Natural disasters affected our ancestors in so many ways just as they do us in present day. Finding out more about what was going on before, during, and after a natural disaster occurred in the area our ancestor was living at the time of the disaster can add much to our own family story. Listen in as Jeff Satterly and Robert Muhlahauser from HistoricNaturalDisasters.com share with us about James Dahlman and the Omaha Tornado. ~Caroline

James Dahlman and the Omaha Tornado 

By Jeff Satterly and Roberth Muhlhauser

On March 23, 1913, the city of Omaha was enjoying a relaxing day of church services and Easter celebrations. The skies slowly grew dark, but the unsuspecting people of Omaha weren’t concerned. It was too early in the year for a tornado. And besides, common knowledge was that Omaha was tornado-proof, since most storms that did form broke apart by the time they reached the bluffs surrounding the city.

For this reason, it came as a complete and utter shock when, at 6 o’clock that evening, the earliest twister in national history tore through the city of Omaha. The tornado killed more than 100 people, injured more than 300, razed 2,000 houses and displaced 7,000 people before it passed Omaha. However, the city credited as being the Gateway to the West wasn’t about to give up. Led by Mayor James Dahlman, Omahans forged on the rebuild their beloved city.

James Charles Dahlman was born on December 15, 1856 in Yorktown, Texas. He grew up in DeWitt County, Texas where he gained attention as a champion horse rider by the age of 17. In 1878 at the age of 22, Dahlman killed his brother-in-law during a fight, which led to him fleeing the state for Nebraska (the killing was later ruled self-defense). It was in Nebraska where Dahlman’s political career would begin, first as the Sheriff of Dawes County. Following that, in 1885, Dahlman began his first of two terms as the Mayor of Chadron, Nebraska. He followed this with stints as the Chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party and a run with the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha.

In 1906, Dahlman was elected Mayor of Omaha. He became notorious in Omaha for his flouting of state laws, such as the 1908 law forbidding saloons to remain open after dusk, and his personal dealings with the mob boss Tom Dennison. Dahlman was roundly criticized by his more conservative opponents, whose dissent reached its peak following his poor handling of the Easter Day Tornado of 1913. The tornado ravaged Omaha, killing more than 100 and displacing thousands more. Dahlman quite publicly refused any government aid, his reasoning being that Omaha was self-sufficient. Though eventually requiring and allowing the city to accept aid, Dahlman lost the 1918 Mayoral election as a result. He was elected Mayor once again in 1921, remaining in office until his death. Dahlman passed away on January 21st, 1930, and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha.

After the storm passed through Omaha, the mayhem continued as natural gas leaks and live electrical wires the tornado’s wrath had exposed led to extensive fires that burned down entire blocks. On Decatur and Franklin streets, the line of homes on fire stretched up to length ¾ of a mile.

The storm that spawned the tornado wasn’t done spreading destruction. As the system moved east into Ohio, it contributed to the massive rainfall that would result in the Great Dayton Flood on March 25, 1913.

Thanks so much to Caroline Pointer for letting us share a piece of this historical project on 4YourFamilyStory.com. We’re humbled by the interest in this project, and we really hope you enjoyed this snippet of history!

We’d also like to thank some of the great archives and archivists who have done so much to work to help preserve the amazing history of the 1913 flood, including the Dayton Metro Library and historian Trudy Bell. The amount of history compiled at these two websites is truly amazing. Lastly, thanks to Jason from InsuranceTown.com, who lent us some of the resources we used to help prepare content for the web and publish our blog, and inspired our Mapping History Contest.

Don’t forget to check out HistoricNaturalDisasters.com for more images, and for information on our Mapping History Contest – help us figure out the locations pictured in historic photos from 1913 and you could win $100!

Wait. What is the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge?
The 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge is a forum of researchers from, at times, around the world who gather online together to find the story, or stories, behind a piece of ephemera within 48 hours using their experience, expertise, problem-solving skills, and online resources. Each weekend the forum is challenged to place the people mentioned in the ephemera back into history where they belong in hopes of returning the ephemera back to the family where it belongs. 

Therefore, as Ephemera Whisperers, we are very honored and excited to be invited to the National Genealogical Society's 2013 Conference, Building New Bridges, as that is exactly what we try to do -- help families build a bridge to their own personal history with ephemera. 

There will be three 48 Hour Ephemera Challenges the week of the conference, and they will be hosted in the Internet Cafe which is being graciously provided by the National Genealogical Society, FamilySearch, and findmypast.com for all conference-goers to use throughout the conference. All those attending the conference as well as people at home are welcome to join the challenge as we collaborate online to solve each challenge. 

All three challenges will either be Las Vegas-related or Nevada-related with the first one beginning Tuesday evening, the second one beginning Wednesday evening, and the third one beginning Thursday evening. Each challenge will last for 48 hours with the last one ending on Saturday. 

With your help, can the Ephemera Whisperers put these people back into history where they belong -- in 48 hours? There is only one way to find out, and you have just been challenged!

For more information, please visit the 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum or Contact Me.

~Caroline

Tonight Tessa Keough, Gena Philibert-Ortega, Jerry Kocis and I had an awesome time with the 7th episode of What's Up Genealogy?, a Google+ Hangout On Air Show. A quick 20-minute show {that's really about 30 minutes or so...} that airs on Friday nights 8PM CT focused on industry news, research tips, and an interview with a representative from a genealogy-related organization or business. {If you're interested in being interviewed for the show, Contact Me.}This week the show featured Kathryn Doyle from the California Genealogical Society.

Not able to watch the show live? No problem! It will be archived and ready for viewing {usually} within 30 minutes of airing on the 4YourFamilyStory YouTube Channel.

And?

Here are the links to things we talked about on this episode of What's Up Genealogy?:

News

• StoryPress Kickstarter Project -- 4 days left!
• Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones
• "Gen Proof" Groups to Study Mastering Genealogical Proof by Angela Parker McGhie
• Mastering Genealogical Proof has shipped! by DEARMyrtle
• Unconferences for Your Genealogy Society FGS, My Society, Internet Radio Show
• OGS2013 RebelMouse Page & everything tagged on Twitter with #OGS2013
• NGS2013 RebelMouse Page for news and pics and everything tagged #NGS2013 on The Twitter
  
• Sign up for the Genea-Tech Newsletter here. Next issue comes out next week!
• 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge - They were Pen Pals. but? Who were Mrs. Burrell and Mrs. Zellars?
  
  

Tip

• No links this week - just a tip. =)
  
  

Interview with Kathryn Doyle

• California Genealogical Society & Library at californiaancestors.org

Panel

• Gena Philibert-Ortega's website, YourFamilyHistoryResearch.com
• Kathryn Doyle on Google+
• Tessa Keough on Google+
  
• Jerry Kocis on Google+
• Legacy Virtual User's Group Community on Google+
  
  
  

Friday, 3 May 2013 at 8PM CT~> Join us for next week's show & interview with Lynn Palermo, The Armchair Genealogist!

~Caroline

You are busy. And you know while you might get lucky and actually find something useful when you enter something in those very tempting search boxes on the Ancestry.com Home Page, you know you usually get better results when you start searching for an ancestor by location in collections on Ancestry.com {or any online database}.

And if you didn't know that? You do now. =)

But back to the fact that you're busy... Ancestry.com allows you to customize your Home Page so that you can arrange the information in a way that makes sense to how you use the site.

One of the things you can add to your Home Page is something they call "Quick Links," but you and I would call it bookmarks. Whatever you call them, they're definitely handy and dandy. Basically, I can bookmark a collection on Ancestry.com that I seem to use a lot and add it to the list on my Home Page. 

A huge time saver!

So? I created a 2-part tutorial. The first part introduces the Customize Your Home Page feature and the second part shows you how to add a Quick Link to your Quick Link List located on your soon-to-be-customized Home Page. Just click on the thumbnails below and the image will get bigger. They're in order from left to right, top to bottom.

How to Customize Your Ancestry.com Home Page

How to Add a Link {or bookmark} to Your Quick Links, um, Thingy

The Features I've Added to My Customized Ancestry.com Home Page

• My To-Do List
• My Quick Links
• Ancestry.com Blog
• Record Collections
• Recent Activity
• What's Happening at Ancestry.com
• My Family Tree {on Ancestry.com}
• My Shoe Box

Have you customized your Ancestry.com Home Page? If not, do you plan to? If so, what do you have on your Home Page? What about your Quick Links? Share in comments below. =)

~Caroline

Tonight my panel - Tessa Keough and Linda McCauley - and I had an awesome time with the 6th episode of What's Up Genealogy?, a Google+ Hangout On Air Show. A quick 20-minute show {that's really about 30 minutes or so...} that airs on Friday nights 8PM CT focused on industry news, research tips, and an interview with a representative from a genealogy-related organization or business. {If you're interested in being interviewed for the show, Contact Me.}This week the show featured Gena Philibert-Ortega, author of From the Family Kitchen!

Not able to watch the show live? No problem! It will be archived and ready for viewing {usually} within 30 minutes of airing on the 4YourFamilyStory YouTube Channel.

And?

Here are the links to things we talked about on this episode of What's Up Genealogy?:

News

• NGS 2013 Conference in Vegas - Last day for pre-registration is Monday, 22 Apr 2013.
• NGS2013 RebelMouse Page for news and pics and everything tagged #NGS2013 on the Internet.
• FGS 2013 - Win a One-of-a-kind War of 1812 Commemorative Quilt
• NERGC 2013 is going right now!
• FamilySearch.org
• AncestorEbooks.com
• Storypress Kickstarter Project
• 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge - Who was Alan? Who were his family members?
  
  

Tip

• No links this week - just a tip. =)
  
  

Interview with Gena Philibert-Ortega

• YourFamilyHistoryResearch.com {her website}
• Gena's Genealogy {her blog}
• Food. Family. Ephemera. {Her other blog}
• From the Family Kitchen {her book on Amazon.com}
  
  
  

Panel

• Linda McCauley's Blog - Documenting the Details
  
• Tessa Keough on Google+
  
• Legacy Virtual User's Group Community on Google+
  
  
  

Friday, 26 Apr 2013 at 8PM CT~> Join us for next week's show & interview with Katheryn Doyle from the California Genealogical Society!

~Caroline

Sure, a death certificate find for your ancestor is awesome! But? What if you're looking for more evidence, or what if you're looking for a death that may have occurred before state registration of deaths?

Yeah. Then it becomes a little trickier, but not impossible. Here are 3 types of records to look at for evidence of your ancestor's death.

1. Tax Rolls/Records - When looking at tax records for your ancestor and you suddenly don't see their name but instead see their wife's name or the verbiage, "Widow of..." preceding your ancestor's name, then you've just narrowed down the time frame of when they passed away. To find: In online databases, survey the databases' available tax records for the location you think or know your ancestor lived in. Also, check the Family History Library's online catalog on FamilySearch.org, a local library in the area you are researching, the website of the state archives in the state you are researching in, or find & contact a local-for-your-research genealogical or historical society.
   
2. Land Records -  If your ancestor died in the middle of a federal land purchase process, his widow and/or heirs were allowed to complete the process, and your ancestor's death would have/should have been recorded in the land case file for the purchase. To find: Federal land case files are located at the National Archives and they've prepared Info Paper No.114, Research in the Land Entry Files of the General Land Office PDF with important information you'll need to locate those records. For non-federal lands, or State-land records visit the website of the state archives. Don't forget county land records. I once found a public affidavit filed by my 2nd great grandmother in the Historical Land Records online database for Bexar County, Texas, in which she stated my 2nd great grandfather had passed away intestate in San Antonio, Texas and she stated their adult children's names and their spouses so that she could sell the house. {Bonus!}
3. Newspapers/Obituaries - You're probably thinking, "Duh." But? I don't mean this tip to be to look for an obituary or death notice...only. I mean once you find one, look for another. If a city had 2 newspapers at the time your ancestor lived in that city, then a lot of times his or her death announcement appeared in both and the information provided or listed just might be different for each one. For example, my grandfather's obituary appeared in both San Antonio, Texas, newspapers. The first one was just the basics. The second provided information about his employer and the fact that my grandfather had not been able to work for 3 years do to an illness. And I never knew he had been sick. Plus, since he had committed suicide, it mentioned a coroner's report. Also, keep in mind that newspapers tended to pick up news stories and obituaries from other areas either to fill space or because the town's residents had family ties to those other places. To find: online subscription databases like Ancestry.com and GenealogyBank.com; Family History Library's online catalog on familysearch.org;  a local library in the area you are researching; the website of the state archives in the state you are researching in;  or contact & inquire at a local-for-your-research genealogical or historical society. For even more ideas about online newspaper databases also check out Kenneth R. Marks' {TheAncestorHunt.com's}  YouTube Channel where he has several how-to online newspaper videos.

Now it's your turn.
These are just 3 ideas. There are a ton more. In comments, share different places you have found evidence for an ancestor's death. {Bonus points for unusual!}

~Caroline

© Copyright 2013 Caroline M. Pointer

What is a Fraternal Order?
As defined by Wikipedia, a fraternal order "...is an organized society of men associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood." [1]

Some examples of fraternal orders are Masons, Freemasons, Oddfellows, Knights of Pythias, and Knights of Columbus.

What Kind of Information You Might Find to Help You With Your Research.
Fraternal order membership information or records can provide that one little {or big} clue that you need to further your research. While census records are excellent for showing an every-10-year snapshot of your ancestors, fraternal order records can provide the in-between-census information that is needed to help you tell you ancestor's family story or to further your research.

For example, my 2nd great grandfather, Daniel Rook Vaughan, was a member of the Order of the Knights of Pythias, and when I requested his records from them and received them, I was able to further narrow down when he and his family moved from Eagle Pass, Texas, where they are located in the 1900 census [2], to San Antonio, Texas, where Daniel passes away in 1909 [3], because the records from the San Antonio Chapter indicated when he had been accepted into the chapter in 1902. [4]

Further, in the copies of the San Antonio Chapter records I received about him, they notated his death date in 1909 [5] lending further evidence of his death. Other information gleaned from them include names of other members [6,7] he may have known at the time as well as the fact that his membership to this particular chapter had been accepted based on a membership card [8]. If true, this could possible mean he had joined previous to 1902 at another chapter...somewhere.

How to Find if Your Ancestor Was a Member of a Fraternal Order.
These places can be varied and many {or few} depending on how much information you already have and/or know. Here are a few ideas on where to look:

• Look at their death certificate. Were they buried in a fraternal order's cemetery? That's exactly how I found out my 2nd great grandfather was a member of the Order of the Knights of Pythias. The name of the cemetery was the Knights of Pythias Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. [9]
• Look at their tombstone. Are there any symbols on it you don't know the meaning of? Take a pic of it and research the symbol on a website like graveaddiction.com.
• Look at county histories. A fraternal order chapter is located in a city or town, which, in turn, is located in a county. Locate county histories both online and offline looking for an entry about your ancestor. Even if your ancestor didn't have a biographical write-up, he may have still been listed in the general history of the county or area as a member or founding member of a a particular fraternal order's chapter.
• Visit with family members. Call up your Great Aunt Bernice. You know, the one with all the awesome family artifacts and heirlooms? {The family ephemera!} Ask if you can come and visit and  talk about family history with her. And possibly see the family artifacts. If you're lucky and she agrees, then let her tell you what she knows and remembers. Have a look-see at those artifacts. Look on the back of photos where there are groups of men in funny looking hats. Are there any clues in the photo -- like a sign or banner with the fraternal order's name? Perhaps there is identification on the front or back of the photo. Also look for membership cards, membership certificates, letters, post cards, and funny-looking hats. Yes, funny-looking hats. Ask if you can take pictures and/or scan all the possible fraternal order clues -- even the funny-looking hat.
• Search the image online. If the funny-looking hat doesn't have any identification information on it do a Google Image Search or a TinEye Reverse Image search of the image of the funny-looking hat. Maybe someone else has already identified the fraternal order whose members wore the funny-looking hat and maybe they shared the image online somewhere. Do the same kind of  reverse image search(es) for the group photo. Maybe a descendant or a group has posted the same photo online somewhere and maybe they have more information about it. {Hey, stranger things have happened, and you just never know until you look.}
• Consult city directories -- online and offline -- where you know your ancestor lived. Look in the index under clubs, orders, lodges, etc.
• Consult church histories -- online and offline -- where you know your ancestor lived. Some fraternal orders are religious-based as in the case of the Knights of Columbus.

How to Look Up Information about Fraternal Orders Online.

• Google the fraternal order.
• Consult the Genealogy Research: Complete List of Fraternal Organizations page on exonumia.com.
• Visit Cyndislist.com where you can find links to all sorts of fraternal orders, links to articles about fraternal orders in general, as well as links to articles about specific fraternal orders.

How to Contact Fraternal Orders for Further Information.

• If they have a website, look on the fraternal order's website to see how they might want to be contacted for questions. Make sure your requests are direct and courteous. Keep in mind that these fraternal orders may not have digitized records, and it may take a while for them to retrieve the information. In my case, the Knights of Pythias records were not digitized and it took about a month to receive them. But? Totally worth the wait.
  
• If they don't have a website consult an online White Pages Directory or one at the library.

Have you had any luck with researching an ancestor's fraternal order membership? Any surprises you learned while doing it -- about researching or your ancestor? How did you find out your ancestor was a member of a fraternal order? Share in comments below. =)

~Caroline

© Copyright 2013 Caroline M. Pointer

Tonight my panel - Tessa Keough and Lisa Alzo - and I had an awesome time with the 5th episode of What's Up Genealogy?, a Google+ Hangout On Air Show. A quick 20-minute show {that's really about 30 minutes...} that airs on Friday nights 8PM CT focused on industry news, research tips, and an interview with a representative from a genealogy-related organization or business. {If you're interested in being interviewed for the show, Contact Me.}This week the show featured Denise Levenick, the Family Curator!

Not able to watch the show live? No problem! It will be archived and ready for viewing {usually} within 30 minutes of airing on the 4YourFamilyStory YouTube Channel.

And?

Here are the links to things we talked about on this episode of What's Up Genealogy?:

News

• Storypress Kickstarter Project
  
• NGS2013 Mobile is ready for download!
• Call for FGS2013 Conference Ambassadors
• The Inheritance by Marianne Perry
• The Juggler's Children by Carolyn Abraham {interview}
• The Juggler's Children by Carolyn Abraham {book}
• AncestorEBooks.com
• 17th Annual Angelina College Genealogy Conference
• Dallas Genealogical Society 2013 Summer Institute
• Wooden Show Genealogy: Methods for Tracing North American Immigrant Families Back to the Netherlands Webinar with Jay Fonkert 
• Twitter Q & A with D. Joshua Taylor from findmypast.com
• HistoricalNaturalDisasters.com's New 1913 Flood Image Project and their Mapping History Contest
• Newbiggin Genealogy Project
• 48 Hour Ephemera Challenge Forum -- Did Rudie Freemen ever go to the picnic?
• Conference Keeper
• One Place Studies
  
  
  

Tip

• BCG Skill Builders

Interview with Denise Levenick

• The Family Curator
  
• Treasure Chest Thursday for Friday's What's Up Genealogy: Ephemera or Artifact
• How to Archive Family Keepsakes

Panel

• Tessa Keough on Google+
  
• Legacy Virtual User's Group Community on Google+
  
• LisaAlzo.com
• Lisa Alzo's blog, The Accidental Genealogist

Friday, 19 Apr 2013 at 8PM CT~> Join us for next week's show & interview with Gena Philibert Ortega! 

~Caroline

Stumped on your family Tree?
It's time to get rid of those stumps in your family tree, and there's no better person to consult for that than D. Joshua Taylor! 

That's right. Noted genealogy expert D. Joshua Taylor from findmypast.com will be holding a LIVE Twitter question and answer session on April 15, at 1pm EST. 


Follow along with the #fmpExpert event hashtag & ask a question using @findmypastUS!

I'll be there. Will you?

~Caroline

{Yeah, I know. Time Zone Math. *shudders* Do what I do. Consult the Time Zone Converter Math/Magic site: http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc }

The idea of going online and with a few taps being able to access your family history just like that *snaps fingers* is, well, seductive. Also, being able to collaborate with cousins around the world via a world family tree would be quite handy. However, are we ready for something so seemingly easy? Is the technology available to adequately address the many issues that arise with a world family tree? Is the idea even realistic? What technology is already out there to create world family trees? Currently, which ones are better than others?

I tackle these questions and more in my article, "Are You Ready For a World Family Tree?," in the April 2013 issue of the Who Do You Think You Are? UK magazine. 

Fascinating articles in this issue include a bittersweet "Reader Story" revealed by Simon Last who tackles adoption and Polish records to discover a part of his family story; a heartbreaking yet helpful look into a time when British orphans were shipped off to Australia in Janet Sacks' "New Life in a New World: Child Emigration to Australia;" and Audrey Collins gives an in-depth look at Criminal Petitions and how to use them in your research.

Get your issue today! It's available for the iPhone and iPad via the App Store. In fact, for just a bit longer you can get this April issue free when you opt for a free month trial subscription. You can also just purchase this issue in the App Store if you're not interested in subscribing to the magazine. It's also available digitally at Zinio.com where you can subscribe to the magazine or purchase single issues. And, of course, look for the Who Do You Think You Are? UK magazine in the genealogy/family history magazine section at your favorite Barnes and Noble Bookstore or newsstand.

~Caroline