Surname Saturday: The Birth and Baptism of Hans Loe, Part 2

Some time ago, I wrote of my beginning attempts at Norwegian genealogical research, attempting to find Hans Christensen Loe, my great-grandfather's birth and baptism in Norway. This included a fruitless attempt in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library.

I was getting nowhere fast, until I discovered that the National Archives of Norway (Arkivverket) has a Digitalarkivet containing census and parish registers and that this vast digital set of primary sources is free to everyone. I also found a tutorial that helps you navigate the records. Marvelous!

I'd done some reading about Norwegian naming conventions and patronymics, but then I found this at the Digitalarkivet:

Norwegian habitational name from any of several farms named Lo, from Old Norse Ló, of uncertain etymology. (http://digitalarkivet.uib.no/sab/howto.html)

I decided to try to find Hans in the 1865 census first to get a better fix on his location. I went to the Norwegian Historical Data Centre (NHDC) at the University of Tromsø. And there my great-grandfather was at 11 years of age and living with his mother, Siri Eriksdatter, and three siblings. They lived on a farm called Loesmoen (Loe's meadow) near Øvre Eiker in Buskerud County. 

With a lot of patient encouragement from the Roots Web Norway list, I made my way back to the parish records at the Digitalarkivet and finally found my great grandfather, Hans, and his parents in the 1854 baptism records. The farm's name was Loesmoen (Loe's meadow). Our last name comes from the name of the farm – one of those habitational names that I'd read about.

Close-up:

Full page:

Is there anything more satisfying that figuring out primary source records in another language? I don't think so! And Norway may be the exception to the rule that it's easier to do overseas research in SLC than it is in the country in question.

Follow Friday: SAA's I Found It in the Archives Contest Winner Announced

The Society of American Archivists has announced the winner of the I Found It in the Archives essay contest. Julie Dressser of Sycamore, Illinois, wrote about her research at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

“It's fascinating what 50 bucks will get you at the county recorder's office” is one of my favorite lines from the movie Sneakers. The same can be said about the under-utilized archives across our nation that are teeming with the diaries, letters, invitations, bills of sale, receipts, deeds, etc. of countless individuals. Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to discover that my fourth great grandmother left sixteen extant letters and that they were available at the Benjamin F. Feinberg Library, Plattsburgh State University, Plattsburgh, New York. Eunice Jones wrote these letters to her sister and brother-in-law between the years 1853 and 1859, and thankfully they were saved.

 For more about Julie's award-winning trip to Plattsburgh, visit this link.

Tuesday's Tip: New World War II Database Available

Typical card from the New York State 1940 database. The yellow tab at the top signifies that this person was wounded in action.
The red tab at the top signifies that this person was killed in action. (Courtesy DMNA)

The Army Times reports that volunteers at the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center have indexed and digitized 28,969 index cards for New York State soldiers called to active duty in the fall of 1940.

This collection was created when President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8551 on 26 Sep 1940, ordering members of the National Guard into active military duty. The men of the New York Division reported for duty less than three weeks later when they assembled at their various armories around the state on 15 Oct 1940.

The collection, organized alphabetically by last name, is available at this URL:

http://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/wwii/infantry/27thInfDiv/27thInfDivFed/27thInfDiv_Fed.htm

Data can also be accessed by downloading entire spreadsheet in an Micrsoft Excel format. For a digital copy of the actual card, which can be sent by email or regular mail, send a check made payable to DMNA for $3.00 per name to: 

NYS Military Museum

Attn: Research Center

61 Lake Ave.

Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Please be sure to include the name and serial number of the person you are interested in and your email address if applicable.

Volunteers around the country have spent many hours indexing these cards to make this information accessible online. Genealogists are grateful to:

     Joseph Anniello, Albany, NY
     Rick Bennett, Stokesdale, North Carolina
     Greg Cusack, Scituate, Mass.
     June Green, Tampa, Florida
     Greta Hamilton, Webster Groves, Missouri
     Jeff Henrikson, Delmar, NY
     Karen Horn Jansen, Saratoga Springs, NY
     Col. Jack Kennedy (USA Ret.), Elfers, FLorida
     Mike Mansir, Ballston Spa, NY
     Brian Parsons, Malta, NY
     Shelby Patterson, Albany, NY
     Bruce Scott, Albany, NY
     Lisa Jelly Smith, Broadalbin, NY
     Lynette Stilley, Hickory, North Carolina
     Tammi Stock, Rensselaer, NY

Surname Saturday: Ross and Some Old-School Genealogy Research

I never knew my mother's father, who died a few years before I was born. The youngest of ten children, William Watson Ross (1892-1947)  emigrated from Aberdeenshire exactly one month after the Titanic sank. By the time he and his parents embarked permanently for Chicago in 1919, his six surviving siblings had emigrated to the four corners of the earth, landing in New York; Chicago; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Auckland, New Zealand.  The Chicago Rosses soon touch with the rest of the family. 

Recently I went through some papers my mother had given me and discovered a remarkable example of old-school, pre-Internet genealogical research-cum-luck. 

As far as we knew, my grandfather's oldest brother, George left Scotland for South Africa in 1903. Only later did we learn that George settled in Johannesburg and became the Acting Superintendent of the Tramways Department and in 1913 had a son, also named George, with his wife. 

In 1989, George the son decided to write to the newspaper in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, the last place he knew the Chicago Rosses were living. In a remarkable bit of luck, George Ross had his answer in less than a week when one of the cousins who still lived in the area saw the article. Here's how it happened:

Family trees were exchanged along with Christmas cards until George Ross died and now the families have lost touch again. But without the information George Ross shared in 1989, I wouldn't know what had happened to my great-great-uncles and their adventures in South Africa and New Zealand. 

Blogs are supposed to be good at attracting cousins, so I'll hope that somehow this research miracle can be repeated and I'll find my second cousins, Cynthia Beryl Ross Rogerson and Pamela Joan Ross Robinson in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Ross Isherwood Paterson in Leslie Jane Ross, and Jillian Ellen Dalziel in Auckland, New Zealand.

Tuesday's Tip: Still Time to Register for the SCGS Jamboree 2012

I always enjoy presenting at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree in Burbank and this year is no exception. The schedule for this year's gathering June 7-10 is up and available at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/Jamboree/2012jam-home.htm. 

There are some great special events are planned this year which you can read about at http://scgsgenealogy.com/Jamboree/2012/SpecialEvents.htm. New this year is Tech-Trax Workshop, concentrated sessions on computer topics that will help to improve your keyboard and organization skills. And the annual Research Morning at the SCGS Library will be held Friday morning for Jamboree registrants. Transportation will be provided between the Marriott and the SCGS Library. Those are just two of the many special events available before the conference sessions begin.

I hope to see you in Burbank, where I'll be presenting "Managing Your Digital Environment."

Speaking at the Ventura County Genealogical Society Next Saturday

Looking forward to meeting the members of the Ventura County Genealogical Society next Saturday when I present Think Like an Archivist: Finding Hidden Genealogical Materials in Libraries and Archives. This presentation is about finding and using primary sources effectively and is suitable for genealogists at all levels of experience.

WHEN: Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 1pm-4pm
FREE monthly meeting, guests always welcome

WHERE: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3501 Loma Vista Rd (at Mills Rd.) Ventura, California

The Ventura County Genealogical Society is a California-registered Non-Profit organization dedicated to the promotion of genealogy and public education. Visit their Web site is http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cavcgs. VCGS also maintains a reference library which is located within the Camarillo Library at 4101 Las Posas Road, Camarillo, California.

For more information call Gayle Wolcott at 805-987-8614. See you there!

Follow Friday: Liturgical Calendars

Have you encountered a parish record where the date of a baptism, marriage or burial is expressed according to a liturgical calendar, such as the third Sunday after Trinity or the first Sunday after Pentecost? These dates can be intimidating but are decipherable into standard dates if you know where to look. 

First, let's define the liturgical calendar, which for Christian churches follows the life of Christ. The liturgical year begins with Advent (waiting for the birth of Christ) four Sundays before Christmas. The church Christmas lasts 12 days* from Christmas Day (fixed date) to Epiphany on January 6. 

The interval before Epiphany and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday is "ordinary", i.e., ordinal or "counted time." Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts forty days (not counting Sundays). Easter (the Resurrection) falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of Spring. Pentecost, (the ascension of Christ), also known as Whitsunday, is celebrated 50 days after Easter. The Sundays after Pentecost and before the start of Advent are counted as "after Trinity."

In addition to a basic understanding of the liturgical year, it's also important find a reliable calendar based the following factors for your ancestors:

1. Denomination (Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, etc.) 

2. Country; and

3. Julian or Gregorian Calendar.

Visit Calculation of the Ecclesiastical Calendar at

http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/ec-cal.html

for an overview and calendar calculations.

A generic calendar calculator:

http://calendarhome.com/tyc/

For Norwegian Lutheran ancestors, you might consult:

Here are some links to calendars for Norwegian ecclesiastical dates:

http://youronlineroots.com/helligdager.php

 

http://www.rmadsen.dk/kal/

http://www.morchslaegt.dk/bauers/bauer.htm

https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Moveable_Feast_Day_Calendar_for_Norway

For German Lutherans, you might use Der Liturgischer Kalende at:

http://www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/liturgischer_kalender/index.php

*Did you know that the presents in the Twelve Days of Christmas song are all birds or people? Five golden rings are actually pheasants and not jewelry. Go forth and bore your friends with this bit of trivia.

Loe-Ross Wedding, Judson Baptist Church, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, 8 May 1943

Loe-Ross Wedding, Judson Baptist Church, Oak Park, Cook, Illinois, 8 May 1943

Today would have been my parents' 69th wedding anniversary. My father died a few months shy of the 65th anniversary and I don't believe he ever forgot the day, not once. 

I've often marveled that this elaborate wedding for a tool-and-die maker and a telephone operator in the midst of a world war, but I have to say I'm glad they had such a splendid event. My mother still has her dress and it's still gorgeous.

Tuesday's Tip: Reunion 10 for Mac Released

The long-awaited Reunion 10 for Mac was released today. Ben Sayer's already got a comprehensive review and guide up on his site that includes a Comparison Chart, What to Know Before You Buy, and What to Know After You Buy. And Leister Productions, the maker of Reunion, has a video on making the transition to 10 available.

And of course, Leister is never prone to discounts, so a new license is $99 USD and an upgrade from any previous version is $49.95 USD. I think Ben's review is pretty favorable and I'm off to go purchase my upgrade now.

Update: I've been using this for a few months now and I have to say version 10 is well worth the money. Full review here.

Follow Friday: Exploring Texas Funeral Records

Jennifer Brancato, digital archivist at East Texas Research Center, Stephen F. Austin State University, created a fascinating view of a set of funeral records which is now directly embedded in the collection landing page.

Jennifer used ViewShare, software provided by the Library of Congress to help digital archivists deliver collections to the public. "I first heard about Viewshare in early January from a Facebook post," said Braccato in a recent interview. "Since I was working on ways to enhance our digital collections I followed the link. After browsing the site, I knew this was what we needed. I was particularly interested in the map and timeline views but happy to see a tool that provided so many options."

The collection Jennifer has delivered is a data set based on the records of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors, which has been in business from the 1890s. They ran their funeral business above the Cason Monk Hardware Store on Main St. in Nacogdoches, TX. In 1947 the company acquired and moved into Branch Patton’s house on Mound St. where it remained until 1986. At that time Cason Monk & Co. merged with Oakley Metcalf Funeral Home and relocated to its current location on North Street across from Sunset Cemetery. 

More abot how a digital collection is prepared for online use, visit:

http://blogs.loc.gov/digitalpreservation/2012/04/better-know-a-viewshare-exploring-texas-funeral-records/

Map the collection:

http://viewshare.org/views/etrcdigital/location-of-burials/

Use the collection:

http://viewshare.org/data/etrcdigital/cason-monk-metcalf/