One Lovely Blog Award

I am touched to say that Sassy Jane Genealogy has been awarded the One Lovely Blog Award by:

• Mary Jane at Mary Jane's Genes
• Michelle at The Turning of Generations
• Susan at Long Lost Relatives 
• Cindy at Generations of Germans
• Jennifer at Family History Tips

I think that the graphics I've taken from that 1920s ad for Sassy Jane rayon frocks has a lot to do with how Lovely this blog is, but it's always nice to hear it from readers as well.

I think these are Lovely Blogs too and hope you take a look:

• Brenda at Journey to the Past
• Jennifer at Chicago Family History
• Yvonne at Swedish Thoughts
• Emma at Scottish Genealogy Blog

And thanks again to Mary Jane, Michelle, Susan, Cindy, and Jennifer.

Tuesday's Tip: Bar Magnifiers

Today's Tip is about my new best friend, the Carson Optical MR-25 MagniRead Bar Magnifier. 

I thought I wanted one of those magnifiers that enlarges an entire printed page, but this bar magnifier gave me better results. 

Good news: I was fortunate enough to receive some handwritten records that a great-great uncle in South Africa compiled. Bad news: this man had the tiniest handwriting in the history of paper + ink. Do yourself a favor if you haven't already and get a bar magnifier. Your eyes will thank you!

Mystery Monday: Remember Me Project @ the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

© Gift of Robert Marx, Yaffa Eliach Collection, Center for Holocaust Studies, Museum of Jewish Heritage, NY

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum has launched a new project to try to identify 1,100 children from photographs taken immediately after the end of World War II. The photographs were made before the children were taken in by relief agencies.

The images for this project have been provided by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage, A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Officials from these museums and archives hope to learn who the children are, what happened to them, and help reconnect them to relatives.

The "Remember Me" Project seeks the public's help in identifying 1,100 children among tens of thousands who were uprooted by the war. You can provide identification information when you browse the collection by name at http://rememberme.ushmm.org/pages/browse or in a picture gallery at:

http://rememberme.ushmm.org/gallery.

The Web site states, "Even if you don’t recognize anyone, please share these powerful photographs with your family and friends. Doing so will increase the chances of identifying these children and will help raise awareness about the experiences of the most vulnerable victims of war and genocide."

Follow Friday: Centennial of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Editorial cartoon, 1911. Courtesy Kheel Center, IRL, Cornell University

Today's post honors the 146 young workers killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in Manhattan, 100 years ago today. The gruesome and unnecessary deaths – mostly of young immigrant women – outraged the country, solidified support for workers' unions, particularly the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, and led to progressive workplace safety regulations.

Sixty-two people were forced to jump to their deaths from the ninth floor of the burning factory. The rest died in the fire, unable to escape because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits. The owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blanck, were tried for manslaughter, but were acquitted in 1914. 

Taken from their extensive archival holdings on the fire, Cornell's Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives at the Industrial and Labor Relations School has an excellent online exhibition, complete with primary sources, interviews with witnesses and survivors, and a information on each person who perished.

Even more remarkable, the remaining six unidentified workers have finally been identified, thanks to genealogist and historian Michael Hirsch, who worked as a co-producer of the upcoming HBO documentary Triangle: Remembering the Fire.

In the course of his research, Hirsch, according to a New York Times interview, used

microfilms of mainstream daily newspapers overlooked by researchers before him and to ethnic publications that he asked to have translated, like the Yiddish-language Jewish Daily Forward and Il Giornale Italiano. He estimates that he consulted 32 different newspapers.

He looked for articles about people who, in the weeks after the fire, claimed that their relatives were still missing. He then matched what he discovered with census records, death and burial certificates, marriage licenses, and reports kept by unions and charities about funeral and “relief” payments made to the families of the dead. Lastly, he sought out the descendants of three of the unidentified to confirm that the names he found were still mourned as Triangle victims.

The Triangle fire resonates with me, partly because unions are being demonized these days and partly because my grandmother worked in sweatshops just like this in Chicago at the same time the fire happened. I'd like to think that the progressive reforms that came from the Triangle fire helped keep her safe.  

Please find a moment today to reflect on the lives that were lost and the progress that was made because of their sacrifice.

Chicago Genealogy - Chicago German-American Organizations, Books, and Archives

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here.


Today I'm finishing up my list of resources for finding your German-American ancestors in Chicago with this list of organizations, special collections, and monographs that can help.

University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department

The German Aid Society Records

http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/services/rjd/findingaids/GASf.html

Established in 1854 to render assistance to immigrants. Collection contains names of immigrants in daily logs and on applications for assistance. Collection also includes membership rosters and financial contributions

Note: Appointment required for on-site research. If you are unable to visit in person, hire a professional genealogist to go for you. The library is not staffed to handle individual research. For more information: http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/specialcoll/

German Genealogy Society – Illinois Chapter

The Illinois Chapter of Palatines to America exists to provide help researching German-speaking and Illinois ancestors. They publish the Illinois German-Americana newsletters six times a year. Included in the newsletters is information on sites for research throughout Illinois, information published by other organizations about Illinois data and research, information about Germany, and current updates on Web sites. Member inquiries may be included in the Illinois Chapter newsletter. Visit http://www.palam.org/chapters.php?chapter=2

Research Assistance: To request research by Pal Am members here and visit message/inquiry board here.

Chicago Genealogy - Chicago German-American Church Records and Cemeteries

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here.


Today's post is German-American Church Records and Cemeteries in my continuing list of Chicago resources for your German-American ancestors.

German-American Church Records

Your research may already have pointed you to a specific denomination for your ancestors’ church records. For an overview of how major Christian German-American denominations evolved, visit:

http://pages.prodigy.net/johnhhallman/germluthfiles/germluthtree.htm 

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

Tuesday's Tip: Chicago Genealogy - Chicago German-Language Newspapers

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here. 

I've been working on the list of research resources for finding your German ancestors in Chicago and there is a LOT of good stuff out there. So today I'm posting information on German-language newspapers published in Chicago and available at various repositories. I can't stress enough what a valuable research tool the German-language newspapers are.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'll be putting up the rest of my German-American resources for Chicago, including church records, organizations, archives, and more.

And also note: Every single one of my Chicago German-American ancestors turned out to be in fact Prussians. My ancestors were from Posen and Pomerania, which is now in Poland. As you know, Germany's borders were very fluid in the 19th century and after World War II. However, I think in nearly all cases of Prussian ancestry, you are better served consulting German resources rather than Polish ones. My obituaries for my Prussians and Austrians were found in German-language newspapers, for example.

German-Language Newspapers Published in Chicago

German-language newspapers are an invaluable source for German genealogical research in Chicago. Obituaries that would not have appeared in English language papers often appear in German-language papers. The Chicago History Museum (formerly Chicago Historical Society) and The Newberry Library have the largest collections of German-language newspapers on microfilm. The leading papers were:

• Abendpost and the Sunday edition, Sonntagpost, 1889-1929 and 1977-1978
• Illinois Staats-Zeitung, 1871 - 1900

Chicago Genealogy – Chicago Bohemian, Czech, and Slovak Resources

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here. Today's list is about finding your Bohemian, Czech, and Slovak ancestors in Chicago.


Please note: This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at the traditional genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other resources that you've found useful in your research, please let me know.

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Bohemian Genealogy at the Newberry Library
http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/bohemian.html

Burial records from the Bohemian National Cemetery, passenger lists, fraternal organization, and more. In the print collection, there's a Bohemian-American Chicago city directory: Chicago Bohemian-Americans 1915 (Call no. F 548.9 B614 1915)

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Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago

http://www.bohemiannationalcemeterychicago.org/

http://www.friendsofbnc.org/

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Chicago Genealogist – Fall 1994 issue contains a number of helpful articles on Bohemian research in Chicago.

More Bohemian, Czech and Slovak resources after the jump.

Follow Friday: The Tenement Museum

Today's Follow Friday is about The Tenement Museum in New York City. One of the things I most like about genealogy is its emphasis on social history – the lives of ordinary citizens.  The Lower East Side Tenement Museum tells the stories of immigrant families. Located in the heart of Manhattan's Lower East Side, which has been an immigrant portal for 200 years, 97 Orchard Street was home to an estimated 7,000 people from over 20 nations from 1863 to 1935. Inside, visitors view restored apartments and learn about the struggles of past generations in the hope of providing historical perspective on the experiences of today's newcomers. 

When I first started helping people with their genealogical research 30+ years ago, it seemed that most library users were doing research on ancestors from New England and the South and intent on proving descents that would qualify them for the Mayflower Society, the DAR, and the like. 

In those pre-Internet days, researchers who were working on African-American or immigrant ancestors in the 19th century were fairly rare. And since my own family was strictly Burke's Steerage instead of Burke's Peerage, it was pretty much impossible to use meaningful examples from my own research.

Today the Internet has brought genealogists together in ways that were never dreamed of. When I see a place like the Tenement Museum showing what life was like for less favored citizens, it makes me very happy.

If you're interested in what life was like for your immigrant ancestors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Tenement Museum is a great resource. In addition to lesson plans, walking tours, building tours, and presentations, the Tenement Museum also has an archives. You can search the photograph collection here and their primary sources are here. They also have a blog that's a great read. And my next trip to Manhattan? I'm heading straight to the Tenement Museum.

More News on Kate Middleton's Family Tree - A Link to Henry VIII

Is Catherine Middleton the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter of Henry VIII? 

It seems Middleton's Tudor link comes from the wrong side of the blanket, according to The Spectator. Before he fell in love with Anne Boleyn and upended his kingdom to marry her, Henry VIII had a four-year affair with her older sister, Mary. During the affair Mary Boleyn bore two children, Catherine in 1524 and Henry in 1526, who are widely considered to be Henry's children. Philippa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl, notes, "Catherine was born at the height of Henry’s passion for her mother." Catherine is Kate Middleton's direct ancestor. 

To recap other Middleton family tree news: it's already established that William and Kate are 12th cousins once removed through their common ancestor – the 16th century soldier Sir Thomas Leighton. The New England Historic Genealogical Society has proven Middleton's ties to George Washington, Meriwether Lewis, and George Patton. I posted the other day about another line of Catherine Middleton’s leading to Edward III in 1312. 

Stay tuned for more news on Catherine Middleton's family tree – more is sure to surface. 

Edit: Catherine's mother's side of the family, the Harrisons and Goldsmiths, have made the news, too. 

Survey for Genealogists

Myles Proudfoot, a RootsTech presenter, has an interesting survey available for genealogists. If you have an active interest in genealogy, follow the link to take a survey about your genealogy habits, interests, and inclinations:

http://tinyurl.com/69kntun

 

Chicago Genealogy – Free Chicago City Directories Online

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here. 

Today's list is of free sites hosting Chicago city directories.

Please note: This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at the traditional genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other digital collections on Chicago and Illinois that you've found useful in your research, please let me know.

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Chicago History Museum
The 1928 Reverse Directory is available on-line from the Chicago Historical Society. This one works a bit differently by making sections available by alphabet for download. Adobe Reader is required to read the downloaded pdfs. Especially helpful because spouses' names are included in many cases.
 

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Distant Cousin

http://www.distantcousin.com/Directories/IL/

Chicago, Illinois 1844 City Directory

Chicago, Illinois 1855/6 City Directory

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Chicago Ancestors (The Newberry Library)

http://chicagoancestors.org/#tab-tools

1866

1870

1871

1875

1880

1885

1892

1900

1910

1923

Follow Friday: Curt Teich Postcard Archives

Courtesy Private Collection

Today's Follow Friday post is about the Curt Teich Postcard Archives, part of the  Lake County Discovery Museum in Lake County, Illinois.

If you're looking for images of towns where your ancestors lived, the Teich Archives probably has what you need because Teich once was the world leader in printing of view and advertising postcards.  

The Teich Archives includes:

• Images of more than 10,000 towns and cities in North America and many foreign countries
• One of the nation's largest collections of Route 66, Lincoln Highway and other travel-related images
• Over 100,000 job files for the postcards produced by the Teich Company, best known for  its "Greetings From" postcards produced in vivid colors
• 365,000 postcards that are computer-cataloged under more than 2,100 subject headings.

For information on using the archives, click here.

One Incredible Genealogy Seminar Coming In Santa Barbara on April 9

The Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society is offering One Incredible Genealogy Seminar, Saturday 9 April 2011 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Goleta Presbyterian Church, 6067 Shirrell Way in Goleta 93117. 

There are two research tracks – one for German genealogy and an alternative for U.S. research.

The German Focus speaker is Dr. Roger P. Minert of BYU, who will give four Germanic genealogical research presentations:

• German Immigrants in American Church Records. This is a major project of Dr. Minert and his Germanic Family History students at BYU over the past several years. Eight volumes of midwestern USA immigrants, by name and German birthplaces, have resulted from this project, from church records in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska. The SBCGS library on Castillo Street currently has 3 of these 8 volumes.
• Marriage and Courtship in Germany, 1500-1800. Social and religious customs, associated with courtship and marriage, are discussed in detail. Illegitimate children, inheritance, and property acquisition are an integral part of this presentation.
• Church Records in Germany. The most valuable records containing data on our Germanic ancestors are religious baptism/christening, marriage, and burial/death records, considered as Vital Records prior to Civil Registration in Germanic countries.
• Conducting Family History Research in Europe. The emphasis in this talk is on preparation, communication, avoiding and or solving problems, and will include contacting resources in Germanic countries from here in the U.S.

For non-German researchers, the alternative track is on U.S. research, presented by Lloyd De Witt Bockstruck, award-winning professional genealogist, librarian, author and columnist who served as Supervisor of Dallas Public Library's Genealogy Section for 30 years. His topics:

• Revolutionary War, Patriots and Tories. Americaąs first civil war took place during the Revolution, an ultra violent, family-splitting, and often vindictive conflict between patriots and loyalists (Tories). It became a conflict between Americans as well as a struggle for independence. Lecture will focus on demographics of both groups, migrations after the war, and available records for genealogical research.
• Early U.S. Migrations: from Trans-Appalachia to the west bank of the Mississippi, 1763-1850. Lecture will focus on push/pull reasons for migrations and the rich sources of records available in various states.
• U.S. Probate Records and Deeds. Information accessible via ancestral and collateral wills, intestate proceedings and land deeds can solve some of your most bricked-up problems. Learn new search techniques, sources, and clues.
• Huguenots and Quakers in America. Learn about your immigrant Huguenots, i.e., French Calvinists or members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, and about your Quakers, i.e., members of the Society of Friends. Learn what about them? Their lives in the new country, their courtship and marriage customs, their persecutions, their burial customs, their records, and where to find them.

Register and pay online here or by clicking on the home page link on their Web site at http://www.sbgen.org/.

See you there!

Tuesday's Tip: Chicago Genealogy - African-American Resources

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here.

Today's list is of African-American genealogical resources for Chicago.

Please note: This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at the traditional genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other digital collections on Chicago and Illinois that you've found useful in your research, please let me know.

African-American Chicago Resources

Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago

http://www.aaghsc.org/

Podcasts, conferences and conference proceedings, general meetings.

A Bibliography of African American Family History at the Newberry Library – Illinois

Excellent bibliography of the published African-American holdings at the Newberry

http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/AF-AMER-BIB/illinois.html

Preserving African-American Cemeteries from the Era of Slavery and Reconstruction

CNN International recently put up a great article on the "invisible dead" buried in African-American cemeteries in the South during the era of slavery and Reconstruction. 

A large, flat rock marks the grave of Lewis Dickson. (Courtesy CNN)

The problems of preservation are ones familiar to genealogists: little documentation, makeshift or deteriorated markers, and lack of funding to maintain burial sites. 

One of the people quoted is Michael Trinkley, Executive Director of the Chicora Foundation, an organization I posted about recently:

"The problem with preserving these types of sites is that African-American cemeteries are hard to find," Trinkley says. "You can think of the people buried there as the invisible dead. And not knowing where they are, or how many there are, makes them susceptible to loss."

Of African-America burial sites in South Carolina, Trinkley says, "The areas that were used for burial grounds," Trinkley explained, "those areas were close to water. They were considered waste areas, places where burying slaves wasn't a significant loss to the planter. Those areas today are among the most sought-after for real estate."

Read the entire CNN article here.

Have you been able to find ancestors buried outside traditional cemeteries? I'd love to hear your stories.

Chicago Genealogy – Chicago and Illinois Digital Collections

For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here.

Today's list is of digital collections – places you can see primary source materials about Chicago and Illinois online.

Please note: This list is meant to include resources in addition to the ones found at the traditional genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so if you know of other digital collections on Chicago and Illinois that you've found useful in your research, please let me know.

Chicago and Illinois Digital Collections

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Oral History Program – http://www.alplm.org/oral_history/home.html – "Dedicated to preserving the stories and memories of Illinois' citizens, not just those of the famous and prominent among us, but of people from all walks of life."

Chicago Genealogical Society – http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/index.html

Online Databases – http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/online%20data%20intro.html

Publications – http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/publications.html

Deep-Dish Genealogy Chicago Style, or Chicago Genealogical Sources

In the 1880s, each of my eight great-grandparents decided to emigrate not just to the United States, but to Chicago. They came from Norway, Sweden, Austria, Prussia (now Poland), and Scotland, and with one exception, they met and married their future spouses in Chicago.

Chicago’s success as a vibrant city owes much to the incredible number of immigrant forebears, who came from virtually all points of the globe, like my great-grandparents, to build a better life for themselves and their families.

I'm getting ready for my Jamboree session on doing Chicago genealogical research from afar. In the next few weeks, I’ll be posting information about various Chicago ethnic genealogy resources to consider. And since I’m a librarian, I’ll put them up alphabetically.

Please note: The lists are meant to include resources other than the ones found at the big genealogical sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and the like. And the lists are by no means exhaustive, so please let me know about additions, corrections, omissions. 
I'm planning blog entries on:

African-American Genealogical Resources for Chicago

Bohemian, Czech and Slovak Genealogical Resources for Chicago 

Chicago and Illinois Digital Collections

Chicago City Directories Online

Chicago German-Language Newspapers

Chicago German-American Church Records and Cemeteries

Chicago German-American Organizations, Books, and Archives

Chicago Jewish Genealogical Resources

Norwegian Genealogical Resources for Chicago

Polish Genealogical Resources for Chicago

Scottish Genealogical Resources for Chicago

Swedish Genealogical Resources for Chicago

Stay tuned!

Follow Friday: Chicora Foundation and Southern Genealogical Research

Today's Follow Friday is about the Chicora Foundation, a South Carolina non-profit organization dedicated to "archaeological and historical research throughout the Southeastern United States, public education (primarily right here in South Carolina), and work in conservation and preservation with museums, libraries, archives, historic organizations, and private citizens."

Genealogists working in the southern United States may find Chicora's archeological newsletters of interest, particularly those including articles about cemetery and grave-site preservation in the South. Their newsletters also have preservation and disaster preparation tips.

Chicora also publishes the Research Series, containing results of project-based research for various sites throughout the South. 

I hope Chicora can help you as you work on your southern roots.