Archive for » May, 2010 «

18
May
Mystery of Ribbon Weaving
Debby

Apprenticeship records in Britain have been very interesting to read.  One entry that was of great interest was for Mary Tarsoff who spent time as an apprentice learning the Art and Mystery of a Ribbon Weaver.  Not all apprentices were treated well by their master.  It was of interest to find out that children could be placed with a master as early as 10 years old.  Hard to image what that must have been like for both the child and the parents to be separated at such an early age.

Understanding the value of finding an apprentice record for an ancestor is so important in explaining why they may have moved away from their birth place, what skills they were taught, and perhaps even the reason why they were sent to a certain master.

More information on the value of apprentice records, read The Parish Chest by W.E. Tate.

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16
May
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards
Debby

Researching the British side of my family, I came across the British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards and found many members listed.  As I have mentioned before, and as I will mention many times again, it is important to know what you are reading to get the full picture.

One of the index cards, listed SWB list under Medals.  Now acronyms vary depending on the context, so I checked in Ancestral Trails by Mark D. Herber for some answers.  SWB stands for Silver War Badge issued to service personnel who had been honorably discharged due to wounds or sickness during WWI.

I also learned about the 1914 Star campaign medal, also known as the Mons Star, awarded to those who served with the British Expeditionary Force in France or Belgium between the outbreak of war in August 1914 and 22 November 1914.

Finding photos of these medals issued to family members has helped get a better understanding of those individuals and their military service.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , , , , , , ,  14 Comments
14
May
Organizing a Research Trip
Debby

Before making your travel plans, make sure the repository that you want to research at is going to be open.  When in doubt, contact the repository and find out their hours of operations.  When looking at research locations (library, archives, and even cemeteries), it is important to find out if there are any rules.

One of the rules I have come across most frequently is the use of cameras.  Even those cell phones with camera options can become an issue when security does not allow your phone on the premises.  Also, whether you will be able to bring in your laptop can impact how you plan for and bring along your research planning sheets.

Websites, asking fellow researchers, making inquiries can make for a enjoyable research trip.

Sharon DeBartolo Carmack’s Organizing Your Family History Search has an excellent check list for each repository you want to visit.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , , ,  22 Comments
12
May
Voter Registration
Debby

Voting has been around since Ancient Greece with the show of hands.  Now there are voter lists and using these lists can help bridge the gap between census and help with those more recent years where census records have not been released.

Some voter registration lists have been digitized and indexed which makes it easier to search versus having to search by voting precincts.  The content in voter registration lists varies from year to year and location by location.  Some lists contain age, address, occupation, political affiliation, date and place of naturalization.

To find out if a voter registration list is available for a geographical area, check in the 2 Volume set of Census Substitutes & State Census Records by William Dollarhide.

Category: Genealogy  Tags: , , , , ,  2 Comments
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