The Family History Guide: A Review

You have heard that there are websites on the Internet that can help you with your research. You have probably found some of them. Wouldn’t it be great if there was someone who could show you, step-by-step, where to find help when you need it? Could you benefit from a guide who would point you to good websites where you learn about a specific family history topic, or even about computer basics? You can find such a guide for the web, in The Family History Guide.

 

 

The Family History Guide was launched in July 2015 as an instructional website that organizes family history resources together so that you can start your research and go directly to the best information on the web.

On the home page there are links to the Introduction; Projects; and Training (about The Family History Guide). A good place to start is on the Introduction Page.

 

 

I recommend that you view “The Family History Guide Quick Tour” (left) for an overview of how to use the website. You can also find links to webinars on this page. You can view past issues of the FHG Newsletter including information about subscribing.

When you are ready, you can click on the menubar to go to the Projects area. There are eight projects to explore, and goals within these topics. The projects are: Family Tree (for the FamilySearch Family Tree); Memories; Descendancy Research; Discover; Indexing (for FamilySearch); Help; Tech (to learn about using Technology in genealogy); and DNA. Each project contains goals, which are sections that contain links to resources on the web. You may be interested all or some of goals within a project. From the menubar you can also select a link to find resources for Children.

 

 

The Topics Page, which can be reached by a link on the left side of the Projects pages, shows you a linked index to the topics that are covered in The Family History Guide.

This Guide is good for experienced as well as beginning genealogists. The links to resources are well organized within each project. I especially liked Project 4: Discover. You will find links to in-depth resources for geographic-based and ethnic research.  Several geographic locations are on the menu; for others you will have to view the submenu to find out which countries are covered. The QUIKLinks on the left side of the these pages send you to websites that have the records.

 

 

You will find this a worthwhile website to explore. To get the most out of using the Family History Guide, take the time to understand the navigation. Think of a topic you need help with or want to know more about. Then check out the resources for that topic from the menubar, or the Topics page, and follow your guide.

Note: You will find several posts from A Week of Genealogy included in the resources.

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USAHEC Visit – Day 2

We came back to photograph more of the contents of the folders.  That went quickly.

There was some extra time, so one of my research assistants decided to research his Civil War veterans. There were no images of his ancestors, but he did find ones from the same regiment and the same home town.

 

 

We even had time for some made-to-order lunch at the Café Cumberland.

 

 

There was time to visit the exhibits in the Soldier Experience Gallery.

 

 

Exhibit in the Soldier Experience Gallery, USAHEC

 

Exhibit in the Soldier Experience Gallery, USAHEC

 

One of the exhibits displayed a medal issued by Saint Mihiel in 1937 to commemorate the battle.

 

Exhibit in the Soldier Experience Gallery, USAHEC

 

We planned to go through the Army Heritage Trail, but it started raining too hard.

 

For information about visiting USAHEC, click here.

You can find information about the exhibits here.

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USAHEC Visit – Day 1

We entered USAHEC, and asked the Information Desk to direct us to the Archives. We reported to the Reference Desk. We were issued a key for a locker, and our Research Cards were created.

 

The Specialist had to take my list and translate it into the locations of the material. Then we took the list to the Circulation Desk.

The materials were brought out to us after a very short wait.

 

 

This box held SGT Mansfield’s diary. I scanned it for the events and dates that were included, and to see if Joseph McMahon was mentioned by name. (He was not.) The events described in the diary had been outlined in the 51st Pioneer Infantry history that was found at NARA.

 

 

This was the folder.

 

 

The staff was incredibly helpful with helping us set up to photograph items in the folder. They have camera stands and lights available. We got to work photographing the diary for future research.

 

 

Diary in the WWI Veterans Survey Collection, Army Heritage and Education Center

Transcribing that diary will be on my to-do list.

 

 

Using the document setting on my digital camera, and hand holding the camera, I photographed the 51st Pioneer newspaper, published during the occupation of Germany, in Cochem. These newspapers will eventually be digitized.

 

Newspaper in the Periodical Collection, Army Heritage and Education Center

 

There were few columns about Company B, but none of them mentioned Joseph F. McMahon.

 

Newspaper in the Periodical Collection, Army Heritage and Education Center

 

The Moses Thisted Collection had only one folder for 51st Pioneer Infantry.

 

 

 

In it was only one picture.

 

Photo in the Moses Thisted Photograph Collection, Army Heritage and Education Center

 

Photo in the Moses Thisted Photograph Collection, Army Heritage and Education Center

 

When you are done for the day, you will clear out the locker, return the key, and sign out. If you are done with the materials, you wheel your cart back to the Circulation Desk for refiling. If you are coming back, the Specialists will ask you to fill in a hold slip that includes the date that you are returning. Your materials can be kept for you for a maximum of ten calendar days.

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USAHEC Visit – Homework

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) holds a tremendous amount of information that may assist you in your research about U.S. Army ancestors. They may not have an image of your ancestor, or papers with you ancestor’s name, but there may be material from contemporaries that will shed light on your ancestor’s experience. The Staff is extremely knowledgeable and is available to help you.

There are books about military history, and Army publications. There are extensive collection of unit histories and photo archives. There are veterans’ surveys from the Spanish-America War to the Cold War. There are oral histories. There are collections of personal papers, diaries, and letters. U.S. Army doctrinal, training, and administrative publications. Most post-WWII U.S. Army Chiefs of Staff have donated their personal papers to USAHEC. This is a brief description.

 

Homework:

Before your visit, locate it of items or collections of interest using USAHEC’s online catalog. Tutorials to help find material are available here.

When you have located material of interest, contact USAHEC by e-mail or phone to verify that the materials are available. Also ask what other material they might recommend for the topic you are researching.

The list of documents I wanted to view were:

1. The 51st pioneers [weekly]
2. The Moses Thisted photograph collection
3. The WWI Veterans Survey Pioneer Infantry documents for SGT John Mansfield
4. The SGT John Mansfield photographs (Photographs from the survey had been transferred to the Photo Archives.

I had e-mailed a Technical Information Specialist to check if these materials would be available on the dates of my visit. As it turned out, Item #4 did need to be cleared and would be before I came.

 

NARA II, College Park Visit – Day 3

We returned to NARA several days later to view the boxes in RG120 that held records from the 51st Pioneer Infantry.

In this part of the record set, the documents were arranged by company.

 

 

There were twelve boxes in all. (Company B was on the desk.)

 

 

One of the interesting things was the correspondence books. Before computer indexing, people had to know how to locate items in their records. I have used index books for land and probate records. (See the tutorials.)

 

 

There was my Grandfather’s name as his records were transferred from the IV Corp vocational school in Mayen Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

There was an earlier letter acknowledging the transfer of their records. Joseph McMahon was detached to the IV Corps Vocational school at Mayen Germany, on 31 Mar 1919.

 

 

Fourteen Jewish soldiers from Company B requested leave to attend the Jewish Festival in Coblenz on 14 Apr 1919. The 51st Pioneer Infantry Entertainment Officer asked the YMCA to furnish a concert model guitar to Company B; they were planning to have a show ready by the first of April, possibly after the recovery of a cast member from an accident.

Much of the 51st Pioneer Infantry Headquarters’ correspondence dealt with promotions, demotions (some voluntary), transfers, requests for leave and cancellations of Liberty Bonds. The correspondence included stations before Camp Wadsworth, including Camp Meade and Lemoyne, PA (as the 10th NY Infantry).

The Summary Sheets for the Courts Martial of the 51st Pioneer Infantry were also in this record group. There was an index by last name to help locate the sheets to learn the details of the charges and the findings. Punishment might be fines, forfeiture of pay, or hard labor.

At some time in the future, I will head back to digitize all the folders in RG165 for the 51st Pioneer Infantry, and to read more about the 51st Pioneer Infantry in RG120.