RootsWeb Newsroom

Today many of you received a copy of the RootsWeb Review in your Inbox.  Until you read my note you didn’t realize that this would be the last edition you would receive.  We have decided to move from a monthly newsletter to posting updates from the staff here, in the Newsroom, and to hopefully have some guest bloggers who can impart their wisdom to the rest of us. 

Here is my note from the Review:

I have had the privilege of being part of RootsWeb for many years and for the past 5 years I have worked behind the scenes on things such as creating mailing lists, message board improvements and managing the day to day operations of the site.  For the past few years I have been the editor of the RootsWeb Review working with Gerhard, Joan and Mary to create an informational and entertaining newsletter.  It saddens to tell you that this will be the last edition of the RootsWeb Review.  For 14 years we have laughed at funny names, cried over amazing discoveries, screamed in frustration at our brick walls, and most importantly we’ve grown and found our roots together.  I encourage you to stop by the Newsroom for updates on what is happening around RootsWeb.  (Visit the RootsWeb Review Archives to read all of the past editions of the Review.) 

It truly has been an amazing past 5 years.  I love seeing the spirit of RootsWeb at work as we interact with each other and research together- posting on message boards, doing look-ups and giving of your time and expertise to assist others without a thought of what you will get in return.  You, the RootsWeb community, are the backbone of RootsWeb!

From my family to yours best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

Over the past few months we have released 3 new projects keyed through the World Archives Project, England, Newspaper Index Cards, Sydney and New South Wales, Sands Street Index, 1861-1930 and Perth, Scotland, Survey of Inhabitants, 1766, 1773.  The indexes for these projects, containing more than 1.27 million records, can be searched for free due to the efforts of 5500+ contributors! 

The Andrews Collection, aka England, Newspaper Index Cards, is a collection of newspaper clippings, and transcriptions, pasted onto index cards detailing births, marriages, etc.  (I still recall keying the announcements for the death of a serviceman and less than a month later the birth of his son; my heart ached for the young wife.)  Although these records were not the easiest to key it was definitely worth the time it took to bring these events to life. 

The Sydney and New South Wales, Sands Street Index, 1861-1930, was our first directory project keyed by the community.  In Australia directories are important to family history research due to the lack of census records -researchers can track their ancestors location through time and hopefully find the names of other relatives.

And Perth, Scotland, Survey of Inhabitants, 1766, 1773 records landlords and tenants – sometimes appearing as letters and more often as easy to follow forms.  The landlords were requested to provide an account of their tenants, sub-tenants and familes including their occupations and what parish they came from so this collection is a treasure trove of information.

Congratulations to our World Archive Project contributors! 

The World Archives Project allows anyone, anywhere to help preserve history by typing facts from historical records into searchable online collections that are free to the public. Click here to learn more about joining our community of contributors.

If you happen to live in the area or are coming in for the FGS conference make sure to stop by the Ancestry booth and say hi.  Saturday we are hosting a free day if classes, http://ancestrydaylittlerock.eventbrite.com/, including Tapping into the Ancestry.com and RootsWeb Community, so it may be worth a short drive to come in for the day. (Of course I think it’s worth it!  But I am also flying for 6 hours today.  

Today, amongst others, I find myself reflecting on my ancestors and what they accomplished that allows me to be where I am today.  I am a Canadian citizen, and grew up in Canada, although I was born in the U.S., so I have the unique opportunity to call both countries “home.” 

Both of my maternal great grandmothers came to Canada, one from the U.S. and one from the UK, in the early 1900’s and both eventually settled in Western Canada.  My grandmother’s mother is my namesake, Annie Louisa Smith, so I am especially fond of this side of my family.    My grandfather and his father both served in the Canadian military; I can still picture my grandfather proud in his uniform at my grandparents 50th Anniversary.  They gladly served their country and fought for our freedom.  So how did I end up being born in the U.S.?  My mother attended college in the U.S., married an American and after many years in the U.S. had a desire to return home to Canada.  What a wonderful impact this decision had on my life as I grew up and eventually followed in her footsteps. (I haven’t yet convinced my husband to move to Canada though…)

As I reflect upon my heritage I am reminded that I need to sit down and write more of my history, the stories behind the records.  I want to pass along the gratitude and love I have for my ancestors so their lives can be brought to life for future generations.

Although my families Canadian roots aren’t deep we are very proud of our Canadian heritage and so today I bid you all a Happy Canada Day! 

The world of trees has changed today. 

You will now see hints for Ancestry.com appearing in both the individual and pedigree views for persons in your tree(s).  These hints will alert you to possible record matches for the individuals on your tree in databases on Ancestry.com.  Clicking on the link, or leaf will bring you to a list of hints; in order to see the records you will need to be signed in to Ancestry.com. 

Hints on the Individual page

Hints on the Pedigree page