Sunday, November 3, 2002
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Sunday, November 3, 2002 |
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Newnan LDS Church plans Open House, family history presentations November 7
Want to know more about Buffalo Bill Cody, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Mark Twain (in this case, he's Samuel Clemens), John. D. Rockefeller, Booker T. Washington, or Franklin D. Roosevelt? Those famous Americans and 55 million of their fellow citizens, including untold numbers of individuals with relatives currently living in the Southern Crescent, are featured in the 1880 United State census, currently appearing online for the first time at www.familysearch.org the family history Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). And, even if you don't have a computer, you can take advantage of this remarkable genealogy tool at an open house planned for Thursday, Nov. 7, from 7-9 p.m. at the LDS Church's Family History Center in Newnan. Preparing the census database for the Internet took 17 years of painstaking research, according to a recent news release. The database contains more than 55 million names, more than 95 percent of all households at the time. In that year, the United States comprised 38 states and eight territories, excluding Oklahoma, which was still considered Indian territory. In addition to showcasing the 1880 census, and its broad range of features (for instance - you can also find out who lived next door to Alexander Graham Bell, if that's your interest), the open house will feature expert presentations from LDS members from Newnan, Peachtree City, Sharpsburg and Fayetteville on other genealogical sources on the Internet, the materials available in the LDS Church's own family history center in Newnan, and getting started on and organizing family history searches. The staff of the Newnan Family History Center also will be on hand to help visitors start their own family trees, and will collect family history information from all interested parties to help them get started researching their own families. The 1880 census was chosen not only because of its historical significance, but also for the likelihood that many people today would be able to locate an ancestor of that era. The 1880 U.S. Census is viewed as especially significant for those researching African American genealogy. The census lists 6,580,793 African Americans 12 times the number contained in Freedman's Bank, a database documenting generations of African Americans beginning immediately after the Civil War. It is also the first online database to include the names of former slaves, and the second census to identify blacks as individuals and families instead of property. The census also lists more than 100,000 Asian Americans, 66,000 Native Americans and 10,000 people of Hispanic ancestry. The database format also makes it possible to find not only members of families that were living together, but their neighbors, too. The census for the first time also listed such things as birthplace of parents, the relationship of people in the household (including servants and boarders) as well as marital status and occupation. The open house will be held in the church's Newnan building, 821 Old Atlanta Highway, just off U.S. Hwy. 29 north of downtown Newnan. For more information, call the Newnan Family History Center, 770-254-9857.
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