FootNote
The new kid on the block, FootNote is known for digitizing historical
documents... many of which are genealogical gems. With naturalizations,
city directories, war records, newspapers, town records, etc... this new
kid is quickly being recognized as an alternative to Ancestry.
While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
The written record endures in many forms.
Letters and personal accounts of events or eras are highly
valued for the information they contain; but it is the
family Bible that most often becomes the object of
diligent searching.
Should you be fortunate enough to possess a family Bible,
the following techniques might help you to evaluate its
usefulness as a source of information. First, note the date
of its publication. Match the publication date against the
span of events written upon the page for family history. If
the handwritten entries predate the publication, it is clear
indication that they were recorded not as they occurred but
at a later date. Next, examine the handwriting used for each
entry. Is it all in the same script, indicating that they
were written by the same person? Are the entries in the same
ink, suggesting that all were made at one sitting? Is there
an inscription?
Check each page of a Bible or inherited book for
notations or enclosures. Some owners recorded the dates of
events, such as memorial services, weddings, and
christenings, in the margin adjacent to the Bible
text used for the occasion. Others used favorite books to
hold prayer cards, obituaries from newspapers, significant
scraps of church bulletins, and handwritten notes. Such a
note enclosed in one book contained, in German script, the
full name and birth date of each child born to the finder's
great-grandparents.
