Introduction to Alaska Digital Resources - Lesson 2 : Genealogy Resources
When I met with the others on Saturday, I discovered that I made a few mistakes on lesson one. I'm not going back to change them! Since what I'd like to get out of this course is more about process than getting "right" answers at all costs, I'm not going to fuss and go back. Just rest assured that I know the number I put under "how many women work in Anchorage?" is way off! It's for the entire state of Alaska.
Now on to lesson two. I'm already getting impatient with Heritage Quest, since I'm not finding my Grandmother. What's the deal?? I've broadened my search to just a surname, census year 1930, and state: Illinois, and I still get 0 hits.
Hmmm ... I broadened the search even further, to include all census years, and found NA under 1930. When I look at 1920, I get five pages of hits for the surname. Now I've found my Great Grandpa's name. Ooh, cool. Harvey and Clementine, with 6 kids, including my Grandma Dorothy who was 4 years old at the time. I remember these Great Grandparents as very old people when I was very young, so it's funny to think of them in their 30s. I just learned that both of their fathers were not born in Illinois, but in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Since I'm not familiar with local genealogy collections in my area, I can't speak specifically to how to safeguard them, beyond the obvious (try to make digital backups to paper documents, don't store everything in one place, etc.).
1880 was the first year that Alaska was included in the census, but much of the 1880 and 1890 data is suspect, particularly when it comes to villages in rural Alaska. Ask Atilla ... she knows a lot more about this than I do!
Wow ... some of these census records are REALLY hard to read! I'm trying to figure out my great-great grandfather's name, but I just found a totally illegible card. Switching to negative from positive doesn't help. Maybe if I download the TIFF file and play in Photoshop for a while I'll get it more legible. First, I should ask my dad if he knows the guy's name. Too bad the 1890 census data is gone ... I know my great grandpa was born in 1880, but I'm not sure what month. Chances are, he wasn't born yet when the census taker came that year, so without knowing anything about siblings or his parents names, I can't figure out who are his parents. If only I could search 1890, that would really help. I do see the importance of polling relatives who are still alive, too. Like I said, I should ask my dad if his grandpa had siblings, what his parents' names were, etc. It's a lot easier to fill in the blanks if I start my search with more information.
Rebecca, I'm glad you finally were able to track down some of your family members, don't be discouraged I had the same experience while working on developing this lesson. I really prefer to search using Ancestry library edition but am lucky that my local library subscribes.
ReplyDeleteI've found a few family members listed as age 0 on census records which is fascinating to think about the census taker catching a "new one".
You are very right about living family members being the true wealth of this info. Unfortunately most of us don't think to start asking the questions util those living members are stories on a census record that won't be released for public view for 50 years.
You made a very good observation about digital preservation "try to make digital backups to paper documents, don't store everything in one place, etc.". Have you ever heard of the preservation strategy LOCKSS? Look it up, seems simple and practical.
Thanks for taking the time to discover...
Strange, I don't see Alaska listed at all under the 1880 census (I was in "Browse" then went through the list of drop down menus). But I could be doing it wrong (or maybe there's another way), because when I was going through the exercises last night, I didn't see Alaska until 1910. Now, however, I see that it is listed in 1900. Perhaps my internet connection at home was slow enough that I was not waiting long enough for the drop down menu options to refresh after I chose a different census year. Huh. Anyway, now I'll have to go check again (more patiently this time) and see if Alaska really is listed under 1880...
ReplyDeleteRebecca, the CL only has the Alaska returns for the census on microfilm, to my knowledge. But I'm pretty sure NARA downtown has a whole set and I'd expect that the Family History Library branch might also have a set--I've always found it easier to read these images off the microfilm than I have the digitized version online. Not sure why! I'm probably just weird that way since I spent 2 years at a part time job in college reading the 1900 census on microfilm, so I think I just got trained. At any rate, if you're having problems with the digital ones and feel like checking out the film, it should be available locally. (Sure I'm sure, I'm pretty sure... You might want to call first.) Our NARA branch even has Saturday hours one day a month!
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