The New Film/Fiche Scanner is Here and Ready to Use at Mt. Clemens Public Library's Genealogy & Local History Room

Mt. Clemens Public Library's
New Digital Film/Fiche Scanner

The digital film/fiche scanner was installed yesterday, the library staff and genealogy volunteers received some training and guidance on using the new equipment, and after a few more tweaks today, the new digital film/fiche scanner is ready for public use in the Genealogy and Local History Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library.

Patrons can print or scan to digital file using this scanner.  To save to a digital file, bring in your USB Flash Drive. If you forget yours, you can buy a 4 GB drive from the information desk for $5.25.
If you are not sure how to use the new equipment, PLEASE ASK a staff member or volunteer to show you. There is also a help video and PDF guide on scanner's computer.

Thank you to all that donated and made it possible to purchase this wonderful piece of technology. We are still looking to purchase one more and continue to request donations. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, you can send your donation (checks made payable to the library) to the Mount Clemens Public Library, 150 Cass Avenue, Mount Clemens, MI 48043.

Remember, the one remaining traditional film/fiche printer has been fixed using the parts of the older machine and is still available for use.

See you soon at the Mt Clemens Public Library!
LE

Update on HeritageQuest Revolutionary Pension/Bounty-Land Collection Update

We thought we had heard that the US Revolutionary Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files were changing from the digitized images of the selected microfilming of the files to the complete microfilming of the files but it did not seem to be the case when we looked at the collection during our March Let's Talk...Genealogy meeting. That darn header card "Selected" was still there directly after each file's summary cover which resembles an index card.

Looks can be deceiving ... it is true this collection is now the complete pension/bounty-land file.

Taking a closer look at the images that make up a "file" and reading the descriptive pamphlet to the microfilm series reminded us how the images actually appear on the actual microfilms. (It's been a long time since we looked at one of these files on the actual microfilm.) 

When the actual pension/bounty-land files were microfilmed long ago, they were imaged in a certain way. First the file cover which resembles an index card was filmed; then a header card with "Selected" was filmed followed by certain pages chosen from that file; then a header card with "Nonselected" was filmed followed by the remaining pages in that file. Files with lesser amount of pages were not treated in this manner.  So when HeritageQuest first digitized the microfilm it decided to just do this first part of each file, the selected pages. Now with the update the second part of the file, the nonselected pages, has been added making the files complete.

These are the same pages in the Revolutionary Pension/Bounty-Land collection over at Fold3, but they were digitized differently. Fold3 decided to scan the pages as grayscale images while HeritageQuest did black and white images of the microfilm. The collection at Fold3 does not have digital images of the Selected/Nonselected header cards that appear on the film. (We think this is because those header cards are not in the actual files at the archives.) 

So if you can't read something on a page in one collection, look at it in the collection of the other site. One helpful thing Fold3 does, that HeritageQuest does not do, is provide a total count of pages in each pension/bounty-land file. Just remember the total page count of each file at HeritageQuest is two more than the total page count at Fold3 because of those two header cards.

What we said about the search index for the HeritageQuest collection is true. It is still just an index of the soldiers/pensioners (widows too if they got one) who have a file. In contrast, the index at Fold3 is an every name index which allows you to find people mentioned in the files of others. 

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Crabtree Presents Gift to MCGG for Mount Clemens Public Library's Genealogy Equipment Fund

Marietta Crabtree presents gift check to Robert McGarry.

Recently, Marietta Crabtree presented the Macomb County Genealogy Group with a check for the Mount Clemens Public Library genealogy equipment fund in gratitude of the help she received giving her husband one last Christmas gift.

Mrs. Crabtree decided to give her dying husband a printed book of his genealogy work. But she ran into a problem trying to print the file. So Mrs. Crabtree contacted a few organizations independently (the Michigan Genealogical Council, the Mt. Clemens Public Library and the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research.) All paths led to our chairperson Ann Faulkner and the Macomb County Genealogy Group (MCGG) which eventually led to Robert (Bob) McGarry, one of our members with some techie skills.

The effort involved a bit more than originally thought due to older genealogy software and newer operating systems but eventually McGarry found a way. It was discovered that the estimated few hundred pages was more like 7,160 pages.

Mrs. Crabtree was able to present her husband with a printed book of some of his work and the knowledge that the rest would also be printed.

MCGG extends our condolences to Mrs. Crabtree and her family; thanks her for her donation; and thanks Bob McGarry for his effort and work making this happen.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

HeritageQuest Received Redesign and New Features Earlier this Month

HeritageQuest Website

HeritageQuest, the subscription website available to patrons while in Michigan libraries and at home through the Michigan Electronic Library, received a redesign and some new features earlier this month.

Just in case you do not recall, Michigan residents can access HeritageQuest from home through the Michigan Electronic Library [ mel.org ] website. The service is free for Michigan residents. Access to the site uses your Michigan Driver License/State Identification Card or participating Michigan Library Card. If you live in another state, check to see if your state has a similar arrangement.  

"The enhancements are a result of the expanded partnership and distribution agreement between ProQuest [the provider of HeritageQuest] and Ancestry announced last June [2014.]," according to a press release earlier this month.

Here is a overview of the changes and additions to the website.

HeritageQuest Website

Before HeritageQuest had limited search capabilities and its own version of the census page images. Now HeritageQuest is utilizing Ancestry's census images and search engine -- that means an every name index with the power of Exact, Soundex, Phonetic and Wildcard search capabilities. The site is also using the images scanned by Ancestry.com now.

This is wonderful news for anyone who is a resident of Michigan (or another state with a similar agreement) and does not have a personal subscription to Ancestry.com.

The Family and Local History Publications collection has been added to and now includes city directories. The search engine for this collection has also been redesigned. The three categories, People, Publications and Directories, each present the user with different search parameters. In addition, users now receive a thumbnail image of the hit and hit terms are highlighted.

We thought we had heard that the US Revolutionary Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files were changing from the digitized images of the selected microfilming of the files to the complete microfilming of the files but this does not seem to be the case after further investigation. Evidence shows that this collection is still the selected files even though the collection description no longer indicates this. Also, the search index is still just an index of soldiers/pensioners with files and not an every name index.

There seems to be more search parameters to utilize for the Freedman's Bank collection on the updated website. The collection description does not clearly state if all surviving records have been added to this collection or if more are to come in the future.

The search engine to the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) collection has not been updated because this is now an archived collection. The information in this collection covers articles from the years 1800 to 2009. Categories to search under remain: People, Places, How To's and Periodicals.

To access PERSI covering the years after 2009 (or the complete PERSI from 1800 to present) you will need to see the subscription website FindMyPast which has the current agreement to host the online version of PERSI. If you don't have a FindMyPast subscription, you can use the portal services to access it (and other premium websites) while visiting a local Family History Center (FamilySearch Center) at a nearby LDS Church. The only cost would be for printouts or bring a USB drive with you to download any finds.

Also unchanged is the U.S. Serial Set which is used to find memorials, petitions and private relief actions of the U.S. Congress. It still uses the old HeritageQuest search engine.

HeritageQuest Website

A Research Aids collection and a Maps collection are the new features on HeritageQuest.

There are a variety of tips and guides in the Research Aids collection covering six major research areas: Getting Started, Census, Beyond the Basics, Immigration, Military and Ethnic. Expand your genealogy researching knowledge by learning something new.

HeritageQuest Website

The complete title of to the Maps collection is actually Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920. These maps allow you to see boundary changes for individual states or the entire United States through the decades from 1790 to 1920.

We hope you find some time to investigate this website and make some finds for your research.

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Michigan Death Certificates 1921 to 1939 are NOW ONLINE at SeekingMichigan.org

Did you hear the news?

The Archives of Michigan released the long awaited next installment of digitized Michigan Death Certificates at its website, SeekingMichigan.org earlier today. These certificates cover the years 1921 to 1939. With each passing year, another year of certificates will be released for viewing.

So if the internet is a little slow today maybe its all of us researchers trying to find that next new find.

Have fun searching!

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

There are Still Workshop Spaces Open for Beginning Genealogy: It Starts with You

Flyer in PDF format

On Saturday, March 28, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Macomb County Genealogy Group is holding a workshop, Beginning Genealogy: It Starts with You, in the auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library.

This workshop for beginners will teach the basics for a sound foundation to start your genealogy.

So if you know anyone who has expressed an interest in starting his/her genealogy tell them about this workshop. We'll teach them how to start. There is no cost to attend.

If you have been doing your genealogy for a while, this workshop more than likely will be too basic for you. Instead see one of our volunteers in the genealogy/local history room for some help or guidance.

Interested beginners can register for the workshop through the Mt. Clemens Public Library's Events Calendar. Just find the month and day (March 28) and fill out the registration information. Be sure to provide your email address so you can receive the handouts which will be sent in PDF format for you to print out at home to bring with you. 

See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!

LE

Extra, Extra, Read All About It --- The Detroit News SUBJECT Index Cards are Now Online at SeekingMichigan.org

This post was originally made at 5:16 p.m. March 14, 2015. It was updated to add a link to the page on Seeking Michigan.
 
In case you had not heard, the Archives of Michigan received a lot of materials from The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press late last year.

Today, the Archives of Michigan added The Detroit News Subject Index Cards to the SeekingMichigan.org website.  The digitized index cards can be found here at SeekingMichigan under the tab Seek and then Indexes.

This particular collection consists of well over 1 million index cards from The Detroit News. The cards were scanned in batches of 500 to 1000 cards per PDF file. Online the files, presented in a table format, are organized alphabetically by starting and ending subject. The index cards appear to cover from the beginning of The Detroit News into the late 1990s. Because these are by subject, you may need to search for different but related subjects in order to do a through search.

These cards index the Detroit News Clipping Subject Files -- they are not an every name index to the newspaper. The Detroit News Subject Files are store off-site and have to be requested two to three days before a visit to the archives.

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Things are Happening at Mt Clemens Public Library's Genealogy Room

Getting ready for the new microfilm scanner.

There is more room and more light in the Macomb section of the Mount Clemens Public Library these days. Gone are the shelves of newspapers behind the Macomb County books. What gives you ask?

Coming to the genealogy collection soon is a new microfilm/fiche digital scanner. Yes, the library is going digital. The time was right to buy one new machine.

As many of you know the microfilm printers in the collection are aging and a bit temperamental. Replacement parts are getting hard to find too because the newer machines are digital-based and use different parts. So to get by, the library is using the parts from the oldest printer to fix the not as old printer that way one of the traditional microfilm/fiche printers will be useable for some time to come, hopefully.

Our genealogy group raised a bit of money with the paperback book sale last month and we hope to raise more with the larger Fall book sale. All proceeds will support paying for this scanner and any other equipment for the genealogy collection at the library. If you would like to donate to the cause, you can send your donation (checks made payable to the library) to the Mount Clemens Public Library, 150 Cass Avenue, Mount Clemens, MI 48043. If you have already made a donation, thank you.

Our genealogy room volunteers will be trained when the new scanner is installed, then we'll be able to help and train anyone who wishes to use it.

See you soon at the Mt Clemens Public Library!
LE

Mt Clemens Public Library Receives Old Tax Roll Books for Macomb County

Just a few of the pallets

Last week, Mount Clemens Public Library received a donation of records from Macomb County. Pallets and pallets of old tax roll books going back to 1932 were delivered to their new home in the library's book storage.

Though some books have found a place on the shelves, more are waiting for their turn to be shelved.

Some of the books shelved

Guess what may be a future agenda item for the MCGG indexing project? If you want to learn about our group's indexing efforts, come to our next Resource Development Session at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 20. Indexing is a great way to give back to the genealogical community.


See you soon at Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

This Wednesday's Let's Talk...Genelaogy Topic is: Researching for Free ... Or as Close to Free as Possible

This Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the Genealogy/Local History Room of the Mount Clemens Public Library is MCGG's Let's Talk...Genealogy meeting. The discussion topic of the night is Researching for Free ... Or as Close to Free as Possible.

We'll share our favorite free (or nearly free) websites and resources.

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
  LE

Don't Forget the Free Access Weekend at Find My Past -- It Starts Now!

Logo copyright of FindMyPast

Here are some more details on the free weekend at Find My Past.

Both Find My Past.co.uk and FindMyPast.com are offering the free weekend of research. The time frame for both start at 7 a.m. EST Friday, March 6, and end at 7 a.m. EDT Monday, March 9.

It has been pointed out that there is a limit of 1,000 views each day. Even with that limitation most people should get a lot of research done. If you need some pointers on using the FindMyPast search pages, check out their blog article and a starter guide that they put together after they revised their search experience last year.

For other details, see our earlier post. And don't forget your "UK" snacks to get you through the weekend. 

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Join Us for Friday's Meeting: Accessing Irish Records from North America

On Friday, March 6, 2015, at 1:00 pm in the auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library, Dick Doherty will present Accessing Irish Records from North America. 

If you are in the Mt. Clemens area, PLEASE JOIN US.

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!

LE

Who Do You Think You Are? TV Show Returns to TLC this Sunday, March 8

It has been a couple weeks without any new genealogy shows on TV but the wait is almost over.

The next season of Who Do You Think You Are? begins this Sunday, March 8 at 10 p.m. EDT, on The Learning Channel (TLC.)

This season's celebrity guests include: Julie Chen, Josh Groban, Angie Harmon, Sean Hayes, Tony Goldwyn, America Ferrera, Bill Paxton, and Melissa Etheridge.

Everyone has different television delivery/provider systems. Use your television provider's schedule system to find the TLC channel number on your provider system and to learn when the show will be re-aired again.

Also, the episodes are usually available on the TLC website page sometime after they have aired. So if you don't have TLC you should be able to watch the show on your computer over the internet.

There is also a "Be a Who Do You Think You Are Star" sweepstakes with a variety of prizes. There eight entry periods and a limit one (1) entry per person per email address per day (Limit 55 total entries per person). Here is a link to the sweepstakes rules. 

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

FindMyPast.co.uk Offers a Free Weekend of Research This Weekend, Mar. 6-9, 2015

Got UK research? Then get ready for a weekend of research.

Find My Past.co.uk is offering a free weekend of research starting midday (GMT) Friday, March 6 and ending midday Monday, March 9. For those of us in the Eastern time zone, that translates to: starting at 7 a.m. EDT Friday, March 6, and ending at 7 a.m. EDT Monday, March 9.

What's included? Over 2 billion records from around the world and 10 million British newspaper pages -- all for free. That's UK census, travel and migration records, crime and punishment records, military records, and UK's largest collection of online parish records. You can also build a family tree.

So start making your UK research plans for who and what to seek now to maximize your time this weekend. And maybe pick up a "UK" snack or two to get you through the weekend.

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!
LE

Join Us for Friday's Meeting: Accessing Irish Records from North America

On Friday, March 6, 2015, at 1:00 pm in the auditorium of the Mount Clemens Public Library, Dick Doherty will present Accessing Irish Records from North America.

If you are in the Mount Clemens area, PLEASE JOIN US.

See you soon at the Mt. Clemens Public Library!  LE