Thursday, November 21, 2013

A Lithuanian Family with Eight Last Names. An Ode to Phonetics?

Not Really. But thanks to American record keeping of the late 1890's and early 1900's a simple Lithuanian family looking for a better life in the USA had their name spelled many different ways. The Gintautas family; John and Victoria arrived in the US about 1894, based on information from the 1900 US Census.

The family, settled in Somerville Massachusetts; on a short narrow street that splits the Somerville and Cambridge line near where the stockyards and slaughterhouses would have been in an area now known as the Boynton Yards.  

Between 1897 and 1905 John and Victoria had 6 children; Anthony in 1897 (who only lived one day), Joseph in 1899 (who only lived one day), John in 1900, Amelia in 1902, Paul in 1903 and Joseph in 1905.

On various documents their last name is listed (or transcribed) as Gientoft, Gintautas, Gintaut, Ginter, Gintot, Gintoff, Ginto and Tinton. 

Interesting to note is that the children born prior to 1900 are listed in birth records as Gintaut and the children born after 1900 are listed as Ginto and Gintoff. 

Saturday, October 26, 2013

World War II Military Records

Update, 14 February 2014

My client; Benjamin Rauch has published a tribute page for the soldier in this blog. The soldiers name is Walter Cuichnowicz and he was assigned to G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division (Yankee Division) Here is the link to Benjamin's tribute page  (Look on the map for the Yankee Division patch and click on it)(The one on the Rauch Page, not the one in my blog ;-)

 Benjamin is a French Citizen and English is not his first language, so we will be tweaking his tribute over time.

Walter died in 2005 in Newton MA and is buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, Massachusetts. Here is his memorial on Findagrave.com

A special thanks to Len and Keith at the MA National Guard Museum and Archives which just moved from Worcester to Concord, MA over the summer for their assistance with my research.

**************

Locating the owner of a WW2 Wool Coat. Using the shoulder patch and laundry mark?

How many times have you tried to find WW2 records only to turn up empty handed? Frustrating at best! Many folks I have spoken with find this to be the biggest time period brickwall that they encounter.

We are blessed here in Massachusetts to have the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives, which is currently settling into it's new home at the Concord MA National Guard Armory.

I recently located the owner of a military coat that was found in France. The soldier who lost the coat was a member of G Company, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division; and was wounded by shrapnel in November 1944 near Metz France. He survived to be discharged from the Army in 1945 from Cushing General Hospital in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Starting with a photograph of a wool coat and a laundry mark (first letter of last name and last 4 of the service number) I was able to locate the soldier, who surely nearly lost his life, that day in France.

I have updated the soldiers Find A Grave web page and the owner of the wool coat is in the process of building a tribute page for the soldier. Unfortunately the soldier died in 2005.

More research to determine if any surviving relates is in in progress. At some point I will provide the links to these pages, however I have decided to fold off until it is determined if other family members exist.

During my research I was able to limit the number of possible soldiers to four. Two served in different units and that left two from Massachusetts. Thanks to the MA NG Museum and Archives, it was very quick and easy to locate the correct soldier.


Friday, May 10, 2013

Newspapers & City Directories at the Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library, located in Copley Square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts has an extensive collection of city directories, newspapers and newspaper on microfilm in their microtext department. Newspapers are a great source of information for our genealogy research. They are often the most overlooked of all the resources available to us.

The BPL has many newspapers and city directories from all over the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts. Their collection of newspapers includes titles from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York and many others.

The Boston Public Library is one of my favorite repositories in Boston and I enjoy researching there.

The BPL is best accessed via public transportation.

City Directories at the BPL

Boston Newspapers at the BPL

MA Newspapers at the BPL

US Newspapers at the BPL


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Sean Collier, MIT Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty. 18 April 2013

Officer Sean Collier was ambushed and murdered in Cambridge Massachusetts by two terrorists that were eventually captured/ killed in Watertown Massachusetts. Officer Collier responded to a report of a disturbance and never had a chance to get out of his cruiser.



Sean walked up to my office in 2008 and knocked confidently on the door.

I am a Police Officer at the Somerville Police Department since 1986 and I have been assigned as the Information Technology Officer since just after September 11, 2011.

I motioned Sean in and he introduced himself and shook my hand. Sean was confident and carried himself well. After speaking with him for a short period of time I realized that Sean had real potential and agreed to let him complete his internship for Salem State College in my office. After a short period of time it was evident well beyond what was taught in college. Sean was already a member of the Somerville Auxiliary Police and was excelling there as well.

Sean spoke often of his family and it didn't take Sean long to bring up his brother who was working for NASCAR teams in North Carolina. Soon after that his brother, Andrew landed a job with Hendrick Motorsports and Sean was very proud. I have several pieces of NASCAR memorabilia from NASCAR in my office as I have been a NASCAR fan for many years and Sean and I talked about NASCAR frequently.

After Sean's internship ended, he still came into my office at least once a week, just to help out. Soon a job opened up for a records clerk and part time IT assistant and Sean was hired for the job from a large pool of candidates.

Sean worked with me while he attended the Transit Police Academy and till he was hired by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology  (MIT) Police in 2012.

Sean was more than a co-worker, he was a friend of mine and because of the age differences I tended to treat him like my third son. Sean and my youngest son are the same age. I was proud of him as I am my own sons. He was paying his dues as he climbed the ladder to become what his lifetime goal was. To be a police officer at the Somerville Police Department.

Sean was in the process of being hired as a police officer for the Somerville Department in just a few short months.

The world was a better place with Sean Collier in it and his supreme sacrifice in keeping our world safe and secure will never be forgotten.

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Welcome to New England Research

This picture may help you understand the Massachusetts sense of humor. I can assure that the amount of snow shown in this picture is very representative of what it looks like in my neighborhood, right now.


My thanks to Boston Fun Facts for this image! ( www.bostonfunfacts.com )

United States Rail Road Retirement Board (RRB) Records


Did your relative or genealogy brickwall work for the railroad? If so we may be able to locate their retirement benefits records. The process is a little convoluted, but it requires checking with the US RRB to see if the have the records (full-time employees after 1936). The RRB provides retirement benefits much like Social Security does.

RRB files that have been inactive for more that seven years have been transferred to the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA). Unfortunately, you have to check with the RRB first so they can look up the file number, and then check with NARA.

All in all it is a bit of a process but the possible genealogy information these records may contain could be worth the trouble.

A recent file I pulled included marriage and birth records as well as other information that was unknown to my client and led us to research in a somewhat different direction.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Webinar Reminder "Finding Your Ancestors in New England" 9pm (Eastern) 21 March 2013


Webinar Announcement - "Finding Your Ancestors in New England"

I signed up for this webinar yesterday! Finding records in New England can be difficult at best and this webinar promises to help us with these!


From +Rootsonomy in Salt Lake City.


We would like to invite your to this Thursday's webinar entitled, "Finding Your Ancestors in New England".

Date: Thursday, March 21
Time: 6:00 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern
Length: 1.5 hours (1 hour presentation followed by Q&A)

Genealogical research in the six New England states may seem easier than in many other regions in the United States: "These people killed themselves to make sure there was a paper trail."  However, the many records available can also make genealogical research in these states quite challenging.  It can take a lot of hunting to locate all the specific records. This webinar covers some of the peculiarities of genealogical research in New England and shows several of the most useful places to search.

Our expert for this webinar is David B. Appleton.  David has been researching and teaching family history for over 30 years. His on-going passion for New England research has taken him across the U.S. to participate in and speak at genealogical conferences and to genealogy societies. He is a long-time member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and active member of three lineage societies (Society of Mayflower Descendants, Blaisdell Family National Association, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War) all based on his New England ancestry. He has written several books and numerous articles. For more information, see: http://www.appletonstudios.com

There is a $5 charge to attend this webinar payable via PayPal to Rootsonomy@gmail.com or by clickinghttp://goo.gl/gBDoF.

Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8252593778405447424

We are still working on our first survey requesting your feedback and suggestions.  We want to make sure you are receiving the absolute best training possible and welcome any and all comments.

Thank you.  We look forward to having you join us for this Thursday's webinar.

Jim Heddell

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Roots Tech 2013 and the Genlighten Brochure

Someday... I would love to attend rootstech. Anyone that knows me, knows I am a techie. I always have been all they way "back in the day" in Ohio when my cousin Danny Zix and I used to fool around with old radios. As a matter of fact, you may not know that I hold Amateur Radio License KA1TTG. I told you I was a techie.

So rootstech is a genealogy techies heaven on earth. I really hope to go next year.

But, that's not why we are here. I do a lot of record pulls on the Genlighten website. Cyndy and Dean are really great folks and I have worked with some really great clients on Genlighten. Genlighten used my profile page on their brochure that they will be handing out at rootstech in Salt Lake City on March 21-23rd.

If you are looking for a really great place to find a genealogist that can help you find the records you need, then you should stop by Genlighten and have a look around. I'm sure you find someone with the expertise that can track down the records you need to solve your genealogy brick wall!



Maine Vital Records and the Maine CDC Genealogy Research Card

Maine has recently made some changes to the availability of their vital records. Vital records are records related to the birth, marriage and death (BMD) of a person. Maine has recently restricted all BMD vital records less than 100 years old.

You must be the person on the record, parents of the person or a direct descendant to receive a certified copy of a BMD record. Luckily, Genealogy Researchers who posses a Maine Genealogy Research Card, issued by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control can receive un-certified copies of all BMD records.

The records can be procured through different locations based on the time frame.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Vital Records; located in Augusta has all BMD records from 1923 to present. They also have Divorce records from 1892 to present.

The Maine State Archives, also located in Augusta have all BMD records from 1892-1922.

Records for all dates may also be located at the local level as another option for procuring the records.

I posses a Maine CDC Genealogy Research Card and I would be happy to locate those BMD & D records for you in Maine.

For more information see my section on ordering Maine records.

Webinar Announcement - "Finding Your Ancestors in New England"

I just signed up for this webinar must! Finding records in New England can be difficult at best and this webinar promises to help us with these!


From +Rootsonomy in Salt Lake City.


We would like to invite your to this Thursday's webinar entitled, "Finding Your Ancestors in New England".

Date: Thursday, March 21
Time: 6:00 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern
Length: 1.5 hours (1 hour presentation followed by Q&A)

Genealogical research in the six New England states may seem easier than in many other regions in the United States: "These people killed themselves to make sure there was a paper trail."  However, the many records available can also make genealogical research in these states quite challenging.  It can take a lot of hunting to locate all the specific records. This webinar covers some of the peculiarities of genealogical research in New England and shows several of the most useful places to search.

Our expert for this webinar is David B. Appleton.  David has been researching and teaching family history for over 30 years. His on-going passion for New England research has taken him across the U.S. to participate in and speak at genealogical conferences and to genealogy societies. He is a long-time member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and active member of three lineage societies (Society of Mayflower Descendants, Blaisdell Family National Association, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War) all based on his New England ancestry. He has written several books and numerous articles. For more information, see: http://www.appletonstudios.com

There is a $5 charge to attend this webinar payable via PayPal to Rootsonomy@gmail.com or by clicking http://goo.gl/gBDoF.

Register at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8252593778405447424

We are still working on our first survey requesting your feedback and suggestions.  We want to make sure you are receiving the absolute best training possible and welcome any and all comments.

Thank you.  We look forward to having you join us for this Thursday's webinar.

Jim Heddell

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Family History Library Look Ups; Using All Available Records!

One of the best ways to locate genealogy records is through the use microfilms from familysearch.org

Many genealogy records have been microfilmed and they are available for ordering from the Family Search website. These can be valuable because it allows you to research and locate a record that you might otherwise not be able to access.

For example I was researching a family in Michigan and I was trying to verify a birth year of the Great Grandmother in the family. "Betty" is listed in the 1930 and 1940 US Census as being 9 and 20 respectively. So we know she was born about 1921.

Preliminary research results in the SSDI determines their are two Betty's born in that county in Michigan. One Betty was born in 1920 and the other in 1921.

Here is the link to the Family Search Catalog - It will open in a new window.

I went to Family Search, clicked on "Catalog" and entered the search term of Michigan, Alcona  (Alcona is the county) and then searched. I scrolled to the vital records and found that the birth records from 1869 - 1953 have been filmed from the county courthouse located in Harrisonville, Michigan.

If you will recall the Betty I am looking for was born in 1920 or 1921. Film 963959 would contain those years.

At that point I would order the correct film online from the website and then wait for it to be delivered to my local Family History Center. I would then go there when they are open and view the record and photograph it or whatever for recovering the correct image.

I have about a week to ten days to wait for delivery of the film. I have to pay $7.50 for a short term loan or $18.50 for a long term loan. I then have to take the time and gasoline to get to my local FHC which is 20 miles each way from my home. In this part of MA if I locate the record as soon as I view the film, then I am looking at about 2 hours of my time and maybe more if the weather or traffic isn't cooperating.

Plan B?

I have affiliated researchers in SLC at the FHL that will assist in doing lookups right from the film in the library.


Saturday, February 9, 2013

In the Snow! From Nutting Lake Massachusetts

A snowy hello to all. The snow storm that has been hitting Massachusetts the last few days is beginning to subside. The area I live in has received a lot of snow and my family and I won't be going anywhere soon.


Above is a photo out my front door about 4 hours ago. It has snowed very hard since then as well, so no telling how much snow we have. My guess is more than 2 feet. Check out the snow piled up against my front door.


The dark blob at the bottom of the picture is the glass in my front door. That drift is over 4 feet high and will have to stay there for awhile.




Monday, January 21, 2013

Free Access to Irish Records 24 January 2013

Free Access to Irish Records on 24 January 2013!

Special Thanks to Dick Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter  for the heads up on this one.

The Irish records website www.findmypast.ie has announced that on Thursday 24 January 24th, 2013 they will allow free access to their Irish records.

You can read all about it on the Irish Central website

Good luck and happy Irish Roots Hunting!