ALLEN COUNTY GENEALOGY CENTER : AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH
There is a lot to find here about African Americans in the United States but the list of other countries intrigues me:
Oceania |
This is a massive database from the Allen County Indiana Public Library. The search feature will bring up SUBJECT INDEX that lead you to Periodicals from Genealogy Societies! You want to search for a topic, which can be the name of a state, town, surname. It will bring up the NAME OF THE ARTICLE, the DATE PUBLISHED, and THE PUBLISHER which could be a Genealogy or Historical Society. Searching through these MAY ALSO LEAD YOU TO THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF GENEALOGY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETIES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED.
Excerpt: PERSI is the premier subject index for genealogy and local history periodicals, and is produced by the staff of The Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. This valuable resource provides more than 3.2 million citations to readily-available periodical sources.
Have you just found my blog? Welcome!
This is my list of things that beginning genealogists often do that you’ll probably not find to be useful or even regret. Since I began researching, more than three decades ago, the genealogy world has changed significantly because of the Internet and databases. Also there is an epidemic of scams. Those changes make it easier than ever for people to do their own research. And to be mislead or conned. This list is made up of things I did or someone I know did and was affected by!
1) Posting for family information in hopes of reaching out to others who have already done the work so you won’t have to do it at all or do it alone, thinking you can just believe it and copy it.
It can be nice to have a collaboration but there’s no way to know from the start if the stranger you connected with does quality research, will respect you, or share in a fair way. Be especially aware that con artists and scammers may use your personal information… or even pose as a relative.
Ask yourself why you’d be comfortable virtually yet not want someone to have your home address!
Keep to professional standards! '
And then if you do find a collaborator, you’ll have something to offer.
2) Posting your research on databases or sharing it prematurely because it isn’t solidly backed up with documents. Many a beginner just doesn't know better. Your family stories are precious and can be part of your book but may not be upheld by research.
Rumors and speculation cannot substitute for a clear research path that others can follow and documents. Don’t accidentally, through ignorance, lead other researchers wrong!
3) Not considering that charts you post may not please those who are not contacted first for permission. You may be well-meaning but they may not be interested or horrified
Some sites prod you to provide photos, give them voice samples as you record stories to share with anyone in the world, and provide other information that can profile you. Adding live persons on a chart, even as an unnamed silhouette, is NOT protecting their privacy. Keep the research within the immediate family. Ask them first. Explain it to them.
It’s still ok to print out and mail.
3) Not reading the fine print about who owns your research or DNA information. How long is it yours or protected? What about your copyright? When do you loose control of it? Can it be used by law enforcement?
This is not just about you! You may die before they’re born but they still deserve to have privacy!
4) Using your full real name for the world to see.
Choose a handle, moniker, or nickname or an icon to represent you. Unless you're up to no good it's OK.
5) Posting with a database that has no one to complain to if you're violated or is ineffective in helping when you are. There should be a way to have information that has been posted about you or your ancestors - correct or not - taken down because it is wrong or you think it's private. Beware if it’s stated that once you post it’s permanent.
Privacy laws which may vary from country to country.
6) Using an e-mail address for genealogy that you use for business or personal communication.
Set one up just for research. I store research in a g-mail account that I never use for communication. You can store photos and documents in Blogger (set on private), Drive, etc. since I've never shared that account I've received no spam or phishing. Set another up for genealogy communications.
7) Posting a person’s death certificate on a gravestone site even though the years have not gone by in which their privacy would be protected otherwise. No privacy in death either? Just horrible and violating of living persons medical privacy too. Telling the whole world someone had died of alcoholism, cancer, or perhaps by suicide.... To me, well, to be nice, let's say it's bad karma.
Graveyards that let people tromp and report are so irresponsible in allowing this to happen. Even people who did not want their death announced in obituaries … who thought of their religion, charities, marriages, and children to be their own business, are quickly violated when their tombstones are photographed and burials reported, especially upsetting when the religious cemetery claims burials are on sacred ground (which you probably paid more for).
Why obits? It used to be so friends could give their condolences… I think obits are getting to be obsolete. When it the last time you found out a friend died that way? Oh and those prompts to send flowers! Funerals are already overpriced and so are cemeteries. Don't get me started!
8) Publishing for distribution - even to immediate family - in which you do not state references and do not state intellectual property information and do not state the expectations of privacy. You can do all the right things to do so but in the hands of the wrong relative it all goes onto a database and the Internet.
I personally use many databases. I do not post my research on any of them.
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Q : Relatives told me to watch The Patriot staring Mel Gibson because it has to do with our Scottish ancestry. Would you please comment on movies and YouTube type videos when it comes to genealogy or historical research.
A: I think you know that in general film makers often take a point of view that might not be historically accurate. Your question does lead me to point out that in writing your book you need to be specific.
Separate what is documented, what is oral history or opinion, provide references and notes such as “Interview with Aunt Bess - September 6, 2025 - Albany New York. She said the action depicted in the movie The Patriot starring actor Mel Gibson reflects our family history. Research shows our ancestor John Smith was a member of the church that was burned down with people locked inside by the British.”
My advice to all researchers is BE NICHE SPECIFIC. Whatever the general history be sure it’s true for the country, state, county, township, village. Communication was slow compared with today’s and word that a war had ended or slavery had ended, as examples, didn’t get to everyone at the same time.
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Q : At what age do you think children should get involved in genealogy?
A: My first response is MAKE IT FUN FOR THEM!
Like many things we teach children, we should take into consideration the stage of their development and innate intelligence and abilities. I've read that children do not actually understand that grandma is mother's mother for some time, until perhaps about the age of ten. They are not especially interested in reproduction until they themselves have the ability to. Until then the child may understand that the grandma is special to the family but not quite get the relationship... that grandma actually gave birth to or raised mom...
I feel a concern that children may think of genealogy as yet another subject they have to spend time on when they would rather be out playing or that it's more homework. It really isn't for everyone anyway and can be a rather serious subject.
I suspect the best thing to do as an adult is allow them to see what you're working on and talk to them about their heritage and tell family stories.
You might get them involved in making artistic projects such as creating charts, putting together binders of their drawings, or scrapbooks full of greeting cards that have been sent to them. Give them books to read about their ethnicity or religion, or perhaps the history ancestors have lived through.
You might ask them to help you in the kitchen and talk about these things while cooking a recipe that's been handed down.
I also think it can be interesting for children to interview relatives - including their parents and siblings.
Think of fun projects that can be completed in a couple hours or over the course of the school break or vacation!
Every once in a while a very young person will find genealogy fascinating on their own.
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My number three choice of YouTube Channels of interest to the genealogist-historian is MYSTIC VOYAGE.
MYSTIC VOYAGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL - DNA GENETICS / ETHNICITY
Persian? Siberian? Mexican? Jewish? and many more... CAN DNA SURVIVE WAR? FORCED RELOCATION? World War II?
I'm linking to one about the origins of the Poles because it takes into consideration language as well as extensive DNA research reports taken from burials of ancient peoples.
SCIENTISTS REVEAL SURPRISING ORIGINS OF THE POLISH PEOPLE : MYSTIC VOYAGE
My number two choice of YouTube Channels focusing on history that can enhance your understanding of your ancestors is HISTORYEXTRA - which is associated with the BBC. Railways, football, cricket, tea, gardening? There is a range of subjects here, a bit like TED Talks
HistoryExtra YouTube Station: What did Victorians Do For FUN? Going to this video will take you to the station and other videos featuring various historians. The videos include advertising.
Titles include Civil War soldiers talking about fighting in the civil war, Bertrand Russel talking about his grandfather meeting Napoleon, once enslaved people talking about slavery, a pardoned train robber, a witness to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Wild Wild West and many more simply fascinating accounts.
LIFE IN THE 1800's YOU TUBE STATION : Day after Lincoln's Assassination By going to this link you will be taken to the video and be able to go to other videos on the station. Advertising exists on the videos.
I recently found some YouTube stations that provide historical accounts that are truly interesting.
I understand that many YouTube station owners work hard to create their videos and hope that the hits will result in some financial benefit as a result. Fair enough. Because I'm recommending these stations, I do hope the creators will experience more hits!
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I do like to be helpful so feel free to leave QUESTIONS for me. Just don't expect emergency responses!
I'm not a devotee of True Crime, however, I got hooked on the Bryan Kohberger - Idaho Four murder case back when it happened. I recall it was Covid-19 closure time. I was home listening to the radio while doing some crocheting and was stunned to hear the news that four college students had been found murdered in their off campus rental house.
It was a party house. A house where other students were drinking and who knows what else even when not one of the renters was actually home. That was dangerous. It was also dangerous, in my opinion, that all four were members of hard-partying sororities and fraternities; I dare say the word alcoholism seemed to have been censored from reportage. Excessive drinking to the point of beyond a little lit was going on. Also dangerous, in my opinion, was the social networking and postings that the girls did, in particular the two blondes, who posed adorably but also just within the limits of modern modesty. Did the whole world have to know how much fun they were having? Did they really need to give off so much personal information? Perhaps this was the relative naivety of Idaho and a small college-student reliant town? Or maybe I'm just too old to get it?
Strangely, the photos of the house that made it seem rather rural didn't show that they were actually right next to an apartment house and other houses.
Perhaps this particular crime story especially caught my interest because I had my own college experience living on a campus while trying to find off-campus housing. That experience of mine also made me furious when I heard some professionals, such as people who worked as detectives or for the FBI say some things about the suspect who'd been arrested, Bryan Kohberger, that was just stupid, such as that he majored in Criminal Justice to learn how to murder. I was once surrounded by grad students and these opinionated guests seemed to be without understanding of the demands of graduate work or the fact that many a grad student works as a TA - Teaching Assistant - and some of them are not great at teaching or reasonable on how they grade. This is especially true when a TA does not want to teach after they get their Phd.
Some podcasters and newscasters would talk about how Kohberger had failed to commit the perfect crime and get away with it and was actually dumb. Or he was accused of intellectual arrogance and was actually too smart.
His right to be assumed guilty was over quickly. I didn't believe he could get a fair trial.
Then, in July 2025, the man admitted he did commit the murders. I'm sure some of the investigators - as well as the taxpayers - were happy they had the right guy all along especially because millions had been spent. He got a plea deal that means he will not be executed by firing squad but spend his life in prison.
Back in 2022, I started searching for more information and I started to listen to YouTube videos - podcasts - about the murders, the investigation, the arrest, and all things Kohberger and the Idaho Four. When I heard that the whole case was circumstantial - though videos, cell phones, and other new technologies had been applied - it seemed that "touch DNA" in the metal button of the knife sheath was the most important thing connecting the man to the crime.
So yes, there were a few things in Howard Blum's book that I had not heard before.
Blum intimates that Bryan's father had grown suspicious that his son had become a murderer - but that was unthinkable. Another is that that DNA Bryan was packing up in little plastic bags and taking to the neighbor's trash cans in the middle of the night was his dad's not his. And that some other relative of theirs had posted on a genealogy database that lead to the dad.
I also was amazed that touch DNA is based on a very small number of skin cells, especially considering that we're shedding skin cells wherever we go. Honestly, a speck of dandruff has more than the shed of a quick touch of finger!
Kaylee was only home for a visit and had already moved out. She wanted to see friends and party and perhaps also reignite her on and off relationship with a boyfriend that she had ended. They still shared a dog but she was going to travel in Europe and then take a job in another state. Jack was a suspect and went through some investigation but was quickly considered innocent of any involvement.
Maddy was the target and there's a question as to when Bryan began to fixate on her but maybe he did eat at the Mad Greek where she waitressed once though no one remembers that.
Ethan and Xana were likely as unexpected in the house as Kaylee was but then at least one of them went to see what the noise was.
Two of the victims fought for their lives - Kaylee and Xana.
The FBI had a small airplane following Bryan and his dad as they traveled back to Pennsylvania in his car during what was to be a month long school break. Bryan left before the letter stating that he had been let go as a TA was received so he didn't know that yet, and he talked to his dad about some difficulties and said no way would the university be able to just let him go. The FBI did not tell the other investigative entities such as the police know they were leading the case. It was the Indiana traffic stops that made the FBI think another investigate entity had come to the same conclusion they had. His dad had driven out with him in the first place. (I never thought having a companion for a long drive was a bad idea.)
Of course, the gag order has been lifted since Kohberger admitted he was the murderer. This means that some of the speculation will end because more facts will come out but I wonder, because so this case has spawned so much news when it will actually fade away. It seems to me that a lot of podcasters will have to move on to other murders. I sometimes wonder what will be as compelling to their listeners.
My curiosity about how our legal system works - or how it does not - will continue, as will my interest in how investigations are conducted.
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TRUE CRIME : My number one favorite is/was Surviving the Survivor. I also listened to Grizzly True Crime, which is probably my number two. I listened to Harsh Reality, one of the stations that maintained some doubt or questioning about Bryan Kohberger being the murderer. I have to warn you that a turn off is the hosts use of foul language.
PORTAL EHRI PROJECT EU PORTUGAL
Link to the Holocaust Collection : PORTAL EHRI JEWISH HOLOCAUST COLLECTIONS
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I haven't had anyone from Central or South America ask me to do their research so I'm not experienced in the specifics by country, but I do know that many families who are from Mexico or other "Latin" countries have ancestry in Spain. Spain was in the Americas while colonies on the eastern seaboard of Colonial America struggled. Like, Italy or France, Roman Catholic archives are also useful to any family history or genealogy quest in Spain. Like some other countries, the actual physical archives are in various departments/places but there is a more unifying porthole. The main branches of the National Archives of Spain include the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, the National Historical Archives in Madrid, the General Administrative Archives in Alcala de Henares, and the General Archive of Simancas.
Excerpt:
Portal de Archivos Españoles (PARES) is a documentary archive established and hosted by the Spanish Ministry of Education. It offers free access to digitized images of the Spanish Archives.
Here's where you go to find digitalized images from the archives: PARES CULTURA GOB SPAIN : DIGITAL NATIONAL ARCHIVES
At another time I'll get to posting archives in Central and South America, but for now, let's continue to focus of Europe.
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ANTENATI CULTURA GOV (ITALY GENEALOGY)
Last fall (2024), I posted links to the National Archives of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia. Now I'm going to provide you links to some European National Archives that are also useful. Databases do not have everything and I think some researchers have forgotten about the archives of nations.
Some countries are newer at having National Archive resources digitized. YOU WILL WANT TO INTERACT WITH THEIR ARCHIVISTS IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS and perhaps, the old fashioned way, send for copies or pay them to research for you. Contacting an archivist is usually possible through e-mail. Some will ask you to set up an account, others not.
I use Google translate function when the site does not provide language options!
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These days, so much about immigration - legal and illegal. With Labor Day coming up I thought you might be interested in learning more American history because labor in the United States has always been tied in with immigration.
https://congressional.proquest.com/historyvault
Includes history of Immigration and Naturalization Service...
Read about anarchism, labor strikes, subversive and illegal aliens - deportations and expulsions.
I use this at a genealogy library... check to see if your library makes Proquest History Vault available to library card holders at no charge.
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UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION : CONSTITUTION ANNOTATED
ARCHIVES GOV : HISTORY OF THE DECLARATION OF INTENT (CITIZENSHIP)
Read here about the changes through history and the Old Law (1795 till 1906) in which various courts had different forms, and the New Law (in which the forms were unified).
The "3 papers" we often seek were in general from 1906 until 1952.
Excerpt: Waiting Period between filing the Declaration of Intent and more paperwork.
January 29, 1795 and June 17, 1798 3 years
June 18, 1798 and April 13, 1802 5 years
April 14, 1802 and May 25, 1824 3 years
May 26, 1824 and December 23, 1952 2 years
Remember that filing a Declaration of Intent does not meant the person(s) followed through and actually became citizens.
Check by state for "walk into the courthouse and swear on a Bible" Citizenship. A typical walk in would be a person who just turned 18, who was brought into the country by immigrant parents (or who was born in the country to them) and they didn't complete the process due to their deaths or some other factor. Such a person and their situation was usually known to the community.
Has BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP in THE UNITED STATES CONSITUTION - The 14th Amendment - always been interpreted the same way?
This has become controversial.
Here is a link to THE FEDERAL REGISTER at the NATIONAL ARCHIVES (NARA), a Daily Journal of the United States Government in which President Donald Trump's notions have been published: A Presidential Document by the Executive Office of the President on 1/29/2025
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It's not easy to find a free downloadable vintage public domain image of a father nurturing a son.I think the dearth of these images, compared to those available for mothers and Mother's Day, is telling.
ELDERMISTREATENT USC EDU - JUNE 15 2025
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) was launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.
USCIS : FEE BASED DEPORTATION SERVICE
Yes you do have to pay a fee for their research but there are exemptions.
There is way more here at the USCIS than DEPORTATION:
WHY MIGHT REQUESTING THE FILES FOR YOUR ANCESTORS TURN OUT TO HAVE MORE THAN ANY DATABASE? (My question.)
Excerpt:
The question is important because it speaks to the most common misconception about USCIS historical records, namely that USCIS C-files are exact duplicates of court records. Yet C-Files are not exact duplicates of court records for three reasons:
1. Technically, the duplication is not exact because C-Files contain a copy of the naturalization certificate issued to the new citizen in addition to duplicate court forms. That said, if the C-File contains only a certificate, petition for naturalization, and declaration of intention, researchers might consider that C-File as little more than a duplicate of court records available from the National Archives (NARA) or from a courthouse.
2. Not all C-Files are small. Millions of C-Files contain a variety of additional forms and documents generated before or after the naturalization date. To see some examples visit the C-Files Image Gallery. Please go to this link as it lists a number of
documents that might be especially interesting, some I personally had not encountered.
3. Many C-Files relate to citizenship, not naturalization, and so contain no court records at all. For example, minor children listed on a father’s petition could later apply for their own certificate of citizenship, creating a derivative C-File. Read more about Naturalization Records Not Duplicated in Court Records, or review our table of Certificate Series showing the series-specific numbering.It could be terrific to have a copy of the ancestors actual CERTIFICATE, which might have a photo of them.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA :
I think we should include a bit about what the citizenship laws were at the time our ancestors applied for citizenship, which might vary by state, and how they perhaps changed while in process. This can add some understanding to the history they lived through and the attitudes that prevailed about immigrants, ethnicity, and gender.
You might be surprised at how long it took.
After the American Revolution, people might have not needed a Visa to enter the colonies, but simply have been sworn in after spending a number of years, which might be seven years or more, in which they proved themselves to be self-supporting and good neighbors (rather than criminal).
The general term for this is "One Paper" naturalization.
Prior to that, if one lived in a state that was ruled by Great Britain, then they might have declared their citizenship as British - though they came from Germany. (And then they would, though having come from Germany and had a German surname, give up allegiance to the British King or Queen, rather than a German one.)
Recall that Great Immigration period caused by the Industrial Revolution, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, in which people moved from agricultural work to factories. For some time there was a process which started with "First Papers" called "Declaration of Intent." The Declaration in itself had to be updated if there was a change of address or more children were born, or if someone died. The process had to be kept up with, as it was considered suspicious if more than seven years went by and there was no further contact. "Final Papers" are the NATURALIZATION ("Citizenship") papers.
Perhaps because they were Italian - or another "suspicious" ethnicity, an immigrant's citizenship applications were frozen because of World War I. You'll notice it's well after that war before the processing for them continues.
For some time it was only the Head of Household who could apply, implied is a husband, and when he got the citizenship it was for the whole family, his wife and children who were not yet adults. A widowed head of household could apply for herself and her children.
And then there were the women who would loose their citizenship if they married a man who was not a citizen. (I consider that one particularly draconian!)
Women got the vote. And with that came the right and responsibility for adult women to apply for their own citizenship. But check by state because, for instance, women were allowed to vote in Wyoming in 1869, and Utah in 1870 for elections that were not national.
Try on this less thought of scenario. Your ancestor came to the United States and was DEPORTED.
Yes it happened.
Or this one: THEY GAVE UP THEIR U.S. CITIZENSHIP BUT CHANGED THEIR MIND, and had to be REPATRIATED.
On the next couple posts I'm going to refer you to some web sites where you can find out more!
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I found this web site, which is commercial - selling plots of land in Scotland ie "Become a Lord or Lady Now" ! I must say that the preservation of clan history, maps, and so on here is impressive, so OK, a link to them and some hits for them are in order.... HIGHLAND TITLES COM You can buy a square foot plot of land in Kilnaish and see your plot of Google Maps... No, they have not solicited me or paid me for an ad.
Excerpt: Clearly, our small family business is in no position to bestow honours in the way that the reigning Monarch can do, but our “Laird/Lord/Lady of the Glen” titles are far from meaningless. Gifts are highly personal in nature. No one person is in a position to say whether a gift is with or without meaning. To do so would constitute a breathtaking feat of arrogance.
Highland Titles now manages more than 800 acres in the beautiful highlands of Scotland, and the nature reserve at Duror, near Glencoe, is one of the most popular nature reserves in Scotland.
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OK FREE TO USE MAPS are available on this site.
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