QFHS Snippets - May 2012 Volume 12, No. 5

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Dear [member]
 
Have you booked your place for the Trout game yet? You can learn new genealogy research techniques at this workshop.

There are many new additions to the newspaper records at Trove.

View the series of Civil War photographs now online.

Are you having difficulty tracing a death record? Here’s ten tips to help your research.

Share your feedback and suggestions to us at: snippets@qfhs.org.au

Happy researching!

Table of Contents

    1. About This Newsletter
    2. QFHS Gaythorne Centre
    3. QFHS Dates to Remember
    4. The Master Genealogist (TMG) Workshop - 11 June 2012
    5. Library Assistants' Meeting
    6. QFHS Trout Game
    7. Queensland State Archives Saturday Openings
    8. Free Taxi Service to Queensland State Archives
    9. Getting Started Seminar
    10. Virtual Exhibition
    11. New Reformatory Indexes Available Online
    12. 4BC Family History 101
    13. Toowong History Group
    14. Caloundra Family History Research Inc
    15. Leane / Lane / Leahy Family Reunion
    16. Rathdowney State School Centenary
    17. Huguenot Society Qld Chapter Talk
    18. Date Claimer
    19. Kedron High School Reunion
    20. 150th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Migrant Ship Ariadne
    21. Melbourne Grammar School Archives
    22. Find and Connect
    23. Australian Variety Theatre Archive
    24. Digitised Newspapers on Trove
    25. Nine World War I Diggers Named
    26. Forces War Records
    27. Westminster Parish Records Published Online by FindMyPast.co.uk
    28. New Titanic Records Online
    29. Valuation Rolls in Scotland Go Online for the First Time
    30. Study Reveals 'Extraordinary' DNA of People in Scotland
    31. Visit Bygone Dundee
    32. Ireland's Earliest Police Records from 1724 Go Online
    33. US 1940 Census
    34. Over 25 Million World War One U.S. Draft Registration Cards Online
    35. New Estimate Raises Civil War Death Toll by 20%
    36. Civil War Photographs
    37. Unknown No More: Identifying a Civil War Soldier
    38. Civil War Veteran to be Laid to Rest Decades after Death
    39. No, Family Names Were Not Changed at Ellis Island
    40. DeKalb County, Illinois, Places 90,000 Vital Records Online
    41. Buncombe County Vital Records May Now Be Ordered Online
    42. Oldest Estonian Documents Now Available Online
    43. Toronto Man Claims to Have up to 1,000 Siblings
    44. Death Records
    45. Genealogy ToolBar
    46. Man Finds His German Double
    47. Value of Historical Society Members' Volunteer Labour
    48. Family Faces
    49. Acknowledgements

1.    About This Newsletter

Snippets is a monthly publication of the Queensland Family History Society Inc. (QFHS). QFHS Website http://www.qfhs.org.au/

Please do not click on reply to contact Snippets - the 'click on reply' facility is strictly for 'un-subscribing' to the mailing list.

You are encouraged to contribute items which you feel would be of general interest to the family historian hunting for that illusive relative. Humorous items and items relating to the technology of using computers in genealogy are also welcome. Submit your BRIEF items supplemented by hyperlinks to additional details.

Snippets will rarely include items of a commercial nature and only then when they are likely to be of interest to a majority of our readers.

Submit your items to us via: snippets@qfhs.org.au

2.     QFHS Gaythorne Centre

Our address is:

    58 Bellevue Ave
    Gaythorne QLD 4051
    QFHS library - (07) 3355 3369

For details about QFHS Centre, including location map, transport etc, click here: http://www.qfhs.org.au/location_hours.html#Library

3.    QFHS Dates to Remember

Revised information - please note.

QFHS Monthly General Meetings are held each month excepting January and December and will be held on the third Wednesday of:
Depending on attendance numbers at March and May Meetings the Management Committee will assess this again. If you have asked for daytime please try to make a point of attending.

Attendance at the meetings, held at the QFHS Library, is free, and visitors are most welcome.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, 16 May at 1pm. Our guest speakers will be Bruce Burrows and Leigh Chamberlain who will present 'Recognising Places of Historical Toowong'.
________________________________________

QFHS Daytime Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month (but not in January or when the first Monday of the month is a public holiday. Then it is held on the second Monday of that month) at 20 Marmont Street, Geebung from 10am - 12 Noon.

The next meeting will be held on 14 May.

Contact Maureen Mutton on 3265 4378 if you would like to attend.
________________________________________

Central European Group

Meetings are held 10am - Noon on the 4th Saturday of each odd-numbered month. A $2 donation goes toward purchasing relevant records.

The next meeting will be on 26 May at the QFHS library.

For further information, contact Eric Kopittke on (07) 3376 4339 or email kopittke@tpg.com.au or centraleuropean@qfhs.org.au
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English West Country Group

This group researches the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset. Meetings are held from 12 Noon - 2pm at the QFHS Library, on the fourth Thursday of the odd-numbered months.

Next meeting: Thursday, 24 May.

For further information contact Robert Browning on (07) 3359 9801 or email: robertbb2@bigpond.com
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Family History Writing Group

These meetings are held from 9am - 11am at QFHS Library on the third Saturday of odd-numbered months.

Next meeting: Saturday, 19 May.

For further information contact FHWriters@qfhs.org.au OR Robert Adamson on
(07) 3357 8138 or Sue Reid on (07) 3378 2278.
________________________________________

Irish Interest Group

Meetings are held from 10am - 12 Noon at QFHS Library on the second Saturday of the even-numbered months (not December).

Next meeting: 9 June.

For more information about Irish Interest Group contact Mary King on (07) 3205 3353 or email irish@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Scottish Interest Group

Meetings are held from 10am - 12 Noon at QFHS Library on the second Saturday of odd-numbered months (except January). Donations to buy more Scottish resources are welcome.

Next meeting: Saturday, 12 May.

For further information: Email scottish@qfhs.org.au or phone Sam on (07) 3266 9131
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Welsh Interest Group

This group meets on the fourth Sunday of the odd numbered months from 10am - 12 Noon at the QFHS Library.

Next meeting is: Sunday, 27 May.

Contact Kaye Hart on welsh@qfhs.org.au for further information.
________________________________________

Educational Workshops

Do you want to learn more about Family History? Do you want to keep your records in order? Well why not come and join me in my Educational Workshops, "Where to Begin" and "How to Keep Your Records in Order" this year. The Workshops are designed to help you achieve the results you are after in your research and your record keeping. Cost is $5.50 per person which goes towards purchasing more research materials for the Library. Time is from 10am to 12 noon at QFHS Library.

This year's dates and topics are:
For bookings contact Desley Schafer - phone (07) 3204 4254 or email her at: educationofficer@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Member Orientations - 'Old' & New Members Welcome

You will almost certainly learn new stuff about the Society, and helpful hints about using the Library and researching, all in a friendly atmosphere and informal setting. New members are especially welcome.

Dates for 2012 are as follows:
Numbers are limited to allow full participation. BOOKING is ESSENTIAL. Please note: Sessions are usually fully booked, with a waiting list, so please advise the organisers as soon as possible if you find you are unable to attend when you have a booking. Contact Bev Bonning on (07) 3355 7389 or email at: welcome@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

Family Tree Maker User Group

These meetings run from 10am - 11:30am at QFHS Library and are held on first Friday each month except January and April (Good Friday) and last Saturday in each even-numbered month except December.

The next meetings will be held on:
For further details, please contact Kerri Kleidon or Joe Greaves via e-mail on: familytree@qfhs.org.au
________________________________________

The Master Genealogist (TMG) User Group

This group caters to the needs of all users, from novice to advanced. The group meets in the QFHS Library on the third Saturday of each month (except December) at 1:30 pm.

Next meeting is 19 May.

For further information, contact George Kearney on 0438 073 344 or Kevin Haley on (07) 3359 7491.

4.TheMaster Genealogist (TMG) Workshop - 11 June 2012

This workshop caters for both new and experienced users of TMG and will be held in the QFHS Library on Monday, 11 June 2012 (the Queen's Birthday Holiday). Opening with morning tea from 10am, the workshop will run from 10:30am to 3:30pm and conclude with afternoon tea.
 
The cost is $15 for members of the TMG User Group and other members of QFHS. The cost for non-members of either is $20. Morning and afternoon teas are included with participants to bring their own lunch. Registration is essential to allow full participation.
 
For further information, contact George Kearney on 0438 073 344 or Kevin Haley on (07) 3359 7491 or via email at: tmg@qfhs.org.au

5. Library Assistants' Meeting

A Library Assistants' Meeting will be held on Saturday, 5 May 2012, from 9:30am until 12:30pm at the Library and Resource Centre, 58 Bellevue Avenue Gaythorne.

The meetings will have a research focus, with speakers from the Irish Interest Group, Scottish Interest Group, and the Research Team. Library assistants are invited to attend. Sign-on sheets will be available in a yellow folder on the Library Assistants' desk.

6. QFHS Trout Game

Allow yourself the privilege of having a fun day in family history and play the Trout Game! The game simulates researching an English family (the Trout family) using eleven types of records. The aim is to see if you can get back to the 1500s. Use the game to see how good a researcher you are using basic research techniques not involving computers at all and find out why you may have brick-walls in your research.

The Trout Game will be played on Sunday, 20 May 2012 from 10am to 4pm at QFHS Library. Cost is $5.00 which includes morning and afternoon tea (BYO lunch). To make your booking, contact Game Master Ann Swain via email at: a.swain@bigpond.com or telephone (07) 3352 5537. Numbers are limited and early bookings are essential.

7. Queensland State Archives Saturday Openings

Queensland State Archives will be open to the public on the second Saturday of every calendar month from 9am to 4:30pm. The next three Saturday opening dates are:
Queensland State Archives are located at 435 Compton Road, Runcorn, Queensland.

For more details, go to: http://bit.ly/H4ubPc

8. Free Taxi Service to Queensland State Archives

For those who find it difficult to get to the Queensland State Archives (QSA), there is a taxi service for researchers available every Tuesday.

Information can be obtained at: http://bit.ly/JzSy5n To book taxi travel to QSA, phone (07) 3131 7777.

9. Getting Started Seminar

Learn about Queensland State Archives' collection and how best to find the information you are seeking. This seminar, presented by an experienced reference archivist on Tuesday, 22 May from 10 am to 12 pm, will provide you with the basics you need to start your research at Queensland State Archives. The seminar includes morning tea and a short tour.

To book, call (07) 3131 7777.

More details at: http://bit.ly/KAwydQ

10. Virtual Exhibition

The German community has made significant contributions to all aspects of life in Queensland, from the early days of German immigration to Moreton Bay, to the present day. As part of our Harmony Day celebrations in 2012, Queensland State Archives has created a virtual exhibition highlighting Germans in Queensland now available online at: http://bit.ly/JysQzL

11. New Reformatory Indexes Available Online

Toowoomba Girls Reformatory Admissions 1881-1903
This index was created from the admission registers to the Industrial School for Girls, Toowoomba (QSA Series ID 6594) dated 1881 to 1903. Admission entries can include the following information: details of each girl entering the school, biographical information such as the name of the ship on which the girl arrived to Queensland and year of arrival, birth place, religion, trade, age, physical description, education and remarks.

This index is available at: http://bit.ly/KnLrv1

Toowoomba Girls Reformatory Discharges 1882-1903
This index was created from the diary of discharges from the Industrial School for Girls, Toowoomba (QSA Series ID 16294) dated 1882 to 1903. Entries in the diary can record details of each girl discharged from the school, including date, number, name and remarks. The remarks column can include details about the discharge of each girl - whether to service or remitted from their sentence. The remarks often include the name of the person to whom they were placed in service.

You'll find this index at: http://bit.ly/J8YWjd

These indexes are linked to the digital images of the registers available to view in Image Queensland. To view a digital copy of the register page located in Image Queensland, simply click on the hyperlink in the 'Digital ID' column of the index to access a specific page from the register.

Go to: http://bit.ly/ICC7YP

12. 4BC Family History 101

4BC has a regular segment, Family History 101, in its Thursday evening program at 9:30pm. The program is hosted by Walter Williams, with Ann Swain from QFHS, and Marg Doherty of Genealogical Society of Queensland, as the expert guests. It loosely covers a research theme with a response to a listener who has called in the previous week with a brick-wall. Tune in to 1116 am on your radio's dial for an enjoyable half hour.

13. Toowong History Group

Toowong History Group meets on the first Thursday of the month from 7pm to 9pm. On Thursday, 3 May, Arthur Palmer will talk about early aviation in Brisbane.

Meetings are held in the Toowong State School Historical Library with entry via Kate Street (off Sylvan Road). Tea and coffee are available following the meeting. Due to the success of our first book Toowong: A Community's History no fees or membership are required - everyone is welcome. Telephone (07) 3870 9538 if you would like a lift to the meeting.

14. Caloundra Family History Research Inc

On 17 May the group will be celebrating its 20th Birthday at the general meeting, and the Guest Speaker will be Dr Jon Prangnell from the School of Social Science at the University of Qld. Dr Prangnell will be outlining his Brisbane finds on "The Salvage Archaeology of the Commissariat Store Retaining Wall Collapse".

Our 21 June Guest Speaker will be Mr Bill Kitson who will inform us on "Surveying History & Genealogy".

General meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month from 1:30pm to 4pm. Visitors and members are welcome to attend. The group's rooms and library at the Guide Hut are open for research every Saturday from 9:30am to 12:30pm. On the third Thursday of the month research is available from 9:30am to Noon. Every other Thursday of the month the research rooms are open for the full day, from 9.30am to 4.00pm.

Further information on meetings, specialist groups and research details can be obtained from Roz on (07) 5493 1197; Valerie on (07) 5437 3879 or by the email at: caloundrafamilyres@y7mail.com

15. Leane / Lane / Leahy Family Reunion

Descendants of John, Michael and Denis Leane, Margaret Leahy (nee Leane) and Honora and Eneas Lane are invited to attend a family reunion.

It will be held on Sunday, 6 May 2012 from 10:30am at Orleigh Park, West End, Brisbane - opposite 1/11 Hill End Terrace (off Montague Road). Please B.Y.O. picnic lunch, seating and photos. If it is raining, we will meet at Tim Quinn's home.

For further information, email Tim Quinn at: tim_quinn@optusnet.com.au or contact  Pat Weber at: patweber@tsn.cc
 

16. Rathdowney State School Centenary

On Saturday, 12 May 2012 the Rathdowney State School will be holding its Centenary celebrations. The day will be celebrated at the Rathdowney School grounds, Mt Lindesay Highway, Rathdowney.

For information, email: mt.lindsay@harboursat.com.au or kylee.m@scenicrim.qld.gov.au

17. Huguenot Society Qld Chapter Talk

Up there Cazaly!  This very Australian catchcry was inspired by AFL legend Roy Cazaly, famous for his high marks and ruck works. Cazaly's ancestry is French Huguenot.  Robert Allen, a local author, is writing the Cazaly biography under the auspices of The Cazaly Sports Foundation and will be speaking on the life and times of this great sportsman at the next meeting of the Huguenot Society's Brisbane branch.

The meeting will be held on Sunday, 27 May at Toowong Library Meeting Room, Toowong Village, commencing 2pm. Come by train, bus, ferry or car. There is plenty of parking available. Entry is via gold coin donation.

More information is available from Dawn Montgomery at: billyblue1802@hotmail.com or telephone (07) 3822 6569.
 

18. Date Claimer

Unlock the Past Queensland Expo 2012 will be held from 25 to 27 June 2012 at Centenary State High School, 1 Moolanda Street, Jindalee. A program of about 39 presentations in two streams will run almost continuously throughout the Expo. In addition there will be over 20 additional free talks and product demonstrations. Presenters will include Audrey Collins from the National Archives UK, Shauna Hicks, Judy Webster, Kerry Farmer, Stephanie Ryan, Helen Smith, Eric and Rosemary Kopittke, Ann Swain and others. This is a wonderful opportunity to listen to experts in family history research. There should be something for everyone.

See http://bit.ly/Ik5Mm7 for details or http://bit.ly/ICsgDy to make bookings.

19. Kedron High School Reunion

We're looking for senior class students from 1962 Kedron High School for a 50th year reunion on 14/15 July. The reunion will be held at Norths Leagues Club, Nundah Brisbane. Tickets cost $75 per double or $40 per single. For further details, telephone Don Gordon on: 0417 060 745 or email: don@coolsurfwatch.com

20.  150th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Migrant Ship Ariadne

The inaugural Immigration Celebration is to be staged from 29 September to 1 October 2012. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the migrant ship Ariadne, the first to come direct from the United Kingdom to the Port of Maryborough. For more information regarding the Ariadne or the Immigration Celebration please contact Kay Gassan via email at: heritageresearch@bigpond.com.au

The Maryborough Family Heritage Research Institute Inc's website is at: http://www.treeroots.com.au/

21. Melbourne Grammar School Archives

This database contains the details of more than 4,200 photographs from the school's comprehensive archive. Since the school has produced three Prime Ministers (Deakin, Bruce and Fraser), this school database holds some significant material. Once the photograph collection has been fully catalogued and digitised, other material from the collection (ephemera, newsletters, pamphlets, diaries etc) will also be added to the database. More importantly, the database gives the researcher the ability to download good resolution images. The database has been prepared by Glen Turnbull, who is an experienced school archivist and has been a councillor of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria Inc. since 2008.

The database can be found at: http://dbtw.mgs.vic.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/textbase/Lodge_Archives.htm

22. Find and Connect

Find and Connect Australia is a website for forgotten Australians and former child migrants, and for everyone with an interest in the history of out-of-home 'care' in Australia. Three Senate inquiries, in 2001, 2004 and 2009, have stressed that identity is a vital issue for forgotten Australians and former child migrants and their families. The Senate reports highlighted that the history of child welfare in Australia is little-known and little-understood. The Senate called for the histories of forgotten Australians and former child migrants to be recognised, so that their experiences and memories can be acknowledged.

You will not find personal information or private records in Find and Connect Australia. However, this website can help you locate and get access to your own personal records which may be kept by government departments or past providers of 'care'.

Go to: http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/qld/

23. Australian Variety Theatre Archive

The Australian Variety Theatre Archive website is devoted to the period of theatrical activity in Australia from 1850 - 1930. The site aims to provide an ongoing research database that will be regularly updated. The archive stems from post-graduate research undertaken by Clay Djubal between 1997 and 2005 who was investigating the life and career of Harry Clay, a well known vaudeville entrepreneur and Dr Djubal's great-great-great uncle.

For anyone with ancestors who were involved in this industry, whether famous or not, this site will provide a wealth of information on the industry. Current contents of the website include biographies of industry entrepreneurs, performers, music directors & composers, organisations, theatres and theatrical works.

Check it out at: http://ozvta.com/

24. Digitised Newspapers on Trove

 To find out the latest titles which have been added to Trove, subscribe to one of their Web feeds at: http://trove.nla.gov.au/general/help-on-finding-things/

25. Nine World War I Diggers Named

Nine more World War I diggers have been identified out of more than 250 found in a mass grave at Fromelles, along with two Australian special forces troops killed in the Dutch East Indies in World War II. Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said the total number of those identified from the Battle of Fromelles now stood at 119. A further 92 Australians remain unidentified, along with two British soldiers and a further 37 whose graves are marked "Unidentified Soldier of the Great War".

You can read more at: http://bit.ly/JZfNah

26. Forces War Records

The Military Records site is the location where you can find military records of over 4 million British Armed Forces personnel exclusively cross matched with over 4000 Regiments, Bases and Ships of the British Armed Forces going back to before 1350, making your military genealogy task much easier and more complete. You do need to register.

Go to: http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/default.asp

27. Westminster Parish Records Published Online by FindMyPast.co.uk

Over a million baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538 are now available. It's the first time that images of the original parish records from Westminster go online. It comprises fully searchable transcripts and scanned images of the parish registers. The records cover the period 1538-1945 and come from over 50 Westminster churches including St Anne, Soho, St Clement Danes, St George Hanover Square, St James Westminster, St Margaret Westminster, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Mary-le-Strand, St Paul Covent Garden.

For more details, you can read an article at:  http://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=17827

Access is available via subscription or for free for members at the QFHS Library.

28. New Titanic Records Online

White Star Line Officers' books are made available online for the first time. You can view full colour scans of the original service records of White Star Line officers and commanders, including all the officers on board the Titanic. The collection comprises 1,042 records covering the years 1868 - 1934. The information for each officer includes date and place of birth, address, details of his apprenticeship, the names and dates of the ships served upon and the date he left the company.

Access is via subscription or is free to members at the QFHS Library at: http://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/other-records/white-star-line

29. Valuation Rolls in Scotland Go Online for the First Time

This is a fascinating snapshot of Scotland during the First World War and a major new family history resource. The rolls have been made searchable online for the first time, allowing genealogists, local historians and other researchers to view images of entries in the rolls, fully searchable by name or address.

They record the names of owners, tenants and occupiers of each property, unlike the full lists of family members to be found in the censuses. The Valuation Rolls were created so that the authorities could set local rates. The purpose was to assess property by its annual rental value. This was either the value of the rent paid by the tenant, or a notional rental value if the owner occupied their own property. The burgh and county assessors did not list properties individually that were worth below £4 annual rental value. http://media.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/index.html

30. Study Reveals 'Extraordinary' DNA of People in Scotland

The DNA of people living in Scotland has "extraordinary" and "unexpected" diversity, according to a new study. The Scotland's DNA project, led by Edinburgh University's Dr Jim Wilson, has tested almost 1,000 Scots in the last four months to determine the genetic roots of people in the country. The project discovered four new male lineages, which account for one in 10 Scottish men.

Read more in an article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17740638

31. Visit Bygone Dundee

This is a place to view and share memories of old Dundee. When you look at the Bygone Dundee website you will find it is packed full of articles, reminiscences and photographs of Dundee over the last century; much of it taken from materials housed in the Local History Library. You can be part of this exciting project by submitting your own memories or past experiences.

Check it out at: http://bygone.dundeecity.gov.uk/

32. Ireland's Earliest Police Records from 1724 Go Online

Irish police records dating back from 1724 have been digitised and are now available online. The records are from the parish of St. John's in Dublin and have been made available by the Church of Ireland's Representative Church Body (RCB) Library.

The records are comprised of two account books dating from 1724-1785 and seven registers dating from 1765 to 1780. They offer details of crimes committed in the area and the sentences handed down, as well as the names of constables and watchmen.

You can read more in an article at: http://bit.ly/HqZXkg

33. US 1940 Census

Digital images of the records available free of charge online have been released on: http://www.archives.gov/

34. Over 25 Million World War One U.S. Draft Registration Cards Online

FamilySearch has added over 25 Million World War One Draft Registration Cards.

For more details, go to: http://bit.ly/HBzlO6

35. New Estimate Raises Civil War Death Toll by 20%

For 110 years, history books have always stated that 618,222 men died in the U.S. Civil War, 360,222 from the North and 258,000 from the South - by far the greatest toll of any war in American history. But new research shows that the numbers were far too low. By combing through newly digitised census data from the 19th century, J. David Hacker, a demographic historian from Binghamton University in New York, has recalculated the death toll and increased it by more than 20 percent - to 750,000.

You can read more in an article at: http://nyti.ms/HIeKuZ

36. Civil War Photographs

Some of the best photographs of the U.S. Civil War that I have seen can be found at the following sites. A warning that some images are graphic.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-1-the-places/100241/

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-2-the-people/100242/

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/02/the-civil-war-part-3-the-stereographs/100243/

37. Unknown No More: Identifying a Civil War Soldier

This is a great story about identifying a previously-unidentified enlisted man in a Civil War uniform. Tom Liljenquist and his family have collected 1,000 of these photographs and donated them to the Library of Congress. But the photographs don't feature generals and other high-ranking officers. Instead, they're images of the enlisted men who fought for the Union and the Confederacy during the war. And only a handful of the soldiers have been identified.

Mike McAfee at the West Point Museum, part of the U.S. Military Academy, looked at one picture and immediately knew the regiment. A bit more detective work by others and the mystery soldier from the 14th Brooklyn was identified as Thomas A. Ardies. The techniques used here can be used to identify people in many other photographs, military or not.

You can read this interesting story at: http://n.pr/HzmrX4

38. Civil War Veteran to be Laid to Rest Decades after Death

Thanks to the efforts of a genealogist, a Civil War veteran will be laid to rest with full military honors today, 88 years after he died. The cremated remains of Peter Knapp and his wife, Georgianna, sat in storage at a crematorium in Portland, Oregon, until a distant relative tracked them down. Alice Knapp didn't start out looking for the remains. Instead, she was trying to track down a diary Peter Knapp kept during the war.

You can read the full story at: http://bit.ly/JzQAlN

39. No, Family Names Were Not Changed at Ellis Island

There is a family myth amongst tens of thousands of American families: "The name was changed at Ellis Island." The stories claim the immigrant arrived at Ellis Island and was unable to communicate with the officials. A record was then created by someone who assigns the immigrant a descriptive name. This fairy tale refuses to die.

You can read more at: http://bit.ly/JdZohK

40. DeKalb County, Illinois, Places 90,000 Vital Records Online

This website contains 90,000 vital records and includes birth, death and marriage records that are older than 75, 20 and 50 years, respectively. You may search for vital records and view the search results, which include a person's name and date the record was filed with the county, at no cost. Visitors may download copies of the records for $15, the same price as picking up documents at the clerk's office.

You can find the DeKalb County, Illinois, vital records web site at: http://www.dekalbgenealogy.com/

41. Buncombe County Vital Records May Now Be Ordered Online

The Buncombe County, North Carolina Register of Deeds office has just launched a new online request capability. Note that the original records are not online. Instead, you can use an online form to order copies and have them mailed to you. That's not the latest technology, but it certainly is easier than writing letters as well as more accurate than making phone calls.
To obtain a certified copy, you must be related to the person whose document you are requesting, unless you are an Authorised Agent, or an attorney. This includes spouse, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, or grandchild, also included are step relationships. You must first upload or fax or mail a valid photo ID. Certificates cost $10 each.

You can learn more at the Buncombe County web site at: https://www.buncombecounty.org/payOnline%5CRoD/Default.aspx

42. Oldest Estonian Documents Now Available Online

A project to digitise the oldest parchment documents in the country is now complete. The documents contain information valuable to studying the history of settlement and agriculture in medieval and post-Renaissance Estonia as well as political, military and cultural history. The oldest written historical sources are on parchment and date from the 13th century, the oldest one of all from 1237.

The digitised parchment documents are available for public use at: http://www.ra.ee/pargamendid/ or via http://rahvusarhiiv.ra.ee/en/national-archives/

43. Toronto Man Claims to Have up to 1,000 Siblings

How many brothers and sisters do you have? Let's also count half-brothers and half-sisters. A Toronto man claims to have about 1,000 siblings. Barry Stevens, a Toronto filmmaker, has been researching the late Bertold Wiesner, an Austrian Jew who ran a fertility clinic in England. Wiesner not only was Stevens' biological father, but also a father to hundreds of others.

Over the past decade, DNA tests conducted on 19 children conceived at the London fertility clinic revealed two-thirds of them were fathered by Wiesner. If that ratio holds true for the 1,500 children conceived in the clinic between 1943 and 1962, the number of Wiesner's progeny could be 1,000.

You can read more at: http://www.thestar.com/iphone/Top%20Stories/article/1158733

44. Death Records

Here are ten places to look for a death record. You can read the full article at: http://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=18043

45. Genealogy ToolBar

Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society has a free toolbar which you can download; giving you direct access to over 500 genealogy sites and is completely free.

Check it out at: http://mlfhs.org.uk/toolbar/toolbar.php

46. Man Finds His German Double

Richard Krebs of Hawley, Pennsylvania decided to research his family tree. He knew his Krebs ancestors came from Germany.He soon found that his grandfather Theodore Krebs arrived in the United States from Germany in 1893, emigrating from a town called Aschaffenberg.

Krebs found his grandfather's brother remained in Germany and raised a family and they had children also. Soon, Richard Krebs found living relatives in Germany, even one who shares his name: Richard Krebs of Weibersbrunn, a town only a few kilometers from Aschaffenberg.

Then the story gets weird. It seems that the two cousins are almost exact body doubles. They could easily pass for identical twins.

You can read the full story by Peter Becker at: http://bit.ly/HbHTgU

47. Value of Historical Society Members' Volunteer Labour

The Federation of Australian Historical Societies considers that the value of Historical Society members' volunteer labour is $45 per hour. On that basis, they calculate that volunteer labour from the history and heritage movement across Australia is 100,000 members donating an average of one hour each or twelve per year amounting to $54 million. Many QFHS volunteers donate twelve hours per month and some many more; so you are indeed very valuable to our Society!

48. Family Faces

"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future." - Gail Lumet Buckley

49. Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who have taken time out to send items of interest to our "Snippets" mailbox at: snippets@qfhs.org.au

The more we receive, the more frequently we can produce a Newsletter. If your submission does not appear in this issue, we will try to include it in a future edition. Please note that reference to any product does not imply endorsement. Members are cautioned to evaluate products prior to purchase.

Pauline Macfarlane

Disclaimer: This newsletter is produced in good faith, and information received is deemed to be accurate, but the editor takes no responsibility for incorrect information supplied. [Editor's note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of QFHS]

Permission to reprint articles from QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER is granted unless specifically stated otherwise, provided: (1) the reprint is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the following notice appears at the end of the article: "Previously published in QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER" with the appropriate date and volume number (eg QFHS 'SNIPPETS' NEWSLETTER January 2009 Vol 9 No. 1). The last six months issues of Snippets are available from: http://www.qfhs.org.au/snippets.html

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