Anyone can volunteer for the Revolutionary War Pension Project.

In 1777, drunken British soldiers stormed into Sarah Martin’s home in Woodbridge, New Jersey and demanded that she cook them ham and eggs. Hostile and impatient, the soldiers threatened to kill her youngest child, who cried as she prepared the meal. One of the officers even wielded his sword, striking the child and giving Martin a severe cut across the arm.

This appalling scene was not a unique event in Martin’s life. The family’s roadside residence, then in British-occupied territory, was ransacked as many as 30 times during the Revolutionary War. British soldiers plundered the home, drove away cattle, and eventually burned down the property while her husband, Gershom Martin, was away for months at a time on militia duty.

Martin recalled these traumatic events 60 years later in a court of record. The 83-year-old widow had to provide oral testimony about her husband’s military service to demonstrate her eligibility for a pension. Today, her story is one of more than 80,000 that would remain untold if not for the Revolutionary War Pension Project.

The Revolutionary War Pension Project is a collaborative effort between the National Park Service and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to transcribe more than 2.3 million pages of pension files from the nation’s first veterans and their widows. Launched in June 2023, the citizen archivist mission provides volunteers with the opportunity to make a permanent contribution to the historical record as the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches.

A Treasure Trove of Stories

Many of the soldiers who survived the American Revolution were left in poor health. In the decades that followed, they often struggled to work and support their families. The young United States addressed this burgeoning crisis of poverty among Revolutionary War veterans by passing the first of four pension acts in 1818. The youngest veterans were in their late 50s and 60s at that point, burdened by 35 years of economic hardship after the war ended in 1783. Several of them owned little but the clothing on their backs and were in desperate need of financial assistance.

At first, pensions were only available for Continental Army soldiers who served under George Washington. Later acts opened pensions to those who served in militias and to widows, like Sarah Martin, married before the war’s end. Since there was little documentation to support the eligibility of widows and militiamen, these applicants had to describe their wartime experiences in a court of record and verify the details with credible witnesses. For a lot of them, especially for those who couldn’t write, it may have felt like the only chance to document their stories. The testimonies of women and people of color fill important gaps in the historical record and reveal the diversity of people who contributed to the war effort.

In the 1970s, NARA created thousands of microfilm reels with photographs of Revolutionary War pension documents held in the National Archives building in Washington, DC. The content of these reels was later digitized for NARA’s online catalog. The collection contains both handwritten pages and later-typed correspondence about the pensions with quality ranging from intact and easy to read to torn, covered in inkblots, and illegible.

National Archives and Records Administration

The pension applications hold detailed and diverse first-hand accounts of the Revolutionary War, from boasts of celebrity encounters with the likes of Washington and the French commander Lafayette to somber accounts of burying the dead after a battle. They chronicle Revolutionary War turning points, many of which are commemorated at present-day NPS sites, such as the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill and the 1777 Battles of Saratoga. The files also contain valuable social history details about veterans and their families, such as rank, dates of birth, family composition, and property ownership. Each document yet to be transcribed remains an untold story of the revolution.

To date, more than 4,000 Revolutionary War Pension Project volunteers have typed up the content of over 80,000 pages of pension files, with upwards of 2,300 records completely transcribed. Almost 600 contributors are from the NPS.

You can read more in an article by Nina Foster, a 2024 Scientists in Parks intern at Acadia National Park, at: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/revolutionary-war-pensions.htm.

The president of the Africville Genealogy Society is calling for a safety audit after five people were shot during the community's 41st annual reunion in Halifax, Nova Scotia over the weekend.

Irvine Carvery said the society's board of directors will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday night to review the shooting and discuss what can be done to improve safety at future gatherings.

"The reunion will be on next year. We are Africville Strong. We are not leaving. We are not going to allow that incident to define who we are as a people," Carvery told reporters on Monday.

"The perpetrators that came in and did that are not from Africville."

The Africville Family Reunion aims to bring together former residents and their descendants. The community was uprooted in the 1960s when the City of Halifax demolished homes to make way for the A. Murray MacKay Bridge.

During celebrations Saturday, two men exchanged gunfire and the bullets went into the crowd, injuring five people. 

"There was one young lady who unfortunately got hit in the neck, and what I understand is the bullet lodged near her spine and they couldn't operate to remove it," Carvery said.

"So I don't know what her prognosis is, but she's alive. She is going to live. That's the main thing. We gotta give God thanks for that, that she is going to live."

Halifax Regional Police said both men involved in the shooting had left the area by the time officers arrived. The investigation is ongoing.

You can read more in an article by Anjuli Patil published in the cbc.ca web site at: https://bit.ly/4fnd8tY

Research has uncovered an intriguing discovery regarding an unusually high prevalence of a specific set of genes in China. This research suggests that approximately 1.5 million Chinese men are direct descendants of Giocangga, the grandfather of the founder of the Qing dynasty.

Giocangga's remarkable number of descendants, primarily located in north-east China and Mongolia, is believed to be a result of the numerous wives and concubines his offspring had. Dr. Chris Tyler-Smith, a geneticist at Britain's Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, made this finding based on a study of genes on the male Y chromosome.

In an interview with the BBC World Service's Science In Action program, Dr. Tyler-Smith explained that these genes provide a genetic surname for each man's family. By analyzing around 1,000 men from the region, researchers identified two types of Y chromosomes that were unusually common, with one type making up approximately 3% of the sample.

Further investigation revealed that this genetic code originated in north-east China around 500 years ago, just before the rise of the Qing dynasty in 1616. Dr. Tyler-Smith noted that the Qing imperial nobility, who ruled China for several hundred years, had multiple wives and concubines, leading to a high number of offspring with a good chance of survival.

This research sheds light on a significant historical event during the establishment of the Qing dynasty and provides insight into the genetic legacy of Giocangga and his descendants in China.

For nearly 26 years, no one knew the identity of a woman whose body was found floating in the Cumberland River. 

It was a troubling mystery that Metro Nashville police and genetic genealogists spent years trying to piece together, until finally, they were able to make a breakthrough. Last week, the police department announced that the woman who had only been known as the “Leo Jane Doe” for multiple decades now had a name.

Diane Minor was a country singer, beauty queen and weather personality for WSIX-TV before the station changed ownership and became WKRN. She moved to Nashville as a teenager seeking her first big break in the music business but was originally from Alabama.

Eric Schubert, a 23-year-old genealogist from New Jersey, knew that she was from Alabama four years ago, but that was just the first clue to the massive genetic puzzle.

Schubert, who was been nationally recognized for his volunteer work on other cold cases since he was just a teenager, began trying to help detectives put together a picture of who the “Leo Jane Doe” was back in 2020.

At the time, he was working on a handful of other cold cases, including the death of 9-year-old Marise Chiverella, which was then one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Pennsylvania. 

The college freshman had been doing genealogical work to help families find their ancestors as a hobby since he was 10 years old, with some articles referring to him as a “genealogy wiz.” He became interested in criminal cases at the age of 16, but thought that, realistically, no law enforcement agency would ever enlist his help.

“I was like 16, 17, 18 and thought no police department is going to email me and say, ‘Hey, Eric, you know, we heard about you. We would love to get your help on this case’,” Schubert said. “But the week I graduated high school, that’s exactly what happened.”

You can read more about this story in an article by Sierra Rains published in the wkrn.com web site at: https://bit.ly/4fqDwTY.

The following is a press release written by the Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS):

Georgia Public Library Service (GPLS), in partnership with public libraries statewide, has completed the digitization of over 46,000 pages of newspapers from 1907-1972, which can be accessed for free through the Georgia Historic Newspaper (GHN) archive.

These newspapers document history in Clayton, Wheeler, Baker, Wilkinson, and Bryan counties, which were previously unrepresented areas in the digital archive. The newspapers provide a rich resource for genealogical and local history research and ensure that more Georgians can access their communities’ history.

This digitization is part of a larger effort to improve access to a more comprehensive selection of Georgia’s historical and cultural newspapers, after Georgia Public Library Service discovered the Clayton County Library System and 19 counties in the state did not have any digitized newspapers. Since 2006, Georgia’s public libraries have funded over 1.1 million of the 2.4 million pages of digitized content in the Georgia Historic Newspapers portal.

“Each year at Georgia Public Library Service, we fill historical gaps in our state’s story,” said Josh Kitchens, director of Archival Services and Digital Initiatives at GPLS. “With the digitization of these materials, all library systems and five new counties are now represented in the Georgia Historic Newspaper project.”

Digitized pages from The Pembroke Journal from 1969, which covered Bryan County.

Below is a list of the newly digitized newspaper titles, the period they document, and a link to the collection:

• Clayton County News and Farmer, Forest Park Free Press, Forest Park News: 1936-1969
• Pembroke Journal, Bryan County Enterprise: 1913-1970
• Irwinton Bulletin: 1907-1954
• Baker County News: 1939-1947
• Wheeler County Eagle, Alamo News: 1912-1972

“Preserving our local history is a core mission of the Clayton County Library System. We are grateful for Georgia Public Library Service’s support in this project to make our local history accessible to all,” said Scott Parham, director of Clayton County Library System.

Through Georgia Historic Newspapers, anyone with an internet connection can freely access newspapers that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date, city, county, and type. Georgia Historic Newspapers is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) and utilizes the Library of Congress’ open source tool, Chronicling America, for online delivery.

Digitization through Archival Services and Digital Initiatives at GPLS is supported with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Project selection was conducted by GPLS in consultation with Clayton County Library System, Statesboro Regional Public Libraries, Middle Georgia Regional Library, De Soto Trail Regional Library, and Ocmulgee Regional Library System.

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About Georgia Public Library Service
Georgia Public Library Service empowers libraries to improve the lives of all Georgians by encouraging reading, literacy, and education through the continuing support and improvement of public libraries. Georgia Public Library Service is a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. GPLS’s digitization initiative, Archival Services and Digital Initiatives, encourages public libraries and related institutions across Georgia to participate in The Digital Library of Georgia, an initiative of GALILEO. www.georgialibraries.org

About the Digital Library of Georgia
Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia is a GALILEO initiative that collaborates with Georgia’s libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources. DLG also serves as Georgia’s service hub for the Digital Public Library of America and as the home of the Georgia Newspaper Project, the state’s historic newspaper microfilming project. Visit the DLG at dlg.usg.edu.

A new “Picturing Lincoln” initiative by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum means more than 1,000 high-resolution photos – many of which have never been online before – are now available to people around the world. Thousands more pictures, posters and paintings related to President Lincoln will be added in coming months.

The first batch of images includes:

• 129 pictures of Lincoln
• 178 of Lincoln’s Tomb, including some of Lincoln’s coffin when it was unearthed during a construction project
• Rare pictures of Lincoln’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren
• Photos of Robert Lincoln, his hobbies and his homes
• Dozens of photos related to Lincoln’s assassination, funeral and the execution of the conspirators who plotted his death.

“Abraham Lincoln’s legacy belongs to the world, so the whole world should be able to see these images. They show the highs and lows of President Lincoln’s life, remind us of the nation’s deep mourning at his death, and give us a glimpse into the lives of descendants he would never see,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “I am incredibly proud of the ALPLM team.”

The images, with a resolution of 600 dpi, can be found at www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov/PicturingLincoln. They are hosted by the Illinois Digital Archives, which is operated by the Illinois Secretary of State. “Picturing Lincoln” was made possible by a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, funded through the Illinois State Library.

“These photos represent a virtual treasure trove that tells a rich and vibrant story of one of our nation’s most influential leaders,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who also serves as State Librarian and State Archivist. “Digitizing records and making them available online through our Illinois Digital Archives gives the public, historians and future generations the ability to explore historical documents and photos that would otherwise be inaccessible.”

Jade Kastel, ALPLM’s director of library services, expressed gratitude for the many people who made this project a success. “This was truly an accomplishment by the entire library team. Their work deepens our understanding of President Lincoln and his legacy,” Kastel said.

The collection opens a new window on the family of Robert Lincoln, the only son of Abraham and Mary Lincoln who survived to adulthood. Robert became U.S. ambassador to England, the secretary of war and head of a major corporation. “Picturing Lincoln” includes photos of his homes and of his children and grandchildren growing up in luxury, far removed from Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. Until now, most of these Lincoln family photos were only available to researchers visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

“Making these photos available to people around the world is one benefit of this project,” said Kelsey Wise, an ALPLM AV librarian. “Another is that we are creating high-quality ‘digital surrogates’ that can be examined without risking any damage to the delicate originals. It also will reduce library staff time devoted to providing images to visiting historians or emailing them to people elsewhere.”

Several thousand other Lincoln images have already been scanned for “Picturing Lincoln” and will be added to the website over the coming months.

“When it’s done, the collection will chronicle all aspects of Lincoln’s life and legacy: his early years, the campaign trail, holding office, leading the nation, his final days. Visitors to the site will see art inspired by Lincoln, as well as the many monuments, statues and memorials built in his honor,” said Matthew Deihl, another AV librarian.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and share with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

The following announcement was written by the Emmett Till Memory Project (ETMP):

The Emmett Till Memory Project (ETMP), supported by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Mississippi and The Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute in Chicago, launched a newly reimagined website and forthcoming mobile application. This coincides with what would have been Till’s 83rd birthday. 

Officials said the website offers an immersive, media-rich educational experience for users seeking to learn more about the life and legacy of Till.

Emmett Till Interpretive Center named partner of National Park Service

The ETMP tells the story of Till one location at a time. The new website features never-before-heard interviews with Till’s family members, who share his story in their own words.

“The more America wrestles with issues of racial justice, the more it returns to the story of Emmett Till,” said Dr. Dave Tell. “It has been the defining honor of my career–if not my life–to work alongside members of the Till family, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and included by FAVOR, to create a resource that tells the true story of the life and death of Emmett Till.”

FILE – This undated photo shows Emmett Louis Till, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in the Mississippi Delta in August 1955 after witnesses claimed he whistled at a white woman working in a store. (AP Photo/File)

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

Communicating in the cemeteries??? No, I am not referring to communications with or amongst the “long-term residents” of a cemetery. Instead, I'm writing about communications for visitors to a cemetery. Namely, the genealogists who visit a cemetery looking for information about deceased relatives.

When searching for tombstones of ancestors and other relatives, I generally try to visit a cemetery with a friend or two. We mentally divide the cemetery into two or more sections, and then each person searches through his or her section alone. The other friends are doing the same in a different section. I have done this many times and suspect that you have, too. Having two or more people involved increases the enjoyment of the search as well as the safety of everyone involved.

There are disadvantages, however. Upon discovering a particular tombstone, you may have to shout to the other person to make them aware of your discovery. In a large cemetery, the other person(s) may be some distance away, making shouting impractical.

The need for communications may vary. Of course, you want to notify your friends if you find a tombstone for one of their relatives. However, there are many more serious needs for instant communications. If someone steps into a gopher hole and twists an ankle, he or she may not be able to walk for help. In some areas of the country, snakebite is a serious concern. Perhaps you want to ask everyone else a critical question, such as: “Does anyone else feel like taking a break and getting a burger?” Finally, a simple request for bug repellent could be serious in some situations. Whatever the need, you should have instant communications capabilities when you are in a cemetery and are separated from your friends.

There is no perfect communications solution that I know of. However, with a bit of advance planning, you can select the solution that works best for you. In fact, there are at least three solutions. Two of them are closely related. I will call them Solution #1, Solution #2a, and Solution #2b.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/13386993. (A Plus Edition password is required to access that article.)

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077. 

What do the following headlines from past issues of this newsletter have in common?

In the wake of a major incident that affected millions of Windows PCs, Microsoft is calling for significant changes to enhance the resilience of its operating system. John Cable, Microsoft's vice president of program management for Windows servicing and delivery, said there was a need for "end-to-end resilience" in a blog post, signaling a potential shift in Microsoft's approach to third-party access to the Windows kernel.