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Family Tree Newsletter 8-5-05

Posted by GFA Terry <gfaterry@aol.com> on Mon, 08 Aug 2005

* Not-So-Secret Garden
* News From the Front
* Conference Call
* Worthwhile Web Sites
* Speakers' Schedule

_________________________________________________________
NOT-SO-SECRET GARDEN

Used to be, if you wanted to find ancestors who immigrated
through Castle Garden--New York's primary emigrant landing
depot from 1855 to 1890--you had to crank through reels of
unindexed microfilm or buy a subscription to Ancestry.com
( http://www.ancestry.com). Now you can go to
http://castlegarden.org and search a free online database of
New York passenger lists from 1830 through 1913.

The Battery Conservancy (http://www.thebattery.org), an
organization to restore Manhattan's Battery Park, launched the 10
million-name database Monday. Besides Castle Garden
immigrants, says Conservancy program associate David
Bromwich, it includes passengers who were dropped off at the
Battery before Castle Garden opened and 2,000 Ellis Island
immigrants who aren't in the database at http://www.ellisisland.org.
(Ellis Island opened in 1892.) CastleGarden.org transcription
project leader Ira Glazier expects to add 2 million more immigrants
to the site's compilation.

CastleGarden.org's free Quick Search lets you look for a first and
last name and arrival date range. You can narrow your results
by choosing a place of origin, occupation and ship. The search
returns only exact matches, so you'll need to try spelling variations
on your ancestor's name. If you're not sure of the first name, leave
that field blank to see everyone with the surname you're looking
for. Results show name, occupation, age, sex, arrival and ship's
name.

Webmasters hope to enhance the database with Soundex
searching--which would catch similar-sounding surnames-- and
images of the original passenger lists.

For $45, you can submit an Advanced Search request, which lets
you select variables for sex, age, ship, port of departure, country of
origin, occupation and destination--without specifying a name.
Although the site recommends this search for scholars and
genealogists, the Quick Search will do in most cases. If you're
prepared to pay, it might be a better value to buy a $79.95
subscription to Ancestry.com's US Immigration Collection, which
includes images from microfilm of the original passenger
manifests.

Follow the site's Timeline link for a trip through Castle Garden's
illustrious history starting as a military fort called the Southwest
Battery. It was reincarnated as a prestigious performing arts venue,
the immigrant processing station and an aquarium before being
designated a national monument bearing its 1817 name, Castle
Clinton. For more ways to find Castle Garden passengers, see the
August 2005 Family Tree Magazine.

Once you surfed CastleGarden.org, drop an e-mail to
ftmnews-editor@fwpubs.com and let us know what you think of the
site.

_________________________________________________________
NEWS FROM THE FRONT

Chances are you have an ancestor who served in the military. Two
recent developments could help you uncover information about
him or her:

* Genealogy Today has launched Military Roots (http://www.
militaryroots.com), a free database of information transcribed from
sources such as military rosters, muster rolls and troop histories.
The database started with several thousand names; new ones are
added every week. You can search for surnames and opt to be
notified if they're mentioned in records added later. Registration is
required to read the full transcription. (On the results page, you'll
see a $ next to matches; but if you click the Subscribe link, the fee
is listed as "Free") Each match shows a citation so you can consult
the original source.

* The National Archives' and Records Administration National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC; http://archives.gov/st-louis/
military-personnel), the St. Louis facility that holds post-1912
military service records, has opened nearly 1.2 million military
personnel files of enlisted US Navy and Marine Corps members
who served between 1885 and Sept. 8, 1939. NARA gets custody
of service records 62 years after the service member's separation
from the military.

Learn more about researching military ancestors in the October
2005 Family Tree Magazine, available Aug. 23 on newsstands
and at http://www.familytreemagazine.com.

_________________________________________________________
CONFERENCE CALL

This year's Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) annual
conference, Sept. 7-10 at Salt Lake City's Salt Palace Convention
Center, gives you extra reason to visit the home of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Family History Library(FHL;
http://www.familysearch.org). You can get tips in classes on tax
records, family health history, research organization and more;
visit more than 150 genealogical exhibitors; and take advantage
of the nearby FHL's extended research hours. Registration costs
$189 for all four days or $95 per day. Call (888) 347-1500 or visit
http://www.fgs.org/2005conf/FGS-2005.htm for details.

If you go to the FGS conference, be sure to visit the Family Tree
Magazine booth. Watch for details on our special conference
promotions in future editions of the Family Tree Magazine E-mail
Update.

___________________________________________________________
WORTHWHILE WEB SITES

Overwhelmed by the number of family history-related Web sites
popping up? FamilyTreeMagazine.com sorts through them all--
whew!--to bring you only the very best. We recently recommended
the following as Sites of the Week:

. Carolina Histories
http://www.msnusers.com/carolinahistories
Use the message boards to drop a surname or answer queries
and browse the Image Library for photographs, antique prints,
maps, engravings and vintage postcards.

. American Memory Wise Guide
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide
Get a fun introduction to the immense digitized collections in the
Library of Congress' American Memory Web site. Stop back--the
articles change monthly.

. Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
http://www.stuhrmuseum.org
This Web site for a living history museum has tons of information,
pictures, a research section, games for kids and more.

. American Jewish Historical Society Archives: Finding Aids
http://www.cjh.org/academic/findingaids/AJHS/institutionlist.html
Learn how to use the American Jewish Historical Society's
numerous databases and other resources.

_________________________________________________________
SPEAKERS' SCHEDULE

* Cincinnati, Ohio
Tony Burroughs
Aug. 27
History and Genealogy Presentations
Topics:
- Locating Sleepy Hollow: Or Anywhere Else Your Ancestor Lived
-Voices of Freedom: African American Soldiers in the Civil War
For more information, go to http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org or call
(513) 369-6905.

*Salt Lake City
Sept. 6-10
Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Topics:
* Understanding Publishing Contracts
* Before You Publish: What Every Genealogists Needs to Know
About Copyright
* Interpreting American Tombstone Art and Symbols
* Primetime's 20/20 Dateline: Sharon Carmack Interviews the
World's Oldest Living Genealogist, Ole Smirnoff Bernatelli
(Utah Genealogical Society Luncheon, with James W. Warren)

James W. Warren
Topics:
* Ancestors Hanging on Your Family Tree: Using Court and
Institutional Records
* The Most Priceless Heritage: Practical Family Health History
* Strategies for Researching Your Localities

For more information, go to http://www.fgs.org.

***
Reprinted with permission from Family Tree Magazine Email
Update, copyright 2005 F+W Publications Inc. To subscribe
to this free weekly e-mail newsletter, go to
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletter.asp. For a
free sample copy of the print Family Tree Magazine,
America's #1 family history magazine, go to
http://www.familytreemagazine.com/specialoffers.asp?
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