferation of industry and commerce, coupled with the convenience of train transport, to seek out white collar work in Boston. His experience on the farm stood him well, as he was appointed Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay in Boston for many years running, from at least 1847 to 1889.

“The Boston and Lowell, the Eastern and the Fitchburg Railroad Company passenger depot on Causeway Street, ca. 1860-75,” digital photograph collection of the Boston Historical Society, web archive, The Bostonian Society (http://rfi.bostonhistory.org [search terms “Fitchburg Railroad”] : accessed 3 August 2008).

Here is a contemporaneous job description that brings to life the duties Israel bore. The position of Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay is described in The General Statutes of Massachusetts of 1859, below. [William A. Richardson and George P. Sanger, ed., The General Statues of the Commonwealth of Mass enacted December 28, 1859 to take effect June 1, 1860, second ed. (Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1873); Googlebooks (http://books.google.com/books using search terms inspector+hay+aldermen : accessed 18 July 2008); See under “1847, 246, § 6. HAY.”]

SECT. 72.... The mayor and aldermen and selectmen may from time to time appoint, for a term not exceeding one year, some person or persons to have the superintendence of the hay scales belonging to their place, who shall weigh hay offered for sale therein, and any other article offered to be weighed. ... 

SECT. 76. Pressed hay offered for sale shall be branded upon the crate enclosing it with the first letter of the Christian name and the whole of the surname of the person packing and screwing or otherwise pressing said hay, and with the name of the city or town and state where the hay is pressed. 

SECT. 77. Pressed hay offered for sale without being so branded shall be forfeited, one-half to the person or persons prosecuting therefor and the other half to the use of the city or town where the same is so offered for sale, and may be seized and libeled... 

SECT. 80. Bales or bundles of hay so inspected which are found to be sweet, of good quality, and free from damage or improper mixture, shall be branded or marked No. 1. Bales or bundles found to be sweet, and free from damage or improper mixture, but consisting of hay of a secondary quality, shall be branded or marked No. 2. Bales or bundles found to be wet, or in any way damaged, or which shall contain straw or other substances not valuable as hay, shall be branded or marked bad. Each bale or bundle so inspected shall be branded or marked with the first letter of the Christian name and the whole of the surname of the inspector, and the name of the place for which he is inspector, together with the month and year when inspected, and also the net weight of the bundle. 

SECT. 81. Each inspector shall furnish himself with proper scales, weights, seals, and other suitable instruments, for the purposes aforesaid.

“Big Hay Baler” [Jean Campbell Winchell (http://www.cardington-ohio-heritage.com/ cardington.html : accessed 25 August 2008); Jean kindly granted me permission to reproduce this photo in an email of 26 August 2008. It depicts some of her ancestors in early 1900 Ohio.]

The Boston Daily Atlas Local Intelligence column mentions, on 11 August, 1847, under Municipal Affairs, a “Remonstrance of Nathaniel Vinal and others, against the appointment of dealers in bundle hay, as inspectors and weighers thereof.” [“Local Intelligence, Municipal Affairs,” The Boston [Massachusetts] Daily Atlas, 11 August 1847, vol. XVI; iss. 35, p. 2; Readex, a division of Newsbank, “America’s Historical Newspapers,”online database linked to original images (accessible at public libraries : accessed June 2008).] Nathaniel Vinal was Israel's uncle, and I wonder if he was perhaps working at that time to get his nephew Israel appointed by trying to eliminate some of the competition?

A notice dated 2 November that same year, also in the Boston Daily Atlas announces: “At a meeting of the Board of Aldermen... Appointments – Israel M. Barnes, weigher and inspector of bundle hay.” A clue to his potential earnings is contained earlier in the same notice where it states: “John R. Bardford, Hay Weigher of the Northern District, submitted his report, that he had received, during the quarter ending Oct. 31, as fees for weighing hay, straw, $586.75, fifty per cent, of which ($293.37) has been paid to the City Treasurer.” [“Local Intelligence,” Boston Daily Atlas , 2 November 1847, issue 106, col. D, online subscription database linked to original images, NEHGS, “19th Century U. S. Newspapers,” (http://www.newenglandancestors.org : accessed 22 August 2008).] 

Some papers I inherited [I call them the Barnes Family Papers] contain a note dated March 17, 1852, City Hall, that is addressed to Israel M. Barnes, Esq., Causeway off Endicott Street, [Boston], in which he has “been appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen as Inspector and Weigher of Bundle Hay.” [Aldermen, City of Boston to Israel M. Barnes, Esq., letter announcing appointment to Inspector of Hay 1852; Barnes Family Papers.] The note was sent to his work address, near the train stations where the hay was being transported to from the rural areas. Today that area is the home of Boston’s TD Banknorth sporting arena.

Map Of Boston, 1872, After The Latest Surveys With All The Improvements In Progress (Boston: L. Prang & Co, 1872); digitized map; David Rumsey Map Collection (http://www.davidrumsey.com/maps770059-22765.html : accessed 2 August 2008); plan of East Boston, detail of Causeway Street.

Israel continued to serve as Inspector of Bundle Hay for many years, at least to 1889. He consistently appears in city directories, census, and vital records as Inspector or Inspector of Hay up to and including his death. He was a colorful character and I love to imagine him wielding his influence in the loud and dusty city.

An Iota of Help for Finding Your Irish Immigrant Ancestor's Origins

We all know how difficult it is to find the townland of early Irish immigrants. There are countless reasons why this is so. The first big wave of Irish who came over during the potato famine (1845-1852) were so numerous, so poor and therefore so faceless that they were seldom even accounted for. Ship manifests from that time period did not always list passengers, and when they did, it was just a name, age and occupation, if that. Many of the manifests did not survive. My grandfather, Patrick John FitzGerald, came over later, in either the early 1880s or early 1890s (depending upon which source you want to believe), and there was no more information then than earlier. Can I isolate him from the other hundreds of Patrick Fitzgeralds? Nope! In fact, the ship I really believe he was on had three Patrick Fitzgeralds, 22, 24 and 19 years old, all laborers. I am lucky to know that my grandfather was from Castlemaine, Kerry, only because he was such a close relative: my father's father. So my father had heard stories and even went to visit Castlemaine in his later years. I am very lucky. 


What does everyone else do? We hope that there is an accurate family legend, maybe bolstered by some letters from the old country. We search for obituaries of everyone in the family, including cousins, aunts and uncles. We look at people the family hung around with, better known as associates: people in the same neighborhood, church, school or club. We look at parish records, funeral home records and gravestones. And we keep our fingers crossed. Occasionally a marriage or death record will give an Irish county or origin. Mostly not, though.


One place that usually is of no use whatsoever is the US census. Every census prohibits the enumerator from taking down the city or county if in another country. So for the US and Canada we get a state or province only, and for everywhere else, we get a country. Most 1860 Boston census pages read like this in the place of birth column: Mass., Ire., Ire., Ire., Ire., Ire., N.S., N.S., Mass., Mass., NH, Ire., P.E.I, Mass., etc.

Boston Wards 1 and 3 in 1860. Ward 1 is where the North End is now.
Courtesy of Flicker.com

But one night a little leprechaun led me to a magical place. Lucky the genealogist who stumbles upon Ward 1, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, in the 1860 census, where that lovable rule-breaking enumerator, Wm. B. Tarltan provided not only state or country of birth, but added the city for the US and Canada or the county for Irish and other nationalities. I love this guy! His spelling is sort of phonetic and handwriting could use some work, but he provides more useful info than he should and for this we should all be grateful!

1860 US census, population schedule, Suffolk, Massachusetts, Boston, Ward 1, p. 6, col. 10 "Place of Birth, Naming the State, Territory, or Country"; Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : 10 Feb 2012).

On just one page he lists the following places of birth: Boston, Mass.; Halifax, N.S.; Waxford, Ireland; Lathram, Ireland; Killarney, Ireland; Cork, Ireland; Concord, Mass.; Londonderry, Ireland; Newfoundland; Newbury Port, Mass.; Kings County, Ireland; and St. Johns, N.B.! How 'bout that!!


William B. Tarltan is not the only enumerator to have broken the rules, so always check every census because you just never know when you'll get a renegade census taker who saw the value in reporting more detailed places of birth.

Map of Boston Wards in 1860. Ward 1 is near the top of the map.
Courtesy of Flicker.com