Seekerz

Strategy: Diaries and Personal LettersBy Pat Smart and AI2024.07.10 Uncovering Histories by Exploring Diaries and Personal Letters Genealogy research often begins with traditional documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates. However, to truly understand the daily lives, relationships, and personal experiences of our ancestors, it is important to look beyond these conventional records. Personal diaries, letters, and correspondence offer a unique window into the past, providing intimate details that can bring your family history to life. Finding and understanding these records can be a bit more challenging than it seems on the surface. Here are some strategies for locating […]

Strategy: Naturalization RecordsBy Pat Smart and AI2024.07.03 Genealogy research often involves digging through a variety of historical records to piece together the story of one’s ancestors. While birth, marriage, and death records are commonly utilized, naturalization records are a goldmine of information that is often overlooked. These documents can provide valuable insights into the lives of immigrants and their journey to becoming citizens. Here are some lesser-known strategies for effectively exploring naturalization records in your genealogy research. 1. Understanding the Naturalization Process Before diving into the records, it’s crucial to understand the naturalization process itself. For example, naturalization procedures have […]

Strategy: Legal Notices and AnnouncementsBy Pat Smart and AI2024.06.26 Genealogy research often involves combing through various sources to uncover our ancestors’ stories. While traditional records like birth, marriage, and death certificates are commonly used, there are lesser-known resources that can provide valuable insights into your family history. One such resource is legal notices and announcements. These often-overlooked documents can offer a wealth of information, revealing relationships, property ownership, and significant life events. The following can help you understand and utilize legal notices and announcements in your genealogy research. Understanding Legal Notices and Announcements Legal notices and announcements are public records […]

Strategy: Research Occupational RecordsBy Pat Smart and AI2024.06.19 There are many ways to further your research in Family History. The following is one of those strategies. Researching Occupational Records Occupational records are documents that describe a person’s job or profession. These can include employment records, guild memberships, apprenticeships, and etc. Occupational records can be a valuable means of research because they offer a glimpse into the lives of ancestors’ beyond basic birth, marriage, and death records. Where to Find Occupational Records There are many locations occupational records can be found. The following is a list of some of them. You […]

Father’s Lead By D.E. Lee © 1997 A Father is a man of strength, who keeps a family safe, He leads the children of his house, the way, he tries to pave, To show to them the course to go, to guide them as he can, To be examples of the right, and honorable ways of man, He grinds, exerts and works so hard, to win his daily bread, And then comes home to show his love, to the one to whom he wed, And when the things in life are hard, not everything goes right, He provides a haven […]

Clip art by http://ucevanston.org Mother’s anxious waiting Heart By D. E. Lee Through the trials and storms of life,          there’s something you can be sure, It’s Mother’s anxious, waiting heart,          no distance can find cure, For Mother is the one we see,          when first we come to be, And Mother is the one we call,          whenever we have need, And in whatever success we gain,          it’s Mother who we praise, Because we know that without her,          there are few other ways. Seekerz LLC © 2020-2024

YouTube AnnouncementBy Dale E. Lee2024.05.01 Seekerz LLC is happy to announce that we are now on YouTube. Our Channel is Seekerz LLC and the direct link to it is www.youtube.com/@SeekerzLLC. The video “Seekerz Roadmap to Family History” has been uploaded to YouTube and is now available. The video is the course outline for Seekerz Intro to Family History and is available to view for free. The course offers twelve simplified lessons that take the reader from zero to proficiency, regardless of prior experience. It does not assume the use of particular websites or utilities. It guides the reader step-by-step through […]

Digitizing Camcorder VideosBy Dale E. Lee2024.04.24 This week we’ll discuss digitizing camcorder videos. Hi8, Video8, and Digital8 are all stored on magnetic tape. However, just like any other media, it has a shelf life. Magnetic tapes loose data over time and it’s a good idea to convert it to digital format as soon as practical. A good rule of thumb is to copy your data onto the newest media available every 10 years or so. Magnetically recorded medias tend to loose the magnetic charges over time. Even flash drives should be replaced after 10 years. Camcorders can link their electronic […]

Digitizing BooksBy Dale E. Lee2024.04.17 In the past, I’ve talked about several different digitizing machines. Each machine has it’s pros and cons and each media it is digitizing has its own particular challenges. This week I’ll discuss digitizing books. Books have a unique set of challenges. I recently used a book digitizer which had a collapsible arm that reached out about a foot above a black scanning surface. The scanning surface was black in order to reduce glare and show contrast from the picture that was being taken. The scanner displayed a continuous video feed to a computer of what […]

What Can I Digitize?By Dale E. Lee2024.04.10 If you are curious about all the different types of old media it is possible to convert to digital format, this article is for you. I have visited the Mesa Family History Library several times during the past little while, after realizing they had a lot of equipment I could use to digitize my old records. Having grown up in an era of rapid innovation in picture and voice recording, I found I have many different types of recordings on old media. This presents a problem because each type of media, whether VHS, […]