HeritageQuest Online–Now improved and powered by Ancestry

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One month ago, ProQuest LLC, an Internet database provider based in Ann Arbor, MI, announced a new version of its popular HeritageQuest Online (HQ). The company makes the service available through public libraries that pay a subscription fee.

Since then, I have worked with HQ as it is offered by the Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL) system. With Internet access, you can research in HeritageQuest Online from home or other location outside of the library branches, but you must sign in with a library card. When you do this, you will get this page (click on image to make it larger).

HeritageQuest Online Home Page image

The offerings are quite impressive, particularly because you can access all the U.S. Federal Censuses from 1790 to 1940. A census search is fast and nicely presented, which you’d expect because of the involvement (“powered by”) Ancestry.com.

Here is the announcement as released by Proquest:

ProQuest is advancing the research experience for family history enthusiasts and genealogical experts with a new version of its popular HeritageQuest® Online, a treasury of high quality genealogical and historical information. This authoritative family history resource, which can be accessed from the library or remotely through the library portal, has a new interface powered by Ancestry, enriching the search experience and streamlining the research process.

The new HeritageQuest Online offers new capabilities and benefits to patrons:

  • The intuitive interface provides a fresh user experience that will be familiar to Ancestry.com users.
  • The U.S. Federal Census 1790-1940 – a highly valued resource that now includes complete every-name indexes and unique interactive maps.
  • Census data exceeding 700 million records that can now be discovered using Exact Match, Phonetic, Variant, Soundex, Wildcard and Keyword Searches.
  • Searching full-text of the expanded collection of more than 40,000 family and local history books – is now enhanced with thumbnail images and hit highlighting.
  • A new Image Viewer offers basic and advanced capabilities without any plug-in, making it easy to share images with family and friends.
  • Image resolution that is significantly improved with the addition of greyscale and color.

“The enhancements in HeritageQuest Online illustrate a commitment to transforming the research experience for the growing community of genealogists,” said Andon Baltakov, vice president, product management, ProQuest. “ProQuest’s comprehensive collection of family history resources and historical news delivers a winning combination to help library patrons discover their family history.”

The enhancements are a result of the expanded partnership and distribution agreement between ProQuest and Ancestry announced last June. Extensive training services and materials from both companies provide learning opportunities for library staff and patrons alike. For example, the new Research Aid will replace the Learning Center and include topics such as Getting Started, Census, Beyond the Basics, Military and Ethnic.

ProQuest also publishes LibGuides and 2-minute videos, and hosts complimentary full-day workshops and webinars for genealogy librarians.

The new version of HeritageQuest Online is available now to all subscribing libraries. ProQuest offers libraries a broad portfolio of quality genealogical products with breadth and depth in content that delivers a complete research solution for beginner and advanced family historians.

About ProQuest (www.proquest.com)

ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company’s products are a gateway to the world’s knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Dialog®, ebrary®, EBL® and Serials Solutions® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon® discovery service, the RefWorks® Flow™ collaboration platform, the Pivot™ research development tool and the Intota™ library services platform. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.

Check it out by going to your favorite public library system website and signing it with your library account.

If you are new to family history research, find and check out the Research Aids. Here is a view (click to make larger) of what HQ is currently offering as Research Aids:

Heritage Quest Online Research Aids

What Happens to Your Genealogical Estate?

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I’m looking forward to the April meeting of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society, chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. At that meeting, Carla Cegielski, asks and answers the question, “What Happens to Your Genealogical Estate?” I’ve thought about this situation, but haven’t put anything definite into action. I hope to learn more about what my options are and what steps I can take to insure that the genealogical files, pictures, and mementos that I have accumulated for years will be preserved in the best way possible.

Carla is a family history researcher specializing in Ohio and West Virginia resources. She is the webmaster for the Ohio Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists and the APG Great Lakes Chapter.

The meeting will be held Monday, Apr 6, 2015, from 7:00 to 9:30 pm at the Independence Civic Center – Willow Room – Independence OH 44131.

Clues to Identifying an Unknown Vehicle

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Family historians often are faced with the issue of trying to identify an automobile depicted in a snapshot in a family photo album. Today, I attended a workshop presented at Western Reserve Historical Society by the Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of WRHS. The presenter was Derrick Moore, curator of the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum at WRHS.

Derrick gave a nice overview of the auto industry in NEOhio, noting that at one time in the early 1900s, there were more manufacturers of autos in Cleveland than any where else in America.

He then shared tips for identifying those mystery automobiles depicted in family photos. He summarized those in a one-page handout, which I am reproducing below:

The biggest clues to identifying unknown vehicles typically lie in trademark logos or components that are visible on the automobile. These trademarks are often the first clues and cues to use in beginning your search for the Marque of the vehicle. Below are general suggestions of clues that may appear on an unknown vehicle:

Look for a Marque logo/emblem on the vehicle. On early vehicles, pre-WWII, radiator emblems and mascots are the easiest way to identify a vehicle. On modern vehicles, post-WWII, emblems still exist but have become mounted on the front fascia of the automobile, and often emblems of a model name are on the sides of the vehicle mounted on the front fenders.

Look at the radiator shape. This is typically only a good clue on pre-WWII era vehicles. Many times early automobile companies would use uniquely shaped, and sometime uniquely painted, radiators on vehicles. One of the most notable examples of a uniquely shaped radiator is Packard. One of the most notable examples of a uniquely painted radiator is Stearns.

Look at the wheels of the vehicle. The wheels on a pre-WWII vehicle can tell you a lot about a vehicle. The first piece of the wheel to look at is the dust cap. The dust cap is the center cap of the wheel and often has the company logo on it; if it is visible it will be a definitive answer to the Marque. The second clue can come from the size and style of the wheel, some companies used unique spoke designs that help to narrow down what Marque the vehicle might be. Wheels on post-WWII vehicles often have full size hubcaps or center caps on the rims, which typically have the Marque logo at the center. This is a quick way to identify post-WWII vehicles.

Look at the style and size of body. The style of a body on pre-WWII vehicles can often be a major clue to what price range the vehicle was in. If it is a large, luxurious looking body, odds are that it is not a “common” automobile like a Ford Model T. The style of body can also help you identify the year range of the automobile. Open bodies, or touring cars, were more common in the early days of the automobile industry. Closed bodies, or sedans, became more common after the early 1920s, as more people began to own automobiles and use them year round.

FYI, the term “marque” in this context refers to the brand of automobile. It is commonly used by auto collectors and is primarily associated with “quality” automobiles. WRHS has an extensive collection of literature and information about nearly all brands of automobiles, both old and newer, luxury and ordinary. This WRHS collection is known as the Marque Files. It is available for use in the Research Library by family historians.

Identify a Mystery Car in Your Family Photo Collection at Workshop at WRHS

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Coming up on Saturday, April 4, 2015, the Genealogical Committee of Western Reserve Historical Society is hosting an event for people to learn about family automobiles and the automotive industry in Northeastern Ohio. Derek E Moore will be presenting information in a session titled “Love Those Cars–Automotive History & Our Family Cars.” The workshop session will be from noon to 3 pm in the WRHS Research Library.

This is an opportunity to gain insight into the experiences of your ancestors relative to automobiles in Cleveland and beyond, to learn about the automotive industry in the NEOhio area, and to explore the Marque Files in the Research Library.

Derek is the Frederick C and Kathleen S Crawford Curator of Transportation at WRHS. You will be impressed with his extensive knowledge of automotive industry history, and of historic automobiles and their preservation. He previously worked at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, where he gained valuable experience in automobile preservation. He recently attended a meeting of the National Association of Automobile Museums, where he exchanged ideas and networked with other automotive museum professionals.

Do you have a photo of an ancestor with a car that you would like to identify? Or maybe just the model and year? During the session, members of the Genealogical Committee will be on hand to help you organize what you know about the mystery vehicle and you then will have an opportunity to consult with Derek to identify the vehicle and learn details about it.

With the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum just steps away from the Research Library, it is natural that the Society would collect information about automobiles. The  Automotive Marque Files offer a treasure trove of automobilia including dealer brochures, owner’s manuals, customer mailings, and employee publications. In many instances, period photographs and postcards augment the factory literature, while contemporary articles and pamphlet histories supplement the primary materials. More information is available online about the Marque Files. Volunteers will be available to assist with “hands on” time to explore the Marque Files and other resources in the library.

Please register for the family history automotive workshop by going to the online registration page for this event. There is a $15 fee for this event to cover the cost of handout materials.

Before and following the workshop, you will be free to tour the Crawford Auto Aviation Collection.

If you are interested in seeing a brief intro into Derek’s knowledge about automotive preservation, go to this online resource: “Mechanical Preservation of Historic Motorized Vehicles.”

 

Global Family Reunion to be celebrated at Western Reserve Historical Society

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The Global Family Reunion is coming to the Western Reserve Historical Society <www.wrhs.org> on 6 Jun 2015.

Ann Sindelar of the Society received notice yesterday (25 Mar 2015) that the organization has been accepted as a remote site for the Global Family Reunion, GFR for short. The main event, which is expected to draw thousands, will be celebrated in New York City at the Science Pavilion on the grounds of the legendary 1964 World Fair. For details about GFR, go to http://globalfamilyreunion.com/.

A number of sites around the country and the world associated with family history and genealogy are signed up for remote GFR renions on the same day. Notable among them are:

Family History Library
Salt Lake City, Utah
https://familysearch.org/locations/saltlakecity-library

Allen County Public Library
Ft Wayne, Indiana
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/

Midwest Genealogy Center
Independence, Missouri
http://www.mymcpl.org/genealogy

Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research / Houston Public Library (Free of charge)
Houston, Texas
http://houstonlibrary.org/location/clayton-library-center-genealogical-research

WRHS will provide family history-oriented activities for visitors with the assistance of the Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of the Society <http://www.wrhs.org/research/library/genealogy/genealogical-committee/>. Among the highlights for families attending will be riding the recently restored Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel <http://www.wrhs.org/explore/exhibits/euclid-beach-park-grand-carousel/> and touring the World in Motion displays of antique cars <http://www.wrhs.org/research/crawford/>of Cleveland and beyond.

We’re Almost Halfway Thru WDYTYA 2015 Season

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Can you believe it? With the broadcast last Sunday night, we’re almost halfway through the 2015 season of “Who Do You Think You Are.” To date, the celebrity-based genealogy reality show has featured the following guests:  On Mar 8 Julie Chen, on location in Los Angeles, California; Singapore; Penglai, Shandong, China; on Mar 15 Josh Groban, in Los Angeles, California; Stuttgart, Germany; and on Mar 22 Angie Harmon, in Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

While I like Julie Chen as a television personality, I think it was curious that the series started with her segment, with its focus on Chinese genealogy. I would have expected somebody like Angie Harmon, with her more American-based family history to lead off the series.

The upcoming episodes will feature Sean Hayes on Mar 29,  Tony Goldwyn on Apr 5, America Ferrera on Apr 12, Bill Paxton on 7 Apr 19, and Melissa Etheridge on Apr 26. Locations to be visited with these episodes have not been announced. The broadcast time on TLC is 10 pm Eastern Daylight Time, 9 pm Central.

FYI, some of the episodes and extra videos are available at http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/who-do-you-think-you-are/

 

Digging for Data on WWII Relatives

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Today I presented a talk on “Digging for Data on WWII Relatives” at the March meeting the the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohcagg/>, Cleveland Area. The meeting was held at the Fairview Park Library <http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Branches/Fairview-Park.aspx> in Fairview, Ohio. Here is my handout for the talk:

WWII Duration
7 Dec 1941 – 2 Sep 1945

Where Are WWII Military Records?
Any extant military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services for WWII are stored at National Personnel Records Center.
Homepage: http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/st-louis-gil-2012.pdf
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/index.html

Ordering Veteran Record from NPRC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WXQMiR5xxk

Access: Veteran or Next of Kin
Veterans have full access to their records
Next-of-kin of deceased veterans also have full access
Copies of extant military and medical records on file at NPRC (MPR)
Including Report of Separation (1941-1950) or the DD Form 214 (after 1950),

Next of Kin Defined
Un-remarried widow or widower Son or daughter Father or mother Brother or sister
Next-of-kin must provide proof of death for the Veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary.
Also available to a Veteran’s Representative

Access: Public
The public (including genealogists) has access to certain military service information without the veteran’s authorization or that of the next-of-kin of deceased veterans. This information is not considered an unwarranted invasion of privacy

Accessible to Public
Name and Service Number, and perhaps a Photograph
Dates of Service and Branch of Service
Rank and Date of Rank
Assignments and Geographical Locations
Place of entrance and separation
Awards and decorations (Eligibility only, not actual medals)
Transcript of Court-Martial Trial
Also, additional information if the veteran is deceased:
Place of birth
Date and geographical location of death Place of burial

 One Big Problem
Fire at NPRC, St Louis, on July 12, 1973 destroyed 75-80% of Army records created from 1912 to 1963.
Records for Navy and Marines were unharmed.
NPRC (MRC) Records Reconstruction
NPRC uses alternate sources to reconstruct basic service information to respond to requests for Army records.
19 million final pay vouchers. Medical records. To learn about reconstruction go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xNvAudiRwU

NPRC Records Made Permanent
The Department of Defense and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) signed an agreement on July 8, 2004, that makes the Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) a permanent series of records. Archival Research Room in St. Louis. Records being transferred to NARA custody 62 years after the service member’s separation from the military.

To Request Service Records
Veterans and the next-of-kin of deceased veterans may use the eVetRecs online request service hosted by NARA at https://vetrecs.archives.gov/VeteranRequest/home.html

For all others, use the Standard Form 180 (SF-180), Request Pertaining to Military Records. Download and instructions at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html

Other Records Available for WW II
Draft registrations
Recorded service records
Local sources
Newspaper reports
What’s online (and what’s not)

Recorded Discharge Papers
In Ohio, after April 7th, 2009
Only AUTHORIZED individuals able to obtain copies.
An AUTHORIZED person:
–     The person who is the subject of the Discharge
–     A County Veterans Service Officer
–     An Attorney in Fact
–     An Executor or Administrator of an Estate
–     A Funeral Home Director
Copies of Discharge Records must be requested in-person at the Recorder’s Office.

WRHS Cleveland Servicemen’s Photographs, 1940-1955 at Western Reserve Historical Society <www.wrhs.org>. To read about this collection, go to <http://www.wrhs.org/research/library/genealogy/database/cleveland-servicemen-photographs/>
To search the collection by name or keyword, go to <http://catalog.wrhs.org/genresources/search>

Newspapers
Research in online newspaper databases for:
Enlistments
Wounded or MIA reports
Return home reports
Obituaries

Unit Histories
Online sites have histories for many WWII military units.
Many books have been published about WWII divisions and other units.

Online Records related to WW II:
Mostly about men
Also about women as spouses, parents, etc.
WW II Records on Ancestry and Fold3
U.S. WW II Draft Registration Cards
1942 U.S. WW II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
Some other WW II Records on Ancestry: New York Southern District, World War II Military; Naturalization Index, 1941-1946; WW II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946; WW II Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas; WW II Casualty Listings

Search Tips
If you don’t get any matches with an exact search, try broadening your search by including less information. Want to refine your “best matches” search? Try the Advanced Search options and fill out as much information as you can. Use the Soundex search. Names are often misspelled in historical records. Soundex allows you to search for last names that “sound like” the one you’re looking for.
Try this even if you think the spelling is obvious. Remember, even Smith can be “misspelled” (e.g., Smithe, Smyth, Smythe). Use a wildcard to view all words that begin with the same stem.
Use an asterisk for up to six characters. For example, a search for “Fran*” will return matches such as Fran, Franny, Frank, Frannie, and Frankie. Use a question mark for a single character. For example, a search for “Hans?n” will return matches such as Hansen and Hanson.

WW II Draft Registration Cards
For men 45 to 65 years old
Know as “Old Men’s Draft” Fourth Registration
Only registration currently available to the public due to privacy laws
Records for 8 states destroyed
WW II Enlistment Records
This database contains information on about 8.3 million men and women who enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. It is not complete, so it does not represent every U.S. Army enlistee.

Women in WWII
Beginning in December 1941, 350,000 women served in the United States Armed Forces, during WWII.

  • Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Women’s Army Corps or WAC),
  • Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), and
  • Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVE)

Research Suggestions:
Cyndi’s List at www.cyndislist.com.

Do a Google Search for a desired topic, e.g. “WWII Research Guide.”

Wikipedia.org has a wealth of information on a wide variety of subjects, including military organization, specific military units, military acronyms and abbreviations, and military ranks,

Grow Your Own Family Tree–Class Announced for Brecksville Residents

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Today, we received the Spring 2015 issue of the Brecksville Bulletin in the mail. It’s also available online at <http://brecksville.oh.us/News%20and%20Events/news_pdf/2015/15_Spring_Bulletin.pdf>.

It included the following announcement of a class that I will be presenting for the next six weeks beginning next Wednesday, Mar 25, at the Human Services Center.

Grow Your Own Family Tree

We’ve all thought about tracing the roots of our family tree and now you’ve got a chance to finally do it. Back by popular demand, genealogist and Brecksville resident, Wal[y Huskonen has created a program to help residents trace their family heritage.

Two-hour sessions begin Wednesday, March 25 from 1 to 3 and continue each Wednesday afternoon through May 13 at the Brecksville Human Services Center. You’ll work with Wally on creating your own ancestor chart and family group sheet. It’s a fascinating experience. Each session is limited to six people to enable hands-on instruction employing the Center’s three public compurers. And it’s free!

Register by calling the Human Services Center at 526-2499. Be sure to bring along any basic family tree information that you possess especially names of relatives who were possibly counted in the 1930 or 1940 census. Sorry Brecksville residents only because of iimited class size.

I’m looking forward to working with residents to pass along some tips and guidance about genealogical and family history research. I conducted such a class back in 2011 and found it rewarding to work with all those who signed up during the Brecksville Bicentennial celebration that year.

Logging In To Ellis Island Database

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I received a call from a fellow member of the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society (http://www.cuyahogagenealogy.org/CVGS/) inquiring how to access Ellis Island records these days. A few years ago, when the Ellis Island records were first made available online, I created an account to look up ancestors who might have come to America through Ellis Island. At that time, the URL was www.ellisisland.org, and I was required to create a user name and password. I haven’t used this account in some time, so I was surprised to learn that the sign-in I had on file in my cloud-based password database (Roboform–for info go to http://www.roboform.com/ ) did not work. In recent times, I have preferred to do my Ellis Island searches through my subscription to Ancestry.com.

One of the options on the Ellis Island website was to create an account–or in this case, a new account, which I did. Rather than a username, the Ellis Island Foundation now requests an email address and a password.  I guess that makes sense because the Foundation needs to appeal for donations to continue to operate. The account creation process was straight-forward. FYI, the new URL is: http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/.

My test case for passenger list searches is my grandmother Ida Maria Huuskonen, who immigrated in 1903 with four children. I had found her several years ago as Ida Hunskanen, which was how a volunteer indexer mis-transcribed her name from the passenger list entry. When I entered Ida Maria Hunskanen, I found no results. Then I tried Ida Hunskanen, and up popped her entry. Success.

One reason why I prefer Ancestry.com for passenger list research is that I have entered a correction to my grandmother’s index entry, so anytime I want to check her listing again, I don’t have to remember how her name was mis-transcribed to find her. Even though the wrong spelling still is the main index entry, my error correction entry also is there and her entry comes up. The same advantage applies to other passenger list entries I have researched on Ancestry.com.

In the interest of complete disclosure, you also can access the Ellis Island database through https://familysearch.org/