Making Connections

Real-Life Rosie

I enjoyed your April 2006 issue and your write-up on Rosie the Riveter. My mother was a WWII Rosie the Riveter. When she told me the story, I didn’t fully understand the importance of her job. I now understand, and I’m honored that there’s a place honoring the “Rosies.” My mom’s nickname actually was Rosie, because her name was Rosita. One day, I will visit the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park. To let you know, the Secretary of State building in Sacramento has a museum that’s run by Maria Shriver. It’s called the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts <californiamuseum.org> and honors many great California women of the past and present.

Not-So-Fine Print

Your April 2006 article about selecting a family tree printing company starts out by saying you’ve already designed your own chart that you need to print and tape together, but this would be time-consuming and not result in an attractive display. The article then went on to cover only the services of companies that will design and print a chart for you. The article failed to point out that the family tree printers who were not featured in the review are those who actually specialize in printing charts for genealogists who have already designed charts themselves, and now need them printed.

The sidebar introduction also was misleading — it simply said the listed companies “didn’t participate in [the] hands-on evaluation.” It didn’t explain that these companies were actually excluded from participation because their specialty was printing charts that were already designed.

As owner of one of the leading family tree printing companies, I can definitely say that a large number of people do design their own eye-catching charts using popular genealogy software programs, and they are in search of companies like ours to print their already-designed charts. I believe the article would have better served your readers if it had delivered on the initial premise of reviewing services that will print an already designed chart.

Editor’s note: We did limit our reviews to printers that also design charts for genealogists — a criterion we should have better explained in the article. Other chart companies (including specialists in printing customer-designed charts) weren’t described in detail because our reviews focused primarily on the chart designs, and we couldn’t evaluate companies on a service they don’t provide. Our goal was to give apples-to-apples comparisons, not to imply the other companies’ services aren’t valuable. On the contrary, we included the sidebar to call attention to those businesses even though they fell outside this particular article’s scope. We regret that the article didn’t make that clear.

Gopher Goof

Thank you for the Minnesota state research guide in the April 2006 issue. I’ve been looking forward to its publication to enhance my Minnesota research. But the photo identified as Minneapolis is actually St. Paul. Located adjacent to each other, the Twin Cities enjoy the scenic Mississippi shoreline as it journeys south to the Gulf of Mexico. St. Paul is the Minnesota capital and home of the impressive state historical society. Just thought you would like to know.

Battle of the Beige

I’m a new subscriber to your magazine and read it from cover to cover when it arrives. There was interesting information in your “Exit Strategies” article (February 2006), but I do have a question. According to the article, the Belgian port of Antwerp — “popular in both the 18th and 19th centuries” — kept detailed records. But it didn’t say how I could get these records. Where can I access them? I’m specifically interested in the records of the ship Kroonland departing Antwerp in 1906 and arriving at Ellis Island Nov. 13, 1906. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give.

Editor’s note: While the port of Antwerp did keep detailed records, most of them were destroyed during World War I. As the article explains, the Family History Library <www.familysearch.org> has records from 1855. For additional details on emigration from Antwerp, you can go to <stadsarchief.antwerpen.be>, click on Zoek, then type emigration in the search box. Hit Zoeken, scroll down to the English-language version of the PDF file, and download it.

Finding Religion

I enjoyed “Following Orders” (February 2006) by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack about researching a Catholic nun, priest or brother. I have located significant records for four of them in my family, and Sharon’s advice is right on target.

I would add that a most valuable resource is the annual Official Catholic Directory <www.catholicdir.com> published by P. J. Kenedy & Sons since 1817. The book lists the locations and contact addresses for all the religious orders in the United States, including their initials. This great resource can be found at most Catholic churches and in large research libraries. I’ve found that the sisters in the archives have been most helpful in providing photocopies. My grandmother’s sister made her final vows on her deathbed in Detroit with the founding Sister Superior standing next to her bed. The article at <ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?artide=1098> is also helpful in locating information.

Extra! Extra!

I just had to write and say a big thank you for your article on the Winona Newspaper Project (February 2006). I’ve been hitting many brick walls on my Proell family. After I read your article, I did a search on Proell and it came back with 72 hits on my Proells. I’m finding out many interesting things about my family. I’m so excited — I feel like I’ve hit the mother lode.