DCGS News - RootsWeb - Ancestry.com

Volume 25 No. 5
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FEBRUARY 2012
DCGS NEWS
D E N T O N C O U N T Y G E N E A L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y
FEBRUARY MEETING
THURSDAY,FEBRUARY 9, 2012
1896- Denton County Courthouse-
The Denton County
Genealogical Society meets
on the second Thursday
during the months on
September-November and
January-May.
6:30 P.M.
Denton Public Library, Emily
Fowler Central Library, 502
Oakland St., Denton, TX
76201
www.rootsweb.com/~txdcgs
PROGRAM: “RESEARCH IN
PENNSYLVANIA AND OHIO”
SPEAKERS: MARLA
FULLERTON AND DOROTHY
BOULWARE
Marla Fullerton will present
"Pensylvania From the Beginning"
the first half hour. Whatever Marla
does is with intense energy and
focus. She comes from Pennsylvania
and she and her husband, Eric of 44
years live on a small farm on Bonnie
Brae St.
Austinin Nacogdoches, TX. She
compiled a book on her family "Tombos,
Tombo, Tombow with Smith, Weaves,
Bowers, Groff, Rudy and Cope from the
1780s".
Dorothy and husband, Rex live in Argyle.
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Program: “Research in
Pennsylvania and Ohio”
Speakers: Marla Fullerton
and Dorothy Boulware
Nov 2011 Minutes
News From the Library
1
2
Dorothy Boulware will focus on
Ohio, "Tips on Ohio Research" the
last half hour. She acquired a
master's in education from Stephen F.
Report from RootsTech 2012 on pages 3-4
Report from RootsTech 2012 3
Report from RootsTech 2012 4
Ancestry Family History Tips 5

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FEBRUARY 2012
JANUARY 2012 MINUTES
Richard Thomas called a full room to order at
7PM. In addition to a good attendance by
members, John Linden and Mary Hunter were
visiting. Leo Burns, Susan Schwartz, and Richard
Schwartz were introduced as our newest members.
Richard announced that members may feel free to
take DCGS brochures to distribute and posters to
display. The minutes from November 10,2011,
and financial report were accepted as printed in
the newsletter .
Kathy Strauss suggested we might enjoy the TV
program, “Who Do You Think You Are” which
begins its third season on February 3. There is a
beginning genealogy workshop at our library on
January 28. Several members invested in small
scanners in December and were very pleased with
how well they worked .
Our member, Diana White, gave an excellent
program on “The Peopling of the Old Northwest”.
She emphasized that we should use search engines
more. She made us more aware of the extent of
original colonial grants and how these were later
subdivided to form more states. Diana had maps
showing the settlement of the Old Northwest. She
gave migration routes and the reasons some groups
were migrating in that direction.
Richard adjourned the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Gage
NO TREASURER’S REPORT RECEIVED
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY
The Denton Public Library will celebrate it’s 75th
Anniversary in 2012. If any of you have interesting
stories, pictures, or artifacts for us to use during our
celebration, please contact the Special Collections
Department at Emily Fowler Library, 502 Oakland
Street, Denton, TX 76201, 940-349-8752.
Genealogy and Local History Programs
Navigating Ancestry Library Edition
Learn how to search the largest collections of
genealogical records on the web. Take a tour through
Ancestry’s many databases, learn searching
techniques to use when looking for “hard to find”
ancestors.
02/11/2012 Emily Fowler Library 10:00 am-12:00
pm
02/09/12 “A Research in Pennsylvania and Ohio”
Presented by Marla Fullerton & Dorothy Boulware
Emily Fowler Library 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

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FEBRUARY 2012
Report from RootsTech 2012 (2-4 February, 2012, Salt Lake City, Utah)
Dr. Christopher E. Strauss and Kathleen G. Strauss
Last week we attended the second annual
RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, a gathering
of over 4,200 genealogists and technologists for
three days of high-intensity interaction. There were
very high-quality sessions for Users like us – as
good or better than anything we have experienced at
FGS or other similar conferences, and a parallel
track for Developers of genealogy applications and
databases. We limited ourselves to the User track,
and still could not cover every session that we
wanted to hear between the two of us. The keynote
speeches were exceptional, and challenged us to
think way outside the box about the future of
technology-enhanced genealogy.
The new President and CEO of FamilySearch,
Dennis Brimhall, reported that they are now able to
create an 80 gb digital file from a single roll of
microfilm in only 4 minutes, breaking it up into
separate page images ready for the 100,000+
indexers. They now hope to be able to digitize ALL
of their 2.4 million rolls of microfilm in less than 10
years, instead of the 100 years originally predicted.
He then introduced the outgoing President and
CEO of FamilySearch, Jay Verkler, who described
genealogy research as our descendants might
experience it by the year 2060. He pointed out that
we may have 9.5 billion people on the planet by
then, 7 billion of whom may be researching the 6
billion ancestors born between 1750 and 1900, the
primary domain of genealogical records. Jay then
presented a new model for a community framework
for recording genealogical data that is entirely
possible in the near future, with incredible
possibilities for collaboration and information
exchange between genealogists. He also described a
new GEDCOM format and application
programming interface (API), and new tools that
Google techs already have working (and were able
to demo) after they attended RootsTech 2011.
The second keynote was just as mind-bending with
Josh Coates, who is a storage researcher and
successful entrepreneur. He talked first about the
history of social networks; beginning with the
telegraph, which spanned the globe by 1891, all the
way past Facebook to whatever comes next. Then he
delved into many different concepts of data storage
that are almost incomprehensible, and made them
easy to understand. Finally, he explained the “cloud”
in the simplest of terms, and discussed what it might
mean for us. It was VERY entertaining.
For the Ancestry.com users, the final keynote was by
CEO Tim Sullivan and some of his staff, describing
the future of their services and answering questions
previously submitted by attendees. If any of this
interests you, the keynotes and much more video is
available at http://rootstech.org (22 hours of it – all of
the sessions held in the same theater as the keynotes).
Some of the concepts and ideas in these keynotes
may really surprise you! In particular, I recommend
watching Barbara Renick’s session: “Eleven Layers
of Online Searches” at about the 7:40:00 mark on the
Thursday Recap video stream.
After each keynote, the rest of the day was a
scramble to see the vendors in the exhibit hall, and to
find a seat in the often over-crowded sessions to hear
presentations such as “Using Android devices for
genealogy and family history,” “New avenues in

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FEBRUARY 2012
genetic genealogy,” or “Everything you wanted to
know about Fold3.” There were workshops such as
“The FamilySearch Wiki as social media,” and
ticketed luncheons sponsored by FGS, NGS, NEHGS,
and several of the big content providers that included
very interesting speakers. Wherever we went,
whatever we listened to, we learned something new
about genealogy technology. Not all of it was futurespeak;
some of the tools are available for use today.
The exhibit hall was always busy, with crowds of
users learning how to help index the 1940 census, and
others watching demos of Family Tree Maker, the new
FamilySearch, RootsMagic, or almost any other
application or service available to genealogists. There
was a long line at the FlipPal scanner booth to watch
demonstrations of the product, followed by another
long line several booths to the left at Family Roots
Publishing. There, attendees were buying scanners,
carrying bags, window protectors, and the new Sketch
kit as fast as the folks in the booth could invoice them!
The Sketch kit allows you to overlay a caption on a
picture you want to scan by using a dry erase marker
on a clear plastic sheet. Genealogist Susan Farrell
Bankhead has re-created a virtual Exhibit Hall for you
to browse online, on her blog, at http://
www.susansgenealogyblog.com/2012/02/07/your-own
-virtual-exhibit-hall-my-rootstech-recreation/ .
Thanks, Susan!!
After watching a presentation on the new autosomal
DNA testing by Family Tree DNA, which they call
Family Finder, we joined the throngs of people lined
up at their booth to upgrade the testing that we already
have on file for several of our own ancestors. This test
promises to add an entirely new dimension to the use
of DNA in genealogical research. In other DNA news,
Ancestry.com kept making very loud noises about
some sort of new DNA integration services of their
own. I hope that this addition to ancestry will allow
the entry of data from all of the existing labs that have
been testing for over a decade now, or else
genealogists who have already invested hundreds of
dollars in previous testing are unlikely to receive the
new service favorably. We shall see, once they
actually implement it.
On Friday night, the Family History Library held
extended hours for us until midnight, with pizza to
boot. Saturday concluded with more exceptional
workshops and sessions, and I attended a luncheon
where one of the NEHGS staff described in detail
which tools it was using to digitize, OCR, index,
and publish to their web an average of one new
database every week. That was very impressive,
and a reminder that you have to keep returning to
search the online databases frequently since the
hosting institutions and companies are adding new
content continuously. Overall, it was an
exceptional conference, and we can recommend it
to anyone interested in using technology to enhance
his or her genealogical research. Mark your
calendars now for March 21-23, 2013, in Salt Lake
City.
Pictures were taken at the end of the conference, Saturday,
during the last program session, so you can actually see the
booths and displays without the usual crowds of people.

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FEBRUARY 2012
ANCESTRY FAMILY HISTORY TIPS
Check More Recent Records
My great-grandparents died in the late 1920s-early 1930s in
Keithville, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. I went to the Shreveport
Louisiana Courthouse in hopes of finding a probated will.
Unfortunately the probate records were not computerized back
that far. However, the clerk was kind enough to do a search for
John Patrick Walton and much to my delight she hit gold. My
great-grandparents estate was probated in August 1964—thirtysix
years after my great-grandfather died and thirty-two years
after my great-grandmother. The probate record has been a gold
mine of information. It mentions children that died in infancy
that none of my living family knew about. Now with everything
computerized, do yourself a favor and search the older ancestors
in the newer records just in case there is a hidden gem out there.
Elaine Walton Lewis, Conroe, Texas
Funeral Homes
Funeral Homes are a great source of information. I knew my
great-grandfather, Milton Folger Bray, died between 1920 and
1930 either in Virginia or North Carolina. Virginia is a difficult
state to get vital records from. So I looked up funeral homes in
the area where he last lived in and started calling. The first one I
called told me which funeral home would have been in business
in that time period. I called them, left information, and asked
them for their assistance at their convenience. Ten minutes later
they called me back. They had done his funeral services and
gave me detailed information on his family and his death that
wasn't on his death certificate or in his obituary. Although some
people find funeral homes a little morbid, they are my
genealogical friends. Michelle Landers
Siblings' Death Records
Be sure to cross-check the death certificates of your ancestor’s
siblings. My great-grandfather's mother was a mystery. Her first
name had been listed as Eleanor, Elender, and Elvira in different
census records. There was also a question about her last name.
Unfortunately, the death certificate of my great-grandfather was
hard to read. I couldn't make out his mother's name with
certainty. So I looked for his siblings' death certificates and
compared them all to figure it out. Now I search and save death
certificates of all siblings. It's also helpful in making sure I
have the right brothers and sisters listed.
Cindy Lee
Copy the Entire Page
When writing or visiting a county clerk's office for a
record, I ask for a copy of the entire page, not just a
certified copy. I found that strikeouts in the original record
can tell a lot more than whether the recorder was accurate.
"Originals" may not be the first record, as in a case in
Western Virginia where the recorder apparently had put
information pertaining to my ancestor's death into one
book, and then transcribed it into a record (complete with
strikeouts and corrections) that went to Richmond at the
end of the year. Marilyn Steber, San Diego
Commonwealth War Graves
As someone with family roots in England, I have frequently
(and sadly) come across relatives who bravely gave their
lives in the First World War. For other family history
researchers who have identified military personnel from
Commonwealth countries who died in both World Wars, I
highly recommend the website of the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission at www.cwgc.org.
The commission is responsible for maintaining the military
cemeteries for most Commonwealth countries (the U.K.,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) in Europe and
around the world. Their records list every fallen service
person individually and are fully searchable, allowing
researchers to identify in which cemetery a family member
was laid to rest or where those whose remains were never
found are commemorated. The site has extensive
information about each cemetery and directions for visiting
if one were able to do that, as well as other educational
resources. Every November we remember those who
sacrificed their lives to maintain our liberties. This site
affords a further opportunity to illuminate their histories.
Barry Buckler, Markham, Ontario
2009-2010 OFFICERS
President—E. Richard Thomas
Vice-President—Dayonne Work
Secretary—Cynthia Gage
Treasurer—Holly Hervey
Librarian—Kathy Strauss
Webmaster—Chris Strauss
Parliamentarian—Vickie Davis
NEXT MEETING OF THE
DENTON COUNTY
GENEALOGICAL
SOCIETY WILL BE ON
MARCH 8, 2012
Emily Fowler Central
Library
502 Oakland St.
Denton

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D E N T O N C O U N T Y
G E N E A L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y
502 Oakland Street
Denton, TX 76201