Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 27

Overview & Purpose

Today is the last day of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. I hope those who participated enjoyed themselves and learned about some new sites. We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. All of the Scavenger Hunt activities are posted on my genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/ along with a link to the answers.
I hope you have fun with today's tasks.

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/xzUj8s7AKgKLLMdZ7.   
Today’s Challenge

We are now on Day #27 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Today we are going to explore the Digital Public Library of America (https://dp.la/).

Hint

• The Digital Public Library of America (https://dp.la/) gathers the digital collections of many sites including the Hathi trust, Google Books, and various universities.

Questions

1. Search for the Decennial record of the class of 1903, Princeton University. Read the full text version of the book. Who was the class president?
2. Search for the Postmaster Appointments for Mercer County, Ohio. Who are the two people listed as Postmasters in New Bremen during 1835 and 1837?
3. Search for William V Westerheide.  What war did he fight in?
4. Search for the Petition for Naturalization of William E. Harris. Where was he born?
5. Search for Sylvester Reeder. What college did he attend in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia?

Bonus Points (Optional)

• Search for Francis Marion Coker and find a letter from W. B. C. Coker written on July 28, 1861. Look at the first page of the letter. Who did India Coker marry?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/xzUj8s7AKgKLLMdZ7).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 30.  I hope you had fun participating in the Family History Scavenger Hunt during June. The answers for all scavenger hunt events are being posted at the link below.

Answers

Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 26

Overview & Purpose

We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. This scavenger hunt will occur daily during the month of June.

The clues will be posted each evening on the Indian River Genealogy Conference Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IRGConf), Friends of Vero Beach Family History Center Facebook group (www.facebook.com/159642411143167) and the genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

The tasks will introduce you to a variety of online sources and help you learn new research sites and how to use them effectively to discover your ancestors. 

Join in the fun, discover new sites, and learn how to research on sites that you may have never used before. 

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/5NjEZ7CYxQRFe7JX6.    

Today’s Challenge

We are now on Day #26 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Today we are going to explore the Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System database managed by the National park System (https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm). 

Hint

The Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System can be used to search for individuals, regiments, cemeteries, battles, prisoners, monuments, and medals of honor.

Questions

1. Search for James F Coker from Georgia. What battle unit was he a member of?
2. Click on the battle unit that James F Coker was a member of. How many members of this unit were present at Gettysburg?
3. Click on the Battle of Gettysburg link. How long was the train of wounded Confederate soldiers?
4. Search for the 37th Ohio Infantry memorial. At which battlefield is it located?
5. Search for William E Harris from Florida who fought for the Confederacy. What battle unit was he with?

Bonus Points (Optional)

• How many armed conflicts occurred during the Civil War?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/rYeJbTSh5MGemAi66).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 29.  Even though we no longer have any prizes, I hope that you will continue to participate and invite your friends to join in the fun.

Answers

Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 25

Overview & Purpose

We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. This scavenger hunt will occur daily during the month of June.

The clues will be posted each evening on the Indian River Genealogy Conference Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IRGConf), Friends of Vero Beach Family History Center Facebook group (www.facebook.com/159642411143167) and the genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

The tasks will introduce you to a variety of online sources and help you learn new research sites and how to use them effectively to discover your ancestors.

Join in the fun, discover new sites, and learn how to research on sites that you may have never used before.

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/rYeJbTSh5MGemAi66.   

Today’s Challenge

We are now on Day #25 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Today we are going to explore a newspaper search engine called Elephind (https://elephind.com).

Hint

Elephind (https://elephind.com) allows you to search many of the large newspaper databases simultaneously with a total of over 4,000 titles. Try this site before you go to the other databases. Sometimes when searching a name you will want to place the name in quotes “Jim Smith” to narrow down your results. Try the searches with and without the quote marks.

Questions

1. Bernard Garmann was ordained a priest in 1909. In what seminary did he study?
2. Henry Aufderhaar was shot and killed by his father-in-law in 1872. What was the name of the murderer?
3. Artrude Westerhedie was married in 1933. What was the name of her husband?
4. Homer Wesner and his wife Gertrude filed for divorce in 1921. What monthly amount was Homer ordered to pay his wife for child support?
5. Viola Truesdale died in 1914. What was the cause of her death?

Bonus Points (Optional)

• How many newspapers (not newspaper titles) can be searched with the Elephind search engine?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/rYeJbTSh5MGemAi66).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 28.  Even though we no longer have any prizes, I hope that you will continue to participate and invite your friends to join in the fun.

Answers

Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 24

Overview & Purpose

We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. This scavenger hunt will occur daily during the month of June.

The clues will be posted each evening on the Indian River Genealogy Conference Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IRGConf), Friends of Vero Beach Family History Center Facebook group (www.facebook.com/159642411143167) and the genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

The tasks will introduce you to a variety of online sources and help you learn new research sites and how to use them effectively to discover your ancestors.

Join in the fun, discover new sites, and learn how to research on sites that you may have never used before.

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/8AQm7o2SLZ63n7SN9.   

Today’s Challenge

We are now on Day #24 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Today we are going to explore the genealogy resources available at the National Archives Resources for Genealogists (https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy).

Hint

Before you dive into the National Archives you may want to read through the Catalog Guide (https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/catalog-guide) to become familiar with how records are searched on the site.

Questions

1. Visit the National Archives Catalog (https://catalog.archives.gov/) and search for WWII Army Casualties: Ohio. In the search results select Web Pages and click on the link to WWII Army Casualties: Ohio. Read the Forward pages so you understand what is in this collection. Select Auglaize County and find Robert L Griner. What was his rank and type of casualty?
2. Return to the National Archives Catalog and search for John Westerheide. During the Civil War, what was his military unit?
3. Search the Catalog for Samuel Truesdell in the Revolutionary War pension and Bounty Land Warrant records. What is his file number?
4. Search the Catalog for Minster Ohio. Find the National Register of Historic Places record for Minster Elementary School. What year was the school constructed?
5. Search the Catalog for Joseph Bornhorst living in Auglaize County, Ohio in the 1900 US Census. What is his birth month and year?

Bonus Points (Optional)

• Search for the Enemy Alien Registration Affidavit for Bernard Garmann. Read through the pages of his file to find some very important genealogical information. What was his occupation?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/8AQm7o2SLZ63n7SN9).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 27.  Even though we no longer have any prizes, I hope that you will continue to participate and invite your friends to join in the fun.

Answers

Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 23

Overview & Purpose

We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. This scavenger hunt will occur daily during the month of June.

The clues will be posted each evening on the Indian River Genealogy Conference Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IRGConf), Friends of Vero Beach Family History Center Facebook group (www.facebook.com/159642411143167) and the genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

The tasks will introduce you to a variety of online sources and help you learn new research sites and how to use them effectively to discover your ancestors. 

Join in the fun, discover new sites, and learn how to research on sites that you may have never used before. 

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/xbMskbi8bq3sZGTU9.    

Today’s Challenge

Yesterday’s scavenger hunt was a bit more challenging than previous days. I wanted to give you a new resource but also demonstrate how different sites can be harder to navigate, especially foreign language sites. We are now on Day #23 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Today we are going to return to the US and look at veteran’s records. The US Department of Veterans Affairs maintains the National Gravesite Locator database (https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/) where you can find the burial locations of your veteran ancestors.

Hint

The National Gravesite Locator (https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/) database is updated daily. You can search for burial locations of veterans and their family members in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries, various other military and Department of Interior cemeteries, and for veterans buried in private cemeteries when the grave is marked with a government grave marker.

Questions

Search for burials with the surname Westerheide. How many individuals with this last name are listed in the database?

Locate the burial information for Vernon J Westerheide. What branch of the military did he serve in?

What war was Vernon Westerheide a veteran of?

Search for William H Coker who died in 1861. Where is he buried?

Search for Estill Herbert Walker and click on the cemetery he is buried in. Read about the history of the cemetery. What was the battle that the original soldiers who were buried here fought in?

Bonus Points (Optional)

The American Battle Monuments Commission (https://www.abmc.gov/) provides information on service members buried in overseas cemeteries. Go to this website and search for Lexow. What was this individual’s name, rank and where was he interred?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/xbMskbi8bq3sZGTU9).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 26.  Even though we no longer have any prizes, I hope that you will continue to participate and invite your friends to join in the fun.

Answers

The Inspiration of Blogging and Family History

Lately my blog has been focusing on the Family History Scavenger Hunt activities that I am creating to introduce people to the wide variety of free resources that are available for their research. I have a small number of people who have been participating throughout the entire month and I hope they have come across some sites that they weren't aware of before. There are only a few days left in the month until I end the scavenger hunt but the events are still here for anyone else to participate in when they have time.

Sometimes, as a blogger with a smaller following, I wonder how my posts affect people or may be used to inspire them in their research. When my son was younger, we home schooled him and many of his homework assignments centered around family history and how his ancestors interacted with historic events. Topics such as the Irish Potato Famine, German migrations, the Civil War, and the westward advance of the pioneers were easily tracked through his ancestors' stories.

Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island (1911)

Today I received an email from a mother who has been homeschooling her children through the COVID pandemic. They had been watching a show on PBS about immigration and Ellis Island and she had told her children about their great great grandmother who came to the United States through Ellis Island. Most of my ancestors came to the country prior to the opening of Ellis Island but I have written about Ellis Island records in several of my blog posts. Her children came across one of my blog posts in their research and found some information that helped point them in the right direction for their assignment.

As a teacher at heart (16 years as an adjunct professor) and a previous Boy Scout leader, I have a great passion for helping people learn, whether that be the sciences (marine science, biology, conservation ecology) or about their family history and I really appreciated the email that I received telling me how my blog had inspired them to continue their research. They also suggested that I look at another website that they found in their research "New York City History: Ellis Island" (https://www.yourlawyer.com/library/new-york-city-history-ellis-island/). That website lays out the history of Ellis Island and why it is a significant landmark to New York City and the nation.

When we are researching our family history we need to go beyond the names, places and dates. We need to understand the times they lived, the cultures that surrounded them, and the events of their lives. Many of our ancestors survived the Spanish Flu epidemic a little over 100 years ago. Some of our ancestors died during that epidemic. Many of our ancestors lived through the Great Depression. Others fought and died in World War I and World War II. I had previously been working on a blog where I told the stories of my ancestors in context of their times. My OurAncestories blog is located at http://ourancestories.blogspot.com and hasn't been very active for the last four years. I do need to go back and start telling their stories again.

Remember, family history can be an inspiring and educational hobby. We can learn about the times of our ancestors, the challenges they faced, and realize that if they could do it so can we. I challenge each of you to focus on your last 4-generations and begin to tell their stories so that your children and grandchildren will remember them for what they accomplished.

Family History Scavenger Hunt - Day 22

Overview & Purpose

We all love scavenger hunts, hunting for the clues and discovering new things. This scavenger hunt will occur daily during the month of June.

The clues will be posted each evening on the Indian River Genealogy Conference Facebook page (www.facebook.com/IRGConf), Friends of Vero Beach Family History Center Facebook group (www.facebook.com/159642411143167) and the genealogy blog at https://milesgenealogy.blogspot.com/.

The tasks will introduce you to a variety of online sources and help you learn new research sites and how to use them effectively to discover your ancestors. 

Join in the fun, discover new sites, and learn how to research on sites that you may have never used before. 

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form found at https://forms.gle/8eSPrwJp4euvjkHA8.    

Today’s Challenge

We are now on Day #22 of the Family History Scavenger Hunt. Many people have ancestors from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France/Germany. The region has changed hands several times and the records for that region are in several languages including Latin, German and French. Part of this region is now known as Bas-Rhin and they have a great online archive at http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/.

Hint

• Be aware that the records in the Bas-Rhin Archives (http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/) may be in various languages and even had their own calendar during the reign of Napoleon that does not match other calendars. In the collection, books with N are births, D are deaths, S are burials, and M are marriages.

Questions

1. At the bottom of the webpage there are three images. The first is for the parish registers and civil status documents. The second image is for population censuses. The third is inventories and online libraries. Select the parish registers image. Click on the link for the L'application Adeloch on the next page to open the search tool. Select the town of Strasbourg to search. In the timeline under the books, pull the marker to 1922 and select the last book by double clicking on it. What is the date of the first page of this book (certificate number 2081)?
2. The names of the individuals are usually written in the left margin of the page. What was the name of the deceased person who is listed on certificate number 2081?
3. How old was the person listed on certificate 2081?
4. Return to the Adeloch application. The black books are parish and hospital records. Find the books for Saint-Laurent. What is the name of the first individual on this record?
5. Return to the Adeloch application and select Tables Decennales and select the TD 1943-1952 (last book in this color). The first page of this book lists Johann Maas. What was the death date for Johann?

Bonus Points (Optional)

• Return to http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/ and select the Recensements de population (population census). Click on Ellenbach to access the census records. Again select Strasbourg for the location. The most recent census available on this archive is 1888. What language is the 1888 census?

Action

Answers will be submitted using a Google Form (https://forms.gle/8eSPrwJp4euvjkHA8).  I will provide the answers to all who have completed the scavenger hunt by 8:00 pm EST on June 25.  Even though we no longer have any prizes, I hope that you will continue to participate and invite your friends to join in the fun.

Answers