Danielle Romero was born in Albany, NY, where her family was raised believing they were were of Irish and French descent. Through many twists and turns she came to find her hidden heritage in Louisiana. [Read more…] about Finding Lola: An Albany Great Grandmother Who Passed As White
Genealogy
Help Transcribe the 1950 Census
The National Archives launched the 1950 Census website on April 1st, and is seeking help from the public to transcribe and refine the name index.
The website has already had more than 1.4 million visitors, including 44 million page views and over 1.2 million names transcribed. Transcribing or submitting name updates helps improve the accuracy of the name index and make the records more searchable. [Read more…] about Help Transcribe the 1950 Census
New York City Vital Records Now Online for Free
The largest collection of publicly available New York City birth, marriage, and death records is now online and free to access.
The New York City Municipal Archives has been working to digitize the millions of birth, marriage, and death records it holds since 2013. With the project now 70% complete, 9,318,625 digitized records from the 1860s to the early 1900s are already available online.
The completely digitized collection will include records of birth (1866–1909), death (1862–1948), and marriage (1866–1949). The new vital records was released following legal efforts by Reclaim The Records, and is based on an index created by the Genealogical Federation of Long Island (GFLI) who used the microfilmed card file to create the indexes. [Read more…] about New York City Vital Records Now Online for Free
The 1950 Census Has Been Released – Here’s How To Get It
According to the “72-Year Rule,” the National Archives releases census records to the general public 72 years after Census Day. As a result, the 1950 census records was released on April 1, 2022. The 1950 census was the first released in a digital, searchable form (name and place) from the outset. Previous censuses required time consuming and error introducing transcriptions and indexing.
Since the first census in 1790, the U.S. Census Bureau has collected data using a census “schedule,” also formally called a “questionnaire” or popularly called a “form.” Between 1790 and 1820, U.S. Marshals conducting the census were responsible for supplying paper and writing-in headings related to the questions asked (i.e., name, age, sex, race, etc.). In 1830, Congress authorized the printing of uniform schedules for use throughout the United States. [Read more…] about The 1950 Census Has Been Released – Here’s How To Get It
Ireland’s Public Record Office Virtual Reconstruction Primer
Beyond 2022 is working to recreate, digitally, Ireland‘s lost national treasure. This all-island and international research program combines historical research, archival discovery and technical innovation to track down copies and transcripts of original records lost in 1922.
Reuniting collections scattered around the globe, the aim of Beyond 2022 is to launch the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland — an open-access, virtual reconstruction of the Record Treasury destroyed at the Public Record Office of Ireland in the Four Courts Fire of 1922.
[Read more…] about Ireland’s Public Record Office Virtual Reconstruction Primer
Berne and Knox: German Heritage & Genealogy
In 1977 Our Heritage, a detailed history of the Town of Berne, was published by Hope Farm Press, Cornwalleville, New York. Mistakenly the book says it was produced by the Berne Historical Society.
An insert that accompanied the publication says “We regret to inform you there is a publication error. This book was produced by the Berne Bicentennial Commission, not the Berne Historical Society. The copyright should read the Town of Berne, not the Berne Historical Society. Virginia E. Mann, Town of Berne Bicentennial Commission Chairman.” [Read more…] about Berne and Knox: German Heritage & Genealogy
A Saratoga County Cemetery Mystery
Along Plummer Road in the town of Milton in Saratoga County sits the Powell-Wiswall Cemetery, a peaceful rural cemetery where local residents have been laid to rest since the early 1800s.
Standing like a sentinel over it all is a large statue of Christ. On two sides are engraved the names Ella Frances Wood-Mann and her husband Enos Rogers Mann. This monument sits adjacent to Wood family plots, where over the years Ella’s parents and other family members have been laid to rest. [Read more…] about A Saratoga County Cemetery Mystery
Harvard Library Focuses On Improving Access To Black History Collections
Houghton Library, Harvard University’s largest rare books and manuscripts repository, is home to hundreds of thousands of materials relating to history across the world. Houghton’s collections related to Black history range from the 18th century through today, but have been difficult to find among all the other material.
During the 2020‒21 academic year however, library staff paused their other digital projects to focus on building the collection related to Black American history. The effort has made more primary sources by and about African Americans available digitally, along with a considerable amount of context. [Read more…] about Harvard Library Focuses On Improving Access To Black History Collections
Finding Historic Maps: Tips from the New York Almanack
Recently libraries, archives, and museums around the globe featured some of their favorite maps and map-related records using #ArchivesYouAreHere.
Maps, atlases, pocket maps, maritime charts and other cartographic materials contain a wealth of information about places in New York State.
Here are some tips on how to find them: [Read more…] about Finding Historic Maps: Tips from the New York Almanack
A Welsh Immigrant Writes Home from Upstate New York, 1856
There is a fascinating letter from Evan Evans of Turin, Lewis County, NY to his relatives back in Wales. It is written in Welsh and dated August 1856.
The letter tells the story of a young man who had recently arrived in the United States who was struggling with homesickness and wrestling with doubts about whether he had made the right decision to move to America. He describes the sea-crossing, his arrival, and his new life in north-central New York State.
The letter now resides in the Meirionnydd Archives in northwest Wales. [Read more…] about A Welsh Immigrant Writes Home from Upstate New York, 1856