WorldVitalRecords Free Access for Thanksgiving

Many of you may know that I work for FamilyLink, the company who owns WorldVitalRecords. I wanted to let everyone know about a promotion that we are doing at WorldVitalRecords for Thanksgiving.

Through November 30, 2009 we have over 200 early American databases available to the public for FREE. This free access include vital records, court and land records, and military records.

To check out the databases see http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/email/promotional/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-lp2.html
This a great opportunity to try WorldVitalRecords. The WorldVitalRecords website is at www.worldvitalrecords.com.

Church Record Sunday: NEHGS Article Archive

While I was researching sources for an article yesterday, I came across the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) Article Archive at http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/8658.asp.

NEHGS is a terrific resource that has a lot to offer members including databases, an academic journal and magazine and research services. They also offer some free items on their website, including their Article Archive.

These educational articles cover lots of different subjects, including church records. Just some of the articles featured include:

Jewish Genealogy Tracing Family Histories by Elinor Spokes


Jewish Genealogical Resources at the New England Historic Genealogical Society by Marie E Daly
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_7080.asp



New Brunswick Repositories: Archives of the Diocese of Saint John by Peter D. Murphy
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_6794.asp


Shamrocks Among the Fleurs de Lis: The Hidden Treasures of Drouin’s Acadian French-Catholic Church Records Collection by Peter D. Murphey
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_6367.asp


Did Your Ancestor Get Religion? by Michael J. Leclerc
http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_ancestor_get_religion.asp


NEHGS's Article Archive is a fabulous and free way to learn more about researching your ancestors.

Kreativ Blogger Award

This has been a very busy week and I haven't had a chance to thank my fellow bloggers who awarded me the Kreativ Blogger award.

Randy Seaver at Geneamusings,http://www.geneamusings.com/ Louise at Our Twigs, http://ourtwigs.blogspot.com/ and Darlene all nominated me. I am very humbled to be mentioned and want to thank you guys. It's hard when you blog because you don't always know if people actually read or like what you write. It's nice to be noticed.

So Randy Seaver states in his blog that you have to list seven things about yourself. So here are 7 things about myself:

1. I buy friendship quilts, quilts where the maker/s and sometimes others signed their names to the quilt, and then I research the names connected to the quilt.

2. I did my first pedigree chart in 2nd grade for a school assignment.

3. I worked in a library as a teenager and even did newspaper research for patrons.

4. One of my ancestors, Sophia Bell Lewis Wilson divorced in 1856. (Yes, people did get divorced in the 19th century!)

5. Sophia's son-in-law and my 3rd great grandfather was murdered by his neighbor for supposedly stealing a cow. The neighbor hid out for a year and then was finally apprehended. He had a trial but his dad was a judge in town and his family help founded the town. (I'll let you guess the outcome of that trial.)

6. I'm amazed at all our ancestors went through and how much easier life is today. I'm very grateful to live now and not in the 1800's (or even earlier time periods.)

7. I've written over 100 genealogy articles for GenWeekly and WorldVitalRecords.

Thank you to all my readers. I appreciate the comments I receive and that you take the time to read my blog. I sincerely appreciate it.

Church Record Sunday: Ever Changing Religion

I think it's pretty obvious that I think researching your ancestor's religion is pretty important. Face it, in an era when there were no civil registrations, there were church records.

But sometimes it may not be obvious what religion your ancestor was. I was thinking today about one of my great grandmother's lines. In the span of about 140 years each generation changed religions at least once. So they started off in the early 1800's as Presbyterian. Then about 1840 they were Baptist. And then the next generation were members of the Salvation Army. Then that generation went to the Catholic church. Now they stayed with the Catholic Church for the next generation and then we have 1 that converted to the Mormon church.

Some of the changes in religion had to do with who the person married. Sometimes they adopted and converted to their spouse's religion. And in some cases they converted to a new religion for personal reasons.

But it brings up a good point. Don't assume your ancestor was a certain religion because everyone in the family was that religion or that you are a member of that specific religion. Church records may be very diverse for your family. They may have attended a church that was convenient to where they lived. They may have converted for marriage. They may have even participated in activities for the dominant religion in their area. You may see ancestors attend a lot of different churches or even be baptised, excommunicated and baptised back into the same faith.

So be persistent and follow your ancestor's lives through church records. Check out records for the entire lifespan of your ancestor. Do they seem to drop off in the records at some point? Start looking at other possibilities including joining or attending a different church.

Veterans Day and Free Databases at WorldVitalRecords

Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all the veterans, past and present, who have served our country. I appreciate your courage and sacrifice. You are the reason that America is free.

Today is a great day to also think about your ancestors who served in the military. WorldVitalRecords (http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/) is providing free access to a number of their military databases. This free access is from Nov 11-13, 2009.

Below, I have put together a list of the titles and the corresponding urls.

Australian Contingents to South Africa
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau0008_militarysouthafrica1899

Bergen County Historical Society Papers: Revolutionary War Round Table Papers
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_revolutionarywarroundtablepapers

British Military Officers
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=everton_uk_militaryofficers

Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, January 1, 1930
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_commissionedandwarrantofficerszjanuary1930

Connecticut Soldiers in the French and Indian War: Bills, Receipts and Documents
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdct6068_frenchindianwar

Cross-Border Warriors: Canadian in American Forces, Americans in Canadian Forces
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550022254_fredgaffen

Education Department War Service 1914-17
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau7018_educationwarservice

Fragments of War: Stories from Survivors of World War II
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9780919670952_joycehibbert

Georges Vanier: Soldier, The Wartime Letters and Diaries, 1915 - 1919
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550023435_cowleydeborah


Grant and his Campaigns: A Military History
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=godfrey_ulyssessgrantcampagins1866

History of the 27th Regiment New York Vols. : Being a Record of Its More Than Two Years of Service in the War for the Union, From May 21st, 1861 to May 31st, 1863
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdny10642_27thregiment

How to be a Spy: The World War II SOE Training Manual
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550025057_denisrigden

The Invisible War: The Untold Secret Story of Number One Canadian Special Wireless Group
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550023718_murraygil

Korean War Casualties
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=usa_korean_casualty

The Last Invasion of Canada: The Fenian Raids, 1866 -1870
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550020854_herewardsenior

The Making of Billy Bishop: The First World War Exploits of Billy Bishop, VC
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550023909_greenhousbrereton

McGill University at War, 1914 - 1916, 1939 - 1945
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0211_mcgilluniversity1914

Michigan in the War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd88_civilwar_michigan

Military History of Wayne County, N.Y. the County in the Civil War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_militaryhistoryofwaynecounty

Muster Rolls of the Soldiers of the War of 1812: Detached from the Militia of North Carolina in 1812 and 1814
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdnc3008_musterrolls

New Zealand Wars: Maori Campaigns
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustralianz0015_nzwars

New Zealanders and the Boer War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustralianz0006_nzandboerwar

Notes and Observations Made During Four Years of Service with the Ninety-Eighth New York Volunteers in the War of 1861
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdny3272_civilwar

Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War, 1920
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0204_nsgreatwar

Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, Volume 1
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0098_vol1

Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, Volume 1, Part 2
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0098_part2

The Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, Volume 1, Maps
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0098_maps

Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, 1914 - 1919: The Medical Services
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0224_medicalservices

Official Military History of Kansas Regiments: During the War for the Suppression of the Great Rebellion
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdks3000_militaryhistory

Paras Versus the Reich: Canada's Paratroopers at war, 1942-45
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550024708_berndhorn

The Plattsburg Movement: A Chapter of America's Participation in the World War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_plattsburgmovement


Queenslanders Who Fought in Great War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau4007_queenslandersgreatwar1914-1918

Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831-32, and in the Mexican War, 1846 -1848
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_recordoftheservicesofillinoissoldiersintheblackhawkwar

Records About Japanese Americans Relocated During World War II
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=nara_jpamwpu

Records of Officers and Men of New Jersey in Wars 1791 - 1815
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_officersandmenofnewjersey1909

Regimental Losses in the American Civil War , 1861 - 1865
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdusaus0221_regimentallosscivlwar

Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, January 1, 1931
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_registerofthecommissionedandwarrantofficers1931

Register of the Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, January 1, 1929
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_registerofthecommissionedandwarrantofficers1929

Reminiscences, Incidents, Battles, Marches and Camp Life of the Old 4th Michigan Infantry in War of Rebellion, 1861 - 1864
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_reminiscencesincidentsbattleszmichiganinfantry

Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 - 1866
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_soldiersandsailorsofnewhampshirezrebellion

Revolutionary War Pensions of Soldiers Who Settled in Fayette County, Kentucky
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_revolutionarywarpensionszfayette

Roster of Confederate Soldiers in the War Between the States, Furnished by Lincoln County, North Carolina, 1861 - 1865
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_rosterofconfederatesoldiersinthewarbetweenthestates

Roster of North Carolina Troops in the War Between the States, Volume 1
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_rosterofnorthcarolinatroopszwarbetweenthestates_vol1

Roster of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion, Residing in Nebraska, December 1, 1897
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_rosterofsoldierssailorsandmarinesz1812z

Roster of the North Carolina Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898 - 1899
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_rosterofthenorthcarolinavolunteerszspanish


A Sergeant's Diary in the World War: The Diary of an Enlisted Member of the 150th Field Artillery, Forty-Second (Rainbow) Division, October 27, 1917 - August 7, 1919
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_sergeantsdiaryintheworldwar

Soldiers of King Philip's War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdusaus0315_kingphilipswar

1898 Spanish American War - Texas
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=everton_texas_spanishamericanwar

1898 Spanish American War Volunteers - Colorado
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=everton_colorado_spanishamericanwar

Tasmanians in the Transvaal War
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau6007_tasmanianintransvaalwar

Tasmanians War Record 1914-1918
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau6016_tasmaninaswarrecord1914-1918

Tennessee in the War 1861-1865
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcdtn6001_civilwar

USA World War II Army Enlistment
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=usa_wwii_armyenlistment

Vietnam Casualties 1956 - 1998
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=usa_vietnamwar_casualties1956-1998

The War Book of Upper Canada College, 1923
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdcanadaca0099_cameron1915-1916

The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=dundurn9781550023367_turnerwesleyb

War Services Old Melburnians
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=cdaustraliaau7036_warservicesoldmelburnians1914-1918


World War II Prisoners of Japanese
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=usa_wwii_prisonersofjapanese

World War II Prisoners of War 1941 - 1946
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=usa_wwii_pow1941-1946

Church Record Sunday: American Baptist Historical Society

Have Baptist ancestors? Check out the website American Baptist Historical Society, http://abhsarchives.org/services_genealogy.shtml. They have a section on Genealogy and a list of their fees for research requests.

Under the link for Collections, there are finding aids for original church records, manuscript collections and the archives of the American Baptist Historical Society.

There is even a section that includes ideas for churches on how to keep and deposit their church records.

Social History Saturday: The Life of a Civil War Soldier

In honor of Veteran's Day coming up this next Wednesday, November 11th, this Social History Saturday is a link to a description of the life of a Civil War soldier from the Gettysburg National Military Park.

The military records we order and the description of battles help to bring our ancestor's past to life but descriptions of their day to day life provides us with an understanding of how we owe so much to our Veterans.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/soldierlife/cwarmy.htm

Church Record Sunday: Eastern Orthodox Cross

I thought it was fitting, for the Sunday after Halloween, to share this About.com link that includes the image and explanation of the Eastern Orthodox Cross. You can also continue on with this slide show to see other cemetery gravestone symbols and their meanings. This is from Kimberly Powell's Genealogy About.com website.

http://genealogy.about.com/od/cemetery_records/ig/tombstone_symbols/russian-cross.htm