As most of you know, I recently lost my job. To help keep my- self occupied, I have volun- teered to index for the Secre- tary of State Digi- tal Ar- chives project. Completed is the Ma- son County Birth Reg- ister through to 1907. Only taking about 30 hours total. I’m now working on the Lewis County Birth Register. These are all hand written documents. What I have learned is The Chal- lenges of Penmanship! Wow - I have learned new ways to spell my search names. There are the obvious – a for o, e for i, n for u, nn for m, h for b. I have found several e for r, e for l, P for B or R, K for R, H for W, I for J or S or z for f. A very hard name is one with o, u, r, n in the name. When you add in that the Registrar didn’t know the correct spelling of a name you have added to the complexity of your search. While starting at the top of a page of “C” names that covers 7-8 years, I run across the same couples. Each entry is written differently, even the surname for the child can be spelled differently than the fathers (on the same line). As the indexer I HAVE to index as it is written. There is only a small area to insert any com- 1940’s Slinky Moving to the suburbs Swallowing goldfish Pea Shooters Silly Putty Kilroy was here What do you remember about the 1940s? Volume 4 Issue 8 After AllTheseYears, I’m Still Learning April 2009 April Meeting “Genetic Genealogy” With Lee James  Thursday, April 2nd  7:00 p.m.  12th & Connection—  Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter Day Saints  Membership Dues to Pauline Aldrich  Singles: $15.00  Couples: $20.00 Fundamental Books for Your Library 2 Prove It! 2 Search or Research? 2 School Report: March 1909 3 Ten Mistakes Not to Make in Your Family Research 4 Inside this issue: The Mason Log Mason County Genealogical Society DNA Research Is It ForYou? Our April speaker, Lee James will be covering DNA testin. It is one of the fastest growing areas of research. I picked up the May 2009 Family Tree Magazine (US edi- tion) and they have an article to aid in your deci- sion of which DNA test is right for you. It helps to understand who needs to “donate” the DNA to an- swer your question. The article covers the Y-DNA and mtDNA and to what level of testing you should choose . Y-DNA will follow the same name, while mtDNA fol- lows the mothers. Consider picking up a copy from a local store or take a trip to the local library and check it out. RESEARCH PLAN 1) Record known details on a timeline 2) Formulate research goals. 3) Seek corroborating evidence for record discrepancies 4) Look for land, probate, military, church and other records. 5) Broaden research to include collateral relatives ments. When you decide to put a name in for a search, imagine yourself as an Indexer, how could your name be misinter- preted? Maybe you should take some time and try indexing a few pages of the census. It is an education on new ways to see. , OCR Text: As most of you know, I recently lost my job. To help keep my- self occupied, I have volun- teered to index for the Secre- tary of State Digi- tal Ar- chives project. Completed is the Ma- son County Birth Reg- ister through to 1907. Only taking about 30 hours total. I’m now working on the Lewis County Birth Register. These are all hand written documents. What I have learned is The Chal- lenges of Penmanship! Wow - I have learned new ways to spell my search names. There are the obvious – a for o, e for i, n for u, nn for m, h for b. I have found several e for r, e for l, P for B or R, K for R, H for W, I for J or S or z for f. A very hard name is one with o, u, r, n in the name. When you add in that the Registrar didn’t know the correct spelling of a name you have added to the complexity of your search. While starting at the top of a page of “C” names that covers 7-8 years, I run across the same couples. Each entry is written differently, even the surname for the child can be spelled differently than the fathers (on the same line). As the indexer I HAVE to index as it is written. There is only a small area to insert any com- 1940’s Slinky Moving to the suburbs Swallowing goldfish Pea Shooters Silly Putty Kilroy was here What do you remember about the 1940s? Volume 4 Issue 8 After AllTheseYears, I’m Still Learning April 2009 April Meeting “Genetic Genealogy” With Lee James  Thursday, April 2nd  7:00 p.m.  12th & Connection—  Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter Day Saints  Membership Dues to Pauline Aldrich  Singles: $15.00  Couples: $20.00 Fundamental Books for Your Library 2 Prove It! 2 Search or Research? 2 School Report: March 1909 3 Ten Mistakes Not to Make in Your Family Research 4 Inside this issue: The Mason Log Mason County Genealogical Society DNA Research Is It ForYou? Our April speaker, Lee James will be covering DNA testin. It is one of the fastest growing areas of research. I picked up the May 2009 Family Tree Magazine (US edi- tion) and they have an article to aid in your deci- sion of which DNA test is right for you. It helps to understand who needs to “donate” the DNA to an- swer your question. The article covers the Y-DNA and mtDNA and to what level of testing you should choose . Y-DNA will follow the same name, while mtDNA fol- lows the mothers. Consider picking up a copy from a local store or take a trip to the local library and check it out. RESEARCH PLAN 1) Record known details on a timeline 2) Formulate research goals. 3) Seek corroborating evidence for record discrepancies 4) Look for land, probate, military, church and other records. 5) Broaden research to include collateral relatives ments. When you decide to put a name in for a search, imagine yourself as an Indexer, how could your name be misinter- preted? Maybe you should take some time and try indexing a few pages of the census. It is an education on new ways to see. , Mason County Genealogical Society,Mason Logs,Mason Logs,All Years,April+2009.pdf,April+2009.pdf Page 1, April+2009.pdf Page 1