ANCESTRY ACQUIRES FIND A GRAVE

ANCESTRY.COM ACQUIRES FINDAGRAVE.COM

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ALL OF US WHO USE FIND A GRAVE?

So, here's the big news today from the world of genealogy.  Ancestry.com has acquired findagrave.com (FAG).  What will that mean to all of us who use the FREE site findagrave.com?

Thats the big question we are all asking and talking about today. 

http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2013/09/30/ancestry-com-acquires-find-a-grave/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ancestry-com-acquires-find-a-grave

The article doesn't stipulate whether FAG will remain free.  It does tell us that the current founder,  Jim Tipton, will remain the manager.  Here is the actual text of the article in case you don't want to click on the link I've provided.

So, until we know more, we'll have to wait and see.  I absolutely love the FAG site and have used it for years. 

Ancestry.com Acquires Find A Grave

Posted by Kristie Wells on September 30, 2013 in Company News

We are pleased to announce that Ancestry.com LLC has acquired Find A Grave, Inc., the leading online cemetery database.
With over 100 million memorials and 75 million photos, Find A Grave has amassed an unparalleled collection of burial information. Over the past 18 years, it has grown to become an invaluable resource for genealogists, history buffs and cemetery preservationists. Find A Grave will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Ancestry.com, and will continue to be managed by its founder, Jim Tipton.
Ancestry.com plans to bolster the resources dedicated to Find A Grave to launch a new mobile app, improve customer support, introduce an enhanced edit system for submitting updates to memorials, foreign-language support, and other site improvements.
Quotes:

• Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com: “Find A Grave is an amazing phenomenon supported by a passionate and engaged community of volunteers around the world. We at Ancestry.com are so excited…honored really…to take on the responsibility of supporting this community. We will maintain Find A Grave as a free website, will retain its existing policies and mode of operation, and look forward to working with Jim Tipton and the entire Find A Grave team to accelerate the development of tools designed to make it even easier for the Find A Grave community to fulfill its original mission to capture every tombstone on Earth.”
• Jim Tipton, founder of Find A Grave: “Ancestry.com has been a long-time supporter of Find A Grave. They have been linking and driving traffic to the site for several years. Burial information is a wonderful source for people researching their family history and I look forward to working with Ancestry.com to help continue our growth and accelerate the pace of improvements.”

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Copyright ©  2013   Diane Gould Hall



MILLENNIUM FILE ON ANCESTRY - HAVE YOU USED IT?

MILLENIUM FILE ON ANCESTRY.COM 

This is a source that I had never seen before today.  I discovered it when I looked at the posts of recent activity on the home page of my family tree on Ancestry.com. 

What that tells you is what other members on Ancestry have saved to their own trees.  Sometimes you can learn who else is researching the same family by checking these posts.  In this case it was a post regaring Dorothy Hill in my tree.  It's the last one listed on the image above. 

I clicked on that link to view Dorothy Hill in this particular tree.  That led me to some information from a source on Ancestry that I had never seen before.  This link was attached to her father, Samuel Hill's record. 

This source, The Millennium File, contains information that has been done by genealogy researchers.  Here is the description from Ancestry about this source. 

About Millennium File

The Millennium File is a database created by the Institute of Family Research to track the records of its clients and the results of its professional research. It contains more than 880,000 linked family records, with lineages from throughout the world, including colonial America, the British Isles, Switzerland, and Germany. Many of these lineages extend back to nobility and renowned historical figures. In fact, one of the things the Millennium File focuses on is linking to European nobility and royalty. A good way to have success in using this database is identify at least one Gateway Ancestor. A Gateway Ancestor is an early American immigrant who has been identified as having roots in British or European nobility. In this database there are about 300 Gateway Ancestors, or in other words, there are about 300 individuals who have proven ties to nobility or royalty. Source information is also provided in this database, making it easier to verify the accuracy of the research done. The Millennium File is a compiled source and is similar in form to other linked databases, such as Ancestry World Tree. Databases like these are great starting points for beginning your research. It is always good to find out what others have already learned and compiled about your ancestors.

This was completely new information for me.  In fact, as I continued to research this family I noticed that the Millennium File does not show up in the "hints" about each individual. 

However, if you go to the card catalog on Ancestry.com you can type in Millennium File and do directly there to begin a search. 

Here is what the Millennium File showed for Samuel Hill:

Name: Samuel Hill
Spouse: , Hannah Twitchell
 Birth Date: 1654
Birth City: Medfield
Birth County: Norfolk
Birth State: Massachusetts
Birth Country: USA
Death Date: 24 Mar 1723
Death City: Medway
Death County: Norfolk
Death State: Massachusetts
Death Country: USA
Parents: John Jr Hill, Hannah Johnson
Children: Hannah Hill
Other information: Notes

Look at the leads you now have from this one entry.  I didn't know when or where Samuel Hill was born, or when or where he died.  I certainly didn't know his parents' names, nor that he had another daughter besides Dorothy. 

Another cool thing about this Millennium File entry are the links for each person in the entry.  If you click on the other names, such as his wife or parents, you are taken to the file entry for that person.  WOW!  Even more information.

NEXT STEP: Follow up on each and every name, date & place.  Find your own sources and confirm that what is given here is true.  Just because another researcher has made this entry, does not make it a fact.  Because there are no specific sources from the researchers for these entries, we have to find our own.  But...what a great place to start!

I'm off to follow some leads.

Until next time,

Michigan Girl



Copyright ©  2013   Diane Gould Hall

 

NAME LISTS - HOW TO USE THEM IN YOUR RESEARCH

How to Use Name Lists

Who knew they could be so useful?

 Yes, that's right, I said "name lists."  What are name lists you might ask?  Here's what I learned yesterday while attending a seminar in San Diego.  It was put on by the San Diego Genealogical Society .  I've been a member of this organization for several years now.  They put on a couple of seminars a year and frequently get nationally recognized speakers. If you're ever in the San Diego area, check out their website during the time of your visit and see what event you might be able to attend.

Our speaker this month was David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FUGA, FIGRS.  He is the CFO for FamilySearch.org.  He was very informative and covered more than just using name lists, but that's what I will cover here today.  So, what is a name list anyway?  Here are some examples:

• Tax rolls
• Land records
• Court records
• Road records
• Voters' records
• Militia records

• 

  Sample of a tax list from 1862 New Hampshire

  Church records
• School lists
• Legislative records
• Ships' records

Church record Grace Lutheran Church from early 1900's Pennsylvania

If you can think of any others, please let me know in your comments.

What can we learn just by looking at a list of names?

1. Where someone lived at a given time?
2. What organization they supported or belonged to? 
3. Who was on the list with the same surname?
4. Who were their neighbors?
5. If they are being taxed, what for and how much?
6. Can we determine the age range of persons on the list? 

Now, can you find another list of the same type for a time period before or after the one you are looking at?  Let's say you are looking at a list of names of those taxed in the year 1805 in Virginia.  Is that same list available for 1804 or 1806 or other years before or after?  If so, you can compare the lists and perhaps find your ancestor.   This might allow you to track their comings and goings, the amount of land they owned or how many horses and other livestock they owned or if they owned a business. 

• Does the person suddenly disappear off the list? 
• Perhaps his widow is listed as the "Widow Evans."
• You might also find someone else listed as the guardian for children and/or for the widow.

There are many questions to be asked for each type of name list we look at.  The more questions we ask the more answers we will find.  Or, will the unanswered question lead us to look elsewhere?

I can truly say that after attending this seminar, I will never look at name lists the same way.  I have already gone back and looked at some lists and I see them in a whole new light.  This is especially true for those years prior to 1850 when the census records did not offer as much information. 

TIP: Attending seminars or meetings is a great way to learn more, meet new people and become better researchers. 

What seminars can you find in your area?  Or, perhaps there is a seminar going on during a time you are visiting another area.  Check with the local societies (most have online websites) and see what event you might be able to attend.

Share what you might have learned or what seminars you find.  Maybe we will attend the same one and I can meet you.

Now to review more lists,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2013   Diane Gould Hall

 

SURNAME SATURDAY - FENNER

SURNAME SATURDAY

FENNER

FENNER, Grace Hunter (1874-1946) - she is my great grandaunt. So that makes her the sister of my great grandmother and an aunt to my grandmother. 

Grace & her first husband, Charles Henry FENNER (1859-1918) were married in Belmont County, Ohio on 16 May 1891.  They had no children.  He died during the influenza epidemic of 1918.  I have found quite a few family members from various branches of my tree who succumbed to the influenza during that time.

Charles FENNER's family business was photography.  He and his brothers had photography studios in Cincinnati and Lima, Ohio and Huntington, West Virginia.

Charles' father Nicholas Paul FENNER married Ellen MADDY in 1856 and they had 4 sons & 3 daughters. 

Here is how I am related to the FENNER family:

Nicholas Paul FENNER (1828 - 1908)

relationship to you: father-in-law of great grand aunt

Charles Henry FENNER (1859 - 1918)

Son of Nicholas Paul

Grace HUNTER (1874 - 1946)

Wife of Charles Henry

James Gillen HUNTER (1832 - 1884)

Father of Grace

Florence HUNTER (1869 - 1946)

Daughter of James Gillen

Florence Lee Nora BOWDEN (1888 - 1986)

Daughter of Florence

Patricia Anne MILNE (1924 - )

Daughter of Florence Lee Nora

Michigan Girl

You are the daughter of Patricia Anne



                     Grace HUNTER FENNER and her sisters.  Grace is in the back row, far left

I have quite a few photos from my mother's family that were taken at the Fenner Studio in Lima, Ohio.  My mother remembers "Aunt Grace." 

So with all the photos that must be floating around from this family, having owned a photography studio for several decades, I'm hoping someone out there has more pictures to share.  I would certainly love to have pictures of the Fenner brothers and any other family members. 

That's all for today,

Michigan Girl