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NARA II, College Park Visit – Day 1
You have to have a clear idea what you are researching. I went in with the topic of the 51st Pioneer Infantry, and brought my homework with me. An important number to know before you go is the Record Group. You need to know that the topic numbers do not correspond with the identifying information for the boxes. A Specialist at the Consultation Room will help you locate the correct binder containing the finding aid for the Record Group. When you discuss your research interest with the specialist, you may receive suggestions about other record...
read moreNARA II, College Park Visit – Homework
In this coming series of posts, I will be discussing my latest visits to NARA to view WWI military records. If you live close enough to the National Archives at College Park, and they are holding records about your ancestors, get out your GPS and go! The steps of you visit are outlined in my Informal Guide to visiting NARA II at College Park (coming soon). Homework I did my homework before the visit by searching the NARA website for documents relating to the 51st Pioneer Infantry. My search terms were “51st...
read more3 Reasons to use WorldCat (and a Tutorial)
Have you been using WorldCat? If not, you need to be. WorldCat is the world’s largest library catalog. It spans many libraries, including those at the Family History Library, the Allen County Public Library, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society. WorldCat lets you search for publications of interest. It lets you save lists of the publications. You can also save your searches to run them again at a future time. Last, but not least, WorldCat helps you find where the materials are located. You can enter your zip code and find...
read more3 Things to Do at Graduation Time
Graduations are a great time to celebrate! They are a time for families to gather, and when families gather they share memories. Thinking about graduations made me recall that Mrs. Lindsey, wife of New York City’s Major John Lindsey, attended my graduation from preschool. My Brother recalled that author Frank McChort spoke at my PhD graduation. Capture the memories. Have the graduate write, or record, about his or her favorite memories about the school experience. Capture others’ memories. While you are remembering, list the graduations...
read more3 Things to do on Find A Grave Today
If you are not using Find A Grave, you should! If you have not used it in a while, you should use it again. 1) Search for an Ancestor You can search all the listings by selecting the link “Search 145 million grave records” from the Find A Grave Home Page. (Since Find A Grave is growing all the time, the number may vary depending on when you search.) Alternately, you can search within a cemetery by choosing the “Search for a cemetery”, then entering the name of the cemetery or the country and state to find a specific cemetery. When you...
read moreNewest Geneablogger – us!
As of today, A Week of Genealogy’s blog is one of the newest Geneabloggers! You can read about it here: http://www.geneabloggers.com/new-genealogy-blogs-7-may-2016/#more-39406 Thanks to Thomas MacEntee for including us!
read moreIt’s Complicated: Marital Status State Diagrams
When you are looking for records, you have to play to your strengths. State diagrams are important in my field of Computer Science and Engineer. They show the state that a computer can be in, and how it moves from one to another via a transition. State diagrams are merely roadmaps showing how to move through a computer system in time. For football fans, John Madden uses something similar to show how plays are made. While I was trying to formulate how to continue searching for records of a married ancestor, I enumerated all the possible...
read moreFound Ancestors in the Workhouse?
Did you tear up when the episode of “Who Do You Think You Are?” took us to a workhouse? Does your stomach tighten at the thought of families enduring this hardship, and your heart ache at the thought of the very young children being taken away from their parents? Imagine how it feels when you see records from the workhouse that contain your ancestors’ names. My Great Grandmother never spoke of her family. The only thing that her Grandchildren knew was that she was born in England. In fact, she rarely spoke to her Grandchildren at all....
read moreThe Second Editions of Our Books are available!
The Second Editions of “A Week of Genealogy” and “A Weekend of Genealogy” are available now! Are you searching for your ancestors? If you have been wanting to learn more about moving your genealogy research forward, find that help in the books: “A Week of Genealogy” and “A Weekend of Genealogy”. They are available now! Follow the link to learn how to save $3 on either or both books: https://aweekofgenealogy.com/lp041416 To see a short video advertising the books:
read moreAnchor’s Aweigh: Getting the 51st Pioneer Infantry to France and Back
Anchor’s Aweigh: Getting the 51st Pioneer Infantry to France and Back The history of the 51st Pioneer Infantry included information about the ships that brought Joseph McMahon to France and back home again. Gathering images and more information about these ships fleshes out the details of his WWI service. From U.S. to Brest, France On 29 July 1918 the 51st Pioneer Infantry left Camp Merritt, NJ, and marched to Alpine Landing. From there they were placed on ferries to Hoboken, NJ. Then they boarded the steamer USS Kroonland. On 8...
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