Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

NEW CENSUS INNOVATIONS HELP RESEARCHERS

 These are exciting times for genealogists and historians who rely on evidence obtained from the United States censuses to solve genealogical and historical mysteries. Several new developments in the way people locate census data have made their way into the public arena over the past year. Census data is fast becoming accessible online and new indexes have been created allowing heretofore hidden ancestors to be found.

 Ancestry.Com at http://www.ancestry.com is the premiere commercial website for online census data. While not yet complete Ancestry.Com's goal is to digitize and have the complete 1790-1920 censuses, including all available indexes, online as quickly as possible.

 Another commercial company, Genealogy.Com at http://www.Genealogy.Com has over half of the 1900 census online. Like Ancestry.Com access to census data is limited to subscribers who pay a membership fee.

 Heritage Quest at http://www.heritagequest.com has digitized all surviving census records from 1790 through 1920 and has made them available for purchase on CD-Rom. Datawise, a single CD-Rom is equivalent to a single roll of microfilm and sells for $19.95 per CD-Rom. Additionally,  HQ has indexed the 1870 census which is available for purchase on a state by state basis.

 Heritage Quest recently began advertising a unique census CD-Rom. For $19.95 they will create a customized nationwide listing of every head of family on the 1870 census bearing the surname of your choice. Their 1870 indexes are fully searchable in all data fields which include the name, age, sex, race, birthplace, locality and county for every head of household, persons living in a household of another surname and all persons over a stipulated age. They also sell individual CD-Roms with all 1870 census indexed heads of family born in Ireland, in Germany, in Africa or other localities.

 If all the above was not enough, the Church of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, at the recent National Genealogical Society Conference in May in Portland, Oregon unveiled a new completely transcribed searchable 1880 census. This huge database took thousands of volunteers over fifteen years to compile. It includes fifty-six CD-Roms with information on over fifty million individuals who were enumerated on the 1880 census. The whole set of CD-Roms is available for purchase on the Mormon website at http://www.familysearch.org for $49.00, postpaid.

 This 1880 census set is totally unprecedented. It contains a nationwide index that can be searched in any field or combination of fields including first name, surname, age, sex, race, birthplace, birthplace of  parents, occupation, marital status and relationship to head of household. Wildcard and Boolean searches are acceptable. If a person was enumerated on the 1880 census, it will be difficult for them to hide from the inquisitive researcher.

CITY DIRECTORIES TOPIC AT CLF MEETING

 The Clayton Library Friends will meet at 10 AM. Saturday June 9 at the Bayland Community Center located at 6400 Bissonet. The featured speaker will be Cary Hall, Senior Library Assistant at Clayton Genealogical Library.

 Hall will speak on the content and importance of using city directories in genealogical research. Her talk is particularly pertinent as the 1930 Federal Census is scheduled for release in April 2002 and only a dozen states have indexes. Texas is not one of them. Due to the lack of indexes for the censuses city directories will be of particular importance in locating ancestors who lived in cities in 1930, including Houston.

 Clayton Library Friends is a support group for the Clayton Library which is nationally recognized as one of the best genealogical research libraries in the United States. Anyone living in the Houston area who is involved in genealogical pursuits should be a CLF member. Dues are $10 annually or $15 for two persons at the same address. Membership includes quarterly meetings, newsletters and seminars. For more information contact the CLF website at http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/clayton/clf.html .

NEWS FROM THE BOOKSHELF

 Modern genealogical research is becoming more and more centered on computerized methodology and digital data. Advancements with computers and digital enhancements have made existing records easier to research and more accessible. Beginning researchers need to know what to look for, where to research, how to keep records and how document the information they find.

 Karen Clifford has composed a book intended to demystify how modern genealogical research is conducted. She explains the steps one must take to conduct successful genealogical research at home, in a library, an archives, a courthouse, or, on the Internet. She also discusses the role of a genealogical software program with relation to genealogical research. She explains in easy to understand terms the types of records usually sought by successful genealogists and where those records may be found.

 The Complete Beginners Guide To Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program is published by and is available for $28.45, postpaid,  from the Genealogical Publishing Company, 1001 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.