The Creative Family Historian Is Closing

News from The Creative Family Historian

In December 2016 I had an idea to create a business to use my graphic design and storytelling skills to help family history enthusiasts bring their family history to life.   Fast forward to 2024 and it's been an incredible adventure. 3000+ templates sold 400+ students in my courses or workshops 50,000+ free genealogy worksheets downloaded I've had the opportunity to get to know dozens of family historians, learn about your ancestors and the stories that you want to tell.   Being a creative coach for family history enthusiasts was always going to be a Grade 5 hike. It's a hobby (sorry, lifestyle!) for those who are happy to research “how to…” and teach themselves the skills they need to know.    So, in December 2024, I'll be closing the virtual doors to The Creative Family Historian.    Templates purchases via a registered account in the website store will be available for download until December 2025. If you have questions about your template purchase, hit reply and ask away.   If you enrolled in a course or recent workshop, then watch your inbox for a separate email about that. You'll continue to have access to the training for a minimum of 12 months.    You'll also have opportunities over the next few weeks to grab a template or course access if it's been on your wish list for a while.    In 2025 I will be launching Family History Templates Co. and Inspiration and Memories Co. These will be ecommerce stores where you can purchases kits to capture your family stories, both past and present. If you'd like to learn more about these businesses and be the first-to-know any news I have to share, sign up for updates. Family History Templates Co. Updates Inspiration and Memories Co. Updates If you have questions or concerns, hit reply and let me know.

Viewer Update at FamilySearch

 FamilySearch has updated their image viewer to stay current with new technology. This includes keyboard shortcuts:

Genealogy Websites

Check out these genealogy websites:

Old Job Titles From German Church Records 

http://baseportal.de/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/JGorsler/Berufs/Beruf&localparams=1

Alte Berufsbezeichnungen aus Kirchenbüchern is a list of 3,179 alphabetically listed entries of occupations along with their descriptions. There is a search feature (Suchen). The website doesn't have an English option but you can use the translate this website in Chrome once you find the occupation to get an English version of the explanation. 

Odessa A German-Russian Genealogical Library

http://www.odessa3.org/  

A digital library dedicated to the cultural and family history of the millions of Germans who emigrated from Russia in the 1800s and their descendants. The collection is primarily digitized books and records plus indexes of microfilms and research aids. The website is free and provided by Roger Ehrich. 

International German Genealogy Partnership Conference  

https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/

"Celebrate Your German-Speaking Ancestor" conference will be held June 13-15, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. Registration opens December 1, 2024.

Applied Genealogical Institute Spring 2025

https://appliedgen.institute/

The Spring 2025 schedule is available for AppGen. They have courses on Irish Research, Southern States Research, Land Records in Public States, Genealogy & The Law, and Write As You Research. 

GRIP Genealogical Institute 2025

https://grip.ngsgenealogy.org/

GRIP 2025 virtual class week will be 22-27 June 2025 and In-Person in Pittsburgh, PA will be 13-18 July 2025. Registration Opens February 4, 2025.

Digitize New York

https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/content/digitize-new-york

The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society has two digitization centers that are working to preserve at-risk documents. A list of the completed projects is available on the website.  

Voting 

https://stlgs.blogspot.com/2024/11/voting-in-americaa-genealogical.html

The St. Louis Genealogical Society has an interesting blog post about the history of voting in America with links to resources.

Roundtable Recap – Maps

October 10, 2024

GenFriend members shared many suggestions for locating different maps to aid in our genealogy research and fill out our family stories during the October Roundtable Discussion Group.

Google Earth and Google Maps are well-known resources that offer much more than the current view of an area. Google Earth Outreach offers a Learn section with tutorials to create custom maps. A quick Google or YouTube search will bring up instructional videos, such as this one, on how to overlay historic maps. Current and historic maps can also be compared side by side in two different windows. It was noted during the Roundtable that these maps can provide some clarity if known locations are viewed in relation to county and/or state boundaries or other known landmarks. For example, the answer to why your ancestor always went to another state to give birth could be as simple as the nearest medical facility was closer to home but just over the state line.

The largest collection of Sanborn Maps is found at the Library of Congress. These maps were created for the fire insurance industry and provide information on the construction materials and size of structures in a particular vicinity. Each map will have a key on it explaining all of the symbols and colors used for that map. It’s advisable to read the “About this Collection” for further information. These maps can help us picture the homes of our ancestors and their neighbors along with other structures in the town. Sanborn Maps can also be found in many other places including regional collections, manuscript collections, and at historical societies.

The online Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL) Map Collection is a small part of the PCL holdings at The University of Texas Libraries. This is an extensive collection of many different types of maps from throughout the world and can be browsed by region, country, state, type of map, etc. Most of the links still seem to work, but there is a notice on the front page that the website is archived and no longer being updated. There are links for additional information.

USGS provides topographical maps of the United States, including a Historical Topographic Maps Collection and a Geographic Names search. These maps are useful for providing the historical names of creeks and other places that are sometimes mentioned in deeds and other paperwork. This can be very helpful in determining more exact locations for our ancestors.

Land ownership maps, known as plat maps, are another useful tool for locating the exact location our ancestors lived in a given vicinity. They show how the land was divided at the time the map was created. The surname of the owner of each tract of land is written in that property’s space. The owner’s name will sometimes include the first name or initial. If a widow owns the land, that is often indicated with Widow or Mrs. It’s a good idea to search for plat maps at any genealogy site you use as many resources have at least some for their area and maybe additional locations. HistoryGeo offers a searchable database and document images but is a subscription site.  Access to it is available through many public libraries, including the Plano Public Library, with your library card.

Several other large sites offering a variety of maps are Historic Map Works, the David Rumsey Map Collection, the Bureau of Land Management, Digital Public Library of America, and the National Archives. The Library of Congress also offers other maps in addition to Sanborn.

Other types of maps:

Cemetery maps similar to what can be found at Burial Search and the VA’s National Cemetery Administration. The specific cemetery of your ancestor might also have a plot map.

Transportation maps such as the Railroad Maps found at the Library of Congress.

Military maps of battles/locations where an ancestor might have served. The National Archives has Civil War maps, for example.

Migration route maps can be found at many websites via a Google search. The National Park Service offers some good information and maps about historic routes in America.

Sites helpful for understanding map information:

A United Kingdom website, MapServe, has information about Ordnance Surveys in other countries.

The Newberry Library offers an interactive website depicting historical boundaries for US Territories, States, and Counties.

Creating personalized maps:

Family Atlas is a genealogy mapping and publishing software available from Roots Magic for a modest cost. It’s a stand-alone product, not a subscription.

Many family tree programs provide some sort of timeline/map option. The timeline feature at Family Search, for example, is accessed on the profile page of a person in your family tree and includes a map.

There are many more sites to access maps useful for our family history research. In addition to the ones mentioned above, there are some older but still helpful options. USGenWeb is a completely free website that was created almost 30 years ago by genealogists and maintained by volunteers. The Internet Archive and Wayback Machine provide access to a wide range of materials and past versions of websites. County courthouses, historical societies, and local libraries can provide suggestions, if not actual maps, for possible locations where your ancestors might have been. State archives and college collections are another good source. A simple Google search with terms such as ‘historic map + (place name)’ or ‘(town name) + Sanborn map’ could yield new materials to research. GenFriend members also mentioned to search again at sites you have checked in the past as many sites continue to digitize additional records.

Serendipity often leads to genealogy finds. Many years ago, I was watching a genealogy show, probably Who Do You Think You Are, when a 1641 plat map of New Haven, CT, popped up on the screen. I was not related to the ancestor of the guest on the show, but my eyes immediately focused on two names, Joshua Atwater and David Atwater, as Atwater is the maiden name of a gggrandmother in one of my paternal lines. I had not yet researched her line, but I wondered if there could be a connection. It turns out that the David Atwater on that 1641 map is my 9x greatgrandfather! You never know what direction a map might lead you in your research, so they're always worth looking at.

What's New In Genealogy - October 2024

Ancestry 50% Off Ends Oct 21

Ancestry is offering 50% of site wide. If you have an existing membership you have to cancel it to use the half off offer. https://www.ancestry.com/c/site-wide-sale

Texas State Genealogical Society Podcast 

TxSGS Live! Speaker Preview - Host Kelvin Meyers sits down with a lineup of genealogy experts to preview the upcoming 2024 TxSGS Annual Conference: Navigating Your Family History. This special episode provides listeners with an exclusive look at the topics and insights these presenters will bring to the virtual event, with live sessions streamed on November 1-2, 2024  

https://sites.libsyn.com/411830

Maureen Taylor The Photo Detective

Maureen's website includes her blog and podcast librarys that are full of information about using photographs in genealogy.

https://maureentaylor.com/ 

MyHeritage Update

The Inbox on MyHeritage has been updated. The new design makes it easier to use and navigate and it is now supported on mobile devices. https://blog.myheritage.com/2024/10/the-myheritage-inbox-gets-a-fresh-new-look/

They also added 56 million records in September. https://blog.myheritage.com/2024/10/myheritage-adds-56-million-historical-records-in-september-2024/

Genealogy Events

If you are looking for upcoming events check out:

Genie Bugs Calendar https://thesleeplessgenealogist.com/calendar/

Conference Keeper https://conferencekeeper.org/

Donations to the Library

 The following books are being donated to the Genealogy Section at the W.O. Haggard Library by Genealogy Friends:

Evidence Explained Fourth Edition (Shown-Mills)

Research in Hawaii

Research in Maine

Sephardic Surnames, An Index of Research Sources, 3 volumes

Additions and Corrections to the W.P.A. Inventory of Lorain County, Ohio: Elyria

Guide to Manuscript Collections, Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma

The Choctaw Freedmen and the Story of Oak Hill Industrial Academy, Valiant, McCurtain County, Oklahoma

Citizens Of Missouri Territory, 1787-1810: Grants in Present Day Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, Volume 1

Citizens Of Missouri Territory, 1810-1812: Grants in Present Day Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, Volume 2

The Ultimate Guide in Researching War of 1812 Veterans

Destiny Speaks - The Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection, 1898-1901. Soldier Letters, Diaries, Documents and Photos

Free and Enslaved African Americans in St Francois County, Missouri, 1822-1920

Ninteenth- Century Emigration of Old Lutherans from Eastern Germany (Mainly Pomerania, and Lower Silesia) to Australia, Canada, and the United States

The Virginia Regimental History Series: 52^nd Virginia Infantry, 2^nd Edition

Confederate Cemeteries, Volume 1

The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1636-1638 Vol. 1, A-Be

New York State Archives Guide: For Family Historians, Biographers, and Hostorical Researchers

Slavery and Servitude in the Colony of North Carolina

History of Houston County, Texas

Sad News - Joanne Corney

Joanne was a valued Gen Friends member and volunteer. Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. 

 

Joanne (Joan) Lois Seitz Corney passed away in Frisco, TX on September 14, 2024, at the age of 92. Joanne, cherished daughter of Frederick John Seitz, Sr. and Muriel Louise Windus, was born on May 28, 1932, in Woodside, Queens, New York.

Joanne graduated from Valley Stream Central High School in June 1949 at the age of seventeen. She followed her passion for art and education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Buffalo State Teachers’ College in 1953. Joanne married Blair Shipman Corney, Jr. on July 25, 1953, in Valley Stream, NY. Together, they raised two wonderful daughters, Janne Lois and Lynne Ann.

Joanne and Blair moved to Oklahoma in 1960, where Joanne continued her life-long love of learning and teaching. She earned a Master of Education in Reading from Central State College, Edmond, OK, in 1974, becoming a certified Reading Specialist and expert in Learning Disabilities. Joanne dedicated her career to special education, teaching in Oklahoma City Public Schools from 1966 until her retirement in 1990. She was a member of the Council for Exceptional Children for many years and, in 1988, the Oklahoma Federation of The Council for Exceptional Children awarded her the first-ever Eva Robinson award for outstanding special educator who spends all his/her time in the classroom.

After retiring from public education, Joanne continued to make a difference as a private tutor for children and adults with dyslexia in Midwest City, Oklahoma, from 1990 to 2006.

In 2000, Joanne read about a model shipbuilding group and went to the shop where the group met, looking for someone to complete a small-scale rendition of the Blue Nose, a Canadian racing ship depicted on the Canadian dime, that her husband Blair had been working on at the time of his death in 1996. The model-makers there convinced her to complete the ship herself, which she did, and then went on to work on other ship models.

Joanne moved to Plano, Texas, in 2006 to be closer to her daughters but continued her tutoring. Joanne was a passionate genealogical researcher, compiling an extensive family database.  She also began volunteering at the genealogy department of the Dallas Public Library as well as W. O. Haggard Library in Plano, TX, working  with the Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, who she referred to as her “GenFriends.” She started a Legacy Family Tree users’ group within GenFriends and taught others to use the Legacy Family Tree software program to document their own genealogy. As further evidence of her love of learning, she taught herself the “new” technology of computers and built several desktop computers from scratch, including ones for her two of her grandsons.

Joanne’s legacy lives on through her family and the countless lives she touched through her work in education and genealogy. She will be deeply missed but forever remembered with love and gratitude.

Joanne is survived by her two daughters, Janne Ackerman (husband Garry), of Plano, TX, and Lynne Grant Essary (husband Dennis) of Frisco, TX; four grandchildren, Jennifer Gilliland (husband Tim); Bethany Flint (husband George); Kyle Essary (wife Stephanie); Brad Essary (wife Allie); Justin Grant (wife Kelly); and Bryan Grant (wife Rand)i; as well as 15 great-grandchildren, Riley, Zachery, Ethan, and Madelyn Gilliland; Michelle, Tina, and Hailey Grant; Gracie and Emmalee Essary; Cole and Logan Flint; Dorian, Gideon, and Charlotte Essary; and George Grant; and sister-in-law, Janet Seitz and her family; all of whom who will never forget the love she brought to their lives. 

Joanne was preceded in death by her husband, Blair, brother Frederick John Seitz, Jr., and her parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Joanne’s memory to the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. in Smithtown, NY, or the Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc.

Memorial services will be private. She will be interred next to her parents in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York.