Houston Street Name Changes

A Steve Morse website showing street name changes in Houston between 1930 and 1940.  If you click "Show More Cities" in the upper left hand corner, you will find a large collection of other cities in which street name changes are also listed.

http://www.stevemorse.org/census/changes/HoustonChanges.htm

Steven

1940 Census - Enumeration district information

This just from the List serve:

Enumeration districts may become very important on April 2, 2012 when the 1940 US Census is released. Ancestry.com has announced that the images and indexing will be made available free of charge through the end of 2013. They plan to index the census very comprehensively. However, indexing will become available only incrementally during 2012. The smaller states will probably be available first. Steve Morse, Joel Weintraub and team are already putting into place another 1 Step site using enumeration districts and other techniques for locating relatives until and sometimes after the every name indexes become available. Ancestry.com believes the census will be a great springboard for new researchers. More information can be found in my blog post:

http://blog.ddowell.com/2011/09/1940-census-free-on-ancestrycom-through.html

Dave Dowell in Morro Bay, CA

Author of  http://www.abc-clio.com/product.aspx?id=2147509279
Crash Course in Genealogy, June, 2011, from Libraries Unlimited.


Hope it helps,
Cary

Oklahoma Genealogy Tourism

The Oklahoma Department of Tourism has mounted a fantastic genealogy website..visit it.
Sue

1940 census to be FREE at the National Archives

This "news" has been mentioned in previous newsletter articles but I discovered last week at the FGS conference that not everyone has "received the word." Therefore, I'll repeat the news in an attempt to tell even more people.

The 1940 U.S. census records will be released by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on April 2, 2012. That's less than seven months from now. Best of all, the more than 3.8 million original document images containing 130 million-plus records will be available to everyone free of charge.

To be sure, not everything will be available on April 2. Not only are the records unavailable to genealogists prior to April 2, those records are also unavailable to indexers and unavailable to the companies that host the records online. EVERYONEgains access on April 2. The companies involved in making the records available online will require several months to digitize and index the records and then to make them available online.

I would look for the records to become available online within days but without indexes. The indexes will probably be added around June or July. If you are looking for ancestors in any town or city of significant size, you will want the indexes.

Ancestry.com has already pledged to make the 1940 census records available online free of charge through the end of 2013. One will be able to search more than 45 fields, including name, gender, race, street address, county and state, and parents’ places of birth.

Other online sites also will offer the same records online, although with different indexes and with different search criteria. FamilySearch will have the records available free of charge forever.

Having different indexes is a great benefit as errors are common in all indexes. Having two or more versions of the records available makes it easy to compare one version agains the other version(s), greatly increasing the probability of finding the information you seek.

You can find more information about the release of the 1940 census on the National Archives and Records Administration's website atwww.archives.gov/research/census/1940/index.html

You can also find 1940 census Enumeration Districts, a census street finder, and more at Steve Morse's One-Step Genealogy site athttp://stevemorse.org/

From Dick Eastman's newsletter 13 SEP 2011

1940 census free when released on Ancestry.com

PROVO, UTAH (August 17, 2011) - Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that both the images and indexes to the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be made free to search, browse, and explore in the United States when this important collection commences streaming onto the website in mid-April 2012.

When complete, more than 3.8 million original document images containing 130 million plus records will be available to search by more than 45 fields, including name, gender, race, street address, county and state, and parents’ places of birth. It will be Ancestry.com’s most comprehensively indexed set of historical records to date.

               

Ancestry.com is committing to make the 1940 Census free from release through to the end of 2013, and by doing so hopes to help more people get started exploring their family history.  As this census will be the most recent to be made publicly available, it represents the best chance for those new to family history to make that all-important first discovery.

“The release of the 1940 U.S. Census will be an exciting event for any American interested in learning more about their family history,” said Ancestry.com CEO Tim Sullivan. “By making this hugely important collection free to the public for an extended period, we hope to inspire a whole new generation of Americans to start researching their family history.” 

“Ancestry.com is working to make the 1940 Census a truly unique interactive search experience...as well as the starting point to help new users easily get started on the world’s leading online family history resource.  After finding that first family connection in the 1940 Census, we believe new users will be able to make amazing discoveries by searching our 7 billion digitized historical records, exploring the 26 million family trees created on Ancestry, and collaborating with our nearly 1.7 million subscribing members. We think that 2012 is going to be a great year of discovery for all family historians.”

Sue

DNA for beginners

Looking for some "newbie" information on DNA and genealogy?  The International Society of Genetic Genealogy has a great page on Genetic Genealogy Q&A for Beginners.  http://www.isogg.org/ggfaq.htm

You will also find information regarding Genealogical DNA Testing Myths at http://www.isogg.org/dnamyths.htm

The ISOGG web site is a great resource. You can find it at http://www.isogg.org/  This society is the first society specifically founded to promote the use of DNA testing in genealogy. "The mission of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy is to advocate for and educate about the use of genetics as a tool for genealogical research, and promote a supportive network for genetic genealogists."

Resources at the website include information for DNA beginners, listing of events, message groups, speaker bureau, and more.  Check out the link "for newbies" in the left hand side bar on the home page.

To acquire a DNA testing kit visit www.familytreedna.com

Sue

Family Charts

Often customers ask where they can get "fancy family charts"  Family ChartMasters offers decorated charts, design your own charts, and consultations.  Here is information from the company Facebook page. 


Family ChartMasters is the premier printing service for any kind of genealogy chart imaginable. In addition to the design-it-yourself online Family ChArtist program, Family ChartMasters continues to offer a multitude of custom chart printing services, including both decorative and working genealogy charts. Custom decorative designs come with an online preview system that gives you personalized attention and feedback until the chart is exactly the way you envision it. Working charts are oversized, inexpensive, family reunion-type charts that display your entire file in one place to write on and add more information. Family ChartMasters has printed working charts up to 800 feet long with information for over 30,000 people. Free consultations are always available at http://www.familychartmasters.com/consult.


Sue

1901 and 1911 Irish Census

Irish Census 1901 & 1911

The original Ireland household scheudles are available for FREE via the National Archives of Ireland website.

All thirty-two counties for 1901 and 1911, searchable by all information categories, are now available on this site. Corrections and improvements will be ongoing, and we are very grateful to all users who have submitted corrections to us. A small amount of material is missing from the site, and will be placed online as soon as possible.

African American Database NEW!!

ProQuest® African American Heritage is a groundbreaking digital resource exclusively devoted to African American family history research.

This collection was created in partnership with leading African American genealogists and recognized leaders in genealogical information to develop a comprehensive mix of resources, records, and tools specifically pertaining to African Americans.

As a consequence of slavery and the changing legal status of African Americans research in this area can be more challenging than other genealogical inquiries.

ProQuest African American Heritage helps individuals address these unique issues by not only bringing together records critical to African American family research; but also by connecting them to a community of research experts, whose mentoring and assistance can frequently be the difference between research success and futility.

Take a quick tour of highlights, which include:

• A user-friendly interface that combines the best elements of our award-winning HeritageQuest® Online database with new, enhanced navigation and tools
• Primary sources devoted specifically to African American family history, including census records, vital records, freedman and slave records, church records, legal records, and more
• The newest primary source collections include North Carolina cohabitation records, North Carolina and West Virginia marriage records, U.S. Colored Troops Records (1861-1865), and registers of slaves and free persons of color from select states and counties.
• Unique access to family history books related to African Americans, including titles from Genealogical Publishing Company made available in digital format for the first time ever
• Exclusive access to an updated, online edition of Black Genesis—an exhaustive guide that makes locating resources pertaining to slaves and free blacks easier
• Exclusive partnership with AfriGeneas—recognized as a leading social networking site devoted to African American genealogy—that provides direct access to expert advice, moderated forums, chats, mailing lists, surname registry, and more
• Unlimited site and remote access to extend availability 24/7

Try ProQuest African American Heritage in your library. Or, contact yourProQuest Account Representative to learn more about this product and others that directly support research into the genealogy and history of African Americans.

Extreme Reference: DNA and Genealogy

While giving an impromptu presentation yesterday, I had a question about DNA testing and genealogy.  This is becoming a more frequent question so I thought I would add some information to the blog so everyone can understand some concepts.

Most DNA tests cover Y chromosome (paternal) and mitochondrial DNA tests (maternal).  Y chromosome tests cover the male line going back and can be used to test surnames.  Mitochondrial (mtdna) tests cover femals lines going back, so the test cover's the mother's, mother, mother, mother, mother, etc. 

DNA testing is compared to common DNA threads found through out the world.  There are many different labs and DNA studies that are continuous and ongoing.  For more information about DNA and genealogy please visit the International Genetic Genealogy Society webpage at http://www.isogg.org/.

In additon, you can search for surnames projects for relatives that have already completed testing.  For Y DNA surnames check http://www.ysearch.org/.  For mitochondrial DNA, look at http://www.mitosearch.org/.

Below is an interesting video about Chris Haley (nephew of Alex Haley of ROOTS fame) and a Y chromosome DNA test.

Land Records Using BLM and Google Earth