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RAOGK or
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
RAOGK is a grassroots movement that consists of volunteers who agree that
once per month they will do local legwork (such as take a photo of a
tombstone at a specified location or obtain a record from the local county
courthouse) for one person who requests a reimbursing the RAOGK volunteer
for costs such as videotape, photocopies, or postage. RAOGK as that the
person who received the benefit of a favor in turn volunteer to perform a
similar act of genealogical kindness for someone who needs a favor in the
locality where she/he resides. Random acts of genealogical kindness was
started by researchers at one small web site, but it has grown rapidly
into an international movement. Real all about it and sign up as a
volunteer if you can at
http://www.raogk.org.
Thanks to Heritage, PO Box 162905, Miami, FL 33116-2905.
Was it a cell phone or something else?
Don't be surprised if you hear what sounds like a cell phone ringing when
you are outdoors. Starlings are natural mimics. The Romans taught them to
imitate human speech, birdcalls, whinnying of horses, etc. They can even
imitate the sound of chain saws and now cell phones! Reports from Denmark
to Australia confirm this!
Thanks to The Immigrant Genealogical Society Newsletter, PO Box 7369,
Burbank, CA 91510-7369.
The General Gazetteer of 1823 is now on-line
Sometimes we find our research blocked by the inability to locate a
place-name on a map. This can often be caused by the change of a name, or
unexpected spelling. The General Gazetteer of 1823 will show you what
existed and where in 1823. This 1823 Gazetteer is now online for your
examination. Go to
http://www.vii.com/~cda/1823/contents.htm.
Thanks to The Immigrant Genealogical Society Newsletter, PO Box 7369,
Burbank, CA 91510-7369.
New national and state veteran's cemeteries planned by VA
The new Ft. Still National Cemetery will soon open in Oklahoma and The
Veteran's Administration plans to open five more new national cemeteries
in the next five years. A Veteran's Administration grant program pays for
building and equipping new state veterans cemeteries. Fifty state
cemeteries have been built with Veteran's Administration grants. The
Veteran's Administration continues to expand existing national cemeteries
and may purchase land next to cemeteries that are nearing capacity.
Sometimes other agencies transfer surplus land to The Veteran's
Administration. Citizens may purchase property and donate it for cemetery
expansion.
With five
cemeteries built in the last four years, one ready to open and five on the
drawing board, and The Veteran's Administration-grant cemeteries planned
by the states, burial services will be within commuting distances of 80
percent of America's veterans by 2003. Some of the oldest national
cemeteries developed at Civil War battlefields and prison camps are
historic landmarks. Yet, they too are expanding to meet today's needs. A
Confederate prison in Salisbury, North Carolina, that held 10,000 Union
soldiers became a death camp for more than 8,000 men due to shortages of
food, clothing and medicine. The Salisbury National Cemetery, established
in 1863, ran out of grave space and a nearby Veteran's Administration
medical center transferred 50 surplus acres for its use. The Fort Scott
Kansas National Cemetery began as a part of a western frontier Army fort
built in 1842. The 10.5 acre cemetery was approaching its burial limit
when local veterans took out a loan and bought adjacent acreage.
To learn more
about VA burial benefits for veterans call 1-800-827-1000 or visit the
Veteran's Administration National Cemetery Administration at
www.cem.Veteran'sAdministration.gov.
Thanks to the Express News - North & West - 5 March, 2002 via
Inscriptions, Newsletter of the Wisconsin State Old Cemetery Society, 6100
West Mequon Rd., Mequon, WI 53092-1951.
Clan Henderson Society surpasses 3,000 members!
Alexandria, Virginia August 9, 2002 - Acknowledged by most Clans,
Societies and Associations to be the fastest growing Clan Society in the
United States and Canada, the Clan Henderson Society has recently moved
past the three thousand mark in its membership rolls. Dottie Henderson,
the Society Secretary, has notified the Societies officers that Michael S.
Henderson of Lexington, Kentucky who submitted his membership forms in
July, pushed the Society past this landmark number. Membership in the
Society has grown by over 200 during the past year which continues a trend
that began in the year 2000. The Clan Society has maintained a low cost
for membership and only recently (January 1, 2002) increased the fee to
include an automatic contribution from each membership (new and renewal)
to a fund established for its regional commissioners to assist in the
management of their regions. Prior to this fund being set aside, the
commissioners were responsible for all event fees which included not only
tent space but often entry fees as well. Some events have been as
expensive as $250 for a single tent space which makes the burden on
individuals who are convening for clan society or association somewhat
prohibitive in cost.
The Henderson
Society now assists in the disbursement of these costs by permitting the
commissioner to budget for event costs each year, with the funds
established or current membership. This approach has been well received
by Clan Henderson Society commissioners and the cost to individual members
is so minimal so the database continues to grow. The Clan Henderson
Society will continue to produce innovative ideas which have an affect on
their total database membership and are willing to talk with other clans,
societies and associations about the progress they are making in their
continuing membership drive.
For more information on Clan Henderson Society of the United States and
Canada, write to 7504 Range Road, Alexandria, VA 22306-2422.
Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1965 now
online
These online volumes list all of the soldiers who participated in
Wisconsin's Civil War regiments. Known collectively as the Roster of
Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1965, two volumes were
compiled in 1886 from archival records and an alphabetical index was
published in 1914. Together these 3,000 pages give Civil War service
details on about 90,000 Wisconsin soldiers. Search for soldiers by last
name and/or regiment and company. Browse this free resource at
www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/ogrs/.
Once you have
found your soldier in the Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, order a
photocopy of your Wisconsin ancestor's Civil War service record, For most
soldiers these records show soldier name, rank, age and birthplace; hair
and eye color, complexion, height, occupation, and residence; when, where
and by whom enlisted; term of service; place where the enlistment was
credited; and date and manner of termination of service. A special
"remarks" section list promotions, special duties, leaves of absence,
engagements, injuries, and if the soldier died in service, date and place
of death and sometimes place of burial. Fees apply. Note: these are not
National Archives pension records.
Check it out at
www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/ogrs/.
Check out the genealogy resources at
www.wisconsisnhistory.org
Here are a few resources and service that they offer.
Genealogical research service - Order Wisconsin birth, marriage and death
records issued before October 1907 and Civil War service records for
soldiers who served in Wisconsin units. Submit your request and pay by
credit card online. Our trained staff will search the indexes, print out
all relevant records, and mail them to you within 28 days.
Wisconsin local history & biography articles - Read more than 16,000
articles clipped from Wisconsin newspapers between 1850 and 1950, totaling
nearly 50,000 pages.
Search for people by name or browse articles from a particular community,
including biographical sketches, interviews, obituaries, reminiscences,
and much more.
Wisconsin historical images - View more than 250 Wisconsin photographs
taken between 1870 and 1970 and order quality reproductions of any that
you would like to own.
Some postcards, prints and posters are included, too. Browse through
large subject groupings such as "transportation" and "domestic life" or
search for specific people and places.
Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861-1965 - Discover what happened to any
Wisconsin Soldier, or browse regiment and company muster rolls. Nearly
90,000 soldiers are documented on 3,000 pages.
For even more information request the unpublished records on which these
volumes were based from our online Genealogical Research Service.
www.wisconsinhistory.org/roster/.
Planning a visit to the Wisconsin Historical Society? Get directions,
hours, and phone numbers. Search our library and archives catalogs from
home before you come. Read more than 50 pages of description about our
genealogical collections and services. Learn how to make the most of your
time in Madison. All this and more at
www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/.
Searching for information on the CURRY (CURRIE) surname. My
ancestor, ARCHIBALD CURRY born Jan. 21, 1728 in Scotland, married SARAH
MCDONALD born Aug. 29, 1738 in Scotland. They married Sept. 22, 1757 in
Scotland. In 1759 they came across the Atlantic to the Delaware/Maryland
area. I am a descendent through their son ALEXANDER born Oct. 14, 1770 in
Baltimore, Maryland. ARCHIBALD was a soldier in the Revolutionary War
under General Washington. I have also heard that SARAH's father was JAMES
MCDONALD, he came to America after the Jacobite Rebellion. Patrick Jones,
6154 Pointview Lane, St. Louis, MO 63123.
The descendants of Pierre Chastian invite you to their reunion!
All descendants of Pierre Chastain are invited to the 27th annual reunion
of the family association of October 11-13, 2002. The most common spelling
variations of the name are Chasteen, Chastaine, Chastine, Shasteen,
Chasten, Castine and Shastid.
The Pierre Chastain Family Association will meet this year at the Quality
Inn, 15127 US Highway 19 South in Thomasville, Georgia. This historic
part of Georgia has much Chastain history. Research, family history and
mini discussion sessions on informative topics will be featured. The
association is dedicated to the development and preservation of Chastain
family genealogical and historical records. A family membership in the
Association is currently $15.00 annually. If interested in joining,
contact, Jim Chesteen, Rt. 2, Box 289-J3, Kosciusko, MS 39090 or email at
jimchstn@kopower.com. For any
further questions, please contact Publicity Chairman, Carrie Chastain at
jdchastain@cox-internet.com.
The Alabama Genealogical Society plans seminar in October
The Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc. will hold its all day Fall Seminar
Saturday, October 19, 2002 at the Alabama State Capitol Auditorium,
Montgomery, Alabama. Registration begins at 9:00 AM and the event will
adjourn at 3:30 PM. The featured speaker is George C. Morgan,
internationally recognized author. The subject for the seminar lectures
are: Genealogical Orienteering: Using maps to find the right place and
Bring um' back to life: Developing an ancestor profile in the morning.
And in the afternoon the lectures are: Bits about Obits: Reading between
the lines and Planning is the Key: A very successful Genealogical
reasearch trip. Preregistration deadline is Saturday, October 5, 2002 for
$20.00. A check made payable to Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc. should
be sent to: Alabama Genealogical Society, Inc., AGS Treasurer, Paul Saeger,
1012 Southlake Cove, Birmingham, AL 35244-3282.
The real McCoy?
The definition is: as in "the real McCoy," meaning the genuine article,
the original, not the substitute. "The real McCoy" is a phrase that is
begging for an explanation of its origins. Where ever it comes from, "the
real McCoy" is used to emphatically assert the originality of an object,
idea or reputation. There is not but one context in which to use the word:
"Estelle swore that her silver car was a Delorean, but when Virgil saw the
doors swing outward, he knew it wasn't the real McCoy." In 1883, Robert
Louis Stevenson wrote in a letter, "For society, there is nae sae muckle;
but there's myself - the Johnstone, ye ken - he's the real Mackay,
whatever." "Whatever?" Perhaps Stevenson didn't quite know if he wanted
to say Mackay or McCoy. The origins of "the real McCoy" are unclear. The
top contender is a marketing jingle from Messrs. Mackay of Edinburgh, who
made a brand of fine Scotch whisky that they promoted as "the real Mackay"
from 1870 onward. During the Prohibition years in the United States
(1919-1933), the phrase was extended to an hard liquor from Canada was
opposed to lesser domestic brands. Since "the real Mackay" was already in
the language, a widening of the phrase's scope in the alcoholic spectrum
makes sense. Now we know. Thanks to Word of the Day from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/cgi-bin/word.cgi?word-ok.
Ed note: "MacCoy/McCoy" is truly an allied family or sept of the Clan
Mackay!
Here's a quick tip on reading photocopies
Jerry Grover wrote, "I have successfully read illegible photocopies of old
wills by using the following method: Scan the document in black and white,
then load the image into your photo manipulation software. Finally, make a
negative of the image (this function sometimes found on the "effects"
menu). Impossible to read bits suddenly appear quite legible."
Births and deaths on the high seas
When a birth or death occurs on the high seas, whether on an aircraft or
on a ship, the determination of where the record is filed is decided in
terms of the direction in which the craft was headed at the time of the
event. If the craft was outbound or docked at a foreign post, requests for
copies of the record should be made to the U.S. Department of State,
Washington, D.C. 20520. If the craft was inbound and the port of entry was
in the U.S., write to the registration offices in the city where the craft
landed in the U.S. If the craft was of U.S. Registry, contact the U.S.
Coast Guard at the port of entry.
Can't find a book? Here's help!
Can't find a book? "Hello Central" is a book finder for Genealogists. Go
to
www.genealogy-books.com. You can also post books you are searching
for.
Thanks to the Lake Havasu Genealogical Society, Inc., Newsletter, PO Box
953, 1750 N. McCulloch Blvd., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86405-0953. |
