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Show IWSIDE Dear Abby Garden Scoop C3 C3 - IT '1 FAMILIES EDITOR: TAWNY ARCHIBALD A3 ci THK DAILY HFRALD 344-;5-- 3 SATI.RDAY. Al il Si . w ANCESTRY Juliana S. Smith ski &: Skim the surface before diving in at research facility Online library catalogs are an resource that can allow researchers to reap substantial rewards. Also known as OPACs (Online Public Access Catalog), these online gems can save hours of valuable research time. Consider how long you spend on OPAC terminals in the library. This preliminary research can be done from your computer at home, thus turning that "catalog time" in the library into time spent delving into the goodies you have discovered. Also, by going over the resources available at a particular facility, you may find that their collection does not suit your needs and your time would be better spent at a different library or archive. This is particularly important when the research trip is to an or distant institution and time is limited. 5.i;r --iy2 - - often-overlook- --rkD Courtoy photm Links: A family Bible containing history tidbits sits on a table beside a bit of rusted barbed wire from the original Wagstaff farm in American Fork. GwnD0 DuDdDv out-of-sta- te HOWEVER, IT is important to find out what material the catalog covers. For instance, the Newberry Library's (Chicago, 111.) online catalog only covers materials acquired by the library since 1978. This represents only 10 to 15 percent of the collection, and although they continue to add materials from before 1978, an uninformed researcher might miss out on some of the wonderful collections available at this remarkable facility. Generally Speaking you will either be searching for known publications or resources, or unknown publications or resources. Although this may seem to be stating the obvious, the distinction is important because with advanced catalog searches, it will determine how you perform the search. If you are searching for a known resource, a search by "title," or "author" will probably give you the fastest and most concise results. For a general search for resources, a "subject" search can turn up previously unknown resources and open up new avenues for research. In this case, it is best to set some specific goals. What infbrmation do you need? What words would best describe possible sources for this information? These words will probably reflect the who, what, where, andor when of whatever you are researching. If your first search doesn't turn up results, play around with the words using variations. Boolean operators (and, or, but not, etc.) may help narrow down your search. Some OPACs have even formatted these into the search template. More information on boolean operators can be found in a Daily News article by Michael John Neill, available online at: Well-ke- By HAVALAH GHOLDSTON The Daily Herald - '" ALPINE Every once in a while, a genealogist is lucky enough to find an ancestor who kept meticulous record of his or her own life. Ida Hayward Wagstaff is just such a person. Ida serves on the staff of the American History Center. fied researcher the years, has Fork Family She's a certiand, through made entire volumes of work available on her own family members and even other people's families. "Wagstaff History" is filled with the experiences of the family of her late husband, David E. Wagstaff. One man, Samuel Wagstaff, was David's Samuel's detailed account of the latter part of his life was handed down through the family line right into Ida's capable hands. Samuel's journal has a lot about the family in it, but great-grandfathe- r. The Utah Valley Regional Family History Center, located in BYU's Harold B. Lee Library, has just moved to the northeast corner of the second floor of the new multimillion-dollar underground library addition. Spaciously located in Room 2250, the Center hous- MOST NEWER PCs come equipped to access Telnet. If you have ail older computer, however, there are free Telnet programs, such as NetTerm, available for download from TuCows (http:www.tucows.com) or other sites. 1' Although most genealogical collections are not, available via Interlibrary Loan, knowing of the valuable information possibly available in local facilities it is well worth the effort td hire a researcher to search the resource for you. You might also fitid a kind librarian or member of the local genealogical society that can help with a look-uThe key is knowing what resources are there, and with more catalogs going online, this is getting easier every day. es over 650,000 rolls of microfilm, thousands of microfiche, hundreds of books and compact discs. COMBINED WITH the holdings of the Lee Library, this is one of the largest genealogical collections in America. The Center has acquired new film cabinets, furniture, microfilm and microfiche readers and new reader printers. p. An enlarged computer lab ' jl' iilimillill iqnil4'i American Fork open house set AMERICAN FORK The J " HJ newest family history center in the valley will hold an open house next month. From 3-- p.m. Sept. 11, the new building will welcome public inspection of the facilities. The new center is in American Fork at 110 E. Main St. and will feature ancestral file submissions, personal histories, family records, temple records, family organizations and name extraction. Researchers: also sheds some light on the earliest history of American Fork as a town. On Sept. 24, 1862, Samuel Wagstaff arrived in Salt Lake City from England, along with other members of his family. Soon after, he heard that a certain bishop, Edward Hunter, was looking for someone to operate his American Fork farm. an Samuel, being experienced gardener, quickly accepted the job and moved his family to American Fork in October of 1862 and lived there for five years. During that peaceful time 1"?' 9 Ida Hayward Wagstaff, left, and an unidentified man display some of their genealogy research materials in a room with several historic family portraits. Ida serves on the staff of the American Fork Family History Center. of their lives, Samuel, with the help of his son David, built the first molasses mill on the bench of the mountain and a small house in what is now the American Fork LDS Third Ward. He was set apart as a teacher in the church and the family flourished for many years. Then, in 1888, Samuel was suddenly arrested and fined for living with more than one wife. He was further sentenced to serve time in the state penitentiary. According to the family history, Samuel had been visiting a daughter and her sick child in Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, one of Samuel's wives was taken in with her baby to testify against Samuel in court. The wife refused to confirm paternity of the child and was subsequently sentenced to prison. When Samuel returned home from Salt Lake City and heard of the arrest, he went immediately to the court and turned himself over in exchange for the freedom of his wife and baby. It was during this time in prison that he began to record his memories. He See FAMILY, C2 Family History Center moves into its new home l1999.htm. JHMl"ll' journals make modern genealogy research that much easier pt has many computers where researchers can check Family Search and other, data- - at the Family History Library. It is essential that researchers check the Family History Library Catalog for appropriate film numbers. Registers of film numbers are also available at the center. The center offers family history classes throughout the day where users will learn more about the collection and how to do research. The Family History Center is also open the second and fourth Sundays of each as those KIP'S TIPS v5 Kip Sperry bases. Users will appreciate the numerous Internet connections available in the center. Microfilm holdings include all available United States census population schedules, 1790 through 1920, copies of many Family History Library films, newspapers, periodicals, academic films and LDS sources. Most microfilm numbers at the Center are the same month from 8 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. A shuttle van is avail- able from the west stadium parking lot to the library. The Lee Library houses a significant collection of periodicals, manuscripts, over three million books, maps, atlases, computer databases, government documents and other resources. All periodicals are now Tips for using BYU's Family History Center Check the Center's Web site (www.lib.byu.eduuvrfhc) before visiting. Search BYLINE, the Lee Library's online catalog "(www.lib.byu.edu), for call numbers of books and other sources. Organize your family records together and located on the north side of the new underground library addition. IF YOU are just begin- ning your study of family history, ask the reference staff for a copy of the "Where Do I Start" pamphlet. Consultants will assist you in filling out a pedigree chart and other forms. before going to the library. Take one or two family group records and a pedigree chart with you. Have specific research objectives in mind. If you have any questions, ask the reference personnel and volunteer staff members for assistance. You will want to begin by checking computer files, such as FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service (www.familysearch.org) which you can search from your home or at the Lee Library, v Kip Sperry is an associate professor of family history at Brigham Young University. 111 : f ..;'1' T'A J nil |