Here’s today’s photo:

I have been looking at the contributions to the Photo Corner and thought your readers would interesting this one of my Great Grandmother standing outside the tent at a campground for TB patients. She died in  1911 of TB in Athens County, Ohio.

Patti Albaugh 

Caption: Carrie O. Stephenson standing outside her tent at a campground for tuberculosis patients. Circa early 1900, Athens County, OH. Submitted by Great Grandaughter Patti R. Albaugh of Mount Vernon, Ohio.
 

Today, we’re starting the Book and Movie Club section of 24/7 Family History Circle. If you have a book or movie you’d like to add, send it to [email protected] and we’ll post them with the title in the headline. I look forward to seeing your suggestions and comments as I’m looking for some good summer reading! Here’s our first book suggestion:

There are a number of books that can give some real insights into the lives of our ancestors.  The books that came immediately to mind are those written by Edward Rutherford.  The first and, I feel, the best was Sarum.  It follows family lines from pre-historic times through to WWII.  It gives great insight, not only into their daily lives, but also how some events (like plague) and beliefs (the ongoing struggle between various church factions) affected the ordinary person and how some physical characteristics and talents keep resurfacing generation after generation.  I do not feel the others were quite as good, but they are worth the effort to read.  One in particular was Russka..  After reading it, I had a much better appreciation of why Russia is the way that it is (including the rise there of their brand of Communism).  They may be works of fiction, but they make me glad that I did not have to live through some of those horrific times.

Tom Aman

Here’s today’s photograph and the message I received.  Enjoy! 

Hi Juliana,
 
I have attached a copy of a photograph, taken in Wandsworth, Surrey, England for the Ancestry newsletter.  The seated man is my ggrandfather Arthur CROSSKEY and his sons from left to right are William, Arthur (my grandfather) & the little one in front is Charlie.  Arthur CROSSKEY was in The Royal Field Artillary in WW1 and this photo was taken about 1913.
 
Many thanks & thanks for such a great newsletter,
 
Deborah Montgomerie

The Kentucky Birth Index, 1911-1999, which was temporarily de-published on Ancestry.com has now been replaced with the new updated database and is available   Thanks to the Kentucky Department of Library and Archives and to the Ancestry.com team for getting this back out there so quickly! The database is available to Ancestry.com subscribers and can be searched at: http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?sourceid=23560&dbid=8788

Today’s photo is from Harry Liggett, and he’s looking for help in identifying some of the subjects. Here’s what he wrote:

I would like help in identifying those in the photo. This photo shows Mary (Garrison) Baker (left rear) with her daughters.  Someone marked an arrow on the photo to point to the woman in the right rear who I believe was my grandmother, Lillian Mary.  There are four other women in the photo but we have names of only three other daughters, Sarah, Philona and Harriet.  The photo was by W. F. Johnson studio on Main St., Picton, Ontario, Canada.  The photo was taken before 1887 because Sarah died in 1887 and Harriet in 1888.

Harry Liggett

Note: Click on the photo to enlarge it.

The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it.
  – Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881

Pick an ancestor or family and start work on a narrative. Don’t worry about grammar and syntax, just start with the facts–vital dates and places, places you’ve found them in censuses and directories, occupations, historical events that took place and may have affected them–anything you have on record and any facts that come to mind. Arrange them chronologically and fill in as much as you can. As you progress, you’ll start to see their story take shape and you may just pick up some clues for further research along the way!

by Juliana Smith

As family historians, the closure of public records is an issue that is near and dear to our hearts. As governments struggle with the balance of allowing public access to records and privacy and security concerns, an often knee-jerk reaction is to simply seal off access. You’ve probably seen news stories about the pending legislation in many states that threatens access to the records of our ancestors, particularly recent ones. While it is impossible to address the specific issues facing each state and the intricacies of the proposed legislation and possible implications in the space of this article, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss some ways we can be proactive in promoting our position on these issues. Continue reading →

According to the Hobby Industry Association contemporary scrapbookers spent an estimated $2.5 billion dollars on supplies last year. That’s a lot of stickers! The roots of this booming industry are centuries old. In fact so many men, women and children kept albums the chances are good you have one in your attic. Take a peek into the pages of an ancestral scrapbook to learn a little more about the people on your pedigree chart.

There’s a lot more going on between the covers than paste and colored papers. You might discover Great Aunt Bea’s gorgeous layouts could land her a spot as Memory Makers Magazine Master and that Grandpa Joe loved flying. Follow the clues, i.e. the trail of memorabilia collected in the album and soon you’ll be able to sit down to read it like a best-selling novel.  A few questions will get you started. Continue reading →

From Paula Stuart Warren

If city directories exist for the places where some of your ancestors resided, be sure to check every year possible. This may mean checking multiple libraries and collections, online and off. If you have only checked a few years here and there, what might you be missing? Perhaps the year in which the oldest son has the designation “USA” after his name, meaning he was in the military service. Maybe the years you’re missing contain clues as to the death date of the head of the family, tell that Uncle Horace moved to St. Louis, or give the name of the railroad grandpa worked for instead of just the term “laborer.” For the middle son, Clarence, it might tell that he attended Kansas Wesleyan University. What have you missed? Round up those missing years and find out!