Pursuing Our Roots

Last month we talked about being stuck in genealogical gridlock. Genealogical old-timers (among whose ranks I think I belong) call them “brick walls.” You’ve looked in as many genealogical resources as you can but you just don’t have enough information to be sure of a piece of information. That birth date could belong to Uncle Lou, or it could be one of 24 different Lou Russos living in Chicago at that time. The other kind of brick wall is that you have no clue when or where Lou was born and there doesn’t seem to be any way to figure …

In a recent column, we discussed some of what happens when you have multiple sources for the same piece of data. Let’s say Zio Angelo’s birth date. He told the census taker he was born in 1892. He told the draft registration he was born in 1894. His hospital orderly said he was born about 1900 when he died. The final answer, if there is one, is to put more trust on the older piece of data, recorded closest to the actual event. There would theoretically be less reason to lie about ones age, and the people who were witnesses …

I have used a number of GPS devices over the years to find my way while driving. I won’t mention the brand names but there were three different manufacturers, plus two different apps on my phone. They all claim to find the fastest route from point A to point B, but they all tell me to go a different way. Sometimes, they don’t get me where I need to go at all. I usually figure this out when I see the “Welcome To Kenosha” signs! There can only be one “fastest way” to from A to B but they all …

I have spent the past month going through the Cook County marriage index on Familysearch.org. My parents think I should go out and date more! At any rate, the Cook County marriages are indexed on familysearch, and on Ancestry.com, and on cyberdriveillinois.com up to 1900. Familysearch will allow me to search by groom or bride easily. Or so I thought. I have raved in at least a couple of columns about how you can search for Giuseppe Rossi and find Joseph Russo thanks to new search technologies. I have to amend that slightly. After spending the last month looking for …

I remember the good old days back in the 1990s (yeah, those are MY good ol’ days!) when the only data you could search was on a CD ROM and you could only search for the exact name you wanted. Since all of our ancestors were fluent in English and could spell and pronounce their names perfectly, and the clerks at the County offices and census takers could understand them and write with flawless penmanship, there was no problem. Ok. You can tell by now that I’m kidding. It took awhile for some of the genealogy web sites to use …

It’s been too long since I’ve extolled the virtues of Family History Center and given the low attendance at many of them these days, maybe it’s time to do so. Family History Centers are open to anyone, no matter what level they may be in their research. They are affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly known as Mormons), and most of them are located in church buildings owned by them. Please be assured, however, that you do not need to be a member of their church to use the Family History Center. Please also …

Today we explore the basics of genealogy software. We need a place to store, organize and reproduce the work we have done. Using pencil and paper can get complicated and messy, and unless you have a Xerox machine in your house, it’s hard to make copies for anyone. We talked about the basics of using genealogy software in the last column and most genealogy software programs are pretty similar. Each one does specific tasks that differ and the screens don’t look alike, but for the basics the screens are pretty close. I will use Family Tree Maker as my example …

A few columns ago, I wrote about my project to tag everyone in my family photos. Since I have been researching my family history for 25 years, and have scanned the photo collections of many relatives, I have over 23,000 photos to tag. If it’s any surprise, yes I am still working on this project after all these months. I have a few new items to present to those of you who might have thought about starting this project with your own photos. Believe me I am not discouraging anyone from starting the project, even though it is taking months …

Last month was spent planning an all-day cemetery trip to visit those relatives who were not as close to you during your lifetime, if at all. We decided who to look for, found the grave locations from the cemetery kiosk or by calling the cemetery directly. If that printout from the kiosk did not have a section map, then you will need to stop at the cemetery office to get some help. I do not suggest just wandering around the section until you find the grave, unless you enjoy doing that. There are some clues in the sections themselves. If …

It is normal for families to pack a lunch, bring a flowerpot and gardening tools, and drive down to the cemetery to visit the grave of a loved one. They may plan to spend a good portion of the day. In most cases, people know where the person is buried without section and lot numbers. They just wind to the left and turn right at the tree. It’s four rows in and six graves over. Easy. They go every Mother’s Day or Memorial Day, plus the loved one’s birthday, or maybe on the anniversary of their death. They go several …