04.21.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library, Genealogy Conferences at 10:21 pm by Administrator
Today’s UPGS 2008 program was largely devoted to research in the Family History Library.
The International Floor was buzzing with activity as Polish researchers swarmed the microfilm readers. Unused readers were hard to find.
I heard several people speak of successes. I had an unexpected success today as I reviewed the microfilms for my Niedziałkowski ancestors from the Szwelice parish in Poland. I had decided to carefully review the films for this parish to try to catch anything I’ve missed before and to try to find a connection between my Niedziałkowski ancestors and the other Niedziałkowskis in the Szwelice records.
In doing so, I found a marriage record for Adam Bonislawski and Petronella Niedziałkowska. Seeing this marriage record rang a bell in my head: where had I seen those names before?
Then it struck me - those were the parents of Czeslawa Bonislawska, the wife of my Great Grand Uncle, Franciszek Niedzialkoski! I have a record of them in the 1900 US Federal Census with their three children who were born in Poland: Czeslawa, Jan, and Władysław. I also have the marriage record of Franciszek Niedzialkoski and Czeslawa Bonislawska who were married in Massachusetts in 1904.
And, there’s more! Petronella’s parents were Ludwik Niedziałkowski and Józefa Pomaska, who were already in my database. Even if Franciszek and Czeslawa had not married, I’d be related to them both!
The UPGS 2008 conference held its closing banquet this evening after the Family History Library closed. The keynote speaker was Steve Morse who spoke on his “One-Step” WebPages. It seems that my path keeps crossing that of Steve Morse, but that’s really not surprising. Steve is a very popular speaker. His keynote address at UPGS 2008 was his 100th speaking engagement, an occasion he celebrated by showing a picture of a 100 złoty Polish banknote!
I have one more day of research at the Family History Library before I return to San Francisco. Wish me luck for my last day in Salt Lake City!
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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11.25.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Canada, Census Records, Family History Library at 12:01 am by Administrator
Saturday at the Family History Library I spent most of the day researching the Canadian Census.
I don’t have any direct ancestors from Canada, but my aunts and uncles married spouses with roots in Canada, to wit:
- my Aunt Sophie’s husband has roots in the Eastern Townships of Quebec,
- my Uncle John’s wife has French Canadian roots in Quebec,
- my Aunt Bertha’s husband has roots in New Brunswick,
- my Aunt Nat’s husband has roots in Nova Scotia, and
- my Uncle Fred’s wife has French Canadian roots in Quebec.
Currently, online images and/or indexes exist for the Canadian censuses taken in 1851, 1881, 1901, 1906, and 1911. Ancestry has indexes and links to the images for the 1851, 1901, 1906, and 1911 censuses, although the images for the 1851 census reside on the Collections Canada server and may be browsed for free through Collections Canada’s ArchiviaNet. The 1881 census is indexed on FamilySearch and the index may be searched for free, although no online images are available.
Given that I’m interested in the 1851-1891 census records for Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, the Ancestry databases don’t do me much good except for the index to the 1851 census. And so, I chose to attack this long-standing item in my to-do list at the Family History Library.
One big advantage in searching these records at the Family History Library itself, rather than just ordering the films and browsing them at my local Family History Center, is that numerous finding aids and expert advice is available in Salt Lake City, but not at my local Family History Center.
I chose to concentrate on two main lines. I found the following records for the ancestors of my Uncle John’s wife:
- 1851 - Francois Patenaude in St. Valentin, Quebec;
- 1861 - Francois Patenaude and David Patenaude in St. Valentin, Quebec;
- 1871 - Francois Patenaude, David Patenaude, and Aubin Gamache in St. Valentin, Quebec; Charles Patenaude in Barford, Quebec;
- 1881 - Francois Patenaude and Aubin Gamache in St. Valentin, Quebec; Charles Patenaude in Coaticook, Quebec.
I also found the following records for the ancestors of my Aunt Bertha’s husband:
- 1871 - Simon Poirier in Shediac, New Brunswick;
- 1881 - Simon Poirier and Andre Poirier in Shediac, New Brunswick;
- 1891 - Andre Poirier in Shediac, New Brunswick.
After speaking with one of the staff members at the library, I also searched the Loiselle Marriage Index for the ancestors of Alice Charron and made a little progress there as well.
In the coming weeks, I plan to post some of these images.
For now, I have to finish packing and get a good night’s sleep. My flight leaves Salt Lake City at 7 AM on Sunday.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
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11.24.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library, Italy at 12:04 am by Administrator
I spent all day Friday researching Sicilian records.
Specifically, I researched records from Augusta, Siracusa, Sicily, a collection that is well represented in the Family History Library with Civil Registration records of births, marriages, and deaths from 1820-1829 (with some gaps).
The collection also includes census records from 1548-1815. I have not yet examined the census records, but I expect that they do not list every name in every household.
The marriage records are supplemented with the Allegati - a collection of documents to support the marriage including birth and baptismal records of the bride and groom (the civil registrations of births do not include information about baptisms) and death records for deceased parents.
The Allegati provided me with information that extends back further than the civil registrations go - some of the birth records and death records included in the Allegati were church records prior to 1820.
For an added bonus, the death records of the parents of the bride and groom also named the grandparents of the bride and groom - three generations named in a single record.
Because I’ve researched this Sicilian line before, my research today centered on the siblings of the individuals in the main ancestral line. I was able to find ten records (not including Allegati) that relate to the family and, while I’ve harvested more records than this is a day’s work at the Family History Library, I’m pleased with my accomplishment today.
Saturday morning I plan to search census records for the French Canadian ancestors of my Godmother.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
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11.23.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library at 12:01 am by Administrator
While most of America is out Christmas shopping today, getting the earlybird specials at countless retail emporiums coast-to-coast, I’ll be standing in front of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City waiting for the doors to open at 8 AM.
Thanksgiving weekend is my traditional Fall Research Getaway. For me, Friday is a paid holiday from work, and so I have the chance to squeeze in two quick days at the Family History Library before returning to the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday.
I fully expect the library to be empty. Missionaries, volunteers, and paid staff will be actively looking for people to assist, and the photocopiers and scanners will be largely idle. An ideal environment in which to work.
This year, I wasn’t able to prepare a research agenda as well as I usually do, but I’ll be searching Sicilian records and Irish records for friends, and I’ll spend some time looking at Polish records for my ancestors, too. One other goal is to search for some of the Quebec census records for the ancestors of my Godmother, ancestors for whom I’ve already found records in the Drouin Collection.
Since it’s getting late here in Salt Lake City, I’d better concentrate on getting some quality sleep. I have a 12-hour research day in store for me on Friday!
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
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10.03.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Poland, Family History Library, Genealogy Conferences at 11:30 pm by Administrator
Orvill S. Paller, Collection Management Specialist for Poland at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, presented a lecture on Polish Genealogy & The Family History Library. His discussion included:
- Identifying & Prioritizing Records
- Acquisitions in Poland
- Records at the Family History Library (FHL)
- Family Search Indexing
- Records Search
The process of finding and obtaining new records for the collection of the FHL involves a process of identifying records, visiting the archives, prioritizing records, and collaborating with the archives.
Collection management at the FHL:
- Identifies and prioritizes records to be acquired, learning what types of records are available: church records, civil registration, census records, etc.
- Identifies the time periods and locations the records encompass
- Identify the archives that hold the records
Acquisitions in Poland began in May 1967 by the Genealogical Society of Utah (now referred to as FamilySearch). The content management specialist for Poland focuses exclusively on archives and repositories in Poland. The goal is the long term preservation of records through digital storage. Storage is in transition from microfilm to digital capture.
Current preservation efforts include records from Radom, Lublin, Czestochowa, and Opole. Only Opole records are being microfilmed. Records from the other areas are captured digitally. The initial focus has been on diocesan and archdiocesan archives.
Digital images are not yet available to the public.
Current negotiations are underway with both church archives and state archives in Poland for new acquisitions. As microfilmed records are converted to digital format in preparation for dissemination of those records via the Internet, existing contracts must be renegotiated. Earlier contracts did not include digital publication rights, and so all previous contracts must be renegotiated to enable the FHL to publish microfilmed records to the Internet.
Microfilmed records are maintained on master copies held at the Granite Mountain Records Vault near Salt Lake City. Over 2.7 million rolls of microfilm are currently housed at the Granite Mountain Records Vault. Copies of most of these films may be rented through local Family History Centers throughout the world, but a small part of the collection cannot be circulated outside of the FHL due to stipulations in the contracts with the owners of the original records.
Preparation is important when searching for records in the collection of the FHL:
- Who is the immigrant ancestor?
- In what Polish village was he or she born?
- Where is this village located?
- What religion did the ancestor practice?
- Where is the parish for this village?
FHL catalog entries use specific gazetteers. A single village may be listed under more than one name, in more than one country, due to the changing borders of Poland. In Poland, villages are named according to the Spis. In Germany, places are named according to Meyer’s Ort. When conducting a place search in the FHL catalog, diacritical marks are not needed.
If the film notes for a particular microfilm states VAULT, the microfilm is not physically located at the FHL, but may be ordered in advance, before a visit to the FHL. Otherwise, the staff requires between one and three days to transfer VAULT films from the Granite Mountain Records Vault to the FHL.
When searching the FHL Catalog, be aware that errors may exist. One may obtain different results depending on how the catalog is searched. For example, a village that is currently in Poland but was previously in Germany may display two record sets under the listing for one country, but only one record set in the other country.
The current effort to bring microfilmed records to the Internet is enlisting volunteers to index the records. http://www.familysearchindexing.org allows volunteers to download free indexing software and then index the records of their choice. Two current indexing efforts are the 1900 US Census and the 1871 Census of Canada. The FHL currently has 30,000 volunteer indexers at work and hopes to enlist the efforts of 100,000 indexers by the end of the year.
Eventually the FHL intends to revamp the FamilySearch website and deliver images through that portal.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
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09.06.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library at 12:01 am by Administrator
I spent a couple of hours this evening at my local Family History Center, searching the parish records from Pałuki.
Previously, I found the baptismal records for my 4th great grandfather, Tomasz Niedziałkowski, and his sister, Martina Anna Niedziałkowska. From those records I discovered that my 5th great grandparents were Ignace Niedziałkowski and Zofia Szamińska.
I then found the marriage record for Ignace and Zofia and the baptismal and death record for Ignace.
From Ignace’s baptismal record I learned that my 6th great grandparents were Krzysztof Niedziałkowski and Konstancja Żaboklicka.
The children of Krzysztof Niedziałkowski and Konstancja Żaboklicka were:
There records raise some questions, though. First, the mother of all these children (except Kazimierz and the two Katarzynas) is listed as Konstancja Żaboklicka or simply as Konstancja.
The mother of Kazimierz is listed as Konstancja Anna Żaboklicka. No real problem there. The mother of the first Katarzyna is listed as Katarzyna. Did the priest just make a mistake here, or is this the wrong person? The mother of the second Katarzyna is listed as Anna. This may be a problem, but a previous record listed the mother as Konstancja Anna, and this record may just identify the mother by her middle name, Anna.
A further question revolves around the two Katarzynas. The re-use of a given name in a single family usually indicates that the first child born with that name died young. There may be a death record for the first Katarzyna.
So, today I returned to the Family History Center to look for a death record for a Katarzyna Niedziałkowska, and to look for marriage records for Ignace’s siblings.
I found eight Niedziałkowskis/Niedziałkowskas in the death index, but the index only covers the period 1781-1820. Katarzyna would have died between 1729 and 1734. I’ll have to search the death records manually.
I then looked for marriage records naming a Niedziałkowski/Niedziałkowska as groom/bride. Of the 19 records I found, only one that looked like it was a good match. That match was for Katarzyna Niedziałkowska who married Józef Obidziński on 22 Nov 1751. I then looked for children of this couple and found six:
- Agnieszka, baptized 4 Jan 1756
- Józefata, baptized 21 Feb 1758
- Maryanna, baptized 08 Dec 1759
- Faustyna, baptized 28 Feb 1762
- Józef, baptized 9 Mar 1764
- Józefata, baptized 21 Feb 1768
I didn’t have time to make copies of these records, but I can do so the next time I visit the Family History Center.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko
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04.16.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library, Carnival of Genealogy at 9:30 pm by Administrator
As I usually do, I took some photos while in Salt Lake City. Previously, I posted photos of my Fall 2006 trip to the Family History Library (FHL), Temple Square, and the Salt Lake City Main Public Library. Today, I’m presenting some photos from the first floor of the FHL. The first floor of the library houses the collections of Family Histories and Biographies (formerly located in the Joseph Smith Building) and also includes the orientation room and a large classroom.
The Eternal Family Through Christ
Visitors to the FHL are greeted with this painting as they enter the lobby of the Family History Library. Painted by Judith Mehr and entitled The Eternal Family Through Christ, the painting measures 7 feet by 23 feet. The work attempts to show the overall plan of salvation and the theme of family togetherness, as espoused in LDS church doctrine.
The Forward Movements of Man
This diagram on one of the first floor walls attempts to show the developments of man throughout the geologic ages.
The Stacks
A few years ago, all the Family Histories and Biographies were kept in the Joseph Smith Building, not in the FHL. Unfortunately, this arrangement made the collection less accessible, since few patrons of the FHL ventured over to the Joseph Smith Building. The collection is now located on the first floor of the FHL. If you’re impressed by the number of Family Histories and Biographies in this aisle, be aware that there are seven more aisles just like it.
The Orientation Room
New visitors to the FHL are encouraged to visit the Orientation Room on the first floor of the FHL to learn about the library, to view a film about Family History Research, and to ask questions before venturing into the rest of the library.
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04.14.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library at 7:22 pm by Administrator
Today I spent most of the day researching vital records in Vermont, particularly the Gibson and Paradee surnames. I could have spent the entire day on these records, but I wanted to look at a couple of other records, too.
I searched the 1871 and 1881 Canadian census records for the Gibson family. I found three relevant Gibson families in the 1871 census, all related to John and Sarah Gibson, but I could only find the family of Willard Gibson in the 1881 census. I don’t know where everyone else was in 1881.
I also searched the San Jose city directories for two people who, according to the 1930 census, were residents of San Jose, California. The couple was listed in San Jose in the 1931 city directory, but not in later editions. From this information, I’m not sure if the couple moved out of San Jose or if one of them died. I’ll have to look at other records.
Finally, I searched the parish records for Wigry, Russia (now Poland) for records on the ancestors of the Izbicki family of Worcester, Massachusetts. I found a few records, but now I’m running out of time. The library closes soon, so I’ll have to pack up and head back to the hotel.
Unfortunately, my laptop has been acting up ever since I arrived in Salt Lake City. It now shuts down by itself after a few minutes. I have been able to copy sufficient information to paper in order to keep my research going, but I’m rather concerned about this situation. I suspect the fan is malfunctioning and the computer is overheating. I’ll have to get the computer repaired, so blogging may be intermittent until things are fixed.
Tomorrow, I plan to spend some time relaxing in the morning and then spend some time at the Salt Lake City Public Library in the afternoon. I head back to the west coast in the evening.
All in all, it’s been a productive weekend.
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04.13.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library at 11:30 pm by Administrator
My first day at the Family History Library involved something I never thought I’d be doing - hunting for Italian ancestors. The reason I thought this experience would be unlikely is simply that I don’t have any Italian ancestors.
I’m searching for these ancestors for a client who knows when and where her parents were born and the maiden names of their mothers, but little else.
Fortunately, the Family History Library has microfilmed copies of the civil registration for Augusta, Siracusa, Italy from 1820 to 1929, and census records from 1682 to 1815, giving me coverage from 1682 to 1929!
I spent the entire day yesterday searching through these records and was able to find records that listed my client’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and even four of her great-great grandparents. Even so, I’ve barely begun to look through the records.
One important record set for researching Italian roots that I never knew about are the allegati. More about that at a later date.
An important website I learned about for researching Italian genealogy is italia.indettaglio.it. In particular, since I was researching Sicilian surnames, I was able to follow links on this site to the Sicilian Surnames Search Engine in order to confirm the spellings of the surnames I found in the records.
In that way, I was able to confirm that the surnames I found in the civil registration records were frequently encountered names in Sicily, and was even able to find the frequency of those names in the village of Augusta.
More tomorrow.
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04.12.07
Posted in Daily Journal, Family History Library at 4:04 pm by Administrator
Tonight, I’m flying to Salt Lake City to spend two days at the Family History Library (my annual spring trip). 2007 is the off-year for the United Polish Genealogical Societies Conference (held in Salt Lake City in even-numbered years in the spring); so, for me, I’ll be able to spend two entire days in the Family History Library with no interruptions.
I have a number of goals for this trip, including:
- Find records for the Polish ancestors of the Izbicki family
- Trace the Sicilian ancestors for a client (should be fun, I’ve never looked into Italian or Sicilian records before)
- Track down the Vermont vital records for some elusive members of the Gibson family
- Look up some Canadian census records for the Gibson family
I printed out film numbers for the microfilms I plan to view; and, two weeks ago, I emailed a request for the staff to pull five films from the vault so they would be available while I’m in Salt Lake City.
I’ll also get to see first-hand how the Family History Library patrons are dealing with the recent discontinuation of full access to Ancestry.com. In recent years, the census area on the second floor was all but abandoned since it was so much easier to just search the census on Ancestry.com.
In the past, it seemed like whatever records I decided to copy at the Family History Library were made available online within a few months of my visit. I don’t expect to see the Sicilian or Polish records online anytime soon, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see additional years of the Canadian Census online in the coming months.
Reminder to myself: Don’t forget to bring the thumb drive this time!
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