Some Insight Into Immigration

I am reading the Vilhelm Moberg series: The Emigrant Novels.  He provides an interesting perspective on the push/pull forces the drive so much of immigration to the United States.  In his historic novels we have eight characters that for a variety of reasons immigrate to the United States from Sweden.  We have the farmer looking for more, better farm land; his wife who is running from the emotional trauma of losing a child during the starvation times.  We also have the two young men who are running away from their labor contracts with a cruel farmer.  In the novel there is also the group seeking religious freedom, and the woman who is a social outcast with her illegitimate, teenage daughter.  And, finally we cannot forget the man who hates his wife and is fleeing an unhappy marriage “after the children have grown.”

All of these characters are moving to the United States seeking a better life.  But each of them illustrates a different personal reason that either pulls them to immigrate, or pushes them out of Sweden.

Moberg originally published this series in the 1940s and 1950s.  There are four volumes.  He is rich in detail and creates a set of unique and entertaining characters.  The books are very readable, but more importantly, they seem to be well researched and, although historic fiction, they are accurate.  The push pull factors are not the only memorable details of this story.  They are simply the first of many that slowly are emerging from these pages.

Yes, the books are somewhat old, written more than 60 years ago.  But the story line and the messages presented here are worth visiting.  We will visit Moberg again as the story unfolds.

Ancestry Acquires Footnote! Oh My!

The following announcement I found on Genealogyblog.com, thanks to Leland Meitzler for bringing this to our attention.


PROVO, Utah, September 23, 2010 – Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire iArchives, Inc. and its branded Web site, Footnote.com, a leading American History Web site, for approximately $27 million in a mix of Ancestry.com stock, cash and assumption of liabilities. This acquisition will provide the company with a complementary consumer brand, expanded content offerings, and enhanced digitization and image-viewing technologies.

iArchives digitizes and delivers high-quality images of American historical records of individuals involved in the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress, Civil War, and other US historical events to Footnote.com subscribers interested in early American roots. iArchives has digitized more than 65 million original source documents to date through its proprietary digitization process for paper, microfilm and microfiche collections.

“Footnote.com is highly complementary to Ancestry.com’s online family history offering,” said Tim Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ancestry.com. “By promoting Footnote to our Ancestry audience, we hope to expand its reach among researchers who care about early American records. iArchives also brings outstanding image-viewing technology and content digitization capabilities that will improve our leadership position in bringing valuable historical records to the market. We welcome the iArchives team to the Ancestry.com family.”

Upon completion of the transaction, iArchives will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ancestry.com. As part of the transaction, Ancestry.com currently expects to issue approximately 1.0 million shares of common stock. The transaction is subject to various closing conditions and is expected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Ancestry.com also announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program of up to approximately $25 million of its common stock. Under the authorization, share repurchases may be made by the Company from time to time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions depending on market conditions, share price and other factors and may include accelerated or forward or similar stock repurchases and/or Rule 10b5-1 plans. Part of the rationale for the repurchase is to offset dilution of equity resulting from the iArchives acquisition. No time limit was set for the completion of this program. The share repurchase program may be modified or discontinued at any time by the Board of Directors.

About Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM) is the world’s largest online family history resource, with approximately 1.3 million paying subscribers. More than 5 billion records have been added to the site in the past 13 years. Ancestry users have created more than 19 million family trees containing over 1.9 billion profiles. Ancestry.com has local Web sites directed at nine countries, including its flagship Web site at www.ancestry.com.

About iArchives
iArchives is a leading digitization service provider that also operates Footnote.com, a subscription Web site that features searchable original documents, providing over 35,000 paying subscribers with a view of the events, places and people that shaped the American nation and the world. At Footnote.com, all are invited to come share, discuss, and collaborate on their discoveries with friends, family, and colleagues. For more information, visit www.footnote.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “appears,” “may,” “designed,” “expect,” “intend,” “focus,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “should,” “continue” or “work” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include statements concerning among other things, the proposed transaction between Ancestry.com and iArchives, Inc., including the consummation and anticipated timing of the transaction as well as the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, and the effects of the proposed transaction on Ancestry.com, our subscriber base, our reach, our activities to enhance subscribers’ experience, our business outlook, our leadership position and our opportunities and prospects for growth. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In particular, such risks and uncertainties include the risk that the transaction does not close when anticipated, or at all; difficulties encountered in integrating acquired businesses and retaining customers, and the additional difficulty of integration when continuing the acquired operation; the adverse impact of competitive product announcements; failure to achieve anticipated revenues and operating performance; changes in overall economic conditions; the loss of key employees; competitors’ actions; pricing and gross margin pressures; inability to control costs and expenses; and significant litigation.

Information concerning additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements is contained under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2010, and in discussions in other of our SEC filings.

These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date and we assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.


Being the cynical person that I am, I wonder if this is a good thing? Dominating access to scanned documents can only lead to greater expenses and elitism in the fields of Genealogy and Family History. Can this be a good thing? I acknowledge the enormous expense with digitization. And, I appreciate the risks and investments of Ancestry, Footnote, Genealogybank, and others. But, I still wonder where we are going and the costs that will be incurred as we get there?

New Inspiration For Research

I just recently finished reading the book Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Although it is intended primarily to promote women’s history, the book contains an important idea for all historians, particularly Genealogists and Family Historians. The point being that we need to search every avenue for clues and evidence of all history, we can’t simply accept the published and written records.

Dr. Ulrich makes the point that in Women’s History there is a serious shortage of records and evidence of the lives of everyday women. Unless a woman made news, most often through some type of “mis-behavior,” the records are sparse. In Family History and Genealogy, this is true for our female ancestors, but also many of our male ancestors as well. The result being that many of our ancestors, particularly the ones that didn't make the news, are quickly forgotten and overlooked. As Family Historians we need to willingly explore every avenue of research and information. Sometimes, we need to think outside of the strict areas of research and be willing to explore unusual records and evidence for the existence of our ancestors.

Well-Behaved Women has ignited new enthusiasm for my own research. I have several ancestors who have completely disappeared. I am determined now to think of new avenues of research. I hope to explore maps, legal documents, newspapers and other materials with a fresh outlook to find new clues about my ancestors and their lives.

Thanks to Dr. Ulrich’s book I have a new source of inspiration to push my research along.

Found: 1780s Census

Although it contains limited information, a census taken in the mid 1780's has been found in the papers of John Kean at Kean University in New Jersey. For the most part, the census is simply a total of residents of states, but it also breaks down number of blacks and native americans within each state.

This is interesting information and reinforces the basic idea that we have to continue to search for new resources for research.

Read more at the New York Times pages at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/nyregion/19kean.html

And thanks to Dick Eastman and Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter for bringing this to my attention.

Revolutionary War Resource

I have been introduced to a very interesting webpage, useful to anyone researching revolutionary war service in the South.

www.southerncampaign.org

This is a very interesting site that provides transcriptions of pension records and applications from Veterans of the Revolution. This is a very exciting place to visit. This opens up all kinds of access for researchers looking to explore the war in the South.

And, special thanks to Jim Trayler for introducing me to this page.

Sharing Information Is The Most Basic of Research Tools

Just the other night I had the opportunity to speak to a group of historians, genealogists, and family historians in a meeting of a local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. It was a fine meeting. We had the opportunity to talk about different resources for research in North Georgia and share “war stories” about our research time.

After the meeting, as I driving home, it occurred to me that I had participated in one of the most essential of all aspects of family history research. Sharing our information and trading details and research techniques provides an opportunity for camaraderie. In addition it provides specifics about our own research challenges and that way enhance our skills and capabilities. Exchanging ideas makes us all better researchers.

Talking about my own research is one of the most difficult challenges I personally face. I was raised in a family that emphasized modesty, “you never blow your own horn.” People who know me may doubt this, but because of my upbringing, talking about myself and my work is something I have had to consciously struggle to become comfortable with. But, this is something we all need to do to become better researchers and genealogists. We need to share our information and become willing to talk about our research, our achievements, and our failures. Striving for this will make us all better family historians.

Preserve The Pensions! Project

The Federation of Genealogical Societies has announced a fundraising plan to help preserve and digitize pension records for the War of 1812.

A goal of $3.7 million has been set to digitize more than 7.2 million documents in more than 180,000 files. As anyone who has used pension files int heir research can attest, these records contain a wealth of information for Family Historians and Genealogists. Not only do the files list the service of the veteran, it also provides details about the spouse and dependents.

If you want more details, or are interested in supporting the project, contact Curt Wilcher, the Vice President of Development, FGS, at 260-421-1226, or go to the FGS web page at:
www.fgs.org/1812

New Digitized Newspapers

A new resource that is very cool has come on-line. I haven't had much opportunity to work with it, but the Digital Library of Georgia has posted a collection of Atlanta newspapers on their webpage. The newspapers seem to be every word searchable which is a great resource for genealogy and family history. You may want to explore the page for yourself at:


http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu

This is interesting stuff.

More Bad Economic News For Family Historians

News coming out of Houston, Texas is that hours are being cut for the Clayton Public Library, this includes access to the Genealogy Library. In an announcement posted yesterday, the Clayton Library Friends posted the new hours. Remarkably, the libraries are closing on Friday!

Below is a portion of the announcement:

On Thursday, April 1st, 2010, Dr. Rhea Lawson, Director, Houston Public Library, presented a report to the City Council concerning a required reduction of operating hours in all Houston libraries (including special collections) due to drastic budget cuts city-wide. This proposal had already been approved by Mayor Parker prior to its presentation to council.

Effective April 17th, 2010, open hours at Clayton Library for Genealogical Research hours will be:
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 10-6;
Wednesday 10-8;
Saturday 10-5;
Library CLOSED on Friday and Sunday

I don't even pretend to understand the reasoning behind this decision. In my experience, Friday and Saturdays are the busiest days for library research. Why they are closing on Saturday is an unfortunate mystery.

For the full announcement go to:

http://www.claytonlibraryfriends.org/Content-Public/Page-Edit/Page.asp?iID=-395381400

and, thanks to Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter for bringing this to my attention.

Never Too Late To Start

Here is another example, from the Nashua, NH, Telegraph newspaper that it is never too late, or too early, to start searching for your ancestors. And, as the story concludes, the process is addictive.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/695263-196/search-for-grandmastarts-opening-doors.html?i=1

Thanks to the NEHGS newsletter for bringing this article to my attention.

A Cautionary Tale For All Historians

There is an interesting blog posted for oral historians that may be of interest to a variety of family historians and genealogists, as well.

http://blog.oup.com/2010/03/false-light-lawsuit/

The blog writes of presenting information in false light that could lead to lawsuits and judgements against writers, genealogists, and Family Historians. Be sure to avoid implications of spectacular tales as you write. Although scandal within the family may be interesting, it can also be harmful so we need to use caution as we write our family histories.

And special thanks to the Oral History list-serv for bringing this blog to my attention.

Too Much Information: Not Possible!

We are just finishing closing up my father-in-laws estate. He didn’t have much of value, but his memories and memorials are priceless. He saved the important stuff. He stashed away the news clippings about his children; the photos and slides of family vacations and family reunions; and the records about family births and deaths. The challenge now is going through the material and identifying all of the characters and individuals involved in this man’s life. As the person with experience in Family History and Genealogy, the job becomes mine: to save these records and identify everyone mentioned in them.

The good news is that Mark was an engineer, so he kept some very precise records. Many of his slide collections are labeled. I can identify the summer vacation in Valley Forge and Aunt Jen’s new car. But, who is the young kid playing football with Les and Todd? Is he some unimportant neighbor? Is he a visiting cousin? I need to know, but no one can really tell me. And here lies the difficulty. The secondary players in these scenes are unidentified. Unfortunately, they may never be identified, because we just don’t know.

This essay is evolving into a rant about there never being adequate records to tell a complete story. And, I think this is every historian’s complaint. So, as you create those records and documents those photographs and memories of life, keep in mind that there is no such thing as too much information. Even the most minute details help tell the story. So keep writing those memories and expanding those records. Include everyone in your life history.

Genealogical Tourism Gains in Demand

Genealogical Tourism, the vacation designed to explore and find new details about our ancestors and their lives, has become one of the fastest growing markets of vacation travel. This information is coming from a recent study by Professor Carla Santos and graduate student Grace Yan published in the Journal of Travel Research. Santos explained this growth is happening because “genealogical tourism provides an irreplaceable dimension of material reality.” In other words, nothing can quite replace the emotional euphoria we feel when we visit our Great-Grandfather’s original homestead, or when we step off of the train in the same depot as our grandmother as she migrated from Boston to Nebraska.

Santos and Yan go on to explain that the sense of authenticity provides us with a feeling not felt in most vacations. Visiting a variety of tourist attractions gives us a feeling of false fabrication. In my early career we had the term “farby” to describe this misleading, and clearly fabricated sense of entertainment over authenticity.

In addition, Santos and Yan suggest that transportation that has given recent generations the ability to move across country has diminished our sense of “home.” We are apparently “longing for an authentic connection” to our roots.

The article is an interesting bit of information if you can get beyond the excessive vocabulary of the authors. In spite of the overly expansive wording of the authors, this article points to an exciting, expanding interest in Genealogy and Family History research; an increase that is very encouraging.

And thanks go out to Dick Eastman and the Eastman On-line Newsletter for bringing this article to my attention.

Marriage: An Interesting Consideration

Just the other night I was reading a general history book when an interesting idea was presented. It occurred to me the ramifications of this idea might have a huge impact on Genealogists and (especially) Family Historians. Consider this historical detail: companionate marriage, or marriage for love and companionship, was not the norm until late in the 1920s or early 1930s.

If you think about that, that is an interesting concept. Before the 1920s most marriages were the result of political alliances, business or family arrangements; or some other more pragmatic reason than love. Maybe the recent Valentine’s Day celebration is having an effect on my brain, but just two generations back our Grandparents and Great-Grandparents were entering into the “bonds of matrimony” for very logical and practical reasons! Investigating the reasons for marriage can put a whole new spin on interpreting family history.

As I think about my own grandparents, I know that Grandpa lived on an isolated ranch in Nebraska. The area was so desolate that the family built their own schoolhouse and hired a teacher. Grandma was one of those teachers. Consider the “why” of marriage. Maybe Grandpa married Grandma because she was the only, non-related woman living in the county! Maybe Grandpa was the only eligible bachelor in the area!

Is it possible that they both settled for marriage? They were expected to get married sometime, to someone, and they found the nearest available prospect.

None of this is intended to besmirch the relationship of my Grandparents. I have no doubt they loved each other. But, if love is taken out of the equation of marriage; the question of “why” does one enter into a marriage becomes an interesting and important consideration in writing our family history.

Genealogy goes Prime Time!

Just as a reminder, two new programs are airing on television with central themes of Genealogy and Family History.

"Faces of America with Henry Lewis Gates, Jr." started airing on PBS last night. I haven't yet seen it, but this series is supposed to be excellent, entertaining, and informative.

Even more exciting, because a major network is scheduling this, "Who Do You Think You Are?" is scheduled to begin airing on March 5 on NBC. The previews of this show suggest an exciting and interesting program.

Be sure to check these out.

Holidays: Best Time To Collect Memories

Okay, the holidays have arrived. Since the end of October we have celebrated Halloween, Day of the Dead, and Veteran’s Day. In the immediate future, we have Thanksgiving, followed by Hanukkah, Kwanza, Christmas, and News Year’s Day. This is truly the time for the family to gather and share memories.

This is truly the perfect time for collecting more information for family history and genealogy. With the family visiting, now is the time to sit down and collect the details about missing members of the family tree. Who out there remembers Aunt Molly? Where did she live? Where is she buried? In addition to the details for the lineage charts and genealogy, we can also collect the family history stories. Who remembers how we celebrated Christmas in Grandma’s House? What were the traditions of the holidays in the 1940s? Did you really receive just a pair of socks and an orange?

So many of these traditions and family stories can be lost if we don’t take the time to record them now. The opportunity is perfect, it is right in front of us. So, bring out the digital recorders and the DVD cameras and interview family members; record their memories and feelings. Someday these memories will truly be the most valuable gifts of the holiday season.

And, remember, once these memories are recorded, be sure to make duplicates of the tapes and the digital recordings. In addition, be sure to transcribe these tapes so that the memories, if not the actual voices will last forever.

If collecting oral history is not in the cards, maybe identifying old family photographs or filling in details on lineage charts might bring the family together. Now is the perfect time to reminisce and share family memories. Bring out the photo albums, or set up the tape, and digital, recorders and ask questions about the family. This may prove to be the best opportunity to collect and save, or build on to, the family history.

More Documents Every Day

The National Archives has a backlog of 400-500 million pages of records that need to be processed. Footnote has uploaded 60 million images and is adding more than 1 million news records each month. Meanwhile, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City has committed to digitizing their entire collection of more than 2.5 million reels of microfilm.

This information came courtesy of an editorial by Tony Burroughs on cnn.com. His point is one worth emphasizing, that new records are coming available every day. Because of this enormous increase in accessibility of information, the work of family history is never done. Because of this ever increasing abundance of information, Genealogists and Family Historians can never say we have searched every record and every document to find our ancestors.

The discovery and release of new records and documents is not simply an event from national institutions. Everyday, local historical societies and libraries make available new resources. As a local example, the Atlanta History Center acquired a spectacular newspaper collection in 2001. It has been processed and has been available to researchers for the past three years. The finding aid is just now being prepared for on-line research. In this collection are newspapers from North Georgia that were unknown to exist fifteen years ago! As these papers become more accessible it is exciting to think about the new information about our ancestors that will emerge from these pages.

Other examples of new document discoveries include plantation records becoming available in South Carolina after a repository re-processed a finding aid. Or, in South Georgia, loose records from Tattnall County have just recently been indexed and abstracted.

Militia rosters, orphanage records, and other resources are being uncovered each day. Truly, the access to information and resources increases with each sunrise. This is good news for all of the Genealogists and Family Historians in the world. This means our work is never done, and new resources are constantly being made available for use.