By Shannon Bennett, Student

How many of you knew that there were other types of US Census schedules?  If you did know, did you know how many different types there are? I knew about a couple of them but I had no idea that there were so many.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. thc 5a36898 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/thc.5a36898

Non-population schedules are great ways to gather more information about the family and the community you are researching. They can tell you about the job people held, if they lived on an Indian Reservation, what animals or crops they raised, about the industries in the town, and even information about their deaths. That is a lot of information, a lot of really good information, which can not only lead you to more information but in some instances it could give you a completely new insight into the environment they worked and lived.

Over half of the 1890 Veteran’s Schedule was lost with the destruction of the 1890 Population Schedule, but I have to tell you it is a schedule I love to search (to read more about Veterans Schedules see the FamilySearch Research Wiki). While not many of my direct line ancestors are in it (majority of the Alabama to Kansas forms were destroyed, and my family hails from Indiana) I was lucky enough to find additional information on many of my husband’s trickier lines.

I also learned that I need to go back and look at the Agricultural Schedules. Some non-population schedules are available from Ancestry.com . Unfortunately for me, they are not digitized and I will most likely need to go to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. to see them.  A majority of my family were farmers and when I went back to look at their population schedules I saw many of them were included on the Agricultural Schedule too.  That information could give me a lot of information about their farms and how they lived.

Unfortunately, like with a lot of the research I do, many of the schedules I would really, really like to research are not available for the state the majority of my family is from. I have an Ancestry.com subscription and thankfully they tell you on drop down menus what states are available. Those drop- down menus will save you hours of fruitless searches!

If you are researching American ancestors think about what you could find in these non-population schedules. I bet you could find a clue to bust down a brick wall or two.

Okay, on to the final modules of the US: Census Records course.  See you online!

By Shannon Bennett, Student

Do you ever read something and feel your head getting full? That feeling of “oh no, this is a lot of stuff, how am I ever going to remember it all?” Well, that’s the feeling I have right now after finishing the next section of the English: Occupation-Professions and Trades course.

Vinters Hall. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VintersHall_2.jpg

This last week I learned more than I ever knew about associations. What are associations you ask?  Well, there were three main types we studied: guilds and livery companies, trade unions, and professional associations. I thought I knew what the last two were, but I was wrong. However, I didn’t know anything about guilds and livery companies.

I was really intrigued to learn about the livery companies of London. No, I don’t have ancestry from there (that I know of) and no, none of my ancestors were of those trades (once again, that I know of) but the history of those companies was simply fascinating.

Livery companies were guilds in the City of London known for their livery, or dress colors they wore, which represented the guild on state occasions. The members of the guild entitled to wear the colors were known as the “livery” opposed to the “freeman” who were waiting to be promoted to the livery as vacancies happened.  It is important to note that livery companies were not found outside of London.  These organizations in other cities or boroughs were known as guilds when located outside of the City.

We learned about other membership levels, how the guilds were structured, the way they evolved from medieval times to the 20^th century, and what resources for research are key for genealogical research. It was dense reading but very interesting and very informative. Really makes me wish I knew more about my English ancestors so that I had an excuse to delve further into these records.

The next modules are going to cover details pertaining to specific types of occupations and where researchers could find information on them. I am looking forward to this. Social history is one of the interesting topics for me and since I am an American I am sure there will be things listed that I had no idea about.

See you online!

By Shannon Bennett, Student

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. cph 3c34542 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c34542

Nothing like jumping in and seeing if you sink or swim. There is no goofing off and easing into the subject matter with this course. You are into the meat of the subject from page one, which is great!  Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to start off strong. There is just a lot, and I mean a lot, of information.

These first two modules cover the U.S. Census from 1790-1940. There are detailed explanations of what is on the census, why it was there, how it changed, and what the data means. That is a lot of information covered 15 times over. Good, needed, and useful, but a lot of information.

I particularly appreciate the breakdown for each census on what was asked. Seeing it typed out in list form made it easier to digest and understand than just looking at it across the top of a census page. It was also fascinating to see how that information changed, evolved, and grew over the decades. I could easily see how the census became an incredible source for statistical information about the population of the United States at that time.

The section on strategies for using the Federal Census was particularly good. Three examples were given on ways that researchers can analyze the information on the records, particularly when they are tracing a person or a family through multiple census years. Of course, you might have a way that you like to do it that is not at all like they suggest, but it was great to see how other people might analyze the information.

When I am tracing a family through the census I tend to use a timeline approach. Each person is placed on a timeline and the information for each year is placed on the chart. When this is used in conjunction with a narrative (all of the information from the record written out in words) a nice flowing chart comes together. Other people use worksheets, but that makes my head hurt from information over load.

What I think is the important takeaway message is that we each have different ways we like to breakdown and analyze the information we come into contact with. As long as we are consistent, don’t miss items, and can understand what is presented our method doesn’t matter.  If you don’t have a consistent method though, you might want to read this section extra carefully and try the three proposed analysis suggestions.

By Shannon Bennett, Student

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b39850

One of the main go-to sources for genealogical information in American research are the federal census records. Within the first few days or weeks of researching you will pointed to it and be immersed in the glory of all that data. However, unless you really dig into the census many people never uncover the real gems that are hidden just beneath the surface.

The course US: Census Records  is a comprehensive look at the U.S. Census from 1790-1940. Glancing through the syllabus I know I will learn a lot even though I am pretty comfortable with using the census for my research.

The instructors, Scott Andrew Bartley and Beverly Rice, cover a lot of material in the various modules. At first it appeared daunting, particularly when I opened the binder section and saw the sheer amount of pages that were staring back at me. But, you know what, when you are talking over 15 censuses covered in one course, I guess that should be expected.

I am looking forward to learning more about the census history, why they did things, and what was discovered. Also, I am really excited to learn more about the other schedules. I have researched a little into other census schedules, like the 1890 veterans schedule, but I am not as comfortable with them as I would like to be. Hopefully, by the end of the course I will be comfortable the whole way around!

I was pleased to see that the instructors are going to touch on non-state censuses as well. I am particularly interested in the Colonial and Territorial censuses, but they are also going to address Native American census records as well. That information will be invaluable for anyone with Native American roots or colonial / explorer roots.

The last module will be on alternative and substitute records. I wonder if this is where we will get advice on where else to look for information in case the census you need is missing. Most people are familiar with record loss, particularly the loss of a majority of the 1890 U.S. Census to fire, and I am pleased to see the instructors intend to touch on alternative records. To me, the further you are from the date of creation for a record the more likely it is to be lost. I think knowing where to look for alternative information is part of being an investigator, and let’s face it, we are investigators!

Well, I’m off to start the course. See you online!

By Shannon Bennett, Student

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

In modules 5 and 6 of Skills: Transcribing, Abstracting & Extracting we learned about extractions.  It is a similar concept to an abstraction but not exactly the same. Trust me, I am sure you have used them both, but you may not have realized the distinction between the two.

Similar to an abstraction, an extraction looks at only a specific part of the document you are reading.  Items that would get an extraction, instead of an abstraction, would be census records, lists, inventories, manifests, and so on.  For those examples you extract the information for specific people or items that you are researching. There is no need to have (at that moment) the entire document abstracted or transcribed.

To be honest, I never knew there was another type of abstraction. I use extractions frequently in my family research. They are very, very handy when processing multiple census records, bible records, or various family items. Having the pertinent information at hand, without the chaos of a whole transcription of abstraction, has helped me correlate and analyze data easier.

Besides learning about extractions we also were given more, lots more, practice. Once again, and you are probably tired of hearing this, practice is awesome!  I loved looking at records which I normally wouldn’t come across. My ancestors have been in the US for centuries so what I think of as common records are probably unique to others, and vice versa. Looking at unfamiliar record sets keeps you fresh and on your toes since you can’t just assume you know what it’s telling you.

Honestly, that is probably the best way to learn about these skills too.  We should all try to practice more with unfamiliar documents to hone our skills and push ourselves. If not overseas records, how about helping out a friend by looking at their records? Each family unit has to have a unique record or two hiding somewhere.

Last week of the course and I have more practice to do, of course, before I take the exam. Wish me luck and I will see you online!