Who knew I already had a blogspot!?!

The Burley Family History Center is sponsoring a Family History Expo on Saturday Feb 10th from 8:30am-4pm at the Burley CSI building. I was trying to find more information about the Expo and ran across an old Blogspot! The name of the Blogspot was the Declo Stake Family History Center and as I started to read the first blog, I thought it sounded a littler familar----and realized that it was my blogspot. I was the family history director for the Declo Idaho Family History Center around 2011 and we hosted a family history expo that year. This blogspot was set up then. Almost 13 years ago. I changed the name to coordinate with the Heritage Hub project I am working on right now. So........ Now there is a website at www.minicassiaheritagehub.com that links to local websites to help visitors to the area learn more about Minidoka and Cassia counties and the heritage tourism sites and events. We have a facebook page at Mini Cassia Heritage Hub where we can share information. And a You Tube channel also at Mini Cassia Heritage Hub where we are posting audio and hopefully video recordings. I have a wonderful son-in-law who helped me over New Year's to set up all kinds of fun things!!!!! We have a Heritage Hub meeting in the Old Almo School on the second Thursday of the month at 6 pm. We generally have about twenty people come, and it is really fun. DeeAnn Spencer has asked people to present a history of their family. Everybody is pretty much related in some way and there is a lot of good natured discussion. We are trying to post the audio recordings (haven't been very successful yet with video). So far we have presentations on the Robert Eames family, the Whitakers, Bronsons, Myron B. Durfee, the Tracys, Smiths and Taylors from Yost, and others. They are posted on the Mini Cassia Heritage Hub You Tube Channel. Now I am going to bed.....We will see where this all goes!

Trainings at Family Search

Family History enthusiasts are strange people, or so I've been told. One of my favorite things has been to attend family history conventions and workshops. It is so fun to be able to attend classes and visit with people who share a common "addiction". But classes and conventions tend to be rather expense and involve a lot of travel. The Church has come up with a fantastic solution. Classes and trainings online! Of course, you miss the fun of visiting with other researchers, but the classes are very good and best of all, they are free!!!!!

For those who are overwhelmed by new family search, there are several short tutorials on every aspect of the website. You can watch one clip and then practice until you become comfortable with it, and then watch the next clip. That way you don't feel overwhelmed with having to remember everything all at once.

Go to www.new.familysearch.org. Your sign in and password are for your LDS account if you are a member of the church. The LDS account is the same one you use to sign in to the stake/ward website, order from the catalog, etc. Those who are not members of the LDS Church and want to access new family search can set up a general account. It is easy to register. Just click on Register and follow the directions. If you have problems, contact one of the ward consultants or visit the family history center on Thursdays. Don't forget to write down your user name and password! You can always have them sent to you, but it is much easier to just have it written down!

Once you sign in, click on "How to Use New Family Search". It's that easy. You will see eleven tutorials and nine (at this count) guides that will take you through every step you need to become comfortable using the new family search website.
Take your time becoming at ease with the website and you will find it to be a wonderful resource.

The home page also has a "Help Center" link. It has been updated and contains answers to questions, a way for you to ask questions, and more videos and trainings. There is a link for those who want to learn how to index as well.

A "help" button is included on each page of new family search if you get lost. Those putting together the website are prepared for even the most computer illiterate among us! They are determined to help us be successful!!!!!!!!!!

For those who are comfortable with new family search and want to learn how to do actual research, go to www.familysearch.org. Click on "Learn". You will see a link to wiki family search, a link to classes and courses, and a link to the website for the Family History Library Catalog. You can learn how to use all of these websites at the help center on new.familysearch.org.

For the cost of a pair of earphones or speaker, you can access hundreds of videos and trainings. Check it out! It's almost as good as a Family History Workshop!

Handouts for the Community Family History Workshop

HANDOUTS FOR THE COMMUNITY FAMILY HISTORY WORKSHOP WILL BE POSTED AT

www.genealogybyjan.com Go to Library. Under file type, click on Handouts and under category type, click on Declo Family History Workshop.

You can print off the handouts from this website.

Community Family History Workshop 2011

COMMUNITY FAMILY HISTORY WORKSHOP
Declo Idaho Stake Family History Center
April 30, 2011 10 AM – 3 PM

COME IN THE EAST DOOR

CLASS SUMMARIES
Albion: A Model for Cemetery Research: Janis Durfee
Family Tree Magazine gives four tips for making cemetery research more effective. The cemeteries in Albion are a great way to understand just what you can find about your family from a visit to the cemetery, whether in person or online.

Ancestry.com:
Thinking about a subscription? Not sure how to use the subscription you have? Burley Family History Center now has a subscription to ancestry.com. Learn to use this powerful commercial website, which is frequently the end result of an Internet search.

Beginning Scandinavian Research: Kathleen Hedberg
Kathleen Hedberg is a well known teacher and author. She claims that Scandinavian Research has a steep learning curve, but that the research resources are incredible and easy to use once you know how. Let her help you past that learning curve so you can research your own Scandinavian roots!

Black Sheep in Your Family? Get in Line!: Lisa Dayley
When reporter and genealogist Lisa Dayley visited the Declo Stake FH Center for a news article, we traded stories about our more notorious ancestors. Sometimes people are afraid to research their family tree, nervous about what they might find. Perhaps they already know they have a horse thief or worse as a relative. How do you deal with less than stellar ancestors?

Census Records: A Snapshot in Time: Sylvia Grush
Census Records are one of the best places to start your family history research. Taken every ten years (and more often with State and local Censuses), these records can help you track your ancestors through the changes in their lives.

Doing Research in the Mini-Cassia Area: US Genweb and Much More! Janis Durfee
There are a surprising number of resources available locally and online to help you trace your ancestors. Many of the resources are specific to our state and county, but other resources can help you research all over the world.

Getting Started---The Five Basic Steps: Cherry Mae Smith
Do you want to research your family but don’t know where to start? Learn five basic steps to help you get going! There are actually six steps! The first step is determining to come to the Workshop and take this class.

“Google Genealogists Toolbox”: Jamie Larsen
Lisa Louis Cooke, host of several genealogy podcasts and author, has written a new book. "The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox" promises to “help you stuff your genealogy toolbox with free state-of-the-art Internet tools that are built to search, translate, message, and span the globe”. Jamie has been studying the book and will teach us to use Google more effectively in our Family History Research.

Land Records: DeeAnn and Angie Spencer
Learn more about the lives of your ancestors through land records. The Government Land Office (GLO) records even let you see your ancestor’s homestead claim.

Immigration and Naturalization Records: Adrianna Boyer
There are all kinds of records available to help you find your immigrant ancestor! Learn how to locate the various records and what information may be available in each.

Military Record in Family History Research: Janis Durfee
Military records can be located for every war going back to Colonial Times. See how to find family relationships and personal information in the many types of military records and databases.

Navigating the New Family Search: Brother Williams, Burley Family History Center
New Family Search is a fantastic research tool provided by the LDS Church and is free to the public. Brother Williams will teach you how to use this tremendous database to research your ancestors. (Elaine Richman will be available in the Cultural Hall to help you practice on new Family Search.)

Organizing Computer Files: Darla Young
Intimidated by your computer? Can’t find anything you need? Darla will show you how to create new folders, move information and everything else you need to feel comfortable saving---and finding---documents on your computer.

Recording Oral Histories: Kristen Bastis
Kristen is Chief of Cultural Resources at the City of Rocks National Reserve in Almo. Living family members are one of the most overlooked places you can go for information about your family. Kristen will show you tips on how to effectively do oral histories. If you don’t make visiting your relatives and recording their memories a priority, the opportunity will be gone before you realize it!

PICASA: Darla Young
Picasa is a free internet program which will allow you to manage your photographs. Learning a few basic tips will help you organize your pictures and your computer.

Probates and Wills: Blanche Simmons, Burley Family History Center
Sister Simmons says that The U.S. Probate Records are “important in every region of the United States and should be used by every genealogist…Because wills often list the names of many family members, as much as half the population either left a will or was mentioned in one.”

Putting it All Together: Sylvia Grush
Now you’ve learned to find census, vital, cemetery, military records and more. What do you do with all the information you’ve collected? Sylvia will teach you to put it all together so that you can see who your ancestors really were.

Using Documents and Sources: Darla Young
Wonder where you got that bit of information? How accurate is the family group sheet you got from Great aunt Sarah? Learn to document your research in order to make it more valuable to you and to those who view your work.

What’s on Family Search: Brother Williams
If you haven’t checked out this fantastic free website sponsored by the LDS Church, you will be amazed at the number of resources available from census and vital records to free classes. You can also access the Salt Lake Family History Catalog and order microfilms from their vast collection through this website. Wiki.familysearch and forums are other features at familysearch.org

World Vital Records and Footnote: Gwen Hurst
The Declo Family History Center has subscriptions to World Vital Records and Footnote. Gwen will show you how to search these two commercial programs. Footnote specializes in military records and WVR has a lot of early LDS records as well as digital books.

"Indexing" Family Search is adding millions of new records regularly through the efforts of volunteer indexers. Indexers basically transfer information from a census or other record into a form which will make the data available for a computer search. More indexers are needed! Penny Thompson and Ruth Anderson can help you learn to register, download the batches, and transfer the information. Indexing is really fun!

Displays and Demonstrations in the Cultural Hall and West lobby

Daughters of the Utah Pioneers—Norma Edgar
Find a Grave—Jade Larsen
Color Coding your Family Files---Adrianna Boyer
Family Crests/Coats of Arm, etc. Display----Irene Ruffell
Photo Restoration Display---Jamie Larsen
Practice with New Family Search----Elaine Richman
Take a break and create a scrapbook page—Kenny Mae Gold
Involving Kids in Family History----Emma Curtiss

Why Research?

If you are just beginning to do your family research, you may feel overwhelmed as you look at the list of classes that we will be teaching at the Community FH Workshop. Why do you need to know about census records, military records, land records, probate records, and on and on? A person's lifespan can cover many decades. Several events typically occur in each person's life---birth (obviously), school, military, marriage, children, work, retirement, and death. Records are generally created with each event and these are often the only thing---other than memories---remaining to mark a person's life. The created document shows a "snapshot" of the person at that precise moment and event. It may or may not include information about other aspects of that person's life. So we look for as many of these documents as we can, trying to put together a view of the person's entire life. For example, a birth document will most generally list the person's place and date of birth and the parents. It obviously will not list his children. Military records may list the dependents and other vital information. Census records will list the individuals living in the home on that particular day. You can see that the more records you can find about a person and his family the better chance you have of reconstructing that person's life. It's like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle----but first having to search out and find the jigsaw piece. That is what makes research fun! Now I record the "puzzle pieces" in the notes section of my Ancestral Quest files (similar to PAF). That way I don't lose track of the dozens of random pieces of paper that I am still trying to locate with little bits of precious information. I started to date the entries and it is fun to look back on a family that I am researching and see the progress that I have made in discovering who this family really was.

Working together as a Family

Doing family history is so much more fun and a lot easier if you don't do it by yourself. About twelve years ago, we held our first Lewis Reunion in Albion, Idaho, where our common ancestor James Stapleton Lewis and his family moved in 1875. These annual reuions have proven to be a great blessing in the lives of many, living and dead. Many of us have become close friends----We are Lewis Cousins. Working together on our family history has been great. We don't have to be good at it all---or do everything. We each do what interest us, and then share it with the rest of the family. In February, several of us met as we began the "James Stapleton Lewis Families Project". The purpose is to help us work more closely together as a family. We're still few in number, but growing. And we are making progress. Cousin Lyn has set up a blogspot and a Facebook page for Grandpa----he is probably chuckling over that! We have a forum at beta.familysearch.org and our own website at lewislinks.com which gives quick access to the various links to family websites, etc. One cousin lives in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, settled by our Potts/Lewis ancestors. Another is an hour or so away from the Joel Lewis home in North Carolina. Other family members are busily working on the lines that interests them. By working together and sharing our talents, we are making a difference in finding our Lewis ancestors and cousins.

Sources

If you have spent any time at all on new family search, you soon realize that there is a ton of really rotten research posted there. While there is an easy way to document where the information came from, not many people have done that. As you correct your family data on nFS, be sure to document your sources. As I mentioned in the posting on documention, you should list where you got your information---whether it is from a solid source or not. Evaluating the sources is a great way to tell if information can be trusted or if more research needs to be done. Here are some hints.

Primary Sources: Obvious. A first hand account from a person involved in the event. It is best if it was recorded near the time the event occurred. A primary source is generally considered one of the most accurate sources---but not always. In the late 1800's, Judy Persinger copied information into her precious family Bible. She asked her father-in-law, William, for information on his three marriages. Later, a researcher found a marriage bann for William and his first wife, about 1790. It didn't match the date in the Bible. Polly had been gone for many years, not there to remind William about their anniversary, so he had gotten it mixed up in his old age. And my dear husband, present at the births of our five children and their subsequent birthday parties, couldn't tell you the birth day or year for any of them. For some obscure reason, he can tell you that we used my china for the first time on February 4th. So if I ever needed to document that, he'd be perfect.

Secondary Source: A secondary source would be information from someone who is not an eye witness or was removed from the event. There is opportunity for the information to be misunderstood or changed. Such a source may be all you can find and should not be discounted. If, however, there is conflicting information documented from a Primary Source, it should take precedence over a secondary source. An example: A friend reported that she had misspelled her name her entire life and didn't know it until she had gotten a certified copy of her birth certificate to apply for social security. Her mother had taught her to write her name----Mom was a primary source since she was the one who chose it. The hospital clerk, the recorder at the state, even Dad, could have entered in the wrong spelling. So while a birth certificate is usually considered a very accurate source, I feel that Mom knew best.

Original and Compiled Records: Always look for the original record if you can find it. We have a tendency to get lazy when we search online. Search for a census record on ancestry.com or other site and you will come up with an index. This is a compiled record. Someone looked at the original record and tried to copy down what it said. Their intention was good and they tried to be as accurate as possible. But if you have ever done indexing, you know what a hard task that is! Mistakes enter in. Be sure to take the little time required to click on the original record and see what you think it says. Better yet, save a copy and attach it to your PAF file. Sometimes when you know a little bit about the person, you can decipher the hen scratches of the census taker better than someone unfamiliar with the family. Always note whether you looked at the actual census or at the index. It can be embarrassing if someone calls you on it later.

Sometimes it is tricky to figure it all out. I found a marriage record in an old book in the Cassia County Courthouse for my great aunt Meg in 1879. The book was hand written by --oh, dear, I have forgotten his first name---Mr. Weatherman, the first recorder in Cassia County. I assumed it was a Primary source. Later I learned that our county was part of Owyhee County at the time of their marriage and that Mr. Weatherman had traveled to Silver City where he carefully handcopied all of the Cassia County records from the original Owyhee book. We visited Silver City many years ago. It was a daunting drive in our pickup, and not an easy task for a man on a horse. And as careful as I am sure he was, he may have made a mistake. The original records are in the Owyhee county courthouse in Murphy, Idaho. Twin Falls County was created from Cassia County, so they likewise have copied records of their early events, and Cassia County has the originals. I probably won't make it to Murphy to check their early marriage records, but I did change the notes in my sources to explain that it was a copy of the original record. It really made me appreciate Mr. Weatherman and all of those others who so carefully recorded the information we are seeking now.