Be your own Dick Eastman with Google' Reader Search

If you are befuddled by all those "rss" and "Subscribe to my feed" buttons, you need first to view the new free Utube video about using feed readers - | here |; and second, you need a good feed reader. I personally use and love Google's web-accessible, easy-to-use Google READER which has just added the capability to search across all the feeds I am subscribed to. Read about it in Google's official blog:

link: Official Google Blog: Find a needle in a feedstack with Google Reader

(By the way, to subscribe to a feed almost always just means "get the feed" and doesn't involve joining anything, putting your name on somebody's site, or paying one single thing, in case you don't know. And if you don't, you need to look at that video mentioned above.)

With a decent feed reader and a strong list of sites you "subscribe" to, you can locate most of those neat links Dick Eastman points you to before he gets them into his newsletter. To do it my way, all you need is a Google account.

I'll just say here - yet again - that imho, genealogists who don't have a Google account are missing the opportunity to use some of the greatest free services available - many of which will teach you about new technologies you can use in your genealogy research (like feeds!). Are privacy issues the problem? Well, sometimes I can't help wonder if the people who are worried about Google and privacy actually read the privacy policies of any the search engine companies they use. I suspect they don't.

For the family history researcher, Google offers free chat capabilities built into its web mail accounts; document collaboration with other family members using Google Documents and Spreadsheets; quick, annotated - public or private - bookmarks available from any computer with Google Notebook; web page creation with their Documents and Spreadsheets or free blogspot blogs and server space on blogger.com or entire websites and webspace (using free templates) with Googlepages; free online, searchable web albums with Picasa and Picasweb; free webmaster analysis tools (APIs), etc.

Google's free online collaboration tools are excellent and, to my mind, extremely easy to opt into and out of. Their sharing options - Public & Shared or Private - are easy to locate and to use.

Google's privacy policies have been accused of vagueness, but as a long-time Google user, I have always found its privacy policies to be clear, concise, straightforward, and nonthreatening. I believe Google says - and pretty much always has - exactly what it is collecting and how it is used. Google does not collect personally identifiable information unless you give it to them outright - in a posting of some sort, for instance, or in a credit card used to purchase items with Google Checkout. And for me, the clincher is that I have yet to discover Google hiding scary information about its cookies/beacons or stashing the policies and opt-outs in obscure links like some other well-known search engine conglomerates.

Most genealogy researchers are well aware of privacy issues - especially after 9-11 and passage of the Patriot Act. Some of us are also aware that many of the new ways implemented to protect personal information have their downsides.

The best way for us personally to protect our privacy and that of our family members is, and always has been, to keep abreast of privacy issues and to advocate or protest when necessary; to keep informed about unfolding consumer frauds and scams; and to learn to use the tools available to us. Today that includes learning the best ways to protect our privacy and that of our family members online. One quick hint: it may well be not to use Yahoo with its web beacons or your Microsoft Windows Explorer browser - formerly Internet Explorer - which can only be removed with unknown consequences to your entire Windows operating system. (How scary is that?)

We need to learn how to set our browser's internet options so that by default we only save cookies we explicitly choose to save once we've closed that web browser. We need to learn about phishing. We need to read every link in every privacy policy page in every web service - free or paid - that we use.

We need to recognize that when we submit data to an ancestry.com family tree (awt) we have created within our subsciber accounts, it gets integrated into search results. Even individuals in those trees we mark private show up, offering other subscribers the option to contact us anonymously [ahem!] for more information about people in our not-so-private private trees. Read the fine print for yourself. You will see that it tells you that even if you opt NOT to share your ancestry family tree, ancestry.com users still have the capability not only to learn whether or not specific deceased individuals exist in your tree but the birth year and birthplace of the people and your username. Despite an appended parenthetical note meant to assure me that no personal information about me is included, I am not entirely persuaded. I'm not sure that I want viewers to have the capability of connecting my username with data I explicitly chose to be "private." Moreover, I certainly do not appreciate getting the sort of blanket inquiries I sometimes get as a result of this policy which ancestry declares will benefit us all.

I'm betting all ancestry family tree creators know exactly what I'm talking about. I bet they know all about the kinds of people who reveal absolutely nothing about their own connections - if any at all - to the people whose data they want me to share with them. They know all about the people who simply click on the form letter which asks the generic question, "Do you have more information about this person that you could share with me?" I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to write back and say, "Yes, I have more information I could share. But do I want to? Not today."

Come on, if you have actually read any of these blog pages or pages on any other of my TnType genealogy sites, you know that I am all into sharing and sharing freely. You can check. That does not mean, however, that I want to give all my hard-sought primary research - some of which I had to pay to locate via genealogy trips or paid subscriptions - to people who are too lazy even to add one personal line to an editable form letter or to those who obviously do not know how to use a search engine properly because if they did, they would have found heaps of my data online with two or three decent search terms. (To see what I mean, in Google or Yahoo, type in giles roane or type in roane giles. These days, you can find genealogy information about Roane County, Tennessee GILES surname individuals on your first results page.)

Okay, so while I'm ranting, I am going to take the opportunity to say, too, that I was more than a little disconcerted when I recently started getting ancestry.com update emails that said, " Our family tree is growing. [My username] just added [the number of people I had added and their names]." Like ancestry's inclusion of itself would make me happy!

One more thing along the lines of ranting: this entry has yet to say anything about the fact that I have easily located countless living family members; household members last known to be living with them; approximate birthdates of everybody in the household; home addresses and phone numbers; and record numbers in ancestry's "Public Records Index" database. Yet census data can't be revealed for 72 years following its collection.

People are afraid of Google?

The major reason I go ahead and create ancestry online trees that I want to keep private - despite knowing that I can't - is so that I don't constantly have to switch back and forth from ancestry to my beloved Legacy genealogy software program, a tactic which also allows me to view the people I'm currently researching on ancestry's site for from any computer anywhere - libraries, relatives' homes, etc. It also permits me to attach census images as sources to people and save that information when I don't have the time or energy to transcribe the census data.

And, yes, I am well aware that I have moved far off track from my original stated posting title. Regular readers are used to me doing that.

So, back now to Google Reader's new search capability:
Now I can quickly catch up with new information that has been posted on favorite websites and blogs - those whose feed I subscribe to - about "giles died roane" or "majors rockwood tn" or "cherokee brandon graves" etc. without visiting each site despite missing the feed for it when it was first published online.

Be adventurous. Try some of the stuff I talked about in this entry. But, hey, let's be careful out there. And watch your back. Always.

TnType's Tennessee Genealogy Links

for a number of reasons, i have spread myself and my TnType pages all over the web. what follows is an annotated list of my sites and a little description of what is available at each one. though i try to connect my sites using sidebar menus and such, my family suggested that i put all the links on one central page, so here goes (and i hope you find it useful - especially for your roane co, tn area research):


[Genealogy, TnType website - Roane Co, TN cemetery album page at TnType.com]
Notes: Main links page for my Roane County, Tennessee Cemetery annotated photo albums- also contains some other East Tennessee cemeteries
http://tntype.com/index.php/­roane-co-tn-cemeteries-tn-type/



Genielinks at Blogspot (this site) -
http://genielinks.blogspot.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website, Google - blogger.com from Google ]
Notes: blogger.com is a Google tool
genielinks.blogspot.com/
Genealogy links and notes for family and affiliated family - mostly in East Tennessee - emphasis on the Roane County, Tennessee area; also research links


Harriman, Roane Co TN - Roane Co Genealogy
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~harrimantn- Bookmark
[TnType website ]
Notes:
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.­com/~harrimantn/
Roane County, Tennessee genealogy pages - much family data on families not well documented elsewhere - annotated census, military, cemetery, photographs, history, and more


Kiddo INK
http://kiddoink.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website]
Notes:
KiddoInk.com/
A companion - adjunct - to the TnType sites - includes Tennessee genealogy with family data and photo albums

[KITH & KIN - GooglePages]: roane county genealogy - roane county, tennessee kin & kith
http://roanecountygenealogy.googlepages.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website, Genealogy, Google - [KITH & KIN - GooglePages), Google pages - free Google site]
Notes: [KITH & KIN - GooglePages), Google pages - free Google site
roanecountygenealogy.googlepages.com/
Roane County genealogy connections with an emphasis on original source records for Roane County, Tennessee - located online (some genealogy photos for Roane Co, TN families) absolutely free access/no strings attached
Loiselle-Chapman Genealogy at Blogspot
http://loiselle-chapman.blogspot.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType websites, Google - blogger.com from Google]
Notes: blogger.com from Google
loiselle-chapman.blogspot.com/
The Loiselle, Chapman (and Berry) Family Genealogy Site - Families from New York; Canada; Chippewa Co, Eau Claire Co, and Sheboygan Co, Wisconsin - some of whom moved to Ramsey Co, St Paul Co, and Cass Co, Minnesota



TnType -
http://tntype.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website - Roane Co, TN area families genealogy emphasis]
Notes:
TnType.com/
TnType's main site - a genealogy blog concerning mostly East Tennessee families - strong Roane County, Tennessee genealogy - GILES, ELLIS, MAJORS, PHILLIPS, BRASHEAR, GILILLAND, HAGGARD, GALYON, MONTGOMERY, NEWPORT, HINDS, ETC...

this is my central site. its main emphasis is on annotated data which includes census, military, marriage, birth, death, cemetery photos, history, and more. these are original research pages


TnType at Blogspot -
http://tntype.blogspot.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website, Google - blogger.com from Google]
Notes: blogger.com from Google
TnType.blogspot.com/
A TnType companion blog sponsored by Google - more Tennessee genealogy data with my own original and primary research - including cemetery, military, census, marriage,births, deaths, obiturary, etc files


TnType and Kiddo INK -
http://tntype.KiddoInk.com/ - Bookmark
[TnType website - Static web pages & photos for TnType.com East Tennessee genealogy blog that has a strong Roane County, Tennessee emphasis (see above for more information)]


see also my shared genealogy blog with MONTGOMERY family pages (descendants of John and Martha MONTGOMERY, first cousins who married on shipboard emigrating to Lancaster Co, PA from Ireland about 1735) at http://montgomery-genealogy.blogspot.com/ [Bookmark]

NOTE: because one of tne of the links in this listing needed updating this blog entry was edited/updated on 15 sep 2007.

Robert GILLILAND family genealogy - Roane Co, TN

I've posted my current research notes on Roane County, Tennessee pioneer Robert GILLILAND (son-in-law of Robert Samuel BRASHEAR/BRASHEARS) at my googlepages site, roane county genealogy - roane county, tennessee kin & kith. He and his wife Mary "Polly" BRASHEAR settled in the future Roane County Sugar Grove Valley area when others of Robert S. BRASHEAR's family members did.

(For more information about my BRASHEAR (or BRASHEARS) family connections, remember that the BRASHEAR Family cemetery photo album with annotated genealogy entries is online in my companion genealogy blog | here |. The full photo album index with links to specific photos is | here |.)

joel hembree and jane dale - roane county 1800 - fatal wedding feast

A narrative about the tragic wedding day of Joel HEMBREE and Jane DALE of Roane County, Tennessee made the front page of The New York Times on 25 Nov 1880. The story was picked up for Edmond Burke's Annual Register in London and published the following year (see below). Although the Roane County in question is likely not Roane County, Tennessee, the HEMBREE surname is connected to many Roane County, Tennessee pioneers. I have been unable to trace either Joel HEMBREE or Jane DALE's ancestors to this point. I am hoping that by posting these name-laden articles that I'll be leaving a bread-crumb trail for someone....

THE FATAL WEDDING FEAST. ARSENIC MISTAKEN FOR SALT--SIX PERSONS DEAD AND OTHERS DYING.
CINCINNATI, Nov. 24.—Further particulars are received here to-night of the terrible poisoning case in Tennessee. The marriage of Joel Hembree and Miss Jane Dale, of Roane County, drew together a large company of their friends and relatives, who belong to the prominent families in the vicinity. The wedding had long been talked of, and was the social event of the year. After ceremony the company was invited the hospitable board of Col. Dale, the bride and bridegroom in the meantime withdrawing. The table was bountifully supplied, and all ate heartily. The evening was spent in festivities. Another supper was served. After the meal, several guests began complaining of illness, but it was laughed off and the gayety continued. About 11 o’clock a sudden lethargy seemed to overtake the whole company and in a few minutes 27 were unconscious. The few who retained consciousness set themselves at work to resusciate their companions, but without avail. Twelve were removed to other houses in the neighborhood and as the news spread, the whole country around was aroused with excitement, as nearly every prominent family had members present at the fatal feast. Such medical aid as could be summoned could give little relief, and two days after the occurrence six of the wedding guests were dead. Robert Dale, the bride’s brother, died next day. Mike May. a relative of the groom, died in a few hours. Albert Gallagher and Miss Mattie Lovelace, well-known young people, died next day. Two young girls, Emma Peters and Kate Lowey, died within 24 hours. Col. Dale and his wife are very low, and their death is momentarily expected.The cause of the tragedy was the use of arsenic instead of salt in seasoning the chickens. Col. Dale purchased a quantity of arsenic a day or two before to kill crows, and carelessly left it in the kitchen. A blundering servant mistook it for salt, and hence the fatal results. Only those who partook of the chicken were poisoned.

-- from The New York Times, 25 Nov 1880, page 1

free online source citation generator - citing sources easily

those doing genealogy research quickly learn that our data is only as good as its source.  keeping track of ways to document all the different items we use as source materials, however, can be a pain - online GEDCOMS, courthouse records, cassette tapes, interviews, newsletters, etc.

even the best genealogy software programs don't readily solve all our sourcing questions. the online citation generator at citationmachine.net is a great adjunct to the sourcing wizards built into most contemporary genealogy programs.
with its online generators, you can figure out how to style just about any source properly - or at least get  a good an idea of how to adapt one to use for that source that's got you stumped.

the generator is actually a series of forms you select from based on what kind of source you have used - print or nonprint. the descriptors are good, and so a form is usually easy to pick. each of them allows you to input your various bits of publication data - eg. publication name, author, editor, compiler, publisher, date, page, book name, periodical name, and so forth; click a button; and voila - get all your bits stitched together, all translated into proper citation format which can then be cut and pasted into your software or into a word processor for further "fancifying."

try it! it's free, free, free....

http://citationmachine.net/

grave registrations for civil war veterans - my submissions

today i submitted information for james calvin "calvin" giles and for david washington montgomery to the following site:

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: Grave Registration

the submissions are pending review.,
[update:the submissions were accepted & are now available to researchers.

this is a great adjunct site for the national parks civil war soldiers and sailors system databases
| here |.

roane county's wheat community sacrifice

The Wheat Community was the largest of the five local Tennessee communities (Wheat, Robertsville, Elza, Scarboro, and New Hope) displaced in 1942 and early 1943 to make way for the huge Oak Ridge Manhattan Project complex.

the above information appears in a brief article about roane county, tennessee's sacrifice to the world war II oak ridge project was recently published in the oak ridger [online] | here |.

roane co tn genealogy research - don't miss the carnegie library in harriman

if you are ever in roane county, tennessee doing genealogy research, i suggest that you stop in at harriman's public library. though its genealogy secetion is small, it's still a good place to look for local information and to see one of our nation's carnegie libraries in what must be very close to its original form. a few contemporary photographs and a brief history of harriman, tennessee's historic carnegie library are available online at the library's site.

From Harriman, Roa...

the building is located on walden street, separated from another of harriman's early important buildings - the american temperance building - only by harriman's busy firestation.

christmas in august rockwood tennessee style

 



on the first weekend of december every year, many rockwood, tn residents open the doors of their homes to visitors for the rockwood christmas tour of historic homes. i've heard about it for a couple of years, and since the moment i heard, i've been telling myself that i need to make my roane county visits coincide with it - at least once. until her sudden death last year, a distant cousin, sara grasham mee, was one of the tour's organizers. in doing a search on my ellis family today, i came across a wonderful set of pages that let me remember sara and let me tour some of rockwood's homes any time i want. they're all part of a site called rockwood 2000+ :

• an introduction to the tours which explains what they're all about is here


• on that page, too,is a photo of my cousin sara (in red, on the left)


• part of a news release for the 2005 tour was a tribute to sara link


• photos of the homes that were featured last year are here


• the photos for the 2004 tour include many indoor shots and give, i think, a better flavor of the kind of celebration the tour really is. the 2004 pages can be accessed here

♥ and maybe my two favorite albums - because i feel like i'm walking around rockwood - are here and here [this last one is a two-page pdf brochure with a walking tour of the town.♥

free tennessee civil war resource booklet as a download

environs of knoxville seen from south bank of tennessee river, east tennessee university in middle distance - knoxville, tennessee: photo compliments of the us library of congress, american memory collection

on a trip home to harriman, tn, a couple of weeks ago, we stopped as we always do at the tennessee state line visitor's bureau to check the brochures and maps available this fall. this stop, we got a gem: a path divided, tennessee's civil war heritage trail, written by dr. wayne c moore of the tennessee state library and archives and published by the tennessee wars commission. the glossy 47-page booklet outlines not only tennessee's major battles but the state's role in the confederacy. it contains concise background histories, battle summaries, timelines, and a fold-out map.

some good news is that i've just discovered that the entire booklet is available online for download.

this is a terrific resource for tennessee genealogists.

though brief, the booklet offers insight and leads for those of us researching individuals and families whose history includes tennessee and the civil war era. the booklet's brevity is actually one of its major strengths. it can be read in its entirety in one sitting. it is well organized: a historical prologue is followed by sections on the state's invasion by river; the fight for west tennessee; the contest for middle tennessee; and east tennessee's mountian war. it is highly readable without being condescending.

i love that now i can have an electronic copy handy on my hard drive for instant reference.

the free electronic version (a pdf file) can be downloaded from here .

and if you're in a civil war sort of mood today, check out the civil war preservation trust mentioned in the booklet. a link to the preservation trust website is here |.

tennessee county formation maps for census work

tennessee county formation maps and formation information - helpful for census and migration use - can be found as ani-maps online | here |

with the map on this page, you can follow a county year to year with three different kinds of county outline maps:

1. plain outline maps can be shown with changing boundaries for each county from census to census. roane county was established in 1803 and can be followed from 1810 forward, for instance.

2. outline maps of any census year with an outline map of the county during the previous census as an overlay, permitting you to see additions or subtractions to the boundaries.

3. outline maps of any census year with an outline map of the county during the next census as an overlay, permitting you to see future additions or subtractions to the county's boundaries (similar to #2 above). click on 1840 map, for instance, to see the changes in roane county's boundaries between the 1840 and 1850 censuses.

near the bottom of the page, there's a quick recap of census information for tennessee - which federal censuses are available - which years and which counties.

early giles marriages tennessee

at the main tn type site, i recently posted most of the early GILES marriages in tennessee that i have collected in the course of my research. you can view them | here |. please remember that the list is incomplete and is meant to be used for research leads and personal, noncommercial use only.

wilson's creek national battlefield gets more records

margaret newport of rhea co, tn's first husband was william c. underwood, csa, who was killed in missouri on 10 aug 1861 at the battle of oak creek, now called the battle of wilson's creek. her brother asa newport was wounded that day in battle and died of typhoid a few days later.

my family had others in missouri during the war, and some recent news from the wilson's creek battlefield gives me hope that i can learn more about them:

a donation to the hulston library at wilson's creek battlefield of almost 1000 reels of nara compiled service records fills out that library's microfilm collection of detailed service history for civil war soldiers from missouri and surrounding states.

the microfilms can be viewed at the library. for me, the really good news is that currently staff members are answering informational requests via e-mail!

(source: ozarks daily planner, "civil war microfilm," 23 jun 2006, part of news-leader.com. accessed 24 jun 2006.)

morgan co, tn genealogy research helps

morgan county, tennessee's tngenweb - like genielinks ;-) - has a page of useful genealogy research helps for east tennessee genealogists | here |.

the list includes links to items like the following:

• roane county, tennesse tax lists for 1814-1817 (morgan co was part of roane then)
  
• tn courthouse fires & lost records
• tn pension roll of 1835
• 1840 census of pensioners
• first families of tennessee
• & more....

i especially like their short but sweet list of definitions for words found in old deeds | here |

fact sheet - genealogy roane co, tn

the tennessee state library and archives keeps a genealogy help page for each tennessee county. in addition to highlighting the county's location on an outline map of the state and giving the name of the county seat and foundation information, the pages contain the following useful information - most in easy to locate list form:

• the years in which census records are available for the county
• selected county histories
• a link to the archives' bibliography of local history sources
• a list of published local records (including those published on microfilm)
• county newspapers on microfilm at the archives
• selected manuscripts regarding the county
• indications of records available from the archives on interlibrary loan

roane county's history & genealogy fact sheet at the tennessee state library and archives can be accessed  | here |

roane county, tennesse genealogy records - document photos of primary materials

in addition to creating web photo albums for the delozier cemetery and the bethel cemetery in roane county, tn today, i have also begun an album that has photographs and/or scans of some of my primary source records which county genealogists can download for their personal, noncommercial use (see copyright notices in my albums). the permanent link to this tn type picasaweb album is http://picasaweb.google.com/
TnType/DelozierCemeteryEmoryGapRoaneCoTennessee

the album name is roane county, tennessee genealogy sources

the initial postings to the album follow:

• French HAGGARD 1848-1918, Death Certificate
• Jane HAGGARD (nee GILLILAND) - Roane Co, TN documentation showing she was the daughter of Robert GILLILAND
• 1890 Roane County, Tn marriage license for James MAJORS and Rachel MONTGOMERY

delozier cemetery, emory gap, roane co, tn - photo album

i've uploaded a tn type album of the delozier cemetery located in emory gap, roane county, tennessee to my picasaweb public genealogy photo gallery.

bethel cemetery, kingston, roane county, tennessee - photo album

google's free picasa photo software now has a web album generator that will upload member photos directly to picasaweb.google.com. i have just uploaded a small album of photos taken at the bethel historic cemetery in kingston, tn to a new Tn Type site there. you can always check all of my public TnType picasaweb albums by using the link http://picasaweb.google.com/TnType. any of the photos posted in my public gallery may be downloaded for personal, noncommercial use in your genealogy research. find my bethel cemetery album | here | .

38 tennessee civil war battles

tennessee civil war battles by state

the us national park service maintains some great web pages for the 38 tennessee civil war battles listed below. the pages, with descriptions of each battle, its major particpants, casualty counts, etc. can be accessed | here |.

* Bean's Station
* Blountsville
* Blue Springs
* Brentwood
* Bull's Gap
* Campbell's Station
* Chattanooga (3 battles)
* Collierville
* Columbia
* Dandridge
* Dover
* Fair Garden
* Fort Donelson
* Fort Henry
* Fort Pillow
* Fort Sanders
* Franklin
* Franklin
* Hartsville
* Hatchie's Bridge
* Hoover's Gap
* Jackson
* Johnsonville
* Memphis
* Memphis
* Mossy Creek
* Murfreesborough
* Murfreesborough
* Nashville
* Parker's Cross Roads
* Shiloh
* Spring Hill
* Stones River
* Thompson's Station
* Vaught's Hill
* Wauhatchie

more civil war battles were fought in tennessee than in any other state except virginia.
source: tennessee.gov's "tennessee facts." online. http://www.state.tn.us/education/webfacts.htm

1860 roane co tn census - transcriptions - free at usgenweb

the index and transcriptions of the 1860 census for roane county, tennessee are a free resource at usgneweb. thanks so much to don robbins for this great work.