Tam Kernewek
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Tam Kernewek “ A bit of Cornish” Volume 30 Issue 1 Spring 2011 RPAC Announces STOP ID Theft Now Petition What if: (1) The Social Security Death Index were no longer available online or (2) Birth certificates in every state were not made public for 125years, nor death certificates, marriages and divorce records avail- able until after 75 years? Genealogy Community Responds To Efforts To Remove Access to Social Security Death Index and Other Records February 7, 2012– Austin, TX: The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) – a joint coalition of internation- al genealogical societies representing millions of genealogists and family historians – announces the launch of its Stop ID Theft NOW! campaign with its We The People petition posted at WhiteHouse.gov. Call To Action For IRS To Do Its Job Each year, fraudulent tax refund claims based upon identity theft from recently deceased infants and adults are filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The current target is the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) or Death Master File since this file, as found on numerous genealogy-oriented websites, could possibly be the source of identity thieves ac- quiring a deceased person’s Social Security number. The IRS could close the door to this form of identity theft if, in fact, it were to use the Death Master File for the purpose for which it was created: to reduce fraud. If returns claiming a tax refund were screened against the Master Death File and matching cases identified for special processing, the thief should receive a rejection notice for the filing. Tax Fraud and Identity Theft: Genealogists Are Not To Blame The House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security is proposing to completely shut down use of the SSDI by genealogists as well as other industries such as banking and insurance that rely upon its information. Such an attempt is short-sighted and runs counter to the original purpose of the SSDI: to actually combat fraud. Loss of Access to SSDI Affects More Than Genealogists Cornish American Heritage Society Cornish American Heritage The SSDI is accessed by many different companies, non-profits and other entities besides individuals researching their family history. Forensic specialists utilize the SSDI when reuniting remains of military veterans with their next-of-kin and descendants. Law offices, banks and insurance companies utilize the SSDI to resolve probate cases and to locate heirs. continued next page 1 RPAC con’t All of these entities would be required to spend more money and more time leveraging other resources of information when the SSDI has served this purpose, uninterrupted, for over a decade. RPAC Petitions Obama Administration The We the People petition, now posted at http://wh.gov/khE and accepting signatures, has a simple yet effective mission: Take immediate steps that would curtail the filing of fraudulent tax refund claims based upon identity theft from recently deceased infants and adults. [Note: Visitors to the WhiteHouse.gov website must log in to sign the petition, or click Create an Account to register. Once registered, return tohttp://wh.gov/khE to sign the petition.] No need for lengthy hearings in front of a Congressional committee. No need for filing statements for or against any House action. No need to waste time and effort which could be directed to more pressing national issues. In fact, the National Taxpayer Advocate in 2011 issued suggestions which do not require additional legislation but can be implemented collaboratively between the IRS and So- cial Security Administration (SSA) almost immediately in time to impact the current tax filing season. About Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) The Records Preservation & Access Committee (RPAC) was formed to advise the genealogical community on ensuring proper ac- cess to historical records of genealogical value in whatever media they are recorded, on means to affect legislation, and on supporting strong records preservation policies and practices. The genealogical community works together through The Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC), which today includes The National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) as voting members. The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), the American Society of Genealogists (ASG), ProQuest and Ancestry.com serve as participating members. Instructions for signing up at WhiteHouse.gov and signing the petition can be found at http://fgs.org/pdf/rpac_petition.pdf. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org/rpac/. Or http://www.geneabloggers.com/rpac-announces-stop-id-theft-campaign-white-house- petition/ Help get the word out to others! - Post the link http://wh.gov/khE as part of a Status Update on Facebook if you have a Facebook account. Also, don’t forget to post to any Facebook pages or groups to which you are subscribed, including genealogical societies! - If you use Twitter, include the link http://wh.gov/khE and briefly explain why signing the petition is important. The hash tag for this campaign is #openssdi. - Consider putting the link http://wh.gov/khE in your email signature to let others know about the petition. Taken from various emails from the Michigan Genealogical Council and Federation of Genealogical Societies. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARY TOYE Mary is a member of the Cornish Heritage Society East From the Cornish Crier Newsletter 2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ~ Tom Rusch It's amazing how we are attracted to things, especially from our childhood. They bring us wonder and comfort, before we even have a chance to understand why, and then we try to find that solace again when we mature. I have had that fascination with the Southwest area of Wisconsin, and its Cornishness is just an added benefit. My maternal grandmother's side of the family comes from Cornwall and what is now Germany. All of my grandparents except for my grandmother Ada Deneen had passed before I was cognizant of what a grandparent was. Her family lived in Mineral Point and she had been a teacher of home eco- nomics and had taught in Mineral Point. She met my grandfather, who was also a teacher, and they moved to Shullsburg, some twenty-five miles south, when he got a job as principal and physics teacher. They spent their last years living in a massive house on the edge of town. I remember visiting my grandmother and the long journeys from Milwaukee to Shullsburg as a child. Grandma died when I was nine. There were two family homes, one in Shullsburg and one in Miner- al Point, that went up for sale and auction upon her passing. It went all too fast, but I didn't realize that… I was just a kid. Even after all of that generation and all shoestring relatives had passed, my family still visited south- western Wisconsin: The Badger Mine and Museum, Wisconsin cheese, Pendarvis, the rolling hills. There was always something to visit. And, of course, the cemetery. There is a lot of history written on the family plot. There were always stories and more questions. And when the genealogy bug hit my mother, she set out to answer them! Of course there isn't room to tell those stories here. At some point in my early adulthood, the family trips turned into my own escapes. Mineral Point was only an hour from my job then, and I could leave it behind on a Sunday afternoon and eat a pasty or watch the colors change in the fall. And though many of the dates and places and ship names from Germany and relationships were answered by my Mom's research, the important ques- tions still remained unanswered: How happy was my family back then? Would they have liked me? Would we have been interested in the same things? And that's why we do this Cornish thing… we find intriguing mystery in the research to be done and the questions left to be asked, and, by just thinking of our vast heritage, we find some serenity. Penryn Fair and Prayer Book Rebellion from Tony Piper (Kernow) via Tom and Libby Luke 3 CORRESPONDENCE FROM SOCIETIES AND CORNISHJACK WEBSITE Michael Bath of Quebec, CA recently posted a message at cousinjack.org, informing us that he and an associate (in Australia) had created a file of the Cornish descendants of Henry (Harry) Bathe of St. Breward, who died in 1617. The entries run from the mid 16th century down to the beginning of the 20th C. There are several families of migrants to the United States and Canada as well as Australia. Michael offered to provide a copy to CAHS if we felt it suitable for our archives. Subsequently, Michael has forwarded this document to us. Although it is a lengthy document, it is searchable, and includes a list- ing of all the surnames for those who married into the Bath(e) family. The file Michael has provided to us is deposited on disc in the CAHS Archives, Southwest Wisconsin Room, U. of Wisconsin Platteville, making it easy to search, and it is available to any researcher to use in the library. Additionally, the staff will provide research services for those who make inquiries via e-mail, regular mail, telephone, etc. The fees for correspondence research are: 1) The first hour of research is free. 2) After the first hour of research the charge is $10.00 per hour. Contact information: Southwest Wisconsin Room Karrmann Library University of Wisconsin-Platteville One University Plaza Platteville, WI 53818 Telephone: 608-342-11t9 E-mail: [email protected] Copying charges are: 10 cents per copy for researchers in the library Corresponding: $3.00 minimum.