Friday, March 23, 2012

Featured Funeral Card: Catherine Adams June 8, 1888

This is one of the many Funeral Cards featured on AncestorsAtRest website


Funeral Card Catherine Adams June 8, 1888

Funeral Card Catherine Adams June 8, 1888, aged 57 years
Catherine Adams died 1888

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Railway workers reburied with dignity 180 years later

The remains of five Irish labourers, who researchers believe were murdered in 1832 while building a Pennsylvania railroad, received a dignified reinterment Friday more than 5,000 kilometres from their homeland and nearly two centuries after their first anonymous burials.



http://www.thespec.com/news/world/article/684908--railway-workers-reburied-with-dignity-180-years-later

Monday, March 19, 2012

Coffin Plate Of Chauncy Rogers 1875


Chauncy Rogers
Died April 8th 1875
Aged 52 yrs

I went and had a hunt for Chauncy Rogers in the 1870 United States Federal Census.

Name: Chauncey Rogers
Age in 1870: 47
Birth Year: abt 1823
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1870: Bethany, Genesee, New York
Post Office: Darien

Household Members: Name Age
Chauncey Rogers 47
Almira Rogers 37
Brian Rogers 14

Want to see more Coffin Plates

Sunday, March 18, 2012

WWII European Theater Army Records 1941-1946 online

New on Fold3: WWII European Theater Army Records, a collection of administrative documents compiled by the U.S. Army's Historical Division, 1941 through 1946. These records, originally marked
secret and confidential, are now available on Fold3

Created within the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during World War II, these documents are revealing, and often include personal accounts, as in this report of evacuating Allied prisoners of war.
Names of soldiers and support personnel are on many of the records, but
nowhere more prolific than in the phonebooks for U.S. Forces in Paris.

A 1945 directory admonishes users to, "Never mention secret or confidential matters over the telephone," then lists the names, ranks, addresses, and phone numbers of Paris-based personnel.

Explore the ETO Records on Fold3 to discover more about U.S. operations in World War II and how the Army effectively maintained soldiers' welfare and waged war behind the battle lines.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Featured Funeral Card Willie E Adams, 1888 - 1889

This is one of the many Funeral Cards featured on AncestorsAtRest website


Death or Remembrance card for Willie E Adams, 1888 - 1889

Death or Remembrance card for one Willie E Adams, died April 15, 1889, aged 7 months. 10 days
Willie Adams Death Card

Thursday, March 15, 2012

FamilySearch Adds New Genealogy Records

FamilySearch added just over 20 million new, free records online this past week for
Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, and the U.S.

The 9 million new California death records and 5 million Nevada marriage
records should be a boon for those looking for ancestors in the western
U.S. Records were also added for 11 other states.

Search these and 2.5 billion other records now for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records on FamilySearch.org are made possible by thousands of volunteers from around the world who transcribe (index) the information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online.

More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the amount of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about how to personally help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records as a volunteer indexer at  FamilySearch.org

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Coffin Plate Of Ruth Jones 1800~1871


I found 2 Ruth Jones in the 1870 United States Federal Census. Ruth Jones of Pine Grove, Warren, Pennsylvania and Ruth Jones of Berlin, Rensselaer, New York. So not knowing who is the right Ruth Jones I went and had a look in 1880 Census. I found the Ruth Jones of Warren, Pennsylvania was still alive in 1880 so it looks like Ruth Jones of Berlin, Rensselaer, New York is our best candidate so far.

I have 500 more Coffin Plates at AncestorsAtRest.com

Friday, March 09, 2012

Headless Romans found in York were gladiators

80 skeletons of well-built young men, gradually exhumed from the gardens of a York terrace over a decade, suggests that the world's best-preserved gladiator graveyard has been found.




http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/jun/07/york-gladiator-graveyard?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

The Coffin Plate Of John F Rebstock




This coffin plate for John F Rebstock is fairly standard for the time. It is constructed from silver plated cast metal. Before about 1890 most coffin plates were constructed from thin plate metal.

I went and had a look for John in the 1900 United States Federal Census.



1900 United States Federal Census

Name: John F Rebstock
Age: 11
Birth Date: Sep 1888
Birthplace: New York
Home in 1900: Tonawanda, Erie, New York

Relation to Head of House: Boarder
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: New York
Mother's Birthplace: New York

RootsTech 2012 Videos online for Some Sessions

RootsTech 2012 recorded sessions are now available on the RootsTech website.

Do I Trust the Cloud?

By

D. Joshua Taylor


Effective Database Search Tactics

By

Kory Meyerink

Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had For Breakfast” Anymore

By

Thomas MacEntee


Eleven Layers of Online Searches

By

Barbara Renick

Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities

By

Josh Coates


Publish Your Genealogy Online

By

Laura Prescott


Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines

By

Robert Gardner


Genealogists “Go Mobile”

By

Sandra Crowley


Google's Toolbar and Genealogy

By

David Barney


Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry

By

Tim Sullivan


Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101

By

Lisa Louise Cooke


Privacy in a Collaborative Environment

By

Noah Tutak

Thursday, March 08, 2012

The resting place of Jesus

Archaeologists exploring a 1st century Christian burial chamber have discovered an ancient inscription on a coffin lid which they believe could prove the site is the final resting place of Jesus.
Using a remote-controlled camera connected to a robotic arm to probe below a tower block in Jerusalem, the archaeologists were staggered to discover a set of 1st century 'bone boxes'.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107591/Jesus-discovery-Does-1st-Century-coffin-lid-Jerusalem-reveal-Jesus-resting-place.html#ixzz1oYmzK2bP

Featured Funeral Card for Fletcher Able

This is one of the many Funeral Cards featured on AncestorsAtRest website

Funeral Card for Fletcher Able, died November 16, 1912



Death of Fletcher Able 1912
In Loving Memory of Fletcher Able, died November 16, 1912





Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Are you related to the Iceman

In what I think is really cool news researchers have now conducted DNA studies on Oetzi the iceman. Oetzis well-preserved, 5,300 year old mummified body was found in 1991 on the Tisenjoch Pass in the Italian part of the Oeztal Alps. The DNA analysis shows us he had brown eyes, type O blood, and was lactose intolerant. He was also genetically predisposed to coronary heart disease and shows signs of the earliest known infection of Lyme disease.

But what I think is really cool is the possibility that researchers may be able to find living descendants using DNA testing. Of course we don't know for sure if Oetzi fathered any children. His DNA test did show mutations typically found in men with reduced sperm function that can render them infertile. But even if Oetzi had only one or two sons, after 5,300 years he could literally have millions of descendants. You could be one. How cool would that be.

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Coffin Plate Of Rebecca Starkie 1797~1868



Today I am adding the coffin plate of Rebecca Starkie 1797~1868. From what I can find it looks like Rebecca lived in Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire. She is living with Benjamin P Starkey age 53. This Benjamin is probably her husband but he is 10 years younger so one would need to look for more info.

1860 United States Federal Census

Name: Rebecah L Starkey
Age in 1860: 63
Birth Year: abt 1797
Birthplace: Massachusetts
Home in 1860: Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin P Starkey 53
Rebecah L Starkey 63

I then went and had a look at the 1850 United States Federal Census
and found them in Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts.

1850 United States Federal Census

Home in 1850: Quincy, Norfolk, Massachusetts
Household Members: Name Age
Benjamin P Starkie 44
Rebecca L Starkie 53
Eliza A Starkie 11
Simeon S Page 25

I have more Coffin Plates on AncestorsAtRest.com

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Fold3 Adds Civil War Records for Union Soldiers


Fold3 has added more Civil War Records for Union Soldiers for genealogists. Here's their announcement:

Index to Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers

Fold3 is excited to announce the expansion of the Civil War Collection by adding the Index to Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers. The first four states available in this collection are Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Each index card
gives the name of a soldier, his rank, and the unit in which he served.
Anyone looking for a Union soldier in the Civil War will find these
cards useful in identifying the state and regiment in which a man served
and how his name appears in the military records. You can then locate
his records to learn about his service in the war and the battles in
which his regiment fought.

This new index, viewed as card images on Fold3, may be familiar to some.
The National Park Service transcribed these cards, referred to as
"General Index Cards," and placed the data online in its Civil War
Soldiers and Sailors System. When searching for a soldier there, you are
provided with a transcription, while Fold3's images allow users to view
the original card as well as determine the accuracy of the
transcription. Once you find the soldier you're looking for, you can
connect his index card to his service record on Fold3, or contact NARA
for copies of his documents.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Sunken Cemetery

The eruption of Mt. Vulcan Daan in 1870s left an extraordinary, never-missed tourist attraction site famously known as the “Sunken Cemetery,” marked by a huge cross rising from the waves.


Read More about this Sunken Cemetery

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Who Do You Think You Are? With Blair Underwood

Season 3 of Who Do You Think You Are? sponsored by Ancestry.com takes you all over the world and inside the fascinating family histories of 12 celebrities.

The celebrities that WDYTYA will take on a journey to find their ancestors are Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.

Next is Episode 3 on February 24th with Blair Underwood who travels to Africa to uncover his roots.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Memorial Card Of Herbert Vogtle



Herbert Vogtle
Died Sept 19. 1896 Aged 16 years.

There are many more funeral cards online at AncestorsAtRest.com Is your ancestor one of them?

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

New Life For The City Of The Dead

The first legal cremation in Victoria was a rudimentary affair. It was held at Springvale Botanical Cemetery in 1905 when the body of Edward Davies, a retired customs officer, was laid on a pile of wood, doused with kerosene and then set alight. The service was presided over by a Church of England priest.



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-life/new-life-for-the-city-of-the-dead-20120214-1t3z2.html#ixzz1mNS38ecm

Monday, February 20, 2012

Cemetery Walk Diamond Springs El Dorado Twp California

Olive Tree Genealogy has uploaded the last of 7 videos of a Cemetery Walk through Diamond Springs Odd Fellows Cemetery in El Dorado Township, California on the OliveTreeGenealogy Channel on YouTube.