Community Chat

[Kathlen]

I've used Ancestry for years and years. Can't remember when I first joined. One of my Mormon cousins ""baptized"" some of our ancestors. I can't see the problem. They are his ancestors as well as mine.

Genealogical research is great fun. We've even added DNA testing.

[Linders Back]

On 1/26/2014 ennui1 said:

On 1/26/2014 Linders Back said:

On 1/26/2014 ennui1 said:

My family information is there, and no one ever submitted anything. They cull the obituaries and other public records. They don't ask.

If the information is already "out there" on other sources i.e. obituaries and public records, then what is the complaint? They aren't doing anything nefarious by "culling" these public records,

I wasn't complaining. The OP asked what we thought about her submitting information, and my point is that they take the information anyway, without asking.

Gotcha. Sorry I miss understood. You're right. They are just consolidating info that is readily available elsewhere.

[ennui1]

Just remember ... whatever you find, you weren't there ... and you should have seen it in color ...

I said Grandpa what's this picture here
It's all black and white, and it ain't real clear
Is that you there, he said yeah, I was eleven
And times were tough, back in thirty-five
That's me and Uncle Joe just tryin' to survive
A cotton farm, in the Great Depression

And if it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color

This one here was taken overseas
In the middle of h e l l , in nineteen forty-three
In the winter time, you can almost see my breath
That was my tail gunner ole' Johnny McGee
He was a high school teacher from New Orleans
And he had my back, right through the day we left

If it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color

A picture's worth a thousand words
But you can't see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should've seen it in color

And this one is my favorite one
This is me and grandma in the summer sun
All dressed up, the day we said our vows
You can't tell it here but it was hot that June
And that rose was red and her eyes were blue
And just look at that smile, I was so proud

That's the story of my life
Right there in black and white

And if it looks like we were scared to death
Like a couple of kids just trying to save each other
You should've seen it in color

Yeah a picture's worth a thousand words
But you can't see what those shades of gray keep covered
You should've seen it in color
(Should've seen it in color)

~ Jamey Johnson

[rondell]

I really thought a foreign business purchased Ancestry a few years back. Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

[JustJazzmom]

On 1/26/2014 Linders Back said:

On 1/26/2014 JustJazzmom said:

What I find disturbing is how the census treated orphans inside orphanages. One of my relatives grew up in an orphanage and I've searched the 1940 census and he is no where to be found. Were orphanages counted among the census takers? Does anyone know?

I found one grandmother and her sister in an Orphan Asylum in Maine in the 1910 Census. Interestingly, they weren't orphans., But that's another story. They were also listed as "Inmates" which threw me for a bit.

Do you know the name of the Orphanage? Where it was? IF so, do a Census search not by your ancestor's name but by town and street address. They should be included in the records.

Also, if you know a relative lived in a certain place but can't get the specifics, try just last name, or just first name, name of another a relative of theirs. Spelling on original census forms is often phonetic and even when it is correct, it could be transcribed wrong to the internet records. Widen your search criteria. Also, even if you know their age, search for at least a 2 year range. Depending on time of year, the age of the person could be recorded off by that much.

I have a female ancestor, Isadore, which is more often a man's name. Census takers would either check off "male" or change her name to Isabel or something more feminine. She's been a hard one to track down.

Good Luck.

I wish I knew the name of the orphanage, all I know is that it was in NYC and he (my uncle) also had his sister there too. All knowing parties to the name are all dead.

I found I could not search by name of this person for the 1940 census.

[apple1964]

I went on one day... They ask for Mothers or Fathers names .. depending on what side of the family you are trying to find. And grandparents first and last names .. what state they were born in. And then there is a caption that stops the search and asks you to register that they found the information .. I never registered not because of the cost just something creepy about this website to me.

[Linders Back]

On 1/29/2014 JustJazzmom said:

On 1/26/2014 Linders Back said:

On 1/26/2014 JustJazzmom said:

What I find disturbing is how the census treated orphans inside orphanages. One of my relatives grew up in an orphanage and I've searched the 1940 census and he is no where to be found. Were orphanages counted among the census takers? Does anyone know?

I found one grandmother and her sister in an Orphan Asylum in Maine in the 1910 Census. Interestingly, they weren't orphans., But that's another story. They were also listed as "Inmates" which threw me for a bit.

Do you know the name of the Orphanage? Where it was? IF so, do a Census search not by your ancestor's name but by town and street address. They should be included in the records.

Also, if you know a relative lived in a certain place but can't get the specifics, try just last name, or just first name, name of another a relative of theirs. Spelling on original census forms is often phonetic and even when it is correct, it could be transcribed wrong to the internet records. Widen your search criteria. Also, even if you know their age, search for at least a 2 year range. Depending on time of year, the age of the person could be recorded off by that much.

I have a female ancestor, Isadore, which is more often a man's name. Census takers would either check off "male" or change her name to Isabel or something more feminine. She's been a hard one to track down.

Good Luck.

I wish I knew the name of the orphanage, all I know is that it was in NYC and he (my uncle) also had his sister there too. All knowing parties to the name are all dead.

I found I could not search by name of this person for the 1940 census.

Di you try using alternate spellings of the name? Wish you were talking about a smaller city because then you could do a search for everyone named "jim" (for example) no last name of his age and the sisters name,too and cross reference.

Or maybe you could contact the New York Historical Society or Public Library for possible lists of orphanages.

Are you an ancestry.com member? They have a message board where you can post queries. I just found this tidbit posted there which may be of interest. Apparently, children for NYC were sent to LI and upstate:

" ..... Although they were living in Manhattan, they were placed in this orphanage in Rockaway, NY. Later they were transferred to St. Joseph's Home in Peekskill, NY.

The last time I wrote to St. John's to inquire about my grandfather and his brother was in 1987. Their address is:

St. John's Residence and School for Boys
Beach 111th St
Rockaway, NY 11694

The last time I wrote to St. Joseph's to inquire about my grandfather and his brother was in 1991. Their address is:

St. Joseph's Home
250 South St
Peekskill, NY 10566"

Linder

[JustJazzmom]

Thanks Linder, I will try alternate spellings first.

[Linders Back]

On 1/29/2014 JustJazzmom said:

Thanks Linder, I will try alternate spellings first.

Just had another thought: When did you try to search the Census? When the 1940 Census was first released last year, it wasn't all indexed by name online and you had to know the state, county, street etc. before you could search unless you went to look at the actual records.

Now I believe it is all searchable by name online.

[JustJazzmom]

I found his name but not his sister; sister dropped completely off the radar from 1925 NY state census and was missing from the 1930 census. Its going to take some time.