AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

Tuesday's Tip: The Confederate Pensions Databases (Again)

2012-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

Today's tip is to revisit my post written four years ago, "Confederate Pensions Databases".When I originally wrote that post, only about half the former Confederate states had pension indexes available online. Slowly more have been added, and I just updated and added quite a number of links. Currently, only the state of Alabama does not have an online index or database available, but I do have information on how to contact their state archives. If you have ancestors who fought for the Confederacy and lived in former Confederate states after the war, check out these links to see if they received a pension. You'll be sure to want to order the pension from the corresponding state archive; like Union veteran pension applications, there is sure to be a wealth of genealogical materials available!

January 2012 Scanfest

2012-01-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=91fa729961" &amp;gt;January 2012 Scanfest&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Scanfest is Coming

2012-01-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

I apologize for such a late reminder...

The January 2012 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, January 29th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Standard Time.

What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Cover It Live, a live blogging format that you access right here at AnceStories.

On Sunday at 11 AM, PST, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the CoverItLive live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

Up to 25 individuals can be invited to be Producers. Producers are participants who have the extra capability of sharing photos, links, and other media within the forum (great for sharing the photos you're scanning!). You must have Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Producer.

We can also have up to 25 other Participants who can comment freely in our conversation, but will not be able to share media. You can have any kind of browser to be a Participant, except AOL. Those who normally access the Internet with AOL may wish to download Firefox or Explorer ahead of time to be able to participate on CoverItLive.

In addition, any other readers of this blog can drop on by and view/read what is happening at Scanfest. If the 25 Participant spaces are full, those readers will not be able to comment, unless someone else drops out.

Confused? Have questions? Go to CoverItLive and check out 6. Try It Now to see live blogs in action or 7. Demos to see videos demonstrating how to use CIT (especially the ones titled "How do my readers watch my Live Blog?" and "Adding Panelists and Producers").

If you would like to be a Producer, please e-mail me no later than Saturday, January 28th at 4 PM, PST and I'll send you an invitation. Preference will given to previous Scanfesters. You must set up an account (free!) ahead of time to be a Producer. This account will be good for all future Scanfests. You can do some practices ahead of time by going to My Account and clicking on the link under Practice your live blogging. Again, you must have IE 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Panelist.

As a Producer, Participant or simply a reader, if you would like an e-mail reminder for Scanfest, fill out the form below and choose the time frame for which you would like to be reminded (if you're reading this through Google Reader, Bloglines, or some other RSS feed reader, you will need to go to my blog and view this post there to see and utilize the form).

It really is easier than it sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all there and getting some scanning done!

Tuesday's Tip: The Newberry Library's Research Guides

2012-01-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the Newberry Library in Chicago has its own online research guides that can help you, sitting comfortably in your pajamas doing online genealogy?

On this page, you can find research guides--most available in downloadable .pdf format--for any genealogy topic under the sun, from Adoption Research to the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. There are research guides for 27 states and the Province of Ontario, as well as major city, regional, ethnic, and overseas resources.

When looking at the research guides, you won't find a how-to, but rather a list of resources for that topic that are held in the Newberry Library. How is this useful? Suppose you are researching ancestry in the state of Maine. The Maine Research Guide will give you a list of books and periodicals for which you could check your local library. If not available, use WorldCat to find the nearest library that holds these resources and use inter-library loan to peruse it at (or photocopy the pertinent article to be sent to) your local library. Some of the research guides, such as the one for New York State, also have hyperlinks to online resources. You may find a listed resource so useful that you will eventually want to purchase your own copy at your local bookstore or through Amazon!

This is an excellent example of the Internet being used as a finding aid, a research tool, to find genealogy resources offline (remember, not everything is on the Internet, and it never will be!). Happy Hunting!

My Sixth Blogiversary

2012-01-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

On January 16, 2006, I published my very first post, "Moses Crothers - possible son of John Crothers and Mary 'Polly' Wycoff?" Little would I know that with the creation of my genealogy blog, my life would literally change. At that time, there were a handful of geneabloggers (and that term hadn't really been created yet) out there: Dick Eastman, DEARMyrtle (Pat Richley), Leland Meitzler, Randy Seaver. Soon I learned about the Carnival of Genealogy and Jasia, Craig Manson, Apple, footnoteMaven, and Becky Wiseman (who's got a nice list of the "old-timers" right here!).

In six years, I've knocked down a couple of genealogy brick walls. I've attended local and regional conferences both as an attendee and as a presenter and met many of my geneablogging buddies. They've visited me in Spokane. I've won blogging awards, been interviewed on radio, podcast, YouTube, and the local paper (twice). Genealogical publishing and subscription sites sent press releases for me to publish.

For several years, I blogged nearly every day and definitely several times a week. It was a mighty feat of creative and physical endurance, one that could not last. For one, it was taking its toll on my body. During that time, I gained 50 pounds, using my spare time to sit and blog instead of exercise, exacerbated by the pain of a bad shoulder, further entrenched by being sedentary following surgery. So I took time away to start improving my health and fitness. Secondly, it became difficult to blog about family history when my family, my marriage was falling apart; as emotional trauma challenged clarity of thought and creative expression.

For someone who has read daily since she was three--yes, three!--years old, not being able to focus long enough to finish the first chapter of a book signaled to me that I needed time off from both absorbing and creating words; that the swirling emotions and thoughts in my heart and head needed to settle before I could sift through them and bring them to life to share with others. They had to be sorted through to make room so I could take in what others were sharing as well. I knew I was healing when I could start reading again. With the mostly positive changes of the past year, I find myself thinking again like a writer, a blogger. Phrases will come to my mind, and I'll tuck them away for a future post. Ideas are once more starting to blossom. Still, as in many areas of my life, I'm taking things slowly.

As I wrote in my last post, my blogging goals this year include writing just one quality post a month. This post actually exceeds this month's goal. I do have some blogging gems in store for my readers. Next month, as we celebrate St. Valentine's Day and our thoughts turn to love and relationships, I'll be sharing my tongue-in-cheek insights on the similarities between online dating and online genealogy research! When Women's History Month comes around in March, "A Tale of Two Sisters"--which has been taking seed in my mind for several years--will at last be published. I won't make any more promises than these, although as I said, I've got ideas tucked away here and there.

Thank you once again, my blogging buddies and readers, for hanging in there and for giving me another year to celebrate. I hope to be around for many more!

2012 - Out with the Old, In with the New!

2012-01-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Please don't faint.Yes, I'm actually writing a post...and even publishing it...and one that's NOT about Scanfest, either! Many of you know about my 2011 year, but stick with me, I'm going to review it anyway! I'm feeling reflective today, as I often do around the New Year, but this past year brought many noteworthy changes to my life. These changes affected this blog in that I had less time, less energy, and less creative flow to write. But although it was a hard year, it was also a very good one. Much as the discomfort of pregnancy and the pain of childbirth bring forth the joy of a newborn, so did the events of the past year.

At the end of January 2011, my husband decided to take a visit to his parents across the state, a visit which at the time had no planned return date. He had been unemployed for 20 months, the fourth major period of unemployment in 17 years. Our nearly-24-year-old marriage had always been rocky, punctuated with a 45-month period of homelessness (living in the homes of friends and family members, house-sitting, and a horrible five-month stint in a homeless shelter), emotional--and sometimes--physical abuse, poverty, paranoia, and social seclusion. Shortly after he left, I went to the YWCA's Domestic Violence program and sought assistance under the guidance of a pro-bono lawyer, who although she did not represent me, was able--along with her paralegal--to help me with divorce and restraining order paperwork.

I took the first of many personal days off to meet with a paralegal to review my paperwork before visiting the county courthouse to file it and attend a hearing with a county commissioner, who would approve the restraining order and accept my petition for a dissolution. Ironically, it was February 14th, Valentine's Day. I remember the surreal feeling of realizing what day it was as I was standing in line at the security check and watching a well-dressed man carrying a large bouquet of flowers for his wife or sweetheart--who must have worked in one of the county offices--go through ahead of me. Surely, this would cause some shaking of heads of my descendants a century later. I could just hear them saying, "What was great-great-grandma thinking? Filing for divorce on Valentine's Day!" A simple explanation was that it was the first day I could schedule to get off work and meet with the paralegal, and once my paperwork had been reviewed satisfactorily, I was not going to waste another minute--or a personal day--to file at courthouse, which was only half a dozen blocks away from the YWCA.

The next few months were chaotic and overwhelming as I was supporting my son and myself without any child support and had no idea if I could keep my house or would be forced to sell it as part of the proceedings. Additionally, my car had died the previous October and the car my husband had primarily used, which I was now using, died in April. I got around all right by bus, walking, riding my bike, or getting rides from family members and friends, but it did take a lot of planning and time to get from point A to point B. Work was two miles away and there was no grocery store within walking distance. I also realized I had to hire a lawyer because my husband had hired a very expensive, aggressive one, and I knew I was no match in representing myself. Fortunately, through the help of a colleague, I was referred to an inexpensive yet capable female lawyer, who cut her fee in half after reviewing my documents and realizing I had done much of the footwork of filing and filling out paperwork on my own.

In fact, I would not have gotten through the year without the help and moral support of my family members (which includes my ex-husband's siblings and extended family) and friends and colleagues. For my birthday in March, the president of my genealogical society got together with a church friend of hers, who happened to be a colleague at my school, and threw a surprise birthday party for me at a local Chinese restaurant. In attendance were both members of my society and colleagues from my school! They blessed me abundantly with cash donations, which not only paid some bills, but allowed me to travel to the coast for some much-needed time off during Spring Break. I had visited Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound twelve years ago with my husband and children, shortly after--in yet another case of irony--an extremely difficult period in our marriage when I had seriously contemplated divorce, but decided to stay in it for the kids' sake. I had loved the island because it reminded me very much of Southeast Alaska where I had grown up. Even though my brother lived there for years, I had only had that one opportunity in 1999 to visit. And so I made up for lost time by visiting five times from April through August, usually taking Greyhound and at one point, catching a ride with some friends who were going over to the area for a long weekend. I was able to get reacquainted with friends from my hometown in Alaska who now live in the Whidbey Island-area and to catch up on all that has happened "back home" in the past 32 years. Additionally, I felt reconnected to the Native heritage that I had grown up in. Being able to be near the salt water and hike along the beaches and in the overgrown woods, so different from Eastern Washington, was good for my soul and allowed me to reflect and relax; to build courage for the next month or two of uncertainty in my life of change before I could visit again.

My job was a refuge as well. It was good for me to have structure and purpose during those months. In June and July, I was able to secure two summer school positions that helped me keep my head above water financially when the regular school year was out. I did have nearly the entire month of August off, and by then, with the divorce finalized July 21st and knowing that I would be able to keep the house, I was able to declutter and free my life up from the reminders of my past.

Once the school year began, my search for a vehicle intensified. In October, I purchased a 2004 Toyota Camry LE. I can't think of a time when I haven't driven it, even around the block, when I don't utter a prayer of gratitude for it. Although now I have a car payment, insurance, and fuel and maintenance costs, it has freed up my time considerably, not to have to plan five steps ahead on when and how and where I must travel just to get an errand done.

As part of the settlement, I chose to go back to my maiden name of Robbins--not because of any feelings of animosity toward the Midkiff name or family (who have been just wonderfully supportive, by the way)--but out of feelings of a fresh start, independence, and as a nod of recognition to my Dutch and Frisian female ancestors who kept their maiden names throughout their entire lives in the Old Country. I'll continue to research the Midkiff side of the family tree for my children's sake, as well as my future grandchildren's. The other day, I was at Blockbuster and requested my name be changed on my account. The clerk, thinking--I suppose--that I might have been newly married, asked how long I had been a Robbins. "My whole life," I told her proudly.

So, you see, I haven't had a lot of time to blog or even to think. Writing this post has taken me all day, simply because I'm so rusty. Also, one of the things I learned in a class at work about children who grow up in the midst of trauma is that it affects the ability to think linearly. There have been times I sat down in the past year to blog, and could not come up with anything coherent, and now I realize why. Life was too chaotic. I didn't accomplish a single genealogy goal that I listed back at the end of 2010, but that's all right. My life journey took a different--and better--path.

Another thing I decided to do to free up my time was to resign at the end of 2011 from most of my duties with the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. I have served as 1st Vice President for two years and as education chairperson for the past three. I'll still continue to write for the society blog and will head up the rest stop fundraiser, as well as lend a helping hand as needed. But I have to have the option of not attending a meeting now and again; and I felt that in the past year, my ability and quality of service were not my best work.

I do have some genealogy goals for this year, but they are fairly simple. The first I have already begun, and that is to order the pension file of my 3rd-great-grandfather, Benjamin Henry KIMBALL, to see if it reveals any information as to the death and burial of his first wife, my ancestor, Lucy May KIMBALL. My theory is that Lucy died at or shortly after the birth of their last child, my great-great-grandmother, Mary May KIMBALL.

My second goal is to write one quality post per month. Yes, just one. If I write more than that, wonderful; if not, I will have an attainable goal. The next goal is to continue doing what I have been doing: Scanfest, and working on my Online Historical Directories and Online Historical Newspapers websites. My last goal is to create an e-book based on my 52 Weeks of Online American Digital Archives and Databases posts - with all 50 states, the territories, and national resources complete, of course.

To help me out, I have partnered with Elyse Doerflinger of Elyse's Genealogy Blog to be my research and blogging buddy, just as several other geneabloggers have done in recent years. We all need a cheerleader and, in turn, to cheer someone else on. I can't think of a more enthusiastic cheerleader than Elyse! I had the privilege of meeting her at Jamboree 2010. Although she's young enough to be my daughter, I think we are kindred spirits. At first appearance, our lives are very different: she's a full-time twenty-something student and I'm a single forty-something mom supporting myself and a young man who's almost out on his own. But we are both extremely busy, juggling several plates-full in our quests to support ourselves and move forward in this journey called life. And we both have an unquenchable desire to research our ancestors, blog about it, and teach others how to do so as well.

So here I am, at the doorway to 2012. It will be a good year. It may be difficult, but I have learned in the past quarter-century that I can survive and yes, even triumph over difficulties. For those who would want to say, "Sorry to hear about your divorce," I reply with, "Don't say 'sorry.' I'm not sorry for this. 'Sorry' is for 24 years of misery. Be happy for me, with me, in this new life I've found!" And for all of you who didn't unsubscribe after months of little-to-no posts, I say "Thank you!" Here's to a wonderful new year!

"The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul.”
--G. K. Chesterton

No Scanfest in December

2011-12-16T06:57:00.000-08:00

Scanfest is normally held the last Sunday of each month. With Christmas Day being the same day, I had originally planned to have Scanfest next Sunday, December 18th. However, some last-minute holiday plans have precluded this.

We will meet for the next Scanfest on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM, PST. Enjoy your holidays!

November 2011 Scanfest

2011-11-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=f278c4afbf" &amp;gt;November 2011 Scanfest&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Scanfest is Coming!

2011-11-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

The November 2011 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, November 20th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Standard Time. It will be held one week earlier than its normally scheduled time of the last Sunday of the month, due to the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Cover It Live, a live blogging format that you access right here at AnceStories.

On Sunday at 11 AM, PST, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the CoverItLive live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

Up to 25 individuals can be invited to be Producers. Producers are participants who have the extra capability of sharing photos, links, and other media within the forum (great for sharing the photos you're scanning!). You must have Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Producer.

We can also have up to 25 other Participants who can comment freely in our conversation, but will not be able to share media. You can have any kind of browser to be a Participant, except AOL. Those who normally access the Internet with AOL may wish to download Firefox or Explorer ahead of time to be able to participate on CoverItLive.

In addition, any other readers of this blog can drop on by and view/read what is happening at Scanfest. If the 25 Participant spaces are full, those readers will not be able to comment, unless someone else drops out.

Confused? Have questions? Go to CoverItLive and check out 6. Try It Now to see live blogs in action or 7. Demos to see videos demonstrating how to use CIT (especially the ones titled "How do my readers watch my Live Blog?" and "Adding Panelists and Producers").

If you would like to be a Producer, please e-mail me no later than Saturday, November 19th at 4 PM, PST and I'll send you an invitation. Preference will given to previous Scanfesters. You must set up an account (free!) ahead of time to be a Producer. This account will be good for all future Scanfests. You can do some practices ahead of time by going to My Account and clicking on the link under Practice your live blogging. Again, you must have IE 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Panelist.

As a Producer, Participant or simply a reader, if you would like an e-mail reminder for Scanfest, fill out the form below and choose the time frame for which you would like to be reminded (if you're reading this through Google Reader, Bloglines, or some other RSS feed reader, you will need to go to my blog and view this post there to see and utilize the form).

It really is easier than it sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all there and getting some scanning done!

October 2011 Scanfest

2011-10-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=82875d5386" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;October 2011 Scanfest&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Scanfest is Coming!

2011-10-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

The October 2011 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, October 30th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Cover It Live, a live blogging format that you access right here at AnceStories.

On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the CoverItLive live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

Up to 25 individuals can be invited to be Producers. Producers are participants who have the extra capability of sharing photos, links, and other media within the forum (great for sharing the photos you're scanning!). You must have Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Producer.

We can also have up to 25 other Participants who can comment freely in our conversation, but will not be able to share media. You can have any kind of browser to be a Participant, except AOL. Those who normally access the Internet with AOL may wish to download Firefox or Explorer ahead of time to be able to participate on CoverItLive.

In addition, any other readers of this blog can drop on by and view/read what is happening at Scanfest. If the 25 Participant spaces are full, those readers will not be able to comment, unless someone else drops out.

Confused? Have questions? Go to CoverItLive and check out 6. Try It Now to see live blogs in action or 7. Demos to see videos demonstrating how to use CIT (especially the ones titled "How do my readers watch my Live Blog?" and "Adding Panelists and Producers").

If you would like to be a Producer, please e-mail me no later than Saturday, October 29th at 4 PM, PDT and I'll send you an invitation. Preference will given to previous Scanfesters. You must set up an account (free!) ahead of time to be a Producer. This account will be good for all future Scanfests. You can do some practices ahead of time by going to My Account and clicking on the link under Practice your live blogging. Again, you must have IE 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Panelist.

As a Producer, Participant or simply a reader, if you would like an e-mail reminder for Scanfest, fill out the form below and choose the time frame for which you would like to be reminded (if you're reading this through Google Reader, Bloglines, or some other RSS feed reader, you will need to go to my blog and view this post there to see and utilize the form).

It really is easier than it sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all there and getting some scanning done!

No Scanfest This Month

2011-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

There will be no Scanfest in September 2011 due to the many genealogical society activities I'm involved in this month. Our normal Scanfest day would have been September 25th, but I am coordinating my local society's highway rest stop fundraiser the entire weekend. I had considered moving Scanfest to this weekend, but I will be making two presentations at the the state society's conference on Saturday and will need to rest up Sunday, especially after fighting a cold all week.

Our next Scanfest is planned for Sunday, October 30th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, PDT. See you then!

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

The following post was originally published on my blog on September 11, 2007:

...Every American was affected on September 11th, and yet little of what we personally experienced will be recorded for posterity...unless we take the time to do so. On September 12th, 2001, I asked my children--Missy, then age 10, and Matt, then age 7--to write down something to help them remember how they were feeling that day. I knew that someday, their great-grandchildren would want to know. I wrote my thoughts and emotions, too.

We had just started the 2001 - 2002 school year a few days previously, and were starting to get into the swing of things. I was finishing getting ready for work, while my kids were in the living room, ready for school, waiting for me. They were watching PBS, and one of them called to me that a plane had hit a building somewhere. I walked into the living room to change the channel (my usual response when a news tragedy aired, to keep the kids from getting an eye- and earful), and then realized that whatever was happening was on every station...and it was horrible.

We saw how the towers were collapsing, and my son began to cry. He had no clue as to the terrible loss of life that had occurred; he only knew that a dream he had had was shattered. We had visited Chicago only a year earlier and he had been thrilled with our trip to the top of the Sears Tower. His next goal was to visit the World Trade Center in New York City. For a little boy who loved to make tall towers with Legos, that had been his ultimate dream. As I did my best to try to comfort him, I was angry with the evil behind all of this destruction that was even robbing my son, thousands of miles away.

When I heard that it was a suspected terrorist attack, and that not just New York City, but also Washington, D.C. was hit, as well as talk of the military being on alert, I called work, uncertain as to whether school would be canceled. Assured that for the time being, school would continue as normal, I decided I had better wake my [now ex-]husband before we left. He worked nights and I didn't want him to wake up to an empty house and hear the news alone. I can still see the look of shock on his face as I told him...probably an expression that my mirrored my own.

In the emergency staff meeting before work, our principal (a veteran) did a wonderful job of allaying our fears by reminding us that our hometown of Spokane was very unlikely to be a target of terrorism, and that we needed to model for our students a calmness and "business as usual" attitude for their sake. We were also cautioned not to turn on our televisions while students were in the classrooms.

That morning, the two teachers that I worked with did an amazing job in front of 40 anxious and confused first- and second-graders, one of whom was my son, and another who was a disabled student that I assisted. I can remember with clarity as we stood as a classroom to recite the pledge of allegiance how each of us adults in the room were unable to finish aloud, so overcome were we by emotion.

When we returned home at the end of the day, I sat and watched the news in horrified awe until I could no longer stand it. The devastation did not fully hit me until the next morning. I woke up and turned on the TV, and realized it had not been a bad dream at all, but it was very, very real. It was then that I finally broke down in tears.

----------------------------
"Keeper of the Light" graphic originally created 2001 at http://prayerpraisepeace.homestead.com/light.html for free public use. This website has been disabled for several years.

August 2011 Scanfest

2011-08-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=34cd9cfe8f" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;August 2011 Scanfest&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Scanfest is Coming!

2011-08-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

The August 2011 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, August 28th, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Cover It Live, a live blogging format that you access right here at AnceStories.

On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the CoverItLive live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

Up to 25 individuals can be invited to be Producers. Producers are participants who have the extra capability of sharing photos, links, and other media within the forum (great for sharing the photos you're scanning!). You must have Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Producer.

We can also have up to 25 other Participants who can comment freely in our conversation, but will not be able to share media. You can have any kind of browser to be a Participant, except AOL. Those who normally access the Internet with AOL may wish to download Firefox or Explorer ahead of time to be able to participate on CoverItLive.

In addition, any other readers of this blog can drop on by and view/read what is happening at Scanfest. If the 25 Participant spaces are full, those readers will not be able to comment, unless someone else drops out.

Confused? Have questions? Go to CoverItLive and check out 6. Try It Now to see live blogs in action or 7. Demos to see videos demonstrating how to use CIT (especially the ones titled "How do my readers watch my Live Blog?" and "Adding Panelists and Producers").

If you would like to be a Producer, please e-mail me no later than Saturday, August 27th at 4 PM, PDT and I'll send you an invitation. Preference will given to previous Scanfesters. You must set up an account (free!) ahead of time to be a Producer. This account will be good for all future Scanfests. You can do some practices ahead of time by going to My Account and clicking on the link under Practice your live blogging. Again, you must have IE 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Panelist.

As a Producer, Participant or simply a reader, if you would like an e-mail reminder for Scanfest, fill out the form below and choose the time frame for which you would like to be reminded (if you're reading this through Google Reader, Bloglines, or some other RSS feed reader, you will need to go to my blog and view this post there to see and utilize the form).

It really is easier than it sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all there and getting some scanning done!

1940 U.S. CENSUS TO BE FREE ON ANCESTRY.COM

2011-08-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

PROVO, UTAH (August 17, 2011) - Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that both the images and indexes to the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be made free to search, browse, and explore in the United States when this important collection commences streaming onto the website in mid-April 2012.

When complete, more than 3.8 million original document images containing 130 million plus records will be available to search by more than 45 fields, including name, gender, race, street address, county and state, and parents’ places of birth. It will be Ancestry.com’s most comprehensively indexed set of historical records to date.

Ancestry.com is committing to make the 1940 Census free from release through to the end of 2013, and by doing so hopes to help more people get started exploring their family history. As this census will be the most recent to be made publicly available, it represents the best chance for those new to family history to make that all-important first discovery.

“The release of the 1940 U.S. Census will be an exciting event for any American interested in learning more about their family history,” said Ancestry.com CEO Tim Sullivan. “By making this hugely important collection free to the public for an extended period, we hope to inspire a whole new generation of Americans to start researching their family history.”

“Ancestry.com is working to make the 1940 Census a truly unique interactive search experience...as well as the starting point to help new users easily get started on the world’s leading online family history resource. After finding that first family connection in the 1940 Census, we believe new users will be able to make amazing discoveries by searching our 7 billion digitized historical records, exploring the 26 million family trees created on Ancestry, and collaborating with our nearly 1.7 million subscribing members. We think that 2012 is going to be a great year of discovery for all family historians.”

About Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com)
Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with nearly 1.7 million paying subscribers. More than 7 billion records have been added to the site in the past 14 years. Ancestry users have created more than 26 million family trees containing over 2.6 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries that help people discover, preserve and share their family history, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

I'm a Guest on GeneaBloggers Talk Radio!

2011-08-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to be one of two guests being interviewed on Thomas MacEntee's GeneaBloggers Talk Radio tonight, Friday the 12th, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, PDT. The topic will be "Read All About It! Newspapers as Genealogy Resources." The other guest will be Thomas J. Kemp, of GenealogyBank and ObitsArchive. I'll be highlighting my Online Historical Newspapers website. You can listen online, call in (number is listed in the link below), and/or chat with other listeners on the site. If you can't make it, you can come back and listen later. The link to the show is here. Come join us!

July 2011 Scanfest

2011-07-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

July 2011 Scanfest

IYC 1985: Sunday, July 21st - Macomb, IL - Day 4 of IYC

2011-07-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

This morning it drizzled during the holiness meeting. Before the general spoke, we were entertained by a short drama "Present Age." Since the air conditioner was so loud, I couldn't hear and so didn't understand it very well. Since it was so hot, some of us kids stayed in the dorm this afternoon in the lounge & "goofed around." This evening we went to the Gowans & Larson musical, "Man--Mark II." The acoustics & sound system were lousy, but the acting was superb.

Man--Mark II

Later, at the dorm we had pizza, then sat around in the lounge again, and talked to kids from other territories & countries.

[Note: I think this was the day that some people in our group--who shall remain unnamed!-- decided to drop watermelon from the 11th--or was it the 15th?--floor of our dorm to "see what would happen! By the way, I was not in any way involved...honest!]

IYC 1985: Saturday, July 20th - Macomb, IL - Day 3 of IYC

2011-07-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

Today we let Macomb have it! 5,000 delegates marched through the square, saluted the general and sang Army songs, dressed in traditional costume or uniform. It was 92+°F with nearly 100% humidity. I took a long, cool, refreshing shower when I got back. At the International Youth Year Spectacular a gala show titled S.A. 21 was performed by the Santa Ana, Ca. Corps. A tremendous, beautiful firework & laser show accompanied. It was the most fantastic thing I ever saw.

[Note: when the fireworks were lit, there were also firecrackers set off. A number of delegates from Central America started to panic, thinking it was gunfire. That made an impression on me, as I knew they probably lived in constant danger of guerrilla terrorists.]

Scenes from S.A. 21

Scanfest is Coming!

2011-07-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

The July 2011 Scanfest will take place here at AnceStories this coming Sunday, July 31st, from 11 AM to 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

What is Scanfest? It's a time when geneabloggers, family historians, and family archivists meet online here at this blog to chat while they scan their precious family document and photos. Why? Because, quite honestly, scanning is time-consuming and boring!

Scanfest is a great time to "meet" other genealogists, ask questions about scanning and preservation, and get the kick in the pants we all need on starting those massive scanning projects that just seem too overwhelming to begin.

To get started, you need to know the basics about scanning:

1. Don't use commercial glass cleaners (i.e. Windex) or paper towels to clean your scanner's glass plate. Use a soft, clean cloth, preferably microfiber. If you must use a liquid, use water sprayed directly onto the cloth and make sure to let the plate dry thoroughly before placing photos or documents on it.

2. Wear cotton gloves (available at many art and/or photography supply shops) when handling photos and old documents.

3. Don't slide the photos around on the glass plate. Place them exactly where you want them. Photos should NEVER be scanned by a scanner that feeds the document through the machine, but ALWAYS on a flat-bed scanner.

4. Set your scanner to scan at no smaller than 300 dpi (dots per inch). Many experts recommend 600 dpi for photographs.

5. Photographs should ALWAYS be scanned and saved as .tif files. Use "Save As" to reformat the .tif file to a .jpg file for restoration and touchups, emailing, or uploading to an online photo album. ALWAYS retain the original scan as a .tif file.

6. Documents can be scanned as .pdf files or .tif files.

7. When you are done scanning your photos, don't put them back in those nasty "magnetic" photo albums. Place them in archival safe albums or boxes found at websites such as Archival Products or Archival Suppliers. Do NOT store any newsprint (articles, obituaries, etc.) with the photos. The acid from the newspaper will eventually destroy the photograph.

Now about the chatting part of Scanfest:

We will be using Cover It Live, a live blogging format that you access right here at AnceStories.

On Sunday at 11 AM, PDT, come right here to AnceStories and you'll see the CoverItLive live blog/forum in the top post. It's not really a "chat room," per se, it's more like a live forum and anyone visiting this site can read and see what is happening in the forum.

You will not need to download any software.

Up to 25 individuals can be invited to be Producers. Producers are participants who have the extra capability of sharing photos, links, and other media within the forum (great for sharing the photos you're scanning!). You must have Internet Explorer 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Producer.

We can also have up to 25 other Participants who can comment freely in our conversation, but will not be able to share media. You can have any kind of browser to be a Participant, except AOL. Those who normally access the Internet with AOL may wish to download Firefox or Explorer ahead of time to be able to participate on CoverItLive.

In addition, any other readers of this blog can drop on by and view/read what is happening at Scanfest. If the 25 Participant spaces are full, those readers will not be able to comment, unless someone else drops out.

Confused? Have questions? Go to CoverItLive and check out 6. Try It Now to see live blogs in action or 7. Demos to see videos demonstrating how to use CIT (especially the ones titled "How do my readers watch my Live Blog?" and "Adding Panelists and Producers").

If you would like to be a Producer, please e-mail me no later than Saturday, July 30th at 4 PM, PDT and I'll send you an invitation. Preference will given to previous Scanfesters. You must set up an account (free!) ahead of time to be a Producer. This account will be good for all future Scanfests. You can do some practices ahead of time by going to My Account and clicking on the link under Practice your live blogging. Again, you must have IE 6.0+ or Firefox 2.0+ to be a Panelist.

As a Producer, Participant or simply a reader, if you would like an e-mail reminder for Scanfest, fill out the form below and choose the time frame for which you would like to be reminded (if you're reading this through Google Reader, Bloglines, or some other RSS feed reader, you will need to go to my blog and view this post there to see and utilize the form).

It really is easier than it sounds, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all there and getting some scanning done!

IYC 1985: Friday, July 19th - Macomb, IL - Day 2 of IYC

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

today was the International Fair. Under the big tent in the Campus Mall were booths from many countries, territories & divisions. At the "giveaway" table I got a photo album & a pair of Foster Grant sunglasses. At the University bookstore I bought a college windbreaker & a Spanish dictionary [so I could talk to my new Argentinian and Paraguayan friends]. Dinner was held outdoors on bales of straw while country-western musicians performed for our Hog Roast. At the evening meeting, titled "Building a New World," Joni Earekson Tada & Tony Campolo spoke. They both waved Army flags while the crowd sang "On We March With the Blood and the Fire." They both gave dynamic messages! It was quite an evening! (Saw the musical Ruth again.)

I believe this was at the musical, Ruth

Joni Earekson Tada in wheelchair on left side of state. Tony Campolo is on the far left of the group that's on the right side of the stage.

IYC 1985: Thursday, July 18th - Macomb, IL - Day 1 of IYC

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

This morning at United Bible Session, Pres. Reagan sent a message via videotape. Col. Bramwell Tillsley gave the message. After lunch I went to the "Women in Ministry" seminar led by Mrs. Capt. Hal Smith. Then I saw the musical Ruth, by [Gwyneth and Robert] Redhead. It was very good. After dinner was the welcome rally. What a gala! Bands & timbrels, flag teams, national costumes, sky divers, pom poms, western skit, etc.

A man lands on the field with his parachute

Different countries' delgates

Balloons being released at the end of the field

Then an evening snack provided thru Hardee's. Swimming followed, then Randi & I talked til nearly 2:30 am. Time for bed!

IYC 1985: Wednesday, July 17th - Near Bourbon, MO to Macomb, IL

2011-07-17T22:23:00.000-07:00

At breakfast this morning we met a delegation from India. We headed out and when we stopped at a gas station, Mike & Ruth [Olsen] invited me to come along [in the Olsenmobile] when they picked up Lisa at St. Louis Intern'l Airport. We then arrived at Macomb at about 5:00 pm. Looked around campus and found & exchanged pins from other states, territories & countries. Today was frustrating because people were tired, had bad attitudes and I lost my garment bag.

Here are some of the pins I received in exchange for Spokane and Northwest Division pins. They are pinned to my bandana, which all the delegates received. You can click on the photo above to get a closer look. The pins I received were from Canada, Oklahoma, Carboner (Newfoundland), Michigan, Oklahoma City, Western Illinois University, Newfoundland, Australia, and the Canada and Bermuda Salvation Army Territory. I also show pins from the Northwest Division of the Western USA Territory and a couple from Spokane.

This banner was given to me by some of my friends from the Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay delegation.

IYC 1985: Tuesday, July 16th - Bloomington, IL to near Bourbon, MO

2011-07-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

After breakfast at the center, we headed to St. Louis. Saw the Arch, downtown, the Mississippi [River] (again) and steamboats.

Our group at the base of the Arch

Steamboats on the Mississippi River

Miriam, Dawn, Andrea

Looking at downtown St. Louis from the Arch

The State Capitol Building

The Arch in profile

Then we headed to Six Flags Over the Midwest Amusement Park. I rode the Jet Scream twice, the Screaming Eagle and Thunder River thrice. also rode the Log flume, where Tanya, Ruth [R.], and I got our picture shot, and the time Tunnel which was really boring. Saw "Hooray USA" at the Palace theater and the U.S. High Diving Team Performance. Ate Nachos & Sopapillas at the Mexican Merrimack Restaurant. We were at Six Flags from 1:30 - 8:00. Went to S.A. Camp Mihaska out of Bourbon, MO, and found some Argentinan [sic]and Paraguayan delegates to IYC. They had a devotion which I greatly enjoyed, even tho' I couldn't understand much of the prayers. Sang some choruses which were familiar. The Argentines are very friendly and outgoing. They are very sincere Christians, also. I hope to see them again in Macomb.

My new Argentinian and Paraguayan friends in their cabin