Victorian Secrets

Ever wonder what your ancestors did for fun? Learn about the games children played during the Victorian era at the Education Network of Ontario (ENO) Social Studies site. Some games, such as Old Maid and Tug-of-War, are still played today, but others are obsolete, including Deerstalker and Errand Boy.

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New German Records Can Help You Find Your Ancestors

Do your ancestors come from Germany? From Central or Eastern Europe? Approximately one-third of people emigrating from these areas in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century did so through the port at Hamburg, Germany. And searching the newly released passenger lists from Hamburg available on Ancestry.com may be a great way to locate them.

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Using Ancestry: The Hamburg Passenger List Databaseby

by Juliana Smith

The recent posting of the Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 at Ancestry had me digging for my paternal ancestors once again, several of whom I'm convinced must have swam over. I was able to find several interesting records though and I thought I'd share some tips for searching this new collection.

Searching and Reading German
First off, it's important to note that the lists, created in Hamburg, Germany, are in German. Don't let that dissuade you though. They are on printed forms and there are several translation tools out there that can help you with the headings.

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U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925

The U.S. government has issued passports to American citizens since 1789, albeit through several different agencies throughout the years. For the most part, passports were not required of U.S. citizens for foreign travel until World War I. Passports were required for a short time during the Civil War (Aug. 19, 1861-Mar. 17, 1862). An Executive Order given in 1915, and then later an act of Congress given in 1918, established the passport requirement for citizens traveling abroad. This law lapsed with the formal termination of World War I through treaties with Germany, Austria, and Hungary in 1921. In 1941, with the onset of World War II, the Congressional act of 1918 was reinstated. U.S. citizens have been required to carry a passport for foreign travel ever since.

This database contains passport applications from 1795-1925, including emergency passport applications (passports issued abroad) from 1877-1907. It also contains passport application registers for 1810-1817, 1830-1831, and 1834-1906. Passports issued March 4-5, 1919 (numbers 67500-67749) are missing from the NARA collection and therefore, are missing from this database as well.

Some passport applications include a photo of the applicant. To receive a U.S. passport, a person had to submit proof of U.S. citizenship. This was usually in the form of a letter, affidavits of witnesses, and certificates from clerks or notaries. Sometimes these other documents are included as part of the application.

There was a variety of passport application forms used throughout the years. By 1888 there were separate application forms for native citizens, naturalized citizens, and derivative citizens. As a result, all of the above listed information may not be available for every applicant. Likewise, there may be additional information, other than what is shown above, listed on the application form. Some information may only be obtained by viewing the image of the application.

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What Will the U.S. Passport Applications Collection Reveal About Your Ancestors?

My great-great-grandfather has a medium mouth.

At least, that’s what some Joe Schmoe wrote on his passport application in 1892.

Actually, that Joe Schmoe’s name is Horatio Pickett, and he also said my grandfather had a large nose. His description for my great-great-grandfather’s face? Common.

C’mon, Horatio. Now you’re just asking for it.

Passports became common in the 1840s, but were not required until after World War I. The U.S. Passport Applications Collection contains more than 2 million passport applications filed by residents of the U.S. Of those, around 300,000 contain photographs of the applicant. Information can include date and place of birth, residence, naturalization, and other biographical information. To search the U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, go here.

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My Genealogical Christmas Wish

by Juliana Smith

The other day I was browsing through some of the genealogy blogs on the Web, and I ran across a post on the "Carnival of Genealogy." "Blog carnivals" collect posts on a related topic and link to them in one place--kind of like one-stop-shopping for bloggers. The current topic they have posted is "Christmas Wish Lists for Genealogists." As I scanned through the various posts, I found myself nodding in agreement with some and took solace in posts by folks like me who wish to get caught up with their filing, database entering, and other little tasks that tend to pile up.

That is my one genealogical holiday wish, and it comes at a critical time. With an upcoming birthday in the family and holiday get- togethers on the calendar, this is a dangerous time of year for my family history. To top it off, I'm working on another project with my mom--a project that has had me pulling out documents for various branches of my family tree and just about every reference book I own. All of this clutter and the nice stack of records I pillaged from the recently added U.S. passports database have conspired to turn my office into a war zone.

The danger lies in the temptation to just box up the clutter and stash it in a closet until after the holidays--out of sight from holiday guests and out of mind for me. But that just makes things worse. Plus I need my closet space to stash presents.

The good news is that my fate is in my own hands. I can do the annual "stash it now/regret it later" thing, or I can take a little time and come out of this holiday season a little more organized than I went in. Today I choose the latter!

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What Reference Books Should I Own?

by George G. Morgan

I wrote a column for the Ancestry Daily News a number of years ago that enumerated my ten favorite genealogy books, some genealogy reference CD-ROMs, and my favorite websites. One of the readers of the Ancestry Weekly Journal wrote to Juliana and asked for an article about what specific genealogy research books, common to both beginners and advanced researchers, would be recommended for every serious researcher to have in his or her library.

This is a difficult challenge for several reasons. First, it is a subjective matter and depends on what geographical area an individual is researching. Second, a list that is too "generic" risks losing people's interest. Finally, the fact is that books are an expensive commodity and not everyone can afford to buy every title they would like to have.

However, there certainly is a core collection of books that every genealogist would find helpful to have close at hand as reference materials for their research. I'll accept the challenge with the understanding that your list and my list may or may not be the same, and that some of the books may not be applicable to your research. However, it makes sense for each of us to consider a personal genealogical reference library that includes books from each of the categories below.

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Finding Answers in British Isles Census Records

The census is one of the most used record groups in family history research. With it, you can locate your ancestors in time and place. This “snapshot” of history is like opening a window into their lives, showing where they lived, with whom they associated, and what they were doing with their lives.

Finding Answers in British Census Records is your best tool for understanding Britain’s censuses. Echo King leads you step by step through these valuable records, explaining everything from their history and the process of their creation to how you can get the most out of them. If you are new to family history or if you are a seasoned veteran, Finding Answers in British Census Records has something for you.

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Genealogical Inspiration

Let's sound off. I'd like to know how you learned to conduct family history research. Did you take a class, read a book, or follow an online tutorial?

As you know there are many opportunities to become a more experienced researcher. Here's what made a difference in my life:

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Under My Nose

Sometimes those disappearing ancestors did not disappear the way we thought they did. Rather they are right there in front of us waiting to be found. This week we look at such a situation. Our search reminds us of several research techniques that any family historian needs to have in their repertoire when the ancestor seems to vanish without a trace.

Sarah Wickiser Calvert's only known record of existence was an 1862 Delaware County, Ohio, deed where she sold property apparently inherited from her parents. After that, I had concluded she simply evaporated. The question was where she departed as she apparently could not be found in other records. Based upon census enumerations and more detailed information on her known siblings, it was estimated Sarah was born between 1802 and 1810, probably in Pennsylvania. Any other details of her life were unknown, including the name of her husband or her date of marriage (other than the fact that she was married by 1862).

When a relative is "lost," one place to start looking is near other relatives, former neighbors, and associates, particularly ones who have moved. It is often helpful to have a "family map" handy to assist in keeping the various names straight.

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Take a Break from Census Research and Read About It

There must be dozens of websites offering British Isles census data in amounts large and small. You can also find a proliferation of text about censuses online. For me it is a treat to get away from the computer, relax in a comfortable chair, and read about records and research.

This is what I suggest you do. Earlier this year Ancestry published Finding Answers in British Isles Census Records, by Echo King. It is an easy read and an informative one.

The book follows a...

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Geographic Reference Library

Geographic Reference Library infobase enables users to locate nearly any town, city, county, or other populated place in the United States as well as many schools, churches, courthouses, cemeteries, or major geographic features across the United States. This infobase includes two of the most significant U.S. gazetteers currently available in electronic form, the 1854 New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States and the new American Genealogical Gazetteer. This combination now makes it possible to find both old and new place names practically instantaneously. With more than one million entries in this infobase, many forgotten or hard to find places will be found again.

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http://www.genealogylookups.com/database3018.htm

Wallet-Friendly Traditions for the Holiday Season

As I wrote last week's column, I was still in that, "I'm not ready for the holidays" mode. But this morning I went out and bought my annual turkey (which I got on sale for a really sweet price!) and with the thought of next week's turkey and dressing (my favorite meal), I'm starting to get a little more in the mood. This morning I broke tradition and even let my daughter listen to the holiday music station on the way to school. Typically this is something that is not done until after Mommy has started her Christmas shopping. My rationale is that if I don't hear holiday music then I'm not behind with shopping--kind of an ostrich approach, but it works for me.

I've noticed as the years go by, I'm finding myself adding new traditions. Most of them are not quite as uh . . . "eccentric" as the whole holiday music thing, and a lot of them have to do with family--past and present. So in this week's column, I thought I'd share some ideas that you might like to turn into traditions for your family. And since many of us may be stressing about the cost of gas, heating, and holiday shopping, I'm focusing on cost-efficient traditions.

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Rediscover Your Heritage

Over generations, the customs of our ancestor can sometimes be lost. Rediscover your heritage by investigating some of the customs of your ancestors.

• What holidays did they celebrate and how?
• What was their diet like?
• Did decorations have symbolic meaning?
• What kind of clothes did they wear?

By learning more about these customs and everyday life, you'll forge a stronger bond with your ancestors.

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Three Genealogical Exercises

by George G. Morgan

There are lots of skills associated with genealogical research. Some of these include locating evidence, analyzing it, translating language, reading old handwriting, understanding archaic words, and most of all reading between the lines to locate informational sources that can further your research.

There are three exercises that I use for honing my research skills, and they have nothing to do with my personal genealogical research. However, they contribute to my skills, make me look outside the confines of my own family research, and cause me to sharpen my knowledge of different record types, ethnic and religious origins, and much more. Let me share these with you.

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Our Ancestors and a National Pastime

by Mary Penner

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Rogers Hornsby, the great hitter whose playing career lasted from 1915-37, voiced that sentiment about baseball.

Many other baseball lovers, like Hornsby, pine for spring and the beginning of the season. For me, though, October is the real showcase for baseball. Sure, we sweat it out all summer long with our favorite teams, but when October rolls around, things get serious. The playoffs, the World Series--there is great drama wrapped up in our national pastime.

Pinpointing baseball's beginnings is a perpetual problem. Despite his colorful name and respectable military accomplishments, the dubious Abner Doubleday didn't invent baseball as popular culture has enticed us to believe.

Baseball historians continue to uncover references to baseball-like games dating back more than two centuries. Who knows when our ancestors first started playing the game? Perhaps various forms of baseball have been played ever since cave-dwelling kids hit rocks with sticks, and that was a long time ago. The modern game, however, traces its roots to Hoboken, New Jersey where a group of upper-middle class New Yorkers came to play their games on the Elysian Fields in the 1840s.

Like most sports that we play today, baseball has evolved over the years. Back then pitchers threw underhand; the first team to score twenty-one runs or "aces" won; and, each team was allowed only one out per inning.

When you're watching the playoffs and the World Series this month, remember the boys of summer in the 1800s who sweated it out on unmanicured fields, without gloves or helmets, without trainers, managers, and multi-million dollar salaries.

And, remember that baseball played a role in many of your American ancestors' lives. They played in vacant city lots and on plowed country fields; they played in their Civil War camps and prisons. They played in Little League, on town teams, on club teams, and on high school and college squads. And a few lucky ones made it to the big leagues.

There are a number of resources for family history researchers who want to scout out their ball-playing ancestors.

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