What could you discover in a death certificate?

•Names: You might find the name of the deceased, his or her spouse, parents, children and sometimes other relatives. You can even find maiden names. •Cause of death: This may indicate a family medical history. If the death was suspicious, look for a coroner’s report, newspaper articles and court records that can tell you more. •Place of birth: This can lead to a birth record or another trail to follow. Details on a death certificate can help support theories or suggest next steps in your research, though they aren’t always easy to come by. If you can’t find the death certificate you’re looking for, search local newspapers for an obituary or try tombstones, church documents or funeral home records. (Ancestry.com)

March Meeting

Just a reminder to let you know that our next AHSGR Intermountain Chapter meeting will be March 17, 2012, at noon at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. Everyone will bring food to share and we will eat during the meeting. Everyone should also bring something (preferably from Utah) to put into the basket our chapter will provide for the Silent Auction at the Portland convention.

The "WHY" of the Story

This has been my mantra for several years...filling in the story so that you can understand the "WHY". I borrowed these helpful tips from ancestry.com. I hope they will be of help to you as well. It’s easier to understand why when you see a person’s actions against the backdrop of history. And the best way to do that in your own family tree is to plot your discoveries on a timeline. Step 1: Start with the facts. Create a simple timeline with pen and paper or a word-processing document. Add basic information you know about a relative and his or her immediate family. Jot down names, dates, places and key events in chronological order. Add details from census records, family stories and any records you find at home. Step 2: Add history and supporting records. Give your timeline context by adding historical events. Include big ones that may have affected your ancestors and smaller ones specific to your family. Use these events to help you find additional records like draft cards, newspaper articles, yearbooks, obituaries or city directories. Step 3. Analyze. Look at your timeline. Does everything add up? Gaps and inconsistencies can show where and when to look for records. For example, a widow with a six-year-old child in 1910 is an invitation to look for the husband’s death certificate between 1904 and 1910.

Military Records

Military records are wonderful sources that provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the armed forces. They may include dates of birth and death, residence, names and addresses of family members, military rank and affiliation, among other details. The types of records you’ll find in this category include draft records, service records, pension records, bounty land records, claim records, and military histories.(ancestry.com) While most of us are researching immigrant ancestors, there is much more to the story than many of us know. I was able to find one of my uncles who had immigrated to the U.S. from Russia in time to serve in WWI. It was such a delightful discovery. While his description on the records was rather sketchy, it was still fun to read that he had blue eyes and was tall. Anything that helps them come alive is well worth the search.

Searching the Census

Once you get your family line into America there is so much information available. Remember that there is much more to the story than just names and dates. The following blurb from ancestry.com is a great reminder of that. "Historical records contain a wealth of fascinating information and clues that can lead you to many more discoveries. Census records are incredibly helpful because they can provide a snapshot of your family at a moment in history when the census taker came to the door. These records list names, birth dates and places, occupations and more. Some census records even tell you if the family owned a radio."

Lutheran Pietist Document Found

I recently located the following article, posted by the Mennonite Historian, Volume XIII, Number 1, March 1987. My primary focus for Alexanderdorf is the families of Hert/Hert and Stark/Stark; I will attempt to locate this document and report any interesting findings. Recently the Centre for MB Studies was given a document of unusual historical interest. Not a Mennonite document as such, it is a report, written in 1827, by a Lutheran Minister by the name of Saltet, to his home congregation in Wuerttemburg, Germany. This 33-page document describes one of the events of the Russo-Persian War, which this Lutheran Pietist community, in the area of Tiflis, Georgia, South Caucasus endured. Villages in this community were Alexanderdorf, Langenfeld, Elisabehtal, Helenendorf, Katharienfeld, Marienfeld, Petersdorf, and (Neu)-Tiflis. They were founded in 1818. In 1827 some 1,000 Kurds and Tartars attacked the village of Katharienfeld. During the raid some 35 villagers were killed and women and children were taken captive. The captives were either sold into slavery or harems. Written in gothic script this unique document is available to researchers interested in this period and in Lutheran Pietists. The document was donated to the center by Mrs. Anna D. H. Unrau of Birds Hill, Manitoba.

 Dee Hert, VC Alexanderdorf

Gen Fair

March 3, 2012, the annual Gen Fair is being held in Bountiful, UT. Numerous classes are being offered, with several German sessions by Baerbel Johnson. Access and registration information at http://ugagenealogy.org. A syllabus is provided and contains information on all classes which is very informative. Remember to wear your Germans from Russia shirt.

What’s Next on Who Do You Think You Are?

Award-winning actor and activist Martin Sheen embarks on an epic journey into both sides of his family history. It takes him to Dublin, Ireland and Madrid, Spain where he discovers that a commitment to social justice runs deep in his roots. On February 10, Marisa Tomei travels to Italy to reveal the truth about her great-grandfather’s murder. Tune in throughout the rest of the season to watch Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis, and Paula Deen.

Many Thanks

I managed to forget my camera when I went to the January meeting, but Shawnette did a fantastic job decorating for it. The Valentine's theme was very festive. Shawnette always goes all out, so a giant THANK YOU to her for being such a welcoming and hospitable hostess!

Fan Pedigree

For those of you who attended our January chapter meeting....here is the site to create your own nine generation fan pedigree: https://createfan.com. It will pull the names right out of family search for you. Even if you need to create a link or two, it goes very quickly. They are absolutely fantastic, and can be printed in several different sizes.

The Ultimate Family History Journey

Ancestry.com is giving several lucky winners the chance to uncover their stories through The Ultimate Family History Journey™ Sweepstakes. Three Grand Prize winners win the trip of a lifetime to visit their home countries. If you're a winner, the trip will give you the opportunity to learn more about your ancestors and, as a result, more about yourself. In addition to the Grand Prize recipients, 20 First Prize winners will get an Ancestry.com World Explorer membership, which provides access to billions of historical records from all over the world, plus millions of family trees, a helpful community of members and lots of timesaving tools. Go to Ancestry.com/sweeps to enter today. Log in daily through May 18, 2012 for even more chances to win.

Put It on Your Calendar

There will be no February chapter meeting. The next chapter meeting will be March 17, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan, at noon.

RootsTech 2012

The RootsTech 2012 genealogy conference will be held at the Salt Palace on February 2 to 4. There are some free classes sent by live streaming on the computer of the sessions held in room 155. To find out more about the genealogy conference, you can go to: http://rootstech.org/schedule/sessions. If you attend the classes, there is a charge. You can check out the vendors for free.

Story Confirmed

When I was growing up, my dad had lots of stories that I've spent years confirming. So you'll understand how thrilled I was with my latest find. He was the son of German Russian immigrants. His mother died when he was only two years old, and he spent his early years as a ward of St. Clara's Orphanage in Denver. He ran away from the orphanage at age 12, and one night dug into a farmer's haystack to keep warm. The next morning the farmer came out in the early morning to feed his animals and nearly ran him through with a pitchfork. It scared the farmer so badly that he took my dad in, and my dad lived with the farmer's family for some time. When I was going through the 1930's census I found my dad at age 14, listed as Edward Burkhardt, a lodger with a Hayer family. The name my father had given me was Hayes. Looking at the original record more carefully, I realized that whoever indexed the entry must have had trouble distinguishing that last letter, thus the Hayer instead of Hayes. The Hayes family lived in North Bijou, Colorado, but were originally from Missouri. The family consisted of Thomas Hayes, his wife Rose, son Thomas- age 18, and daughter Mary- age 10. So... another story confirmed.

Next Chapter Meeting

Saturday, January 28th, is our Intermountain Chapter meeting. There will be another great basket raffle this month, so don't miss your chance to win! Hope to see you there at 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will start the meeting at 12:00 noon.