The Family Papers Behind The King's Speech

Lionel Logue, pictured here with his fiance Myrtle in 1907 (Mail Online)

An appointment card showing King George VI's visit to Lionel Logue's Harley street clinic. (Mail Online)

My English boyfriend Colin Firth (perhaps you've heard of him?) is going to win an Oscar tonight for his performance in The King's Speech. The family of speech therapist Lionel Logue went up into the attic and found Mr. Logue's papers there, including a trove of nearly 100 letters between George VI and Mr. Logue. 

Read more about the primary source documents behind the movie at CBS by clicking here to visit or go to the Mail Online to read the story and see some of the documents. They've also published a book on their findings.

The archivist in me hopes the family considers donating the collection to an archives for research purposes, but the genealogist in me says never give up those papers.

And congratulations, Mr. Firth - well deserved.

National Archives Genealogy Programs for March 2011

In March, the National Archives will feature genealogy-related programs highlighting records from its holdings.  These programs are free and open to the public, and will be held in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.  Visitors to programs in the National Archives Building Research Center (Room G-24) should use the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW.  Visitors to the March 15 program in the Adams Room should use the Special Events Entrance on Constitution Ave. at 7th St. NW. 

Wednesday, March 2, at 11 a.m., Research Center, Room G-24

Introduction to Genealogy

Archives staff present a lecture on using Federal records for genealogy research.   This lecture is offered the first Wednesday of the month.

Wednesday, March 16, at 11 a.m., Research Center, Room G-24

Beyond the Basics Research Skills: Civil War Patents

Michael Hussey, archivist, will teach today's “Beyond the Basics” archival research skills on patents developed during the Civil War (all skill levels welcome).

Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m., Research Center, Room G-24

Beyond the Basics: Archival Research Tools

Archives staff teach “Beyond the Basics” archival research skills for genealogists on the third Saturday of the month. This month’s topic is research tools for digging deeper into National Archives records (all skill levels welcome).

Saturday, March 19, noon–4 p.m., Research Center, Room G-24

“Help! I’m Stuck”

Not sure where to begin? Has a genealogical problem stumped you? An archivist is available from noon to 4 p.m. to answer genealogy research questions. Sign up for a 20-minute appointment at the Microfilm Research desk in room G-26 that Saturday.

Coming in April:


National Archives 7th Annual Genealogy Fair:  Become Your Family’s Detective

Wednesday, April 20, and Thursday, April 21, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.                     

National Archives Research Center                                                                                             

This two-day program showcases the Federal records located at the National Archives as resources for family history research. Speakers and exhibitors include National Archives staff, historians, and genealogy professionals. The fair provides information and guidance for experienced genealogy professionals and novices alike. Reservations are not required, the fair is free and open to the public, and presented in partnership with the Foundation for the National Archives.   Visit www.archives.gov/dc-metro/know-your-records/genealogy-fair for more information.

The National Archives Building is fully accessible.  To request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) for a public program, please email public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000 at least two weeks prior to the event.  To verify the date and times of the programs, call 202-357-5333, or view the Calendar of Events on the web at: http://www.archives.gov/calendar. 

Follow Friday: NUCMC and the Documentary Heritage of the Civil War

The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) is celebrating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War by compiling information about historical documents from across the country regarding the outbreak of the Civil War, complete with links to the home historical societies and repositories of the materials.

NUCMC is a cooperative cataloging project at the Library of Congress that has been operating for many years. Their Civil War effort, entitled "NUCMC and the Documentary Heritage of the American Civil War," can be viewed here.


The online presentation is the first of a five-year, five-part program highlighting Civil War collections for the sesquicentennial. The online information for this year focuses on the election of Abraham Lincoln, the secession crisis, the outbreak of hostilities, mobilizing for war and foreign public opinion.

Future updates to "NUCMC and the Documentary Heritage of the American Civil War" will include are planned as follows:

2012: personal narratives of members of the Union and Confederate armed forces;
2013: the sesquicentennial of the Emancipation Proclamation and the African American experience from slavery to the end of the Civil War;
2014: the home front, women in the war, the role of charitable organizations, economic aspects of the war and patriotic societies; 
2015: the sesquicentennial of the death of Abraham Lincoln, Reconstruction, Confederate exiles and the rise of veterans’ organizations.

 Of the project, Associate Librarian for Library Services Deanna Marcum said, "With this timely commemoration of the Civil War, NUCMC succeeds in showcasing its work and demonstrating the wealth of materials in previously ‘hidden collections’ that we are interested in exposing, not just at the Library of Congress but at our colleague institutions nationally."

NUCMC seeks the assistance of eligible repositories in identifying and describing archival collections relating to the conflict. Eligible repositories must be located in the United States or its territories, must regularly admit researchers, and must lack the capability of entering their own archival cataloging into the bibliographic database managed by OCLC, the world’s largest library cooperative.

If you know of a library or archives that could contribute, please visit www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/ for more information.

Tuesday's Tip: SparkCharts German Vocabulary

I've got a new favorite research aid – it's the SparkCharts German Vocabulary sheet, a convenient laminated cheat-sheet for German words you need when researching. Sections include relationships (family and cycle of life), geography, emotions, colors, weather, health, education, food, and leisure. You can also download it from the SparkCharts Web site. $5 well spent, imo.

SparkCharts also has German verbs and German grammar sheets, as well as French and Spanish version, if you need help with those languages. 

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree: Badges, Get Your Badges Here!

Southern California Genealogy Jamboree: Badges, Get Your Badges Here!

Colorado Springs City Directories Online, 1879-1922

The Pikes Peak Genealogical Society has digitized and made available city directories for Colorado Springs for the period from 1879 through 1922 on its Web site. The digital city directories are a collaborative effort between the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society and Special Collections at the Pikes Peak Library District.  

Visit this page and click on the date links at bottom to access the directories. The first city directory for Colorado Springs was published in 1879, and was published biennially until 1899. After 1900, directories for Colorado Springs were published annually and included a cross-reference index for street addresses. The digitized Colorado Springs city directories are in PDF format by year. You may browse page by page or search for a particular name or keyword.

I began my library career at the Pikes Peak Library District and was delighted to speak at PPGS last spring to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Congratulations to everyone involved on this great project to increase access to Colorado Springs resources.

Chronicling America Update: 178,000 More Pages and New Interface Features

The Library of Congress has updated the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers site, adding an additional 178,000 pages (including 25 new newspapers). A preview of upcoming changes to the Web site itself, including a new overall look, a "100 Years Ago Today" daily slide show, new search features, and improved results navigation, is also being added. The beta version is available here.

I posted an overview of the Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers here last summer, which you can read here.

Chronicling America is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

A great site – if you haven't been lately, you might want to revisit.

Follow Friday: Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress

February 1 marked the birthday of America’s sole remaining World War I veteran, Frank W. Buckles, who turned 110. In 1917, Mr. Buckles enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 16, saying he was 21. During the war, he drove motorcycles, cars, and ambulances in England and France, and during the Occupation he guarded German prisoners. Mr. Buckles eventually went to work for the White Star steamship line and was in Manila on business in December 1941 when the Japanese attacked. He spent over three years as a prisoner at the city’s University of Santo Tomas.

We know so much about Mr. Buckles's eventful life because of the Veterans History Project at American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. His collection there includes two interviews, given when he was 100 and 103 years old, as well as original documents and photographs. 

Through personal narratives, visual materials, and correspondence, the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

Search the Veterans History Project here to see if information about a family member has already been contributed.

For information on how to contribute to the project, visit this link.

Wisdom Wednesday - 50 Most Popular Genealogy Websites for 2011

ProGenealogists.com has released the 50 most popular genealogy sites on the Web as of January 2011. 

While it's not surprising to see Ancestry in the #1 position, I was amazed to see familysearch.org ranked only fourth, behind FindaGrave and MyHeritage. FamilySearch has become indispensable to my overseas research. The full list with hyperlinks is linked below:

50 Most Popular Genealogy Websites for 2011

ETA: Link fixed. Sorry!

2011 Jamboree Schedule Available

Yay! The 2011 Jamboree schedule is up on the Southern California Genealogical Society site. Click here to download your copy. I'm happy to say that I'll be presenting twice: Think Like an Archivist and Researching Your Chicago Ancestors. And registration is open at the SCGS Web site.

June will be here before we know it!

The First Valentine and Some English Genealogy

 

A love letter from 1477 with the first use of the word Valentine (British Library)

Did you see this Valentine story? The BBC reports: "The first reference to ‘Valentine’ has been found within a 500-year-old love letter, where the 17-year-old Margery Brews pleads with her betrothed, John Paston, to marry her (despite her parents' refusal to increase her dowry)." The letter is part of a British Library exhibition on the evolution of the English language.

Written between 1422-1509, the letters between the Pastons, a Norfolk family, are the oldest record of private correspondence that survive in Britain. The bulk of the letters are in the British Library, others are in the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the Norfolk Record Office.  

Margery and John married in 1477 and produced a son, William, in 1479. The 16th- and 17th-generation descendants of Margery Brews and John Paston were traced via MyHeritage.com.  

Using letters from collections in the British Library, the Royal Naval Museum, and the Imperial War Museum,
MyHeritage.com, put up a gallery of significant British love letters from the past 500 years at www.myheritage.com/loveletters. They are also looking for the "romantic British love letter ever written," which can be submitted at the same URL. The winner will be announced on February 25. Details on the competition's terms and conditions are available online.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweetie, the one who's always up for a research trip, who tromps through cemeteries for me and my FindaGrave cohorts, who reads microfilm and runs a copier like a pro. You're the best genealogical spouse ever. And he's even got a fascinating family. You're the best – mwah!

The Procrastination Flowchart

Is your research stalled or you haven't updated your blog? There's probably an explanation in the flowchart above courtesy of ehdom.com. Click here for the larger version – it won't cure your procrastination, but you'll have fun. And now I must have some scanning I need to do? Or filing? Or replying to someone? Or updating my online tree? Or.........

Census and Racial Identity @ The New York Times

The New York Times had a great piece a few days ago about the 2010 census and racial and ethnic identity. This was always interesting to me and now more so because I found one of my husband's lines in nineteenth century Virginia listed as mulatto. By the time they reach Kansas a decade later, the same ancestors are white. 

The Times article states:

Some proportion of the country’s population has been mixed-race since the first white settlers had children with Native Americans. What has changed is how mixed-race Americans are defined and counted. 

Long ago, the nation saw itself in more hues than black and white: the 1890 census included categories for racial mixtures such as quadroon (one-fourth black) and octoroon (one-eighth black). With the exception of one survey from 1850 to 1920, the census included a mulatto category, which was for people who had any perceptible trace of African blood. 

But by the 1930 census, terms for mixed-race people had all disappeared, replaced by the so-called one-drop rule, an antebellum convention that held that anyone with a trace of African ancestry was only black. (Similarly, people who were “white and Indian” were generally to be counted as Indian.)

It was the census enumerator who decided. [emphasis added]

By the 1970s, Americans were expected to designate themselves as members of one officially recognized racial group: black, white, American Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Korean or “other,” an option used frequently by people of Hispanic origin. (The census recognizes Hispanic as an ethnicity, not a race.)

All the years I've used census records and it never occurred to me that the enumerator was the person who determined race. Amazing!

You can see some of the trees of people interviewed for this series here: 

Mixed America’s Family Trees 

The Times has also added a multimedia section where you can put your own tree up: 

Add Your Tree Here

Vikings, the Isle of Man, and DNA

My elderly paternal uncle graciously agreed to participate a few summers ago in genetic genealogy for our family. While I was expecting a lot of Scandinavian results (and got them), what I surprised me were all of the strong results for the Clan Chisholm in Scotland. It seems my Viking ancestors pillaged and, in the words of Bennett Greenspan, "left biological evidence," in Scotland before they went off to conquer Scandinavia. 

So those of us with Norwegian ancestry are always interested in news about studies involving the Vikings. There's a new one starting on the Isle of Man in a few days. The BBC put up this article begins:

Researching your family tree can only go back so far in time before records become patchy. Now genealogists from the University of Leicester are using DNA tests to trace Manx ancestry back to the Viking era.

Local men with popular Manx surnames are being asked to give a DNA sample to help researchers explore the links between Y chromosomes, surnames and common ancestry.

The investigation starts on Saturday, 19 February 2011 at the Manx Museum.
Allison Fox, Curator of Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, told BBC Isle of Man: "The Vikings have had a lasting impact on the island and we've still got Tynwald today.

Read the whole article here: "Viking ancestry explored on the Isle of Man by researchers."

Guide to the United States Marriage Records at FamilySearch.org

Leland Meitzler has published this excellent summary of the U.S. marriage records now up at FamilySearch.org. in his Family Roots Publishing Genealogy Newsline, vol. 1, no. 3 from 2 Feb 2011. Leland says:

FamilySearch.org has posted numerous marriage databases for the United States. Following are links to 53 databases with records for 43 states that you may find of interest. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records, while a few records may be earlier or later. In most cases, the records may be researched using microfilm found at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. Note that in a number of cases I have stated that the number of records was AFTER a specific date. I did this when I found that
more records were within the database than I found listed with that date. I'm guessing that this occurs when records are added, but the Collection List Page itself doesn't get updated.

I'd add that when you see two collections for one state, the second is usually marriage records from the various counties. And I added the hyperlinks. 

Alabama Marriages

Marriages 1816-1957 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Alabama - 1,472,271 records as of 6 May 2010.


Arizona Marriages
Marriages 1888-1908 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Arizona - 75,094 records as of 27 April 2010.

Arkansas Marriages
County Marriages 1837-1957 - Index and images of marriages recorded in counties of Arkansas - 1,694,330 records as of 5 November 2010.


Arkansas Marriages
Marriages 1837-1944 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Arkansas - 1,005,608 records after 27 April 2010.


Connecticut Marriages
Marriages 1729-1867 - Name index to marriage records from the state of Connecticut - 453,527 records as of 6 May 2010.

The rest of the states after the jump....

1911 Scotland Census Available 5 April 2011

Only two months to go until the 1911 Scotland census will be released by the Registrar General for Scotland. It will go live  on ScotlandsPeople on Tuesday 5 April 2011.

There are 4.7 million Scots named in this census. Fields in the census include name, address, age, occupation, birthplace and marital status of everyone enumerated, as well as details about their children. Scanning was done in color.

A sample page has been made available:

Sample census page from 1911 Scotland Census (ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk)

 The Web site says:

It will cost 1 credit to view an index entry for the 1911 census. An image will cost 5 credits. Unlike previous censuses, the image spans two pages due to the additional questions that were asked about the fertility of marriage and the profession or occupation. Each page measures 34 cm long by 43 cm high so the images are best viewed on your computer screen or if printed, on size A3 paper.

Unlike previous censuses there are no plans in the immediate future to relocate the enumeration books to New Register House in Edinburgh because the books need 73.5 metres of shelving.

 I've got this in my can't-hardly-wait category.

Follow Friday: My Ancestor Approved Genealogy Blogs and Sites

Kathy Reed of Jones Family Matters was nice enough a few weeks ago to give this blog an Ancestor Approved Award.

The
 Ancestor Approved Award was created in March 2010 by Leslie Ann Ballou of Ancestors Live Here to appreciate and enjoy geneablogs that are “full of tips and tricks as well as funny and heartwarming stories....”
 


Recipients list ten things which surprised, humbled, or enlightened them about their ancestors and ten blogs to pass the award on to. I posted my list of things learned (so far) a few days ago here. And now here are my nominees for the Ancestor Approved award:

1.     Michelle at The Turning of Generations

2.    Cynthia at ChicagoGenealogy: Insights, Observations, and Questions Waiting to Be Answered

3.    Thomas at High-Definition Genealogy: Family History in Focus

4.    Greta at Greta’s Genealogy Bog

5.    Mark at Many Roads

6.    Judy at Genealogy Leftovers

7.    Elizabeth at Little Bytes of Life

8.    Jennifer at Chicago Family History

9.    Jirene at Jirene's Genealogy Tips & Random Thoughts 

10.  Craig at Geneablogie

Stop by these blogs – I think you'll like them as much as I do.

Flickr Horror Story

This is a great example of why I don't trust external Web sites to hold all my data. It can be tempting to keep your tree just on Ancestry or Geni or any of the other sites, just as it's tempting to have your photographs stored on Flickr or Picasa. But please please please keep your own copies on your own hard drive (and backup them up!).

And no, I'm not saying you shouldn't have trees, photos, media on external sites, but keeping all of your data hosted somewhere else is asking for trouble.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It's every Flickr addict's worst nightmare: One day, the vast photo archive you've uploaded and annotated for years suddenly vanishes. It happened this week to Mirco Wilhelm, when a Flickr staff member accidentally deleted his five-year old account, wiping out 4,000 photos.

Wilhelm had e-mailed Flickr customer service about another user's account which seemed to be packed with stolen photos -- a violation of the site's policies. In trying to delete that errant account, the Flickr employee accidentally nuked Wilhelm's.

Unfortunately, I have mixed up the accounts and accidentally deleted yours. I am terribly sorry for this grave error," the Flickr staff member wrote in an e-mail response to Wilhelm's inquiry about his vanished account. "I can restore your account, although we will not be able to retrieve your photos."

Read more here.

Tuesday's Tip: Sale on Archival Supplies at Hollinger Metal Edge

Want to shop where professional archivists get their archival supplies? And how about a 15 percent discount at the same time? 

Then head to the Winter 2011 sale at Hollinger Metal Edge to stock up. To be completely honest, I get nervous when genealogists tell me they buy acid-free supplies at Walmart or other retail outlets that aren't in the preservation business. Archivists swear by Hollinger, the leader in this field since 1945. If they say it's acid-free, you can count on it.

Products I really like include:

 

File Folders 

 

 

Flip-top Document Storage Boxes

 

 

 

Textile Storage (also great for flat oversized documents)

3-mil. Archival Polyester Sleeves

If you've heard my presentation on organization, you know that this is where you should be spending your storage dollar, rather than on elaborate binders, color-coded systems, and sheet protectors from discounters and office supply stores. Please store your original and vintage materials appropriately in trusted archival supplies like the ones from Hollinger. (And I have no financial interest in Hollinger or the other firm I recommend, Light Impressions.)

Sale ends March 15th!