Insane Asylum, New Orleans, Louisiana, corner Marigny and Old Levee streets, 3rd District, 1864 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When researching our women ancestors, one place is often overlooked: the insane asylum. Some of the reasons our grandmothers were institutionalized are quite unbelievable. In the early 1800′s wives and daughters were often committed for not being obedient enough to their husbands or fathers. Women were expected to be homemakers and not much was given to their education. If a woman spoke out and went against the “norm” she could be committed. When children were committed, oftentimes the families would tell others they had died.

This is confusing, because they may even have published an obituary, yet they were much alive at the asylum. If they were released and moved on, the researcher would find them alive years later, even though their death had been pronounced years earlier! Some children were committed for unwanted pregnancies, disobedience or illness such as Down’s Syndrome or Autism.

I first became aware of this a couple of years ago. I was visiting a court house and noticed the term “lunacy” on a lot of the women’s forms. I asked the court aide about this. She showed me where a woman could be quite often divorced for reasons of lunacy. Her husband would put her in the insane asylum and then file for divorce. A few months later, his marriage records to a younger bride usually showed up. This was very sad for this woman committed, who did nothing but grow older. All the years of being a wife and mother were not appreciated. She was just sent to the insane asylum. I found several cases where this appeared to have happened. I was told this was very common in the early 1800′s.

Other reasons to be “put away”, were depression, alcoholism, just being a little different from the norm, and even going through menopause! Doctors just did not know how to deal with mental issues and the result was to put their patients in the asylum. I am sure the women who were sane had a hard time. They were put in the midst of the ill and treated as if they were there for the same problems. These women were locked up and forgotten by their loved ones. The fathers/husbands often forbid the family members to visit. It was as if they had died. Most of them did stay at the insane asylums until their death.

Some of these asylums were built next to, or a part of, the prison system. This was to help cut back costs of care, food and facilities. Some of the well patients were at times able to work the local farms for a very low wage. Patient labor laws soon stopped this practice. The asylums usually provided only the basic necessities of life. Food was poor, cleanliness was not stressed and the rooms were often very cold. Diseases were quick to spread among the asylums.

Where can we go to try to locate our ancestors who may have been committed? Some states have posted their patient listings for the mentally ill on the genealogy county sites. The US census has a place on some of their census, example 1850, that has a place to mark if deaf, dumb or insane. The probate section may carry Lunacy Record Books at the county courthouses. Some wills will declare if someone is insane or having lunacy; thus the person’s Will declared to care for the person committed or does not include them in their estate.

While sane or insane, using the records of lunacy may help us locate our women ancestors. Ask questions at your particular courthouse where these records may be kept. If someone just seems to have disappeared, they may have just been “sent away”!

Here are some online examples of lunacy records, there are many more:

• Lost Souls Genealogy
• Lunacy Records from Desoto Co. FLGenWeb Project
• Some Spartanburg Lunacy Records
• Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog – Livingston County Lunacy Records 1875 – 1879
• Lunacy Records for Perquimans County
• Hyde County, NC Lunacy Records (1899-1930)
• Lunatic Inquest Book of Lyon County, KY transcribed by Debbie Atchley

I would like to hire an English speaking student or alike to accompany me on this one day road trip. I will rent the car and do the drive. If you know somebody who might be Interested please contact me at Gary H. Doebler 704-807-7724

• easy to access,
• fully transportable to the environment of your choice,
• freely available,
• openly shared,
• easily manipulated,
• securely transmitted,
• safely stored,
• consistently presented,…

Open systems and standards make these objectives possible.  Without open standards/ open source, all to often these objectives become colored, jaded or may be high-jacked by biased interests.

On 22 March 2013 the Family History Information Standards Organisation placed a call for papers to the wider genealogy community.  If you are inclined to share your thoughts, ideas, dreams, or aspirations for future Family History Research Tools and Technology,  you should respond to their call.

If you are unfamiliar with the concepts of open systems and free software, I suggest you might find the following of interest:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Software_Foundation
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source

Oh, and yes… it will take all of us (geeks & non-geeks alike) to build a better ‘genealogical’ world …

When the 1940 census was released I was able to start pulling the census records for Pleasanton and post them in our Facebook Group. It was a lot of fun for people to see their parents, grandparents, and neighbors listed there. It led to some lively reminiscing of growing up in our little town and encouraged others to find old photos and even share genealogies.

It was a reminder that the branches of our family tree may include our kin but our community and neighbors are the roots of our tree! It’ is also a nice reminder that the same concept can apply to our ancestors and help us better understand their stories.

Hurricane Sandy 2012 (Photo credit: charliekwalker)

What would you do if your genealogy nook, corner, office was suddenly gone?  Disaster Preparedness is not something that genealogists often think about.  Often times we’re too busy wrapped up in our pursuit of that long lost family member.

Rewind 4 months…

Late October was beautiful.  I spent two days attending The Genealogy Event in New York City and even had a wonderful dinner in the village on Saturday night October 27th.  The weather was balmy and everyone was enjoying the last hurrah before our weather would turn much cooler.

Monday, October 29, 2012.  This is a day that will be forever etched in my daughters’ memories.  Many of us in the New York metropolitan area got a hefty “up close and personal” dose of Mother Nature.  While my house didn’t suffer a loss of no more than a few roof shingles and power for six days, unfortunately many other coastal residents weren’t so lucky.  My sister who lives just a half-mile from me lost the entire contents of her basement due to the tidal surge flooding.  It is hard to imagine the loss of whole rooms of items, lifetime of accumulations, complete and utter devastation to our lives.  To be honest, in genealogy we rarely talk about preparing for disasters until it’s too late.

How important is your genealogical collection to you?

I know my papers, books, and errata are integral parts to the success of my business as well as my own personal research.  So today’s question is… If you were to lose your research library today, how would you rebuild it? First, do you have a listing of all books on your shelves?   If you do, you get a gold star in my book.

However, if you’ve answered “NO”, then your first step to take…  compile an inventory *today* by utilizing free, online tools: LibraryThing, GoodReads, and Google Books’ My Library. Each of these offers slightly different cataloging capabilities, but provides a viable method of recovery should the need arise. Review each to see how it can fit into your needs/uses.  My genealogical library is online at LibraryThing. Well, 98% of it is…

What about your computer files?

This one is critical folks!  What would you do if your computer suddenly quit.  Finis.  Kaputt.  Would you have the means to recover your important data, pictures and audio files?

Create a regular back-up plan.  Dick Eastman reminds his subscribers on the 1st of every month to back-up, both on-site and off-site, or in the cloud.  For me, on-site means copying files to a jump-drive and putting in a secure container.  I opt to do off-site back-ups “to the cloud” via an account with Carbonite.  At this point, my account contains 26.5 GB comprising of 41,496 files.  A quick check tells me that My Pictures folder is 18.9 GB or 71% of the files I back up regularly.  Wow!!

While I still struggle with my paper files, I made a goal  hold “scanning” parties with my Mom to organize and digitize our 20+ years of research.  Will we finish anytime soon?  Probably not, but I’ll feel much better to have started and work towards completion of this very important genealogical goal.

What about you?  What will you do to safeguard your genealogical investments?

My hunt started in the Silver Terrace & Gold Hill Cemetery. If your family ever lived in the Virginia City area this is a jewel. Unfortunately it was uneventful for locating headstones for my family. When researching in the field you have to get a feel for where to find the knowledge. It’s not always where you think it might be.

I headed to the local book store, which had a few pictures of Virginia City in 1850. I found a photo of the camp site on the street where my relatives lived. This was an unexpected find. I talked to the women that owned the book store and she was surprised that my relatives had been in both Virginia City and Sierraville, during that era. It was a terrible road and very hard to travel.

As the sun started to go down a small flurry of snow started and I got a feel for what she was talking about. It was icy cold. In the short walk to the hotel, I thought man, these people were not wimps. This is why I love going to the location, it makes me understand the family that I’m working on. They were living here in tents at camp sites with their babies and small children.

The first thing the next day I went to the “Way It Was Museum” and then went to St. Mary’s in the Mountains Catholic Church. The curator of the church was a wealth of knowledge. The most wonderful thing happened here! She introduced me to a women who was working on her PhD and happened to be going through the old hospital records, which was run by the Sisters of Charity. For the next few hours I was able to join her while she took pictures of the pages. She let me sit with her while she looked for my family records. Page-by-page she would let me know if there were any Kelly’s listed on them. Even though there weren’t, I still learned a lot. The Hospital was used mostly for triage after mining accidents. Most of the people injured converted to Catholicism. There was a wealth of knowledge in those books. I’m hoping to get back up there and make an appointment and maybe get the information online for others. It was so incredible how much stuff they documented. If someone in your family was a miner in the area, it would be an invaluable source.

Knowledge is found in the strangest of places. Though I didn’t glean a lot from this trip, I understand more about the hardships my family experienced. I was hoping to find my Virginia City blacksmith’s in their recorded history, but they weren’t on any pages. Yet, as I was standing on a street with “Union Iron Works” light posts, I was thinking my family could have forged those and it is probably how they got their jobs in San Francisco. This trip was not a waste.

• Silver Terrace Cemetery/Gold Hill Cemetery
• St. Mary’s in the Mountains
• A City of Silver and Gold
• Way It Was Museum

My grand-father was born in the village of Brugg in the canton Aargau.  When I began my search 15 years ago for vital records, it seemed logical to start looking in that location.  At the time, there was little reference material for Swiss genealogy and I spent years of unsuccessful attempts at bringing down my brick wall.  I eventually stumbled across a Swiss mailing list, where I was fortunate to find mentors from Switzerland who explained the rules of citizenship.  They generously translated the documents for me and patiently answered my questions.  Today, information for Swiss research is readily available on the internet but unfortunately, the rules of citizenship remain a common stumbling block.

What you need to know is that your ancestors records are most likely not in the location where they were born or lived!  Each citizen of Switzerland is registered in three ways; first as a Swiss citizen, second as a citizen of a Canton, and third as a citizen of a community. These are called Heimatort, Bürgerort and Heimatgemeinde.  Vital records are stored in the home community, which was established when the first generation became a citizen.  As the family migrated to other villages, the family records were always returned to the home community. It’s not unusual for a Swiss citizen to have never visited their home community.

English: Old bridge over the Aar in Brugg; Aargau, Switzerland. Deutsch: Alte Aarebrücke in Brugg; Aargau, Schweiz. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Right now, you are probably wondering how to find your ancestors’ home community.  This can be a daunting task if you don’t have copies of original Swiss records.  I was fortunate to possess documents that my Grandfather brought with him from Switzerland.  One document contained the phrase “Brugg von Basel.”  What that means is, my Grandfather was born in Brugg, Canton Aargau and was a citizen of Basel, Canton Basel-Stadt. If you don’t have documents of Swiss origin, there are references that can be used to narrow down the location.  Among them are the Billiter Collection and the Register of Swiss Surnames.   I also recommend joining mailing lists and using genealogy forums.  An excellent forum is Geneal-Forum.  Most of the users speak German as their first language, but many speak English as a second language.  I have found them to be friendly and helpful.  Be sure to read the instructions and information on the Webmaster Board before you start using the forum.

Locating the home community of your ancestors may take persistence, patience, and a lot of cross referencing.   After years of research, including a trip to Switzerland in 2008, I stumbled upon the information that broke down my brick wall in 2011.  The information was found in the most unlikely place and only because I typed my Swiss ancestors name in a search box on a whim.  This tiny bit of information opened the door like a flood gate to my Swiss and German direct line back to circa 1670.  Also, in 2012 one of my Swiss cousins contacted me after finding an old message I left on a forum.  In 2012 they visited me in California!

Knowing the rules of citizenship can save endless hours of unnecessary research and frustration. The Swiss people record the complete genealogies of the citizens in their communities. This can lead to some beautiful handwritten records stored in civil and church records. Although it is rare, and depending on the location of citizenship, you could potentially find your genealogy back to the time of Charlemagne. Adjusting your research method may feel a little unusual at first, but the time and effort you invest is worth it. If you’’re lucky, you may even connect with some lovely Swiss natives and find some lost relatives along the way!

• Swiss Genealogy on the Internet, Wolf W. Seelentag,  (note – some links on this site are broken but the content of the website remains valuable. Last updated 31 December 2004)
• Billiter Collection
• Julius Billeter : a critical appraisal of his research
• Register of Swiss Surnames, Polygraphischer Verlag, Zürich 1989
• Geneal-Forum

English: Monument at Government Springs Park erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Successful lineage applications require you to pay attention to details and relationships. Focus primarily on eligibility and lineage documentation, as this is the heart of any successful application.

1. Decide which lineage society you want to join.
   • Check on-line http://www.cyndislist.com/soc-lineage.htm#General
   • Check The Hereditary Register of the United States of America
2. Find the mailing address of the national office. Use your Internet search engine for the national office. Get the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the local contact person.
3. Contact the local representative. Different societies have different rules for local membership. Don’t even try to change their rules to fit your needs. Their society, their rules!
4. Get the official worksheet or application.
5. Complete a worksheet that shows your descent from an appropriate ancestor.
6. Establish ancestor’s eligibility. These are very specific and sometimes very restrictive.
7. Establish proof of lineage.Copies of best documentation, preferably from original sources.
8. Prepare your application, carefully following the society’s directions.
9. Submit your application for local review. The local registrar wants you to succeed and will usually work with you until you do. This is often when you pay the application fees.
10. Mail your application. Keep a copy of everything.

Mother’s Address Books

Mom spent a lifetime looking for and developing relationships through letters. She always dreamt of what it would be like to live in Hawaii. Her brothers and sisters wrote her, and she wrote them back. As a child the family relationships were too exhausting for me to figure out.

She kept all those letters and also her address books of people with little notes in them. When I was first handed the box of genealogy that she left me, I was overwhelmed. I almost tossed the address books, never thinking they could be a source of great knowledge. Little did I know, the old addresses could be used to verify census records. Sometimes she left hints, like Great Aunt or 2nd cousin. Those notes, when you’re first starting your family research, are the greatest things. I now do the same thing for someone, so they may benefit someday.

One of the other things she did was mark when some one passed away, giving the date. I can’t tell you how easy it was for me to use those notes to glean information that would have taken me forever to figure out on my own. The names of people that you don’t recognize are sometimes found on a census with your family. Suddenly, it all makes sense. You can’t underestimate the value of the addresses and places that are recorded.

I had no idea what a wonderful tool I had received in three old address books. There was even one from the 1940’s! What a treasure.

By the way, while reading all those hundreds and hundreds of letters my mother wrote, I learned the character of her sisters. I, also,

found marriage dates, the news of babies that were born, and how much love can come from snail mail. I was fortunate to have mail from her brothers during WWII. These were all hints that helped develop the character of her family. Even my cousins enjoy those war time post cards. They get to see the writings of their father to my mother. It’s charming and it demonstrates how much love and dedication it took to keep those relationship together in hard and unusual times.

One other thing I inherited was a 1906 San Francisco telephone book. It was a small directory and was the first edition published after the great earthquake. It was such a treasure.

Don’t overlook the little things that can make the history of your ancestors come to life. Genealogy isn’t just names, it’s about stories. If you know the history of what was going on in their lifetime, you have a small glimpse into how your ancestors lived.

Unlike some other countries Italy does not keep its civil records in one central location, all records are kept in the town where the act took place, whether it is birth, marriage or death. In a country prone to earthquakes, and in the past, wars, not all records have survived. Fire, floods, tsunami have all taken their toll. However the towns and churches for the most part have managed to keep their records in one form or another.

Italiano: Basilica di Santa Restituta (Napoli)s (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For Italian immigrants to the USA it will be easier to find the town of origin. Ship manifests at Ellis Island usually provide the town of birth or last residence. Prior to 1900 this information is often omitted so you will need to access naturalization records which usually give the town of birth. Obituaries can often give a clue if all else fails.

Those searching emigrants to the UK will find this a more difficult task. The 1911 census asked for town of birth so this should be your first stop. Other census years rarely give more than the country of birth so you will need to be more creative.

First step should be to check the distribution of the surname via on-line sites for this purpose. http://www.italygen.com/italiansurnames/italian-surnames-map.html. These maps are created from today’s white pages of the telephone book so may not accurately reflect the distribution in the year your ancestor emigrated. Except for very common surnames it should tell you whether to look in the north or South of Italy. http://italia.indettaglio.it/eng/cognomi/cognomi.html will help narrow things down when you have an idea of the province. You can check the white pages yourself at www.paginebianche.it. This time look for the first name in conjunction with the surname. Remember to change the final vowel from ‘a’ to ‘e’ or ‘I’ to ‘o’ the final letter often got changed on arrival in another country. Your ancestors were probably illiterate so how they pronounced their name could change how it was written. Double the consonants if you aren’t getting many hits or change the vowel, Palazzi, Palazzo, Paluzzo, Paluzzi. In the Italian language every letter is pronounced. Ask an Italian speaking friend to listen to the pronunciation as your Grandfather said it and write down the name as it ‘sounds’. http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/italian this site will help with variations of spelling.

Some first names are very specific to different parts of Italy. For example Restituta is found predominantly in Sora (FR) and areas where Santa Restituta is the Patron Saint. Gennaro will almost certainly be from around Naples or have Naples ancestors. Diego is most common in North Italy. Roman names will be found in the Rome area. If you are struggling with spelling of first names this site might help http://www.italianames.com/italian-baby-names.php

Some people emigrated to escape the stigma of illegitimacy. A new immigrant rarely needed to indicate the name of his/her father and their illegitimacy was not so obvious.

Surnames were invented for these abandoned children and were surnames not found in the town where they lived. Italian documents always name the father and if you don’t have one the document reads N.N. or ‘genitori ignoti’ (unknown parents). Common examples are Trovatello (found) Benvenuto (welcome). There were so many ‘Esposito’ in Naples at one point the surname had to be taken from the list and others invented. These invented surnames will show sparsely or not at all on surname distribution maps or in the telephone book. Or they will show in numerous areas as indicated on this table.

Check the census records for other emigrants in the same town to see where they are from. Emigrants tended to stick together, they spoke the same dialect, ate the same kind of food and if they were looking for a wife, usually chose one from the same area in Italy that they were from.

You might also want to request records for known siblings of your ancestor. They may have given the town of origin on their naturalization paperwork or on the ship manifest.

Think about the foods Grandma used to cook. If she cooked with oil rather than butter or lard, the family are probably from central or South Italy. Butter and lard were used almost exclusively by those living in the North near France, Germany and Croatia. Tomato-based sauces were more popular in the centre and South where the climate is warmer, while white sauces and béchamel were more common in the North. Polenta and corn based dishes are also a north Italy specialty while pasta was a staple in the South.

The Saints are very important to Italians. Did Grandma or Grandpa call on one in particular? San Gelardo, San Gennaro (Naples), Santa Filomena. Italian town websites will often list the town’s patron Saint. My Grandmother wasn’t Italian (or even Catholic) but she constantly called on ‘St. James Church’ I was amazed to learn she lived in St. James’ Parish as a child.

Finding the town of origin or even the town where a death or marriage took place is essential when searching for Italian ancestry. Once you have it, the road will become much easier to travel as Italian records are interlocking, leading the researcher in a straight line back to the next.