Genealogy records are about to expand online. It’s still about 9 months away, but in the time it takes to bring a new descendant into the world the National Archives will be delivering the 1940 US Population Schedules to the public. There are a couple of guys who have been on the forefront of this event: none other than Steve Morse and Joel Weintraub. (You’ll remember hearing from Joel from his past appearance on the Genealogy Gems Premium Podcast.)
Of course family historians are chomping at the bit to dig into the 1940 census even though there won’t be an index when it’s first released. However, the guys have put out a press release about what you can do now to get ready to search:
“It will not be name indexed, so it will be necessary to do an address search in order to find families. Address searching involves knowing the ED (enumeration district) in which the address is located.. The National Archives (NARA) earlier this year indicated they had plans to make available in 2011 the 1940 ED maps of cities and counties, and ED descriptions, but their recent move to consider having a 3rd party host all the images may have appreciably set back this timetable.
The only website that currently has location tools for the 1940 census is the Steve Morse One Step site. There are several such tools there, and it could be overwhelming to figure out which tool to use when. There is a tutorial that attempts to clarify it and an extensive FAQ.
We are announcing the opening of another educational utility to help people learn about the different 1940 locational search tools on the One Step site, and information about the 1940 census itself. It is in the form of a quiz, and should help many, many genealogists quickly learn how to search an unindexed census by location. The new utility is called “How to Access the 1940 Census in One Step“. Not only is it informative, we hope it is entertaining.”
Entertaining it is – at least to those of us passionate about family history! Now you can get started preparing to get the most out of the 1940 population schedules right away.
There’s another way to prep for the big release. Learn more about the 1940 enumeration process by watching the National Archives YouTube channel’s four short videos created by the US Census Bureau prior to 1940. These films were used to train enumerators on their general duties and responsibilities, as well as the correct procedures for filling out the 1940 census.
Though family historian tend to focus on the population schedule, there were several different schedules created and the films describe the main ones including the population, agriculture, and housing schedules. (Learn more about the various census schedules by listening to Family History: Genealogy Made EasyEpisode 10 featuring Curt Witcher.)
You’ll also learn more about the background of the census and the reasons behind the questions that were asked. And it’s the reasons behind the questions that shed even more light on what the priorities were back at that time and clues as to what life was like.
The films also cover the duties of the enumerators, highlighting the three major principles they were instructed to follow: accuracy, complete coverage, and confidential answers.
Google’s free tools are powerful resources for family history buffs. Here are the latest updates:
Google Takes on Facebook
Genealogists everywhere have been flocking to Facebook to make connections, share family tree info, and tap into the collective brain trust. (“Like” The Genealogy Gems Podcast on Facebook) Will they now flock to the new Google+ ? Only time will tell. I suspect that there’s a good possibility because Google+ is addressing privacy and sharing issues that Facebook just hasn’t mastered to everyone’s full satisfaction.
I love the easy to create “Circles” that allow you to share info just with certain groups of friends. And the bonus of this feature is that it cuts down on tons of info showing up in your “News Feed” (as it’s called in Facebook) that really doesn’t pertain to you and that you likely have no interest in.
Right now Google+ is by invitation only. But don’t worry – you’ll like receive an invite from someone you know, and in the end (after they work out more of the bugs) it will be open to everyone. Here’s a super quick video that explains the Google+ concept:
Google‘s Homepage
Google is tweaking the design on the classic Google homepage. Go here to read more about it. But of course I favor using iGoogle to convert Google.com into a completely customized family history research homepage. Genealogy Gems Premium Members can accomplish this today by watching my Google Video Series available in Premium Membership.
You hear about genealogical serendipity, amazing coincidences and even down right eerie stuff happening when folks research their ancestors. I’ve certainly had my fair share of those types of experiences – like in Episode 106 when I recounted the numerous unusual happenings during my recent trip to England!
Well, Eric, a long time Genealogy Gems podcast listener, wrote in recently to share an uncanny thread that seemed to be running throughout his family tree. And I can’t help but wonder who else out there has experienced similar serendipity. Here’s Eric’s story:
“My family has a thing with dates… I know, I know, there are only 365 days in a year so things are bound to happen on the same date… in my family it seems to happen a whole bunch.
My paternal great-grandfather was born on November 17, 1883 in Portugal, his youngest son, my grandfather died on November 17, 1998 ( I also know four other people who have passed away on that day… I take it off every year), my paternal great-grandmother (my grandfather’s mother) was born on September 15, 1887 and my dad, her grandson was born on September 15, 1946.
My maternal grandmother was born on March 1, 1923… her younger sister was born on March 1, 1933… my daughter was born on March 1, 2008 and my nephew was born on March 1, 2009… (My grandmother had two great-grandchildren born on her birthday)
As I said, my great-great grandfather died on June 10, 1927… I was born on June 10, 1972… not only is it the same date… but the last two digits in the year are switched for each event… =) (Also, in my family, both my grandfather’s, my mother, and all but one of my five nephews were born on holidays)
Just thought you might get a kick out of that… =)” – Eric
Have you experienced quirky coincidences
or occurrences in your family tree?
Well respected genealogist Helen F. M. Leary thinks most people have… (watch the video below to hear Helen’s thoughts on the subject)
RootsTech 2011 is already proving to be a bold and innovative approach to genealogy conferences. There’s an exciting buzz in the exhibit hall as the 2000+ attendees navigate their way through the high tech displays and interactive experiences.
On this first day I’ve been focused on producing interviews that will make their way to theGenealogy GemsPodcast, YouTube Channel and Genealogy Gems apps. Already in the can are interviews with Curt Witcher, Manager of the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Dept., Patricia Van Skaik of the Public Library of Cinncinati, and Jan Gow of Aukland, New Zealand. And there are many more scheduled. Stay tuned to the podcast!
Here’s the official press release on Roots Tech just in case you’ve been living under a rock!
SALT LAKE CITY—FamilySearch has been helping people find their ancestors for over 100 years, but the non-profit, volunteer-driven organization has never participated in anything quite like this before. FamilySearch is hosting a new annual conference called RootsTech that begins in Salt Lake City today. The goal of RootsTech is to foster innovation in the world of genealogy technology. Keynote addresses will be streamed complimentary at RootsTech.org, and Twitter users can follow real-time updates using #rootstech.
“FamilySearch is committed to working with others to provide the records and resources that help people discover their family history,” Jay L. Verkler, chief executive officer of FamilySearch said. “We believe that one of the best ways to achieve that goal is to encourage new technologies that can make it even easier for people to find their ancestors.”
RootsTech grew out of an effort Brigham Young University began several years ago with its Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy. BYU is now a key partner in this new conference, along with other leaders in genealogy and technology including Microsoft, Dell, FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, brightsolid, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the National Genealogical Society.
Nearly 3,000 people are expected to attend RootsTech, which will be held in the Salt Palace Convention Center. The unique conference appeals to genealogists of all skill levels, who can learn new technology-based approaches to their research. The event will also attract the creators of genealogy-related technology, who can get feedback from peers and users on their ideas and creations.
RootsTech will help developers and others who create technology that is used by a broad swath of family history consumers to learn about the challenges facing the genealogy community. According to Verkler, that’s what makes this conference truly unique.
“The purpose of RootsTech is to encourage innovative technology solutions in the fields that have a bearing on genealogists. Therefore attendees will find that the conference topics and discussions apply to a wide variety of disciplines,” Verkler said.
The format of RootsTech is designed to encourage collaboration and discussion. There will be a variety of classes and hands-on workshops for both genealogists and technologists, as well as demonstrations and virtual sessions. Verkler will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference, along with several other leaders in the technology and genealogy world:
· Shane Robison – Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Technology officer at Hewlett-Packard
· Brewster Kahle – founder of the Internet Archive and the Open Content Alliance
· Curt Witcher – Historical Genealogy Department Manager, Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Image Geo-Tagging has been on my list of topics that I’ve wanted to cover more in depth on the podcast, and I’m happy to say in Episode 104 I had the opportunity to interview an expert on the topic. Chris Bair works on the servers at FamilySearch, and is an avid photographer of his 6 beautiful kids! So when geo-tagging technology came along, he was keen to put it to work documenting where all those family photos were taken.
The exciting news is that geo-coded images can easily be incorporated into our Google Earth maps! (Learn more about using Google Earth for Genealogy here) Needless to say, when I heard that I became convinced that it’s time to upgrade my old digital camera (not a hard buy medication in usa decision since the battery seems to last about 10 minutes!) Rumor has it my husband Bill has snagged the newest on the market for my upcoming birthday, just in time for our family history journey to England and the Who Do You Think You Are LIVE conference. Sweet!
Chris will be presenting a class on Geo-Tagging at the upcoming Rootstech conference. Click here for all the details on attending the conference. I’ll be there!
Also in this episode is professional genealogist Kory Meyerink who gives us a behind the scenes look at how he compiles the 50 Most Popular Genealogy Website list that he will reveal at RootsTech.
