In Memoriam — Russ Cooper, One of my Early Mentors in Genealogy

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The other day, I received an email advising that Russ Cooper had passed away. I remember meeting Russ at an Ohio Genealogical Society (www.ogs.org)  conference held in Independence, Ohio, during my early days of getting involved in genealogy. He was at the conference representing the North East Ohio Computer-Aided Genealogy Society (aka NEOCAG — see http://neocag.net/), of which he was the founder and main driving force for many years. He convinced me to join NEOCAG and since then I have attended many informative meetings of the group.

About 10 years ago, Russ moved from Cleveland to Rochester, New York, where he participated in the Rochester Genealogy Society. I understand that he also volunteered in the Genealogy Room of the Monroe County Library in downtown Rochester. I have done a bit of research there on ancestors who passed through Monroe County on their way to Northeast Ohio. The following link takes you directly to the Local History and Genealogy Department: http://www3.libraryweb.org/lh.aspx?id=971.

Here is the obituary that was published in the Rochester Democrat And Chronicle on Dec. 14, 2012:

Cooper, C. Russell

Rochester: Monday, December 8, 2014 at age 89. Predeceased by his Brother Lee Cooper. He is survived by his loving Wife of 59 years, Mary; 4 Children, Nancy Cooper (Martin) Lineham of Rochester, NY, Russell (Mary) Cooper of Cleveland, OH, Laura (Thomas) Poovakad of Boston, MA, Linda (Jonathan) Angles of New York City; 10 Grandchildren; Brother, Robert Cooper of Salem, OR; Sister, Virginia (Sidney) Nolte of Dallas, TX and many Nieces & Nephews.

A private service will be held by the family.

Here is the link to the obit: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/democratandchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=173460065#sthash.6GnlLyol.dpuf.

Burned Records — The “B-file”

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As genealogy researchers, we have often heard the statement, “The records were burned.” The statement usually involves the records that should be on file in a courthouse. But there is another type of record search that often gets that response: Army records from WWI and WWII. That’s because in July 1973, a disastrous fire broke out at the National Personnel Records Center’s (NPRC) military records building in Overland, MO. The fire destroyed the building’s sixth floor. The fire was so bad, it took firefighters four and half days and millions of gallons of water to quench all the hot spots. An article describing the fire is available at http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html.

The National Archives and Records Administration was responsible for maintaining those Army records. The fire led to a lot of study on how to protect such records from loss in such a manner.

Actually, the 1973 fire was the second huge fire to destroy a large, important government record set, for in 1921 a fire at the Bureau of Census destroyed most of the 1890 census. There is an informative article about that disaster at http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1996/spring/1890-census-1.html.

There was nothing that could be done to rescue data that should have been available with the 1890 census, but for the WWI and WWII army records, there has been a course of action charted by the National Archives to rescue some of the Army service records data. Here is how NARA describes the problem and the partial solution (http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/archival-programs/preservation-program/burned-records.html):

Documents not burned by the fire were soaked by water used in the fire suppression. In the aftermath, most of the water-damaged records underwent an experimental vacuum-drying process. As this method had never been implemented in a record’s disaster recovery, many of the records were over-dried, resulting in a higher rate of brittle paper. In terms of loss to the cultural heritage of our nation, the fire was an unparalleled disaster, destroying approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).

From the wreckage of the sixth floor, NPRC staffers were able to recover approximately 6.5 million records. As part of the reconstruction effort, the NPRC established a “B” registry file (or Burned File) to index all of the recovered records. Today, despite their condition, “B-files” are requested daily, requiring the Preservation Laboratory to devise safe methods for cleaning, treating and making the information in these records available to veterans, Federal agencies and the general public.

Burned Records Intervention:

Working with burned records, or “B-files,” is one of the core activities of the Preservation Program. Within the Laboratory, technicians provide file review, assessment and treatment for the burned records. Key efforts involving “B-files” include:

Assessing files for mold, fire and water damage and/or loss of information and determining access levels and treatment actions based on the condition of the records.

Providing basic holdings maintenance so that lightly-damaged records can be released to the NPRC reference personnel.

Providing records handling training to the NPRC personnel tasked with Fire-related reference.

Cleaning and treating moderately damaged records for use by the public, NPRC personnel or other Federal agencies.

Providing surrogate copies of heavily damaged records to the public, NPRC personnel or other Federal agencies.

Mold Remediation:

In the days after the 1973 Fire, the most immediate concern at the NPRC revolved around water. In order to combat the blaze, firefighters were forced to pour millions of gallons of water into the building. To stop sporadic rekindling of fire, firefighters also continued spraying water on the building until late July. In addition, broken water lines continued to flood the building until they could be capped. Standing water, combined with the high temperatures and humidity of a typical St. Louis summer, created a situation ripe for mold growth. As paper is highly susceptible to mold, officials immediately tried to prevent such an outbreak by spraying thymol throughout the building.

Damaged records that could be recovered in the wake of the fire were placed in a temperature controlled storage area to retard further mold growth. Today, mold evident on the records is generally dormant or desiccated as opposed to active. However, mold-damaged records must be carefully stored and handled, as an increase in temperature and humidity can cause dormant mold to become active again. In addition to mold contamination, many burned records are scorched, browned, brittle and/or in danger of information loss.

To ensure appropriate access, while at the same time minimizing unnecessary handling, the Preservation staff checks each requested “B-file” to:

Determine its condition and/or mold-damage before releasing it from the storage area.

Direct the record for appropriate treatment, if needed. Underneath a vented enclosure, inside the Laboratory’s fume hood room, technicians use vacuums fitted with HEPA filters to remediate the records by removing as many spores as possible.

Direct the record to the appropriate area in the Archival Program Division or the Records Center where the record can be safely viewed by researchers or handled for reference work.

Staff members working in this area are specifically trained in records handling to minimize further damage or loss of information.

It may be worthwhile, if you have a WWII Army veteran in your direct-line ancestry–or in a collateral line–to pursue his (or her) B-file. A good starting point is available online at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/. You will need to be patient, and there probably will be fees involved. BTW, in looking into the situation, you may learn that other records that are available for WWII, and especially for WWI, participants may satisfy your quest for information.

 

Family Tree of Languages Has Roots in Anatolia, Biologists Say

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Recently, I stumbled upon that headline and was immediately intrigued. I learned that it appeared over an article from the 12 Aug 2012 issue of The New York Times. You can check it out at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/24/science/indo-european-languages-originated-in-anatolia-analysis-suggests.html. The following statement is especially interesting to me as a Finnish-American:

Historical linguists see other evidence in that the first Indo-European speakers had words for “horse” and “bee,” and lent many basic words to proto-Uralic, the mother tongue of Finnish and Hungarian. The best place to have found wild horses and bees and be close to speakers of proto-Uralic is the steppe region above the Black Sea and the Caspian. The Kurgan people who occupied this area from around 5000 to 3000 B.C. have long been candidates for the first Indo-European speakers.

People of Finnish ancestry, and those of Hungarian ancestry too, are usually well informed that these two languages are considered Finno-Ugriic and are unlike others prvelant of Europe today. While the article is more than two years old, it is useful in explaining the debate about how languages of Europe developed. Of interest is the fact the main expert quoted in the article is called an “evolutionary biologist.” Evolutionary biology has an entry at Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_biology. Here is the lead paragraph from that entry:

Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the study of the evolutionary processes that produced the diversity of life on Earth. Someone who studies evolutionary biology is known as an evolutionary biologist. Evolutionary biologists study the descent of species, and the origin of new species.

My conclusion: Being aware of this field of study provides another avenue of learning about the origins of my distant ancestors. Eventually, I aim to explore autosomal DNA (http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA) and see how it matches up with some of the conclusions of the field of evolutionary biology. FYI, the website of the International Society of Genetic Genealogy referenced above, in addition to defining autosomal DNA,  provides the further information autosomal DNA testing:

Autosomal DNA tests for genetic genealogy are provided by 23andMe, Family Tree DNA (the Family Finder test) and AncestryDNA. The Family Finder test and the AncestryDNA tests are both genealogical DNA tests which give you matches with genetic cousins and also give you ethnicity percentages. The 23andMe test is a genealogical DNA test but also provides information on health and traits. The cousin-finding element of the 23andMe test is known as DNA Relatives (formerly Relative Finder)).

Woman Finds Photo from Vietnam, Search for Owner Ensues

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Here’s another example of how modern communication channels work. It involves a Vietnam era photograph found in a parking lot. Here is some of the story:

A woman in Southwest Ohio is asking for individuals to take a few moments and give a close look at a seemingly decades-old photograph.

According to WDTN, Samantha Bryson found the picture of three men who appeared to be in the military outside a grocery store in Vandalia, Ohio earlier this week.

“It was just laying face up in the parking lot,” she told the news outlet.

Bryson added, “It’s got the three gentleman on it who obviously were friends in the war.”

How did I learn about this? It started with a LinkedIn posting, “People Speak Related Languages – Place of Origin” by Susan aka “Sunny” Taylor-Colby. a regular poster about genealogical topics on LinkedIn. She was calling attention to the following posting on another website about a recent story in the New York Times:

From England to Russia to India, People Speak Related Languages. Here’s the Surprising Place…theblaze.com

I checked out this posting, then I scanned further down the page at www.theBlaze.com and came across the following topic, subject of this particular posting: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/12/why-an-ohio-woman-is-asking-you-to-take-a-close-look-at-this-seemingly-decades-old-photograph.

Reading that item, I learned about the photo found in a Vandalia, Ohio, parking lot, and the effort to return it to its owner. If you take a look at the above link, be sure to click through to the online video of the TV news report from Station WDTN (http://wdtn.com/), a television station in Dayton, Ohio, whose broadcast coverage includes Vandalia, eleven miles north of Dayton.

While we’re at it, what exactly is www.theBlaze.com? Apparently it is an Internet website operated by pundit Glenn Beck, a well-known conservative pundit. Normally, I wouldn’t spend time looking at a communication channel with such a conservative bent, but I was glad that I did in this case after reading about the found photo.

BTW, the item from the LinkedIn posting, “People Speak Related Languages…,” having to do with the origins of languages in present-day Europe was quite interesting also. I have more details about that in another post on www.CollectingAncestors.com, all thanks to www.LinkedIn.com and www.theBlaze.com.

 

Sisu and the 1939 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union

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I have just finished viewing Fire and Ice : The Winter War of Finland and Russia, a documentary video on YouTube. I was interested in viewing this because of my Finnish ancestry–my paternal grandparents emigrating from Finland in 1902 and 1903. My grandfather had many siblings and half-siblings who remained in Finland, so I probably have collateral relatives who participated in the conflict, but I have yet to track down any records of such relatives who were in the Winter War.

The nearly one-hour documentary (background info–http://media.wfyi.org/fireandice/index.htm) presents an overview of the conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union during the bitter cold of December 1939.  It incorporates interviews with veterans of both sides, as well as with Finnish civilians and various historical experts, plus re-enactment and actual movie footage, still photos, and maps to illustrate how the small Finnish army courageously defended the country’s borders against hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops equipped with tanks, artillery, and aircraft.

When Josef Stalin launched this war against Finland, he expected a quick victory, but the Finns waged what is now called guerrilla warfare with ski-mounted troops conducting ambushes and hit-and-run tactics against the larger and less-mobile Soviet forces. In some cases, the Finns even used reindeer to move supplies.

Finnish troops in Winter War with reindeer

During the Winter War, the Finns invented the Molotov cocktail, which is defined in a Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail. In particular, they used this home-made incendiarary device against Soviet tanks.The photo below shows a Finnish soldier with a Molotov cocktail.

Talvisota_Molotov_Cocktail

For much of the conflict, the Finns staved off the more numerous invading forces. But in the end, the Finns were forced to sign an armistice, ceding territory known as the Karelian Isthmus to the Soviet Union. As a result, some 400,000 Finns from the territory evacuated to Finland, where they were gradually resettled.

450px-Finnish_areas_ceded_in_1944

The Finn army suffered thousands of casualties, but the Soviets suffered far more with the highest estimates approaching 1 million troops lost as a result of what the Soviets called a “victory.”

To view the YouTube presentation, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMa3w8L92Xs.

For completeness, I should point out that the Soviets again attacked Finland in Jun 1941 in what is called the Continuation War that lasted until Sep 1944. Again, the Finns again staved off the Soviets.

There is a term in the Finnish language, sisu, which is summed up on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisu) as

generally meaning determination, bravery, and resilience. However, the word is widely considered to lack a proper translation into any other language. Sisu is about taking action against the odds and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity.

The Winter War (as well as the Continuation War) is the very embodiment of Sisu.

 

 

 

Learning About Another Country, South Africa, and its Dutch Origins

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I enjoy reading detective novels. And I especially enjoy them when they introduce me to another region, country, or culture.

I have just finished reading Cobra, A Novel, written by Deon Meyer.Deon Meyer Cobra book jacket
Deon Meyer photo

This fast-paced detective novel provides an introduction to modern-day South Africa. The author wrote it  originally in Afrikaans, a language that has evolved from that of the Dutch settlers who arrived in the area of present-day Cape Town in the mid 17th century. The novel was translated into very readable English with a sprinkling of Afrikaans slang used throughout. This approach provided me with a feel for modern-day South Africa and also some exposure to a language similar to that spoken by my original immigrant ancestor, Adam Dingman, who arrived in New Netherlands (New York) in about 1650.

I actually visited South Africa, back about in 1988, while I was serving as chief editor of Metalproducing magazine. I was invited to visit South Africa to view an innovative iron-making technology developed by the engineering division of VoestAlpine Stahl, an Austrian steel company. The technology was being used by two South African steel producers. It was an exciting trip, partly because of the long flights involved to Frankfurt, Germany, then on to Johannesburg, South Africa, and more importantly because the destination was Africa. I should point out that I made this trip before I became interested in genealogy and family history.

I still recall arriving in the Johannesburg airport and going through immigration and the baggage area. Here and elsewhere during this visit, I frequently saw policemen carrying semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, and even walking with German Shepard dogs. This was considered necessary because of the tense relations between whites and “coloreds.” South Africa had not yet ended the practice of Apartheid or racial segregation in which nonwhite South Africans were forced to live in separate areas from whites, use separate public facilities, and have limited contact with their white countrymen.

My visit, back in the day, was well organized by my hosts, and I didn’t experience any instances of racial tension.

Now for a few details about the book. The English version of Cobra was released in the US on 7 Oct 2014. It is set in Cape Town, which is near the southern tip of Africa.
south_africa_map1

Cape Town was founded by the Dutch East India Company  in 1652 as a refreshment outpost. The outpost was intended to supply company ships on their way to and from Asia with fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat, and to enable sailors wearied by the voyage to recuperate. What influenced the location of the town was the availability of fresh water which was difficult to find in other areas.

The book involves Benny Griessel, a dectective with the Hawks, an elite crime-solving division of the South African Police Service. In the beautiful Franschhoek wine valley, at an exclusive guest house, three bodies are found, each with a very professional bullet through the head. A fourth guest is missing. And he proves to be a very, very important man in the fight against terrorism. For more details about the book, go to http://www.deonmeyer.com/books/cobra.html.

The last pages in the book provide a vocabulary of the Afrikaans words sprinkled throughout the text. In most cases, the reader gets the idea of the meaning of these terms without turning to the back pages, but the vocabulary does provides more detail about each term.

As a testament to Meyer’s writing ability, his novels have been translated into 27 languages, including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian and Bulgarian.

If you are interested, a question and answer interview with Meyer is available on his website at http://www.deonmeyer.com/bio.html

Big Naturalization Ceremony at WRHS on Dec 18, 2014

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There’s been quite a bit of discussion about immigration in the news lately, what with President Obama extending the opportunity to stay in America at least for awhile to some 5 million immigrants who are here without proper documentation.

In this context, it’s comforting to know that immigrants with proper documentation are becoming citizens on a regular basis. For example, the next big naturalization ceremony for the Cleveland area is scheduled for Western Reserve Historical Society, www.wrhs.org, at at 10 am on Thursday, December 18.

Last year, also in December, Judge Solomon Oliver Jr, chief judge of the Northern District of Ohio, swore into American citizenship 119 immigrants from many countries around the world. A short video showing highlights of the proceedings last year is here:

And here is a bit of background information on how area naturalization ceremonies are performed today from the Court website:

Naturalization Ceremonies

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has retained exclusive jurisdiction to conduct naturalization ceremonies for applicants seeking citizenship. The ceremonies are presided over by a United States District Judge and are held in the Cleveland and Toledo courthouses. In Cleveland, the ceremonies are generally scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month. In Toledo, the ceremonies are held once per month, generally on the last Friday of each month. Applicants seeking citizenship will receive their ceremony date and time from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Source: http://www.ohnd.uscourts.gov/home/naturalization/naturalization-schedule/

Have you ever witnessed a ceremony such as this?  IMHO, it is quite moving. It serves to remind me that my grandfather Evert Huskonen became a citizen in 1938, after living in this country since he immigrated from Finland in 1902. He was able to speak English well enough to pass the test that was required even then.
Today, immigrants must study 100 Civics questions and be ready to answer up to ten selected questions at random by an official from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (http://www.uscis.gov/). The test is the final step to qualify for American citizenship. A candidate passes the examination if he or she can correctly answer six of the ten questions asked by the immigration examiner.
Be forewarned that parking will be at a premium for this event due to the large numbers of new citizens and their families that will attend.  They all arrive early to make sure that they are on time.
I’m planning on attending again this year. Maybe I’ll see you there.
BTW, last year’s ceremony took place in the WRHS Museum Rotunda, right next to where the Euclid Beach Carousel display was being assembnled. That exhibit is now completed (http://www.wrhs.org/explore/exhibits/euclid-beach-park-grand-carousel/).

WRHS Genealogical Institute Announces Classes for January, February and March 2015

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The Genealogical Institute of the Western Reserve Historical Society has just issued the following news release:

Genealogical Institute Classes for January, February and March

January 10, 2015: “Opening the Door to Your Family History”

Jump-start your family research in the New Year by signing up for this beginner’s class. Focus will be on gathering documents, vital records, and census information. To encourage your 2015 resolution, you may register for yourself for the class and bring one family member or friend with you at NO EXTRA COST.

Extra time after class can be spent in the Research Library applying your new skills. Presenters will be Pat Epperson and Heber MacWilliams, both Genealogical Committee members and researchers.

Time: Noon to 3pm Registration fee $15.

February 7, 2015: “Where Did They Go?” Finding Your Family’s Migration Routes.

Not all families settled down and never moved. If your research hits a dead end, get it back on the road by considering migratory patterns. Sunny Morton, OGS editor, author, blogger, researcher and Genealogical Committee member will present a fact-filled class to help you understand and to follow your family’s migration path. A variety of resources and techniques may help you to connect the dots to trails, roads, highways traveled by your ancestors to other states and other cities.

Time: Noon to 3pm Registration fee $15.

March 7, 2015: “The Stones Speak” – Learning about Tombstones and Death Records

The end of your researching could be the beginning. Death records research can begin or end at the cemetery tombstone. An inscription can lead a family historian on a search for all things related to that name.  Death certificates, obituaries, death notices, funeral cards and funeral home records can complete the stone’s sparse information, bringing the researcher’s story full circle.

Mark Busch of Busch Funeral Homes will present an overview of funeral records. The Busch family has been active for over 100 years, with six funeral home in the Cleveland and West side area. Genealogical committee members will assist class participants with hands-on work in the Research Library also.

Time: Noon to 3pm Registration fee $15.

The registration fee for Gen Institute Classes is $15 per person per class and includes a packet of course notes and other handout materials for each class. Gen Institute classes are held from noon until 3 pm in the Hassler Room of the Research Library. You can register by going to http://www.wrhs.org/upcoming-events and clicking on the event of interest.

The WRHS Genealogical Institute is an on-going project of the Genealogical Committee, an auxiliary of the Western Reserve Historical Society. The Committee organizes educational events for genealogists and family historians and raises funds to enhance their research experience in the WRHS Research Library.

Genealogy Roadshow Season Two Coming in January on PBS

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Tuesdays this winter will bring Season Two of Genealogy Roadshow <https://www.facebook.com/GenealogyRoadshowPBS> with a diverse new cast of participants who take emotional journeys to explore genealogical mysteries. Episodes for the upcoming season were recorded in St. Louis in August, New Orleans in September, and Philadelphia in October.

Genealogy Roadshow Logo

Each video recording session involved pre-selected locals who have their family mysteries explored by show genealogists Joshua Taylor, Kenyatta D. Berry, and Mary Tedesco.

The first episode airs on Tuesday, January 13, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

 

Harvesting Pennsylvania Death Records on Ancestry.com

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I have a large number of ancestors who passed away in Pennsylvania. For years, it was necessary to visit one of five Pennsylvania repositories around the state to obtain a death certificate for a deceased ancestor. This effectively stopped me from obtaining these valuable records.

A few months ago, the Pennsylvania State Archives announced that it had entered a partnership with Ancestry.com to digitize family history records in the State Archives and to make them available online. The provision was made that Pennsylvania residents would have free access to Ancestry.com Pennsylvania for searching the databases of death records. The arrangement even provides a separate website for access by Pennsylvanians at http://phmc.info/ancestrypa

Here is more information as it appears on the website of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/genealogy/3183/vital_statistics/387291):

BIRTH AND DEATH RECORDS:

On January 1, 1906, the newly established Pennsylvania Department of Health officially began to issue birth and death certificates. Prior to 1906, Pennsylvania births and deaths were recorded only sporadically by the counties and some cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Genealogists must rely on county records or nongovernmental sources such as church registers, gravestone inscriptions and newspapers to obtain data for this earlier period. The State Archives holds the following birth and death records:

Birth Certificates, 1906-1908

Death Certificates, 1906-1963

Original birth certificates for 1906-1908 and death certificates for 1906-1963 are available at the State Archives. An index is available on the website of the Division of Vital Records as well as in the Archives research room. Pennsylvania Death Certificates from 1906-1963 are now available for research online at Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania residents may access these records through Ancestry.com Pennsylvania (go to http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/research_topics/3162/ancestry_com_pennsylvania/1575348 and follow the instructions).

In the recent past, I have dabbled in looking up individual death records using the fruits of this partnership with my Ancestry.com subscription. If I didn’t have a subscription, I could use Ancestry Library Edition at Western Reserve Historical Society or a public library.

Now, I have decided to make a concerted effort to “harvest” all the available death certificates for ancestors with the surnames Dingman and Betts/Bates for the counties of Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Venango. It is remarkably easy to do.

Here is the Ancestry search window (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5164):

 


Death Certificate Search Window for Pennsylvania death certificates on Ancestry_edited-1

To perform a search for deceased Dingmans, I simply insert the surname and the county of interest. Here is part of the extensive list of Dingmans who died between 1906 and 1963. Most of these are related to me in one way or another:

Death Certificate Search Results for Pennsylvania on Ancestry

When you click on a particular record, you can look at the scanned death certificate image and print it out or save it. If you have a subscription to Ancestry.com, and you have created a tree for your family, you can save a certificate to the subject person on that family tree.

I have created one-name trees for the Dingman and Betts/Bates surnames for people in the counties mentioned above. I have found it to be easy to save the certificates into the appropriate one-name tree, creating a “new person” if the subject is not already in the tree. If the person is new, you often can learn who the father and mother were from the certificate and add them to the tree as well.

I have been able to populate these two one-name trees with many new people quickly and easily. Then I can review their information to confirm relationships and check for duplication.