Gain Major Genealogy Problem-solving Skills: Episode 129

Add these genealogy problem-solving tricks and strategies to your research arsenal with this February 2019 podcast.



Ep. 129: February 2019





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In this episode:







This Month in Family History with Andrew Koch



After six months of fighting, the Japanese finally surrendered the island of Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands, on Feb. 9. The Allied victory marked a turning point in the Pacific campaign of World War II. Along with the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the Battle of Guadalcanal set the Japanese on their back heels and hindered their further expansion. For the rest of the war, Japan was on the defensive.



Life on the island during the battle had been bleak. Allied soldiers struggled in the hot and humid climate, and tropical diseases such as malaria sidelined as many as two-thirds of Allied divisions at a time. Regular Japanese bombardment kept Allied troops from feeling truly secure in the drawn-out campaign.



How to find the records



You can request World War Two service records (called Official Military Personnel Files) from the National Archives. A 1973 fire at a records center in St. Louis destroyed 75 to 80 percent of Army and Air Force personnel records. However, you can still find World War II army enlistment records online at the National Archives’ Access to Archival Databases.



Sources:



* Brittanica.com* National WW2 Museum* Archives.gov* Wikipedia.org







Genealogy Problem-solving with Cluster Genealogy



Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D. joins Lisa to discuss a powerful problem-solving reearch technique called Cluster Research.



Cluster research is the practice of searching beyond your ancestor. By researching the friends, neighbors, and associates of your ancestor, you may uncover new leads and new connections that can solve brick walls.



Deborah Abbott, PhD is a professional genealogist, specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections and African American family research. A Trustee on the Board of the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS), she is also a member of the Cuyahoga County Ohio Archives Advisory Commission, and of the Board of Directors for the Federation of Genealogy Societies (FGS). Moreover, Dr. Abbott is an affiliate with the Kentucky-Tennessee Associates, past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both the BS and M.Ed. degrees from Tuskegee University in Alabama and the PhD degree from Kent State University in Ohio.



Want to see Dr. Abbott put cluster research in action? Join the 2019 Spring Virtual Conference, where you’ll get access to a brand-new presentation from Dr. Abbott, along with 15 other videos, live Q&As, and activities galore to help you with your problem-solving.