Westward Into Nebraska · · Volume 32, Issue 3

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Volume 32, Issue 3

October 2007

In this issue:

Omaha Obits goes Online! See

the Society News section for more

information.

Don’t forget! Fall conference is

THIS month!

Society News 2

3D Scanning goes to the Cemetery 4

Obits 5

Genealogy Tips 6

GOGS Publications 7

Meetings, etc 8

Inside this issue:

A Case for... ing down on it’s digital derriere.

Which came first, the chick-

en or the egg; the idea or the tech-

nology? In the case of genealogy

research, I am absolutely convinced

that a lot of good ideas were born

before the technology to implement

them existed—or in some cases be-

fore technology had progressed far

enough that the idea could cross the

line from dream to reality. So, the

idea waited patiently along the digital

roadside for the right technology to

catch up to it. When that happened,

the idea latched on to the technology

and got down to doing what it was

born for.

I remember as a youngster

living in Utah in the mid 1960s, my

father would pile my mother and us

kids into the car every Friday after-

noon and we would make the 45

minute trip from our home to the

LDS church’s genealogy department

in Salt Lake City. My father had as-

signed each of us certain lines on

the family pedigree chart to re-

search—not original research, but

seeing if anyone else had added

information to the lines. We accom-

plished this “research” by filling out a

small slip in the pedigree books

room indicating that last and first

(Continued on page 3)

by Terry Tippets, Editor

I leave out a lot of detail in

this article, deliberately so. I thought it

would be interesting to examine why

genealogy research, which had not

changed much during most of the

twentieth century, suddenly became

so intertwined with digital technology.

The article is titled “A Case

for…” with no indication of what it is

that I’m making a case for. Do I

know? Of course I do. But I’m leaving

it open-ended anyway. You can come

to your own conclusion.

I remember the first genealo-

gy program I ever used. It wasn’t PAF

or any of the other “biggies” of that

era. Mine was a po-dunk affair that I

wrote myself and programmed into

my Radio Shack TRS-80 Model III

computer. When I had the program up

and running, I checked the amount of

memory it was using and calculated

that I had enough space left over to

store...*sigh*...about 90 ancestors.

Ker-plunk.

Time to fire the camel jockeys

and send the meter maids home.

My idea was good. The prob-

lem was that I didn’t have the technol-

ogy to bring it to maturity. What tech-

nology I had, allowed the idea to take

a few faltering baby steps before fall-

Westward Into Nebraska · 2 · Volume 32, Issue 3

Westward Into Nebraska

is published monthly (except July and December) by: Greater Omaha Genealogical Society P.O. Box 4011 Omaha, NE 68104-0011

Email to: GrOmahaGenSoc@aol.com Our bare-bones web page: http://hometown.aol.com/ gromahagensoc/myhomepage/ index.html ISSN 0738-0380 President: Merrily Staats 706-1453 mavmom18@aol.com Vice President: Karen Jackson 571-7540 kjackson@radiks.net Treasurer: Mike Wilken 554-0397 Recording Secretary: Rita Henry 551-5409 rhenry416@cox.net Program Director: Les McKim 551-6409 Lmckim@cox.net Volunteer Coordinator: volunteer needed! Corresponding Secretary: Mike Warne 496-2888 warne_c@msn.com Publications Director: Karen Tippets 346-6256 OmahaMom@aol.com Newsletter Editor: Terry Tippets 346-6256 GOGS Editor@aol.com Circulation: Vikki Henry 398 3031 DougVikki@cox.net Membership dues are: Individual: $20 per year Family: $25 per year Submissions for Westward Into Nebraska are due by the last Wednesday of the previous month. Except where expressly forbidden, all articles appearing in Westward Into Nebraska may be used in other publications without prior permission. Just cite the source and send us a copy if possible. This document was formatted using Microsoft Publisher 2007.

The 2007 Fall Genealogy Workshop is THIS month.

Four regional authorities will speak on:

Organizing your records—Karen Tippets

Finding our Civil War ancestors—Dave Wells

Writing the stories of our ancestors—Dave Harding

Understanding Homestead Laws and Records—Todd Arrington

Flyers were mailed to several hundred organizations and individuals at the

time the last newsletter was mailed, but you can still spread the word. We

are slowly getting back to the level of interest and attendance that was

prevalent several years ago. Conferences like these not only benefit those

who attend, but also attract new members. If you met someone who ex-

presses an interest in attending, refer them to our web site

(www.gogsmembers.wordpress.com) where they can download and print a

conference flyer. Door prize donations can be used and will be appreciated.

Just a reminder. If you would like to get rid of some stuff, you can put it on

the white elephant sale. If you won't be able to go to the conference, you

can bring it to the next meeting. Bake sale - Please bring cookies, candy,

muffins, or brownies. The cookies need to be 2 to a bag.

Omaha Obits now Online...

...at “www.OmahaObits.WordPress.com”. Check it out if you have

not already. The Omaha Obit index, containing obits from Omaha and sur-

rounding areas,

could previously

only be accessed

at the W. Dale

Clark library in

Omaha in paper

form. In order to

locate the actual

obituary on micro-

film, you had to

know the last

name, month, and

year the obit ap-

peared. Now

however, you can

locate the infor-

mation you need

just from a last

and first name.

There are current-

ly 92,862 listings

on the site.

So...go see it for

yourself! WIN

Westward Into Nebraska · 3 · Volume 32, Issue 3

Heathkit was probably the best known of the electronic

kit companies. The very first computer kits, such as the

Heathkit H8, had no screen and no keyboard, just a

number pad for data entry and a digital readout.

So now we have hand-held calculators and

digital computers that have no screen and no key-

board. Nothing there that would indicate usefulness as

a genealogy tool.

Nothing yet, that is.

Of course, calculators and rudimentary com-

puters were not the only two things gathering steam in

the digital background. Other things were occurring that

would eventually have an impact on genealogy in the

future. From an outsider’s view, however, those two

items were the most prominent to appear on the scene.

I was driving home from work one day in 1976

when Paul Harvey announced that the first computer

for under $1000 had just been invented. My interest

was captured. A computer in the home. What a con-

cept. I wanted one, and eventually got one.

Apple, Radio Shack and Commodore all came

out with home computers, and the resulting brand wars

were vicious and confusing. Each brand was compati-

ble only with itself. Got a Radio Shack computer? Then

you were stuck with Radio Shack software and hard-

ware. Third-party vendors were frowned upon and even

growled at by the computer makers. Buyers were

warned that adding third-party hardware could void

their computer’s warranty. Jealousy abounded between

the brands. Hope of any kind of compatibility standard

between them—besides the standard BASIC program-

ming language—seemed dim.

They didn’t know it, but computer makers

would soon to be forced into a choice: accept compati-

bility or a lack of buyers will force you out of business.

One more event happened before that time

came, however. A couple of enterprising guys named

Dan and Bob invented the first computer spreadsheet:

VisiCalc. According to Dan, "VisiCalc took 20 hours of

work per week for some people and turned it out in 15

minutes and let them become much more creative."

VisiCalc made one thing very clear, if it hadn’t

been clear before: for data handling, nothing compared

to a computer. Nothing even came close.

In 1980, IBM—”Big Blue”—decided to enter the

personal computer field. They met in secret with Mi-

(Continued on page 4)

name of the person we were researching. Handing the

slip to one of the volunteers behind the counter, we

watched as the clerk disappeared into the rows of

shelving that held the pedigree books, returning shortly

with our request. As for my mother and father, they

worked the “high-tech” end of genealogy by reading

microfilms.

For decades, genealogy research remained

basically the same: visiting county court houses and

other government edifices to research original records,

reading microfilms, corresponding with relatives via

snail-mail to exchange information, and discussing pro-

gress made at the yearly family reunion.

In the background, meanwhile, ideas were

waiting by the roadside waiting for the right technology

to catch up.

I remember my dad showing up one day with a

pocket-sized transistor radio. I was amazed. Unlike our

car’s tube-type radio that made you wait for seven sec-

onds between the time you turned it on until you actual-

ly heard sound, Dad’s transistor radio was instantane-

ous—no warm-up time. When you clicked, you heard

sound.

Transistors became smaller and smaller. And

smaller still until hundreds of them could all fit on one

small circuit board, which could then fit into a handheld

calculator.

My cousin had the first one I ever saw. You

remember them? The numeric display was a network of

wires that glowed according to what numbers had been

pressed and what calculation had been arrived at. Bat-

tery life was nothing to write home about, but, by golly,

it was portable and could do calculations faster than

any human.

My brother bought one from the insurance

company he was working for. They had gotten a spe-

cial bulk purchase price-break of $70.00 each. All the

tiny machines could do was the basics of math: add,

subtract, multiply, and divide. It didn’t even have

memory storage. But the insurance agents were snap-

ping them up like they were gold.

Miniaturization was affecting more than just

calculators. Computers for hobbyists were making

themselves known. These were not the computers we

know today. Many of the first computers were hobby

kits, the delicate parts pre-assembled at the factory and

the rest of the computer assembled by the hobbyist.

(Continued from page 1)

A Case for...

Westward Into Nebraska · 4 · Volume 32, Issue 3

crosoft’s Bill Gates to discuss writing an operating sys-

tem for IBM’s not-yet announced “personal” computer.

In 1981, IBM released their computer, and the Mi-

crosoft operating system went on to become the world

standard. Other companies like Radio Shack resisted

implementing Microsoft’s system for a time, but a

steady decline in sales finally wised them up to the fact

that Joe Homeowner wanted something that had the

Microsoft system in it. Thus, they toed the line or lost

revenue.

Finally, there was an operating system that

was common to all computer models except Apple, and

“IBM compatible” became a standard selling point.

Genealogists are a sharing bunch. Therefore,

it’s no surprise to me that when the LDS church’s gene-

alogy department developed the GEDCOM standard

for sharing information among different genealogy pro-

grams, the makers of the other programs were not as

thick-headed as the computer makers had been. They

quickly jumped on the GEDCOM bandwagon and

“GEDCOM compatible” became a necessary feature.

“A Case for…”

Why do people get so involved in researching

for their ancestors? As you’ve seen, and already knew,

we have the technology now to dramatically speed up

the finding process. My wife likes to joke on occasion

that the computer was invented specifically for geneal-

ogists.

My wife also likes to comment about ancestors

who seem to hang over her shoulder sometimes when

she’s looking for information about them. Is there a ge-

nealogist out there who has not had the same feeling/

impression on occasion?

“A Case for…”

Why do people get so involved in researching

for their ancestors? Is it merely something done for fun

and the excitement of discovery, or is it an unquencha-

ble desire to know who they are?

Behind the answer to that question is another

“why”.

A “but why?” question.

Maybe sometime I’ll do an article on that, taken

from interviews of those who have answered that sec-

ond “why” question for themselves.

Okay. I’ve made a case for…

Now it’s your turn. WIN

(Continued from page 3)

A Case for... 3-D Scanning goes to the Cemetery -researched by Terry Tippets

Indiana Jones, step aside! Carnegie Mellon

University's Yang Cai is developing new technology

that could revolutionize the way archeologists work.

Cai, director of the Ambient Intelligence Lab at

Carnegie Mellon CyLab, is developing new software to

scan 200-year-old gravestones at Old St. Luke's

Church in nearby

Carnegie to help

its Episcopal pas-

tor identify all the

names on the

cemetery's tomb-

stones.

"We are

very excited and

pleased that Pro-

fessor Cai and

his research team are helping us reclaim our past by

identifying some of the 20 graves at our cemetery,"

said Rev. Richard Davis, director of Old St. Luke's

Church.

During the past two weeks, Cai's research

team trekked through the church's three-acre cemetery,

scanning unreadable gravestones and then storing the

images on laptops.

"We are exploring new 3-D reconstruction tech-

nology to decipher the gravestone names," said Cai.

"Essentially, we reconstruct the tombstone surfaces by

applying filtering and detection algorithms for revealing

the words on the archaic surfaces," he said.

Don’t look for this type of technology anytime

soon at a cemetery near you. However...try this on for

size: at some point, and because of the usefulness of

the technology in a number of fields, the technology will

become portable and affordable. Then some enterpris-

ing person or persons will take it on the road, working

by appointment to recover the information from

“unreadable” cemetery markers. And that’s not all.

Even today, there are affordable machines that

can model 3-D objects from 2-D photos. Imagine infor-

mation being retrieved from an unreadable maker, then

the marker being reconstructed from modern materials

and laid in place of the old marker. Or how about a min-

iature replica of an ancestor’s marker—perhaps as

something hanging from a keychain, or as a hood orna-

ment on some genealogist’s car. WIN

On the left is the original tombstone and on the right is the recovered text.

Westward Into Nebraska · 5 · Volume 32, Issue 3

contributed by Karen Tippets

FLEMING, Wymon; 49; 18 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Graceland Park FOSTER, Wilson (w/Mary); 80; 28 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Mount

Hope* FOYCE, John; 64; 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest Lawn FUTTRELL, Sam; 37; 8 Aug 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Wynne, AR GASTON, Henry; 76; 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Graceland GEARING, Delores Patricia (Mrs.); 22; 12 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Graceland GILES, Sallie (Mrs.); 86; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 2 @ Graceland Park GLASCO, Robert Oscar (w/Beverly); 32; 10 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Mount Hope GRIFFEN, Eliza (Mrs.); 76; 12 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest Lawn* GROVES, William Henry (w/Mattie); 78; 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ HALL, Edward; 69; 12 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope* HARBIN, Ethel (Mrs. Preston); 61; 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Graceland Park* HILL, Hannah (Mrs.); 67; 12 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest Lawn* HUGHES, Frank L.; 60; 20 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope ISOM, Lucille; 5w d/Jesse J.; 31 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope JACK, Anna Louise; 3 d/Mrs. Ruby; 18 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest

Lawn JACKSON, Edward “Buck”; 80; 15 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest

Lawn JACKSON, Samuel B. Jr.; 4m; 19 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest

Lawn JENKINS, Channie Ann (Mrs.); 17 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 11/In memori-

am @ JOHNSON, Naomi Down (Mrs. William); 25; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 2

@ Forest Lawn JONES, Claire (Mrs.); 25 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 2 @ JONES, James Franklin; 60; 19 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest

Lawn* KELLY, Gertrude Leona (Mrs.); 8 Aug 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest

Lawn KERCHEVAL, Baby boy; inf s/Leonard; 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Calvary KINCAID, Elias Lester (w/Rose); 80; 8 Aug 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest

Lawn KING, Essie Lee (Mrs.); 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope LARA, Hannah (Mrs.); 55; 31 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Graceland Park LATHAM, Thomas W. (w/Carrie); 49; 8 Aug 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ For-

est Lawn(COT: 5 Sep) LOWE, Henderson (w/Frankie Mae); 53; 7 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Hollandale, MS* MAJORS, W. John (w/Violet); 12 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ MARTIN, John B.; 86; 18 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest Lawn MARTIS, Homer Lee; 52; 8 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Graceland Park MATHEWS, Henry; 68; 20 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ McCORKLE, Antha Jane; 81; 12 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ McKINNEY, ; s/Claude; 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7/COT @ MITCHELL, Theodore Houston; 47; 5 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Mount

Hope* MONTGOMERY, John; 68; 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ MOORE, Hattie A. (Mrs.); 88; 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Rock Is-

land, IL NEAL, Marie (Mrs. Fred); 65; 12 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope NEELY, Edward; 83; 19 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ NELSON, Hazel (Mrs.); 56; 25 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 2 @ Holy Sepul-

chre* NICHOLS, S. K. [Rev]; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 7/In Memoriam [pic] @ OWEN, Cora (Mrs.); 68; 12 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Prospect Hill* PARKS, Theodore (w/Beulah); 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7/COT @

ObitObituariesuaries ALLEN, James W. (w/E. Elsie); 87; 5 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ * ADAMS, Maggie (Miss); 78; 19 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ * ANDERSON, Martin L. Sr.; 76; 26 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest

Lawn BAKER, Anne Mae (Mrs. Clarence); 64; 26 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 11 @

Forest Lawn (COT: 3 Oct) BARNES, Edward D.; 69; 19 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount Hope BENNETT, Lucille Ora Willis; 39; 5 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ * BENSON, G. D.; 17 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 11/COT @ BENSON, Gilbert D.[Elder]; 86; 26 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 1 [pic] @

Mount Hope(Sp Am War Vet) BOOTH, Mabel (Mrs.); 52; 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Graceland Park BRADLEY, Lincoln; 67; 7 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Topeka, KS BREWER, Mary (Mrs.); 56; 3 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 9 @ Mount Hope BRISTOL, Deborah Pauline; 5 ½m d/Mrs. Mamie; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha

Star p 2 @ BROWN, Dewey L. (w/Mary); 52; 25 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 2 @ Mount

Hope BROWN, Noah M.; 68; 31 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest Lawn (COT:

14 Nov) BROWN, Robert W. (w/Mattie); 40; 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Graceland BROWN, William E. (w/Susie); 84; 10 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ BURRELL, William Sr.; 91; 18 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Graceland CAMPBELL, Frances Sarah (Mrs. Carl C.); 56; 17 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p

11 @ Graceland (COT: 31 Oct) CAMPER, Leeta (Mrs.); 27; 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ CHAMLISS, Sadie (Mrs.); 63; 12 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount

Hope* CHILDS, Fannie May (Mrs. Herbert); 57; 26 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ CLARK, Leona Thornton (Mrs.); 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount

Hope CLAY, Kitty S. (Mrs.); 88; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 2 @ Graceland Park CLAYTON, William [Rev]; 5 Sep 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest Lawn COLINS, Missie Amelia; 75; 28 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Graceland

Park COMBS, Horace Greely Jr.[Pfc]; 8 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest

Lawn*(d. Korea) COOK, Gordon Wesley; 63; 18 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Graceland

Park CROCKER, Michael Gibson (w/Willie); 43; 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Graceland Park DAVENPORT, Corrine; 74; 5 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ DAVIS, Anthony R. [Rev](w/Sally); 61; 31 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Mount Hope DAVIS, Charles C.(w/Mary); 70; 10 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Mount

Hope DAVIS, Elizabeth; 73; 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Forest Lawn DORTCH, Minnie Lee (Mrs. James); 3 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 1 [pic] @

Forest Lawn* EDWARDS, Eddie Earl (w/Rose); 50; 14 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

Graceland Park EDWARDS, Ronnie Leroy; 2w s/Mrs. Alberta; 15 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p

5 @ ELAM, Emanuel; 33; 22 Feb 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ EMERSON, Lillian V.; 75; 10 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ EMERSON, Lillie V. (Mrs. Isaac H.); 75; 17 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 11 @

Forest Lawn EWING, Myrtle (Mrs.); 59; 17 Oct 1952 Omaha Star p 11 @ Louisville, KY FIELDS, Delia (Mrs.); 28 Nov 1952 Omaha Star p 5 @ Forest Lawn* FINNIS, Hatcher; 61; 19 Dec 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ FITZPATRICK, Alfred; 100; 13 Jun 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @ Haiti, MO FLEEKS, Luella (Mrs.); 50; 11 Jul 1952 Omaha Star p 7 @

We can always use help with obit indexing! Please con-tact Karen Tippets if you are available. It’s interesting!

Westward Into Nebraska · 6 · Volume 32, Issue 3

GenealogyGenealogy TipsTips by Karen Peterson Tippets

Our regularly featured column, Class Notes, will return when Karen begins her monthly genealogy classes next January.

“Location is Everything”

The real estate agent will tell you that, and of-

ten the price of a particular piece of property is jacked

up to reflect a particularly “valuable location.” Location

makes a major difference in your family research as

well.

Here are some ideas for using land records to

expand your pedigree and flesh out the family.

Move outside the genealogy room: what’s the

last time you did serious map work with your ancestral

families in mind? Maps can locate their whereabouts in

a historic time period and help you determine where

records might be found.

Platt maps of a county help put our rural ances-

tors into their neighborhoods. Who were the neighbors

at a particular time? Where are the county or state lines

in relationship to where the family lived? It may make a

difference in finding who they married or where they

married.

If your family was in an area for several gener-

ations, study early maps to determine if the county

boundaries changed while they were there. While a

new county would have been in a hurry to establish

land records for tax purposes, marriage records, birth &

death records, and census records are going to reflect

the name of the original county.

If county boundaries changed with the for-

mation of a new county, your recording of event places

should reflect the name of the county AT THE TIME OF

THE EVENT, not the name it is now. If they ended up

living in the new county, you won’t find their 1835 mar-

riage record in the county that was formed in 1850.

What were the parent counties? Use Map Guide to the

US Census by Wm. Dollarhide (available at the W.

Dale Clark library genealogy room.)

Start a map file rather than include the maps in

each family file that you are researching, especially

when you have many families in a geographic area.

Save some of your copy money for new material, rather

than recopying something you already have.

Store maps in archival sleeves for preserva-

tion, rather than punching them full of holes and possi-

bly destroying valuable information necessary for future

research.

Try to locate where in the county a family lived

at a particular year. (Make a copy for this purpose ra-

ther than using the original.) Using colored push pins

and a bulletin board or small colored circle stickers,

color code the location of the families you are interest-

ed in according to where they were located in the coun-

ty. Are certain surnames heavily clustered in one area

or another, or are they scattered throughout the coun-

ty? In the days when transportation was chiefly by foot

or horse, they’re not going to be able to venture clear

across the county in an evening to meet someone to

court. Start by looking closer to home.

For curiosity sake, check out

www.hamrick.com/names. You’ll get a US map show-

ing where your surname shows up in 1850, 1880, 1920

or 1990.

Use older gazetteers to try to locate towns that

may no longer exist. This is particularly useful in Euro-

pean countries, but also has value with US research.

You may be able to narrow down a locality in which to

start searching.

Just like family names, place names can be

misspelled. Talk with someone who is familiar with the

language when dealing with foreign countries to try to

determine how to spell the name of the town that was

passed down through the family. Our interpretation in

English of the spelling of an international place may not

anywhere near the original spelling, and hence, not

easily located on a map. This is especially true if the

person we got the name from wasn’t the immigrant and

was trying to duplicate what they remember from sever-

al years earlier.

Where can you find location origin clues about

earlier generations? Pretty much anywhere or every-

where, so be prepared to spend some time looking if

your first choice doesn’t turn up anything promising.

Check: vital records, grave stones, deeds, Bible rec-

ords, wills & probates, newspaper clippings (especially

obituaries), immigration &/or naturalization records,

census films, court records, old letters, photographs,

and memory albums with postcards from the “old coun-

try”.

Use a GPS system to help locate coordinates

for cemeteries, old landmarks, etc. If you have spent

hours searching for something, chances are that others

might also have difficulty locating it. Modern technology

can be useful, so write down those coordinates.

Study the roads for the time period that you

family would have migrated. Some might have been

intrepid enough to strike over a mountain, but if they

had a family and a wagon, they were going to want to

haul some supplies and needed a reliable (for the time

period) route. Most people followed established routes

at least to the edge of civilization as it was at the time. WIN

by Karen Peterson Tippets

Westward Into Nebraska · 7 · Volume 32, Issue 3

NEWS Burials of Civil War Veterans in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Omaha. Arranged alphabetically, this 50 page book lists hundreds of Civil War veterans. $10.00

postpaid.

New! Omaha Undertakers from 1865-2006. This is a snapshot of yearly listings of the undertakers given by the Polk's Omaha City/Business Directo-ry, (including Council Bluffs, IA). The book contains samples of advertising from the directories, newspapers, and other miscellaneous sources. There are also many newspaper articles and obits pertaining to the local undertak-ers from this area, and Nebraska State Dept. of Health records listing funeral

director and embalmer licenses. $50.00 post paid.

New! Documentation Guide: A companion to the popular Federal Census Helper, this guide shows how to document sources such as newspapers, books, letters, photographs, etc. Colored, laminated, three-hole punched. $3.00 + $1.00 P/H. Order the Documentation Guide and Federal Census

Helper and pay only $1.00 P/H.

Rural Douglas County, Nebraska, Cemeteries: Rural cemeteries plus resume of Omaha cemeteries. 6,000 burials, indexed by surname. 275

pages. $20.00 postpaid.

365+1 Genealogy Tips calendar. Perpetual calendar with a genealogy tip

for each day of the year. $14.00 plus $3.00 P/H.

Federal Census Helper. Colored, laminated , three hole punched sheet with all the headings of all released federal censuses from 1790 to 1930. Very

popular item! $2.00 plus $1.00 P/H

Douglas County Marriages 1854 to 1881. Indexed with names of everyone

but the one who performed the ceremony. $35.00

Remains To Be Found: Special publications of GOGS which contain records and materials before 1920 for Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass Counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. Over 20 indexed issues available. 06/79 thru 03/88, $2.50 each; 11/88 thru 11/92, $3.00 each. All

postpaid. Table of contents available for SASE.

1886 Douglas County, Nebraska, Voter Registration: 87 pages, 3,200

indexed surnames. $5.00 postpaid.

Westward Into Nebraska (GOGS Newsletter), Volumes 4 thru 20: 10 issues per volume, indexed in June. Contains records, queries, and acquisitions of the Omaha Public Library. $2.00 each for volumes 4-12; $3.00

each for volumes 13-20. All postpaid.

1978-1988 GOGS Members’ Ancestors Charts: Volume I, $15.00 postpaid.

Limited Quantity.

1913 Atlas & Index: Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington Counties in Nebraska; Mills and Pottawattamie Counties in Iowa. 150 pages, surname indexed,

spiral bound. $29.95 postpaid.

1924 Atlas & Index: Johnson County, Nebraska. 54 pages, surname

indexed, spiral bound. $9.95 postpaid.

Order any of the above from and make checks payable to:

Greater Omaha Genealogical Society P.O. Box 4011

Omaha, NE 68104-0011

Omaha’s Historic Prospect Hill Cemetery: Contains much information on early Omaha and biographical info on approximately 1,400 people interred in this pioneer cemetery. $40.00 tax and postpaid. Clearance Sale! Now $18.00

Order from and make checks payable to:

Prospect Hill Cemetery Foundation P.O. Box 55085, Station B Omaha, NE 68155

GOGSGOGS PublicationsPublications

www.FamilySearchIndexing.org

FamilySearch Indexing Competed Projects

1900 U.S. Federal Census - Utah

1900 U.S. Federal Census - Pennsylvania

Alabama - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Arizona - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

California - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Colorado- 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Connecticut - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

District of Columbia - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Georgia - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Georgia Death Certificates - 1919 to 1927

Idaho - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Illinois - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Indiana - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Indiana Statewide Marriages

Massachusetts - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Missouri - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Nevada - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

New York - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

North Carolina - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Ohio - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Ohio Death Certificates - 1945 to 1953

Oklahoma - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Ontario Deaths 1927-1929

Ontario Deaths 1930-1932

Oregon - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Revolutionary War Pensions and Land Warrants

Salt Lake County Births 1908-1915

South Carolina - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

South Dakota - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Tennessee - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Texas - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Texas_Death_Certificates_1951-1976

Utah Death Certificates - 1952 to 1956

Virginia - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

Washington - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

West Virginia Births

West Virginia Deaths

West Virginia Marriages - 1

West Virginia Marriages Part 2

Wyoming - 1900 U.S. Federal Census

When the information indexed by volunteers is

ready for publication, it will be made available

FREE OF CHARGE through familysearch.org. WIN

Westward Into Nebraska · 8 · Volume 32, Issue 3

Hours: Mon-Thur: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fri & Sat: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sun: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Library Volunteers needed: Sundays, when available (need volunteers for one or several hours as library has only one employee on third floor. ) Monday evenings, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Please call Karen Tippets at 346-6256 to volunteer for Sunday or Monday evening at the W Dale Clark Library.

W. DALE CLARK PUBLIC LIBRARY

In Omaha, Nebraska: 11027 Martha Street Ph: (402)393-7641 12009 S. 84th Street Ph: (402)339-0461 Martha St. FHC is closed the first Tuesday evening of each month. Volunteer assistance and user friendly computers are available at both FHC locations. Hours for both: AM PM PM PM Tue, Wed, Thu 9:30 - 2:30 7:00 - 9:30 Fri, Sat (Martha only) 9:30 - 2:30 Sat 9:30 - 2:30

LDS FAMILY HISTORY CENTERS

Board Meeting: October 10th, 7:00 PM at Crown

Pointe Retirement Community, 2820 S 80th, Omaha.

General meeting: October 24th, 7:00 PM at Crown

Pointe Retirement Community.

This month’s meeting features a speaker from the

Douglas County Historical Society. “Hidden Treasures

at the Douglas County Historical Society” will be the

topic.

Next month Dave Wells will speak on “Patriotic Songs

of the World Wars”.

SEPTEMBER MEETINGS

Writers Group meets the last Saturday of the month at 10:00 am. Call 551-4847 for information.

G.O.G.S. WRITERS GROUP

Greater Omaha PAF User’s Group (GO-PAF) meets

at 7:00 p.m. on the first Friday of each month at the

LDS Church, 110th & Martha, Omaha, NE. Signs in the

building will direct you to the meeting room.

PAF USERS GROUP

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE

P A I D

PERMIT NO. 746 OMAHA, NE

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