Learn How to Use Gedmatch at Our February Meeting

The next CCGS general meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at the Brewster Ladies Library. We will be welcoming back Thomas Greve as our featured speaker. Thomas will be discussing the use of Gedmatch for your DNA results.

Anyone who has purchased an autosomal DNA test from any company (Ancestry, FTDNA, 23 and Me, My Heritage) can upload their data to GEDmatch, a third-party database. By doing this, you will be able to access a larger pool of matches, increasing your chances of finding significant matches.

In addition to a basic overview of genetic inheritance, find out how to create an account on Gedmatch and take advantage of free tools including DNA matching and comparison, a chromosome browser, and more. Premium features of the site, such as matching segment and triangulation tools and their uses, will also be discussed. If you are unsure how to get the most from your DNA results, you will find this presentation valuable.

After pursuing the history of his own family for more than ten years, Thomas began researching professionally in 2016. He holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and currently serves as the president of Falmouth Genealogical Society.

Join us on Tuesday, February 19,  in the auditorium of Brewster Ladies Library. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 AM; but plan to join us at 9:30 for coffee and donuts and an opportunity to socialize with others who are researching their family history.

Out of consideration for the Library's regular patrons, we ask that you use the adjoining parking lot behind the Baptist church, unless you are disabled and need to park close to the building.

CCGS Member David Martin to Speak at NERGC 2019

The 15th New England Regional Genealogical Consortium's 2019 Conference will take place on April 3 - 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton conference facilities in Manchester, New Hampshire. As a participating member organization of the the Consortium, the Cape Cod Genealogical Society (CCGS) is pleased to announce that one of our own highly regarded members, David Martin, will be giving a presentation at the Conference on Friday, April 5. The title of David's presentation is "Will the Real John C. Fowler Please Stand Up?" This promises to be an absorbing account of confronting a genealogical brick wall that led David on a journey of false leads and frustrations with final resolution achieved through the persistent application of genealogical research principles.

David S. Martin

David S. Martin is Past-President of the Cape Cod Genealogical Society, chairs its Education Committee, co-chairs its Publications Committee, and is past-Chair of its Computer Users Special Interest Group. He is a valued member of a CCGS team that teaches genealogical-education courses at various locations throughout Cape Cod. He is also a member of our neighboring Falmouth Genealogical Society. David's New England roots are apparent from his memberships in the Mayflower Society, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Flagon and Trencher hereditary society. Also, of special note, David was honored with the NERGC 2015 Volunteer of the Year award. 

Professionally, David has been a teacher, school principal, curriculum director, teacher educator, and retired as Professor/Dean Emeritus from Gallaudet University (the world's only university for deaf persons) in Washington, DC. He teaches part-time in the Graduate Program in Critical and Creative Thinking at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and is a Visiting Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He lives with his wife, Susan--a retired director of university libraries--in Marstons Mills, here on Cape Cod.

Registration for NERGC 2019 is currently underway. For further information on the Conference and for online registration, please visit the website at www.NERGC.org.

Received at the Library

The October 2018 issue of Mass-Pocha describes the annual conference of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston.  Thee were several presentations on DNA.  CeCe Moore,described what happened when she got all her relatives to do DNA tests --  she listed an incredible set of coincidences discovered by newly connected long-lost relatives -- rather mind-blowing!  Another presentation tells the tale of a discovery of a presumably unintentional switch of infants at a hospital in the Bronx in 1913.DNA testing is leading to a lot of world-shifting discoveries, use at your own risk!

The cover story in Internet genealogy for Oct./Nov. 2018 reminds us that the Digital Public Library of America is a great place to start for historical background and context for our ancestors' stories.  In addition to texts, there are images, video and sound files, in this union catalog of online resources.  Tools for family history writers are reviewed: Grammarly, GrammarCheck, Cliche Buster, and Passive Voice Detector.  Are you on board with the bullet journal craze?  Using Evernote you can go digital with this method of planning, organizing, and tracking your genealogy research. David Norris explores Naval Muster Rolls, newly available records for researching your naval ancestor.  Sue Lisk explores websites that help identify occupations from the past, in various languages -- cool!  (Do you know what an "iron puddler" is??)  Another article suggests ways to get a picture of your ancestor's financial circumstances, and yet another collects websites with information on indentured servants.

Received at the Library

The Dec./Jan. 2019 issue of Internet genealogy leads with Railroad Retirement Board benefits.  If you have come up empty in the Social Security Death Index, you might be able to find an ancestor in this database maintained by the Midwest Genealogy Center.  An article on data security reminds us that we would do well to have a plan to keep our hard-won genealogy information safe from loss or tampering.  New York State genealogical resources are reviewed.  Mariner ancestors are common on the Cape, and US Customs Records can be a fruitful place to look for records about them, both at the National Archives and in private collections such as university archives; newspapers, business ledgers, and insurance records can also yield relevant information.  If you have an ancestor who was institutionalized you may find "Asylums and Family History Research" useful.  I always learn something new reviewing each magazine issue we receive, and this time it is "Métis", a people of mixed native American and European ancestry originating in Canada; research resources are suggested.  Lisa Alzo reviews Airtable as a flexible spreadsheet application to organize things like your family archive, timelines, research logs and more.

Catching up with the April-June 2018 issue of NGS magazine, it gathers a number of interesting articles under the general theme of nationality.  Topics covered:

• Enemy alien registrations during World War I
• Resources for tracing impressed American seamen
• Gold Star Mother pilgrimages of the 1930s (mothers and widows of deceased servicemen)
• Discover German families in CompGen's free databases [German SIG members should review the many resources in this article!]
• Overcoming the language barrier: the genealogical translation process
• Records of Irish dissenting churches (part 3)

Another article is a case study of success using broader search parameters.

Received at the Library

Do you need inspiration for finding the elusive grave of an ancestor?  "Researching abandoned cemeteries" is featured in the Nov./Dec. 2018 issue of Your genealogy today.  It chronicles the methods and adventures of a pair of friends who comb the Midwest finding abandoned grave sites in farmers' fields and other remote locales.  Another article provides a step-by-step guide to connecting with a recent relatives classmates.  Advice is offered on the tricky situation of illegitimate birth, which can block the way to the past in your family tree.   Other topics include military pensions at the state level, the Louisiana State Archives, and a succinct explanation of the significance of cM or centimorgan in DNA research.

The July-Sept. 2018 issue of NGS magazine has an overall theme of family secrets, and provides case studies of some of the most disturbing things you can find when doing ancestral research: desertion and court martial, divorce, mental illness, prostitution, and criminal activity.  This issue also has an article about data security, from the point of view of a genealogist's responsibility to safeguard data that could injure others.  German Interest Group members might also be interested in "Researching Eighteenth-Century German Immigrants."

Received at the Library

In Your genealogy today (Sept./Oct. 2018) Robbie Gorr makes a good case for genealogy research being akin to "Opening Pnadora's box" -- you may uncover secrets that you or others are reluctant to hear, especially with the addition of DNA to your toolkit.  In "Shades of Gray" Sue Lisk suggests ways of thinking about where best to put your efforts in dealing with the uncertainties of family research.  An article on tools explains how possessing a tool shed belonging to your ancestor, or an inventory of an estate sale, can shed light on your forebear's life. Did you have ancestors involved in vaudeville or the circus?  If so take a look at Richard Goms' article in this issue for useful sources.  A case study on manumission (freeing of slaves) reveals that it sometimes took years to take effect.

Sue Lisk is also a contributor to Internet genealogy (Aug./Sept.2018), suggesting using historical cartoons to understand the social and political climate of your ancestors' lives.  Two articles focus on the virtues of newspaper research.  In April 2018 the Virtual Genealogical Society was founded.  At $20 annual membership, it offers frequent webinars (listed in the article), discounts on genealogical tools, social media opportunities, state chapters, and topical interest groups; a virtual conference will be held in Nov. 2019. A brief article also describes the online genealogical society Quebec Genealogical eSociety -- is this the future of genealogy?  A collection at North Dakota State University on Germans from Russia highlights the migrations that took place into and then out of Russia during the 18th ad 19th centuries by German immigrants. Merriam-Webster has a new service that sets words and expressions in context.  You can search Time Traveler by year or by a word or term to find the first use -- what fun!  (A small selection from my birth year of 1948: chili dog, linguine, oddball, scaredy-cat and transistor!) https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/

November Joint Meeting of CCGS and Falmouth GS to Feature Two Presentations by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL

Mark your calendar to join us for the annual joint meeting of the Cape Cod Genealogical Society (CCGS) and the Falmouth Genealogical Society (FGS) on Saturday, November 10, 2018, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 421 Wianno Ave in Osterville. The featured speaker at this year's meeting will be The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL.

Ms. Russell will be giving two presentations; the first is entitled "Finding the Law". Genealogists need to look at the law at the time and in the place where a record was created. Misunderstanding the legal context may make us miss records critical to our research or miss clues hidden in the records. But with 50 states and the federal government all passing laws, finding the law is easier said than done! The tips presented in this lecture will help us understand the legal system and then find the right law for the record we're working with. The second lecture is entitled "Facts, Photos, and Fair Use: Copyright Law for Genealogists". Materials and records created by others are the bread-and-butter of genealogy. But whether copyright law allows use of old photographs, reports and articles can be murky at best. Staying out of trouble requires understanding what's copyrighted and what isn't, when and how copyrighted materials can be used, and how to handle issues that arise.

Judy G. Russell

Judy Russell is a noted genealogist with a law degree and her objective as The Legal Genealogist is, in part, to help folks understand the often arcane and even impenetrable legal concepts and terminology that are so very important to those of us studying family history. Ms. Russell holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer from the Board of Certification of Genealogists where she currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. She is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and several state genealogical societies.

Optional Lunch: Lobster roll lunch with chips, brownie and beverage - $15, or chicken salad roll with chips, brownie and beverage - $9. Please make lunch reservations absolutely no later than Nov 3 by contacting Judy Fenner at bfennerpgm@comcast.net or at 508-776-9401 (leave message if no answer), and please specify lunch choice.

Digitization of Cape Cod Newspapers Subject of October Meeting

Researching Newspapers: Cape Cod and Beyond

Electronic Access to Historic Cape Cod Daily Newspapers 

Newspapers of the past can be highly useful to genealogical researchers, and many are already indexed or are now in the process of being digitized. Births, marriages, deaths, as well as baptisms, funerals, and social events can sometimes be discovered. 

On Cape Cod, historic editions of  The Barnstable Patriot have been digitized for the years, 1830 -1930, and have been available through the Sturgis Library website  In 2017, a digitization project began to digitize another, equally important, newspaper, The Register, which started publication in 1836. The current project, funded by a Community Preservation Grant is scheduled to be completed in early 2019.

On Tuesday, October 16, at our monthly CCGS meeting, Lucy Loomis, director of Sturgis Library, Barnstable, Thersa Carter, an independent researcher and writer, and the project coordinator, Dave Martin of CCGS, will present a special preview of the project underway. During their presentation, they will demonstrate how to conduct a search for genealogical information, which will include sample questions from the audience. Please bring examples of an ancestor or event that you would like this team to search. 

The combination of the Patriot and the Register will be a powerful source for all who are doing research on Cape Cod ancestors, from the early 19th century forward.

Please join us

                                               Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at 10 AM

                                                         Brewster Ladies Library

                                                         Rte 6A, Brewster, MA. 

Socializing and refreshments will be available at 9:30 AM. 

Due to Fire Department room occupancy regulations, only the first 100 people to join us will be admitted to this event. 

Due to limited parking spaces behind the Library, and out of respect to their regular patrons, we request that attendees of our meetings, please park in the parking lot extension behind the Baptist Church.

This Week at Cape Cod Genealogy

SEPTEMBER 

23 - 29,  2018

Monday,  24th  --   The Irish Special Interest Group will NOT be meeting this month, as 

                            scheduled.  Our regular schedule will resume the 4th Tuesday of October. 

                                

 

Tuesday, 25th  --    Cape Cod Families Special Interest Group  -- 1 PM

                                         At the Sturgis Library, Rte 6A, West Barnstable

                                        

                                  This group is open to members only. 

                                  If you are a member with Cape Cod ancestors, 

                                   come join us for assistance with your research!

Our Genealogy Room will be open for the use of members and non-members, for its regular hours: 

                                Location:  Dennis Public Library,  Hall Avenue, Dennisport 

                                Tuesdays --       1 PM - 4 PM

                                Thursdays --  10 AM - 4 PM

                                Saturdays --   10 AM - 12 Noon 

This room is staffed by our dedicated volunteers, who are able to assist you if you need help with your research. 

Here you are able to access a wide assortment of publications, from books to the latest magazines and journals. We also have subscriptions to several online resources:

                 

                         Ancestry.com 

                        American Ancestors (website of New England Historic Genealogical Society)

                        Find My Past 

                        Family Search 

We hope that you are able to take advantage of one or more of these opportunities to join us and learn how to connect with your ancestors. 

For more information about becoming a member of the Cape Cod Genealogy Society, visit the  Cape Cod Genealogical Society website  or ask for a brochure when you visit the Genealogy Room, Dennis Public Library, during the above hours. 

                                     

September, 2018, Meeting: Unlocking the Cemetery Gate

Mark your calendar to join us for the first general meeting of the 2018 -2019 program year of the Cape Cod Genealogical Society 

Our speaker, Ms. Brenda Sullivan of  The Gravestone Girls  will be presenting "Unlocking the Cemetery Gate: The Cemetery as a Genealogical Resource."  This presentation is targeted to genealogists interested in learning to "read" the cemetery for clues and information. Using both direct observation and deductive reasoning from objects such as writing art, geology, and the cemetery landscape, much new insight can be revealed.  That insight can answer questions, create new inquiries, and open doors for further detective work. Brenda promises to get you looking at these spaces, both old and new, as a valuable resource for your data collection activities.

Brenda Sullivan is from Central Massachusetts and has been exploring cemeteries most of her life. To become better acquainted with our speaker, you can read more about her here.  She should be an entertaining and informative speaker.

The meeting will take place in our usual location, the auditorium of the  Brewster Ladies Library, Rte 6A, Brewster.  As in the past, the public is welcome to join us. All members and guests are invited to arrive at 9:30 AM for socializing and refreshments. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10AM.
Hope to see you there !
 

Received at the Library

Family tree magazine (July-Aug. 2018) emphasizes how genealogy is like detective work, and in fact is being used in real cases such as identifying the Golden State Killer.  The local genealogy society in Orange County CA is partnering with the coroner's office to research relatives of people who die alone.  A professional genealogist has tracked down his sperm-donor father ("Finding connections") through DNA.  If you're a detective fiction fan, check out British author Steve Robinson's genealogy sleuth series.  A useful primer on Eastern European genealogy research gives six common obstacles and how to overcome them.  State guides for Maine and New Mexico provide a handy summary of record availability and addresses.  "Top secrets" are 12 tips for staying organized and making the most of your research efforts.  "Off the grid" reminds us that only perhaps a third of the records that are relevant to our ancestors' lives are digitized, and suggests where to look for the rest.
PS A reminder that Lisa Louise Cooke hosts Family Tree podcasts available free on ITunes.

Internet genealogy (June/July 2018) also emphasizes sleuthing.  "Inklings, hunches, and sneaking suspicions" suggests ways to harness our intuition in service of our research.  "Crowdsourcing" explains how important this tool has become for getting records indexed.  Scottish tax rolls can be an important substitute for census records.  A fire in 1922 destroyed hundreds of years of records in Dublin, but "Beyond 2022" seeks to recreate much of the missing information online in time for the 100th anniversary of the fire.  Reviews are offered of Scrivener 3 for Mac, TSOLife, and Genlighten.