Showing posts with label Research Resource. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Research Resource. Show all posts
Friday, May 02, 2008
Attention Sanford Researchers: Tennessee State Marriages Now on Ancestry.com
Another of the new databases on Ancestry.com is the Tennessee State Marriages database. This is great for researching my Sanford family research. It's got a lot of images; sometimes there are several different records for a single marriage. This is a good addition.
Research Resource: Register of Enlistments In U.S. Army
I got an e-mail from Ancestry.com recently that touted some new databases that had been added. Among these was "Registration of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798 --1914. So of course I was interested. I put in the search box a number of my family names, particularly the more unique ones, and turned up nothing. So then I tried the common family names like Johnson and Martin. Still nothing. This made me a little suspicious. I couldn't believe that from 1798 to 1914, for example, only 161 men from Missouri named Johnson had enlisted in the United States Army.
I decided to find out just how many names were actually in the database. I did this by simply leaving the name boxes blank and indicating "United States" in the country box and "any state" and searching. The program reported back that there are something over the 845,000 names in the database. Then I repeated the process placing in the country box the names of countries I thought most likely to have supplied members of the U.S. Army during the time. 1798 -- 1914. Here are the interesting results:
Are you surprised by these data? I am. More than 10% of the enlistees were born in Ireland. I never would have thought that.
But my purpose was to discover how many records were in the database in order to determine how complete it is. So consider the total number. Except for the Civil War, the Army was fairly small between 1798 and 1914; it could well be 1,050,000 names represents a fairly complete database. But then, it's estimated that during the Civil War, 2,200,000 men served in the Union Army. If that's the case, I reasoned, perhaps most of the records in this database came from the Civil War era. To check this theory, I put in the year box "1863" selected "any country," left all other fields blank, and searched. That yielded a total of 13,568 enlistments. Hmm! Clearly it would take more of an 13,000 enlistments a year to sustain an army of over 2 million. (The total for 1861, the first year of the war, was 29,265).
So perhaps it is that this database contains mostly non-Civil War enlistments. In any event, it's clear that this is not a comprehensive database of U.S. Army enlistments during the period 1798-1914.
Ancestry.com says the original data was found in National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94.
I decided to find out just how many names were actually in the database. I did this by simply leaving the name boxes blank and indicating "United States" in the country box and "any state" and searching. The program reported back that there are something over the 845,000 names in the database. Then I repeated the process placing in the country box the names of countries I thought most likely to have supplied members of the U.S. Army during the time. 1798 -- 1914. Here are the interesting results:
| UNITED STATES | 845,041 |
| IRELAND | 155,122 |
| GERMANY | 92,440* |
| ENGLAND | 37,732 |
| CANADA | 20,740** |
| PHILLIPINES | 17,005 |
| SCOTLAND | 12,083 |
| FRANCE | 6,492 |
| RUSSIA | 6,195 |
| AUSTRIA | 6,107 |
| ITALY | 2,396 |
| NETHERLANDS | 1,646 |
| POLAND | 1,518 |
| TOTAL | 1,049,395 |
*includes 8,329 from Prussia
**includes 10 listed as being from "North America" since Canada was referred to as "British North America"
**includes 10 listed as being from "North America" since Canada was referred to as "British North America"
Are you surprised by these data? I am. More than 10% of the enlistees were born in Ireland. I never would have thought that.
But my purpose was to discover how many records were in the database in order to determine how complete it is. So consider the total number. Except for the Civil War, the Army was fairly small between 1798 and 1914; it could well be 1,050,000 names represents a fairly complete database. But then, it's estimated that during the Civil War, 2,200,000 men served in the Union Army. If that's the case, I reasoned, perhaps most of the records in this database came from the Civil War era. To check this theory, I put in the year box "1863" selected "any country," left all other fields blank, and searched. That yielded a total of 13,568 enlistments. Hmm! Clearly it would take more of an 13,000 enlistments a year to sustain an army of over 2 million. (The total for 1861, the first year of the war, was 29,265).
So perhaps it is that this database contains mostly non-Civil War enlistments. In any event, it's clear that this is not a comprehensive database of U.S. Army enlistments during the period 1798-1914.
Ancestry.com says the original data was found in National Archives Microfilm Publication M233, 81 rolls; Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Research Resource: The Library of Congress
If you haven't been to The Library of Congress, get there soon! (Virtually speaking, of course). It's been about two years since I visited the Library in person. But when I was there virtually the other night, I noticed things had changed online.
There are several ways to see the Library online. Let's go first to the American Memory collections. There we'll see collections by topic or we can browse all collections. Just for the thrill of it, let's browse all collections. As we scroll down through some interesting collections, one in particular grabs me. It's "Broadsides ad Ephemera, c. 1600-2000." What's that?
Well, it's described as
Here's a German Sunday School card . . . and look, an 1852 ad for a cider mill . . . and here, a list of judges, attorneys, and marshals in the United States, probably from the 1820's. . . a menu from the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City, dated October 19, 1903 . . . I could spend all day looking through this stuff! But, much to see, little time!
<----Who are these people?------>
Visit The Library of Congress to find out!
Still in the American Memory collections, we can view photographs, maps and documents from every era and every area of American history. I'm captivated by the collection of Coca-cola commercials over fifty years (one of them was filmed at my high school in the late 1960's), the sheet music collections, the audio former slave narratives, and the nationwide collection of railroad maps. I'll come back to the railroad maps and try to trace the route that Matilda Manson and her son Otis took from Hootenville, Georgia, to Rockdale, Texas, in 1884.
Next is the American Folklife Center with
Only some of these are online, but, again, it's a rich collection of collections, including the Veterans History Project and Folk Songs of America. Particularly interesting is the Local Legacies collection, which "includes photographs, sound recordings, videos, newspaper clippings, and more from communities in all 50 states, the trusts, territories, and the District of Columbia. The project was initiated by members of Congress commemorating the Library's Bicentennial."
We next can easily get to the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. And what a joy this is! It's like being a kid in a toy store. There are about a million digital images here!
Next, on to the Library's Webcast page. There are webcasts available on biographies, history, culture, literature, religion, science and much more.
Last month, The Library of Congress announced an agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create the World Digital Library. The announcement said
The Library of Congress is America's library. We've only scratched the surface in our quick visit. Check it out and find your favorite parts!
There are several ways to see the Library online. Let's go first to the American Memory collections. There we'll see collections by topic or we can browse all collections. Just for the thrill of it, let's browse all collections. As we scroll down through some interesting collections, one in particular grabs me. It's "Broadsides ad Ephemera, c. 1600-2000." What's that?
Well, it's described as
28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. The first release of the digitized Printed Ephemera Collection presented more than 7,000 items. This release presents more than 10,000 items. While the broadside format represents the bulk of the collection, there are a significant number of leaflets and some pamphlets. Rich in variety, the collection includes proclamations, advertisements, blank forms, programs, election tickets, catalogs, clippings, timetables, and menus. They capture the everyday activities of ordinary people who participated in the events of nation-building and experienced the growth of the nation from the American Revolution through the Industrial Revolution up to present day.
Here's a German Sunday School card . . . and look, an 1852 ad for a cider mill . . . and here, a list of judges, attorneys, and marshals in the United States, probably from the 1820's. . . a menu from the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York City, dated October 19, 1903 . . . I could spend all day looking through this stuff! But, much to see, little time!
<----Who are these people?------>
Visit The Library of Congress to find out!
Still in the American Memory collections, we can view photographs, maps and documents from every era and every area of American history. I'm captivated by the collection of Coca-cola commercials over fifty years (one of them was filmed at my high school in the late 1960's), the sheet music collections, the audio former slave narratives, and the nationwide collection of railroad maps. I'll come back to the railroad maps and try to trace the route that Matilda Manson and her son Otis took from Hootenville, Georgia, to Rockdale, Texas, in 1884.
Next is the American Folklife Center with
over three million photographs, manuscripts, audio recordings, and moving images. It consists of documentation of traditional culture from all around the world including the earliest field recordings made in the 1890s on wax cylinder through recordings made using digital technology. It is America's first national archive of traditional life, and one of the oldest and largest of such repositories in the world.
Only some of these are online, but, again, it's a rich collection of collections, including the Veterans History Project and Folk Songs of America. Particularly interesting is the Local Legacies collection, which "includes photographs, sound recordings, videos, newspaper clippings, and more from communities in all 50 states, the trusts, territories, and the District of Columbia. The project was initiated by members of Congress commemorating the Library's Bicentennial."
We next can easily get to the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. And what a joy this is! It's like being a kid in a toy store. There are about a million digital images here!
Next, on to the Library's Webcast page. There are webcasts available on biographies, history, culture, literature, religion, science and much more.
Last month, The Library of Congress announced an agreement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create the World Digital Library. The announcement said
The World Digital Library will digitize unique and rare materials from libraries and other cultural institutions around the world and make them available for free on the Internet. These materials will include manuscripts, maps, books, musical scores, sound recordings, films, prints and photographs. The objectives of the World Digital Library include promoting international and intercultural understanding, increasing the quantity and diversity of cultural materials on the Internet, and contributing to education and scholarship.
The Library of Congress is America's library. We've only scratched the surface in our quick visit. Check it out and find your favorite parts!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Research Resource: National Register of Historic Places Nomination Forms
Many are familiar with the National Register of Historic Places. A good resource for research is the set of nomination forms for places on the Register. These are available from the National Park Service at the address on this page.
The Park Service hopes eventually to have all of the nomination forms online. But until then, a e-mail to the Park Service will get you the materials. They responded to my e-mail within a day or two and sent me materials in less than three weeks. I was not charged for the material.
So what does one get? Well, I sent for the nomination package for Buena Vista, the plantation in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, where my Brayboy, LeJay, and probably Gines, ancestors were held in bondage by the Boykin Witherspoon family. The nomination papers included a written statement of significance prepared by the nominator. This statement described the property and included an historical note that contained a transcription of the1859 contract to build the estate. There were also three pages of photographs and two pages of diagrams.
Information similar to this can be found in the nomination papers of any of the properties on the National Register. If your family had any connection to a National Register property, these papers may add to your understanding of the family.
The Park Service hopes eventually to have all of the nomination forms online. But until then, a e-mail to the Park Service will get you the materials. They responded to my e-mail within a day or two and sent me materials in less than three weeks. I was not charged for the material.
So what does one get? Well, I sent for the nomination package for Buena Vista, the plantation in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, where my Brayboy, LeJay, and probably Gines, ancestors were held in bondage by the Boykin Witherspoon family. The nomination papers included a written statement of significance prepared by the nominator. This statement described the property and included an historical note that contained a transcription of the1859 contract to build the estate. There were also three pages of photographs and two pages of diagrams.
Information similar to this can be found in the nomination papers of any of the properties on the National Register. If your family had any connection to a National Register property, these papers may add to your understanding of the family.
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