FOOTNOTE'S MILITARY DATABASES ARE NOW IN FOLD3.COM
Brenda Kellow
September 11, 2011
Accessing military history at the National Archives in Washington is a simple matter, once you get to the archives from where ever you live. Branch archives have some of the soldiers and sailors records in the various wars. Now there is a place on the Internet with all that information in one collection available to you at home. The collection includes histories and maybe even pictures of the military person. Footnote.com announced the name change on August 18 to Fold3, www.fold3.com/. The intention is to refocus on having the best online collection of military records and stories. Fold3 reflects our military history and honor of those who fought for our country.
The promo describes the reason for the name change. “Traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world.”
Footnote goes on to say, “This announcement isn’t a complete change from what we’ve been doing. Some of our best and most popular work has been on military titles like the Revolutionary War Pension files, the Civil War Service Records and “Widows’ Pensions,” WWII Missing Air Crew Reports and the Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. This new focus will direct our content plans and allow us to organize the site around military records. In the future we’ll make other changes that will help us build the best online source for records related to the U.S. military, the men and women who have served and the families who support them.”
Footnote will not go away. The non-military records are still available at www.footnote.com. To discover the multitude of records available, you must go to “Other records available” to find these. The full explanation of the new change, go to http://blog.fold3.com/footnote-is-now-fold3/. The listing of new and old databases on Fold3, go to www.fold3.com/documents/?&&sort=updated&xid=1124.
After studying the growing list of available databases, I realized that I was not aware of several. Although Fold3 is available by subscription, some are open at this time to search free. The 1812 database is free for a short time, as are the Viet Nam photos and service awards, Pentagon Papers, Brady Civil War photos and Maps, and World War II Air Force pictures to name only a few.
Many subscription sites open free searches around major holidays like July 4, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Christmas. Make a note on your calendars to check out sites you would like to search free during these holiday weekends. In addition, many sites let you search free for a limited time before they charge your credit card. The catch is to remember to cancel the free use before the time expires if you do not want to purchase the subscription.
SEARCH ANCESTORS FREE ON MOCAVO: Thanks to Joe at www.houseofproctor.org for the heads-up on a new place to search at www.mocavo.com. He admits it needs a lot of improvement, but then exclaims that it is a start. It adds links to forums, Ancestry and it expands Google searches. Let’s check it out for free. You might find that missing puzzle piece to your family history.
EARLY PLANO’S BATHTUBS AND ELEVATORS: One reader informed me that in early Plano Martin’s Barber Shop and Merritt’s Barber Shop had bathtubs in the back rooms so clients could take a hot bath. I visited the beauty shop in the back of Martin’s Barber Shop on a weekly basis while in high school, but I never knew about the bathtubs. Another surprise was that George Hardware had an elevator in the back. It was in the building next door to the First National Bank, now the Schell Building.
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a Certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].