Shakin' the Family Tree

So, I'm off...

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:37:13 GMT

To Pope County to meet my newly found second cousin and tromp through a cemetery with him.

It's a crisp fall day, we had rain yesterday, and there is a mist shrouding the ground.

And...I was contacted by another new cousin this week.

This journey is good.

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Let's talk about something I can change...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:22:29 GMT

With a couple of exceptions, I haven't been able to bury myself in the family history this week.

I did receive a couple of email contacts though. From a man who seems very insistent that I have incorrectly identified the wife of one of my Conners.

He left two post-its a couple of minutes apart on Margaret E Blann's individual record, saying she was not a Blann, but a Hays instead.

The problem with that is that her FAG memorial says her stone is inscribed, Daughter of J and L Blann, wife of J A Conner. (J A Conner is James Alfred Conner, my second great-grand uncle.) I've replied to him with that information. I can't change the gravestone inscription, and since it was "carved in stone" at the time of her death, I tend to place more credibility on Blann as her maiden surname than his cryptic post-it, which offers no sources at all.

I know he's been in FAG, because he also told me - in a separate email - I had misspelled the name of the cemetery, and referred me to two FAG memorials in that cemetery as proof of the correct way to spell the name of the cemetery.

They are my memorials, and the name of the cemetery is misspelled in FAG. I can't change that, either.

Maybe it's just a difference in style of approach.

When I find something online that looks like the same person in my tree, but different information, I poke around for hours trying to see how the other person might have arrived at the conclusions s/he reached before I make contact.

And in my email, I cite the sources I used to draw my own conclusions.

I just figure that's the best way for either of us to make the changes we can...

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It's raining new-found cousins...

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:04:57 GMT

A probable Meek cousin, from some of my entries at Find a Grave...

A for real second cousin of the Burris kind, whom I'll get to meet in person on October 28, when we rendezvous at a gas station at the Atkins exit of Interstate 40, on our way to St. Joe Cemetery...

And bless his soul...a cousin several times removed, who found my online tree and is now catching up on the 140 year old Burris secret after emailing me to ask if I knew who his grandfather's father was...His grandfather was James L Hill.

If you've been putting your family history out on the internet and are wondering if it's worth all the time and effort you've put into it...

Let me assure you, it is.

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Follow Friday

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:47:07 GMT

All kinds of wonderful posts out there this week - some of them will make you say awww... and at least one may make you say ewww...

Susan at Nolichucky Roots, shared a two-parter written by a researcher of a surname they have in common. The story of James W McAdams, one of Susan's reverse orphan kinfolk is told here and here.

Mel Wolfgang has a wonderful post about family history researchers as storytellers in And Still I Write on his blog, Mnemosyne's Magic Mirror.

When the young 'uns roll their eyes about the dotty genealogist in the family, just have them read Laura's post, Why Old People Should Do Genealogy.

Greta made it through the clean-up of the flood in her basement that resulted from a rainstorm and put things in wonderful perspective in her entry, A Proper Place for Sentiment. Would that I have that kind of grace under pressure...

Okay, not really knowing what to expect, I cruised on over to a Thriller Thursday post at Debbie's blog, Mascot Manor Genealogy, and read about the Naked Turkeys that spelled the demise of her great-grandfather's turkey farm.

Looking for another source of online newspaper archives? Who knew Wikipedia had a list? I didn't until I read this entry at Tangled Trees...

Borrowing a phrase my from son, who isn't into genealogy at all...I say, other bloggers rock.

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Okay, I'll play too

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:34:28 GMT

The 99+ Genealogy Things Meme

This meme was started by Becky over at Kinnexions back in 2009, and is making the rounds again.

The challenge is to write about 99 things that you have done, want to do, or will never do in your lifetime...with a genealogy flair.

Here's the key:

Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

Here's my list:

1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents).
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors. Mine give me plenty of feedback.
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research. Would LOVE to be able to do this.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board or forum.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space, or was hatched.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking, writing historic fiction).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language. I use Google Translate for this.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
61. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
62. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
63. Own a copy of Dressed for the Photographer, by Joan Severa.
64. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
65. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
66. Visited the Library of Congress.
67. Have an ancestor who came over on the the Ark and the Dove in 1633/1634.
68. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
69. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
70. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
71. Can read a church record in Latin.
72. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
73. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
74. Created a family website.
75. Have more than one "genealogy" blog - after a fashion...I think my cemetery blog probably counts.
76. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
77. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
78. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
79. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
80. Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
81. Visited the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies in Little Rock.
82. Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety. See #16 above.
83. Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
86. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
87. Use maps in my genealogy research.
88. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
89. Found a secret family amongst the male ancestors.
90. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country).
91. Consistently cite my sources.
92. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
93. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
94. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
95. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
96. Organized a family reunion.
97. Published a family history book.
98. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
99. Have done the genealogy happy dance.
100. Messed up one genealogy document doing the genealogy happy dance about finding another.
101. Offended a family member with my research.
102. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.

Just a tad less than 63% - wonder if I can pull of some of the ones on my wish list in the next year?

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Am having just way too much fun...

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:54:20 GMT

Tracking the ancestors of some of the family in-laws...

Have just discovered, unbeknownst to him, that my brother-in-law named his blue and gold macaw after his 5th great-grandfather...

Not just a whole lot of Ichabods running around these days...

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The next generation...

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:05:31 GMT

So...I've been thinking while I've been on vacation.

Who's going to carry it on when I get to the end of this journey? (For those who may wonder, I think the journey continues, just on a different plane, in a different form.)

Who's going to manage the family tree? Who's going to continue to add the information that comes to light after several more generations?

Who's going to add the dates of death for those of us who are living now?

My son would be the most likely candidate...he's 28.

And is raising my (almost) 4 year old granddaughter, doesn't give a flip about computers, expresses the proper amount of interest in our family history, as long as I keep it brief...

I have a cousin who is keenly interested in the genealogy, but she's in my generation, has no children of her own, and it seems kind of unfair to dump on her, and then have her have to ask herself...

Who's next?

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Somewhere, sometime we'll get a break...

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:15:54 GMT

Spent some time this morning on email and phone with another Burris researcher, one who manages the Burris DNA project.

We are both stuck in the same generation, and know because of the DNA results that we are related - but through whom?

Most likely the parents of men who were born in the last quarter of the 1700s...men who left their birthplace and wound up the extreme western counties of Tennessee before moving on to Missouri and Arkansas.

I'm confident there will be a break. DNA testing for genealogy purposes is gaining widespread acceptance.

Now, I just have to get my son ready (and willing) to carry the torch in case the break comes after I'm gone...

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