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Posts Tagged ‘Microfilm’

Family Tree question!?

November 9th, 2011 5 comments

I’m stuck on my great-great grandfather on my family tree. i have his birth year, his death year, his social security number, and I know he was in world war one. Ohio (his birthplace) didn’t start keeping birth records until 1908 though. is there anyway I can find out the name of his father? He was born in Ohio, but lived & died in Wisconsin. I just want to be able to find his father’s name. I don’t really care about anything else.

His SSN application, $27, should have his father’s name and his mother’s maiden name. His death certificate might have them. His marriage record might have them. The article about his wedding in the local paper’s society pages, on microfilm in the library, may have them.

You could post his name, DOB and the places he was born in and lived in (town, COUNTY, state) here and someone might find him on the census. That isn’t as good as the SSN app, but it is free. It isn’t as good because if he lived with an uncle and called him "Dad" because his parents died when he was young, he might be on the census with relation "son" instead of "nephew".

Is it free to research records at the New York Archives?

September 9th, 2011 4 comments

Can I just walk into the New York Archives and look through records (census, birth, death, marriage) of my ancestors? I wanna see these records in person instead of online on Ancestry.com. And possibly find ones that aren’t on the site.
What exactly is microfilm?

I can tell you that you can go into the records centers in the UK and view the records for free, you have to get a CAIN card, which you get there on filling out a form proving ID and that then allows you to use the card to go in any UK archives or records center..the card is free and is normally valid for at least 5 years, they also do day cards for visiting genealogists………..I would suspect that in the US you will have a similar system, if you go onto their website and look for visiting information it should tell you on there.

Records are filmed ad put onto film or microfiche and that is what you look at.
Film is a roll of film containing the pages of the records, which you put into the film reader to view and can stop and take a photocopy of the record you want or transcribe the information.

Microfiche or fiche is the same, but looks like an index card and like a photograph negative, which you put into a fiche reader and can then view the records.

In the UK if you wish to view the real records you would write out a card, give it to the archivist and they will go and get them, you go into another room, wearing white cotton gloves which are provided you can then view the real records…..which are very useful as you can often see more information on the real records that doesn’t show on the film/fiche especially if they are poor copies and many are

On ancestry and any other website if they show images it is from the film/fiche although many are just transcriptions or collections and you are right to go and view records yourself as you will find far more there than online, not everything is online, it never will be and you have to check everything you do find online back to records anyway to prove they are correct or like may who have only ever done online searching they have no idea what is really available or if hey even have their ancestors.

http://www.familytimeline.webs.com/ this website will help with records you already have at home ( page 20) and there is some good advice…read FAQ, documents, etc also has a good link page

Can you help me find my Italian ancestor’s immigration records?

March 30th, 2011 2 comments

I’m just stumped right now. His name was Vito Gerardi, born in 1877 in Italy. He immigrated January 10, 1886 to New York with his parents, Domenico Gerardi and Catherina (Nole) Gerardi. I *believe* he was from Avigliano, Italy, but that’s just speculation until the microfilm from the LDS library arrives in a few weeks.

I have found his naturalization records. I have found him in the 1910 Federal Census. I have found his marriage certificate. I have found what I believe to be the death records of his father, mother, wife, and daughter. I just can’t find any record of his actual immigration. I’ve looked on Ancestry.com and Castle Garden’s website without luck.

Maybe some of you who are more skilled at this can either find more information or lead me in another direction. I feel like I’ve exhausted almost every source.

Also, would there be a website where I could look up passenger vessels by the date or the year or where they departed? That might help me narrow it down since I have his date of arrival. Thanks!

Several things to keep in mind. Prior to 1892, ships passenger lists could be sketchy. The only records may be for the entire family. New York harbor was only one of many ports of entry. The other major ports were Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston and New Orleans

CyndisList has links in several possible sections http://www.cyndislist.com/
Ports of Departure, Ports of Entry, Ships & Passenger Lists and Immigration & Naturalization

One Step Search Stephen Morse has both free & paid links in an easy to search format http://stevemorse.org/

WHERE CAN I FIND FREE DEATH RECORDS?

March 18th, 2011 3 comments

my boyfriends mom died about, 10 years ago in San antonio Texas. and when i look for an obituary or death record it wont show up anything. but when i people search her it brings her up. what is a good website where i could possibly read details… or just see an obituary or something. thank you

You won’t find her death record on line, for privacy’s sake.

You might find her obituary in the library, in old newspapers on microfilm.
About one find-a-grave entry in 20 has an obituary attached; you could try it.
http://www.findagrave.com

If you don’t live close enough to San Antonio to visit the library, you can send them a small check ($5 ought to do it) and a SASE and they will either send it to you or return your check.

You can probably find her exact death date here:
http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi

………………Death Records……………?

August 13th, 2010 3 comments

I am trying to find someone and I have reason to believe they passed away in the same state that I live in (Florida). Where can I go (besides the internet) to find a death report or a coroner’s report?

You may be able to find an obituary, in old newspapers on microfilm at the library, but you’d need to know the city and date. Those are easiest to find on the Internet; this SSDI, for instance, was last updated Aug 12, 2010:
http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi

If the person died in an accident or as the result of a crime, there may be a news article as well or instead of an obit.

Unless you are a child or parent, or the person has been dead for a long time (how long depends on state law, and each state has its own) you won’t be able to buy either one. If you are related, you’d buy it either at the courthouse in the county the person died in, or from a state agency, usually a division of the health department.

how to search death records for the state of new york?

May 16th, 2010 1 comment


New York City Death Index
1891 to 1897 Manhattan
1862 to 1897 Manhattan and Brooklyn
1898 to 1948 All Boroughs
If you have ever tried to use the New York City death index for the early years, you will appreciate this latest database. If you look at the microfilm for these early years you know that you have to look at every month, every year and every borough.

Now the volunteers of the Genealogy Federation of Long Island have put these records in a very searchable database that will enable you to search with just a push of the button. Phase 1 of this effort covered the period 1891 – 1907. The second phase added the years 1908 through 1936 and will eventually include the indexes up to 1948. http://www.italiangen.org/NYCDeath.stm
New York Death Records
Enter a first and/or last name to search New York death records. This website was created to provide genealogists with access to the New York death records from a single place. Additional information on how to obtain New York death certificates is available below.
http://www.death-records.net/newyork/death-records.htm

You can search some of the indexes on Ancestry.com and you can also search the indexes at many New York Public libraries.

Locating an elusive military record – researchers only please?

March 28th, 2010 1 comment

James McKenna, Black Range Tales, an attack on woodcutters by Apaches in the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. McKenna, gives the date as ‘the fall of 1872. All ten wood cutters were killed, along with two troopers from Ft. Cummings, and someone named Young, who might, or mightn’t have been military. McKenna describes him as ‘a farrier’.

Eight microfilm of the records from the US Archives have provided hints that McKenna’s dates might be wrong. That the attack might have been 1869, when a mail-carrier named Young was killed [farrier – carrier similarity might explain it]. Or it might be later, during the Victorio wars.

Muster rolls have been pesky, and thus far no reports of the deaths have emerged, though they ought to be in correspondence from Cummings.

A McGurk, Company C, 4th Regiment, under Captain Tucker, Fort Cummings, was one McKenna source.

1st microfilm order assumed Cummings rpts went to Craig. But most seems to be Leavenworth.

Any thoughts where to go next?
Thus far haven’t located McGurk, nor his unit, nor Captain Tucker. But there are a lot of gaps in the Cummings correspondence and reports. I need to find where else they might be located in the archives.

I’d like to do this by buying and searching microfilm, as opposed to hiring a private researcher in Washington.

A "farrier" is someone who shoe’s horses as opposed to a blacksmith. Farriers just make shoes and fit them, blacksmiths do all manner of metal work. He may have been military, or civilian, given the mixed nature of the party. There may well be a typo in later transcripts leading to the carrier/farrier problem. However, I feel a farrier would be infinitely more use to the party, given the chance the wood cutters would have needed him for their horses.

Locating an elusive military record – researchers only please?

February 19th, 2010 7 comments

James McKenna, Black Range Tales, an attack on woodcutters by Apaches in the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico. McKenna, gives the date as ‘the fall of 1872. All ten wood cutters were killed, along with two troopers from Ft. Cummings, and someone named Young, who might, or mightn’t have been military. McKenna describes him as ‘a farrier’.

Eight microfilm of the records from the US Archives have provided hints that McKenna’s dates might be wrong. That the attack might have been 1869, when a mail-carrier named Young was killed [farrier – carrier similarity might explain it]. Or it might be later, during the Victorio wars.

Muster rolls have been pesky, and thus far no reports of the deaths have emerged, though they ought to be in correspondence from Cummings.

A McGurk, Company C, 4th Regiment, under Captain Tucker, Fort Cummings, was one McKenna source.

1st microfilm order assumed Cummings rpts went to Craig. But most seems to be Leavenworth.

Any thoughts where to go next?
Thus far haven’t located McGurk, nor his unit, nor Captain Tucker. But there are a lot of gaps in the Cummings correspondence and reports. I need to find where else they might be located in the archives.

I’m wondering whether there’s some record set outside the US Archives containing the names and units of all military personnel who died on active duty.

I’m also wondering whether there are lists somewhere by state containing soldiers killed in each, where and when.

Or any other source you can think of that might help.

I’d like to do this by buying and searching microfilm, as opposed to hiring a private researcher in Washington.
Tiff a ding ding:

As I explained in the question, and again in the details, I’ve already ordered and recieved 8 microfilm spools from the US Archives. They don’t contain the information I’m looking for, but they do contain hints the information exists somewhere. Maybe somewhere else in the archives, such as in the Fort Leavenworth correspondence, or maybe in lists of killed in action, somewhere.
In my experience, genealogists are probably the best researchers remaining in the world today when it comes to ferreting out original, illusive facts and individuals. They provided me with invaluable information I’d never have found had I not found it through them.

Geneologists are doing, today, what historians used to do, but now merely look things up in books written by other historians who took the information from other books by other historians.

You folk who are doing this know more than anyone has any business knowing about how to do what people who call themselves historians ought to be doing.

Whether you can answer this question, or can’t, I tip my hat to you. You have my profound respect.
You folk have put me to work today!

Thanks so much.

I’ve just been through the Grant County burial records site…. Great site, by the way. Found a couple of candidates I’ll try to chase down various other ways. The blacksmith one was buried at Hatchita, which was a bit too far away. But William Young, died 1881, might be the man.

Fort Webster might be the place…. looks as though it was officially closed in 1866, but re-used as a temporary base during the 70s and 80s. I’m guessing there’s no cemetary there, but it was a lot closer to the sawmill where the wood cutters were working, than Fort Cummings. San Lorenzo, also might turn out to be pay dirt.

I thank you.

ANNALS OF OLD FORT CUMMINGS – NEW MEXICO 1967-68, I haven’t located, but I will.

[Some of you New Mexico types might have encountered my book on the Adams guy and his doings – you know who I mean]

Anyway, thunderstorm seems to be coming in up these mountains, so gonna have to unplug.

Thanks until
grannytoad – I still have that T-storm going, but I decided to come back and answer you at the risk of thunder & lightning.

Friend of mine’s been sniffing the back trail of McKenna for 25 years. He found Jason Baxter’s grave in the Gila, found the fabled ‘woman on the mountain’ – gonna be pics of it in his book, and a video available, up there right now doing more ground chasing on the Divide.

Shaffer’s folk are still in Pinos – got the museum up there. You might know them [poor old lady getting too decrepit to talk much anymore]. Anyway, my bud is trying to get his book out – Black Range Tales revisited, with pics of Baxter& McKenna, the grave, the woman, lots of other new stuff. But he can’t do everything, so I’m helping him a bit.

I was skeptical about McKenna when he first contacted me a few years ago… he made a believer of me with what he’s done.

Now it’s just nailing down corners… military records need finding if they can be found, that sort of thing.

Graci
Shaffer isn’t the one writing the book… dunno why I mentioned him, but I surely like his mom, or grandma.

But the old Shaeffer, Fort Cummings thing is a big piece of what might interest some, judging from how things are developing.

Ohhhhhh….we like a good challenge.

While the lamb is grilling, let’s see what we can figure out. I may have to leave you here and there to check the meat.

First question, have you checked out another book of the era called, "ANNALS OF OLD FORT CUMMINGS – NEW MEXICO 1967-68?" If so, did it give any clues?

OK, the first thing I found is that the Leavenworth is probably not the fort in Kansas, but rather a Lieutenant M. H. Leavenworth, 6th Cavalry.

********

Here are some publications that I pulled from the University of Michigan library catalogue and a few good biblios that might be of help to you:

Mehren, Lawrence Lindsay. “A History of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, 1869-1881. MA thesis, University of Arizona, 1968

Opler, Morris E. and Catherine H. Opler, “Mescalero Apache History in the Southwest,” New Mexico Historical Review 25 1 (January 1950), 20-21.

Oliva, Leo. Fort Union and the Frontier Army in the Southwest (Santa Fe: National Park Service, 1993)

The Handbook of North American Indians: Southwest V
10. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1983.

Thomas, Alfred . The Mescalero Apache, 1653-1874, Apache Indians XI. NY: Garland Publishing, Inc.: 1974.

Twitchell, Ralph E. Leading Facts of New Mexican History vol 2. Cedar Rapids, IA: Torch Press, 1911.

Gregg, Andy. Drums of Yesterday: The Forts of New Mexico. Santa Fe: The Press of the Territorian, 1968.

Other resources:

(I tried the New Mexico Archives, but their website seems to be down for the holiday…but I found an alternate access to their records through the University of New Mexico website)

http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231973-019/
http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231973-019/

http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231974-019/
http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231974-019/

http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231972-006/
http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231972-006/

http://elibrary.unm.edu/oanm/NmAr/nmar%231974-033/

From there, I’d probably turn next to the New Mexico Historian, http://www.newmexicohistory.org/history.html

Southwest Cultural Resources Center (don’t let its major emphasis shake you…they’re a non-profit with a load of historical records used to prepare their think-tank papers) http://www.sric.org/

Anyway, this is maybe a place to start. If these don’t work let me know. I can go over to the Henry Ford Centennial Library and go through the military records if you need. I generally need a week to plan it out because the place is too big to just walk in and start looking…need to figure out what we need and where it is before going in there for a day.

Hope it helps…let me know if any of it works for you.

I need more ifo.then anccestry.com can give.I need birth, marriage, death records?

December 21st, 2009 5 comments

I found what I needed from Canada and was able to trace my ancester to michigan but can’t get the above information at ancestry.com. this information is need to go future any help is welcom

One of the best resources for Michigan (or any state) is the State Library. They have records on microfilm that you can borrow by going to your local library and requesting an inter library loan, where they will send the microfilm to your local library.

Here is the official Michigan website and has the answers to your question on how, what and where records can be found.
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18635—,00.html

Another source is your nearest LDS Church Family Research Center. They also have access to microfilm and can lookup the film you need, order it from Salt Lake City, and allow you to browse the film. It used to cost $2.50 for them to rent it for 2 weeks. You can search their site at www.familysearch.org.

From the Michigan site:
The Library of Michigan has entered into an agreement with The Generations Network (Ancestry.com) to digitize these Michigan death records. Funding from the Talbert and Leota Abrams Foundation is making this digitization project possible. The death records will be loaded into a database that will be indexed and easily searchable. All scanned images will be provided for FREE on the Library of Michigan’s Web site. Users from across the country will be able to access the database and download death records from the comfort of their home computer.