YOU MAY NOT BE A BABY BOOMER AFTER ALL : THE JONESERS

"If you were born between 1954 and 1965, you're not a Boomer. You're a Gen Joneser. You might be part of an engaged minority that's aware of (and very beholden to) this generational distinction. But more likely than not you're a Gen Joneser and don't know it. And that's because the term Generation Jones didn't exist until relatively recently, when social commentator/historian Jonathan Pontell put it on the map."

Linking to one of many articles that have come out recently about this newly recognized generation, this one by Debra Ollivier at the Huffington post.

WHISPERS OF ANGELS : A DVD ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

This DVD focuses on the roll of Free African-American William Still and White Thomas Garret and their role in the Underground Railroad, the system by those who wished to abolish slavery to create a Corridor of Courage from Maryland's eastern shore to the length of Delaware into Philadelphia and beyond. (There were other routes in the Underground Railroad.)

Edward Asner acts as Garett and Blair Underwood as William Still. They are considered to be the most prominent of the abolitionists. Garett used his own money to finance others including Harriet Tubman and on occasion bid at auction to own and then free a slave.

Do you have an ancestor who was a participant in the Underground Railroad?

ANDY KUBRIN TELLS ABOUT INTERVIEWING RELATIVES

I think Interviewing is one of the Research Skills we should become good at, because it brings the human being and thus story into family history research. So I'm linking to Andy Kubrin's blog. I never met Andy but I met his mom at Skirball, where I went to see and participate in the WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY EXHIBIT. It was a moving exhibit and afterwards I met this very intelligent woman, a great conversationalist, and we quickly got to genealogy research and history. She told me about her son; Andy is writing family memoirs as well as doing genealogy in Canada and he blogs.

Today I know research methods that would have gotten me to the information I needed. But years ago when I didn't know so much, it was the testimonials of a couple relatives that gave me the spark and encouragement and lead me to my research breaks. Today I also know that some of what these people remembered was incorrect, but then again some of it was to be proven. The way I write the story today is to first tell what I was told and then what I found out.

RUSSIANS READ ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY : RUSSIAN GENEALOGY

Also through the Google Blogger statistics, I've learned that although this blog, ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY, gets the most hits by far from the United States of America, the second biggest readership comes from RUSSIA!

I'm very interested in why this is true! I would like some readers from Russia to please post on comments to let me know why they are reading Ancestry Worship Genealogy, if they are reading in English or using Google Translator (the flags on the front page of the blog will take you to that translator in many languages besides the actual flags themselves) and if you could tell me a little bit about yourself and your interest in genealogy in general.

I wonder if there is a growing interest in genealogy in Russia overall! I know this; Few databases link to genealogy information in Russia. If you are a Russian-American, you probably know that there were waves of immigration into the United States from Russia. I can separate this into two parts. The Industrial Revolution and Jewish people leaving Russia to Israel and the United States.

I have found some Jewish Russian communities on the United States census in place before Russians joined the rush to America to take industrial jobs. As we know the two World Wars and Communism changed the relationship of Russia to the West for many years.

Today there are still many Russians coming to the United States, many through the lottery that the United States holds which allows immigration to our country. I have met some of these Russians who have won the lottery, and they seem to be extremely well educated in the public schools of Russia, often coming here and bypassing their fellow students easily in math and the sciences.

Again, if you are a Russian reader, I would like to hear from you!

PICTURE BRIDE : DVD RECOMMENDATION By ANCESTRY WORSHIP

Men came to Hawaii from Japan, the Philippines, and other Asian countries in the early 20th century to work in the sugar cane fields. These men worked for years before they could afford to pay for a bride to come join them in Hawaii. Photography made it possible to swap pictures.

Families sometimes tried to arrange the matches, but sometimes women took their chances because they could not escape their past - be that broken engagements or the death of parents from TB. They married a man whose picture they saw and whose family or friends vouched for him. Sometimes the picture sent was old or of someone else, more handsome. The estimate is that about 20,000 women came to Hawaii and married as picture brides, and this DVD that I'm highly recommending is the fictionalized account of one woman. The film is beautiful artistically as well as interesting.

Hawaiian genealogy is becoming easier. Because the Hawaiian islands were annexed by the United States in 1898 there is actually census US FEDERAL starting in 1900, and at first the count was by ISLAND. Once Hawaii became part of the United States, counties were established and the counts went by county. Ship records are also available.

1940 CENSUS COUNTS ALASKA, HAWAII, AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, THE PANAMA CANAL ZONE, PUERTO RICO...

1940 CENSUS COUNTS ALASKA, HAWAII, AMERICAN SAMOA, GUAM, THE PANAMA CANAL ZONE, PUERTO RICO... NATIONAL ARCHIVES 1940 CENSUS PAGE LINK HERE! ...and the VIRGIN ISLANDS, CONSULATES AROUND THE WORLD (EMBASSIES).

When you get to this page, I encourage you to read the FULL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ENUMERATORS (CENSUS TAKERS).

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH IS A GREAT TIME TO START YOUR AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH - SOME THINGS TO LOOK FOR

You don't have to be African American to do African American history or genealogy research. Many White Americans go back a few generations and are surprised by the fact that they have an ancestor of a different race, or that someone related to them once owned slaves. Likewise, DNA projects are revealing that most African-Americans by now have some White DNA.

Besides following census and city directories and military records, here are some other documents to look for:

In 1863 when Black soldiers were recruited to serve the Union side of the Civil War, their services was documented. Look for COMPILED RECORDS FOR THE U.S. COLORED TROOPS which can take you to PENSIONS. These will include a soldier's rank, company, and regiment in the U.S.C Infantry, his pension number, and a death date in some cases. The service records can be extensive starting with enlistment places and dates.

Southerns who lost property in the Civil War sometimes made a claim for reimbursement. Look in THE SOUTHERN CLAIMS COMMISSION files. There are sometimes testimonials of great detail. This would include property owned by free persons who were once slaves.

THE FREEDMAN BANK RECORDS can also be helpful. Because freed slaves were allowed to pick their own name (first and last), and sometimes picked one and changed it again, or siblings took different surnames, and many of the records are not easily linked to a census or other record because many slaves moved, this database may not be useful to the majority. However, once in a while a researcher finds gold. Start by running the more unusual names in your family.