Tag: Tuesday’s Tip Page 1 of 5

Tuesday’s Tip: Indexing with FamilySearch

On 11 August 2015

Don’t you just love being able to type a name into a database like those on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org and get results?

You may have noticed that not all databases get pulled into these searches though; but you are welcome to go through page by page, to find what you’re looking for. It takes a long time and can be quite tedious. Don’t you wish those items were indexed?

Well this is where you can come in and pay it forward to the genealogy community!

FamilySearch.org is currently hosting a World Wide Indexing event and anyone can become involved in this project!

Get Started

You can check out some more information here but it’s quite easy to get started. First, you do need an account with FamilySearch – it’s free! You fill out the form and you’re set! Very simple.

Once you have that, you can then begin indexing. First, you’ll need to download the indexing program.

It doesn’t take too long and then you’ll have a small icon that says FamilySearch Indexing on your desktop (well, that’s where I put mine anyway). Double click, log in – and start!

How To Index

Once you log-in, you’ll have a tip of the day show up. You can disable this or not. I leave mine up because the reminders are nice. Your screen will look somewhat similar to this:

You have three main spaces here: My Batches, My Messages, and what I call My Results.

My Batches

Here is where you have a list of files you have chosen to index. In the above picture, mine is currently blank. To download a new batch, you just click on the download batch button. You can also choose to work offline or online.

My Messages

Self-explanatory really. Right now there’s a message up about the Worldwide Indexing Event. You can dismiss these messages as you read them.

My Results

Here you can view several different tabs. The above picture shows my goals, which I currently have nothing set. If you wanted to set some goals for yourself, that’s where you’d do it and keep track of your goal.

My history shows your records you’ve submitted and your points. Your points just let you see what you’ve contributed to FamilySearch indexing for the month, the quarter, the year, and since you’ve started.

Arbitration Results tells you the percentage of how much what you indexed matches with a reviewer. After you submit your work it goes to an arbitrator who goes through it once more. This is a good tool for seeing where you may need improvement (especially when reading those handwritten documents!).

The Indexing Links is the last tab and has guides, tutorials, projects, wiki’s, etc. for you to look through if you so wish.

Downloading a Batch

As I said, you click the download batch button to get your documents. A box will pop up and here you’ll have some choices

In the upper right hand corner, you’ll see a link to edit your preferences. That takes you outside of the indexing program where you can choose your email preferences, project difficulty level, and project languages.

Once set, in the download batch box, you can choose to show all projects or your preferred projects. You can then organize the projects by project name, description, level, or points by clicking on the heading box of the category you wish to organize. For example, organizing by level will give you a result like this:

Notice that it has all the beginning projects listed and it goes to intermediate and then advanced. Organizing this way is nice, especially if you’re new to indexing.

Once you find a project you’d like to work on, you can indicate how many batches you’d like in the lower left hand corner. You can use the arrows or type it in but you can’t have more than 10 batches at a time. You can also click the view sample button if you wish to see what it looks like before taking on a project.

So once you find a project you wish to work on, select it, choose how many batches you’d like, then hit ok and it will take you to the project indexing screen.

There are three boxes on this and are self explanatory. You’ll want to focus at first on the bottom right box for the specific project instructions.

Each project is unique, so I highly recommend reviewing all the instructions for the project before indexing. You can also see many image examples and see exactly how and what they want you to index as well as what to do when you can’t view the image or read the handwriting. A lot of this repeats and you’ll become more and more familiar with the process as you continue to index.

Once done with a batch, you submit it and it’ll disappear from your list on your start page.

What if I Can’t Do It?

No problem! Just send it back. There’s a handy button for that:

For whatever reason you can’t complete a batch, you can return it. If it’s too far above your level, you downloaded more than you can do, etc. Just send it back! It’ll ask if it is something for other indexers or if there’s a problem with the image, so click what is appropriate and send it back! No harm done 🙂

You’ll notice that there are due dates for batches. (In the list of projects, ones that are close to their due date can be in red to draw attention to them. So be aware that those have a shorter time-limit than the rest.) Once that due date is up, the batch will be removed from your start screen. So be sure to take on as many batches as is feasible for the time frame! If you decide to download the batches and work offline, you’ll need to be even more cognizant of that time frame.

Worldwide Indexing Event

If you’d like to find some more information on the event, check out Dear Myrtle! She has had several posts on her blog about it, like Saturday’s post. She also has a schedule of events if you wish to participate with her! Today’s indexing session is complete but check out her schedule for other events.

The event goes from August 7-14 so you definitely have time to contribute! There is a goal for 100,000 people to participate in this event and they are nearly halfway there! It’s a lot of fun to index regardless of this event so even if you don’t make it during this week definitely check it out and help other people find their ancestors just a bit faster. 🙂

You can check out the FamilySearch Indexing Facebook Page or the FamilySearch Facebook page too for more information.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with FamilySearch.org nor a member of the LDS church; I happen to find indexing fun and enjoy being able to help others search a bit easier 🙂

Tuesday’s Tip: Naturalization Records

By Nichelle Barra

On 4 August 2015

In Research, Resources

Back in March, I wrote about the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the types of records you can get from them.

I also mentioned that I had sent for a genealogy index search for my 2x great-grandfather, John Michael Stalmacher. Yesterday, I received this glorious letter in the mail:

So I immediately filled out a request for the information!

That was about a 90-day wait to get the letter that states that yes, they have his file. Now I have another 90-day wait for the file. I did ask for it by email, which was cheaper and I’m hopeful that it will be faster as well.

Getting the Information

First – Search Request

So, how do you go about getting all of this information? First, I filled out the search request (first box on the page) for the index search request. I did not have a file number for John Stalmacher, so I had to have them search for one. The cost is $20 just for the search, and no, you can’t go there yourself to do the searching.

You’ll need this information:

Name of immigrant
Immigrant’s Country of Birth (you can choose other to type in a country)
Immigrant’s date of birth and then you indicate if that is the estimated birth or exact (if estimated, you’ll get a warning that if the DOB is less than 100 years, proof of death would be required to release information)
Immigrant’s Date of Arrival – either the exact date or date range
Where did the immigrant live in the US and when – you can put a range for the possible dates if unknown (I used census information and draft cards to help fill this in)
Optional information that include a maiden name of immigrant, other names, or names of other family members as well any other information that can help a search. For this part I filled in that in 1920 he was an alien and in 1930 he was naturalized according to census records.

Then you wait. Sometimes it can come in 3-4 weeks but it could (like mine) take up to 90 days. Be forewarned, I got a letter within a week from them and got very excited. Then I opened it to find it was just the confirmation that they got my request and gave me my case number. That case number is important though as you use it to check your status.

Once the status shows the search is completed, wait for about 6-7 days to get your letter that looks like the above.

Second – The File

Once you get that letter, you can then request your file! Check out my previous blog post about the USCIS (link in the beginning) to read what kind of files you can hope to get. The file for my ancestor is a C-File or Certificate File. I am hoping it will have when he arrived in the U.S. as well as his place of birth. It says Russia on the letter but he also says Poland in other records (which is also where his younger brother was born). So having a city could help me to see where exactly and then look at the border changes that happened when he filled out certain forms. Plus, that will lead to possible baptism records, which could lead to parents, etc. etc.

Don’t Forget to Check Your Local Court Records!

Now, if you happen to live in an area where your ancestor applied for citizenship, you don’t necessarily need to go through all of this. You could just go get them from the court indicated in the letter. They may not have the information, that’s always a possibility you should be aware of. Of course, calling ahead of time (or checking out the website) can help you to find where the information is held and what kind of information they have and I’d highly recommend doing that before heading over.

For me, the cost of gas for such a visit is well over the cost of the emailed information. Of course, not waiting may have been worth it… but I can’t schedule in a visit during the week for a few months anyway so this is the course I’m taking.

Do any of you have successful or not successful stories about searching for naturalization records? Share below or on Facebook!

Tuesday’s Tip: Twile

By Nichelle Barra

On 22 July 2015

In Resources, Review

Yes this is a day late again. I have been a day off all week long! 🙂

Not too long ago, I recieved an email about a new family tree website called Twile.

I checked it out but didn’t do too much with it at first. But I followed them on Facebook and saw that they were allowing people to upload GEDcom’s – awesome! That is so much easier than re-making your whole family tree!

Uploading my GEDcom did come with some issues, which isn’t surprising. GEDcoms can be quite complicated as they come from many different programs but Twile’s owners are diligently working on the issues and I was able to upload the GEDcom last week!

So, now that I have that on there I get the chance to explore! Here are some things you can expect from Twile. First, at the top, you’ll find the main tool bar for viewing. You have two options: Timeline or Family Tree

Timeline

You can choose different views for this one. You can choose FAMILY:

You can’t see it well but the timeline goes from your earliest ancestor recorded (mine happens to be 1796) to current time. You can scroll through the time line by clicking and “pulling” it along (much like you do on Ancestry and FamilySearch to move documents around). Or you can use the timeline line at the bottom of the screen:

You can also view a specific ancestor’s life. Just click the button that says Family and you’ll get this list where you can then choose someone to specifically look at:

There you’ll see recent searches and then an alphabetical list. It’s alphabetical by first name, which takes a moment to get used to. Here’s a look at one of my ancestors:

You can also see that specific person’s profile:

Family Tree

The Family Tree view can focus in on a specific person (as the profile at the top shows, you can click the Their Tree button to get a look at that ancestor’s specific connections. But you can move around this screen to see whatever connections you’d like:

Pros

It’s just starting out – to me this is great because it means the owners/creators are actively paying attention to the needs and wants of it’s consumers. I have had wonderful responses to questions and problems I’ve come across with the site! It’s being monitored and your responses will be answered PLUS you can help make it better.
It’s FREE! – Always a nice touch.
Upload your GEDcoms – This is preferred to having to recreate a family tree!
Photo capabilities – Great for adding a more personal touch.
Views – I really like the timeline view. Seeing the whole family throughout time like that gives it in a unique perspective. The family tree view is nice as well. I like that in the family tree view, the number under their initials (or picture) tells you how many facts, or stories, you have for them. It’s a nice quick view.
Ease of use – very self-explanatory and easy to use. I have not had a problem maneuvering around the website.
Share – As always, part of building a family tree is to SHARE IT! For family members, you just need to click their profile and you’ll see a box that says “Invite [Name] to share your family history with him/her” and a place for an email address. Enter that in and you’ll be able to share photos, stories, and the timeline with them. You can also invite friends, but they can then only see what you add to your specific timeline.
Feedback – In the menu there’s a section for feedback. I love it when websites actively seek out their costumer’s opinions and then DO something about it. Twile definitely delivers in that aspect!
Private – This is not a public tree. You get to choose who gets to view and edit information. This could be a CON for some people, but I know it’s something people have been looking for lately.

Cons

It’s just starting out – This is both a pro and a con. It’s great but you will also need to expect hiccups and some issues. However, it’s the customer service that makes or breaks this and I do feel this is more a PRO than anything because of Twile’s customer service. But it’s something to be aware of nonetheless.
Missing timeline items – I had this issue with census information after I uploaded my GEDcom. It was fixed for a specific ancestor that I had emailed about but I notice that it wasn’t fixed for all of my family. Military information is also missing. They are aware of the issue though. My GEDcom had items that were new to them and therefore didn’t upload correctly. This is one of those issues that will be fixed with time as it is still a new website working out the kinks as they go along.
Citations – Although my GEDcom has citations attached to people, Twile does not currently support that feature. I am not sure if that is something they hope to do or not but I do hope they will consider adding that feature. After all, genealogists work very hard to get those documents and we all know a fact (for lack of a better word) is only as good as it’s source!

Overall, this is a great website and I hope it continues to grow! I’ve been asked before about a place where people can put their family tree for free and have their family/friends view it and this has been at the top of my recommendations lately. FamilySearch is great, but it’s public, same with WikiTree. People have lately wanted a tree they could privately share and I think Twile is filling that gap nicely.

I also like their About page’s first line: “We know that family history is more than just names on a family tree.” So true!

Check out the website and their Facebook page for more information!

Have any of you used Twile? What did you think? Add your comment on Facebook or below!

Tuesday’s Tip: Etsy?

By Nichelle Barra

On 14 July 2015

In Resources

Recently, Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers posted about using Etsy for genealogy. Have you tried this yet? Are you familiar with Etsy?

Etsy is actually one of my favorite places to shop because I LOVE handmade items – journals, jewelry, house items, etc. So I’ve shopped on Etsy for a number of years now. I’ll admit though, I hadn’t thought of using Etsy for genealogy until I saw the post on Geneabloggers.

Even now, I’m… skeptical.

There are genealogy related items on Etsy. For example, here’s a screenshot of what searching for genealogy can find:

You get a lot of fun items this way where you can display your genealogy work.

Prints featuring personalized trees, graphs, charts, etc. that you can hang in your home
Other forms of artwork that can be personalized for you – Christmas ornaments, maps, etc.
Jewelry shaped in trees or other ways that can be genealogy related (for example, my favorite necklace came from Barb’s Branches on Etsy)
and more

Thomas MacEntee recommends adding the word ‘books’ to get some really interesting results and this surprised me as well. There were a number of items here that would be very useful mixed in with the usual ‘make your own’ genealogy books:

From there you can get specific – put in the word Pennsylvania after genealogy books and you’ll get a number of PA related historical books.

Searching just for a place can also bring up some great results, too. For example, a search for Saginaw brings up:

MAPS!!!!

Did I mention how much I LOVE maps???

For a measly $8.00 I could get a reproduction of the East Saginaw 1867 map – AMAZING! My husband is not thrilled with this recent discovery and since we share an office and it’s tiny, there’s not much I can do about this at the moment.. Trust me, when I get to have my own office one day, the walls will be filled with framed maps (and MANY book shelves…)!

Until then, I need to restrain myself.

Another neat item on Etsy is the photographs part when you search for genealogy. When you do a general search for genealogy, one of the top categories that comes up is photography. Clicking there is like finding a treasure trove at a garage sale. There’s an amazing amount of photos on there! Not all are identified and some are incredibly expensive, but it’s still very neat to see what is in this collection.

Thomas MacEntee also recommends looking by surname. Now when I did this I found nothing for my main surnames (Witherell, Langeneck, Almy). But when I use my paternal grandmother’s maiden name, which is Hummel, LOTS of figurines showed up! That isn’t surprising though and I expected as much for that name. In my quick search, I didn’t find anything genealogically related with the name though. However, it’s free to search so I recommend doing so; you could be pleasantly surprised!

Now as far as what this can do for your genealogy research, that will be up to you. It’s fun to look through and if you enjoy items created by your genealogy, this is a great site! The items for sale that could be useful (like the books and maps) tend to be available in libraries or historical societies, but if you like to have these items at home for whatever reason, for example, because you live far away from such places, this could be useful in your research. As I said, I remain skeptical as to how well this site can be used for your genealogy research, but it’s still worth the search. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all!

Have you used Etsy for your research? Share your story!