Census records are amongst the primary tools of genealogists. Yet, those of us who have been reading them for a while can tell you that the records are not as reliable as we would wish. I am still trying to find great-great-granddad in the 1850 census although he appears hale and hearty in the enumerations of 1840, 1860, 1870 and 1880. His absence in 1850 is still unexplained. Yet my quandary is minor compared to some others. For instance, The 1990 census is thought to have missed one native American in eight. Thousands, perhaps millions, of others have been missed in census records taken over the past two centuries.

America's first census was carried out in 1790, and it was groundbreaking in many ways. It was the first to be mandated in any country's constitution. It also caused America's first presidential veto when George Washington, on the advice of Thomas Jefferson, disagreed with legislation defining how this “apportionment” was to be carried out. Washington’s primary objection to the proposed amendment was that “there is no one proportion or divisor which, applied to the respective numbers of the States will yield the number and allotment of representatives proposed by the Bill.”  It is interesting to note that today’s fixed allocation of 435 seats also does not pass the test established by President Washington.

An older article in The Economist compares the U.S. census with similar efforts in other countries. “Where government is oppressive, people want to keep out of censuses, lest information they provide is misused. Where government provides, people want to be in censuses, and to boost their numbers, in order to claim a larger share of the goodies.”

The Nazis used population records to round up Jews into concentration camps. As a result, Germans are still reluctant to be counted. In 1936 Stalin told his officials that the following year's census would find a total population of 170 million—a figure that did not account for his slaughter of millions in famines and purges. The enumerators (census takers) found only 162 million people, and also revealed other unwelcome facts, including that nearly half the population of his supposedly atheist country was religious. So Stalin denounced the count as a “wrecker's census” and had the census takers either imprisoned or shot.

A new count in 1939, apparently conducted by a new team of enumerators, gave Stalin his figure of 170 million.

You can read more about census records at http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=10311346

New Zealand's Law Commission has made 193 recommendations in total which would provide clear guidelines to the police on how to obtain, use and retain DNA.

A new report from the commission found the current way DNA is used in criminal investigations ignores human rights values, tikanga Māori and the Treaty of Waitangi.

The review looked into the Criminal Investigations (Bodily Samples) Act 1995, and found there was no clear and robust process which guided police on how to collect, use and store DNA. It would also protect individuals' human rights and privacy, and address the disproportionate impact the current system has on Māori.

You can read more in an article by Harry Lock in the Radio New Zealand website at: https://bit.ly/2UTk7D3.

An article in Bloomberg News says that the "Blackstone Group Inc. is looking to sell $2.8 billion of debt for its buyout of Ancestry.com Inc. this holiday-shortened week, while just a handful of investment-grade borrowers are expected to come forward.

"Marketing for Ancestry’s $1 billion high yield portion ends Monday, while commitments on its $1.8 billion leveraged loan are due the same day. Ancestry is the sole deal currently slated to price in high-yield, but it follows the busiest week for issuance in about two months with about $15.7 billion sold, according to data compiled by Bloomberg."

You can read more at: https://yhoo.it/33aKubW.

The following announcement was written by Rick Brewer:

Let’s Reminisce is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Pocket Casts, and anywhere podcasts are found.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

Throughout November, Findmypast has been honouring family heroes in commemoration of Remembrance Day 2020. This week’s new additions will enable even more users to explore the incredible sacrifices made by their military ancestors.

British Armed Forces Soldiers' Wills 1850-1986

Covering over 130 years of British military history, discover the last wishes of British privates and non-commissioned officers who served in the Army and Air Force. Originally collated by the War Office, each indexed record will reveal the serviceman’s next of kin, name, regimental number and date of death. 

Soldiers on active service were encouraged to make a short will, which had to be in their own handwriting and signed. This would give names and addresses of beneficiaries and all sums and articles to be left. This was usually completed in their pay book, and if they were killed, it would be extracted and sent back to the War Office.

The majority of these wills were extracted from pay books, but a number have been written as formal wills, statements from next of kin to confirm last wishes or letters that express similar sentiments.

Ireland, Londonderry (Derry) War Memorial 1914-1918

In 1919 the Mayor of the city of Londonderry (Derry), Sir Robert Anderson, set up the War Memorial Fund, dedicated to the creation of a memorial to commemorate the lives of the 756 soldiers from the city who fought and died during the Great War. Forms were sent out by the Secretary of the War Memorial Committee to next of kin of every fallen soldier, to confirm or amend held information prior to it being included on the War Memorial itself.

These records contain details of their service and next of kin, enabling researchers to learn more about the lives and deaths of these brave men.

Findmypast’s War Memorials Register is another resource that can help researchers discover the stories behind the names etched on monuments across the British Isles. It features over 780,000 records that reveal birth years, service numbers, military honours and more.

British Red Cross & Order of St John Enquiry List, Wounded & Missing, 1914-1919

These new records can unearth valuable details pertaining to the wounded and missing of WW1, many of which won’t be found in other sources.

Between 1915 and 1918 The British Red Cross & Order of St John published regular lists of men missing in action during the First World War, about whom enquiries had been made. These lists were published at regular intervals, each list cancelling all lists previous to it.

Typical information includes a man’s name, regiment, battalion and company (for infantry battalions). Ranks are rarely given, but details about the date of casualty, the place where this occurred, and sometimes extensive additional information are included.

There are over 158,000 records in this collection which is published in partnership with the Naval & Military Press. The vast majority of these men will have complementary records already published in Findmypast medal index card, service and pension records, and prisoner of war collections.

Newspapers

Three new papers as well as substantial updates to six existing titles are now available to search on Findmypast. Brand new to the site are:

While thousands of additional pages have been added to the following publications

The following announcement was written by TheGenealogist:

TheGenealogist has today released additional new R.A.F. records that are fully searchable by name, aircraft, location and many other fields, making it simpler to find your air force ancestors.

In a release of over 1.8 million records, this batch of R.A.F. Operations Record Books (ORBs) joins TheGenealogist’s huge military records collection and includes entries for the famous children’s author Roald Dahl when he flew Hurricanes in WW2.

Hurricanes of No. 80 Squadron in Palestine, June 1941 as flown by Roald Dahl

The Operations Record Books record the stories of day to day operations of units and so will give the researcher an idea of action that took place as well as give insights into the everyday lives on the bases. You can use this collection to follow an airman’s war time experiences by searching these fully searchable Air Ministry operations record books which cover various Royal Air Force, dominion and Allied Air Force squadrons that came under British Command. The AIR 27 records allow the family history researcher a fascinating insight into their relatives' time while serving in a number of units of the air force.

The ORBs give summaries of events and can reveal encounters with the enemy, pilots who went missing or were shot down, plane crashes, as well as less traumatic details such as weather and places patrolled by the aircraft and where the squadrons were based as the war wore on. As aircrew personnel are named in these Operations Record Books, researchers wanting to follow where an ancestor had been posted to and what may have happened to them will find these records extremely useful.

Operations Record Book for No. 80 Squadron on TheGenealogist

Family historians will find the duties recorded in these documents interesting when they reveal the assignments that a serviceman took part in. Examples include Bombing, Convoy Escort, Submarine Hunt, Fleet protection, Attacking Aerodromes and Shipping, Dive Bombing Raids and more.

Use these records to:

• Add colour to an aircrewman’s story
• Read the war movements of personnel in air force units
• Discover if a pilot, navigator, radio operator or gunner is mentioned in the action
• Find if an airman is listed for receiving an Honour or an Award
• Note the names of squadron members wounded, killed, or who did not return
• Easily search these National Archives records and images

This expands TheGenealogist’s extensive Military records collection.

Read TheGenealogist’s feature article: R.A.F. Operations Record Books that tell a storyteller’s story https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2020/raf-operations-record-books-that-tell-a-storytellers-story-1356/

These records and many more are available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist.co.uk

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections.

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

I'd like to let you know that you might not see new articles every day in this newsletter for a couple of weeks. I am traveling off to visit relatives over the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be an extended stay: I am leaving about a week early and will be staying a week after the holiday on November 26.

A part of the time I will be in the north woods of Maine at a cabin that is not too far from the border with Quebec province. The cabin is some distance from the nearest paved road and is missing some of the conveniences we normally expect these days: no electricity, no running water, and no central heating. No, there isn't even a thermostat on the wall. I am also told that cellular phone coverage is not reliable there so I may really be incommunicado for a few days.

In other words, it is similar to the house where I grew up in central Maine.

Even the Thanksgiving dinner will be similar to what some of our ancestors enjoyed: cooked in a wood-burning stove. This should be interesting!

I will only be in the cabin for a few days but will escape to a modern home with modern conveniences for the rest of my stay.

I will be traveling with a laptop computer so most days I should be able to connect to the internet and perform business as usual. There probably will be exceptions for a few days, however.

The following book review was written by Bobbi King:

Two Revolutionary War Privateers. (St. Paul, Minn.: Two Trees Roots.) 2019. 412 pages.

Here is the Revolutionary War as experienced by two brothers, Ship Captains William and Joseph Packwood, patriots who commandeered their sailing ships across trade routes running out from the American Colonies to the centers of commerce on the Caribbean Islands. Their ships carried goods including arms and gunpowder, war materiel that was distributed into the armies of George Washington in support of the cause of rebellion.

The authors accessed and read an extensive archive of original letters written by the Packwood captains that give account of their businesses, daily activities, events of the day, and their families. The authors transcribed the letters in their original style, then wrote transliterations. There are numerous maps, illustrations, and photos accompanying the texts, and a glossary and index.

The book begins with background information about the American Revolution and the private citizens whose pirating naval activities, as commissioned and authorized by the Second Continental Congress, harassed the British Navy in aid to the patriotic cause. As British commercial shipping was effectively disrupted, the privateers recovered fortunes that helped finance the revolution.

The Packwood brothers lived and sailed out of New London, Connecticut, a deep-water port situated near enough to New York City to attack British headquarters. Beginning chapters outline the genealogies of Captains William and Joseph Packwood, and offer brief biographies of key individuals.

The authors intersperse the letter examples with descriptions of contemporary events making it easy to understand the Packwood events within the broader picture of New England history.

It’s an interesting, well-written book, flawless in its documentation, and certainly of interest to a New England history buff.

And especially of interest to the Packwoods, to hear the voices of their ancestors coming through the letters.

Two Revolutionary War Privateers may be purchased from the authors at https://twoprivateersbook.com/.

The following announcement was written by the State Archives of North Carolina:

The State Archives of North Carolina is excited to announce a new way to browse our digital collections – through a tool called CollectionBuilder. You can view our pilot project, a digital collection titled She Changed the World: North Carolina Women Breaking Barriers, by following this link: https://she-changed-world.cb.ncpedia.org/  

CollectionBuilder is exciting because it allows us to take items that were already digitized and living in the North Carolina Digital Collections (NCDC) and present them to you in new ways. Our She Changed the World pilot project pulls from various digital collections and includes state publications, photographs, letters, oral histories, posters, and more all relating to the subject of women’s history in North Carolina. Think of it almost like a digital exhibit, using a curated selection of records from our collections to highlight a specific topic. In this case, our topic is NC women’s history in support of the DNCR initiative She Changed the World. 

An example of an item page in our She Changed the World collection pilot project using CollectionBuilder. 

While NCDC is great simply because of the sheer amount of material it contains (over 90,000 items!), we know it can also be overwhelming to navigate when you are searching for a specific subject across our many digital collections. It is our hope that we can create more CollectionBuilder exhibits about a variety of topics to help you discover relevant materials quickly and easily. Within the site itself, you can browse items randomly or search through them by subject, location, or timeframe. Just use the black bar at the top of the page to choose a different way to browse.  

Use the black bar at the top of the page to choose different ways to browse items – in this case, we are looking at a word cloud of subject terms. 

This project was completed in collaboration by the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina. The CollectionBuilder platform was developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library, and we couldn’t have gotten our project up and running without their help. If you have any feedback or questions about this collection or the platform, please drop us a line at digital.info@ncdcr.gov.  

In many shopping malls across America, you will see pushcart vendors selling reproductions of coats of arms, claiming to be the "proud history and heritage of your family name" or similar words. These merchants sell coats of arms on parchment paper, suitable for framing. They also may sell coats of arms on t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf jerseys, stationery, coffee mugs or even key chains.

Similar "businesses" exist on the Web. A number of Web sites proclaim that they can sell you "authentic" copies of your family’s coat of arms. One Web site says, "What is your Name? What was it's origin? Was it taken from the name of a village? Was it taken from the Bible? A clan name? An Occupation? An ancient landmark? Who were your historical namesakes who bore your fine family name in the homeland of your ancestors?" Sometimes they also claim to sell "gifts of lasting heritage."

I have one thing to say to these con artists: "Balderdash!"

Actually, that’s not my first choice of response, but, after all, this is a family newsletter.

The study of coats of arms is called heraldry. Those who control the issuance of arms are the heralds. Typically, each country in Western Europe as well as in England, Scotland, and Ireland has an office of the heralds, sometimes called the Kings of Arms. The heralds are empowered to decide who is authorized to display a certain coat of arms. If you do not have authorization from the heralds, you are not authorized to display any coat of arms. That authorization must be on paper, signed, and made out to you personally, not to your entire family and never to everyone of a certain surname.

Most Americans seem ignorant of one very basic fact: in Western Europe and in the British Isles, there is no such thing as a "family coat of arms." A coat of arms is issued to one person, not to a family. After that person is deceased, his eldest heir may apply for the same coat of arms. Again, when he dies, his eldest heir may apply. The rules for determining who is eligible to display a coat of arms are very similar to the rules for becoming King or Queen of England. However, even the proper heir cannot display the coat of arms until he or she has received authorization (been confirmed) by the heralds. At any one time, only one person may rightfully display a coat of arms.

According to the American College of Heraldry, "While Americans are usually fascinated by the beauty of heraldry, they are rarely familiar with its meaning and traditions and, therefore, often misunderstand and even abuse this rich cultural heritage. They seldom understand that a coat of arms is usually granted, certified, registered or otherwise recognized as belonging to one individual alone, and that only his direct descendants with proven lineage can be recognized as eligible to inherit the arms. Exceptions to this rule are rare."

The American College of Heraldry also says, " It is highly inappropriate for one to locate the arms of another person sharing the same surname, and to simply adopt and use these arms as one's own." My interpretation of this is that, if you are displaying an unauthorized coat of arms, you are impersonating someone else.

You can read more on the American College of Heraldry web site at http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/body.html.

The College of Arms in England (the heralds for English, Welsh, Northern Irish, and Commonwealth families) says (at http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/resources/faqs), "There is no such thing as a 'coat of arms for a surname'. Many people of the same surname will often be entitled to completely different coats of arms, and many of that surname will be entitled to no coat of arms. Coats of arms belong to individuals. For any person to have a right to a coat of arms they must either have had it granted to them or be descended in the legitimate male line from a person to whom arms were granted or confirmed in the past.

Despite these warnings, many vendors are making money by preying on Americans’ ignorance of the topic. The pushcarts you see in shopping malls typically are franchise operations. One pushcart owner told me that he paid $6,000 for a "franchise" to sell this stuff. The so-called franchise did not include a protected territory; another franchisee was free to set up business in the same area. For the $6,000 investment, the franchisee receives a computer with a database containing thousands of surnames and so-called "family coats of arms," a high-quality printer, a supply of parchment paper (actually not parchment but simply paper that has been treated to look like parchment), and a supply of coffee cups, key chains and other paraphernalia. These franchisees reportedly receive no training in the study of heraldry. The ones I have talked to didn’t recognize the term "College of Arms."

The Web sites aren’t much better. The ones I have looked at seem to have carefully-worded claims. Instead of saying, "your family’s coat of arms," they will say something like "your historical namesakes." Okay, "namesakes" doesn’t mean "ancestors," but it still will be misleading to many people. When a Web site proclaims, "your historical namesakes," most people will think that means "my family." However, if argued in court, the wording on the Web site would probably be considered correct. In short, I doubt if these companies will be shut down for misrepresenting their wares as they are very careful in their choice of words.

The next time someone offers a copy of your "family’s coat of arms," ask them for the documentation. They won’t have any. If a friend of yours is displaying a coat of arms on his stationery or on his fireplace mantel, I suggest you simply walk away smiling. There’s no sense in upsetting a good friendship. But don’t be as gullible as your friend. And please, please do not display your "family’s coat of arms" on your genealogy Web site unless you have been confirmed by the heralds, Okay?

If you would like to learn more about the serious study of heraldry and any rights you might have to display coats of arms, there are a number of Web sites devoted to the truth. Here is a short list of some of the more reputable ones:

The Augustan Society at: http://www.augustansociety.org

The American College of Heraldry at: http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/

The Baronage Press at: http://www.baronage.co.uk/

British Heraldry: http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/ and especially the article on "Regulation of Heraldry in England" at http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/england.htm

The College of Arms (the official repository of the coats of arms and pedigrees of English, Welsh, Northern Irish and Commonwealth families and their descendants) at: http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/

None of the above sell printouts on parchment paper, t-shirts or key chains. Some of them do sell books and magazines devoted to the study of heraldry, however.

Anyone who claims to sell "your family coat of arms" is a rip-off.