THE LIVERMORE ROOTS TRACER

APR 12 SILICON VALLEY PAF USERS GROUP Meeting at LDS Church Chapel, 875 Quince, Santa Clara, 9-11 a.m.

APR 17 L-AGS STUDY GROUP meets at LDS Church, 950 Mocho St., Livermore, at 7:30 p.m. 

APR 19-20 SOUTHERN CA GEN. SOC. Presents the 28th Annual Jamboree. It will be held in the Exhibition Bldg, the Pasadena Center, 300 East Green St., Pasadena, CA. Cost is $10 per day, $15 for two days. 

APR 19 SACRAMENTO GERMAN GEN. SOC. Seminar featuring Trudy Schenk, A.G., on "Emigration from Germany." Location is Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3235 Pope Ave., Sacramento, from 8:14-4:30 p.m.

APR 22 SAN RAMON VALLEY GEN. SOC. Meeting held at 10a.m. in Golden State Rehab Hospital, 7777 Norris Canyon Rd.

APR 24 L-AGS COMPUTER GROUP meets at LDS Church 950 Mocho St., Livermore, 7:30 p.m. See Computer News Column this issue.

APR 25-26 CA GEN. SOC. 12th Annual Family History Fair "The Golden Gateway to Your Ancestry," keynote speaker John Colletta. Location: Herbst Pavilion (Pier 2) at Ft. Mason Center, San Francisco; Friday 12 to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday 9 to 5 p.m.

MAY 7-10 NATIONAL GEN. SOC. Annual Conference in the States "Pennsylvania-Cradle of a Nation," to be held in Valley Forge, PA. Speaker for NEHGS, Maureen A. Taylor presenting "News and Notices: Genealogical Gleanings from Colonial Newspapers." Write NGS '97 Conference Registration Brochure, 4527 17th St.. North, Arlington, VA 22207-2399.

MAY 10 SILICON VALLEY PAF USERS GROUP Meeting at LDS Church Chapel, 875 Quince, Santa Clara, 9-11 a.m.

MAY 13 LIVERMORE-AMADOR GEN. SOC. (L-AGS) regular meeting 7:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Ave. & South "M" St., Livermore.  

MAY 15 L-AGS STUDY GROUP meets at LDS Church, 950 Mocho St.., Livermore 7:30 p.m.. This will be the last meeting until Oct 1997. 

MAY 20 SAN RAMON VALLEY GEN. SOC. Meeting held at 10 am in Golden State Rehab Hospital, 7777 Norris Canyon Rd.

MAY 22 L-AGS COMPUTER GROUP meets at LDS Church, 950 Mocho St.. Livermore 7:30 p.m.. This will be the last meeting until Fall.

JUN 10 L-AGS regular meeting 7:30 p.m.. Congregation Beth Emek, corner of College Ave. & South "M" St., Livermore. 

JUN 17 SAN RAMON VALLEY GEN. SOC. Meeting held at 10 am in Golden State Rehab Hospital, 7777 Norris Canyon Rd.

JUL 8 L-AGS NO MEETING. Refer to July 12.

JUL 12 L-AGS Member's picnic at Lori's home.

JUL 15 SAN RAMON VALLEY GEN. SOC. Meeting held at 10 am in Golden State Rehab Hospital, 7777 Norris Canyon Rd.

SEPT 20 L-AGS Annual Seminar, LDS Church, Pleasanton, CA. Details will be announced in later editions of The Roots Tracer.

It is with deep regrets that we have to report the passing of Chuck Rockhold on 15 March 1997. Chuck has been a member of L-AGS for several years, and served a term as Business Manager in 1994. Besides genealogy, Chuck enjoyed many other activities, including traveling, skiing and glider-soaring. He was also an active member of the Jaguar Club and Sigma Chi fraternity. Memorial gifts in his name may be sent to the American Cancer Society.

The L-AGS Board is concerned that there may be members who would like to attend meetings but feel the drive is too difficult in the dark or otherwise inconvenient to be undertaken alone. We would like to help members make a connection for sharing rides.

If you are interested in attending a meeting and would like a ride, or can occasionally offer a ride, please call David Abrahams or Karen Banta.

Ancestry Magazine, one of the foremost genealogy publications, will contribute $5.00 per subscription per year to L-AGS if subscriptions are placed through our Society. A one year subscription is $21.00; two years is $38.00; three years is $54.00. If you would like to subscribe, please fill out the application on the inside of the back cover of this issue of the Roots Tracer send it and your check (made out to L-AGS), to L-AGS, P. O. Box 901, Livermore, CA 94551-0901, or return it to any one of the Board members at the May meeting. We will submit all subscriptions shortly after the May meeting.

If you have opinions on this matter, write to Mr. John W. Carlin, Archives II, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.

A few months ago Jane (Knowles) Lindsey spoke to L-AGS. In the question and answer time she had the name of a researcher but not his address. Update: Mr. Charles Bibbings, CGRS, 5412 Dublin Ave., Springfield, VA 22151. He is a genealogist and will do research at the National Archives. He charges in five minute increments. Please mention Jane (Knowles) Lindsey as the source of this information.

By Iris Carter Jones

If you find that it creates a hardship for you, write to the State Vital Statistics Office and let them know. Ask if it can be changed. If enough people take the time to make them aware of the problem, then the policy makers may very well change the policy. But if no one tells them nothing will change!

While most of us think in terms of the computer (Ancestral File, IGI, etc.) or film readers at our Livermore Family History Center (FHC), let us not forget the books we have available. Our most recent addition is called the International Vital Records Handbook (3rd edition) by Thomas Jay Kemp. L-AGS member Jim Scofield donated the book.

At one time or another all of us need copies of birth, marriage, or death certificates for driver's licenses, passports, jobs, Social Security, family history research, or for simple proof of identity. But the fact is that the application forms needed to obtain copies of vital records, to say nothing of fees and special requirements, vary from state to state and from country to country, often necessitating a tedious and time-wasting exchange of correspondence before the appropriate forms can be obtained and the correct procedures followed. The International Vital Records Handbook is designed to put an end to all that, as it offers instructions and a complete, up-to-date collection of vital records application forms from nations throughout the world, thus simplifying and speeding up the process by which vital records are obtained, regardless of the number or type of application forms required.

Divided into two parts, this new 3rd edition of the International Vital Records Handbook contains the latest forms and information for each of the fifty states and also furnishes details about records that were created prior to statewide vital records registration; then, in alphabetical sequence, it covers all the other countries of the world, giving, where available, their current forms and instructions; and since most non-English-speaking nations have neither a centralized vital records registration system nor application forms of any kind, this work provides as a substitute a list of national and provincial record repositories or key addresses of other institutions that might be of assistance.

Application forms issued by the various civil registration offices and the current procedures for obtaining a birth, marriage, or death certificate are given, where available, for each state, province, territory, or country. Simply photocopy the form you need, follow the instructions, and send the fee and the completed form to the appropriate record office.

In obtaining copies of vital records it should be kept in mind that copies of the original certificate might be on file in several different jurisdictions, depending on the country. For example, if a vital record is not available from a state office of vital records, you should check with the appropriate county or city office to see if they have a copy. Similar records are also kept by the various religious denominations, and some copies and originals are held by archives and libraries the world over.

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Another new addition to the FHC, courtesy of Judy Person, is the California Death Index from 1950 through 1979. These records are on microfiche.

On your next visit to the FHC please read the changes in the Microfilm Circulation Procedure. Both rental costs and time you may have the films has changed.

At the FGS Conference, held in Rochester, NY, Broderbund and Genealogical Publishing Company announced a joint partnership effort to publish key portions of their extensive collection of genealogy books on CD-ROM. These are now starting to arrive in the marketplace and I'll review five of them below:

This CD contains the text of three directories compiled by Elizabeth Petty Bentley: "County Courthouse Book" (2nd Ed.), "Directory of Family Associations" (1993-94 ed.), and "The Genealogist's Address Book" (3rd Ed.) On this CD you will find over 21,000 addresses vital to beginning as well as experienced researchers. CD # 115, $29.99.

This CD contains Peter Wilson Coldham's "The Complete Book of Emigrants" (4 Volumes) and "The Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage" and its supplement. This CD references approximately 140,000 individuals, with search capabilities that span all 6 books which contain virtually every reference to English emigrants of the colonial period that could be extracted from surviving sources in English Archives. CD # 350, $29.99.

This CD contains images of the pages of all five volumes of "Genealogies of Virginia Families" from "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography". Included are several hundred family history articles, referencing approximately 65,000 individuals. Most articles trace lines of descent through seven or eight generations covering 300 to 400 years. CD # 162, $39.99.

This Family Archive CD contains images of the pages of all three volumes of "Genealogies of Pennsylvania Families" from "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography". The four volumes, compiled by the Genealogical Publishing Company, contain several hundred family history articles and Bible records. They reference approximately 62,000 individuals who either lived in Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley or who were related to people who lived there. CD # 163, $39.99.

"The Roll of Honor" is the only official memorial to the Union dead ever published. Today it remains the most comprehensive source of information on Civil War fatalities. Genealogical Publishing Company recently republished "The Roll of Honor", supplementing the government's 27-volume work with the valuable "Index to the Roll of Honor" and "The Unpublished Roll of Honor". In all, the books on this CD reference the names of approximately 191,000 Union soldiers buried in over 300 national cemeteries, garrison cemeteries, lots and private cemeteries. (Note: My great grandfather, who was killed by Morgan's raiders while on his way home on leave and was buried in a private cemetery in KY, is not in here). CD # 351, $49.99.

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The law of primogeniture provided that in absence of a will, the oldest son inherited all of his father's land, excluding all other sons and daughters. According to the book Genealogical Evidence, by Noel C. Stevenson, primogeniture laws were in effect in seven states until the following dates: Georgia, 1777; Maryland, 1786; New York, 1787; North Carolina, 1784; Rhode Island, 1791; South Carolina, 1791; and Virginia, 1785. In colonial New England, the custom was for the oldest son to inherit a double share of his father's estate. From Placer Trails, Feb. '96.

Future Meetings. No specific future meeting topics have been designated as yet. Some topics being considered are "How to create a Home Page and the HTML language," "How to use an FTP program to download programs from the Internet or upload files to my home pages," "How to tune-up your computer," "A comparison of various genealogy software programs." If you have a topic you would like to hear discussed, give me a call.

Many of the companies that develop and sell genealogy software are now providing Web sites on the Internet where you can obtain the latest information about your program, submit problems and pose questions to the technical staff, and download intermediate patches and updates for your program. If you have Internet access, don't miss this valuable resource. If you aren't on the Internet, I will be happy to give you a disk with the update on it. Some URLs for specific software programs sites or download areas are:

The L-AGS Computer Interest Group maintains a CD-ROM identification program in order to share this fairly expensive resource between its members. The people listed have offered to do specific "look-ups" in a particular database for you. Broderbund has determined that freely loaning a CD-ROM to someone else constitutes a violation of copyright law. Therefore, L-AGS cannot encourage nor condone the loaning of CDs between members. If you would like to participate in this identification program, please give me, Doug Mumma, a call when you purchase a CD-ROM so its title can be added to the list. The list contains 55 CDs, including duplicates.

If you don't find the CD-ROM that you are looking for, I found an Internet Web site that lists people who are willing to do lookups.

The URL is: http://seidata.com/~genealogy/cdlist.html. This looks like a great site that will be very useful when you want to just check out a few names on a CD-ROM to see if it contains any individuals of interest.

The Internet is becoming a useful environment for genealogists. More actual data is being posted and more sources of help becoming available. For finding web pages or postings on a particular subject, such as a surname, there are search engines such as "Alta Vista", at <http://altavista.digital.com/>.

Telephone directories may be found at: <http://www.yahoo.com/search/people/> or

The Social Security Death Index is at: <http://www.ancestry.com/SSDI/Main.htm/>.

There are various listings of worthwhile genealogical sites. One place for starting any search is on "Yahoo" at <http://www.yahoo.com/>; genealogy is under sociology. "Cyndi's List" is a large collection of genealogy sites at <http://www.oz.net/~cyndihow/sites.htm/>. Other very worthwhile sites are for the National Genealogical Society at < http://genealogy.org/NGS/ > and Everton at <http://www.everton.com >.

The GenWeb project was started in Kentucky by Jeff Murphy. It has now been expanded into a national project. The site, at <http://www.usgenweb.com/index.html/>, has a pointer for a web page for each of the states - which in turn have pointers for the various counties. Not all the counties are presently covered by web sites though. Each county web site has a volunteer who maintains it. Under each county there is typically information about the county, possibly some data or biographical information, on-line queries with a submission form, e-mail addresses for people who will do look-ups, and pointers to other sources for the county.

L-AGS own web page is at <http://www.california.com/~lags/lags.html> with its information about L-AGS. The listings of cemeteries in Livermore and Pleasanton are typical of what one may now find on the net.

Web browsers can learn, for example, that Memory Gardens Odd Fellows Memorial Park in Livermore was built where a slaughterhouse once stood, and that the first woman buried there was Beatrice Waggoner on Aug.7, 1909.

Or that dozens of gravestones are missing from the Dublin Cemetery, including one for "Carlo, the faithful dog," laid to rest some time before 1936.

Serious genealogists - and casual researchers looking for the roots of their family trees - can also access a database of valley surnames currently being researched. The Web site address is http://www. california.com/~lags/lags.htm.
(Excerpted from a local newspaper, Monday, December 9, 1996)

In Welsh surnames, "ab" or "ap" is the prefix for "son of". Then the name gets shortened. Son of Evans becomes AB Evan and then winds up as Bevans. Son of Rhys goes from Ap Rhys to Price. Son of Richard starts as Ap Richard and ends as Pritchard.
("Grab Bag", S.F. Chronicle, 16 Apr 1995, Sunday Sect., p.10)

Here's a hint to remove a stuck snapshot from a magnetic photo album. Aim a blast of hot air from a hairdryer under the photo. Usually, you can at least lift a corner.
(from The Family Tree, Jan/Feb/ '96)

Folding those self-addressed stamped envelopes can result in their being lost or destroyed by the new automated postal machines. The new machines, which sort billions of pieces of mail, don't take kindly to bulging letters that refuse to slide comfortably into the machine. To avoid calamities in the automated machinery, postal workers are authorized to send bulging letters to the dead letter office.

A good way to assure that your letter containing a SASE reaches its destination is to NEVER FOLD THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. Instead, get acquainted with the common envelopes sizes and choose sizes that will easily fit inside larger ones without the necessity of folding.

#12 - measures 12 inches long, but is heavier and may require extra postage

Typed envelopes reach their addresses one day earlier than handwritten ones. The optical scanner that reads the envelopes starts at the bottom and reads the zip code first. If you use "ATTN." at the bottom left side of the envelope, the scanner will kick it out and your letter will be held until it can be manually sorted. Mail will reach its destination a day sooner if you use zip codes. (from The Tennessee Gen. Magazine "Ansearchin' News")

Despite suggestions found in various genealogical publications, forwarding addresses are no longer available from the Post Office. The Orange County CA Genealogical Society quotes a letter distributed by the Anaheim Post Office:

"Dear Postal Customer:

Effective January 21, 1994, the Postal Service no longer researches and discloses to any individual the new address of a person or family who has submitted a Change of Address Order that can be accessed in our files. We can honor written requests for address information by government, law enforcement, and court agencies. Information can also be provided to lawyers, private investigators, and other individuals empowered by law to serve or deliver legal documents to others, once we have received a completed signed copy of.... form, "Request for Boxholder or Change of Address Information Needed for Service of Legal Process."

The USPS has a web site: http://www.usps.gov.

Now that winter is just about over, and the flowers are in bloom, it is time to start planning that summer genealogy trip. Where are we going this year? Who are we going to visit? How do we get there? Once you have decided those details, you might start thinking about what to take to aid you in your research.

If your research is going to center around libraries and archives, make sure you know that they have material useful to your research, and what their days and hours of operation are before you leave home. In order to save time when going to these facilities, locate them on a map beforehand. Make a list of what information you are going to look for in each facility. Many public libraries have genealogy sections. If not, ask the reference librarian if he/she knows whether or not the type of information you are researching may be found in another section of the library. Moreover, librarians often can tell you of other local resources, such as city or county record offices. It has been my experience that in small towns everyone knows everyone; we have been directed to individuals in local archives who have been very helpful.

If your plans include visiting relatives, be sure to take some history to show them. Many of our relatives aren't "into" genealogy and don't understand our quests. I suggest taking simple, easy to read pedigree charts and/or family group records. Most folks we have met seem to understand these quite well. As you establish the conversations, you should remember to ask pertinent questions about their background and history. Where did they go to school? Who were their friends and neighbors, where did they live, is the house still there? Ask about memorabilia such as letters, photos, documents, medals and trophies. If you see something that looks old and possibly out of place, ask about it. Try to record the conversations on tape.

Tape recorders are fairly small and innocuous. Some people get very quiet when they see you pull out a recorder and start fiddling with the tapes. I suggest that you have your recorder all ready - with a tape inside and ready to go. You should be able to just unobtrusively remove it from your briefcase or bag and place it on the table or somewhere near the person you are interviewing. Do not use a voice activated recorder; sometimes you will lose the first one or two words before recording begins. If people point to something, such as a photo, and tell you that "this is cousin Joe and this is cousin Sarah", make sure you repeat the names and where they are in the photo so that the identification is positive. Don't be afraid to let the recorder run even if there is a lull in the conversation. Tape is inexpensive and can be edited later. And speaking of editing, be sure to remove the record tabs in the cassettes when you have finished. It would be tragic to make a mistake and use the same tape twice! I always make a duplicate of the tapes when I get home so that when transcribing the conversations I can use the duplicate and not worry about ruining the original.

Don't forget the camera. Photos of where you have been and the people you have visited will always aid your research. Have your photos processed by a lab that gives two sets of prints with every order. Then you will have copies to send to the people whose photos you took! Identify the photos on the backs with indelible ink or pencil. These are available from several archival supply houses. Don't have your photos processed by a "one hour" type lab. The negatives and prints may not be archival and may fade within a few years, no matter how well you care for them. Use a full service lab that you know processes the film for archival quality. Keep in mind color films will change colors in fifteen to twenty years. If you're taking pictures of old photos, try to use black and white film. And then take it to a reputable camera shop for archival quality processing and printing.

And above all, have fun!!!!

SWEDEN: Those researching their Swedish ancestry may wish to contact the Swedish Council of America, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55407 for a booklet describing the process. From FGS Forum, Vol. 8, No. 4.

OHIO: Vital records access is improving in Ohio with the availability of some copies at cost, microfilm in the Family History Library and indexes on the Internet. Death records (1908 - 1944) have been transferred to the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus where microfiche indexes and microfilm records are available for in-person public use. For online access to see what is available, go to http://winslo.Ohio.gov/ohswww/ohshome.html. From FGS Forum, Vol. 8, No. 4.

MISSOURI: An article in the National Genealogical Society Newsletter, Nov.-Dec. 1996, describes the expansion of the Genealogy and Local History Department of the Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, Missouri. According to the article, the Library has a circulating collection with books available through the interlibrary loan system. Catalogs are available from the library, with recent additions publicized on the Library's Internet page. The Library's address is: 317 W. 24 Highway, Independence, MO 64050. Their Internet address is: http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us.

KENTUCKY: Indexes to selected Kentucky vital records are available for searching via the Internet. Data was acquired from Kentucky's state Office of Vital Statistics and is for noncommercial use only. Included in searchable files are the Kentucky Death Index for 1911 - 1992, Kentucky Marriage Index for 1973 - 1993, and Kentucky Divorce Index for 1973 - 1993. The Internet address for this information is: http://ukcc.uky.edu/~vitalrec.

INTERNET HELP: Many members of L-AGS have Internet access; most of them are quite willing to help those who do not. Members not having Internet access should feel free to ask for help from fellow members. Also, the Pleasanton Public Library and the Livermore Public Library both have Internet terminals and help is available to get started.

PERSONAL NAME INDEX TO THE NY TIMES: Indices to the New York times can lead you to the death notices, obituaries, marriages, other articles. The first set of surname index volumes covers the period 1851-1974. The second set covers 1975-1993. Note that these indices do not cover obituary or marriage notices unless an article about the event was published.

The surname and subject indices are found on the same set of shelves on the 5^th floor of the new San Francisco Main Library. Microfilm copies of the New York Times are stored in the same area.
(Stan Judd, SF Bay Area Jewish GS ZichronNote, XVI:4, p.8)

COPYRIGHT LAW: If you're working from secondary sources, you may be unnecessarily concerned about using material from another source in your publication. If you're only using a small amount of material and if you cite the source, it's considered "fair use." If the publication you're citing is already out of copyright, i.e. over 56 years old, you are free to use any amount of material from it without getting permission. This is also true for books that are 28 years old, where the copyright was not renewed. For books published since 1980, however, the copyright term is the life of the author plus 50 years or, if made for hire, 75 years from the date of publication! (From Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland)