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Finding Amelia Small in FamilySearch Full-Text Search
Researching an Irish family in New York City can have its challenges. Some surnames were very common, and traditional naming patterns often resulted in many individuals with the same names across different branches of the same family group. The passenger lists of the mid- to late-1800s contain little identifying data. It can be difficult to trace these ancestors back to their place of origin in Ireland. With these challenges, one strategy to unravel the stories is searching for family units rather than individuals. The other strategy is...
read moreFamilySearch Labs: Full-Text Search
If you don’t already have a free account for FamilySearch, you need one!You may have used the indexes that are a part of court and land records will only list the principal people in the records. That means that you would find your ancestors’ probate records or the land to which they were a grantor or grantee. But what about the other names that are mentioned in these documents? You have probably seen a will that includes a list of individuals inheriting something from the deceased. These lists may be very helpful, as they may reveal...
read moreTales from Morning Reports: From Duty to Death
Although it was not directly about my father’s service in Greenland, I learned a lot about the place reading Greenland’s Icy Fury by Hansen, who was part of the Ice Cap Detachment stationed in Greenland during WWII. These brave few men battled the elements and topography to provide weather information to the Allied Forces about the north Atlantic and Europe. In the book there was a mention of a soldier taking his own life in Southern Greenland (p. 3). I wondered about the circumstances, how these isolated men might have come to...
read moreUK Outgoing Passenger Lists
Passenger manifests for those coming into the United States can be easier to locate than the outgoing passenger lists from the country of origin. I was able to confirm the ship that brought Bridget (Delia) McMahon to the United States, and know the date as described in the blog post Finding Single Irish Women Immigrants to New York City . Recently, during a free period of access to Ancestry UK, I decided to find Delia’s record in the Outgoing Passenger Lists. It proved to be a slight challenge, with a reminder to be flexible and...
read moreGreenland in WWII (Background)
As part of researching my father’s WWII military service, I have been doing a lot of reading about Greenland, especially its WWII history. Greenland was the site of amazing stories of the US Coast Guard, the Sledge Patrol and weather observers who were isolated for months on end. There are stories of heroism, survival and loss. Greenland has a strategic location in the North Atlantic. It was a advantageous stopping point for aircraft traveling between North America and Europe, and could provide a prime location for a sub...
read moreWWI Classification Lists Part 2: What’s in Them
Classification Lists show the results of the examination of the draftees, as well as where they were to be sent. Classification Lists are the Provost Marshal General’s Office (PMGO) Form 1000, that are found in NARA’s Record Group 163, the Records of the Selective Service System (World War I). As of this blog post being published, the Classification Lists at NARA are not available online. The sections shown in each column header of the Classification List refer to the applicable instructions in the SELECTIVE SERVICE...
read moreWWI Classification Lists Part 1: How to Order
Thanks to Classification Lists, I now know about events during several days in my grandfather’s life. Why you might want this record: to learn more about the process between an ancestor’s registration for the draft and induction, which might include indication that an appeal or deferment was made. What you need to know before ordering: the draftee’s name and local draft board identification number, which can be found on the WWI Draft Registration Card for your ancestor. Groups of men who registered for the draft and were...
read moreBook Review: The Complete Guide to Lineage Societies
The first thing that intrigued me about this book was how such a thin tome was titled “complete.” It is a thin book that packs quite a punch! I learned that in this thin volume, Dr. Nagy provides readers with information about lineage societies, how to find them, how to learn about their missions, why you might want to join one, and how apply for membership. Rather than a detailed how-to about how to join one society, the book shares general information appropriate to any type of membership application, for any type of...
read moreWWII Orders of Battle
Since my father’s personnel file burned at the NPRC leaving nothing behind, learning about a military organizations is important so that I can reconstruct his service using organizational records. The Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) digital library is home to an important collection for beginning research into military organizations. This massive collection was donated by George Nafziger to the Library. The Nafziger Collection of Orders of Battle contains detailed information about military organizations spanning...
read moreReference from the Department of Veterans Affairs
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a useful and interesting resource that can be downloaded. It is titled “America’s Wars.” As the title suggests, it contains a list of US Wars, as well as the years of the conflict. It goes beyond the dates to include the number of service members who were involved and the number of battle deaths. For most wars the number of non-mortal woundings is also reported along with other statistics. Notes that document estimated values are included. The second page of the reference includes...
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