How To

Learning about German Genealogical Research

While attending the Monday (7 Aug 2017) evening meeting of the East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society,  I announced that the Cuyahoga Valley Genealogical Society would be holding a FREE seminar on German genealogical research on Saturday, 9 Sep 2017, at the Independence (Ohio) Civic Center. I mentioned that the presenter was a representative the Palatines to

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Two Date Calculators Useful for Genealogy

Today I noticed a small water leak coming from the furnace in our basement. We had the furnace humidifier serviced in January. There was a 90-day guarantee for replacement of a water pad in the humidifier. I wanted to calculate exactly how long it was since the service was done. I searched on Google for

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The Question of Writing Dates

In an online article “Data Entry Standards for Genealogists & Research,” there is a section on Dates. Here is what this guide says about entering dates: The most readable and reliable format for presenting dates is day, month, year; this style is least likely to create confusion when entering, matching, or merging data. Abbreviate months

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Grandpa Huskonen Becomes a U.S. Citizen

My paternal grandfather, Evert Huuskonen, immigrated to America in 1902. He arrived in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, on the SS Tunisian, and entered the U.S. at Buffalo, New York on 29 Oct 1902. He left behind in Finland his wife, Ida Maria, and four children: Edith, Emil, Wilma, and Mary. They would join him the

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More on Grandma Huskonen’s Alien Registration

As I posted yesterday, my grandmother, Ida Maria Huskonen, was required to register as an alien during WWII. As it turned out, she was one of more than 4.7 million people living in America who registered as aliens. In my grandmother’s case, I’m sure that my father, Walfrid, took Grandma to Jefferson, the Ashtabula County

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Grandma Was An Alien!

The Alien Registration Act of 1940 (aka the Smith Act) was enacted by the 76th U. S. Congress on 29 Jun 1940. It required all non-citizen adult residents to register with the government (It also set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government). Registrations began on 27 Aug 1940, and the newly

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Ready, Set, Go: Researching Nordic Roots

I am finishing up my PowerPoint presentation on “Our Nordic Families: How to Research Your Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, and Finnish Families.” I will be presenting it at the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland on Saturday, November 1, starting at noon. To register, go here: http://www.wrhs.org/upcoming-event/our-nordic-families/, If you have questions, feel free to contact me by

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For Genealogy Presentations, Turn on Closed Captioning for YouTube Videos

Last evening, I presented a talk, “Digging for Data on Your WWI and WWII Ancestors,” at the October meeting of the Cuyahoga West Chapter, Ohio Genealogical Society, at the Westlake Porter Library. As part of my presentation, I decided to present a YouTube video on “Veterans Personnel Records at the National Archives, St. Louis.” When

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