October 2009

Written by Aric Brown

Monday, 19 October 2009

THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2009

Audrey Cannady Massingill, Editor

NOVEMBER MEETING

Monday, November 2, 2009

Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.

Amarillo Public Library, Downtown

Meeting room on the Second Floor

Visitors are always welcome.

NOVEMBER PROGRAM

The November program has not been announced at this time. What will it be? Come to the meeting and find out.

FALL SEMINAR

Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick began the day by saying she was not going to give us a long list of places to look for genealogical information—she was going to show us how to look at the information we already possessed. And she did.

1 – You Will Never Look at your Old Photos the Same Way Again. Dr. Fitzpatrick said we must pay attention to important details. She illustrated her point with slides of photographs showing us how tiny details can help determine the who, the when and the where of a picture.

Dating photographs by the people’s clothing may or may not be useful. Many people kept their clothing for a long time or wore hand-me-downs. However, customs such as “don’t wear white before Easter,” may be useful in pin-pointing dates.
Make sure you look at the back for photographer’s marks, logos, lot numbers, etc.
What kind of photograph is it? Cabinet card , Daguerreotype, Tintype, etc.

Colleen suggested we make a list of everything in the photo. Notice things such as signs on buildings, model of automobiles, etc. Then use E-Bay and

other collectible sites to learn about the objects. If you have a name or location for your picture go to Amazon.com to see if there is a book about that person or place.

2 – The Database Detective.

After using all standard databases, look for unconventional materials: coroner’s reports, Insane Asylum records; orphanage admissions, etc.
Connect the Dots. If you have two documents with the same name, check the signatures or other identifying facts to see if it is the same person.
Use your documents to create a timeline for your person/family and then look for further information to fill in the gaps.
Look at the big picture. Study the village and other townspeople to see what was going on where your ancestor.

Using a case study of her Naegler family, Dr. Fitzpatrick discovered why their entire village had no baptisms and an unusual number of deaths of children for a ten year period in the 1600s.

3 – A Different Kind of DNA Talk. The value of doing a DNA study, Colleen said, “is it picks up where your paper trail leaves off.” She gave a simplified explanation of what DNA is and how it is used in genealogy study.

Mitochondrial DNA (X chromosomes) is passed on by the mother to all children, but only daughters pass it on to their children.
Y-DNA (Y chromosomes) is passed on only by the father to the sons.
By studying the SNP mutations, you find your “haplo group” which is where you came from (Africa, Europe, etc).
By studying the STR mutations, you find your “haplo type” which is who you came from.

Colleen told us how to sign up with a study or start our own, the mechanics of collecting DNA, and how to interpret the reports.

First, go to the National Geographic Genographic Project to find your “haplo group.”
Then search to see if your family name is already being studied.
The three major sites for studies are: http://www.dnaheritage.com ; http://www.familytreedna.com ; http://www.dnaancestry.com

Once you have done your DNA testing, you can visit DNA databases to find your families:

http://www.ysearch.org ; http://www.ybase.org ; http://www.smgf.org ; http://www.mitosearch.org

4 – The Six Degrees of Separation are History! According to studies, anyone in the world can find a relationship to anyone else in the world within six steps or even less. Tools used to establish your relationships are:

Telephone books: US and foreign
Ask Someone: Libraries, historical societies, churches, similar people (ie: camp survivors, hidden children)
Google: Ethnic, religious, historical, maps
DNA testing: (see above sites)

Bob and Pat Gordon of Books and Things had a large array of books and other genealogical merchandise for sale. Their prices were reasonable and we were able to purchase many useful books to help us in our research.

Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick’s three books were available and she graciously signed them for all who asked. Her books are: “Forensic Genealogy,” “The Dead Horse Investigation, Forensic Photo Analysis for Everyone,” and “DNA & Genealogy.”

HERE’S WHAT AMARILLO PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS FOR YOU!

To encourage genealogists to visit and make more use of our books and other materials, the Library staff begins another year of our “Just a Few” segment to suggest books available on certain topics or states. We want to bring to your attention to some very useful, but not always familiar resources that can be found on the genealogy bookshelves.

If you haven’t visited the renovated library downtown, we encourage you to do so. The second floor (where the genealogy collection is still located) is now designated a research area. You will find it to be a quiet place, very conducive to spread your pedigree sheets out and pull those books off the shelves and do some serious genealogy!

Along those lines, the Reference/Special Collections Department wants to entice you genealogists by listing “just a few” new books that have been processed since the Department was closed.

The History of Angelina County Texas, 1846-1991 976.4173 Hi

Defiance County, Ohio: history told in pictures and words of living memory 977.114 An

History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania 974.881 Bo Volumes 1-3

German Church Books: beyond the basics

943 Smi

Proprietary Records of South Carolina 975.7 PRO Volumes 1-3

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As of this writing, the Ancestry Library Edition has not been connected. But if you would like us to call you when it is, please call Gayle at 378-6022 and leave your name and phone number.

See you soon!

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IN THE MONTHS TO COME

December 7, 2009 –l Christmas Party at the Amarillo Club, 6:30 pm. Award-winning author, Jodi Thomas, will be our speaker.

WHO’S WHO

If you have an idea for a program, please contact Kellie Sanders, 1^st Vice President, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 806-373-0067.

If you have an announcement or a story you would like to see in this newsletter, please contact Audrey Massingill, 2^nd Vice President, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 806-353-5866 (answer- ing machine).

If you want to pay your dues, make a donation, or change your mailing address, contact Bob McGinnis, Treasurer, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 806-353-7988.

If you want to add or change an e-mail address for our e-mail notice list, contact Joe Brown at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For anything else, contact Bob Sanders, President, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 806-353-2553.

MEMORIAL

Long-time AGS member, William James “Bill” Foran died Saturday, October 10, 2009. Bill was born on October 28, 1919, in Rock Valley, Iowa, to James and Inez Foran. The family moved to Amarillo when he was a baby. Bill graduated from Amarillo High School and got his degree at Texas A&M. He was a decorated veteran of both World War II and Korea. Mr. Foran was married to his high-school sweetheart, Roberne Wilson, for 61 years. After retirement from Foran Construction, which he owned with his brothers, Bill devoted much of his time to his grandchildren and to community organizations. He will be missed by his family and friends and his community.

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MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Just a reminder that the 2010 dues are now owing. There is a membership applicaton on the back page of this newsletter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

To continue: FINDING? DOLLY by Audrey Cannady Massingill

The cemetery was medium-sized, as rural cemeteries go. It was freshly mowed. No tall grass to wade through. Another good omen. One side was bound by the road and the other three sides were confined by corn fields—the stalks rising high in the July heat gave the place a deserted air.

I was glad to see a dirt road going into the cemetery, so I could drive up the hill until I was in the middle of the graveyard. As I got out of the air-conditioned car, the heat slapped me in the face and my glasses fogged up. I almost turned around and left. This is not a good idea. My body does not handle heat well, and anyway, if there were Cannadys here they would only be collateral lines. But I just could not make myself leave without seeing the Cannady plot.

I slung the camera and a water bottle around my neck, and put on my sun hat, and changed into my old shoes, and picked up Bob’s map and my notebook and pencil, and trudged up the road to the far end of the burial grounds, where Milo was supposed to be buried. Within seconds I was wringing wet.

About fifteen minutes later, I found the Harrymans. According to Mr. Green’s map, the Cannady plot was adjacent to them. It was empty. There was one small stone at the back, but I wasn=t sure if it was in the Cannady plot or the next one over. The stone was completely unreadable—covered with soft, black, mossy gunk.

I sat down in the grass in front of the little stone and drank some water. Staring at it, I thought I could see the letter Ay@ on the far right-hand side, where the name would end. Cannady ends in a Ay.@ But the rest of the marker was covered and it would be a long job to clean it off. It won=t be anyone in my family. I am not going to give myself a heat stroke by cleaning off this stone.

I went back to the car and turned up the air conditioner full blast. I knew I should leave. I was feeling slightly sick from the heat and the hot dog. Belleville was 36 miles away, and I wanted to stop in at the library in Mascoutah on the way. And I was already late. My people in Belleville are non-genealogists and would not understand if I were delayed due to visiting “some old cemetery.”

The stone was so small and so isolated. Something about it beckoned to me.

TO BE CONTINUED

Fall Seminar Flyer

Written by Aric Brown

Saturday, 19 September 2009

AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

FALL SEMINAR

OCTOBER 10, 2009

Colleen Cropped
8:30 AM till 4:00 PM

Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD

Colleen Fitzpatrick, PhD, Consultant for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory has been recognized on MSNBC, in Scientific American, in Publisher’s Weekly, and in newspapers worldwide for her work on the crash of Northwest Flight 4422 and on exposing two well-known Holocaust frauds. She is the author of three bestselling books on forensic genealogy, an award-winning author and columnist who writes for all major genealogical publications.

Program topics

You Will Never Look at Your Old Photos the Same Way Again! — Step into the 21^st century with your photo identification! If you think you have squeezed every drop of information from your photos, guess again. If you attend this talk, you will never look at your old photos the same way again!
The Database Detective — Forensic Genealogy offers much insight on how to use materials you take for granted. If you know how to “look up” facts, come to this lecture and find out how to “look for” information.
A Different Kind of DNA Talk — Whether you are having trouble spelling DNA, or you are an old hand at genetic genealogy, this talk is for you!
The Six Degrees of Separation Are History – We Are Closer Than You Think! — The Six Degrees of Separation tells us that everyone is linked to everyone else by an average of six people. We use it to describe how small our world is. But is the number six still valid? Thanks to the internet, the answer is no. Six Degrees of Separation are history. We are closer than you think!

Ascension Academy Registration 8:30–9:00 AM

9301 Ascension Parkway Program: 9:00–11:45, 1:15–4:00

Amarillo, Texas 79121 Lunch: 11:45–1:15 (bring your own or there are plenty of restaurants nearby)

BOOK VENDOR FOR THE SEMINAR WILL BE: Books and Things. They are a 12 year old mobile book store dedicated to providing family researchers with the largest and best selection of genealogical material available in any one location. They specialize in Texas books but also have many materials from the other southern states. Anyone interested can visit the book store even if they do not attend the seminar. They will have a selection of Dr. Fitzpatrick’s books.

THE AMARILLO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Nonprofit Organization

Amarillo Public Library U. S. POSTAGE PAID

P.O. Box 2171 Amarillo, TX

Amarillo, TX 79189 Permit No. 916

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Register by E-mail and pay your fee at the door and get the advance registration pricing! Your registration form will be waiting for you when you arrive Saturday.

E-Mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Registration

Name Address

City ____________ State ________ Zip ____ Phone _______________________

Registration fee is $20.00 in advance (by Oct 1st) or $25.00 after (and at the door)
Make Checks Payable to: The Amarillo Genealogical Society.
Mail to Amarillo Genealogical Society, PO Box 2171, Amarillo, TX 79189
You can go to http://www.amags.org for more information