Legacy News

New records online for Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Argentina, England, Mexico, and Ghana

from FamilySearch.org:

There are some fascinating new collections in FamilySearch’s Record Search. Ten million new records and images were added this update. Some particularly interesting highlights included the 1865 Massachusetts State Census, Wisconsin 1855 State Census, and 1869 Argentina Census—all now complete, the Ghana Census, 1982–1984 digital images, and the England, Cheshire School Records, 1796–1950, collections. See the chart below for a list of all the newly added collections.

These collections can be searched for free at FamilySearch.org Record Search pilot (click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot).

Hats off to the online volunteers who help make these collections freely available by donating a few minutes of their time or talents through the FamilySearch Indexing program.

• Argentina, 1895 Census - Updated index and images. Project is now complete.
• Argentina, 1869 Census - Updated index and images.
• England, Cheshire School Records, 1796–1950 - New index only collection. Project is now complete.
• Ghana, Census, 1982–1984 - New browse image only collection; project is ongoing.
• Mexico, Coahuila, Catholic Church Records, 1627–1978 - Updated browse image only collection. Project is now complete.
• U.S., 1920 Federal Census - Added indexes for Wyoming, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
• U.S., Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871–1915 - Updated index and images.
• U.S., Massachusetts State Census, 1865 - Added indexes. Project is now complete.
• U.S., Wisconsin State Census, 1855 - New index and image collection. Project is now complete.

About FamilySearch

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Digitizing the Family History Library's records - a status report

The Family History Library has around 2.5 million rolls of microfilm - the largest collection of genealogical sources anywhere in the world. A few years ago, FamilySearch announced their plans to digitize, index, and publish these records online. Paul Nauta, FamilySearch public affairs manager, recently said that their goal is "to create a searchable world index."

This searchable world index is actually progressing nicely. Its results are being published to FamilySearch's Record Search databases here thanks to FamilySearch Indexing volunteers. Anyone can volunteer by clicking here.

In an article published this weekend by the Deseret News, (thanks Leland for the link) Nauta gave us an update on the progress of the digitization efforts of the 2.5 million rolls of microfilm. He stated that "FamilySearch has 185 camera teams filming 60 million new images annually. Also, the Granite Vaults are having all of their microfilm (2.5 million rolls) digitized and that process could be completed as early as next year."

We should all do a Genealogy Happy Dance for the FamilySearch filmers and digitization teams. Or, even better, sign up to help index these records at FamilySearchIndexing.org.

Update on Legacy's FamilySearch Certification

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just had to tell the world? When my wife and I learned that we were expecting our first baby girl, we decided we weren't going to tell anyone - family included - about it until the baby was born. Well, that secret lasted for less than one day.

In our excitement about announcing our new FamilySearch integration tools and receiving official certification status from FamilySearch, we were reminded by Gordon Clarke, FamilySearch Software Affiliate Manager, that to be "officially certified" we have to have the product shipping.

So...we have finished the software requirements for the Access certification and are now working to complete the remaining requirements for Access, Update and Sync certifications. When these are completed we will release version 7.5 of Legacy.

After we return from our 6th annual Legacy Genealogy Cruise (we leave in two days...) we will publish suggestions about how to best prepare for working with the updated software (merging, cleaning up and standardizing your data). I look forward to working with it as a means of having a synchronized backup copy of my Legacy family file online. We will be able to selectively publish our trees as well as view and compare others' information - all without leaving Legacy.

Speaking of announcements, my wife and I are expecting again.... No, not really. I just wonder what she would say if she read this article....

Legacy is FamilySearch Certified

FamilySearch awards Legacy with official certification

SURPRISE, Arizona – September 1, 2009 – Millennia Corporation today announced that its family tree software, Legacy Family Tree, has received official certification from FamilySearch.

Users of Legacy will soon be able to synchronize with, backup, and publish their information to FamilySearch’s Family Tree. These capabilities will be included in Legacy’s Standard (free) and Deluxe Editions. It will also soon provide support for LDS members including ordinance reservation and requests.

“We are excited to provide these new tools for the genealogy community,” said Dave Berdan, president of Millennia Corporation. “Our goal with our FamilySearch integration software was to make it drop-dead simple for brand new users to get started with their family history but also robust enough that it would appeal to advanced researchers. We think we have succeeded in both areas.”

Legacy's new tools help you and your family set goals, plan, and organize projects for working with your family trees in FamilySearch. A simple step-by-step workflow guides your family with constant monitoring of your progress and feedback measured against your goals. As family members collaborate to clean up and grow their trees, Legacy will help each family member share so that the whole family can enjoy their family tree.

Availability
Anyone with access to http://new.familysearch.org will be able to utilize Legacy’s new integration software. Initially, only members of the LDS church have access until the FamilySearch system is thoroughly tested. Later, FamilySearch will be open to the public.

Legacy’s new FamilySearch software will be available before the end of the year – as a free update to both the Standard and Deluxe editions of Legacy 7.

“Legacy currently has “Access” certification”, explained project manager, Geoff Rasmussen, “meaning it will automatically search and read information from new.familysearch.org and compare it side-by-side with the user's Legacy data. Once it receives Sync and Update certifications, it will be released to the public. We hope to have it in our customers’ ‘virtual hands’ very soon. Watch or subscribe to our blog at http://www.legacynews.typepad.com for the official announcements.”

Free Standard Edition Available
Anyone can download the free, standard edition of Legacy from http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com. The standard edition lets a person add/edit information, create reports, share information and much more with no time limitations. And soon, all of the FamilySearch integration tools will be included – for free.

Users of other genealogy software applications can easily experiment with their own data in Legacy 7. Legacy can directly import data from Ancestral Quest and PAF, as well as data in a GEDCOM format.

About Millennia Corporation
Millennia Corporation is located in Surprise, Arizona. The company strives to provide top-quality genealogy software so people can record and track their family history. It is also the publisher of Legacy News, an online newsletter bringing genealogists tips and tricks about genealogy (http://www.legacynews.typepad.com). For additional information on Millennia or the products they offer visit http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com.

Got Swedish Roots?

I'm a big fan of FamilySearchIndexing. Looks like they're getting ready to revolutionize research for Swedish researchers. I wonder what the differences are between their project, described below, and the subscription-based Genline. At any rate, these projects make me wish I had more Swedish ancestors....

... a few minutes later ...

I do have Swedish ancestry - lots more than I thought I had. Using Legacy's Search tool (click on image below) I found that I have 332 individuals who were born in Sweden - 72 of those are my direct line (mostly 18th century).

Here's the press release:

Volunteers to Bring Historic Sweden Church Records Online
400 million names included in largest indexing effort to-date

FALKÖPING, Sweden—FamilySearch and Svensk Arkivinformation (SVAR), a division of the National Archives of Sweden, announced today the launch of the largest online indexing initiative undertaken to-date. The two groups unveiled plans to engage Swedish volunteers throughout the world to help create a highly searchable, free online index to the historic parish registers of Sweden—200 years of recorded Swedish history as documented in the Sweden church records—comprising over 400 million names.

In 1608 the Archbishop of Sweden asked the clergy to begin making records of births, christenings, marriages, and burials of all the residents of Sweden. By 1686, they were conducting regular examinations of the population of each parish. The church records (often called “parish registers” or “church books”) span over two centuries and chronicle the vital life events of an estimated 418 million people who moved in and out of parishes in Sweden.

“The church records are a key source for genealogists seeking Swedish ancestors because nearly everyone who lived in Sweden was recorded in a church record,” said David Rencher, FamilySearch chief genealogical officer. “The challenge now is to make those records, which are written in Swedish, available to researchers worldwide,” concluded Rencher.

“We are very pleased with the excellent cooperation we have enjoyed for many years between FamilySearch and the National Archives to microfilm and scan the Swedish church records. Now we are going to create an index that will revolutionize the genealogy research in Sweden. The simplicity of finding and reading about one’s ancestors on the Web in the millions of scanned records will attract many beginners of all ages,” said Anders Nordström, director of SVAR. “To the academic researcher, this is an entirely new means. It makes it possible to do research within disciplines on a micro level, an extent that was never possible before now,” added Nordström.
                                                                     
The way Swedes passed on a family name throughout the centuries is another reason why the indexing initiative is so important to family historians. “Imagine being in a Swedish community 200 years ago and 10 out of 100 people have the same first and last name as you. That’s how small the naming pool was in Scandinavia,” said Jeff Svare, FamilySearch Scandinavian collection management specialist. 

If you were Anders Andersson, your father could have been Anders. Your brother could have also been named Anders, as well as your uncle. To help distinguish which Anders Andersson you were referring to at the time, locals added the name of the farm (residence) of an individual to keep them straight. “Otherwise, when you’re trying to search for Anders Andersson today, your ancestor falls into the proverbial fog of same-named people and you don’t know who they are without the additional context,” added Svare. The FamilySearch index will include the residence or farm name from the individual’s vital record. This information has been extracted to assist patrons in identifying their Swedish ancestor.

The goal is to engage the Swedish community in creating a highly searchable, free online index to the Sweden church records. When complete, the index will be the single largest point of access to information contained in the historic parish registers of Sweden. The free index will link to images of the original records hosted by the National Archives of Sweden (SVAR). In addition to the free public index that will be made available, SVAR might charge a nominal fee for public patrons who want to view or print the images.
FamilySearch is the global leader of online indexing. It launched its online indexing program in 2008, and tens of thousands of volunteers recently helped reach another major milestone by indexing their 250 millionth name. FamilySearch currently has 65 online indexing projects underway.

For this project, FamilySearch will create digital images of the Sweden church records provided by SVAR. Volunteers worldwide will then use FamilySearch’s Web-based indexing tool to view the digital images and extract only the desired information from the image. That data will then be processed and published online in searchable indexes linked to the digital images.

Volunteers need only Internet access and the ability to read Swedish to contribute to this historic effort. A unique quality control process ensures a highly accurate, finished index. Each document is transcribed by two different indexers, wherever they are in the world. Any discrepancies in their two extractions are then forwarded to a third volunteer—an arbitrator—who makes any needed corrections between the two interpretations.

The project will start with records from Örebro, Uppsala, and Södermanland counties. Indexing will begin with the earliest year available for each parish and continue through 1860. A typical downloaded “batch” (group of records) will take a volunteer about 30 to 40 minutes to complete. The indexing utility has built-in tutorials and helps. Anyone interested in volunteering for the Sweden Church Records project can do so at indexing.familysearch.org.

ABOUT FAMILYSEARCH

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the renowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SWEDEN

The National Archives (www.statensarkiv.se) and the regional state archives supervise all public records of the agencies of the central government, as well as regional and local authorities in Sweden. The Military Archives and the Research Center SVAR (Swedish Archive Information) are part of the National Archives. SVAR provides research facilities, produces and distributes microfiche, and provides scanned and digitalized records on the Web (www.svar.ra.se).

Join the Legacy Family Tree Fans group on GenealogyWise.com

GenealogyWise.com is a brand new social networking site, similar to Facebook, but dedicated to genealogists. In fact, it was officially announced just hours ago.

GenealogyWise.com is a site with forums, blogs, videos, RSS feeds and more - again, all related to genealogy. Developed by WorldVitalRecords.com, it looks to be a great tool to help us stay and get connected with other researchers.

We hope you'll come join our Legacy Family Tree Fans group on GenealogyWise.com. Just visit http://www.genealogywise.com/group/legacyfamilytreefans to sign up. Since this is still so brand new, we'll have fun learning about it at the same time.

Genealogy-itis and family trees

I think I have genealogy-itis.

While hiking in Oregon's Columbia River gorge yesterday (day 2 of the family reunion), I could not take my eyes off the forest's tall trees. Although I was impressed with their height and beauty, all I could think of was how great they would look as a background of a wall chart.

The hike was beautiful, and the wall chart turned out pretty good. Using Legacy's charting program, I created an Ancestor Chart (upward style) and used the "Mug Shot" theme (Appearance tab > themes). Using the Sizing button (Appearance tab) I also adjusted the box size and spacing. Finally, using the Background button (also on the Appearance tab) I added my favorite tree picture from the hike and adjusted its transparency to 25%.

Tomorrow we're going to the beach - my favorite place on earth. Well, cemeteries are pretty fun too. Is there a cure for genealogy-itis? I hope not....

Family History Moments

Yesterday I had a real "family history moment."

During a casual conversation with my mother's parents at our family reunion, I learned that they both played the piano when they were younger. I had no idea about this part of my grandparents' lives. I can't say that I was shocked to learn this because my mother has always played and taught me to play when I was young. I now have my own baby grand and am trying to teach my kids.

My grandparents also told us about something they recently discovered about their childhoods. They learned that when they were ten years old they each performed at the same piano recital. They even shared the same piano teacher at one point. Seems they were destined for each other.

Music, and especially the piano, have always been a big part of my life. Now I know that it actually runs in our genes. Learning how it was a part of my grandparents' lives gives me a better sense of "me". A better sense of why I am the way I am. I guess that is what family history is all about.

And so for the next week I get to put my long-ago-ancestors on hold while I make some memories with my "living relatives."

What about you? I'd love to hear about your favorite family reunion story or a special "family history moment." Use the comments below to share your experience.

FamilySearch Expands Canadian Census Collection

from FamilySearch.org:

Four pre-1900 censuses available for free online

TORONTO—FamilySearch, in partnership with Ancestry.ca and the Libraries and Archives Canada (LAC), announced today the addition of the 1851, 1861, and 1871 Canada Census indexes to its online collection. The new indexes can be searched for free at FamilySearch.org (click Search Records, and then click Record Search pilot). FamilySearch published the 1881 Canada Census previously online and plans to add the 1891 Canada Census shortly.

Over a fourth of all Canadians struggle to trace their roots past 100 years. Having the indexes to all of the pre-1900 Canadian censuses online will make it much easier for Canadians to extend their understanding of their family’s history.

These censuses are part of the FamilySearch records access program reported in May 2008 to provide public access to more records more quickly. In this project, Ancestry.ca provided the indexes to the 1851 and 1891 Canada Censuses, and FamilySearch created the indexes for the 1861, 1871, and 1881 Canada Censuses. It is a win-win for the public, who will have free access to all five of the pre-1900 census indexes online at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch used its growing community of online volunteers to index the 1861 and 1871 Census records. For the past year, volunteers have logged online to FamilySearch’s indexing application from all over the world, working seven days a week, 24 hours a day—literally—to accomplish the feat. Thousands of volunteer hours later, coupled with the added indexes from Ancestry.ca, the public now has free, easily searchable databases of millions of Canadian citizens from 1851 to 1891.

“The publication of free indexes to these major censuses gives a great boost to Canadian family history research. For the first time, genealogy enthusiasts and historians may search online databases containing some 17 million records of individuals who lived in Canada in the latter half of the 19th century. Indexers keyed many personal details—names, ages, birthplaces, religions, and residences—for individuals listed in these early Canadian censuses,” said FamilySearch chief genealogical officer, David Rencher.

Researchers will discover heads of households, their family members, and any lodgers residing with a family at the time. They can also see the street address where ancestors were living at the time the census was taken, along with their age, occupation, and perhaps their ethnicity.

Free access to the indexes for the 19th century collection of Canada Censuses is the first phase. Free access to the record images will also be available to qualified FamilySearch members as soon as an authentication process is implemented.

The 1881 Canada Census was published on FamilySearch.org in 2002. The 1916 Canada Census was also made available for free to the public earlier this year through FamilySearch’s 4,600 family history centers worldwide.

Wales - 1911 census goes online today

Good news today for those with Welsh ancestry. The following announcement was written by FindMyPast.com:

2.4 million people were recorded living in Wales in the census taken on the night of Sunday, 2 April, 1911. Today, after nearly 100 years, the Welsh census records are available to the public at www.1911census.co.uk.

Due to public demand for access to the 1911 census, the records have been released as soon as each region's records have been digitised. Following the initial release of 1911 records in January 2009, the records of people living in Wales in 1911 are being made available today for the first time.

The 1911 census records contain details about the lives of the ancestors of many of Wales' famous sons and daughters, such as Richard Burton, Dylan Thomas, Kylie Minogue and Tom Jones.

The census covered Wales, England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, as well as recording those aboard Royal Naval and Merchant vessels at sea and in foreign ports and, for the first time in a British census, full details of British Army personnel and their families in military establishments overseas. It is the most detailed census since UK records began and the first for which the original census schedules have been preserved - complete with our ancestors' own handwriting - providing a fascinating insight into British society nearly a century ago.

www.1911census.co.uk is easy to access and enables the public to view high quality colour images of their ancestors' original handwritten census returns. Transcribed text versions of the records ensure they are fully searchable by name or address.

Public demand for the 1911 census, which will be a key resource for family historians, has resulted in the records being released earlier than the scheduled 2012 date. To make this early online release to the public possible, the 1911 census team worked around the clock for two years - scanning on average one census page per second. In line with data protection legislation, certain sensitive information relating to infirmity and to children of women prisoners will be held back until 2012.

Comprehensive and rigorously tested, www.1911census.co.uk has been developed by UK-based family history website findmypast.com, owned by brightsolid, in association with The National Archives.

Debra Chatfield, Marketing Manager at findmypast.com, said: "This latest release from the 1911 census offers a crucial new entry point to Welsh family history research for a wide range of people, from novice family historians to seasoned genealogists who have hit a 'wall' in their family tree research. As well as helping people trace their Welsh ancestors, these records shed more light on our predecessors' day-to-day lifestyles, providing a snapshot of a day in their lives, with details of their occupations, housing arrangements and social status."

The 1911 census is huge - occupying over two kilometres of shelving - an incredible eight million paper census returns have been transcribed to create over 16 million digital images. This makes the 1911 census one of the biggest digitisation projects ever undertaken by The National Archives in association with a commercial partner.

Oliver Morley, Director of Customer and Business Development at The National Archives, commented: "This is a major achievement. By teaming up with findmypast.com, we are bringing history to life for millions. This remarkable record is available online to researchers and family historians all over the world for future generations. The 1911 census is a poignant reflection of how different life was in early 20 century Wales, before the Great War."

Handwritten records
Completed by all householders in Wales and England on Sunday, 2 April 1911, the census records show the name, age, place of birth, marital status and occupation of every resident in every home, as well as their relationship to the head of the household.

People will also have unique access to their ancestors' handwriting as the original householders' schedules were preserved and used as working documents rather than copying the details in to summary books as was the case in previous census years. The launch of the records also creates a starting point for people to trace their own family tree by looking up their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who were alive in the year 1911.

'Fertility Census'
The 1911 census was the first to ask questions relating to fertility in marriage. Married women were asked to state how long they had been married and how many children had been born from that marriage. The census also provides a fascinating snapshot of the population of the country just a few years before a whole generation of young men perished in the Great War of 1914-1918.

How to use the 1911 Census records

• Log on to www.1911census.co.uk and register for free
• Search for an ancestor in 1911 by entering their name
• If the name is common you can enter their approximate year of birth, which will help to narrow down the results
• Search for an address to look up the history of your house or an ancestor's address in 1911
• Pay as you go to view each record. You will be charged 10 credits per transcript and 30 credits for each original household page. Visitors to the website can buy 60 credits for £6.95.
• Findmypast.com vouchers are also valid on 1911census.co.uk. Vouchers can be purchased from The National Archives bookshop and redeemed on findmypast.com. Credits can then be spent on both findmypast.com and 1911census.co.uk.
• or more information about using the 1911 census for family history research, 'Census: The Expert Guide' by Peter Christian and David Annal is available from The National Archives online bookshop at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk