Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Digitization Project Update



 

 

Digital Collections

The Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library provides patrons with access to several Jefferson County historical documents such as year books, city directories, photographs, and more.






This site presents digitized primary source materials from the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Public Library System Genealogy and Rare Book Room.  Copyright and Fair Use Statement and Citation Information.

Certain portions of the materials on this website are protected under copyright laws. These materials have been made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, but may not be used for any commercial purpose. Permission to make a single copy of any material on this website through print, photocopying, or downloading to a computer terminal is granted without the need to seek prior consent, on the express condition that you properly cite the source in all copies. (Please see the citation information below.)

For other uses of materials from this website (for example, commercial products, publication, broadcast, mirroring, reuse on a website, or anything else that does not fall under concepts relating to "fair use") you are required to seek permission from Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Public Library System in advance. Contact information is given below. When requesting permission, please be prepared to refer specifically to the information you intend to use and provide details regarding your planned use.

Those inquiring about these uses should contact:

Jana V. Mitchell, Manager, Digital Projects
Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Public Library
200 E. 8th Avenue
Pine Bluff, AR  71601 
Telephone: (870) 534-2159.   E-Mail:  jmitchell@pineblufflibrary.org

Materials should be cited as: http://pineblufflibrary.org/digital-collections/, Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Public Library System, Pine Bluff, AR 71601. 

New Book added to Genealogy Holdings



In her fourth memoir, Sundays with TJ, author Janis F. Kearney attempts to answer the one question most asked of 107-year-old Thomas James "TJ" Kearney:  What was the magical recipe to his longevity, his continued health and his passion for life?  The author and daughter answers the question the only way she knows how: by telling TJ Kearney's life story.  The writer deftly takes readers on an unforgettable journey as she chronicles the life and times of the centenarian whose life began just 40 years after slavery, in the atypically southern town of Lake Village, Arkansas.  TJ's early childhood, she writes, was shaped by his early losses, and his fascination with steamboats, trains and the Mississippi River.  Janis F. Kearney offers her readers glimpses of the many facets of an adoring son, a wanderer and roustabout, a cotton sharecropper, and a loving husband and father of 19 children.  After all is said and done, Kearney asserts; the wise and witty centenarian lived an amazing life, and left with few regrets.  The regrets, he said at 107; were the people he didn't meet, the places he never visited . . . if only he had more time. 


President William J. Clinton stated, "I was always fascinated to hear how TJ and Ethel managed to feed, clothe and shelter their kids, and even more; how they were able to find the right mix of love and discipline to allow them all to become their own persons, different in fascinating ways yet bound together as a family." 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

How to Organize Your Genealogy Information

The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.  


Things You'll Need

1.  Genealogical forms  

2.  Three-ring binder(s)  

3.  Tabbed dividers 

4.  Sheet Protectors 




 Paper Records

Download and print paper forms off the Internet, or copy them from genealogy how-to books.  (We have how-to-books here at the library.) 


Fill out a Family Tree Chart to document the names of the ancestors from whom you directly descend, and for whom you will create a Family Group Sheet. This form will help you see what you have accomplished, and who you still need to search for.  


Fill out a Family Group Sheet for each family member and his or her immediate family.  Doing this from the beginning will help you connect family members and create complete and accurate records.  


Keep a Source Summary. This is documentation of all the sources you have searched and what information you have found from each source. A separate source summary should be kept for each family tree line, so you can find information and references quickly. You may also choose to keep a Research Calendar, which is a similar record of every source you have searched and any information you have found pertaining to your ancestors.  


Track correspondence relating to your genealogical research on a Correspondence Record. Use it to keep track of with whom you have corresponded, what you are writing about, and if you have received a reply or not.  


Utilize a Family Tree Research Extract sheet when you are searching records or documents that can not be copied or scanned. This also works well for deeds, which are time consuming to reread.  


Compile all your forms in a three-ring binder when you first begin your search. Organize them by name or location. Later you may add more binders, or graduate to file boxes or filing cabinets as your family history research accumulates. Consider indexing each binder to make record retrieval easier.  



Tip

Use archival-quality sheet protectors when adding original family documents or photographs to your family research binders. 



The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7303949_organize-genealogy-information.html
The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7303949_organize-genealogy-information.html

How to Organize Genealogy Information

How to Organize Genealogy Information thumbnail
Store your genealogy forms in a three-ring binder.
The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.

Things You'll Need

  • Genealogical forms
  • Three-ring binder(s)
  • Tabbed dividers
Show (1) More

Instructions

  1. Paper Records

    • 1
      Download and print paper forms off the Internet, or copy them from genealogy how-to books.
    • 2
      Fill out a Family Tree Chart to document the names of the ancestors from whom you directly descend, and for whom you will create a Family Group Sheet. This form will help you see what you have accomplished, and who you still need to search for.
    • 3
      Fill out a Family Group Sheet for each family member and his or her immediate family. Doing this from the beginning will help you connect family members and create complete and accurate records.
    • 4
      Keep a Source Summary. This is documentation of all the sources you have searched and what information you have found from each source. A separate source summary should be kept for each family tree line, so you can find information and references quickly. You may also choose to keep a Research Calendar, which is a similar record of every source you have searched and any information you have found pertaining to your ancestors.
    • 5
      Track correspondence relating to your genealogical research on a Correspondence Record. Use it to keep track of with whom you have corresponded, what you are writing about, and if you have received a reply or not.
    • 6
      Utilize a Family Tree Research Extract sheet when you are searching records or documents that can not be copied or scanned. This also works well for deeds, which are time consuming to reread.
    • 7
      Compile all your forms in a three-ring binder when you first begin your search. Organize them by name or location. Later you may add more binders, or graduate to file boxes or filing cabinets as your family history research accumulates. Consider indexing each binder to make record retrieval easier.
    • 8
      Copy any records you want to take with you on research trips. Leave all originals at home. Carry a portable flash drive with you to save computer files on if you have access, then print the documents and add them to your binder. Also consider carrying a digital camera to photograph books and documents that can not be photocopied, but always ask permission first.
Sponsored Links

Tips & Warnings

  • Use archival-quality sheet protectors when adding original family documents or photographs to your family research binders.


Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7303949_organize-genealogy-information.html

How to Organize Genealogy Information

How to Organize Genealogy Information thumbnail
Store your genealogy forms in a three-ring binder.
The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.

Things You'll Need

  • Genealogical forms
  • Three-ring binder(s)
  • Tabbed dividers
Show (1) More

Instructions

  1. Paper Records

    • 1
      Download and print paper forms off the Internet, or copy them from genealogy how-to books.
    • 2
      Fill out a Family Tree Chart to document the names of the ancestors from whom you directly descend, and for whom you will create a Family Group Sheet. This form will help you see what you have accomplished, and who you still need to search for.
    • 3
      Fill out a Family Group Sheet for each family member and his or her immediate family. Doing this from the beginning will help you connect family members and create complete and accurate records.
    • 4
      Keep a Source Summary. This is documentation of all the sources you have searched and what information you have found from each source. A separate source summary should be kept for each family tree line, so you can find information and references quickly. You may also choose to keep a Research Calendar, which is a similar record of every source you have searched and any information you have found pertaining to your ancestors.
    • 5
      Track correspondence relating to your genealogical research on a Correspondence Record. Use it to keep track of with whom you have corresponded, what you are writing about, and if you have received a reply or not.
    • 6
      Utilize a Family Tree Research Extract sheet when you are searching records or documents that can not be copied or scanned. This also works well for deeds, which are time consuming to reread.
    • 7
      Compile all your forms in a three-ring binder when you first begin your search. Organize them by name or location. Later you may add more binders, or graduate to file boxes or filing cabinets as your family history research accumulates. Consider indexing each binder to make record retrieval easier.
    • 8
      Copy any records you want to take with you on research trips. Leave all originals at home. Carry a portable flash drive with you to save computer files on if you have access, then print the documents and add them to your binder. Also consider carrying a digital camera to photograph books and documents that can not be photocopied, but always ask permission first.
Sponsored Links

Tips & Warnings

  • Use archival-quality sheet protectors when adding original family documents or photographs to your family research binders.


Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7303949_organize-genealogy-information.html

How to Organize Genealogy Information

How to Organize Genealogy Information thumbnail
Store your genealogy forms in a three-ring binder.
The advent of computers and the Internet has made the hobby of genealogy, or tracing one's ancestry, easier, faster and more organized. Computers are wonderful--until they fail--so even if you store all your family history on the computer, whether it is in a program you have purchased or an online database you have subscribed to, always keep a paper backup.

Things You'll Need

  • Genealogical forms
  • Three-ring binder(s)
  • Tabbed dividers
Show (1) More

Instructions

  1. Paper Records

    • 1
      Download and print paper forms off the Internet, or copy them from genealogy how-to books.
    • 2
      Fill out a Family Tree Chart to document the names of the ancestors from whom you directly descend, and for whom you will create a Family Group Sheet. This form will help you see what you have accomplished, and who you still need to search for.
    • 3
      Fill out a Family Group Sheet for each family member and his or her immediate family. Doing this from the beginning will help you connect family members and create complete and accurate records.
    • 4
      Keep a Source Summary. This is documentation of all the sources you have searched and what information you have found from each source. A separate source summary should be kept for each family tree line, so you can find information and references quickly. You may also choose to keep a Research Calendar, which is a similar record of every source you have searched and any information you have found pertaining to your ancestors.
    • 5
      Track correspondence relating to your genealogical research on a Correspondence Record. Use it to keep track of with whom you have corresponded, what you are writing about, and if you have received a reply or not.
    • 6
      Utilize a Family Tree Research Extract sheet when you are searching records or documents that can not be copied or scanned. This also works well for deeds, which are time consuming to reread.
    • 7
      Compile all your forms in a three-ring binder when you first begin your search. Organize them by name or location. Later you may add more binders, or graduate to file boxes or filing cabinets as your family history research accumulates. Consider indexing each binder to make record retrieval easier.
    • 8
      Copy any records you want to take with you on research trips. Leave all originals at home. Carry a portable flash drive with you to save computer files on if you have access, then print the documents and add them to your binder. Also consider carrying a digital camera to photograph books and documents that can not be photocopied, but always ask permission first.
Sponsored Links

Tips & Warnings

  • Use archival-quality sheet protectors when adding original family documents or photographs to your family research binders.


Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7303949_organize-genealogy-information.html

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Census Tip

One of my favorite census tips, particularly when I’m having trouble finding a family member’s parent, is to look at the actual census images, then use the arrow keys to scroll a few pages before and after the person’s record.  On numerous occasions I’ve found relatives living with older neighbors who had the same last name — and that neighbor inevitably turns out to be a parent, grandparent or uncle.

Going page by page, you may find the in-laws or siblings nearby, too.  This method has been especially helpful with ancestors who are heading up their own households by the time of the 1850 census.

From 1790 through 1840, the U.S. census only listed the names of heads of household, so you may not be able to locate a head of household in 1850 as a child growing up 10 or 20 years before. But by looking back or forward a few pages in the 1850 census, you may find other relatives — including the parents of the head of household — living in the same area.