WorldVitalRecords.com launched its first newspaper on its site today from Nebraska. The first installment of the Superior Express contains 10,605 names.

Additional new databases from SmallTownPapers® include:

MN Northern Star (Ortonville, Minnesota) UPDATE
NE Superior Express (Superior, Nebraska)
SD New Era (Parker, South Dakota) UPDATE
TX Malakoff News (Malakoff, Texas)
TX Wood County Democrat (Quitman, Texas)

Total Records: 494,507
Total Names: 1,483,521

Recently we received an email from one of our members who provided some genealogical advice that we would like to pass on to you.

This individual is urging individuals to check their local Church (especially non-Catholic) to see whether their records have been copied and placed into a historical society.This individual said that she copied and provided church records to a historical library that began in German language in 1843—through the English language 1960’s. The church was fairly small, and some records were missing (the 1940’s).

In her email, she also provided an example where she went to a church and found the church records, containing baptism, wedding, and funeral records, on an open shelf in a secretary’s office.

Here are her words regarding these experiences: “In both cases, a fire could have destroyed them!!! There can be so much genealogy contained in these records—-OR personal information possibly needed for proof of birth or marriage!!!! It can, and should be done on a volunteer basis—don’t let these records be lost forever!!! Let us all vow to preserve them!!!”

The 1880 Idaho Census, containing more than 33,000 records has been added to WorldVitalRecords.com.

“What I love about census data is that it provides a true cross section of humanity. You get a snapshot of what is going on in lives of the people in particular areas. Censuses really are an incredible resource that ties many vital records together,” said David Lifferth, President, WorldVitalRecords.com.

The records contain information on the gender, race, age, birth place, education, marital status, and occupation. In addition, the census information for each record contains the name of the city, county, line number page number, house number, father’s birthplace, and mother’s birthplace.

This data set was processed in 1975 by students at Idaho State University, who were enrolled in a methodology class within the history department. These students were interested in the data to conduct historical research on Idaho’s historical population.

The earliest census for Idaho Territory actually began in 1870. However, at that time, some of the individuals living in the southern part of Idaho actually believed that they were living in Utah. Therefore, many of these individuals were listed in the Utah census, rather than the Idaho census. In 1873 a boundary survey was administered to resolve disagreements in this matter.

“We’re happy to add this rich data to our census collection. I look forward to gathering additional censuses and vital records from Idaho,” said Yvette Arts, Director, WorldVitalRecords.com.

View this database.

Six new data bases, totaling more than 2.1 million names, are now available at WorldVitalRecords.com. These data sets are free to access and contain a variety of vital information, such as birth dates, marriage dates, death dates. They also provide important historical information.
New from SmallTownPapers®

OR Heppner Gazette-Times (Heppner, Oregon)UPDATE
MN Hendricks Pioneer (Hendricks, Minnesota) UPDATE
WA Issaquah Press (Issaquah, Washington) UPDATE
MN Ivanhoe Times (Ivanhoe, Minnesota)
NH Merrimack Journal (Merrimack, New Hampshire)
WA Mukilteo Beacon (Mukilteo, Washington)

Total Records: 721,438
Total Names: 2,164,314

By Amanda Forson, WorldVitalRecords.com:

While researching my great grandfather’s grandfather on my mother’s side, I found some startling new information that leads me to believe that understanding one’s medical genealogy may help prevent future illness or at least reduce the possibility of early death.

Direct ancestor of the author, Lewis Kinner, died “1878 20-Jun. D Kinner, Lewis Died–In Jackson, June 12, 1878, of dropsy and eripipelas [erysipelas] after a lingering illness, Lewis Kinner, aged 72 years.” (1) What was this illness mentioned within the obituary? Was the illness passed on by heredity? After looking up the terms used in the obituary, dropsy turned into oedema, and erysipelas remained the same. Further looking up the definitions of these terms produced the following results:

Edema (American English) or oedema (British English), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is swelling of any organ or tissue due to accumulation of excess lymph fluid, without an increase of the number of cells in the affected tissue. Edema can accumulate in almost any location in the body, but the most common sites are the feet and ankles… Increased hydrostatic pressure inside the blood vessel (for example in heart failure) will have the same effect… Causes of peripheral edema are: congestive heart failure (2)

Erysipelas was “an acute, febrile infectious disease, caused by a specific streptococcus, characterized by diffusely spreading deep-red inflammation of the skin or mucous membranes.”(3)

The Wikipedia search for dropsy showed that it was a symptom of congestive heart failure. My 2005 began with the death of my mother due to an unexpected stroke. Looking back on her medical conditions at the time, she had the swelling in the legs that was one symptom possibly of congestive heart failure. Other symptoms include:

Left Heart Failure: Symptoms of decompensated heart failure include dyspnea (shortness of breath) on exertion, orthopnea (dyspnea that increases upon lying down), fatigue and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (”cardiac asthma”, shortness of breath that occurs hours or minutes after lying down). Nocturnal cough, [c]onfusion and memory impairment (in advanced stages), and diaphoresis and cool extremities at rest.(4)

Thinking back upon her medical conditions prior to her death, she exhibited all the signs of this condition. Outside of the stroke, part of what she was diagnosed with directly preceding her death was hydropericardium, found in the following article (definition) of the topic of oedema:

Oedema- “The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the intercellular tissue spaces of the body, usually applied to demonstrable accumulation of excessive fluid in the subcutaneous tissues. Oedema may be localized, due to venous or lymphatic obstruction or to increased vascular permeability or it may be systemic due to heart failure or renal disease. Collections of oedema fluid are designated according to the site, for example … hydropericardium (pericardial sac)…”(5)

Physically, my mother took after her mother’s father’s side. That side is where the obituary headlining this article comes from. Although her grandfather died when he was in his late eighties, my mother’s genes manifested the genes of her grandfather’s family, and although granting her a long life according to her physical health conditions, killed her early compared to the current average death age in western societies of seventy-five. She died at 51. Learning this medical genealogy does not necessarily have me scared, but cautious. I take after my mother’s side of the family, although I am unsure of the genes that may manifest themselves in my lifetime.

Everyone has different medical genealogies, whether it is sickle cell anemia, high blood pressure, glucose problems, or Thalassemia. The lifestyles of all ancestors do affect their individual life spans. However, advances in knowledge of exercise, nutrition, and medical technology make a difference. If someone knew that their family had x disease and decided to ward off the effects or even eliminate the effects of the disease by changing their eating, exercising and other habits, it makes sense that they would do what it took to allow themselves to live longer. Researching a family’s medical history may change the life spans of family members. Whether it is removing an organ prone to disease in lieu of getting cancer, or simply taking a daily walk to revive the heart, a person can take control of many diseases simply if they know that they exist within their family history.

Sources

1 Tice, Joyce M. “Tioga County, and some Bradford County, Newspaper Abstracts, Pennsylvania, Wellsboro Gazette 1878,” Tri-Counties Genealogy & History. [Published online.] (Joyce M. Tice: Tri-Counties Site), 15 Jul 2002, Accessed 17 Jan 2007. http://www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/newspapr/1878wgz3.htm.

2 “Edema,”Wikipedia.org.[Published online.] 6 Jan 2007. Accessed 17 Jan 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropsy.

3 “Erisypelas,”Dictionary.com. [Published online.] (Lexico Publishing Group, LLC), 2007, Accessed 17 Jan 2007. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=erysipelas.

4 “Congenital Heart Failure,”Wikipedia.org.[Published online.] 12 Jan 2007. Accessed 17 Jan 2007.

5 “Oedema,” The CancerWEB Project.[Published online.] (The Centre for Cancer Education: University of Newcastle upon Tyne), 2005, Accessed 17 Jan 2007. http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=edema&action=Search+OMD.

WorldVitalRecords.com’s third live chat session will take place on Saturday, January 20, 2007. Georgeann Malowney, Director of Training at WorldVitalRecords.com will be the moderator for the session.

Feel free to join anytime between these hours:

10 AM EST – 3 PM EST
9 AM CST – 2 PM CST
8 AM MST – 1 PM MST
7 AM PST – 12 Noon PST

Question 1: How do I join the chat?
Answer: Approximately 10 minutes before the chat begins, go to http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/training. A chat box will be visible on this page.

To join the chat: Enter any username you desire and hit connect. You do not have to be a member of WorldVitalRecords.com to participate in the chat.

Question 2: What is the URL for the discussion board at WorldVitalRecords.com?
Answer:The discussion board is only available to subscribers. Once you become a member, the link to the training, courses, and the discussion board will be visible at http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/training.

Question 3: How do I participate in the discussion board?
Answer: To participate in the discussion board at WorldVitalRecords.com you must be a subscriber. Click on the link to the discussion board and begin the registration process.

1. Go to the top of the discussion board page (on the top left of the page), click on register.
2. Select a username. (This username will be visible to others and will be a way in which others can identify you on the discussion board.)
3. Then type in your email address.
4. Select a password.

Note: You will receive a confirmation email with your username and password to keep for your records.

WorldVitalRecords.com has added four new databases to its site, including records from Mississipi, New Hampshire, Texas, and Washington. All of these records are FREE to view. In fact, WorldVitalRecords.com currently has more than 225 FREE databases!

Here is a list of the new databases. (Click on the title to view the database.)

MS Holmes County Herald (Lexington, Misssissippi)
NH Merrimack Journal (Merrimack, New Hampshire)
TX Edgewood Enterprise (Edgewood, Texas)
WA Cheney Free Press (Cheney, Washington)

Total Records: 556,965
Total Names: 1,670,895