Judy Rosella Edwards'


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Death and burial rituals may differ dramatically between countries, among cultures, and among religions. New Orleans, because of its location and varied culture, has always had unique and interesting cemeteries and customs. In her article, "New Orleans Interments," Judy Rosella Edwards explores burial practices in New Orleans during the mid-1800s when disease was rampant, and offers ideas and resources for research.

Even genealogists might be surprised to learn that townships can reflect migration patterns.

Religion has always played a big role in New Orleans. From early arrival of the Ursuline sisters throughout New Orleans history, religion has been important.

Many emigrants were escaping starvation and poor health care in Europe and elsewhere. But just getting to the New World healthy and alive proved to be a challenge.

School records are often overlooked as a genealogical resource. They can document students as well as teachers. That is certainly true of New Orleans.

Today we resent it when airlines restrict us to 50 pounds of luggage. Imagine moving from Illinois to Utah -- and having a 17 pounds luggage restriction!

Music,dance, art, and Mardi Gras. New Orleans is known for its entertainment. That is nothing new. But why New Orleans?

The ethnicity of New Orleans arrivals varied greatly. So who were they?

It was not until I began transcribing census returns that I realized the depth of what I was reading and how important the details are. It was also then that I realized how critical the details are, even the ones that are not obvious and sometimes eliminated by inexperienced transcribers.

Military rosters are long, long lists of who served in which regiment during a given war. They can be exhausting to browse. Here is how to come out a winner when researching military rosters.

Arrivals in the port New Orleans were not exclusively French. And, while there certainly were a lot of French immigrants who arrived in New Orleans, they were not all from France.

The impression many of us have of immigrants is that of travel-weary blue-collar families escaping to the New World. Immigrant occupations ran the gamut in New Orleans, and included entertainers.

Mention New Orleans, and most people think of levees and French culture. While both are certainly a part of New Orleans, the city is so much more significant in the development of the United States – and much older than we often realize since it predates statehood by decades.

I only live about 30 miles from the Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society's Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center in Metamora, Illinois. I finally took the time to visit their library. What a treasure!

Finding a sample of your ancestor's handwriting is always fun. The angle of the writing can also indicate if your ancestor might have been left-handed. Here is a unique resource for locating handwriting samples.

Today, the name has been cut in half, most of the houses are gone, and modern day Coles Station is mainly on the map because Staley Grain Elevator is located there. It may take twice as much effort to research Coles Station residents.

Genealogical research is a whole new experience. If you have not visited a research center lately – or ever – you may be surprised at what you will find!

An unsettling source for genealogy can be true crime magazines. While the stories are often embellished, these magazines are a unique eye on history. I discovered this while researching a family member who was the victim of crime.

All too often, we seem to think of college as a modern invention and mostly for urbanites. Although some of the colleges have changed names and even locations over the years, you just might be surprised where great-great-grandpa went to college. They might also provide insight into the family's migration history.

We tend to focus on census returns, biographies, and legal documents as sources for history. Then we record the information on family sheets or in a database. A unique source for downstate Illinois history is a CD of radio music from the 1930s punctuated with true stories about the performers and an oral record of the performer's own genealogy.

We have grown up with the image of the little prairie church perhaps without even considering where they came from. Beginning in the mid-1840's, young graduates from East Coast schools of theology began a movement that established both churches and colleges in the new frontier.

Finding original copies of historic records is always a challenge, especially because few copies remain. If you're looking for the "History of the Eighty-Fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry," you'll find that American Libraries Internet Archive has the entire text online for free. You'll also discover this volume has some special features researchers will find extremely helpful.

Any biography that includes a reference to a famous person like Daniel Boone is just a little more interesting. But it sometimes seems more like legend that so many people claim to have known Boone.

If you are looking for German immigrants in the United States who spent some time in Ohio before disappearing from your genealogical timeline, try looking for them in Teutopolis, Illinois.

Gold miners during the mid-1800s are very much a part of American history. But how do you find who they were?

An internship experience adds another dimension to a job hunter’s resume. If you love the sea, why not intern at a lighthouse museum?

Mention Nauvoo to just about anyone and the Mormon Church comes to mind. But the Mormons left Nauvoo 150 years ago.

My sister died at age 14 and our family has an 8x10, black and white glossy professional photo of her lying in her casket. I grew up thinking this was macabre. But funeral photography is actually common and has a long history.

In the mid to late 1800s, Orphan Trains transported East Coast orphans to new homes and new lives in the Midwest. The New York Juvenile Asylum was one institution that relocated boys and girls to Illinois. In order to better serve their clients in the West, they opened the Western Agency in Illinois.

Discover there is nothing modern about the Garamond font on your PC. Visit the Museum Plantin-Moretus/Prentenkabinet, Antwerpen - UNESCO World Heritage, in Belgium.

Don't overlook faith-based organizations as archives-preserving genealogical resources. Of course, most religious communities maintain records of their leaders. But, religious archives often contain papers belonging to members such as obituaries, and other documents you'll find useful for researching.

Explore Boston's 19th Century African American History at Ten Sites

How do museums come up with such clever programs for kids? The National Museum of Education provides ideas for activities for exploring a kid's favorite museum.

Being a Midwesterner and a descendant of the Palatine immigration, I thought I knew my history on this subject. Then I came across a term new to me, the "Mohawk Dutch."

Sometimes a museum is actually the exhibit. The medieval frescoes at Boyana Church National History Museum in Bulgaria, preserve the Veliko Turnovo School of Painting.

Enjoy the Privileges of Supporting Your Favorite Museum

What does a docent do? How do you learn to give docent guided tours? Learn about docents and docent training at National Docent Symposium.

More recently famous as home to Edgar Lee Masters and his semi-biographical "Spoon River Anthology," Lewistown, Illinois, is also home to the Dickson Mounds Museum.

I am always curious – and sometimes dubious — about who writes genealogical resources. Lately I have been researching a number of tomes with titles that all begin with "Portrait and Biographical Album of...," all published by either Chapman Bros. or Chapman Publishing. It seems impossible that so many of these coffee-table size leather-bound books the size of a family Bible include so many biographies of local residents, especially since they were written in the last decade or so of the 1800's. So how was all this information collected a century before bloggers and genealogy databases?

Even a kid who falls asleep in science class is likely to perk up at the idea of spending the night in a museum. Some even let the kids stay up all night.

My mother grew up on a farm called "The Twenty" and I always wondered why it was called that. It turns out there is significance to farms called The Twenty and The Forty, and not just in the United States.

There is an old song that goes something like, "How can you keep them down on the farm once they have seen Paris?" The spirit of the song has always hinted that the big city is for people who have experienced life and adventure or had an impact on the world. Charles A. Manners who settled in Christian County, Illinois in the mid-1880s proved that wrong by proving which way is North.

The Maine Newspaper Project, which has inventoried all known state newspapers dating back to the 1785 Falmouth Gazette, probably sums up these newspaper project best. The MNP web site notes, "Each time a newspaper disappears from the public eye, a unique window to the past closes forever."

Finding an inventor in your family is easier than ever with Google Patents. But what does that have to do with genealogy?

While it is tradition to gather for family reunions in park pavilions, we rarely think of the park itself as a genealogical tool. American parks tend to be named either for significant historical figures, such as presidents -- or self-named by a land donor who leaves behind a trail that defines a family beyond the realm of census returns and marriage licenses.

New Orleans Interments Death and burial rituals may differ dramatically between countries, among cultures, and among religions. New Orleans, because of its location and varied culture, has always had unique and interesting cemeteries and customs. In her article, "New Orleans Interments," Judy Rosella Edwards explores burial practices in New Orleans during the mid-1800s when disease was rampant, and offers ideas and resources for research.	Published 21/Nov/2008	GenWeekly
Migration Patterns Reflected by Township Government Even genealogists might be surprised to learn that townships can reflect migration patterns.	Published 1/Sept/2008	GenWeekly
Religion In New Orleans Religion has always played a big role in New Orleans. From early arrival of the Ursuline sisters throughout New Orleans history, religion has been important.	Published 23/Oct/2008	GenWeekly
New Orleans: Healthy Life in the New World Many emigrants were escaping starvation and poor health care in Europe and elsewhere. But just getting to the New World healthy and alive proved to be a challenge.	Published 16/Oct/2008	GenWeekly
Education in New Orleans School records are often overlooked as a genealogical resource. They can document students as well as teachers. That is certainly true of New Orleans.	Published 9/Oct/2008	GenWeekly
The Walking Pioneers Today we resent it when airlines restrict us to 50 pounds of luggage. Imagine moving from Illinois to Utah -- and having a 17 pounds luggage restriction!	Published 2/Oct/2008	GenWeekly
The Arts in New Orleans Music,dance, art, and Mardi Gras. New Orleans is known for its entertainment. That is nothing new. But why New Orleans?	Published 25/Sept/2008	GenWeekly
The Ethnicity of New Orleans Immigrants The ethnicity of New Orleans arrivals varied greatly. So who were they?	Published 18/Sept/2008	GenWeekly
Looking "Into" Rather Than "At" Census Returns It was not until I began transcribing census returns that I realized the depth of what I was reading and how important the details are. It was also then that I realized how critical the details are, even the ones that are not obvious and sometimes eliminated by inexperienced transcribers.	Published 28/Aug/2008	GenWeekly
Mustering Up the Courage to Delve into Military Rosters Military rosters are long, long lists of who served in which regiment during a given war. They can be exhausting to browse. Here is how to come out a winner when researching military rosters.	Published 14/Aug/2008	GenWeekly
New Orleans Series New Orleans Immigrant Origins Arrivals in the port New Orleans were not exclusively French. And, while there certainly were a lot of French immigrants who arrived in New Orleans, they were not all from France.	Published 21/Aug/2008	GenWeekly
New Orleans Series New Orleans Occupations, Part II The impression many of us have of immigrants is that of travel-weary blue-collar families escaping to the New World. Immigrant occupations ran the gamut in New Orleans, and included entertainers.	Published 31/Jul/2008	GenWeekly
New Orleans Series New Orleans Revisited: Early Occupations Mention New Orleans, and most people think of levees and French culture. While both are certainly a part of New Orleans, the city is so much more significant in the development of the United States – and much older than we often realize since it predates statehood by decades.	Published 10/Jul/2008	GenWeekly
Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center - Research & More! I only live about 30 miles from the Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society's Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center in Metamora, Illinois. I finally took the time to visit their library. What a treasure!	Published 29/May/2008	GenWeekly
Google Books: A Source for Ancestral Handwriting Finding a sample of your ancestor's handwriting is always fun. The angle of the writing can also indicate if your ancestor might have been left-handed. Here is a unique resource for locating handwriting samples.	Published 24/Apr/2008	GenWeekly
Coles Station: The Ever-Changing Place Name Today, the name has been cut in half, most of the houses are gone, and modern day Coles Station is mainly on the map because Staley Grain Elevator is located there. It may take twice as much effort to research Coles Station residents.	Published 17/Apr/2008	GenWeekly
Revisiting the Research Library Genealogical research is a whole new experience. If you have not visited a research center lately – or ever – you may be surprised at what you will find!	Published 10/Apr/2008	GenWeekly
Shocking Genealogy Sources An unsettling source for genealogy can be true crime magazines. While the stories are often embellished, these magazines are a unique eye on history. I discovered this while researching a family member who was the victim of crime.	Published 20/Mar/2008	GenWeekly
Great-Great-Grandpa's Alma Mater All too often, we seem to think of college as a modern invention and mostly for urbanites. Although some of the colleges have changed names and even locations over the years, you just might be surprised where great-great-grandpa went to college. They might also provide insight into the family's migration history.	Published 06/Mar/2008	GenWeekly
History & Genealogy - Through Music We tend to focus on census returns, biographies, and legal documents as sources for history. Then we record the information on family sheets or in a database. A unique source for downstate Illinois history is a CD of radio music from the 1930s punctuated with true stories about the performers and an oral record of the performer's own genealogy.	Published 14/Feb/2008	GenWeekly
The Missionary Bands We have grown up with the image of the little prairie church perhaps without even considering where they came from. Beginning in the mid-1840's, young graduates from East Coast schools of theology began a movement that established both churches and colleges in the new frontier.	Published 07/Feb/2008	GenWeekly
Researching Civil War Volunteer Infantrymen from Havana, Illinois Finding original copies of historic records is always a challenge, especially because few copies remain. If you're looking for the "History of the Eighty-Fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry," you'll find that American Libraries Internet Archive has the entire text online for free. You'll also discover this volume has some special features researchers will find extremely helpful.	Published 31/Jan/2008	GenWeekly
And He Knew Daniel Boone... Any biography that includes a reference to a famous person like Daniel Boone is just a little more interesting. But it sometimes seems more like legend that so many people claim to have known Boone.	Published 17/Jan/2008	GenWeekly
Migrations from Vechta, Germany to Teutopolis, Illinois If you are looking for German immigrants in the United States who spent some time in Ohio before disappearing from your genealogical timeline, try looking for them in Teutopolis, Illinois.	Published 03/Jan/2008	GenWeekly
G old Between the Census Returns Gold miners during the mid-1800s are very much a part of American history. But how do you find who they were?	Published 13/Dec/2007	Suite101.com
Ahoy, Lighthouse Museum Interns! An internship experience adds another dimension to a job hunter’s resume. If you love the sea, why not intern at a lighthouse museum?	Published 16/Dec/2007	GenWeekly
Nauvoo Retains Its Place in History Mention Nauvoo to just about anyone and the Mormon Church comes to mind. But the Mormons left Nauvoo 150 years ago.	Published 15/Nov/2007	GenWeekly
Memento mori: Funeral Photography My sister died at age 14 and our family has an 8x10, black and white glossy professional photo of her lying in her casket. I grew up thinking this was macabre. But funeral photography is actually common and has a long history.	Published 22/Nov/2007	GenWeekly
Orphan Trains: The Illinois Apprenticeship Agent In the mid to late 1800s, Orphan Trains transported East Coast orphans to new homes and new lives in the Midwest. The New York Juvenile Asylum was one institution that relocated boys and girls to Illinois. In order to better serve their clients in the West, they opened the Western Agency in Illinois.	Published 08/Nov/2007	GenWeekly
Font Study in Belgium Discover there is nothing modern about the Garamond font on your PC. Visit the Museum Plantin-Moretus/Prentenkabinet, Antwerpen - UNESCO World Heritage, in Belgium.	Published 24/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Faith as Archivist Don't overlook faith-based organizations as archives-preserving genealogical resources. Of course, most religious communities maintain records of their leaders. But, religious archives often contain papers belonging to members such as obituaries, and other documents you'll find useful for researching.	Published 18/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
The Black Heritage Trail Museums Explore Boston's 19th Century African American History at Ten Sites	Published 18/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Reinventing A Day at the Museum How do museums come up with such clever programs for kids? The National Museum of Education provides ideas for activities for exploring a kid's favorite museum.	Published 17/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Mohawk Dutch Being a Midwesterner and a descendant of the Palatine immigration, I thought I knew my history on this subject. Then I came across a term new to me, the "Mohawk Dutch."	Published 11/Oct/2007	GenWeekly
The Boyana Church Museum Sometimes a museum is actually the exhibit. The medieval frescoes at Boyana Church National History Museum in Bulgaria, preserve the Veliko Turnovo School of Painting.	Published 9/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Museum Memberships Enjoy the Privileges of Supporting Your Favorite Museum	Published 8/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Become a Museum Docent What does a docent do? How do you learn to give docent guided tours? Learn about docents and docent training at National Docent Symposium.	Published 7/Oct/2007	Suite101.com
Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown More recently famous as home to Edgar Lee Masters and his semi-biographical "Spoon River Anthology," Lewistown, Illinois, is also home to the Dickson Mounds Museum.	Published 26/Sep/2007	Suite101.com
From Apples to Oranges: Portrait and Biographical Albums I am always curious – and sometimes dubious — about who writes genealogical resources. Lately I have been researching a number of tomes with titles that all begin with "Portrait and Biographical Album of...," all published by either Chapman Bros. or Chapman Publishing. It seems impossible that so many of these coffee-table size leather-bound books the size of a family Bible include so many biographies of local residents, especially since they were written in the last decade or so of the 1800's. So how was all this information collected a century before bloggers and genealogy databases?	Published 20/Sep/07	GenWeekly
Snoozeums and Museum Overnights Even a kid who falls asleep in science class is likely to perk up at the idea of spending the night in a museum. Some even let the kids stay up all night.	Published 29/Sep/2007	Suite101.com
20 or 40: How many acres do you work? My mother grew up on a farm called "The Twenty" and I always wondered why it was called that. It turns out there is significance to farms called The Twenty and The Forty, and not just in the United States.	Published 09/Aug/2007	GenWeekly
Which way is North? There is an old song that goes something like, "How can you keep them down on the farm once they have seen Paris?" The spirit of the song has always hinted that the big city is for people who have experienced life and adventure or had an impact on the world. Charles A. Manners who settled in Christian County, Illinois in the mid-1880s proved that wrong by proving which way is North.	Published 12/Jul/2007	GenWeekly
The Value of the Newspaper: A Unique Window on the Past The Maine Newspaper Project, which has inventoried all known state newspapers dating back to the 1785 Falmouth Gazette, probably sums up these newspaper project best. The MNP web site notes, "Each time a newspaper disappears from the public eye, a unique window to the past closes forever."	Published 28/Jun/2007	GenWeekly
An Inventor in the Family: Google Patents as a Genealogical Tool Finding an inventor in your family is easier than ever with Google Patents. But what does that have to do with genealogy?	Published 24/May/07	GenWeekly
Genealogy In The Park While it is tradition to gather for family reunions in park pavilions, we rarely think of the park itself as a genealogical tool. American parks tend to be named either for significant historical figures, such as presidents -- or self-named by a land donor who leaves behind a trail that defines a family beyond the realm of census returns and marriage licenses.	Published 03/May/2007	GenWeekly
Rediscovering Our Best Words: A Long-Forgotten Central Illinois Newspaper.	Published 09/Oct/2003	Conference on Illinois History