Family History Books at familysearch.org are NOT included in the Historical Records search

Just as an FYI, you need to search the familysearch.org digital book project separately from the familysearch.org Historical Records search.  The books are not included in the results of a search using the search boxes from the Historical Records search home page.

Please let people know about the Family History Book section.  There are over 260,000 digital books available to view.

Remember, if a customer comes across a book, clicks on the title, and gets a message that they need to be in a "Library Partner" or "Family History Center" to view the title, they can do so here.  

BUT......

If a person clicks on a link from the "catalog" that says "view a digital image of this resource" and the resource does not display, a box will come up that says:

To view this you need to be in "Supporting Organizations" or "Family History Center"

We are not an supporting organization.  A supporting organization, as example is NARA, not us.  We are a "Library Partner" and "Microfilm Affliate Site"  

Signing into your familysearch account does NOT open these images either.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks -

SK

Top 3 Reasons Why FamilySearch Historical Records Articles Should Be Your Favorite Research Resource

We often engage researchers who are beginning a new area of research, or in fact are new to family history all together.  We also, often mention familysearch.org.  Aside from the "magic box" that most people are looking for, it can be worth going over the home page of familysearch.org really quickly when we suggest they utilize that resource at our computers. 

As we describe to the customer the value of setting up a free account (the account gives them the ability among other things to view the digital images), do notice that above the "Free Account" button, there is "Get Help".  Clicking on that arrow drops down a box where you can point out to our customers the "Help Center" ; "Learning Center" "Research Wiki" and "What's New"

These area of HELP are very valuable in exposing researchers, and for that matter, educational sources that we can use, that will help in planning and executing research.  

The Help Center includes FAQ's and best practices on specific areas including searching, memories, family tree and more

The Learning Center has videos and slide presentations on various areas of research

The Wiki are articles on various topics that include hot links to further information

What's New is information on new components of the FamilySearch website.

One of the part of the Wiki artilces is information on the Historical Records.  In a recent FamilySearch blog post an overview of why to use the Historical Records Articles are listed.

1. They describe the Historical Records collections.  

2. They provide research tips if you get stuck

3. They point toward translation help.

Use the link above to find the full blog post.  It is very enlighting.  

SK

Native American resources at the National Archives

The National Archives in Washington D.C. contain valuable genealogical and historical resources for genealogists looking to learn more about their Native Ancestry as well as finding confirmation of family stories.

Information about individual Native Americans and their families can be found in variety of categories. Military records, census records, employment records and Indian Rolls are some of the many online sources in which Native Americans are mentioned.

Happy hunting!!!



Rodney

Free Online Genealogy Training Course

Course starts March 14, 2016 for 6 weeks; 4 hours a week is required to complete the course.
Trainer Tahitia McCabe from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland).
Course entitled: "Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree" 
check it out online at: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy?

Enjoy! 

MH

National Archives - New Online Catalog

Take a look see!  The National Archives has a new online catalog.

https://catalog.archives.gov


Search the records, view documents and explore!

MH

Chinese in Canada

The Chinese experience in Canada was remarkably similar to the one in the United States. Many came for the Gold Rush, which began in Canada in 1858, and many came to labor on the railroad for the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1881 to 1885. Once they were no longer needed, the government passed discriminatory legislation aimed at keeping the Chinese out of Canada. Anti-Chinese sentiment on the West Coast forced many Chinese eastward into Alberta.

Different from the American experience, though, was the application of a head tax. From 1885 to 1923 there was a head tax solely on Chinese immigrants. It began with $50 in 1885, but rose dramatically to $100 in 1900 and $500 in 1903. Merchants and their families, diplomats, tourists, students, clergy and men of science were exempt from the head tax.

Genealogical information found on a head tax certificate includes name, origin, age, date of arrival, port of arrival, and ship, as well as a photograph.

Like the United States, Canada passed a Chinese Exclusion Act which barred Chinese from entering Canada. Many families were kept apart by this act, which lasted from 1923 until its repeal in 1947. With the resulting happy family reunions after the repeal, a Chinese Canadian baby boom began.

You can search a database of Chinese immigrants to Canada on Library and Archives Canada.

Helpful websites for understanding the history are Chronology of Chinese Canadian History and Edmonton Chinatowns.

Thanks to Melissa for sharing with me the article "The Forgotten History of the Chinese in Canada" by Gin Wei Wong in the November 2015 issue of Families - Ontario Genealogical Society.

Joy

Chinese-American Genealogy: Even More Resources

This is the last blog on the webinar "Chinese-American Genealogy" (it had a lot of information!), that shares a few more resources on Chinese-American genealogical research.

The National Archives holds naturalization petitions. The National Archives has a thorough description here of their holdings regarding Chinese immigration and Chinese in the United States.

U.S. Commissioner's Records are at regional National Archives. These records document habeas corpus cases and criminal cases, noting complaint, warrant, judgement, and deportation orders. They are unindexed, and include photos of the "criminals".

Chinese Exclusion Case Files are held at various National Archives facilities. They are a documentary history of each individual entering the U.S. and include applications for re-entry certificates. Upon re-entry an individual would have been interrogated and their answers checked against previous answers they had given at their original entry. Discrepancies in answers led to greater scrutiny and possible deportation. Colored paper may have had meaning - a form on pink paper was known to represent a person leaving and re-entering through the same port of entry, however, some offices used colored paper to indicate application was rejected.

Case files may include photos, birth certificates, letters, photos of witnesses, business cards, certificates of residence, or documents of employment, among other things. The blog Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files shares examples from case files in the National Archives in Seattle.

Until legislation in 1922, an American woman lost her citizenship when she married a foreign born man. An American woman who married a Chinese born man lost her citizenship even after 1922 due to the Exclusion Act. Chinese were racially ineligible to naturalize prior to the repeal of the Exclusion Act in 1943. 

Recent Alien Registration Files are held by the Department of Homeland Security. You can request them under the Freedom of Information Act using Form G-630 - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Form. 

To see what's available on Ancestry.com, go to the catalog and enter "Chinese" in the title search.

Familysearch.org has a jiapu collection and China cemetery records from 1820-1983. The cemetery records are not comprehensive and are mostly specific to Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Other helpful websites are the Chinese Family History Group, a genealogical group from Southern California, and Chinese-Canadian Genealogy of the Vancouver Public Library.

A research strategy suggested by webinar presenter Alice Kane is to be flexible about names and dates, investigate local laws and the records they generated, check for federal records, and connect with historical and genealogical societies having Chinese or Asian-American interest groups.