Nearly 11000 fan discount on Casefile Clues-$11 for 52 issues

To celebrate getting really close to 11000 fans of Genealogy Tip of the Day on Facebook, we're offering a special on my genealogy newsletter, Casefile Clues.

Get 52 issue subscription to my Casefile Clues for only $11! Process your subscription securely here. Don't wait--it's been a while since we offered a subscription rate this low...around 20 cents an issue--Casefile Clues has no advertising either.

Want two free samples of Casefile Clues? You can download them via this link-only your email (name can be made up if you want) is needed for the free samples--no credit card or anything and no obligation.

Are They Around the Corner-Across the Alley or What?

Proximity doesn't prove anything other than proximity but nonetheless genealogists use residential clues intheir research. The 1900 city directory for Chicago indicates that Thomas Frame is living as a painter at 2543 117th Place in Chicago. It is important to look at city directories for others with the same last name at the same address. There is a Ralph Frame at the 2543 117th Place address. There is even an Edward listed as a printer living at 2543 118th Street.

Joseph Watson, his likely brother-in-law, is shown here living at 2539 117th Street.  

What next?

I need to convert these address to modern ones as there was a change in the numbering of Chicago addresses between the time of these directories and today.

I need to find these people in the 1900 census.

I can use the locations to potentially look for church records--assuming the family went to church.

I should search in directories before and after this one to locate additional references to the family and see when they appear/disappear, etc.

A more detailed discussion of these families will appear in an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues, but one location in a directory is a beginning--not an end.

A Lovely Sampler to Prove My Marriage

I have always thought this was one of the neatest items in an American Revolutionary War pension--it helps that John Demoss is a relative of mine. This John Demoss is not the John Demoss of Harford County, Maryland who was about the same age. They were cousins and the Harford County one is my actual ancestor.

This Demoss served from Virginia and this is part of the documentation supporting his marriage to Lucy Chapel that is contained in his pension file.

You can see the image here in context if you have a Fold3 subscription. These pensions are National Archives Publication Number M804. This is pension W. 9832 from the state of Virginia.

You can search for your own Revolutionary War era ancestor in the pension records at Fold3.
.

What's In A Federal Cash Land Sale File?

Ever wonder what's in a federal cash land sale file? We've discussed these records in several issues of Casefile Clues but people often do not understand what typically is contained in these files and whether it's worth it to obtain copies of these papers for their own ancestors from the National Archives. The Bureau of Land Management website has the patents online for free...the supporting documentation from the cash sale of land files are housed at the National Archives. The fundamental webinar discusses the files and when they could and be helpful--and when they might not. 

• Genealogy fundamental webinar on the cash sale paperwork files--$2.00--twenty minute presentation and two handouts. Add to cart here. Immediate download as a Windows media file.
• Using the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Website. This lecture discusses effective search techniques for the site, how to formulate your searches, how to trouble-shoot searches, a search template, and what records patents in the BLM site can lead to. You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the handout as as PDF for $8.50. 

Purchase both for $8.50 via this link.

How Off Can It Be?

I'm working again on Thomas Frame, English immigrant to Chicago, Illinois. I think I have his naturalization index card which indicates he was naturalized in 1873:

The card comes from
Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.;Soundex Index to Naturalization Petitions for the United States District and Circuit Courts, Northern District of Illinois and Immigration and Naturalization Service District 9, 1840-1950 (M1285); Microfilm Serial: M1285; Microfilm Roll: 59.

Of course, I need to view the actual record to confirm the name and date.

Thomas appears on Chicago Voter's Lists that are extant for the following years with entries as summarized below:

• 1888, Thomas Frame, 117th Street, native of England, naturalized "court of Cook County" in September of 1872.
• 1890, Thomas Frame, 117th Street, native of England, naturalized "court of Cook County" in September of 1872.
• 1890, Thomas Frame, 2539 117th Street, native of England, naturalized "court of Cook County" in 1872.

The "source information" at Ancestry.com for these records is not great, but it is:

Ancestry.com. Chicago Voter Registration, 1892 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.

Original data: Illinois State Archives microfilm (25 rolls).

The question is, do I have the same person?

How crucial is the difference in time? There is no other Thomas Frame in Chicago during this time period who was an English native. Was Thomas confusing a declaration date with his naturalization date?

I need to obtain the actual naturalization record and look at entries in city directories for the time period. There are no other Thomas Frames in the 1880 census besides this one. There's more work to be done, but it looks like I've got the right person--if additional details warrant we'll have a longer followup article in Casefile Clues.

Threats to the SSDI

There is a move afoot in Congress to restrict access to the SSDI. Genealogists know that banks and other agencies use the Master Death File in an attempt to prevent fraud. The availability of this information does not increase fraud. Crooks have other means to defraud based upon identities. The restriction of the SSDI is being done as a knee-jerk reaction.

A copy of H. R. 3475 is here.
Information on the 2 February 2012 hearing is here.  Societies and groups can file formal written responses here.

Let your representatives in Washington know that you do NOT support this bill. Remind them that:

• information on many deaths is easily available in newspapers and obituaries as well. 
• the ability to easily determine who is already dead makes it easier for agencies to COMBAT fraud
• this is a knee-jerk reaction

There is more information here as well http://www.fgs.org/rpac/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/talking-points-on-why-genealogists-need-social-security-death-index-final.pdf

To obtain your Congressional representatives addresses or find out whom your representative 

is go to: 

U.S. Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

U.S. Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Do Those Errors Help?

This is a final payment voucher card for the Revolutionary War pension file of Alam Blain who was living in Ohio at the time of his death. The last date of payment and date of death are also contained in his pension file so that's not new information. However, if the file was incomplete or if papers were difficult to read, this would have come in handy.

There is also a crossed out rendering of his first name as well on this card. That name, Adam, gave me a variant to think about that I had not thought to look for before. It is not a phonetic variation as much as a incorrect reading of the handwriting on some of the documents.

These cards are in a series titled Index to Selected Final Payment Vouchers, 1818-1864 and available digitally at Fold3.

The Index to Selected Final Payment Vouchers 1818-1864 is available on Fold3.

A Gill Is Not Always For a Fish

"1 Broken Mug one Gill Cup One bowl"

Some readers might wonder what type of cup a "gill cup" is. The gill is referring to the size of the cup, not some special design or anything else. A gill is a unit of measure equal to one half cup.

This image comes from Harford County, Maryland, Estate Inventories 1777-1804, page 270--the estate inventory of Ann Gibson. I'm working on typing the entire estate for an upcoming Casefile Clues issue. The inventory of Ann's chattel estate is interesting. Often googling items will help with interpretations.

Estate inventories are great fun.

Comment From Webinar Attendee

Received this nice comment from a webinar attendee:

Thank you for putting these informative webinars together.  I am learning new clues of how to do my research! 


I appreciate the feedback. Remember that if you attend a webinar and have "issues" hearing it when it runs live, just let me know and we'll send a download link. Suggestions for future webinars are always welcomed. Just email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.

1920 US Census Forms in Spanish

While working on a Casefile Clues article, I stumbled across this 1920 census form for part of Puerto Rico. I had never had cause to look at it before and was not aware that census forms for 1920 were in any language other than English. Guess you just never know.

New Webinar Recordings-Familysearch and Newspaper Research

We are proud to announce the release of the recorded version of my two latest webinars:

• Tips and Tricks for FamilySearch  -(NEW!)-This webinar discusses ins and outs of using the "new" family search, searching by family structure, global searches, interpreting searches and troubleshooting. Also discussed are strategies when approaching an unindexed set of images, a new type of record series, or incomplete records. Aimed at advanced beginners and intermediate level researchers. The digital version of the presentation and handout can be ordered for $8.50.
• Newspaper Research  -(NEW!)-Aimed at advanced beginners and intermediate level researchers, this webinar discusses research techniques for searching newspapers in digital, microfilm, and original formats. Pitfalls of using digital newspapers are discussed, along with manual search techniques and what types of materials to look for besides obituaries and death notices.  This presentation is not merely a list of online sites or an attempt to get subscribers to any specific database. The digital version of the presentation and handout can be ordered for $8.50. 

If you were originally signed up for these and missed them, you should have received a complimentary download. Please let me know if you need the download.

Is it Thomas Frame or Frame Thomas?

Another search at Ancestry.com has me confused. I'm hoping that I have just misinterpreted something.

I am searching for Thomas Frame in US passenger lists using a wildcard search tho* fra* to catch as many references as possible. The problem is that the results page is giving me Francis Thompson. It has switched the first and last name parameters even though I asked for "exact search."

I've included my search screen and my results page. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong, or am I just confused?

The Location of the Frames in Pennsylvania Probably Answered in Chicago

I'm wrapping up an issue of Casefile Clues and for the first time I found something I myself can use in the Chicago, Illinois, Catholic records on FamilySearch.

This is the marriage entry from St. Anthony of Padua's Church in Chicago for Margaret Frame and Nicholas Simon who were married there on 8 October 1885. I've included an image of just their marriage and of the whole page.

What I'm particularly interested in is the information on Margaret. This is the first record I have found that provides her place of birth in Pennsylvania. We'll discuss its likely accuracy in a future issue of Casefile Clues. 

What I am trying to do now is translate/transcribe the thing. I'm not super interested in Nicholas as the Frame family is my focus at this point. We'll discuss how the image was found later in Casefile Clues. 


Stay Tuned!

No Blackouts Here--But Wait...

None of my sites are going black tomorrow. I don't post anyone else's content on any of my blogs--all thoughts, comments, rantings, etc. are mine. Newsletter content is all mine as well.

I don't know where I stand on this bill being proposed, but I don't want people taking my material and re-posting it elsewhere. While I believe in free speech, I do believe that people have a right to protect material that they have created and worked hard to prepare. I don't think that being unable to "share" what someone else has written is anti-free speech. Write your own crap and say all you want but don't take my crap and say it is yours. Don't copy and paste what someone else has written as if you did it. Don't forward emails you didn't write (there are a MILLION reasons for that). Don't post crap to blogs that you copied and pasted from elsewhere. Create your own crap.

I want to have credit for my own stuff. That's not anti-free speech. Don't tell me that we all should be able to share whatever we want however we want. I don't buy it and I don't "share it" either.

And if I drag my a$$ to a rural cemetery and take a picture of a tombstone and post it on my website, you shouldn't just post it to Findagrave as if you did it yourself or act like it was "okay" because you were "sharing." Please. If you are smart enough to download the image and upload it somewhere else, you are smart enough to EMAIL me and ask permission. Didn't your mother teach you anything?

If' I've got a shopping cart in the parking lot with groceries in it, should you take something out of the cart under the guise of "sharing?" I think not--it's called stealing. If I tell you to take something that's one thing. If I buy something and drop it off at the food pantry (let's call that putting it in the "public domain,") that's ok.  If it's not ok to lift stuff out of my shopping cart in the Wal-Mart parking lot, why should it be okay to lift something from my website and use it as your own?

Off rant.


-----------------------------------------------
Update: the failure to allow for due process DOES CONCERN me and I don't care what any old retired senators say.  Start learning more here https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

February 2012 Genealogy Webinar Schedule

We are excited about our webinar offerings for February of 2012.


Our topics are:

• Creating Your Own Genealogy Blog
• Yet More Brick Walls from A to Z
• Writing and Making Your Case
• The Genealogical Proof Standard "for the rest of us"

Registration is $5 per session until 20 January 2012--$8 after that. Those who cannot attend will be able to download the webinar at no additional charge. To view system requirements and offering dates and times, visit http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm

Early Registration Deadline for Family History Library Trip in May 2012

Our "early" registration for the Family History Library Trip ends tomorrow. For those who have had questions, this post includes part of an email I wrote in response to a trip question, along with the original announcement. We'd love to have you join us--email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com with additional questions.

Here is part of a letter I sent to a recent person who asked for a few more trip details:
-----------------------------------------------

Thanks for your note. 

Trip registrants make their own airfare arrangements. The hotel has a complimentary shuttle from the airport as long as you arrive between 6 AM and 11 PM. Registrants also make their own reservations with the hotel, but we have arranged a group rate of $82 a night. The Plaza is next to the library and it is extremely convenient to get back and forth. 

The hotel's website is:

http://www.plaza-hotel.com/ 

Participants arrive Wednesday, check in and we have a short group meeting in the hotel at 6:30 PM, a tour/overview of the library at 7 PM and time to research ask questions after that. Every morning (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday) we have morning presentations in the library at 8AM and then adjourn to the library when it opens at 9. I am in the library when it is open for drop in questions or longer consultations as needed. 

Registrants are also encouraged to send me problems well before the trip so that I can make suggestions, get clarifications, etc. before we ever get to Salt Lake. We want people to be as prepared as they can before we ever get to Utah.

I actually arrive very late Tuesday night and those who arrive early in the day on Wednesday are welcome to start research--we've even scheduled consultations before the trip actually starts. The assistance, lectures, etc. are all a part of the trip fee.

If there are any other questions, please let me know.

---------------------------------------------------

Original post:

We've made arrangements for our May 2012 Family History Library Trip. We're excited about our fifth annual trip to the Family History Library.

Trip members will arrive on Wednesday 23 May 2012 (meet at 6:30 PM) and depart for home on 30 May 2012. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, we have morning sessions at 8:00 AM in the hotel. I consult with participants during the times the Family History Library is open. It is open on Memorial Day its normal Monday hours. Trip participants are encouraged to send me problems for pre-trip consultations as early as possible. We'll have additional details, but that's the gist of it. We keep our trip number at no more than twenty--you are not joining a herd of cattle on this trip--and our price is low!

We stay at the Salt Lake Plaza at a special group rate of $82 a night (plus tax). Join us!


To pay your complete registration click here for secure credit card registration ($175) payment. Email me if you need other payment options. 

Is It Always Possible to Find that Reason?

One clue to learning more about your ancestor is determining why he moved from one point to another. Sometimes the reasons are clear after a little study of local history if the reason he moved was because of the destination--called the pull factor. If you don't know where the ancestor was from, it may be more difficult to determine the reason why he left--called the push factor. It is difficult to read relevant local histories when you are unaware of where the ancestor was from.

Reasons might not always be stated in local histories. Your ancestor might have migrated because of family connections, the fact that a former neighbor had settled in the area, or that there was some type of employment that he could easily obtain. Sometimes the "connection" will be impossible to find. Generally genealogists are advised to research associates of the ancestor in his earlier days of residence in an area to get an idea of individuals he might have known "back home." Sometimes that is easier said than done.

And if you ancestor didn't move---there's a reason for that as well.

If you speculate on why an ancestor moved (or didn't) clearly indicate that your speculation is speculation. And remember, that many of our conclusions are speculation. Very few of our ancestors left behind detailed records explaining why they did what they did.

Often, we look at the records they left behind, use generalities gleaned from history, economics, and known social behavior, and weave a story. Sometimes that story is correct, but sometimes it is not. After all, ancestors leave behind pieces of themselves and when we use those records to tell their story, we often weave some of ourselves into the tapestry we create.

Who Married Your Ancestor's Siblings?

A "quick" post on the Facebook wall for Genealogy Tip of the Day was too short and perhaps a little confusing, so I decided to make a longer post here. 

Sometimes we are fortunate that a minister married our ancestors and from that name a denomination can be determined, or at least guessed at--depending upon whether or not we can find out the affiliation of the minister. 

Don't forget that the marriages of your ancestor's siblings should also indicate who officiated at their marriages and if the religious affiliation of those individuals can be determined it may be that your ancestor was affiliated with the same church.

A little bit of a long shot, but a slightly different spin on the "researching the siblings can help." Sometimes that help is not direct. 

Can the Minister Help With Two Places at Once?

I think that Matilda (Jones) Rhodus is enumerated twice in the 1860 census. Once is with her father in Macon County, Missouri, and once is with her husband's family in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. The dates of the enumerations are far enough apart that it is possible (a brief discussion is here). 

A bigger "problem" is determining what brought William Rhodus to Macon County, Missouri, where he married Matilda Jones in 1860. Apparently he did not have family in the Macon County area and (if the family in Breckenridge County, Kentucky, is his) the family from which he came stayed in Kentucky. People moved, yes. But to move where there are no relatives begs the question of why.

There is a possible answer. William Rhodus and Matilda Jones were married by O. R. Bouton. This is the O. R. Bouton apparently affiliated with the "Macon College" that was in Macon County for a short time. Bouton was affiliated with the Methodist church and his obituary is included as an image here (along with the the title page of the publication from which it was taken). 

Bouton's biography indicates that before he was in Missouri, he was in Kentucky. At this point I have been unable to determine where in Kentucky Bouton preached. Census records on John Rhodus (the apparent father of the William Rhodus from Breckinridge County, Kentucky) indicate that John was affiliated with the Methodist church as a preacher. It is known that the family of Matilda Jones was heavily involved in the Methodist church. 

The question is: "Did Bouton know John Rhodus in Kentucky and is he somehow connected with William Rhodus' migration to Missouri?"

There are some assumptions and items to keep in mind:

• The William Rhodus of the Macon County, Missouri, area has to be the same one as the one in Breckenridge County, Kentucky--we made the case for this in an issue of Casefile Clues.
• We need to know where where in Kentucky Bouton was assigned or preached. If it was near Breckinridge County, the connect is more solid--if not that's another story.

Key reminder: religion and ministers may have played a role in your ancestor's migration. 

We'll have updates as time allows and as information is located. 

January Genealogy Webinars

January Genealogy Webinars

This is the finalized list of January webinars. Fundamental webinars are shorter (20 minutes). Other webinars run an hour in length.Visit the specific pages for details and registration information.

Fundamental Webinars (link here):

• 1850 Census-13 January -$1.99
• 1880 Census -13 January -$1.99
• 1930 Census -13 January -$1.99
• Early 20th Century Death Certificate -13 January -$1.99
• Highlights of Union Civil War Pension -20 January-$1.99
• What's in a Federal Land Cash Sale File - 20 January-$1.99

Regular Webinars (link here):

• Newspaper Research-20 January-$8.00
• Tips and Tricks for FamilySearch-20 January-$8.00

DeedMapper Webinar using Virginia Land Patents on 28 January-$8.00

Making Inferences and Consistency

Just a few thoughts on inferences, consistency....not an official "edict," but an outloud commentary more to keep me thinking than anything else. No sources are cited in this post, but that's really not the point in this case.

The latest issue of Casefile Clues just went out and one of the items discussed in it was the approximate date of birth for Sarah/Sally Tinsley, probably a native of Amherst County, Virginia. Births during this time period are often approximate ones as few Virginians left birth records in the late 18th century.

I used several items to approximate the time when Sarah was born:

• 1800 census age range
• 1810 census age range
• 1820 census age range
• 1830 census age range
• 1840 census age range
• 1850 census age
• the letter of consent in her 1798 marriage which implied that she was under the age of 21.

Personally, I think that any census age is secondary information when provided by the person themselves. Sarah's knowledge of her age was based upon what someone told her. I'm not entirely certain how accurate those ages are, but the information she provided is direct evidence for her age (year of birth) as it specifically states that information.

The letter of consent signed by her father in 1798 is slightly different. It provides indirect information on Sarah's age as the letter does not specifically state her age--rather the existence of the letter at that point in time likely stems from the fact that Sarah was under the age of 21. Sarah's father, John Tinsley, would have had first hand knowledge of her age so in that sense his knowledge of the information regarding her age is primary.

The census records and the 1798 marriage consent letter all allow for the approximation of a range of Sarah's year of birth within a two to three year time frame. Of course the analysis hinges upon the fact that census records are reliable. However it must be noted that Sarah's ages in all census enumerations are consistent with each other and with her 1798 letter.

Consistency of the census records proves nothing other than consistency. That is, Sarah believed she was born in a certain year and always answered enumerator's questions from that same perspective.

The fact that the ages she gave in the census is consistent with the age implied by the consent letter is a different sort of consistency. In this case, the age implied by her father in 1798 is consistent with the age Sarah provide in the 1800-1850 census records.

Which simply means that John Tinsley told his daughter she was a certain age and she believed him.

Does this mean the age range for Sarah is wrong? Of course not.

But thinking of how things could be consistent and still be wrong is always a good thought exercise

Unless records on your family are entirely consistent.

Yesterday's Archive.org Webinar

Yesterday I had my first webinar on Using Archive.org. We talked about the basics of file types and formats, but I'm not the sort of presenter who goes on and on about that sort of thing. We looked at ways to search for what is on Archive.org--both digital books and digital images of microfilm. The cataloging on Archive.org is not all that easy to use and various ways to find things were discussed.

The Allen County Public Library has allowed many of their out of copyright books to be digitized as well as their NARA microfilm. There is a wealth of material on Archive.org--all free. Digital images of books can be downloaded as PDF, text, EPUB, and a variety of other formats or readable online. Digital copies of microfilm can be downloaded as a PDF file or viewed online as a "book." The names on the microfilm are not indexed, but if you "know" where the person should be or already have that location, searching is not difficult. It is also nice to be able to download a whole roll of microfilm to your computer as well.

We've had good feedback about the webinar on Archive.org and I learned a few things myself while putting it together.

You can order the Archive.org webinar and handout here--for $8.50.

Illinois Research Webinar for Sale

We've just released the recorded version of my Illinois Research webinar which discusses research in local records in the state of Illinois. Geared towards advanced beginners and intermediate researchers, it focuses on local records, what makes Illinois different, and larger statewide facilities. The media file and handout can be ordered for $8.50 here.

DeedMapper Webinar on Using Virginia Land Patents

Our last new January webinar will be on January 28th at 11: 00 am Central time (noon Eastern and 9 Pacific).

It will be a demonstration on how I searched for Virginia Land Patents (on the Library of Virginia website) on a specific ancestor and then how those patent were platted in Deedmapper and fit together to establish a partial neighborhood for this ancestor. The property involved is in what is now Orange County, Virginia.

The webinar will discuss (through live demonstration) how the site searches were conducted for the specific ancestor and his neighbor, the downloading of the images, the transcription of the patents, the entry of the information into DeedMapper and the manipulation of the plats in order to determine their approximate relative locations.

This webinar is for those with some experience in online searches and land records. DeedMapper experience is not necessary, but this webinar is intended to provide assistance for those who use DeedMapper.

Early registration  ($8) is suggested to help us gauge interest. Those who cannot attend the presentation live will be given an complimentary link to download the recording and handout once the recording has been processed.

The session will last about an hour with time afterwards for questions and discussion. Please view requirements below if you have not participated in a webinar before.
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Questions? Email Michael at mjnrootdig@gmail.com

You need to make certain you have the system requirements to view and participate in the webinars for which you are registered. Having adequate equipment is your responsibility.

Requirements to view/participate:

On a PC

·         Internet Explorer^® 7.0 or newer, Mozilla^® Firefox^® 3.0 or newer or Google^™ Chrome^™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript^™ and Java^™ enabled)

·         Windows^® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

·         Cable modem, DSL or better Internet connection

·         Minimum of Pentium^® class 1GHz CPU with 512 MB of RAM (recommended) (2 GB of RAM for Windows^® Vista)

Participants wishing to connect to audio using VoIP will need a fast Internet connection, a microphone and speakers. (A USB headset is recommended.)

On a Mac^®

·         Safari^™ 3.0 or newer, Firefox^® 3.0 or newer or Google^™ Chrome^™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript^™ and Java^™ enabled)

·         Mac OS^® X 10.5 – Leopard^® or newer

·         Intel processor (512 MB of RAM or better recommended)

·         Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection

Participants wishing to connect to audio using VoIP will need a fast Internet connection, a microphone and speakers (A USB headset is recommended).

My Group Trip to Salt Lake-Cheaper Than I Thought

I've been reviewing a variety of materials over the holidays in an attempt to get back on track as 2012 begins. Our trip is at the end of May and is significantly less expensive than others. The dates are 23 May through 30 May 2012.

• $175 allows you to be a participant in our trip--all the morning presentations, pre-trip help (as much as you want), onsite consultations and on-the-fly help at the library.
• We have negotiated a group rate with the Plaza Hotel in Salt Lake of $82 a night. At 7 nights, including tax this comes to $671. We'll give you specific registration information when you register. 
• This makes our total registration and hotel cost $846. 

Other trips easily charge $1000 for registration and hotel. Our trip costs are reasonable--we do not include any  meals in our rate, but I still feel that our prices are very modest. I don't have an advertising budget to cover or any other expenses to pay besides my own. 

Consider joining us this year for a fun time, where we research and we learn. Some of are taking Amtrak to Salt Lake City--riding on the California Zephyr. It leaves from Chicago and heads west through Salt Lake, making stops in Omaha, Denver, and other locations on the way. I'll be riding the train on the way out and on the way home and already have one tripper who is doing the same. We'd love to have additional participants join us on this part of the trip. The scenery is wonderful and there is no driving. I join the train in Galesburg, Illinois. 

If you have questions about the trip, please email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. 

Genealogy Freebies

Here is a summary of freebies we have:

• 2 free copies of Casefile Clues--simply enter in your email address and "submit" order. There is no credit card or other personal information required.
• My Brick Walls Webinar (and handout)--click here to process order. Coupon code is "brickwall" no credit card or personal information except email address is required. 
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Tip of the Day (free) by entering in your email address in the box on the right hand side of the blog page at  http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com/
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Transcriber (free) and play along with others reading the handwriting at  http://genealogytranscriber.blogspot.com/. There is a subscription box on the right hand side of the page.
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Search Tip (free) by entering in your email address in the box on the right hand side of the blog page at  http://genealogysearchtip.blogspot.com/. 

Feel free to share with your friends, blog readers, etc. etc. 

Thanks!