Journeys Past

Pinteresting Family History

2012-02-26T18:33:00.000-05:00

As social networking fads go, I am usually a late bloomer. I wait until the hype has died down, and until I know it is a product that is going to stick around long enough for me to add it to my list of e-habits. When the hype about Pinterest started reaching a fever pitch, from first glance, I was unamused. I'm not getting married, I just re-decorated my new house, and I jumped off the crafty barge years ago.....so what would I use this for? I knew I was making a pre-judgement about it, and with the buzz, I decided to give it a shot. And sooooooo, I was hooked immediately. Here's why:

To my core, I am a hugely visual person. I have always loved photography and beautiful images - and collected them at an early age in the form of cuttings or souvenirs. Pinterest appealed to this nature since it is simply virtual scrapbooking. I collected images from around the internet into little albums of my subject choice - called "boards" in Pinterest. Once I started boards for the things I love, books, libraries, tea, gardening, history, etc., I found it to be a relaxing and visually stimulating game. And just FYI - this is supposed to be fun, not serious - so let's not over think this people! In short order, I was abandoning "Words With Friends" to see what neat outfits my friends had pinned, or what art work I could add to the mix. Sometimes, I even pinned photos from my blogs. Which is how an idea started to grow.

When I was a teenager, I made a real scrapbook. I can go back to that scrapbook today and view the images with a sense of nostalgia and happy or sad memories. Pinterest does the same thing. I can look at my boards and get a real sense of the things I love or enjoy. In essence, they are representations of me - in such colorful and vibrant expressions! As I looked at them and had some fun, I suddenly wished I had the same visual essence about my ancestors. After all, they loved scrapbooking too. Only a few still exist, but we have examples of the same thing in tangible form. If they could make the same visual choices, what would they pin? What would we learn about them?

Since I could not go back and ask them to pin things.....I started thinking about what images reminded me of them. Once I made a few boards in honor of a few grandparents that have passed, I soon discovered this had the potential to be a useful, teachable and shareable tool for family history. We are always searching for ways to draw in the interest of younger people, to share their heritage in engaging ways. This is a unique and fun way to do so. Let me show you a few boards, followed by what and why I pinned, plus what I learned through the pinning. I quickly discovered that the more I pinned, the more memories were coming to me, in flashes of color. Stories were being remembered, and I was happily remembering my loved ones in ways I had not done so in a long time.

Boards created: Grandpa Charles, Grandpa Roy, Grandma Freida, Great Grandma Nellie
Description for each: What I remember, and what reminds me of him/her.

Subject 1:
Grandpa Charles

What I pinned:
Cigars - I can remember him smoking these when I was little, but he stopped when I was about 10.
Benji - He and Grandma took us kids to see this Movie and then they bought a dog that looked just like Benji - and named him as such!
Military images - WWII, D-Day
France - He and the family were stationed there during the Korean War.
Delta Queen - He and Grandma took so many trips on this famous boat, I could not count them.
Trains - Both real and model. Grandpa worked for the Railroad for years - at Union Terminal (another pin) - plus he collected and showed model trains (sometimes all of us grandkids helped him with his model train shows).
Nickel - When it was his turn to baby sit, he would try to bribe us kids with a nickel to "be good"!

Subject 2:
Grandpa Roy

Cows - He was a dairy farmer in Kentucky.
Tobacco - Grew lots on the same farm.
Tractors and field images.
Old Westerns - Zane Grey Books or TV Westerns, or anything "out west" - he loved all of these!
Fireflies - He was always around when we were catching them, either on the front porch with a glass of iced tea (See Freida's pin board), or reminding us the next morning to "let those bugs go or they'll die in that jar!"
Virginia Beach - I remember him lifting me up in the air whenever a wave would hit us - I was only five, but I remember this vividly.
Amtrak - I remember the train ride from Cincinnati to Washington D.C. when I was 9 - He and I were seat buddies behind my Mom and Grandma Freida.
Border Collies - He always had these dogs on the farm - and I dearly loved each one!

Subject 3:
Grandma Freida

Iced Tea - She was making this ALL the time - and we LOVED it!
Corn on the cob - from picking it, to peeling it, to cooking it, to eating it....wonderful memories.
Books and the Bible - She was a big reader of the Bible and books in general.
Iron Skillets - For cornbread, of course.
Garter snake - She was talented at going after those things with a hoe! Got them every time!
Canning jars - She canned when I was young, and then moved to freezing when I was older, but either meant a lot of growing, picking and blanching.
Flowers, fruit - Had a large orchard, plus various flowers around the house.

Subject 4:
Great Grandma Nellie

Gone with the Wind Lamps, Moon & Star Glassware - She was a huge antique collector!
Kittens - Always hiding around her porch.
Cotton aprons - Always had one on when I visited.
Sugar cookies!
Hollyhocks and Hollyhock Dolls - She taught me how to make these.
Old school bus in the back, used for storage - but full of bumble bees in the summer!
Letters - She wrote letters all the time.
Family Tree - She was the gatherer of family history and photographs and let me play among them at a young age - letting me ask loads of questions. She was the one who inspired me to research the family and pass on our legacy.

After all of this, I realized that the more I looked at the images I pinned, the more they were drawing even more memories out of my psyche. I also drew some conclusions about the people I remembered. Grandma Freida was such a minimalist, and as I tried to go back through her house in memory, I was having a hard time picking out things she liked - because I do not have one memory of her buying something just because she liked it. She was always buying things for others and living life centered on what happened outside the house on the farm. This is in contrast to Grandpa Charles, who loved collecting things and taking enjoyment in frivolous novelties - two very different ways of life!

Oh! And don't forget, the beauty of Pinterest, is that the memories are not just yours. You can open up your boards to other family members to invite them to post their favorite images about the loved ones.....you will soon learn that though we have some similar memories, many of us have very different ones, which adds a dimension to the life that was. This is a great way to get families talking about memories. As they post an image, remind them to try and give a caption that explains what this image conjures for them. This can be done anytime of the year, or just after a loved one dies as a celebration, or just before a family reunion! The possibilities are endless - but the fun and lessons learned are far reaching!

A last note about copyright. There is some current stink swirling around about copyright and Pinterest. I will post a link to an article about it - but some people are upset that it pulls in images for sharing with thousands of people without proper credit given. My take on this - as long as you are pinning an image from the direct url source, the image becomes a visual url - clicking on it should take me to the original source. I cannot steal the low-rez image and reproduce for profit, I am sharing visual links with friends - which happens in multiple ways all over the internet. Some places, like Flickr, are starting to block their image content from being pinned - which is ridiculous since they are freely sharing the images with the world already by posting to Flickr - with the understanding that I am only visually enjoying them, not stealing them nor re-using them in an abusive way - I hope the rest of the world does not take this drastic and silly stance. I have purposely visited some of my favorite blogs to pin images knowing people will track back to the blog and give my favorite authors some more, and well deserved traffic. I also pin a few desired products complete with pricing - this is the evolving nature of social media - as long as we use this correctly (and pin from the original source), people are getting credit. But then, hey Pinterest - why not pull in the citation info with an image to include as a caption? Just a thought!

Article from PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/250700/what_you_should_know_about_pinterest_and_copyright.html

Positively Splendid Article about proper Pinterest Etiquette:
http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2012/02/guide-to-proper-pintiquette-pinterest.html

At the moment, Pinterest is invite only, so if anyone needs an invite, just shoot me an e-mail. If you want to follow my boards as the memories evolve - I am Pastology on Pinterest.
Happy pinning!
C

52 Weeks - Genealogy Libraries

2012-02-25T17:27:00.000-05:00

I am woefully behind on this year's 52 Weeks blogging challenge. Last year's 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy was a fun trip down memory lane when I was able to jump in. This year, the new prompts are more about sharing your favorite genealogy tips or resources. With a new job and RootsTech this year, I am just now getting back into my blogging groove. And....as a Librarian, I cannot let this week's challenge go by without a comment or two about my favorite libraries. So, as I sneak in just under the wire for this week's challenge, I will begin by confessing that a couple of these are shameless plugs as I have been very affiliated with two out of the four Libraries I am going to post about. Also these small profiles are about Genealogy Libraries in the Central Kentucky area - PLUS, they are Libraries I am familiar with. If I leave out any special places in this area, this is not intentional, and one can only give an opinion of those places one is knowledgeable about - so feel free to comment if you have experience in other Central Kentucky Genealogy Libraries that I missed.

The Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library, Frankfort, KY:

This is one of my plugs as I am currently the Senior Librarian/Reference Specialist with this Library. But I must say, I fell in love with this Library the moment they built it, ten+ years ago. When I started my true genealogy journey, many years ago, I begin seeking out genealogy specific Libraries and I have to say this one was the number two spot on my hit list. Back then, they were housed in the Old State Capitol annex and even though it was cramped, it was the place I was first introduced to Ship Passenger Lists and Census records - before ANYTHING was online! When they decided to build the new Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, they hit a home run! This Center conducts amazing educational programs, houses a wonderful museum area and has the largest Genealogy Library in the state! Among the many features, as quoted from their site:

"Located on the second floor of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Kentucky Historical Society Martin F. Schmidt Research Library houses over 90,000 published works, dealing primarily with history and genealogy, as well as more than 16,000 reels of microfilm and over 30,000 vertical files of collected and contributed research."

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, KY:
Whenever I talk about genealogy research in Kentucky, I always include this Library as well. While the previous Library houses the most genealogy specific material (published genealogies, family history files, special collections, etc), this Library houses the most official records on the state/county level. They are THE official repository for the records of Kentucky and should NOT be missed when conducting research in the area or the State! They too have a wonderful facility just up the hill on the Connector in Frankfort - and might I add, both facilities have GREAT parking!

University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington, KY:

This is my second plug as I worked for this Library system for over 11 years. Now, I know this is not thought of as a genealogy specific Library, but it houses a collection that should be on EVERY Kentucky genealogist's list. They maintain, and reproduce for sale, the largest collection of Kentucky newspapers on microfilm. I detailed how to access their collection in this previous post about newspapers in Kentucky. Might I also add, that they do have a decent collection of genealogy material both in the form of published genealogies (many on the shelf in the main Library) and county compiled records (in their Special Collections Library). They also have wonderful map and photograph collections! I will be speaking on their collection as well as how to access it at the next 2nd Saturday Genealogy Workshop Program on March 10th at the Kentucky Historical Society. BTW, I always like to mention that UK loans these newspapers to Libraries all over the world via Interlibrary Loan, so even those out of state should look into this option!

The John Fox Jr. Genealogical Library, Paris KY:

This little gem is on my list for sentimental reasons. It was the FIRST genealogy Library I visited when I began my research trek. It is very small by comparison, but it is housed in the state headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The hours are very unpredictable since it is run solely by volunteers, but it is one of those old-school genealogy hubs that provides solid expertise and research help by the dedicated volunteers that are willing to assist. They were very kind and patient when I visited as a budding genealogist in my early 20s, which places them on my list of favorite genealogy Libraries in my area!

Get researching folks! These places will keep you busy!!
C

This Little Tablet Went To.....

2012-02-22T14:04:00.002-05:00

When the end of the year tablet debates were swirling around, I was quietly gaining some of my own experience in this area. I really didn't have an opinion, and to be honest, it's still a work in progress. This is an entirely new technology concept for me, but since I love technology and new gadgets to help me get things done, I knew I needed to explore this further. After initiating this new toy, uh, I mean tool, at RootsTech, I thought I would fill you in on my progress so far.

Once upon a time.....
I was searching for a tablet to call my own, yet EXTREMELY hesitant to fork out $600-$800 on one of the most popular brands. I was a veteran iPhone user, having had one for about 3 years, which naturally meant my leaning towards and iPad. The price was my main beef. Once that obstacle was in my way, I was very ready to begin looking at other options.

I knew the size of an iPad, and had seen it in use among my colleagues. Even my preacher looks pretty swanky up there using his instead of a paper notepad - but then, he looks cool all the time! The size was a concern for me. I knew it was large, and I wondered how I would carry it around despite it's thin and light-weight nature. I also knew it had some limitations, such as not being able to read Flash sites or not easily handling documents. But, you can't argue with the streamline nature of iPad: it's video, music, visual and app strength. We both know Apple and Android fight over the app market, but there really isn't any contest - Apple won that one long ago. (I will talk a bit more on that in a minute)

Since my budget was just not going to give on the price, and since I wasn't willing to settle for a version that was tied to wireless only, I started shopping all of the options. My debate was between 7 or 10 inch, and anything in between - and I was busy doing my homework on the subject. As long as the tablet was Android at least, I figured I could get by. But, that is when it happened....I found a SALE!!

Since I am a tethered ATT&T customer, and since I knew I could get the data plan from them, I thought I would take a look at their offerings beyond the iPad. I was not convinced I had to go with them, but I needed to see what their plans looked like, etc. This was about a week and a half before Thanksgiving, and just prior to the release of the Kindle Fire, which I had on my radar as an opti

on. I stumbled upon a "deal" they had online at the time - a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab for $70! You read that right - SEVENTY DOLLARS! Yes, I know, refurbished is not the same, but I am a sale sucker and most of my pcs have been refurbished - with no adverse effects. Refurbished did not bother me in the least, and the only string attached was the commitment to start a 2 year contract for the data plan at $35 dollars a month. Since I was already prepared to begin a new data plan, I was happy with the whole arrangement, and figured this was a great way for me try out the tablet experience for a couple of years to see what I think, and to decide whether the size I am getting is too small for my needs. I purchased the 7 inch that they were offering and my tablet adventures began.

When I got the new toy/tool, I was a little disappointed in the size, but it sure was pretty! We played together a while as I learned this new Android system, but we weren't exactly bonding as I had hoped. I did like that it was small enough to fit in my purse very easily - and cute enough to be seen its new leather case that resembles a book! I found the Android system to be clunky and not as intuitive as the Apple platform I was used to. The hidden or pop-up menus are still proving to be an adjustment. I was also disappointed in the app availability with the Android. Some of my iPhone favs were not there, and even the rest of the offerings seemed sparse. I expect, as time goes by, to see Android and Apple become more even in the app department, but as of now, there is still a great divide, in my opinion. I did LOVE the reading apps. I have both the Kindle and Nook loaded, and have enjoyed buying some e-books for the flight to SLC - this part worked beautifully!

Beyond using it to surf or read before bed, I found I was not using it as much as I had hoped. I took it to work one evening, and found it to be a great tool for helping patrons at the reference desk in the Library! If we were looking for something in particular, I could take the tablet along to the stacks and search for the next item without having to go back to a pc for another search. This was VERY helpful. I also appreciated its ability to read Flash sites. I was not so convinced that I could use this for blogging very easily, but I was willing to give that a try.

In preparation for RootsTech, I was going to try using the tablet only while traveling. After hauling around my laptop last year, I was ready to fly with only a tablet. In anticipation of this new plan, I purchased a Samsung dock keyboard to aid in my blogging (about $50). The semi-full-sized keyboard is the bomb! I love this ability which really extends the usefullness of this tool! However, despite this additional gem that allowed me to blog on the fly without a laptop, there was no USB port to allow me to upload pics from my camera. There is a micro SD card slot in the Tab, but this means I would have to buy a special micro converter for my camera, etc.....my advice, try to get a Tab with a USB port! With this latest complication, I was forced to bring along the laptop anyway (besides, I had other work duties I needed to perform while away which involved the full Office Suite, and which is way beyond a Tablet's ability).

During the conference, I chose to bring along only the tablet and left the laptop in the room. While my colleagues were getting out their laptops to type notes, I was forcing myself to use the Tablet, usually without the keyboard. At first, this was clunky, and I found myself wanting to reach for the dock, or lusting over small netbooks that could type easily, but so lightweight they didn't weigh you down as a laptop would. But then it happened.....she and I found our groove!

I am a session hopper when it comes to conferences. Especially at RootsTech when there are so many concurrent sessions for each time slot. When I go into a session, I sit or stand at the back, ready to leave if the session is not quite what I was expecting - of after half of it, I dash out to catch a snippet from another going on down the hall. As I walk around, I suddenly realized that I could easily stand or walk and have the tablet open, typing very fast with both thumbs like speed texting on my iPhone - yet much easier! As a side note, I was using EverNote for my note taking which meant everything was already waiting for me back home or on my laptop as soon as I hit the sync button - glorious! By the end of the conference, I was no longer jealous of the laptops around me and smugly got out my new best friend for note taking when we were in a lab session where laptops could not fit!

After I purchased my Tab, I loaded genealogy apps on there - the free ones only - but they are very inadequate so far. They will read Gedcoms - which was helpful when researching at the Family History Library in SLC - but you cannot alter them or add to them in any way. I attended Jill Ball's presentation on her experience with the Galaxy Tab and genealogy, but she had not reviewed the paid genealogy apps either, so maybe after they all work their bugs out, we can purchase these apps with confidence. I have heard RootsMagic has one coming soon, but I am waiting for Legacy to get one going - hurry up please!

To wrap things up for now, she and I are good buddies. I still don't use her as often as I should, but she has earned her keep! I can't wait to partner up with her again for NGS in Cincy or to take her on a real vacation - not only for her reading abilities - but for the blogging function I love with the additional keyboard. There is another option for an outside keyboard - a bluetooth keyboard instead of a dock - but they are thinner and smaller, and roughly the size of the tablet since they are designed to fit in the same cover. I have also heard that the other carrier companies block the bluetooth feature with the Galaxy Tabs, but ATT&T allows this function.

We will give an update if our relationship develops further, but for now, we are still learning about each other. BTW, the week after I purchased my Galaxy, the Kindle Fire was released for $199. That same day, ATT&T raised the price of the refurbished Galaxy Tab to match at $199. I was a little surprised, but then, not really. I have not checked to see if they lowered them again - but keep your eye out for special deals! Mine functions exactly as a new one would - so I am very happy with the reduced price!
Toodles for now!
C and the GT

Love According to Jack & Thelma

2012-02-13T23:04:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago I got a little addicted to buying original letters and photos at Ebay. My addiction was partly a result of the bidding wars that took place for the WWII letters of Jack (George) Hunt and Thelma Barnes. Apparently, this collection was sold at an estate sale, but subsequently separated into batches for the online auction market. I have not investigated Jack Hunt's War record yet, but I do know he began his service in 1942 and served well into 1945. During this time, he was engaged to his hometown sweetheart, Thelma Barnes. Unfortunately, I was unable to win all of the batches of letters written between these two, but I managed to snag about 100. The separation of this collection was conducted in a mercenary fashion as usual. Batches of 10 were parcelled out in date order, with the exception of a few singled out to be sold on their own when the content was particularly interesting or rare. It was doubly sad that no one seemed to want Thelma's letters since she was writing from the homefront - hers went very cheap. Yet, their story is only half known if we only read one side of the exchange.

The wonderful thing about these letters is the prolific prose found inside. Jack was a very engaged writer! He was articulate, his penmanship was clear, he was detailed, and he was funny! He was not the most grammatically correct writer, but his sweet affections expressed for Thelma are some of the most adorable I have ever read. Instead of the standard (and often boring) letters back home, Jack actually described what he was doing, how he was training, what movies he saw, and how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with dear Thelma. As I went through the letters, these two expected some sort of leave within 1943 or so to get married, but the War kept getting in the way. The more they wrote, the more they expressed their desire to marry and have a happy life with children. I also noticed that as the War drug on, Jack's letters became much more solemn in nature - but he never waned from his desire to marry Thelma. By the last letters in 1945, I did not know if he made it home to marry his sweetheart, but then I stumbled upon Thelma's obit from 2008. I was very excited to see that they did get married as soon as he got home in 1945 and had several children. Jack died in 1971, but Thelma remained true and never remarried. After reading their passionate love letters, I am not surprised in the least!

These are some excerpts from their February letters.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! (P.S. Don't you love her pink stationary?!)
C

RootsTech Round-Up

2012-02-07T17:53:00.002-05:00

I know it's pretty odd to skip posts from RootsTech Day 1 to a final Round-Up, but I have an explanation. I'm totally frazzled after this trip! After the Day 1 post, I had every intention of completing a Day 2 and Day 3, but if you have never been to RootsTech, you must understand that the schedule is intense! Besides, not only did I get sick during the conference and am trying to recover, but I have taken so many notes about the sessions themselves that I want to devote single posts to some of the issues brought up during each one. This post will include some of the highlights, my experiences and a brief review of how things went.

For those of you who were not able to attend, and for those of you who did, but could not get to every session (ie: you are not a super hero able to be in 13 places at once), be sure to check into the main RootsTech web site and view the recorded sessions that are available, as well as searching for RootsTech on YouTube.

For now, let me give you my top 10 highlights of RootsTech 2012:

1. Keynotes: Fantastic this year and really put what we learned into a future-minded perspective! They were energetic, informative and reminded us all of why we were there! It also helped us see where we were headed as an industry!

2. Unconferencing Sessions: The TRUE way to collaborate with each other on the varying levels. These sessions are greatly needed to work through issues that hamper us all.

3. The Mobile App: I LOVED this feature! Despite its bugginess at times, it really helped me keep on track and let me quickly review other sessions on the fly! Awesome addition!

4. Twitter Feed: Again, one of my favorite features from last year. This year it was made even better with more attendees, integration into the Mobile App, and big screens throughout the conference halls that let us watch the Twitter stream! It is a communication tool that lets us quickly view the impressions of fellow attendees, and lets us share our impressions with the rest of the genealogy community!

5. Meeting and collaborating with fellow genealogists/bloggers! This was great fun! Made new friends, enjoyed wonderful social events and laughed til my sides hurt! The pics below are from the Kentuckian dinner and the WDYTYA viewing event at the Peery Hotel Bar. Notice all the bloggers tweeting when the commercials came on!

6. Metadata and GedcomX: If you do not know what these are, review the recorded sessions and syllabus material. These were two major issues that were addressed this year - and in my opinion, the two most important issues in the industry today. Great sessions and plans for future discussions! I will post more about these later!

7. Live streaming and recorded sessions: I didn't get to take part in these, but knowing the rest of the genealogy world could enjoy some of these wonderful sessions, the more I felt comfortable with the overall conference. A must for all future RootsTech conferences!
8. 1940 Census: The hype was great and the explanations about the community indexing projects were very helpful. The information learned at the various census partners booths will be invaluable as I relay some of the info to my local genealogist groups.

9. Exhibit Hall: Much improved and a hot-bed of activity. I loved the energy here, the celebrity watching, the interviews, the info, and the swag that went with the whole experience!

10. Late night at the LDS Library: Always one of my favorite things! Despite my exhaustion and sensory overload, the energy at this event always brings me back to what all of this is about - genealogy and finding our ancestors. As I search through the records, it always makes me wonder what they would have thought about all of these advances and products designed to help us find and document their existence!

Overall, I would readily consider this year's RootsTech to be a success. Compared to last year, it has expanded and made some improvements that gave the conference a lighter and more vibrant feel. The increased number of attendees was evident, and greatly enhanced the knowledge base! There are a few things they improved upon and a few things they should have improved upon:

Win: More couches/seating in the Exhibit Hall - great improvement! They had several sections of long comfortable couches and benches around the Cyber Cafe and Playground areas. As a testament to these being a great addition, they were ALWAYS in use, no matter what time of day!

Fail: Too many sessions going on at once. We complained about this last year. On average there were 13 sessions going on at once, and that did NOT include the number of unconferencing sessions that were scheduled concurrently. This was soooo frustrating since many of the unconferencing sessions sounded just as awesome as the regular sessions! "Too much input!", not enough time! Since they haven't developed cloning yet, they may want to examine this issue...please!!

Win: Larger Exhibit Hall area. Last year, the Exhibit Hall was sectioned off and not quite as fluid. The flow was much better this year which also allowed for more exhibitors - always a win! Oh, and I noticed the book seller booths were always busy...just sayin!

Fail: Divided sessions. This was a huge complaint of mine last year, and I didn't see too much of a difference this year. The sessions were divided between user and developer. Not many users attended developer sessions and not too many developers attended user sessions. We still had a large segment flocking together per their species. The exception has always been the unconferencing sessions. There were some larger unconferencing sessions that fit EXACTLY my idea of collaboration effectiveness! I attended one that covered metadata, which consisted of a panel of developers, that was bombarded with user questions from the audience. This type of interaction answered questions for both sides, and sent both groups away thinking about some new approaches. In my perfect RootsTech experience, they would significantly reduce the number of regular, BASIC user level sessions, and make one whole day full of nothing but unconferencing sessions. THIS is the only way to ensure wide-spread collaboration and really get a conference that brings the users and developers together in a manner that impacts the industry to the levels we are seeking!

Win: Syllabus material. MUCH better than last year! More complete, and readily available online instead of just on a CD. My only area for improvement here would have been including it in the App somehow, but I know the files were large, so they get a pass on that one.

Fail: Hands-on Workshops. Ok, so I attended three of these, and from beginning to end, they were awkward. The initial sign-up for these before the conference filled seats up within 3 hours - please get larger labs for these! They are in high demand and very helpful! One hands-on workshop was not hands-on at all. This was one of the most highly anticipated workshops - the 1940 census indexing sneak peek - only it wasn't. Once we got in there, it was just a presentation about Family Search Indexing in general, how the 1940 census would go live, timelines about indexing, and a history of the 1940 census. This one could have been presented in the main large hall as a lecture/presentation and they would have filled up the place! There was NO hands-on portion - so why limit this when it was a main theme of the conference and could have been given a standard lecture room?! The other hands-on workshops were fine and instructional, but with the varying skill levels of participants, it slows things down and makes the flow hard for the presenter.

Big WIN: The live streaming and recorded sessions to allow for industry-wide participation! This is a must for any tech conference in my opinion. I know some non-genealogists would see this and think they are being silly for live streaming or providing sessions for free to those who could not attend, but if they ever want to charge for the live stream/recorded session access at some point - I would be fine with that. They have to earn money to continue this type of conference, and a pay option for home attendance would be a great option to maintain the impact level of this conference industry-wide!

Fail: Session quality. I know this is a controversial opinion, but I just have to say that the amount of basic user level sessions was disappointing. Some of the sessions presented were on the same level as intro tech sessions seen at NGS or FGS. This is THE tech conference for the industry. I would have much rather seen some serious instructional sessions on the advanced user levels, rather than overviews or lists of what can be used. I attended one of the few sessions on e-book publication and was disappointed to learn it was a session on how to publish through one company - no, I want to learn best practices, review of the various ways to do this, and who has the best interface, etc. We really need to step up the level of some of the sessions for next year. After talking with several attendees, I was not alone in this feeling.

Well, that's it for this year! I will be creating individual posts later to discuss various tech issues and things learned during the conference, but as so many of us have declared - RootsTech takes a lot of post-processing time! I'm not sure I will be attending next year, but this second year has confirmed for me that this conference is on a strong ride with no signs of diminishing anytime soon. However, with the live streaming, Twitter feeds, Blogs, syllabi and recorded sessions, none of us have to miss out if we can't make it every year! Despite any criticisms above, it was a great conference this year and we all thank the organizers for a great time! It was a HUGE success!!

RootsTech Day 1

2012-02-03T01:45:00.000-05:00

So here we are again for another year of genea-tech-nirvana! The anticipation for this conference has been even more intense than last year - and attended by a lot more people! Rumors have reported over 4200 attendees this year, which is over a thousand more than the first RootsTech! I recognized many faces from last year, but have already met some new ones and am very glad to have two more days to increase those numbers! So far, the most amazing thing about this conference is its focus on the future. You wouldn't naturally think of a heightened atmosphere that was this future centric at a genealogy conference, but it is inspirational. Here's how I'm interpreting this:

During the keynote speech, we were introduced to a research concept that is about 50 years in the making. This concept revolved around the research patterns of a teenager in the year 2060. While some of the technology used was familiar, the methodology was new, yet, not surprising. In a nutshell, this teenager was able to ask Siri who her great grandparents were, and it would then begin reciting, or display a picture of, her family tree. Then she would be shown photos of them and other ancestors, plus given a snapshot of what the historic timeline in which they lived looked like- complete with residence profiles. While we were all amazed and completely jealous of a generation we haven't even met yet, I think it gave the whole conference a focus. We aren't at RootsTech to merely find our ancestors in databases, nor make more records available digitally.....we are there to do all of those things PLUS make things available for the next generation. Time is a very palpable attendee, and as we move rapidly from tweet to blog to cloud, we are constantly reminded of the temporal nature of our current formats. The tweet we posted in response to a session statement is out of date within 30 seconds. This of course fits right at home with the fragility of life, and potential loss of family history if we do not preserve it.

Which means our genealogical responsibilities have changed. We no longer have the duty and honor of gathering the facts/stories and writing them down, but we now have to monitor how we maintain our new digital records as well as try to anticipate how the next generation will access them. Will my tree and all of the data associated with it exist after all of my hard work has produced an accessible version? And even more importantly, how do I leave a legacy that speaks to that future generation that is learning in a fundamentally different way than I was taught? To take it one step further: If we consistently look to the future and plan for its coming, can we open a new door of opportunity that speaks to that generation in a way that our generation has only recently begun to learn? I like to think that if we continue in this multi-generational direction we may succeed in drawing the long-term attention of a much younger set to the world we have been dedicated to for decades.

The RootsTech 2012 atmosphere is charged with this excitement for the new and wonderful technologies we are receiving today, mixed with the heady knowledge that we are making a difference in the lives of future researchers. Hopefully the tools we learn to use and implement this February will yield a wealth of results in the form of inspired interest in our growing youth. I am very proud to be a part of a profession/industry that is embracing this future seeking/planning behavior! As I continue to blog a bit while here in SLC, this is only a small portion of the things I am learning, plus the issues that are coming to mind as I learn. I am taking copious notes and will blog about more specific sessions/issues in the coming months. I will also be responding to comments I hear throughout the sessions, as well as reviewing some of the changes I witnessed or did not witness with the passing of one year. One important change we have heard already - conversation on the elevator - the conference will be moving to March for 2013. The reason? Better weather hopefully AND the need for more space! If this conference grows to 5000+ next year, they will need to reserve more of the Salt Palace to accommodate. At present, they are only using the back or side portion. Ok, that's enough for now.....I'm exhausted.....but eager for another day!
Goodnight all,
CD

RootsTech Bound Kentuckians?

2012-01-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

At January's "2nd Saturday" Genealogy Workshop held at the Kentucky Historical Society, I managed to collected about six names of those Kentuckians who were headed to RootsTech next week. Which brings to mind our unique needs here in the state. As we all navigate and learn about these new or well known technological tools, I would like to put out an invitation for those of us heading out west next week. Should we gather at some point, while we are all in the same city, for lunch, or dinner or even for a break out session if we can get a room? If anyone is interested, just e-mail me directly with your preference, and I'll have a time/date announcement sometime next week. I know their are so many things going on for lunches and dinners, and of course we are all heading to the late night at the library, but sometimes just after the conference closes for one of the days, we could grab one of the open conference rooms before dinner if everyone is scattering in different directions. Or even meet for coffee one morning before the sessions get started? I'm open to ideas, and would love to meet our Kentucky Genealogy Techies, so send me an e-mail or DM to add your name to our list! And on second thought, if you can't make it to our 'gathering', send me an email anyway - getting a list together of genealogy techies in our state might be a wonderful tool!
Thanks!
C
Oh, and for the rest of my genealogy buddies, I will be reporting from RootsTech on two blogs; this one (Journeys Past), and the Kentucky Historical Society Blog called History Burgoo. So stay tuned next week for updates! Also, watch for some scheduling announcements concerning those who attended and who will be sharing their RootsTech experiences with some local groups once we all get back home!

New List of Goals/Failures

2012-01-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

I realize that is a very depressing title for the New Year and all of its hopes for successful change. But, let's be totally honest with ourselves.....we are personally fighting the duality of our nature. I have friends that are sooooo anti-resolution for New Year that they happily scoff at anyone attempting to make one. And then I had a friend who posted his status on Facebook yesterday: "Say you want a Resolution?"......which made me laugh at our attempts, while taking that thought to heart. No matter what time of year we attempt to make change in our lives, we are staging a personal Revolution. Which is, at the core, the most difficult battle of all. It's right up there with the epic battle of good versus evil! We are mad as hell at the current leadership and aren't going to take it anymore! But since we are the leadership we rebel against, we are our own worst enemy and doomed to fail if we cannot advance from Revolution stage to a fully successful Coup!

If the success rate for Resolutions is so very small, why not sit back and join the scoffers? Because, in my humble opinion, any impetus for change is a good thing! We are smart enough to recognize that things get out of control in our lives....and tend to upset a healthy, balanced way of life.....so we seek to change the behaviors that lead to negative results. Even if we fail at our attempts, the small number of days we tried is better than never having tried at all. We've all heard the "studies" that tell us our bodies even respond to this attempt. Risks of certain diseases lower, even if only a fraction, when we take a chunk of time and live healthier. Almost like the rings of a tree, the attempt to live healthier is recorded in our core. Which leads me to have hope for our attempts each year. Oh, and all you scoffers out there....you are just scoffing at the time in which we hopeless changemantics pick to begin new habits of change. Everyone, throughout the course of the year remarks on how they should be changing something - eating better, talking to relatives more, managing our finances better, etc. Whenever you are comfortable attempting the change is your own personal choice.....sometimes a coup is best attempted in the warmer months anyway.....but for now, here is my list of changes/goals for the coming year (mostly genealogy related, but not exclusively):

1. Spend more time with God, family and friends.

2. Blog more frequently!

3. Exercise more - uhem, I should say, START exercising in some way.

4. Organize my family photos/documents - seriously, this one needs immediate attention, not only for our older photos, but for this generation whose collection is getting older in its own right.

5. Write more - not in a blog fashion, but that pesky book we all work on, which is actually related to goal #1!

6. Reduce sugar intake - I'm OK when it comes to eating healthy, but I still have that sweet tooth which must be conquered!

7. Utilize my "Smart" things to their full potential...which means...using the task/notes sections, complete with alerts/alarms to keep me on task. This will of course mean planning little goals in advance, but this is necessary to maintain any semblance of success with this list.

8. Back-up computer photos/documents MUCH more regularly - kinda like goal #3 if you get my meaning!

9. De-clutter! Which has already begun, a few days prior to the Holiday.....but sooo necessary to get more organized.

10. Explore one new genealogy related tech-product, or resource per month....thoroughly.

So, to keep things reasonable, I will limit myself to 10 this year. Don't forget, that, by Wikipedia's definition, as quoted from another military historian: "A coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder." How do I propose to infiltrate and be successful? By sheer numbers! I figure, by making a nice big list, one of them is bound to stick! I'll let you know how that goes - same time next year - unless the Mayans were right!
Happy New Year!!!

Chains Shall He Break...

2011-12-23T18:14:00.001-05:00

Just over a month ago, I was searching for a family's records in Cumberland County Kentucky when I came across the following entry from Chesterfield County Virginia, dated 1790:

"Know all men by these present that I John Baker of Chesterfield County do believe that all men by nature are Equally free, and from a clear conviction of the Injustice & Criminality of depriving my fellow creatures of their natural rights, do hereby Emancipate or set free the following men, women and children, towit,

Bob & Daniel, December 25th......1790
Grace and Amy(?), December 25th......1790
Barbara......December 25th......1790
Tom, to go out, December 1793
Sally, to go out October 1796
Betty & Polly, to go out December 1802
Oliver, to go out November 1805
Indy, to go out September 1806
Hannah, to go out January 1807
(??), to go out February 1808
Peter, to go out December 1809
Amy, to go out March 1811

I do hereby relinquish all rights, title, and claim to the said people after they (??) arrive at the dates above mentioned and not before; In certainty whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal this 9th day of June, 1790.
John Baker (seal)"

Without knowing anything about John Baker or the slaves he freed in 1790, I was instantly moved by this lone document hidden among the general deeds of Cumberland County Kentucky. Just reading the strong language used in this document brought some goosebumps and tears. Despite his obvious role as a slave-owner, he eventually felt strongly enough to boldly let this group of slaves go. I am in no way romanticizing his part in this process, but the document itself made me stop and think what freeing slaves might have been like in the late 18th century. In Virginia, slave-holders were the norm. We of course think of Jefferson who resided only a couple of counties over and whose own history of slave ownership is still controversial. In 1790, slavery was a hotly debated subject, but not yet within the realm of unmendable discourse.

I believe my goosebumps moment came from the strength of the language used, coupled with the dates in which he chose to give some of his slaves their freedom. Setting a number of slaves free could have been no small task in 1790, let alone filing such a proclamation with his local county officials, who were more than likely, his slave-holding neighbors. And it is true that he did not free them all at once - keeping some of them for ten more years. In a vulgar consideration, he was also choosing to disregard the cost associated with such an action. We are not accustomed to putting a price or value upon another human being, but they evaluated cost and value everyday - which is another testament to his strong feelings concerning the injustice of slavery. But.....the truly beautiful part of this document is that for the first batch set free, he picked Christmas Day to begin their new life!

He did not construct this document in December, choosing instead to plan ahead, having it drawn up in June of that year. After the document was in place, did he tell them in advance to prepare them for their freedom in December, or did he leave it as a surprise - a gift presented on Christmas Day? In either scenario, what must that first Christmas of freedom have been like for those five men and women? I think it is safe to say the celebration had to have been the most memorable of their lives. It has also occured to me, that perhaps the delay in freedom for the others could have been due to their age at the time. Were they under age? Was he keeping them on the plantation while letting their parents go - a way to keep the parents working while earning a small living - or was it too dangerous to set a large number of slaves free? If the locals were not receptive to such an idea....perhaps he was protecting them in a way?

These were just some of the questions that floated around my brain for awhile. But when I hear that extra verse in "O Holy Night", I will forever remember how important that verse truly is. Our world has not changed all that much since 1790. There are still places where slavery is accepted, and there are various forms of slavery in our own country. Despite what our own neighbors think, and what our pocket-book says, how much would we sacrifice to secure the freedom of another? Those are the questions we must ask ourselves each Christmas. He did not come so we might open tons of gifts, stuff ourselves and throw perfect glittery parties. He came to set all men free. Yes, it is a wonderfully joyous occasion and spending time with those we love is a perfect way to celebrate this amazing eternal gift - as long as we take some time to remember why we celebrate. I know there was some serious dancing going on in that cabin on December 25th, 1790! Let us take a moment and dance, just for Him, in grateful celebration for the freedom He bestowed upon all of us - for we were all slaves until that Holy Night so long ago! Merry Christmas Everyone!

"Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease!"

Perspectives: RootsTech 2012

2011-12-11T16:44:00.002-05:00

Wow! I LOVE when genealogists get all fired up! We think we librarians can rock the social media outlets with outrage....I'm thinking genealogists may have the upper hand on this! If you don't believe me, just do a Twitter search for 'RootsTech' and watch the feed that has been tearing up the cyber-sphere for the past 24-48 hours! The issue? Conference planners purposely excluding all Book and/or Arts & Crafts vendors in the RootsTech Exhibit Hall. For the blog post that first reported on this amazingly shocking decision, check out Leland and Patty Meitzler's informative post here at: The Genealogy Blog.

I refuse to re-hash what everyone has said. The response posts, comments and various commentaries are so very informative and righteously indignant that I truly encourage everyone to spend some time today just absorbing the controversy first-hand. Even the official RootsTech bloggers are writing up a storm and being 1000% honest about their opposition - which is awesome!

So, as another blogger who also happened to attend last year, what's my take? Ok, they mentioned the Exhibit Hall Coordinator by name and are pretty much vilifying him across the board. Due to our Pastology talks with Family Search, we are personally acquainted with Mr. Clarke and find him to be a very nice and extremely intelligent person - who happens to be passionate about genealogy. And he is much more than the Exhibit Hall Coordinator - his official title is "Web Services Product Manager/ Affiliates Manager" for Family Search. However, he is a self-professed techie - through and through. After talking with Mr. Clarke on many occasions - about technology and genealogy specifically, I think I know where he and the rest of the RootsTech planners were headed, but also where they took a huge wrong turn. There are certain areas of technological development that he would like to see the genealogy field move toward. As a technological field, genealogy is only just now finding its tech wings within the past 15 years or so. We are a little behind in advancing....I think we are advancing fine....but in the developer realm, the hugely talented developers do not flock to genealogy for cutting edge development or large pay checks. So, in a way, I really think he was trying to bring in developer interest that looked more cutting edge and truly techie than anything we had done before. Also, by bringing in the users and developers I think he was also trying to show developers that there is a hungry user market waiting for new advances - and a VERY unique market at that: a group very passionate and devoted to the field, yet very helpful and tech savvy!

The thing is, I agree with him - to a point. This is a different conference. This is not NGS or FGS, nor any of the other jamborees out there....this is a technology conference....and technology conferences look different. Any attendee from last year can attest that things looked and FELT different - which was why we all loved it! It was NOT the same conference we were all used to. Someone had just combined what we love into something new....something that allowed us to give input into the development of future products.....while adding the fast paced social media interaction....all covered in sparkly gravy!

However, with all of that taken into consideration we all noted a few oddities that just didn't fit our field.

When I spotted the huge area devoted to video games and pool tables, I actually stopped in my tracks with my mouth open. So many little thoughts were bombarding my mind at that moment.

Here is the train of thought as it happened:

1. Very interesting and a very unique addition.

2. Wow, my 28 year old brother would LOVE this!

3. Oooh, so just like a REAL technology conference - play areas! Cool!

4. Great way to think outside the box!

5. This is WAY different than any other genealogy conference I've ever been to - which is what they promised!

6. Boy, all those young guys are sure having fun!

7. I don't think those are young genealogists hogging all the video games and Foosball tables.
8. (Looking around) Come to think of it, where ARE all the genealogists? Oh there they are! Being interviewed in the sound/video booths and taking up massive space in the media centers to blog their experiences - in other words, working and not playing - being passionate about this conference!

Another area of concern was the mix-mash of sessions that didn't really allow for much developer/user interaction, but fostered birds of a feather learning opportunities. I really felt this could be improved upon for the next year, and I hope they make changes accordingly. For more on my RootsTech hits and misses from last year.....see my previous posts.

A concern that is growing for me since I witnessed it first hand last year and now hear of others complaining about the same issue, is a lack of communication from the RootsTech side. By not responding to exhibitors on a timely basis, they seriously hurt genealogy businesses, and present an unprofessional appearance. After our communication struggles as presenters last year, we thought this would be fixed for year two....but it sounds like the unprofessional qualities are gaining in reputation = bad form guys, you really need to step it up in this area! Especially with a cutting edge popular conference of this magnitude!

"You're taking away the books!? But the children LOVE the books!".....sorry, it's Christmas, I had to quote Elf for this one! Taking away all books and arts/crafts is silly and and a fundamental misunderstanding of your base audience. This is another fundamental flaw in conference planning. You have to UNDERSTAND your audience.....not just the tech developers you've invited, and who may be coming over from California (that's a joke, I know some are travelling great distances)....the real, everyday users who are paying TONS of money to fly out to Salt Lake in February to attend.....and who will ultimately anoint or sink your future developments!

Solution? Simple.....develop your conference exhibit hall policies around technologies and enforce them reasonably, on a case by case basis. I have no problem with them wanting to keep this a technology conference - I like the fact that when I walk into the exhibit hall, it's going to be different. It's not the same as all the other genealogy conferences out there - and it's ok to be that way. However, books are the fundamental basis of learning any new technology anyway. Seriously, I know that most user manuals are electronic these days....but there are still developers who learn new code through print manuals (XML Bible anyone?). And they must remember that THIS audience favors learning about new technologies through print! We love books, it's our nature - don't ask us to just set that aside to fit the developer mold. We will be paying YOU for the products, not the other way around - so accommodating our preferences is a GOOD idea!!!

So.....if we want this conference to look different, how do we compromise? RootsTech needs to tailor the acceptance policy around technology based products - including books! I think it would be acceptable for officials to limit products sold......for instance....someone mentioned Maia's books wanting to exhibit.....I LOVE her stuff and have blogged her praises here before....but require her to bring along a tech heavy inventory to make sure it fits in the atmosphere of the overall conference. Not forbid certain titles, but encourage tech-heavy material. I know most vendors would be happy to comply - and this should apply to tech publishers and arts/crafts people. Make sure they understand that they are exhibiting material that is in some way related to a technology product or process.

Someone commented earlier that it would be beneficial for the developers to be introduced to our reading material to LEARN about what we are passionate about! I wholeheartedly agree with that! How does a developer enter a citation template/format into a genealogy product without having Evidence Explained on hand? They do need our input or they would not be having this type of conference - well this is their turn to show us that they really do value our viewpoint and want to bring both perspectives together, not just bring the genealogists into the tech world. After all, without the Roots in RootsTech, they just have the same old technology conference.....booooring. Oh! And how about, instead of having the huge play area consist of Nintendo and Microsoft games, it is only filled with tech play that is genealogy related!!! Let's make the tech vendors play by the same rules! Genealogy ONLY tech related items allowed on the exhibit hall floor! How awesome would it be to have a line of stations with various genealogy tech products to play with? Roots Magic, Legacy, Flip-Pal, e-publishing/heirloom creation.....ok, that scene gets me really excited! If only.....hope they are listening!

Breathing in History

2011-12-06T23:38:00.000-05:00

Every Thanksgiving our family continues a newish tradition by renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Under normal, warmer circumstances, my personal Smoky Mountain mission includes spending as much time as possible in the mountains, hiking the trails or dangling my feet in the streams, while breathing in that fresh air. I'm not a huge shopper, but when Thanksgiving roles around, the weather prevents a lot of mountain time, and forces more shopping time. To make the best of this enforced shopping hiatus from the mountains, I try to make sure we hit as many "local" places as possible - i.e.: off the beaten and suffocating strip. One of my absolute favorite places to shop when in town is Ely's Mill. Follow me as I show you around this little hidden gem of retro shopping.

One of the quickest and most effective ways to quickly get immersed in the mountain atmosphere is to follow the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Yes, I know, you drive an automobile through the mountains - a contradiction of my previous paragraph - but not so! There are MANY places to park and hike or wander through fascinating stops along this paved trail. Since the tour is within the National Park boundaries, they have preserved many little former homesteads that existed before logging and tourism changed the landscape forever. However, once you get to the very end of this trail and cross just outside the Park lines, you encounter a collection of structures that has been preserved in a very different manner.

I will not attempt to portray the long history behind the existence of Ely's Mill. There is a web site where you can learn all about it. But in a nutshell, it was begun sometime back in the 1920s by a very educated man who wanted to get as close as he possibly could to nature.....living in this small mill tucked away along a mountainside stream that has a magical beauty all its own. This man lived off of the land, but did so in an appreciative way that honored the beauty around him.

Fast forward many decades to today, and his descendants are still keeping that small little cluster of buildings full of delights and long standing mountain traditions for the curious tourist. Among the many wonderful treats that await are: hand woven rugs, table runners, scarves, etc. Antiques of all kinds. Locally made honey - which my mom has fallen in love with. Welcoming cats of all sorts. Historical tidbits, informative books and artifacts from the region. And stories/lessons galore. If the family is not giving a local demonstration of their weaving tradition, someone will be more than happy to sit a spell and explain the difference between locust honey and wildflower honey - and the specific seasonal sequence that has to occur to produce either.

This adorable hodgepodge of culture is sure to charm anyone with eyes attuned to the convergence of history and present-day traditions. I not only adore each visit for the sake of what I can buy from the present, but for the experience of wandering through an atmosphere overflowing with tidbits of the past. In fact, I feel more connected to history when wandering around Ely's than I do in the stark "preserved" homesteads within the park. Here, history is still alive in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a multi-generational legacy.

And besides......

Who can resist a place that has history AND kittehs?! Seriously!

P.S. Just remember, like the motor trail through the mountains, Ely's shuts down for the winter, so you best wait until spring to enjoy this special treat!

Changes and Noteworthies

2011-11-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

I have a few news bits and updates to relate, so I figured a hodgepodge post would be the best method!

1. New Twitter account. Last year I wrote a post called Twittering Trees, that explored my impressions of Twitter and why my excitement was building for this communication trend - especially in the field of genealogy. Well, my feelings have not changed at all, and in fact, I spend more time on Twitter trying to keep up with current genealogy/historical news than I do with any other social media these days. In that last post I explained that it was just easier for me to tweet under @Pastology to keep things simple. While I will continue to tweet current events in genealogy/history land on the @Pastology account, I find life has become even more complicated career-wise, so I decided to end my issues of split personality, and create my own Twitter account. This new account (@Historiana) will have more personal impressions/tidbits from my research/genealogy encounters.....and probably a lot more fun! So, where did I get the name "Historiana", you ask? I've actually used this for years as an account name around the web, and always thought of it as a play on the word origin "Victoriana". Which means, it will be a playful feed on things historical/genealogical......with a spice of librarian sense....or nonsense! Plus, some things may be a bit more regional.....I am in Kentucky after all.....but I also travel and come across tidbits from all sorts of places. If I rant about anything non-historical.....be patient, it is only a momentary pause in the proceedings.

2. AAGGKY. It is official! The African American Genealogy Group of Kentucky (AAGGKY), also known as "The Group" - has their web site live, their Twitter feed live and their blog up and running! They have been in existence for almost a year, but need your support! So please consider following them and promoting their efforts! They need all the help they can get, but they are already making quite an impact, even nationally! This organization fills such a need in this area of Kentucky research! Way to go guys! Their web site is: http://www.aaggky.org/ Their blog: http://www.aaggky.blogspot.com/ and their Twitter: @aaggky

3. KHS. Ok, so, as some have caught on, I have a new connection to the Kentucky Historical Society.....but after being able to attend their genealogy programs, I wanted to make some of you locals more aware of the quality programming they regularly offer. The KHS and the KGS (Kentucky Genealogical Society) jointly host a genealogy program every second Saturday of the month. It is free and open to the public at the History Center in Frankfort.....you only need to call ahead and register so we can have a head count. They do have lunch available at $6 per person, but the lunches available are only based on those who pre-regsitered, so make sure you call ahead. Anyway, this program is in a wonderful facility, and they invite guest speakers in for an almost day-long session (~10:30-2:30). This is not your run-of-the-mill genealogy meeting. After attending so many national conferences....I can safely say this feels like attending a conference session....even the facility and speaker list feels like a mini-conference. Last month was a rep from Family Search (all day), next year we will be having other national speakers....including Dick Eastman! Last summer, for their full conference (not free), they had Elizabeth Shown Mills! Seriously! So anyone within driving distance, should mark these on their calendar.....what a great genealogy resource for the region! Here is the calendar link: http://history.ky.gov/events.php?pageid=900&sectionid=5&cat=all (Btw, they already had the 2nd Saturday event yesterday due to a Holiday event conflict, but take a look at the December offerings & follow their Twitter account for reminders: @KyHistSoc) Also, check out their Thursday night schedules: http://bit.ly/obiuRx

Tis all for now!
C

The Empty Grave

2011-10-31T23:39:00.001-04:00

After last year's post about genealogy encounters of the Creepy kind, my creepy meter has been getting a work out all year. My above title does not refer to the Resurrection, but to those monsters of the cemetery: The Resurrectionists (cue evil cackle and lightning/thunder.) My interest in this macabre group came about after two incidents. Late last year I became acquainted with the cemetery/burial issues concerning the Eastern State Hospital in Lexington KY. During a period of time spanning from 1824 to the 1950s, patients dying while residing in the "lunatic asylum" were believed to have been buried on the premises, especially when family members could not afford the cost of hometown burial. Unfortunately, finding the "missing" remains has been a huge challenge. The records are "missing" from the state, and apparently, so are the bodies. Some bodies have been discovered on the premises, but the number is very low compared to the amount that should be there. One of the documents I viewed in regard to this issue was a letter from a health nurse in the 1980s. She suggested that perhaps many of the bodies are missing because they were never buried, but instead, transported north to the Cincinnati Medical College for post-mortem use: ie: dissection.

I don't think many people took this suggestion very seriously, but I suspect it is a distinct possibility. Eastern State Hospital sits right next to the railroad line, and reports have surfaced that the Cincinnati to Indianapolis to Michigan network for cadavers was a true network that involved pickle/paint vats and the train system. For those of you not familiar with Cincinnati's grave robbing history, I suggest three things: 1. Read up on the grave-robbing scandal involving the Harrison family. 2. Check into some of the publications written by Dr. Linden Forest Edwards at Ohio State University. He wrote a series of articles for the Ohio State Medical Journal back in the 1950s that were later re-published in the form of small booklets by the Wayne County Indiana Public Library. These articles/booklets explored the medical practice of employing grave robbers to fill the need of fresh cadavers for medical dissection. (I will provide a small reading list at the end of the post) 3. Watch the video posted at the end from the History Detectives. They are researching a grave alarm which in turn leads them to go over some of the numbers associated with the grave robbing "industry" of the time. With each medical college in the area advertising a cadaver for each student, the number of fresh cadavers needed each year was pretty staggering.

The Cincinnati area was rife with the problem. Bodies were being stolen all the time during this period (1860s-1880s)....many from poorer cemeteries. Dr. Edwards wrote about the stories that were being told, and people were so aware of this problem that they employed night watchmen to guard over fresh graves - if they could afford this service.....otherwise, sometimes carried out by family members. Ironically, in the largest Cincinnati Cemetery, Spring Grove Cemetery, the Medical College erected a headstone in memory of all the bodies used for scientific purposes. I think that alone speaks volumes about the number of bodies we might be talking about.

So what about the central Kentucky area? Were these areas susceptible to the crime of stealing bodies? Without any real proof, my gut says, not as much as the Cincinnati/Louisville area. We had Transy's Medical School here, but I would imagine the need for them was not as large. Louisville was noted to have a bit of a problem there, but like Cincinnati, they were on a river. I would say, unless we used the railroad heavily, I would guess the easiest victims were had more along the river. After all, the grave robbers may have sold the fresh bodies to the medical colleges, but they were essentially on their own. If arrested, it was clear the men acted "on their own", with the doctors nor colleges feeling any heat with the arrest. Public sentiment grew pretty hostile against this practice, but things did not change until laws were passed that allowed legal acquiring of cadavers, including the donation of bodies.

This regional issue brings me to my second encounter with grave robbing. It came when I stumbled upon a note in the E.E. Barton papers of Pendleton County KY. One of my distant cousins related a tale that had been passed down in the family about the burial of my fourth great grandfather, Samuel Cox: "My Mother never did think that her grandfather rested in his grave, for just in a night or two at 12 o'clock, a man left that grave with something wrapped in white lying across his horse in front of him. The man was a truthful man, and is a brother-in-law of my father, Newton Humble was the man. (Speaking of the witness). We always thought that it was old Dr. Thomas, and that he probably took the body to Cincinnati and the medical college to find out what was the cause of his death."

What really struck me about this report was the proximity of Samuel's grave.....it is a small family plot on the side of the road, out in the rural areas of northern Pendleton County, which is a pretty hilly place. If I was going to snatch some bodies, I wouldn't want to have to trek up those hills an back down again carrying a body, just for $10. But then, it wasn't too much farther to Foster in Bracken County which was right on the river. What better way to transport bodies? So, it has all just made my head spin a little to wonder....how many of our ancestors are not in the cemeteries we visit? I don't really mind them being used for science.....but it kinda makes me mad in a way....our ancestors were so against it, for religious/principle reasons.....what gave these colleges the right to steal what belonged to our families? And once they were done, I'm assuming the bones were burned, etc. Which means we no longer have true knowledge of a final resting place. I think the headstone placed in Spring Grove is a nice gesture, but I would like to know where they deposited the post-dissection pieces or ashes. I think that would be the proper place for a memorial - and a place we could point to as a final resting place. Anyway, just some points to ponder - especially on Halloween :-)

Watch Cemetery Alarm on PBS. See more from History Detectives.

For additional reading:
Body Snatching in Ohio During the Nineteenth Century by Dr. Linden F. Edwards
Cincinnati's Old Cunny by Dr. Linden F. Edwards
Dissection and Body Snatching in the Nineteenth Century by Heather Fox, The Filson, Volume 9, Number 2, Summer 2009
The Poor, the Black, and the Marginalized as the Source of Cadavers in United States Anatomical Education by Edward C. Halperin, Clinical Anatomy, Vol 20, 2007.

Willow Magic at the Stroke of Midnight!

2011-10-12T00:31:00.000-04:00

It is that magical time of year, dear readers, when this genealogy addict flies off the handle and takes her blog on a flight of fancy! I beg indulgence once again as I attend the annual Willow Manor Ball! Held each each year by prolific and talented blogger/poetess, Tess Kincaid, it has become the cyber event of the year. When the invitations came around again this year, I scurried away to find just the right accoutrements, and the perfect date! The rules are simple: you have been invited to attend a magical ball at Willow Manor. This event is magical because time and human flaws do not exist! You may look any way you wish (Jean Harlowesque figure), dress any way you wish (money is no object), dance like a master, and your date can be anyone you choose since time does not exist here. In retrospect, this is not that out of character for a historian - after all, in order to do what we do, we must have complex and advanced imaginations in order to visualize what life was like before our time! Blog about your adventure and then visit the Life at Willow Manor blog to post your evening's report. Things get started at midnight, so off to the ball we go! BTW, there is one other way to attend, simply visit Ms. Kincaid's blog and leave a comment - but where is the fun in that?! Let your imagination loose for a change and dust off those magical dancing shoes! Blogging/comment entries are allowed for 24 hours beginning at the stroke of midnight, October 12th.....follow me, and I'll show you where my imagination took me this year.....

So, last year, my choice was extremely hard, but I settled on a light blue with silver trim dress, accented by diamonds - moonlight itself was my theme, but it had a hard argument to make when my other choice was so tempting - night itself. This year was easier as I knew the darkness, with a hint of blue would set off our dancing in a beautiful way.....I am of course talking about Sapphire. I almost chose a more Mad Men 50s/60s flare of the skirt, but was drawn back into a more sleek and sultry cut. After all, with this figure, why hide it on a night like this? Besides, when I think of "evening gown", I think long and flowing, something that drapes and silhouettes the body in a manner that is elegant, yet seductive. This sapphire blue gown was exactly what I had in mind, and fit like a kid glove.....

Only to be perfectly accented with the following....

This gorgeous necklace that drapes downward to follow some of the plunging neckline....yet with diamonds.....both whispering the phrase "Starry Night".

To continue this mix of rich hues and sparkles of light, these gorgeous pumps.....

Further accented by this amazingly unique handbag - slipping back into a little art deco element - my design motif of weakness!

Once my shopping was complete, I needed one more perfect element - a special date for the evening. After last year's date, William Powell, made such a grand and dashing entrance, I was at a loss for this year's selection. After all, I refuse to give up any of my fantastical requirements for the perfect date: he must be able to walk into a room with an air of confidence and debonair charm. He must be able to carry a tux like he was born in one. He must be able to dance beautifully, and above all, he must make me laugh! No ultra serious men will have the honor of my company for the ball. The perfect mix lies in that sophisticated, intelligent, charming man, who is confident enough to smile and laugh in a way that proves he is enjoying life to the fullest! Throw in a charming British accent, and you have: David Niven.

After reviewing David's offer, it was discovered, that he was not only an amazing actor, completely charming and witty fellow, but a war hero, and overall honorable guy - who also loved to laugh! It was said that "Niv was the twinkling star, the meteor who lit up every room he entered." I always loved him as an actor, and for tonight, he is not the older, gruffer actor I remember, but the young, witty, with a dash of slap-stick actor that I remember so fondly from his 1939 stint with Ginger Rogers in The Bachelor Mother.....move over Ginger, this time it's my turn to dance with the legendary twinkling star of Hollywood!

See you all next year! Thanks to Ms. Kincaid for another triumphant ball!

Sepia Saturday - Sleeping Beauty

2011-09-25T14:16:00.001-04:00

I know I'm a day late this week for Sepia Saturday, but when I saw the theme earlier in the week, I knew right away which photo I was going to pull out of the collection. She is labeled in our tin-type album as Mary Allender. With that name attached, I'm pretty sure I know where she fits into the family tree - and would like to assure everyone, that she is NOT a memento mori. About 20 years ago, a distant cousin of ours, Ron Woods, renovated the "Mary Allender Log Home" in Pendleton County Kentucky. I have put the title of the home in quotations to point out its connection to the little sleeping girl.

Ron named this house after his grandmother Mary Allender Carnes who was born and raised right there in the house on Hickory Grove Rd. She was born in 1882, the granddaughter of the original builder, James Jackson Allender. However, for those of us who are cousins from a different line, the "Mary Allender" name also fits our ancestry. James Jackson Allender was married to Mary Stout Allender - both making their home and establishing our ancestry in this beautiful dwelling. This original couple built the log home in 1856, although, poor James only got to enjoy it for about 11 years before he died of smallpox.

James Jackson Allender

The little sleeping Mary is one photo among many others in what I call "The Allender Album". According to a notation in the front, this album belonged to Mary Stout Allender. It is filled with photos of her children and grandchildren. Judging by the age of the photo, and when little Mary was born, chances are pretty good that this is Mary Allender Carnes who grew up with her father Benjamin Allender in the log home. After just a glance at the Allender lines from James and Mary, I'm not seeing any Allender girls named Mary within this time frame: except for Mary Allender Carnes.

As a side note, I've not visited the homestead for quite some time, and have not visited with cousin Ron since he opened the finished log home back in the early 90s. If you are still around cuz, shoot me an e-mail. I have a duplicate tin-type of this photo and if you too think this is your grandmother, we'd love for you to have the original duplicate. I also hear you have a stash of photos - we need to get together for a photo scan fest of our own! I'll be at the Wool Fest in a couple of weekends in case you run across this post!

Sepia Saturday - Family Travels

2011-09-17T15:42:00.000-04:00

For this week's Sepia Saturday, the theme of travel or place was a welcome suggestion. When deciding which photos to post, a family pattern emerged. It turns out that one side of my family has been very travel savvy over the generations, while the other side was full of home bodies. The photo to the left is typical of my mother's side of the family. Kentucky farmers who loved posing with the cars, but hated traveling very far away. These two young men (Roy Watts and Bill Beyersdoerfer - brothers-in-law) were quite the road devils in the 1930s. They loved racing around the curving hillsides of Pendleton County Kentucky and "driving up closely to the bumper of an old couple's car to honk" their horn for a good laugh. Throughout the rest of their lives, they maintained this close relationship to each other and the roads. Roy remained addicted to taking leisurely Sunday drives, just to "go" somewhere and view his neighbors crops, while Bill complained of the slowness of "old" drivers when he was in his advanced 80s. I can imagine these two still racing the roads of heaven together as they did when first forming their friendship so long ago. The remaining images are a sampling of family travels from my father's side of the family.

The woman on the right is my great grandmother, Ruth Elizabeth Schilling Daniels. I have no idea where this is or whether these ladies went up in the plane, but Ruth was from the Ohio/Indiana areas, so that will have to be our default location for the time being.

Here is another photo from the Klondike Gold Rush collection. Someone on the Daniels/Schilling side of the family must have been enormously adventurous to travel this great distance for the small possibility of finding gold! This mode of travel in that area is also the subject of another interesting point of trivia. These boats were often dissected once arriving at their location to provide building material for the shacks that housed the miners.

Grandpa Charles Daniels traveled extensively while serving in the military. He not only served in both the Pacific and European theatres during WWII, but took his entire family with him to live in France while he was stationed there during the Korean War. This is a view of his corner of Paris during WWII.

Grandpa Charles, celebrating the end of WWII in Marseilles, France (Front right) - would love to have tasted that bottle of French Champagne!

A piece of travel ephemera from Charles' collection - his ship assignment from 1943.

Before and after the war, Charles worked for the Cincinnati Union Terminal. Perhaps working along-side so many travelers kept his travel bug strong and active. The photos above and below were taken after his retirement from railroad work, and at a time when the fate of the Terminal was very precarious. For another Sepia Saturday post about the terminal, please see the Lincoln Park blog post.

That about wraps it up for the older travel photos. Charles and Bessie were some of our biggest travelers. They spent their retirement years travelling to Hawaii, several other states, and down the Mississippi on the Delta Queen - so many times I cannot count. In turn, their children and grandchildren have taken on the tradition of globe trotting like travel pros. Me, I'm a bit more middle of the road: have not travelled too far, but can be happy either way. I love a good trip, but enjoy being a home body as well.
Safe and happy travels everyone!
C

Personal Library as Family History

2011-09-03T22:43:00.001-04:00

When beginning my genealogy journey, my intent was to discover the stories of my ancestors, not just collect facts about them. I guess it was always the thrill of the story hunt that fueled the fires, so to speak. When approaching genealogy in this manner, your collection of information tidbits may be handled differently. Instead of simply asking others about a list of facts, you also ask about their interests/passions and feelings associated with such. However, once loved ones are already gone, we must look to their personal belongings to tell more of the story. Now, I understand how hard this is for many of our ancestors. After a few generations, maybe even after one, belongings scatter, and unless someone has kept a story with the item, they lose their "voice". One group of belongings can always tell a story if kept together or even if separated, and if the original owner's identity is attached to said group/item, you can recover a treasure trove of information. I am, of course, referring to the personal library.

As a librarian, I've always been cognizant of the books people display in their homes. It immediately tells me a little bit about what is important to them, and a bit of insight can be very useful. Not everyone owns significant book collections, but almost every household has a little collection of some sort. We are a nation of readers, and books have always been a symbol of education and learning - something we have held to great esteem over the centuries. Therefore, a small collection of books is usually valued, no matter how humble the circumstances.

A few years ago, my grandmother was complaining about the "clutter" she had in her basement. Now, she was not ready to get rid of any of her "clutter". She was referring to the "clutter" of others. My grandparents on my fathers side were definitely magpies.....they collected everything. Their collection tells decades of stories, just by scanning what they have - a museum to their life, and it is quite fascinating. The "clutter" grandma was complaining about was a large collection of books that filled a large bookcase at the bottom of the stairs. She was ready to get rid of these because they were a collection from three generations ago. The books had belonged to my 2nd great-grandfather, Horace Schilling from Columbus, Ohio. This man would have been her husband's grandfather, therefore, a branch of the family that she was no longer relating to. Her solution was for me "the librarian" to haul these books out of her house. Well, ummm, I wasn't quite ready for anything like that, since, there were at least a couple hundred books, maybe more, and they were very dusty and dirty. Besides, as much as my bibliophile radar was pinging off a storm, I knew I lived in a very small house that would not accommodate such a collection.....but I took the invitation as a beginning step, and told her I would take a few at a time.

Grandpa described his grandfather Horace as a man who "loved to read". He remembered that Horace loved to take his little rocking chair outside onto the brick walkway in front of his house and read a book. It was no surprise then, when I made my way through his collection that I found his very organized, typed "bookplates". They are very homemade, but charming. In a way, they are also somewhat of a primary source. After seeing the family name spelled various ways in the census and other records, and predominantly with no "c", this typed version in all of his books could be considered "from the horses mouth" with his own hand/typewriter. He had books that numbered up over 200, so he must have been a voracious reader. I very much like to think that he would have approved of having a librarian for a great great granddaughter, and every time I hold one of his books, I like to think of him out there in his little rocking chair, enjoying this title so many years ago.

As I started pulling some titles that looked interesting, I was noticing that some were resonating with past information and mysteries that we had heard about over the years. For instance, there was a book about pharmacy....all sorts of chemical compounds that would help in relieving medical conditions. Inside the front cover, was the signature: Horace Schilling, V.S. I smiled at this one because my grandfather had once told me that after retirement from the railroad, grandpa Horace was a sort of jack-of-all-trades, with one of his side professions being something of a local/amateur veterinarian. He remembered that grandma Schilling completely disapproved of this "hobby" because he wouldn't take payment for his services.

Another couple of titles gave me more clues about a family mystery: White Fang and The Official Guide to the Klondyke Country and Gold Fields of Alaska. One of our family photo albums is a combination album. I'm pretty sure it was my great grandmother Ruth, Horace's daughter, that put this album together. It contains photos from both sides of the Schilling/Daniels families. Unfortunately, not everything is labeled, and many times I am unsure which side of the family the photos come from. There are several large photos scattered throughout the album that are clearly from the Alaska/Klondike region.....from around the turn of the century. They are an amazing collection, and I want to investigate further, but have been very uncertain about which side of the family to research for more information. With these two titles being in grandpa Horace's collection, it points me in a Schilling direction, and to the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800s.

Overall, there are other things to be gleaned from Horace's collection. He enjoyed humor, fiction, military stories, hunting stories, lots of fiction, and general history books. Which brings me to the recommendation to take a look at some of your family members' collections. If I thought back, I know my grandfather Daniels collection would consist of WWII, Civil War and Railroad titles, which are a pretty close match to the interests of my own father. My grandfather Watts on my mother's side consisted of religious, farming and western titles - he loved Zane Grey. So think about your own books. If someone looked at your collection, what would they learn about you? Mine would consist of the following subjects: history, genealogy, herbs/gardening, religious, Smoky Mountains, Antique collecting, art/exhibits, children's picture books, Italy, and random antique editions that I found in book stores.

So while you're out there, gathering your family history, don't forget about the books! They tell another story besides the one between their covers. Re-connect with your ancestors by reading one of these old titles, and don't forget to flip through the pages! People stuck all sorts of sentimental little keepsakes inside for safe keeping! Or even chose to record the family history in the most unusual places - like my grandmother Ruth did as a young girl. Also, another family history tip: if the collection is too large to keep together, dispersal of a family library is a way to let everyone in the family have a piece of the historical pie. With a collection of this size, there would be one or two titles that would particularly appeal to the interests of each descendant. For instance, I pulled one for my brother because it was about the Boy Scouts, since he had belonged as a youth. If the subjects vary a lot, each person can take a title that helps them relate in a personal manner to the ancestor that came before them.

The Library:

My days among the dead are pass'd;

Around me I behold,

Where'er these casual eyes are cast,

The mighty minds of old;

My never-failing friends are they

With whom I converse night and day.

With them I take delight in weal,

And seek relief in woe;

And while I understand and feel

How much to them I owe,

My cheeks have often been bedew'd

With tears of thoughtful gratitude.

By: Robert Southey

From one of the books in my personal collection: A Thousand and One Gems of English and American Poetry, 1884

School Days

2011-08-24T20:57:00.000-04:00

When I arrived at work this morning, I was reminded that today was our first day back to school on campus. I know many other kids have already went back in our area, but now, even the college crowd has arrived. I will not name exactly which University I work for, but I was amazed at the amount of blue and white being worn by the students. Sure, some school spirit is natural, but on the first day it was pervasive.....and very fun to see. There was an air of excitement and a bit of joy....I can remember when sporting your school colors would have been seen as a bit nerdy......but I'm very glad to see things have changed for the better in this area. For the rest of the youngsters out there who were not as excited about returning to school I present this small token for your amusement.

This is quite the smart looking bunch sitting for their school portrait in Pendleton County Kentucky - but then, if you look closely - I see a whole lot of scowling faces! I know that smiling for the camera was not a preference in the above time period......but I see some girls in the very back row grinning for the camera. The rest of the students on the other hand were downright sour! Regardless of whether you are wearing a grin or a sour face - welcome back everyone!!

Sepia Saturday - Tree Memories

2011-08-20T14:41:00.001-04:00

Reuss-Beyersdoerfer Clan

The suggested Sepia Saturday theme for this week, trees, inspired me to look back on my own family tree memories, and what better way to celebrate genealogy than by honoring the image of the tree. I attempted to pull some sepia images from my family collection - but as other bloggers have learned today, there are not many "tree" photos in our collections. The family image that you see to the left is my favorite "tree" image. To see this family group, standing proudly in front of this equally proud tree that towers over them demonstrates a perfect blend of history and symbolism.

My other favorite family image that includes a tree is this one of the Cox family in Pendleton County Kentucky. Most family group images we have utilize a more family focused composition. In other words, close enough to only see the people. This family photographer took a little artistic license and let the trees be even more prominent than the human subjects - or perhaps they were so new at taking pictures that they forgot to get closer.....either way, we get to see the expansiveness of the trees on this property, and not just the expansiveness of the prolific family unit!

Within my other family memories, trees have played a prominent role. I spent a huge chunk of my youth and adolescence traipsing around, climbing, drawing and adoring trees. I was an outdoors kid all the way. Nature and all of its complexity was, and still is, a dear friend. This image is from my grandparents farm in Bourbon County Kentucky - an old walnut tree that sits between a small field and the vegetable garden. That farm was not only a source of spiritual and mental health for me, almost as necessary as oxygen, but it also embodied all of the love my grandparents bestowed upon us when visiting. And don't get me started on the adventures! So many I cannot count! As a side note, this farm in the far western part of the county was certified a few years ago as home to the second largest tree in the state of Kentucky! An amazing old burr oak tree that sits in a valley, just below one of the ponds. Each tree branch is the size of a large tree trunk.....awe inspiring.

I have always regarded genealogy as somewhat of a spiritual journey. There is nothing as humbling as looking back across the generations and realizing that you are merely one addition to the long string of people that have come before you. Soon, you too will be nothing more than someone's memory. But in this realization, it bolsters my belief in life eternal. Time is ever flowing. And yet, when I think of the spiritual realm, and perhaps the place where our ancestors reside, there is no time. This final tree was captured on "film" just this past June while hiking up to Laurel Falls in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We all learned in school that the trees we see above the soil have a duplicate existence in size and proportion below the soil in the form of roots. I can remember thinking, as a child, that had to be a load of bunk.....they were asking us to believe in something we could not see. This is just another example of nature demonstrating to us that we only understand a small portion of the world we encounter. I've also heard it said that the spiritual realm is just as real as the world we can see with our eyes, like this tree and its roots - and if our roots are as important as most genealogists believe, our journey is never finite.

Mystery Object - Candle Box?

2011-08-15T22:06:00.001-04:00

I present, for your amusement, a box of mysterious origin and use. It is made mostly of a light metal, I'm guessing tin since a magnet does stick to it, and wood. The measurements are 12" long by 5" wide by 4.5" deep. I purchased this item back in the early 1990s at a Cincinnati antique store for $3.00. It had that lovely primitive appearance that I am still fond of even though it has passed out of style for many. My first thought was a candle box, based on its measurements and the way the lid hinges back to let whatever was inside, be retrieved without bending......but.....on second thought......is that really what it is? There are some odd design elements as I will display below. After you see the evidence, please give me your thoughts on what you suspect its original purpose might have been.

Instead of a standard arched, extended piece that is flat enough to hang the box from the wall, like many candle boxes I have seen, this one has a heavy duty handle meant for carrying.

The lid is one metal piece that it beveled in design and attached at the very bottom. The three sides are made up of one piece of metal rounded and bent to make the box shape. However, the bottom (end and box bottom) are both made of wood panels.

The lid itself, is only connected at the base and easily swings back to open as one awkward panel - quite unlike many candle boxes I have seen where the lid is an inset wooden lid that slides in and out. There are two tiny holes at the top where a string-like latch must have been to keep the lid closed when not in use.

Here is the weirdest feature of all.....3 perfectly drilled holes in the back wooden panel. The holes vary in size, are not evenly spaced, and yet, if they were an accident (rogue child practicing with a drill for the first time), they were never puttied up, but rather painted inside, just like the rest of the box. My Mom once thought that due to its black paint, and odd holes, that it might have been a signal box of some kind. We even tried lighting a candle in it to see what happened with the holes.....odd experiment with inconclusive results.

No matter what it may have been, I continue to love it and have it prominently placed next to the cute little caned ladder back chair that I purchased at the Ewalt house auction in Bourbon County Kentucky in the late 1990s (for $8.00, can you believe that?). Every time I see this box, I still sense a mystery. So....your vote on this? I would also be interested to hear theories on age.

Hunting Wabbits...A.K.A. Warrens!

2011-08-12T13:16:00.001-04:00

When I think of my Warren branch of the family, and our loss of contact within recent generations, I go through an odd transformation. It begins by getting inspired, then determined, followed by pulling their file for more research - but then my face eventually begins to take on that maniacal look of desperation as so wonderfully demonstrated by my friend Elmur Fudd. He is so representative of the genealogy search! He knows what he wants, he will not give up - nose down and moving forward - but sometimes missing his target as it sits and laughs at him - always taunting and being just out of reach! I apologize in advance for this note of a rather personal and specific nature. However, as the blogs get crawled by search engines, maybe someday, this entry will turn up in a cousin's search result to point them in my direction. I am searching for a specific group of the Warren family from the far Western Kentucky/Tennessee areas.

When I mean searching, I'm not talking about a record search, that I can do and have been doing on my own. I really would like to make some personal contact in the hopes of learning more about our family history as well as hoping they would have a photo or two from this side of the family they would be willing to scan for the rest of us abandoned cousins. Due to a family tragedy, my grandfather Roy Watts and his sister Estelle grew up in a Louisville orphanage with very little contact from the rest of the family. They were the children of James Thomas Watts(1891-1953) and Florence Warren Watts(1898-1923). For more on James' family history, see the previous post about his parents.

I will not plague you with too many details, but here is what we know:
Roy and Estelle's early childhood were spent hopping between Graves County Kentucky and Weakley County Tennessee. We believe the Watts side of the family resided on the Tennessee side of the area, and the Warren family on the Kentucky side - with some cross pollination across the border. Many of the orphanage records for the children have varying places of residence, birth, etc that reflect this transient pattern. We have heard that the two sides of the family did not get along because when this young couple got married (James and Florence m.1914), her Warren side did not approve of her Watts choice. Florence died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 after giving birth to a third child: James Thomas - who either died after being adopted by a Garrett woman from Alabama, or put in another orphanage down south - based on some conflicting family reports - apparently there was a scandal attached to this adoption and we have only gotten a few willing blurbs about the incident.

Roy and Estelle's father was still alive, but handicapped and had to move around a lot in order to find work. Since both sides of the family were at odds, Florence and James' wish at her death was to put the children in a home for a better chance. After entering the Christian Children's Home in Louisville, which was quite far away from the remaining family units, there was minimal contact with the children. James wrote some letters to his children, as did Florence's sister Mae Warren Wiggins. **Aunt Mae was in contact with the family again in the 1980s before her death, but we've even lost contact with her children.

Roy visited the Mayfield area back in the 50s or 60s to reconnect with some of the family, but sadly, no one brought forth much about the family, or he didn't take any notes. Roy and Estelle had a picture of their father since he didn't pass away until the 1950s (seen here), yet, went all of their lives without any picture of their mother. Mention was made of pictures existing, but none were ever shared - which would have been hard to do back then. Roy said one member of the family showed him a small newspaper clipping with a school group photo - which included his mother as a teenager. He spoke of this photo a lot and always told me I resembled his mother (my great-grandmother), and we assumed it was because we were told she had blond hair - my hair was blond when very young, and light brown when older. However, none of us have seen this photo, let alone any other photos from the elusive Warren clan.

My appeal goes out to any living cousins out there that may be descended from this bunch. The family unit that Florence came from is as follows:

Parents:
John and Asalee (Azalee) Gray? Warren

Children:
Arthur
Florence
Mae (married a Wiggins)
Edna (also married a Wiggins)
+ a few others, whose names I don't have on hand at the moment.
This family group can also be seen here in this 1900 Graves County Kentucky census clip:

I have some notes (oral accounts) that list the parents of John as James and Cordelia (?) Warren. As for Asalee above, we heard she was a Gray and in the above census household, Timpa Gray, the "mother in law" was living with them at the time. We had heard her name as Tempy, but always assumed it was short for Temperance. Imagine our surprise when I found this amazing tidbit in Findagrave:

Birth: Mar. 7, 1827
Death: Feb. 17, 1903

Tempay Warren Gray was a 73 year old living with her daughter Azalee and husband John Warren listed in the 1900 census.
Inscription:
wife of R. Warren and E. Grey
Burial:
High Hill Cemetery
Graves County
Kentucky, USA

Soooo, she was married to both a Warren and a Gray...thanks Grandma for making as this clear as mud! This one alone is why I need to make some physical field trips down to the home counties....planning for a trip soon, Mom is chomping at the bit!

In order to snag some more cousins, here is a couple of obits that might ring a bell: one for Arthur Warren, Florence's brother, and one for Arthur's son Aubrey aka "Jay" in Calloway County Kentucky - both died in 1983.

As a final note, please do not be alarmed by Elmer Fudd and his shotgun, I am not literally hunting you as he would.....but we would be thrilled to restore contact to this branch of our family.

Btw, many thanks to the Watts cousins out there - you know who you are - who found my web site years ago and sent me some wonderful pedigree info and photos of our ancestors!

To the rest of my readers - thank you for the long indulgence. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.

**Newspaper articles taken from the Mayfield Messenger (1923,1983), with the exception of the last obit from the Murray Ledger Times.

Lincoln Park Legacy - A New Journey

2011-08-04T12:22:00.002-04:00

Telling the story of the Lincoln Park Baptist Church will require many voices. My voice, encased in my personal experiences with this institution will be here at my blog. However, the new Lincoln Park Legacy blog will be the newsfeed for the many voices I hope to restore to our collective memory. After my first segment of the Lincoln Park story told here, I encourage you to visit the new and official blog of the project to learn more and follow along as we uncover historical gems and past identities.

My introduction to Lincoln Park Baptist Church in Cincinnati Ohio came through my parents and grandparents. My grandparents were members of this church between the span of the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. My parents were married here, yet they did not belong to this congregation as they made their own family. Actually, many of my family members were married here: My aunts and uncles, and a few cousins.

Among my personal memories, I can relate a few: visiting many times with the grandparents, attending Sunday school on occasion with my cousin, attending weddings, and two favorite memories that my family love retelling when they need a good laugh. The time when I was 3 years old and had an accident that made my grandmother think her water pills were playing tricks on her, and the only time I was ever asked to be a flower girl in a wedding – I fainted dead away while standing so long, and hit my head on the seat of the hard wooden pew. This was my cousin’s wedding, and my aunt supposedly has an audio tape of the horrible, loud “bong” that my hard head made as it hit the pew. Have no fear, there were no lasting mental effects – at least that is what they continued to tell me over the years.

Back in 2007, my Aunt, who was still a member of this church, invited my parents and I up to visit during the “homecoming” celebration. This yearly event was special in 2007 for a couple of reasons. 1. The Church was celebrating 165 years of being a congregation. 2. This would probably be their last celebration because the building was about to be sold and the congregation had voted to merge with another in order to survive in any capacity. There was a third reason I was called up – due to the anniversary, all of the historical items of the church’s long history would be on display, and with my Special Collections training/history degree/genealogy experience, they could use an expert pair of eyes. At this point, the congregation knew they had a unique collection, but had no idea what to do with it once they merged with another church.

My visit in 2007 was thrilling. I instantly fell in love with this collection. It was rich and fairly well preserved. There were stories of women missionaries to China, immigrant congregations, healing ministries, hardships through the decades of American history, and just plain adorable social tidbits. After snapping some initial photos of the collection, I recommended some options if they intended to keep the collection, or if they planned on donating it to another entity.

Within the next year, I was invited back to take a closer look, give even more detailed preservation advice, and this time, advise on packing. By now, the church building had sold, and the moving had already begun. Knowing the long history of this church, I was saddened by these turn of events.

There were many in the congregation that understood the scope and value of this collection, but they were not ready to part with it. They had the foresight to plan for preserving the material, but were unsure how to go about this properly. They set aside some money to purchase preservation material and to house the items in an environmentally controlled space. However, after a few years of debating, a mold outbreak, lack of space, and re-allocation of some of the money, plans were altered by necessity. This is where I came back into the picture within the capacity of Pastology.

Under our normal operating procedures, we advise on how to set up digitization efforts in-house, in the hopes of preserving and digitizing items on a long term basis. With the Lincoln Park remnants, circumstances were changing fast, and it was evident that a long-term digitization/preservation effort was not possible with the few volunteers they had on hand. Also, their new facilities were not conducive to maintaining the items securely. Extra help was needed, and due to our unique relationship, Pastology agreed to digitize off-site, with each newly digitized batch of documents being donated to a local historical society, for longterm preservation of the original material. Another reason for this choice was the desire for quick and full access of these documents for the remaining members who are aging fast. Part of this new project will also include a portion devoted to oral history. Hopefully we can add to the collection with some oral history interviews in the near future.

That is about it for my personal connection to this collection. When I say Pastology will be digitizing the collection, that means, me, myself and I. This one is near and dear to me, so I’m taking this one on all by my lonesome. Disclaimer: Pastology is under contract and is being paid for the digitization efforts…..we are NOT however, being paid to wallow in how much fun wading through all of this content has already proven to be! What is it they say about a pig wallowing in mud? Sometimes it feels like that with the dust, and yes, a bit of mold from time to time, but I am as happy as that proverbial pig!

To follow along on the journey and keep tabs on the wonderful historical gems we uncover, please consider following our newest blog Lincoln Park Legacy. We also have a new twitter account: @oldlincolnpark. Once the newly digitized documents are entered into Pastology, they will be free to access. For any of you with Cincinnati relatives/ancestors…..you will want to keep tabs on this collection. The congregation was downtown for over a hundred years with as many as 1000 members at the turn of the century. One of the most fantastic things we have to digitize is a large number of completed member cards, some as far back as the 1920s. Many new Romanian and Hungarian immigrants attended this church for sometime as well…..and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

So far, my favorite serendipity moment:

I was allowed to come take charge of a few document tubs at a time. Nothing is in any order anymore, so I did poke through some of the collection to create a tub with some of the oldest things first – they will need the quickest preservation care. As soon as I arrived home with the tubs, I grabbed a few files to look through. One photo in a clear sleeve slipped out on top of the others – the subject: an adult Sunday school class from the 1950s – in the front row – my grandparents - well at least Grandpa and half of Grandma.....but still a fun moment!

Tobacco Time

2011-07-31T21:50:00.000-04:00

My parents have a beautiful view off of their deck in Scott County Kentucky. It overlooks several rolling hills of active fields and each year a different crop is planted. Over the years, we have watched the growth of soy beans, corn, hay, etc. But this year, for the first time, the farm owners decided to plant tobacco. Despite the controversy surrounding this staple of Kentucky farming, we enjoyed watching the different stages of development as the days of summer ticked by. At this point, the growth has slowed way down due to a lack of substantial rain in this part of the county. The plants appear to be stunted, and have started to bloom out way before the normal time. As my mother and I commented on its stunted growth and development, we realized that the farming traditions and experiences we had while growing up had indirectly taught us much about the tobacco growing process. Even though we were never farmers, we grew up visiting or living some of our lives on Kentucky farms. This meant helping to plant it, watching the little plants grow, watching the blooms appear at the top, watching the spray, followed by the turn of yellow leaves which marked the end of the summer season. As we looked at the leaves in her neighboring farm, we knew we were remembering loved ones in our past.

L-R: John, William (Bill) & Lawrence Beyersdoerfer

As it turns out, we also have several other tobacco farmers in our family tree. The family branches we were remembering came from the northern Kentucky region, on my Mother's side. Despite the steep rolling hills that presented severe challenges to farming anything, the farmers in this area embraced the tobacco crop. Within the Pendleton and Bracken Counties, we had family members in the Fliehmann(Fleeman), Beyersdoerfer, Cox and Watts branches that grew tobacco along with other crops. Ironically, we have several photographs from family or neighbor tobacco farmers posing with their crops proudly. Once my father married into the Watts family - a city boy from Cincinnati - his shutterbug tendencies went wild. The result was a wonderful treasure trove of photographs from the late 1960s - 70s that continues to enhance our family story. Regardless of which generation was being photographed, these farmers were very proud of their crops.

Of course, tobacco was not the only crop that provided sustainable income for these Kentucky farmers. With the German branches of our family near Foster Kentucky, their additional crops came in the forms of corn and grapevines. Bringing their Bavarian traditions to Kentucky in the mid-nineteenth centuries meant growing grapes and producing wine to sell in Covington. For our families in the Pendleton County area who were more from English/Irish ancestry, corn and dairy farming were their staples of choice. I hope to post more about the choices these farmers made as our family history collection has much to offer....but for now, tis the season of tobacco.....and despite any ill feelings toward this crop, for many it was just a way to survive. A way of life that is quickly fading.

Summer Recipe - Ripe Peaches

2011-07-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this is not a real recipe, but I just couldn't help myself. There are some food experiences that are infused with memories - via touch, taste and smell - so powerful, they transport you back in time. For me, ripe summer peaches are one of my special food memories. My Watts grandparents had a large dairy farm in Bourbon County Kentucky that was sprinkled with various home grown produce. They had a huge vegetable garden just behind their house, which brings back both wonderful and painful memories (those are way too many beans Mamma!), but surrounding the vegetable garden was a spattering of fruit trees/bushes. There was a small orchard diagonal to the garden, next to an old horse barn, that had cherry trees, blue berries and grape vines on the old wooden black fence. But nearer to the house was a very mature peach tree.

Peaches in Kentucky can be hit or miss. Sometimes the frost gets the blossoms just when they are getting ready to produce the fledgling peaches, or when they do make it, letting them ripen is also risky, since deer tend to love those ripe peaches as much as we do! During those rare summers when we happened to be visiting during a year when we hit the ripeness right on target, we were blessed with a wonderful treat!

So, what was the grand recipe?

Ripe peaches.
An old kitchen knife (crooked and worn well).
A small china bowl (cereal size works well) - with or without pattern - but chips on the sides might be a very important ingredient. Picture shows my bowl of choice - Pappa's favorite cereal bowl.
Granulated sugar and a spoon (crooked/worn spoon is also a must, but sugar may be in a cup or bring out the trusty sugar bowl with chipped lid).
Lots of napkins to catch the juice!

Instructions: slice up that peach into nice bite-sized portions - leave the skin on! Pour some sugar into your bowl....then.....dip those peach slices into the sugar before placing them into your mouth. If outside, on a summer day, close your eyes and breathe in that hot summer air....and remember those sweet memories.
Come on! The summer is only half over! Go get some ripe peaches!
C

Inferential Genealogy - Conclusion

2011-07-15T23:19:00.000-04:00

After a pretty long hiatus of conferences, birthday trips, a sick cat, brief personal illness and just plain needed vacations, I am trying to get back into the swing of things. All of the above prevented my full investment into the final portions of the Inferential Genealogy Study Group in Second Life, but I did go through the final cases, and attended the wrap up discussion (previous post). Before moving on to other genealogy subjects, I thought I would post a final word on how the project went overall, and some of my observations about how Second Life enhanced this typically internet-only course.

As mentioned in my earlier posts, Dr. Jones' series on Inferential Genealogy is a free instructional tool available on the Family Search website. You may take this course at anytime, as long as you have a live internet connection. Second Life was only the method we used to take the course as a group, in order to discuss our experiences, and bounce ideas/suggestions off of each other. As we met to discuss our experience for each case study, it became quickly apparent that there were some technical difficulties with this particular course. As Dr. Jones took the researcher through the case documents to show them the pertinent pieces of information in order to move to the next step, the tech visuals were not in agreement. In several cases, the "reconstructed" document portions were missing the particular information that Dr. Jones was referring to.....and in some instances, the surnames listed were completely wrong.

Our gracious host, Clarise Beaumont (aka Dear Myrtle), had attended Dr. Jones' Inferential Genealogy seminar in person a few years ago, and she said these discrepancies we were seeing were not typical of the real course. This inspired the group to take notes detailing the errors we discovered, in order to pass on to Dr. Jones as a feedback measure. We were hoping the feedback would allow Family Search to change the visual document examples to better match the verbal/instructional portions of the course. An additional goal of this group arose as we discovered how helpful this course would have been if the technical difficulties were remedied. Therefore, the group produced a report to submit to Dr. Jones, giving both positive and critical feedback.

Overall, everyone had a great time - even if it was very frustrating when weeding through the discrepancies. But it reminded us all how tenacious we are when conducting research. The discrepancies sometimes made us only try harder - which was sometimes quite comical. When meeting back as a group, we had to reassure each other that we were not half blind, nor going crazy when things didn't add up to the verbal conclusions Dr. Jones was making. We also came away with many positives and lessons learned. For myself, my big positive with this course was learning to slow down my research methods to document the inferential conclusions I was making. My habit of mentally evaluating a clue and moving on to a next document or step is sometimes so second nature that it can happen in a few seconds. However, when passing on my research to the next generation, I need to document the inferential conclusions or assumptions I made during the course of my research. That way, each step is made, understood, and more legitimately argued. We grow much closer to the proof standard by documenting each step - especially when dealing with inferential steps since we know inferential knowledge is based on connecting the dots between known information to draw conclusions about the information that is missing. Another great lesson learned was the use of spreadsheets to map out your results my surname, individual and timeframe. It was interesting to see families change spellings, etc as they moved around.

For those you interested in following this inferential journey online, I'm not sure I would recommend this course to beginners - at least not until they fix the technical discrepancies. As for Second Life, events are happening each week in the genealogy areas - Chats, instruction, etc. Feel free to join in and bring some of your problem research to the group. They are all very helpful and love to chew on genealogical challenges. If you are interested in series study such as the one we just finished, Clarise Beaumont is planning a new one that will begin sometime in October, so keep an eye on the group calendar!

See you in-world!

C/Sif

A Change of Pace

2011-06-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

As this time of the year rolls around, a group of faithful family members gather for their yearly reunion up in the Portsmouth Ohio area. They are all descendants from one branch of the Pace family.....a branch that has two distinct histories....one in Eastern Kentucky and one in Southern Ohio.

The Pace family (L-R: Pearl, Albert, Challie, Fannie, Alberta, Vearl,
Dorie, Gracie Pace Adkins with Husband Raleigh Adkins and two children.)

This Pace story is one of hardship, determination, love and faithfulness. It begins in the Eastern Kentucky Mountains - and exemplifies the rich Appalachian spirit that is so often mocked simply because of their humble way of life. Within the areas of Magoffin, Floyd and Johnson Counties, the Pace and Connelly families united with my Great Grandparents, Albert Pace and Fannie Conley (Connelly). It is said that Albert was a descendant of the early pioneer Richard Pace of Jamestown Virginia, and Fannie the descendant of Captain Henry Connelly of the American Revolution. Within the mingled generations it has actually been discovered that both are descendants of the illustrious Captain, but very far back down ye olde family tree - I better not hear any Eastern KY snickering about that one!

Pace homestead in Bear Tree,
Magoffin County Kentucky

This couple produced many children, and several of their descendants were very faithful in interviewing the children of Albert and Fannie. According to some of the family interviews, Albert and Fannie were greatly admired for their hard work and love of family. They made their home near Salyersville, Magoffin County,Kentucky, in a small area known as Bare (Bear) Tree. Growing up, I always heard Great Grandpa Albert referred to as "Prince" Albert Pace. As an adult, this term always perplexed me because I was pretty sure that wasn't his real name. However, caveat observed - I don't have his vital records, so, Prince could really have been part of his name. Ironically, when a cousin passed along this photo of Albert, all fancied up, I wasn't surprised that the "Prince" portion stuck to his memory. Albert did not live to be an old man, but died rather young and with a full head of hair - which I thought was interesting, since he never looked like the Prince Albert tobacco can image - but when looking at a younger image of the real Prince Albert, the "Prince" label made complete sense!

Tale of two Princes: Prince Albert Pace (1874-1923) and Prince Albert of Great Britain

According to the oral accounts, Albert was a man of many trades. He worked in the "oil fields", he worked in the mines, he "stacked whiskey frames", and according to the census, he was a farmer. All of the accounts from his daughters describe a loving and cheerful man. His daughter Sarah remembered him as a very devout man: "Everyday before he walked the many miles to work he would go to a spot behind our little house, beside a big tree. There he would stop, on bended knee and pray for his family. The spot where he prayed was worn bare from the pressure of his knee on the ground. For many years after he died, the place stayed bare and the print of his knee was there. I always thought that meant he was still watching out for me." Unfortunately, Albert, aka "Poppy" as his children called him, died from an unknown illness in 1923 around the age of 51. At the time of his death, he left a pregnant wife, eight children and one grown daughter from a previous marriage with two+/- grandchildren.

Fannie Lou Conley Pace
Cottle Malone (1882-1956)

After the death of Albert, Fannie's life changed completely. She worked as many odd jobs as she could cram into one day while taking care of her children. The memories surrounding these years include the image of her staying up late at night to do mending by the fire as part of her local paid duties. Instead of marrying again right away, Fannie gave birth to Georgie, four months after Albert's death, but then had to bury Georgie, 22 months later. Not long after Georgie's death, Fannie's two oldest boys learned about work up in Ohio and convinced their mother to take the entire family to Wheelersburg, a suburb of Portsmouth Ohio. Historically, this was a common move for many in Eastern Kentucky at the time. Factories were growing by leaps and bounds up along the river, and the number of jobs grew right along with them.

Not long after settling with her young daughters in a small dwelling near Meade, Fannie married their landlord, Bill Cottle. During these years, she also ran a small store, and faithfully attended a local Pentecostal church in the area. After Bill died, she married a man by the name of Malone, but kept working hard until her death in 1956.

Meade Pentecostal Church

Another consistent memory associated with Fannie was her kind nature. All of her children remember her very fondly. And so, after this northern migration, all of her children and descendants stayed north of the river, for the most part. I think we might be the only ones who returned to Kentucky - many decades later. For this reason, the family reunion is always held near the Portsmouth area each summer. If you recognize this clan and wish to join in the reunion fun, just contact me directly and I can give you the particulars.

Many thanks to my Pace cousins for keeping our oral history alive: Carolyn, Jodi, Brenda, Marcia, Bob, etc. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't know the rich heritage that comes from this side of our family. For additional connections to this branch, the connected surnames include: Salyer, Caudill, Musick, Crace/Adkins.

Albert and Fannie's children at a Pace Reunion years ago.

Inferential Genealogy Homework #1

2011-06-04T13:45:00.000-04:00

During my previous post about Second Life, I mentioned the current course discussions being held in-world, and how they would require some homework blog posts. Before you non-SL people read this and rush off, this seminar is available online for anyone to complete. The only difference with my posting will be the connection to Second Life discussions. If you would like to utilize this free course on Inferential Genealogy by Dr. Tom Jones, offered through the free online courses by Family Search, here is the direct link: http://broadcast.lds.org/elearning/fhd/community/cbig/player.html

Also, here is the original post about the course and Second Life schedule from Dear Myrtle - the dear who has brought this to our attention and is willing to host discussions in-world!
http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2011/05/inferential-genealogy-study-group-in.html

Our first post discussion assignment required us to write a blog post about our understanding of inferential genealogy at this stage of the course. Also, we are to include any examples we could think of from our own genealogical research.

As far as my understanding goes, inferential genealogy is the method of drawing kinship/relationship conclusions based on partial or piecemeal information. As genealogists we utilize all kinds of factual records - most are accurate, but many are flawed, or even wrong. Since no one document can give us the solid, complete facts about an individual, we must turn to many outside sources to confirm any conclusion we might draw. Dr. Jones describes it as putting together a puzzle. We only have the complete picture after we have put together all of the pieces.

Honestly, after viewing the introduction and reading the handout, I suddenly realized that this is always how I have conducted my research. Perhaps this is due to my past experience as a history major back in my undergrad days, when we learned to never really take history at factual face value. We were taught to check and double check multiple sources (primary sources) and then take the facts we learned and put them together in contextual perspective. In other words, we could only draw reasonable conclusions after multiple sources had confirmed the perceived information and as long as it fit within the context of the period from which it came. After learning this type of methodology I applied it to my genealogy research methods - thereby rendering almost ALL of my genealogy research into a state of limbo or suspicion.

I don't care if my great great aunt told me what her mother's maiden name was, I need multiple records confirming her information (and spelling) before I would conclude it to be fact. Does this mean I did not value the information that was given to me via an oral interview? On the contrary. I am a huge proponent of oral history and interviews. If you want to know where to begin your research journeys, oral interviews are the absolute best place to start - not to mention that at face value they are primary sources when wanting to understand a people, their perspective and cultural experiences. Plus, most of the time, those oral interviews are pretty darned accurate - I love them dearly, and in my opinion, they are more precious than the records, because they represent voices and impressions of the lives that came before me!

So, back to true inferential genealogy and how this has helped me. Since my research is never complete, any piece of information, however small or insignificant, is a puzzle piece that helps me paint a complete picture of an ancestor's life. Even if I have already confirmed in a few records the birth date of a person, by employing the strategies of inferential genealogy, I can put more flesh back on the bones per se. Dr. Jones outlines steps to using this method, and one of his steps involves broadening your research area and scope. Thereby studying the neighbors of your ancestors, community involvement of your ancestors, and migratory patterns that include a whole new set of broadened areas of research. But seriously, when I began my genealogy journey so many years ago, it wasn't the birth and death dates that got me hooked, it was the life led by my ancestors that inspired that passion. The life truly led can really only be found through inferential methodology.

To give a few examples of how I used this method within my own family research:

1. My great great Uncle Lanson Cox died as a young man in his 20s. The story of his death came from my great Grandmother - she mentioned that he died young and that she was very close to him, but never detailed the experience. I used death records to see his death date, cause of death and parents - plus tombstone and other records to confirm his birth/parents, etc. However, the experience of losing a brother at such a young age was the more complete picture. I used local newspaper gossip sections that detailed his lingering illness over the weeks and months. These not only gave me a better understanding of how long he was sick, but also allowed me to see how the community was handling the illness of a local. They detailed when his family members and neighbors visited, and how many local friends visited, always describing how well liked he was in his small community. Later, obituary notices helped detail and confirm some of the familial relationships mentioned earlier. This inference of family connection is a breadcrumb or puzzle piece that can help me later add more members to our family tree once the relationships are confirmed through more sources.

2. On my Beyersdoerfer side of the family, my 3rd great Grandfather was quite adept at alphabet soup. He was born Johann George and immigrated to America with his brothers in the mid 19th century. However, it seems he not only changed to John George once he landed, but also preferred the name George when dealing with some records (not all) due to the other local John Beyersdoerfers in the area. He therefore used the following given names/initials: J.G., John, John George, G.J., George, and even Johann George in his earliest records on American soil. By the time he died, he had G.J. listed on his tombstone. This man's life can ONLY be documented through inferential means. Due to the other Beyersdoerfer immigrants in the same surrounding counties, I can only count a record as truly being that of my Grandfather if other pieces within that record coincide or match details from other records. In many cases, I really can only count those with the same immediate familial relationships on the record to consider it his.....and even then, I double check birth dates of those family members due to a repeat of given names within this group of German settlers. Ugghhhh!!!

3. One last example from my 3rd great Grandfather Samuel Cox. He was married three times, and no one in the family can ever seem to get the names of the wives straight. Plus, two of the wives had the same given name and died within a few years of each other. Needless to say, I must rely on inferential info to confirm when I have a record about a specific wife. And don't get me started about those in the family who confused the son Samuel with the father....we soooo need a Cox family history do-over! Especially for what is lurking out there in the interwebs!

In conclusion, I really do not believe you can adequately paint a complete portrait of your ancestors, nor understand them, without using this method. It leaves no stone unturned, greatly reduces the chance for pedigree error, and broadens your understanding of the ancestor's life within a community. After all, we are studying relationships, and without exploring the relationships, our research is incomplete and in some cases, completely wrong. As researchers, we should always take pride in having correct research, not just a long pedigree. We all know how wrong the long trees can be.....we should use this method more to prune some of those monstrosities and document the correct information for future generations!

On to Case #1....as you follow the course, feel free to stop in Second Life for some lively discussions about what we learn! Next meeting is this Sunday the 5th at 5:15PM SLT (Second Life time is Pacific Time which is 8:15PM Eastern Time) at the Just Genealogy Fire Pit!

Dancing With Abe - In Second Life

2011-06-04T12:27:00.001-04:00

Dancing with Abe at the
Land of Lincoln.

It would seem that the virtual environment of Second Life is making a bit of a comeback in the area of genealogy. For those of you not familiar with it, I will include a few links at the end that better explain its existence, but I would describe it as something similar to a free video game, except that the users or players create the world around them. They also completely dictate what their character or avatar looks like while roaming around in this 3D universe. One other thing to remember, unlike a video game, there are no real objectives or goals to this experience - unless you choose to visit such an area that has combative elements. As far as a use for genealogy, there are several ways Second Life can be utilized: One on one research assistance from other residents, links to various databases or sites, instructional notecards or slideshows, seminars/lectures.

My historic quilt exhibit at our virtual campus library.
The woman in the middle is my 3rd great grandmother.

Second Life is not that new having been around since 2005. I myself have been actively using this platform since early 2008. Similarly to genealogy, my purpose "in-world" was solely for educational purposes. As my profile states, my day job is that of a librarian at a major university, and believe it or not, we have our own space or island dedicated to allowing our students to experience some of their classes in this immersive environment. We have classes that experiment with cultural studies, agriculture, medicine/dental, music/theatre and politics, etc. Overall, students that participate in this method of learning give it high marks, as being fun, enlightening and sometimes very challenging. When they first enter this 3D world, they view it as just another video game, and are sceptical to its uses when no goal is waiting to be achieved. However, by the end of their course they have experienced learning on a level that questions their identity, representation, interaction and reality as we know it. To go along with the classroom settings, we also have a virtual representation of our campus library. It is not full of books, but rather, information on how to use SL, points of interest, reference information, as well as art or historical exhibits that teach through interaction.

Henry VIII and I acting
as tour guides during the
Stepping Into History Conference
on Renaissance Island.

Genealogy is also not new to Second Life. When I first entered this new world, I sought out interesting groups I might like, such as Jane Austen fans, art lovers and of course, genealogy. Back then, they were an active group and I have rarely attended an event that did not at least have a half dozen participants. Within my first year, I can remember attending an event with over 20 avatars. Today, the activity is growing with the last event running at the maximum of 40 attendees. Like the educational groups in-world, genealogy has focused on instructional learning and social networking. Although, keep in mind, that Second Life (SL) is designed to be a place of anonymity. If you only want to attend and not reveal your true identity, that is perfectly fine. So, social networking and relationships developed are sometimes relegated to this virtual world. It is also against the rules of SL to actively ask who the real person behind the avatar is, so be careful. If someone wants to reveal their true identity, that is allowed, but some people enjoy becoming another person entirely within the confines of their avatar. Once in-world, simply search for "genealogy" to locate some of the great places to connect with fellow researchers. Also, the APG has recently begun a chapter in-world....which is a big deal on the professional acceptance level.

Clarise Beaumont aka Dear Myrtle conducting a genealogy session
on Tuesday night.

My purpose behind this post is to alert my readers that I may post something from time to time about a discussion that was held in-world. Recently, the Just Genealogy group has begun discussing a course series which includes homework - finished by being posted to your blog for the others to read. I would also like to encourage those of you who have not tried this form of interaction with fellow genealogists, to give it a try!

Playing Marie Antoinette

Caution: opinion coming at you. Ok, here is the lowdown on SL. There are a lot of other things you can do or experience in SL. Some are on the risque side, some are on the amazing side (touring King Tut's tomb or dancing with Abe Lincoln & Henry VIII), and some are on the vain side. You are suddenly presented with a 3D barbie and you can make it look any way you want - of course, that may also cost real money to change the appearance drastically. You can make wonderful new friends, own your own home/land and attend discussions by experts that you could only attend at major conferences - only it is kind of like a big chat room and you can ask questions of these experts. BUT, SL has a steep learning curve. You will have to have fairly up-to-date PC equipment to handle the graphics and processing drain. You will also have to have A LOT of patience. In fact, if you get sucked in to all the amazing things you can do or purchase in SL, it will seriously suck away your time! I recently read a tweet by a fellow genealogist that said she just spent three hours clothes shopping in SL. It can get addictive quite quickly. To be honest, even after all the fun, you will run upon locations that kick you out due to too many attendees, or make your PC crash due to too many animations going on at once, or griefers that try to make trouble for others, or walking through walls, or not being able to control that avatar at the level you need.

Attending a Shakespeare Play at the
full size replica of the Globe Theatre.
Dressed as Queen Elizabeth I.

Just learning to function in SL takes time and practice. My advice: watch YouTube tutorials from Linden Labs that show you how to access things you need or how to accomplish certain/basic tasks. However, if you stick with it initially, and can have an avatar ready to attend events, I think you will really appreciate the rewards of being able to join in live conversations with genealogy experts from around the world. This is the true benefit of SL.....and after all your learning and collaborating, sneak out to have a little fun.....as people who focus on history, you will love some of the amazing places and communities you will discover. Of course, if you are lucky, you might happen upon a dance! Genealogists definitely know how to boogie!

Some fun SL links

The main site to download SL for free:
http://secondlife.com/?lang=en-US

Dear Myrtle's Blog (Our SL genealogy expert):
http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/

Article by Dear Myrtle about SL:
http://www.digitalgenealogist.com/pubs/dgmayjun09p20-23.pdf

SL Wiki and video tutorials:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials

Fabulously Free in SL (for clothes shopping):
http://fabfree.wordpress.com/

Renaissance Island: http://secondlife.com/destination/renaissance-island

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre: http://secondlife.com/destination/534

If you join SL and want to be notified of upcoming genealogy activities, join the in-world groups as well as the Facebook group - Genealogists in Second Life.

Sif enjoying
a Mint Julep
at the
Kentucky
Derby

P.S. If you choose to join in the fun, feel free to friend me in-world. My avatar's name is Sifriya Devin. Although, these days, she's not around too much except to attend genealogy or a few national library events. Educationally speaking, Linden Labs decided to remove the educational discount for organizations. Therefore, while we have continued our University presence in SL for the next year, we are not as active as we used to be while we explore other 3D world options such as Open Sim.

See you in-world!

Trademark Notice:

In Remembrance

2011-05-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

Oh FREEDOM! thou art not, as poets dream,

A fair young girl, with light and delicate limbs,

And wavy tresses gushing from the cap

With which the Roman master crowned his slave

When he took off the gyves. A bearded man,

Armed to the teeth, art thou; one mailed hand

Grasps the broad shield, and one the sword; thy brow,

Glorious in beauty though it be, is scarred

With tokens of old wars; thy massive limbs

Are strong with struggling. Power at thee has launched

His bolts, and with his lightnings smitten thee;

They could not quench the life thou hast from heaven.

Excerpt from: Antiquity of Freedom by William Cullen Bryant

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice.
CD

Sun, Surf and Surnames

2011-05-23T23:11:00.000-04:00

Wow, after spending a week playing in and around Charleston, South Carolina, I am fully in favor of picking similarly cool destination spots for genealogical conferences! Seriously, the southern hospitality, instant summer temps, Spanish moss, beautiful beaches and enough history to get overdosed on is proof of a great pick......but then, add genealogy as the icing on top of that cake and you have my version of heaven! I had been to Charleston years ago, but fell in love with it all over again during this conference. So, Kudos to the NGS people for choosing this sweet spot!

As far as the conference itself, I'd call it another rousing success. Great speakers, great events, great food, great new and old friends.....and really great instructional opportunities. I adored the little break out sessions throughout the conference and within the exhibit hall. This nice informal structure allowed for a fluid schedule and greater opportunity to pop in for a few minutes for some tips. As always, completely blown away by the warmth of the attendees - a truly fun and helpful group!

For those of you who have never gotten to one of the major national conferences: try to get to one! They are so inspiring. The perfect way to jazz up your research and jump start your way to more creative methods of conducting the family hunt. Even if there were no session or exhibits, the networking alone is priceless! I spend hours sometimes just chatting with groups of fellow researchers and learning new things with each conversation! However, I know attending can be expensive.....travel costs, registration costs, accommodation costs, etc. But keep your eye out for one of these conferences even remotely near your area. To save money, the large conferences always offer a one day attendance option which usually runs in the $100 range.....pre-view the conference schedule online and pick your favorite day to head up for a night. Also, if you are in the area and simply cannot afford the attendance prices, keep in mind that most of the exhibit halls are either free and open to the public for the entire conference, or at least for one day only.

The exhibit halls are a blast and usually frequented by several genea-celebrities! My coolest moment at this year's conference by far: meeting the Naked Cowboy's Dad! Turns out the Naked Cowboy is an Ohio native and his Dad was there in his genealogical capacity to advertise next year's NGS hosted in Cincinnati! This too is my home turf and I can't wait! True, it will not be an exotic vacation locale for me next year, but it is a beautiful city with amazing historical collections throughout the tri-state area. The capital/state historical societies for three states are within a 2-3 hour drive. Don't forget, the Cincinnati/Kentucky/Indiana area was quite the gateway for many of our ancestors that headed out west, and the records are still here for your enjoyment!

As a small treat, here is a slide show of some conference highlights. Until next year.....

Beach Reading - Slaves in the Family

2011-05-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

For those of you heading to the NGS annual conference in Charleston, South Carolina, an amazing experience awaits. Not only is Charleston one of the most beautiful cities on the East Coast, but the history that permeates your surroundings is a venerable feast of delights. With this year being the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Charleston serves as the perfect place to reflect on the atmosphere and historic conditions that lead to the "Civil War", "War between the States", or "War of Northern Aggression" - whatever your preference. However you choose to romanticize or dissect this chapter in our history, it is always important to take all viewpoints into consideration in order to gain a complete understanding of our culture during that time. Since we will be in the city where the first shots rang out, I suggest reading Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball. An older book published in 1998, this is still a wonderful, and highly enjoyable read when looking to experience this unique culture. Also, for those of you conducting African American research in the area, chapter 16 has a couple of paragraphs devoted solely to the surnames adopted by the former slaves from the Ball plantations.

As a direct descendant of the Ball family, Edward Ball explores how his family made its fortune along the Cooper River, just outside Charleston, beginning as early as 1698. Their story is not exactly a typical one. They did not make their fortune through cotton, but relied on rice as their crop of choice. However, their reliance upon slave labor was very high, and quite prolific as some of the family dealt directly in the international slave trade. His thorough account runs chronologically, from the 17th to the 20th centuries, with some flash fowards to the present day descendant branches.

The unique depth of this book cannot be overlooked. The story told here is not just family legend and oral history. The documentation that survives from this family is very extensive and provided the foundation for Ball's chronological accounts. To supplement the family history he inherited, and the documentation already on record, Ball then explored the African families that were entwined with the Balls. He found that the heritage he inherited was also ingrained in the lives of current African American families whose ancestors had been enslaved by the Balls. In several cases, the relationships transcended the former slave/owner connection. Not only did the former slaves sometimes remain socially connected via business, etc, but in some cases, the families were related by blood, which was the impetus for the title. By talking to the modern day descendants, Ball uncovered a rich tapestry that serves to increase any complex view we may have had about how slavery affected families and communities.

My only caveat with this account is the lack of slavery era African viewpoints. This is the story of slavery written by the white descendant of a white slave owning family. He does an amazing job of not withholding the good or the bad. You will encounter moments that seemingly display affectionate ties between the slaves and their owners, but in the next chapter, you might encounter the cruelty and apparent lack of any human sympathy. It is truly fascinating to read about the early years of the slave owning dynasty, and how it developed into this affluent, yet self absorbed group of people that lived in luxury while enslaving and abusing their fellow humans. Despite this book's valuable insight from a particular historical standpoint, for a more complete view of this period of Charleston's history, you might want to add a couple of slave narratives to your beach bag.

P.S. I picked up my copy at Maia's Books' booth while in Knoxville at the FGS Conference. They are slated to have a large booth at the NGS - along with slave narratives - so head there first for a great selection of beach reading material!

Missing Civil War Letters

2011-04-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Due to the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, anything and everything pertaining to this historical period will be more active on everyone's radar. Hopefully, this collective genealogical/historical radar can help find a lost family artifact. Let me preface by saying that the chances of finding copies of these letters are extremely low, as I will explain below. However, hopefully this post will be tagged and hover out there in the interwebs to be discovered someday by someone who can help.....even if it is years later, just finding copies of them would be an amazing thing for our family.

The letters were apparently from my 3rd Great Grandfather, Madison Daniels, to his wife Mary Ann (Hill) Daniels back in Porter Ohio (Gallia County). However, there were several Daniels brothers who were also possibly writing back and forth at the time and perhaps their response letters exist somewhere out there as well (among their descendants?). The four brothers that fought during the war were:

John Quincy Adams Daniels - 56th Ohio Infantry - taken prisoner at Vicksburg and remained there until the end of the War.

Madison Daniels - 173rd Ohio Infantry (1864-1865)

Abraham/Abram Daniels - 173rd Ohio Infantry (1864-1865)

Silas Daniels - 179th Ohio Infantry (1864-1865)

Madison supposedly wrote about the upcoming election and favoring Lincoln, among other details of his unit's being stationed in Nashville. I would also imagine that their brother's prisoner status in Vicksburg could have been a subject included.....but unfortunately, I have never read them.

The reason these letters are in the category of 'needle in a haystack' is because they were reportedly lost in a fire somewhere around the mid-1980s. I was still a kid at the time, and so I don't remember a lot about the loss. They were in the possession of my Grandfather Charles Daniels of Cincinnati Ohio. I'm not sure how long he had these letters (possibly since the 1960s), but at some point he loaned

Daniels Brothers
L-R Charles & Horace

them to his brother Horace Daniels....of undetermined locale. I can remember that Horace travelled A LOT. When the family talked about him, they mentioned Hawaii, Texas, his children in California, etc. and that was all in relation to recent places of residence. Apparently it was while living in Hawaii that these letters were lost in an apartment fire.

So....do I think the fire report was inaccurate? Not really - although word of mouth reports can be wrong. My hope is that somewhere out there they were photocopied and passed out to other family members, perhaps in the California area. If they were misplaced after a fire, and ended up in a museum somewhere, stranger things have happened. I have not lost hope that somewhere in all of my Grandfather's things, he may have taken photocopies of them to file away - even though he said he did not have a chance to copy them. My inkling of doubt for his memory in this area exists due to his obsession with photocopying. Even back when photocopying was not an easy task, he was copying everything! Later, after the loss of these letters, he even bought his own desktop copier machine. Grandfather's files are another matter entirely, and hopefully someday, we will be able to sift through everything for that happy surprise - copies of these letters! But in the meantime, we're hoping these soldier names might stick with folks as they conduct research this year, and for the next 5 years to come. Particularly in the western part of the country where the letters were last seen and where Horace's descendants may still reside. We would love to connect with them anyway as that branch of the family tree has always been a bit hazy for us.

BTW, on a side note, I ran across a couple of cool Civil War sites for Ohio:

Fight for the Colors: The Ohio Battle Flag Collection (Ohio Historical Society

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/exhibits/fftc/index.aspx

Ohio in the Civiil War

http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/

So How Did You Two Love Birds Meet?

2011-04-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

I love stumbling upon those little unexpected clues that get our speculation wheels a turning! I was going over some census records of family that lived in a certain area. Not direct ancestors, but peripheral siblings. Unfortunately, I oftentimes skip looking up the siblings when I research because it seems they had so many of them! But this is another reminder of why complete family group research is the best method - you never know what you will learn!

This particular 1900 census was for that of my great great grandfather's sister and her husband:

In 1900, the family of George and Cora (Cox) Quinlan consisted of the two of them, plus one small child (Frank), Cora's widowed father, Barton Cox, and a servant, Lizzie Mickabe (Mockabee/Mockbee). The reason I know how to spell Lizzie's surname correctly is because I recognized the servant immediately. She was the sister of my great great grandmother. My great great grandparents were Lavega Cox and Oleva Mockbee/Mockabee. I also know that Oleva's sister Lizzie, from above, went on to later marry Lavega's brother Jerry Cox. As a result, two sisters married two brothers from the same family.

This was not an uncommon alliance in small rural communities, but it made me think back and wonder, how did these couples meet? Did Lizzie begin working there in George and Cora's household before my great great grandparents met? Or did she start working there because her sister married Cora's brother? Since family/social gatherings were so very important for these small communities, I enjoyed thinking about how the attractions began. After a little digging, it turns out that the age difference suggested that it might have been Oleva and Cora (along with the other many siblings?) that did a little matchmaking over the years.....perhaps over a cup of tea? Here is a visual representation of the couples as they got together:

Oleva Mockbee and Lavega Cox were the oldest of
the couples and married first in 1880.

Cora, Lavega's sister and George Quinlan married next and
were about 10 years younger than couple number one.

Lizze Mockbee, Oleva's sister was quite the baby
(yet spinster material) at 25 when
she was working in the Quinlan household
during the 1900 census. But then, she was only 2 years
younger than Cora's husband (Cora was 4 years
older than her husband). So, was this a friendly
matchmaking set-up since Jerry and Lizzie
married the next year in 1901? Or was Cora jealous
of the age similarity between Lizzie and George?

I love speculating a little when it comes to family dynamics. I think we have a tendency to give our ancestors the benefit of the doubt and always think the best of their choices and outcomes. But lately, I've discovered some really questionable things about another family group - which has me turning a more suspicious eye on the activities of our ancestors. A recent conversation with another researcher had us laughing about this very thing: it turns out our ancestors were not the spotless, honorable people we automatically consider them to be - sometimes, they were a bit scandalous and reckless, just like today's generation - people really haven't changed. Each generation is fundamentally alike, it is only our perceptions that change over time.

P.S. Lizzie and Jerry's life together was very short lived. Lizzie died in 1903. She had one child, a boy, named Frank - which is the same name as the son had by Cora and George.....hmmmmmm :-)

Blogger's New Views - Pay Attention

2011-03-31T17:09:00.004-04:00

Earlier today I was sent a link about Blogger's new "Dynamic Views" capability which has been rolled out on a trial or "optional" basis. Mashable has reported on this and interviewed the Blogger Project Manager to get some more information. The comments from the Project Manager are why I thought it necessary to warn my Blogger friends out there to pay attention to this new development.

The main reason I feel it necessary for us to monitor this one closely is due to the language used in the interview. Apparently, Google is trying to "revolutionize" and "modernize" the "blog consumption experience". I actually love new ways to present information, and find some of the new views quite fun, but with this new change comes some sacrifices. Each new "view" actually removes any of the standard info we are used to seeing along the peripheral sections of our blogs. In other words, these views take the raw RSS feed version of the posts and comments and allow this to be the only content seen in the new "views". This of course removes any of the peripheral information we have painstakingly added to our blogs, such as personal profiles, Twitter feeds, Surname links, theme icons, links, label list, and even ads. If this is meant to just be another way to view them in an RSS feed reader, fine, but that is not the language being used.

The second reason that I feel this might be one to keep a close eye on is the wording about "optional". For now, these "views" can only be accessed if you type in the word "/view" after your standard blog address, or bloggers can disable this function from their site altogether. However, "for now" is a scary thought. Apparently, the Project Manager has hinted that the optional views may be mandatory at some point.

After viewing my blog in some of these new "views", I can see how this change will happen someday. The entire internet as we know it is changing: becoming more fluid and visually dynamic. Google specifically noted HTML5 among other advancing technologies as a reason for this switch. But let's just slow the train down here. First of all, these new views are only supported by the very latest in browsers. My first attempt gave me a screen that listed the browsers these views supported, and apparently, my IE version was not one of them. This sent me scurrying for Firefox. Once I did get to play around with them, I liked some, but a couple were just plane silly. As a hobbyist photographer, I was instantly drawn in when I could see all of my blog photos displayed in the mosaic form - what a pretty representation of family history! But after the flash and ooohs and ahhhs.....I suddenly remembered....uh wait, isn't a blog a web log? We WRITE here. In fact, writing is the main element of a blog. Yes, photos are important, but NOT the main focus of most of the blogs out there. So in my "VIEW", these new Blogger "views" better not be the final versions.

As of right now, I'm against any FORCED Blogger change. We all put a lot of time and (sometimes painful) effort into getting our blogs to look as they do. Besides, many of the little elements on the side are not there just for visual stimulation. They provide helpful links, information, labels, affiliations and ads - which helps with revenue for bloggers who usually don't make squat writing about what we love in the first place. Besides, as a Blogger user, I think they should fix some of the other HIGHLY aggravating bugs of the current Blogger user interface (UI) before changing the entire view system! Cough, cough, photo editing, cough cough - just sayin. And then there is the track record with Google. Anyone remember Google Wave? Flash in the pan. Buzz? Fading faster than your ancestor's ink on non-archival paper! Google LOVES to make waves and shake things up.....and I LOVE many of their things (Blogger, Gmail, Docs, not to mention the staple search engine)......but wake up Google! Please don't reinvent the wheel with Blogger. Sure, it's time for a revamp, but make it better by fixing bugs first, give us new features, make editing easier (take a look at WordPress/Tumblr), but for heaven's sake, don't break what has been a stable, popular product! I think some of the changes are awesome.....but in proportion......please don't forget that blogging is about writing, otherwise, it would be a Flickr account.

So in short, I think as Bloggers, we should keep an eye out and voice our opinions on this one heavily (each view has a feedback portion as explained on the official Google site here)......before they turn "optional" into "permanent". To play with your own Blogger blog in the new "views" just add /view to the end of your blog address: http://www.journeyspast.blogspot.com/view Below are some screen captures of the different "views" and perhaps a note or two about layout. At the end is a new video Google has put out there to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Happy Blogging!
C

Sidebar View - Nice text to photo ratio, more like standard blogs -
like the comments number posted by title - comments can be
seen or hidden based on user's preference.

Mosaic view - all intro photos - hovering mouse over a certain pic
gives you the title of the post.

Snapshot view - EVERY photo from each blog post.
Hovering with mouse displays a piece of the opening paragraph.
Blog post titles are always present.

Timeslide view - feature posts on the side jump quite a bit chronologically.

Actual post view if anything is clicked from the new "views" navigation pages.

Flipcard view - each opening photo from your posts.
Hovering over them with a mouse flips the photo to
reveal the title and link to the post.

Flipcard also - the only view with multiple ways to
organize your list of posts -
in this case, according to date.

Also Flipcard - organized by label - poor use of screen space.
BTW, the label count is very wrong - cut my Daniels listing in half at least.
The last option is a grouping by author (not shown),
but ends up being a clump since I'm the only author.

Landscape Across Time

2011-03-27T22:48:00.000-04:00

The one thing that brought me to genealogy as a passionate pursuit was the thought of restoring identities and communities back to our consciousness. Facts will only get us so far. A record or tombstone can give us a name, a place and a date. A photograph can give us a face or a space. Pieced together, all of these things form a skeleton without flesh. But what gives us the flesh for those bones? The things that form flesh are the serendipitous pieces of information that give us the living details. These living details can come from so many places. A memory, a story, a beloved object or heirloom. All of these non-facts, the ethereal parts of a person's life are what provides color, warm tones that bring that person's life back from obscurity.

The same can be said for communities. My mother grew up in the Pendleton County area of Kentucky. My grandparents moved away from that area when I was about a year old, so I have no memory of my life being fully connected as a livable space. But the roots attached there are still so complex and deep that it became an important part of my existence. My mother and grandparents raised me to appreciate and remember that my roots are from this place.

Ironically, because our roots in this one county span so many generations (late 18th century), my visualization and understanding of this community is unique. Above the town of Falmouth, literally, the steep rolling hills of the northern part of this county form a chain of farming families. Perhaps not all of the residents farm now, but the original farms are still pretty well spaced as they have been for many generations. When we drove the back country roads, my mother, and before her, my grandparents, and before them, my great grandmother, all made a point to demonstrate our deep roots here by pointing out places that used to be connected to our family - thus painting a picture of a farming community that does not respect the limits of time.

When they proceeded to point out a beloved neighbor's house, or the former farm of a ggg grandparent, or the church that they belonged to for years, they always told a small story to go with it. Each story connected a person or many people to this place, and added some flesh to the bones of the community skeleton. My mother is still here to tell the stories and each visit to that area, each drive down those roads is a pop quiz. Am I ready to pass on the information? Have I learned it well enough to recite some of the stories and point out the special family places?

One thing I discovered is that after all of those years of sharing stories and places while we drive, I now have this marvelous image of the timeline of this community. My visualization of each place along the road shifts across generations and decades like shimmering colors of a waterfall. Around one corner I can see my ggg grandfather building a stone fence around his property. Around another, I can see my mother as a child, sitting on the steps of her school house, and still another, I can see my grandmother hanging clothes out on the line to dry. Even when houses or landmarks are no longer there, I can see them - and they are not black and white, they are full of marvelous color! Which means, for this one small community, the people who worked and worshiped and played and loved are not gone, I can see them every time I travel down those winding roads that overlook the hills. To be able to see time unfold in that manner is the wonderful gift given to the genealogist - because deep down, we never stop at facts - they are not what drives our research. We do not seek the dead - we seek the lives of the people who have simply moved on, yet whose lives gave us ours, and forever changed the future course of the next generations.

My apologies on the sappy level - but sometimes don't you just feel like waxing sappy about what we do?

We wouldn't do this if we didn't love it!

52 Weeks - Sweets!

2011-03-27T22:47:00.000-04:00

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History:
Week 13: Sweets. What was your favorite childhood candy or dessert? Have your tastes changed since then? What satisfies your sweet tooth today?

I was a die hard SweeTarts fan. Unfortunately, "was" is how I remember that wonderful romance. The love was complete. I could eat roll after roll, or a whole bag of the egg ones at Easter. Sadly, I encountered a slight upper hernia several years back that meant no spicy foods, etc. This of course included SweeTarts. So after everything healed nicely, I tried to eat them again. Bought a couple of movie sized boxes, poured them into a jar to munch on at will - only, "at will" consisted of about a week. I totally stripped the lining of my stomach. Heartburn from hell!! For a few weeks, the heartburn was horrible.....kinda like one huge ulcer.....food felt ok, but once the stomach acids hit that wounded lining.....ouch!! I have decided that they are too big a weakness for me. If I see a little packet like we used to get in our trick-or-treat bags, I can have one, but keep the box or big sizes away - they are still my destructive weakness! So, as an adult, what have I moved on to console my hunger for that lost love? Dark chocolate baby.....not quite the same, but in a way, MUCH more satisfying!

For more info about this weekly genealogy challenge, click on the icon below to visit the Geneabloggers page:

RootsTech Rebuttal

2011-03-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry folks, I really need to address a recent post I read out there in the blogosphere - I will try to make this a SHORT treatise. On Monday, the Wandering Genealogist wrote a great post about his lack of interest in RootsTech and wondered if he was alone in his apathy for this seemingly popular new conference. He raised some very practical questions - and answered them with the same well argued practicality. In a nutshell: He tried to get excited about this new conference, read some blog posts about it, watched some videos, etc. - but still wondered what all the hype was about, and how this really affected his research as a genealogist.

My answer to all of this - he's right - in a way.

1. He is soooo correct about the lack of interest most genealogists would have about this one little conference. It was after all extremely tech-centric, which does not apply to everyone. In fact, it only applies to a small proportion of worldwide genealogists - 3000 attendees at one new conference is hardly a pebble in the pond when the total population of genealogists is concerned. Plus, when I think of genealogy as a pursuit or profession, technology is only one very small part of how genealogy is conducted. Online resources and social media are great, but MOST genealogy is conducted via tried and true methods of good old fashioned research - which is not always glamorous - mostly dusty, heavy, eye straining and oftn-times head scratching. Overall, when someone mentions genealogy, I think of photos, records, court clerk offices, libraries, citation format, etc.....which is only assisted by technology.

2. The hype was a little over the top for me too. Yes, I am perpetuating it by even writing about it when I really want to focus on Charleston in May (woo-hoo!), but we have to put the hype into perspective - as a technology conference, it was going to be touted within those technological tools - and it was. The folks at RootsTech wanted the word to get out - encouraging tweeting, etc - in the hopes things would become viral - and they did to a degree. Probably enough to make those who did not attend or who didn't care want to tweet scream in protest. Those who did tweet and write about it were not paid advertisers, just regular genealogists (albeit heavy tech users), and still usually glowing about it - which says something pretty cool was going on.

3. The cool factor of RootsTech was in its uniqueness to our industry. As a librarian, I see the same restrictions that hamper genealogy: funding. The library budget is never huge, and neither are most of our genealogy budgets. Just because Ancestry proved money can be made off of us, does not mean that we are a very lucrative bunch. Therefore, just like library land, genealogy is not an area that is privy to the latest in technological advances. We might eventually get there, but the latest and greatest doesn't visit genealogy land until after several years of conditioning in the mainstream. Which is why RootsTech WAS pretty important. We need opportunities like RootsTech to pool our resources and confer with the programmers that create the tools to make our research lives easier.....which leads into number 4.

4. Collaboration acknowledged - not exactly obtained. Ok, this is where John and I both get stones thrown at us over our naysaying. From my vantage point (mine, not anyone elses), I was still seeing too much flocking together of the same bird species. For the advanced programmer sessions, programmers attended, for the beginning user sessions, beginners attended. RootsTech advertised that its purpose was to bring both programmer and genealogist (neither terms automatically exclusive) together in order to collaborate and develop user friendly programs. Wonderful purpose, but with the exception of the un-scheduled break-out sessions that anyone could utilize and the exhibit hall/social conversations, I didn't see much collaboration going on - at least not in the regular sessions. I think this should still be the goal - but we need more sessions that are joint panel sessions between users and programmers. I know it is extremely tough to get get users and programmers to talk since they generally don't speak the same language - but the programmers need to hear what works best for our research needs BEFORE they build it! Just my two cents in that regard.

5. With the above taken in mind - RootsTech still filled a need in the genealogy industry: tech-centric sessions. We cannot deny that technology has forever changed the landscape of genealogy - even John used a blog to express his apathy towards this tech conference. As technology continues to permeate this industry, there is a shocking lack of tech-centric sessions at the major genealogy conferences (the big ones). Even when perusing the upcoming NGS conference sessions, technology is a very small percentage of the offerings. This is the biggest reason why some people were questioning whether RootsTech would replace one of the big conferences. My opinion on that is: NO WAY. The big conferences are here to stay - but they do need to include bigger percentages of technology based sessions to make the conferences more well rounded and representative of the industry as a whole.

6. Which brings me to the final point: Can RootsTech survive longterm? Maybe. Since it had never been done before, the ideas and enthusiasm were flowing like green ale at a St. Pattty's Day Pub Crawl! And while the need for collaboration will never wane, I suspect that its numbers will dwindle a bit after a few years because adding another major conference to our list of must attends will stretch all of our budgets - and we can only collaborate so much before the results of that collaboration have us busy all over again learning and mastering the newest developments. My suggestion for survival.....either don't have it every year or periodically become a tag along to another conference. Within the next couple of years, I suggest RootsTech be held in conjunction with another of the major conferences (FGS or NGS). We do that quite often in library land, and it draws bigger crowds, and ultimately, more participants in collaboration equals better ideas in the long run.

Sorry, I tried to make it short - but, John started it! :-)

One Lovely Blog Award!

2011-03-20T21:34:00.001-04:00

I am always humbled at the very thought of readers actually enjoying my blog, but here is another little proof of blog life: The One Lovely Blog Award! This time the award was given to me by three kind and generous readers:

Joy Neighbors @ A Grave Interest: http://agraveinterest.blogspot.com/

Kim Hites @ Heritage Heart: http://www.heritageheart.blogspot.com/
&
Mary Hellman @ Mary Jane's Genes: http://www.mjhellman.blogspot.com/

Accepting such awards comes with a certain responsibility, and in this case, it is a responsibility that helps all of us by sharing with our readers some of the other wonderful blogs we have newly discovered. Honestly, I have learned more from fellow genealogy bloggers than from any other online source out there. They are true precious gems that should be read and shared with others.

The official rules are as follows:
1. Acknowledge receipt by posting on your blog.

2. Nominate 15 other blogs that you think are lovely.

3. Email each person that they have been nominated.

With much thanks and without further ado, here are my 15 One Lovely Blog Award winners (In no particular order):

QuiltsandStoriesbySherryAnn: http://quiltstoriesbysherryann.blogspot.com/
Ancestral Discoveries: http://ancestraldiscoveries.blogspot.com/
Letters from WWII: http://lettersww2.com/
Kentucky in My Heart: http://kentuckyinmyheart.blogspot.com/
Kentucky Kinfolk: http://kykinfolk.blogspot.com/
EasternKentuckyGenealogy: http://easternkentuckygenealogy.blogspot.com/
TheArrowoodTrailThrutheMountains: http://arrowoodpigeonroostnc.blogspot.com/
AppalachiaPonderings: http://appalachiaponderings.blogspot.com/
TheYouGoGenealogyGirls: http://yougogenealogygirls.blogspot.com/
Ancestors Gotta Eat!: http://ancestorsgottaeat.blogspot.com/
Food.Family.Ephemera: http://foodfamilyephemera.blogspot.com/
Ancestors Within: http://bisnonni.blogspot.com/
For All My Relations: http://forallmyrelations.blogspot.com/
My Tangled Vine: http://mytangledvine.blogspot.com/
Our Family Quilt: http://ourfamilyquilt.blogspot.com/

I think I counted right, but kinda got lost in the task as I got stuck reading the wonderful blogs!
Again, many thanks to my award givers and ALL my wonderful readers....you guys rock!!
Hugs,
CD

Aerial Photography & Rural Cemeteries

2011-03-12T13:49:00.000-05:00

We all know the unsurpassed usefulness of Google Earth for scrutinizing unfamiliar topography (including historical images), but back in 2002, our family needed older rural images to help in cemetery research. Several cousins from around the country and Canada got together to stage a cemetery intervention or attempted rescue in Bracken County Kentucky. After years of debating and combining genealogical research, a few of the cousins had found remnants of our Brandenburg/Hughbanks family cemetery at the top of a very steep hill near Foster. Due to the remote area of the cemetery, and the unfriendly stance of the current landowner, some of our research involved aerial photography.

Before I give a small report about the Brandenburg Cemetery, let me explore the use of aerial photography for cemetery research. At present, most states have quadrant coverage of current aerial photographs available for free online. Many of these sites are linked to current topographical maps and other studies posted by statewide government agencies. As a general rule, most of these maps and aerial photographs are fairly recent - usually within 10-15 years old depending on the agency posting the information.

However, when many of the older rural cemeteries were begun, they were done so during a time when the areas were much more agrarian. In most cases the land had been cleared for farming and well maintained in that manner for generations. It has only been within the past 30+/- years that these former fields have been abandoned, allowing the regrowth to obscure former markers. Having driven many backroads, I can tell you that a small stand of large clumped trees near a field or in the middle of a field is a strong indication of either a cemetery or sink hole. Sometimes the only clue to go on is the types of trees in the clump to hint at the purpose, until, hopefully, walking closer to the site can offer a view of fence or stone remnants. But what about the cemeteries we can't see from the road, or are not accessible even though we've heard about the possibility of its existence from the locals?

1965 aerial view of Foster and the Kennon Road area prior to the AA Highway construction.

This is when we turned to the older aerial photos available through local state storehouses. In this case we went to the Geology Library (now the Science Library) at the University of Kentucky to peruse through the older photos taken in the 1960s (some counties have photos as far back as the 1930s). In the Northern Kentucky area, farming was still the main occupation on these steep yet rounded hills. Therefore, the aerial photos from this timeframe gave us just enough visual information to see former households, assent routes, and in this case, former topography indicators prior to a state highway construction. These photos are original and in paper form just sitting in giant drawers. The staff had scanning equipment available to scan and send the photos to yourself at no charge.

For our case, they made all the difference. Due to the construction of the AA Highway, the original road had been cut in two, leaving the gradual incline cut off in one direction, and very far away in the other direction. About 20 years after the production of the 1960s photos, someone had purchased the gradual incline side, built a new house and assent in the form of a driveway, but would not allow their new driveway to be used as the egress to the cemetery. In essence, the cemetery had been cut off from any plausible access route. We all hiked straight up a dangerous quarter mile incline to get to the cemetery of our ancestors. Kentucky law states that landowners have to allow family to visit cemeteries, but any law surrounding how they allow access is vague, and since the driveway was new, they basically said, "no - find another way up there". Ironically, when we were up there, they called the local judge to try to have us arrested for trespassing, and the judge was allowed to use the driveway for access. Good times. BTW, the judge could not touch us as he informed the landowner of the law. He was just up there making sure we were family and not troublemakers.

The cemetery was also registered that day by the Kentucky Historical Society as a pioneer cemetery since at least one person buried there was born in the state prior to 1800 (James Hughbanks). We had a great time, even inviting a local preacher to conduct a small re-dedication ceremony, but the cemetery itself was beyond our means to save. The landowner had also parked a 1950s rusted out Chevy in the middle of our cemetery and refused to move it....which meant some of the stones could still be underneath. We found some of the main stones, but many were missing - some were "rediscovered" locally at a hunting club who had used them as stepping stones! We did the best we could....cleaned out brush, placed wooden markers there for later replacement, but funding was never found to properly restore this pioneer site. There is a Findagrave entry with photos of all the stones we found.

The moral of the story is: older aerial photos can be wonderful tools for not only locating cemeteries, but homesteads, access routes, tributaries and other distinguishable markers that could not be seen under current levels of brush. Thanks to cousin Katheryn Maddox Haddad for getting the cousins started on this adventure - we at least got it cleaned up a bit and documented for future generations!

Daniels Family Bible Records

2011-03-08T22:19:00.004-05:00

Another task off the old to-do list: Posting the Daniels Family Bible Records. These had been posted on the old site, but are now being transferred here to rest in limbo until a more permanent online repository can be created. Special thanks to Aunt Mattie Daniels Townsend for passing these treasures on to my father years ago. Enjoy: Most of the records are from the Pennsylvania and Ohio regions. I will post the transcription below each image.

John Daniels son of John and Experience Daniels was born in state of Pennsylvania August twenty second Eighteen hundred and four.
Delilah Daniels daughter of Silas and Sarah Estle was born in the county of Green and the state of Pennsylvania May eight Eighteen hundred and four.
Eliza Anne Daniels daughter of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Washington county Pennsylvania December twenty second Eighteen hundred and twenty four.
Abram Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels as born in Fayette county Pennsylvania October ninth Eighteen hundred and twenty six.
Isaac Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Green county Pennsylvania September eight Eighteen hundred and twenty eight.
Isaac Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels departed this life September tenth Eighteen hundred and twenty eight.
Nancy Jane Daniels departed this life January the thirty first one thousand eight hundred and forty five aged eight years and four months and four days.

Silas Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Fayette county Pennsylvania November twentieth eighteen hundred and twenty nine.
Mary Daniels daughter of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Fayette county Pennsylvania January fifth Eighteen hundred and thirty two.
James Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Fayette county Pennsylvania February thirteenth Eighteen hundred and thirty four.
Nancy Jane Daniels daughter of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Jefferson county Ohio September twenty fourth Eighteen hundred and thirty six.
Madison Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Jefferson county Ohio December eighth Eighteen hundred and thirty eight.

Harriett Daniels daughter of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Jefferson county Ohio March fifth eighteen hundred and forty one.
John Q. A. Daniels son of John and Delilah Daniels was born in Gallia county Ohio September the twenty fifth one thousand eight hundred and forty three.

John Daniels was joined in marriage to Delilah Estle March seventh eighteen hundred and twenty four.

Boston's Mob Massacre

2011-03-05T23:24:00.000-05:00

Today is celebrated as the anniversary of the Boston Massacre - also known as Crispus Attucks Day in honor of the first American to fall in our fight for freedom. This day has been full of controversy since 1770 despite our nation's inclination to honor it as a patriotic event. As a historian, I have been fascinated with this event for many years - from an early age - and devoured anything I could about the subject. The reason being: smoke and blood covers many sins, and this event was the result of many sins on both sides. I also have a suggestion: If you love murder mysteries or dark intrigue - this is the historical event for you! The wealth of primary source documentation for this "massacre" is staggering: autopsy reports, various and contradictory eye witness accounts, trial transcripts, victim placement maps, crossbone propaganda adverts, plagiarized artistic handbills (yes Revere, that means you!), etc. Since there are scores of books already written about this night that almost started the Revolution, I will only list some of the fascinating and little known facts surrounding this dark night.

Setting: Cold, cloudless night, frigid temperatures after a significant snowfall.
Mob or riot that began and ended in the "massacre" was only one among several that had taken place in the city over the past several days. Reports of a red cloaked "instigator" were heard concerning the other riots.
The number of bullets fired into the crowd were almost exactly double the number of guns used by the soldiers. Where did the other bullets come from? Eyewitnesses said shots from the Custom House were also seen. Some of the soldiers reported the possibility of double loading the muskets.
While Crispus Attucks was one of the men killed in the "massacre", his legacy as the first to die, and significance as an African American martyr was not established until 1826 at the earliest during the country's jubilee and the beginning of the abolitionist movement's momentum.
Rioters or "patriots" were not unarmed. They were throwing ice chunks and wielding clubs/sticks at the soldiers who were forbidden from firing their weapons. The rioters knew the soldiers could not fire unless "read the riot act" which allowed them to disperse a mob via violence.
The command to fire was reported by the rioters, but the commanding officer Preston was found not-guilty of giving this order.
Just before the incident, church bells rang out calling the citizens to fire - but instead they were called by the words "town born turn out". It was reported that the series of riots staged throughout the city were meant to incite the emotions of the people. Rebellion was desired to get rid of the British troops stationed in Boston since 1768. It was said that the local villages already had arms hidden and ready to fight should the Rebellion begin, but in 1770, they did not act as the Sons of Liberty had hoped....they were not ready for fighting until 1775 as demonstrated at Lexington and Concord.
Paul Revere's famous engraving of the Massacre was stolen from Henry Pelham, his local competition.
Every year up until the first years of the Revolution, orations were given to large audiences when the anniversary of the Massacre came around.
Despite their involvement with the Sons of Liberty, John Adams and Josiah Quincy defended the soldiers at the trial, winning their case for all except two who were charged with manslaughter and branded on the hand. The trial transcripts are widely available as published shortly afterwards.

This is only a small list of the fascinating facts that surround this event. Despite my use of quotation marks, I am a staunch believer in the patriotic cause. I admire all the efforts of those who conspired to acquire our freedom....but am realistic in my understanding that this was not a pretty nor honorable process. Boston was an incredibly volatile place in the years leading up to the Revolution. Those responsible risked their lives at every turn....not always out of noble intentions, but always out of a sense of dedication and the desire to make a difference. The Boston Massacre is a romantic title given to an incident that killed not-so-innocent men....or as John Adams described them: "a motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes, and molattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish jack tarrs"......ah, our patriotic ancestors.....sure sounds like heroic Revolutionaries to me!

For further reading, you must begin with the authoritative title of the event's name by Hiller Zobel. From there, I suggest reading the propaganda, the trial transcripts and other eyewitness accounts.

Murder Most Foul?

2011-03-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

Ok, confession time.....I am one of those serious researchers that gets a certain twinkle in the eye when skeletons are uncovered. After years of romanticizing my ancestors, these skeletons are always ready to pop out with a historic reality check! Let's face it, we all have them....no family is exempt from this proof of human frailty....and our job is to record them for the next generation - or next party topic. Learn to embrace the skeletons. Hiding them allows for an incomplete picture of your family's story, and many times they provide a unique opportunity for deep analysis.

After closing down my original website of ten years for a future migration, I have been trying to place some of the important photos here for fellow researchers. This photo of my great great grandparents was always on my site, but without the controversy that surrounded the last years of their lives. William (Billy) Watts and his wife Sally Fuller were married for almost 30 years. They were the parents of eight children and made their lives as farmers in the Western Kentucky/Tennessee areas. Billy died suddenly in 1907 after an accident that involved a shotgun:

Sounds like a pretty straight-forward, albeit icky incident. I'm personally glad we don't include descriptions about brain splatterings when we write about current news stories. But in this case, where is the genealogy CSI unit when you need them? I mean really - quite the wound angle when removing a gun from over your head! According to family legend (two letters from two different branches of the descended children) - this was no accident. Despite their long marriage and raising of eight children, it was the children who did not believe this report. Instead, they perpetuated the report that their Mother, Sally, contrived with her lover Clarence Clyde Chapman to kill Billy and then married each other the very next year.

Their eight children were widely dispersed in age. At the time of Billy's death, the children ranged in age from 30 to under 9:

Mary Ann (Bowlin) - b.1877 (Born a year prior to Billy and Sally's marriage)
Sadie (Bowlin) - b.1885
William - b.1888
Bessie (Wilkerson) - b.1890
James Thomas (My Great Grandfather) - b.1891
Steven Clyde - b.1895
Noah - b.1898
Hetti - b.?

In this case, it would be safe to assume that it was not just older children who had left the nest and were bitter over Mom marrying again so soon, but rather a combination of observers. Yes, a few had left in marriage already, but ironically, even at advanced ages, most of the children had not yet married and were still residing at home at the time of this incident.

Apparently, Sally and Clarence never paid for any "crime" as accused by the children. I did some searching around the time of the death in more local newspapers, but the incident is always described as an accident. I cannot locate an obituary for Billy, but I may need to visit the area to get my hands on more complete runs of the local papers....among other records. The older family group sheets are a fun mix of fact and personal opinion. They include a marriage date for Sally and Clarence as March 15, 1908 - just over one year after Billy's death. Next to Billy's death date of February 9, 1907 they include the word "murdered". Another interesting side note is that Sally was not married to Clarence for very long as she died within 2 years of her second marriage. I'm wondering if her death was suspicious at all? Definitely an area that I will turn some of my research towards.....but who would be the suspicious party? The second husband? The angry children? Karma? Or simply coincidence? Despite the fact that this was only a rumor and never proven, I have a hard time believing that eight children would turn on a devoted and loving mother by declaring her a murderer simply because she got married again the next year. My radar says something foul was going on in that family. Even though we may never know what really happened (all of the children are long gone) I think it safe to conclude that we have another prime example of a dysfunctional family.....eh, so what else is new?
CD

Digitizing Kentucky Newspapers

2011-02-25T17:13:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked by a library patron about the progress of digitizing Kentucky Newspapers. This lady was in the process of ordering several newspaper titles on microfilm via Interlibrary Loan, but she was on the phone with me because finding the exact title needed can be a little challenging. Kentucky is only one example, but as a state that many pioneers travelled through, demand for our early newspapers can be quite high. For those of you interested in borrowing Kentucky newspapers, the University of Kentucky loans out their newspaper microfilm via Interlibrary Loan on a daily basis. Depending on your library's location, the cost per title requested can range from free to $20. (International rates can run to $35)

So, back to the lady's question. As we were locating the titles she needed (ILL requests have to have a title, not just a county plus "newspaper" in the title field), she produced a heavy sigh and asked if we would ever put these microfilmed newspapers online instead of having to go through all this each time - and she was in a location that allowed free loans - which speaks to the limitations of microfilm.

I told her we were certainly working on it, and tried to explain that transferring microfilm to digital images was very possible, being accomplished as we spoke, but would take many years, and many sources of funding to accomplish - and that's just on behalf of one state. We all are well aware of the LDS Library's efforts at digitizing their collection in Utah, but as a small state with limited resources, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a few online sources already up for those of you interested in Kentucky Newspaper research. Many of these new resources have been possible through nationally funded grants - but the process put in place, and the wonderful images produced will hopefully serve to secure more funding to keep the projects going.

Links to Kentucky Newspapers online:

The National Digital Newspaper Program: Kentucky Edition - Full of links to their digitized collection as well as a wonderful explanation of how the leap from microfilm to digital is being made.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers - This is where the NDNP digitized Kentucky newspapers are deposited for access. This one is not just for Kentucky, but houses the images produced by other state recipients of the project grant. The images can be explored, cut, saved as images or pdfs - primed and ready for hardcore research!

Kentuckiana Digital Library - Statewide effort of fully searchable digitized issues not housed in the Chronicling America database. Of course, the Kentuckiana Digital Library is also known for its amazing photographic collection that grows each year.

For Microfilm:

Microfilm Ordering Database from the University of Kentucky - Just in case you would like a fairly complete list of the available Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm - browsable by county and listed chronologically. This list is for PURCHASING reels of microfilm - that's right, you could own your own copy if you get the urge, but despite its original purpose, it is a wonderful resource for just browsing available newspaper titles - we use it a lot when helping patrons decide which title to order via ILL.

Since I'm not one of the digital experts, here is a video about newspaper digitization efforts at the University of Kentucky.

CD
2/25/11

Friday Fav - For Black History Month

2011-02-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

I ran across this anecdote as re-printed in the Falmouth Pendletonian, August 4, 1881. The paper it came from is a little known title from the Pendleton County Kentucky area. After a brief review, it appears to be a little more political in nature than the Falmouth Outlook that followed later and still exists today. I also found it interesting that less than 20 years after the Civil War, this border state county, very close to the Ohio River, was still publishing a prominent piece about the previous abolitionist movement - just under the masthead. Curious - perhaps a reason to further investigate the racial relations of this small county?
Anyway, a wonderful funny for a Friday afternoon! Sojourner Truth - gotta love this American heroine and national treasure!

CD
2/25/11

Distinction of Honor @ Rootstech!

2011-02-23T13:07:00.002-05:00

Stella, Mary Malinda or neither?

Among the many amazing demonstrations, interviews and consultations available on the Rootstech exhibit hall floor, there was one consultation that I immediately signed up for prior to my arrival in Salt Lake: a one on one consultation with Maureen Taylor, aka the Photo Detective and author of the Last Muster. My appointment was scheduled for Friday afternoon at 2:45pm. For those who signed up, the instructions were clear. You were allowed a fifteen minute session and you should bring only one photo - either the original or scans of both sides. I knew exactly which photo I was going to bring along!

I normally shudder at travelling with original family heirlooms, but in this case, if anything happened to her, no one would be very sad. No one remembers this woman. Her name is not on the back and her face is not one we recognize - no one has recognized her in decades. The quality of the photo is so bad, I'm not sure anyone could recognize her....even back when the photo was first created.

As far as the woman's identity, I'm guessing that she was from the Cox, Mockbee or Allender families. She was in with these family heirlooms and chances are, she was a Kentucky gal since the

apparent time frame of photograph production meant these families were solidly in the Kentucky areas - possibly northern Kentucky. Her arms always looked stiff and her eyes were obscured. This led me to question whether the photo was a momento mori or post mortem photograph.

The production of the photo was extremely crude. It is a large tintype, over six inches in length and the image of the woman is jagged around the edges. Maureen agreed that this was a copy of an original photograph. In Maureen's analysis, she believed the photo to be a tintype copy of an original paper photograph. She was once framed because their is still an oval imprint around the image, but I don't believe she has been in a frame for many years. Maureen did not believe that she was a momento mori but rather a single cut out from a possible smaller picture that had a complex background - or possibly a cut out from a group photo. But then, Maureen gave our family gem the honor of all honors: she declared this tintype to be the ugliest one she'd ever seen!! I was in complete agreement. This poor woman's photo has always elicited gasps or groans when shown among the family, and frankly, I think she is best suited for Halloween display.

Stella Allender?

However, despite her ugliness, she will remain in the family collection. After all she is ours, even though we cannot give her a name. My guess is that she is a young woman in the family that died either as a teenager or as a young mother and this was the only photo they had of her. They obviously loved her very much to endure and even frame this monstrosity. Based on the time frame that Maureen pinpointed, the 1880s, I'm leaning toward a young woman by the name of Stella Allender. She died somewhere around the turn of the last century as a teenager and there is only one other small photo that was reproduced of her and passed among the family. Thankfully, a much clearer photo of Stella which has been sometimes incorrectly identified as a young picture of her grandmother....clothing style would be way off since her grandmother was born in the 1830s. If it's not Stella, it might be Mary Malinda Mockbee, another young lady that passed away in 1879 from typhoid at the age of 15. Both women died young, childless and were only half remembered by their siblings or nieces/nephews. However, the remembrance was short lived and didn't travel across the generations. I only know of them because of my research. In fact, Mary Malinda's gravestone had been missing for years until I dug up the pieces around a stand of peonies that grew near her grandparents graves. The full story of her gravestone rediscovery can be found here at my other blog: Musings of a Kentucky Gardner.

Maureen seemed so delighted with the ugliness of this bad tintype that she took some photos and has promised to blog about it as one of her Rootstech finds. I will keep an eye out for this one, but she is a very busy gal....maybe she'll keep it as a Halloween post?! BTW, I am totally serious about this....it is a really cool honor to be in possession of the ugliest tintype that the Photo Detective has ever seen! But there in lies the challenge - if any of you have an uglier one, you've got to get it in front of Maureen!

Happy Sleuthing!

2/21/11

Stonetown Haven - A New Beginning

2011-02-20T18:37:00.000-05:00

Kentucky's slave history is a very unique one. As a border state we had both large slaveholders and a large number of abolitionists. Harriet Beecher Stowe witnessed her first slave auction in the northern part of our state. We were so split during the Civil War that we had two governments. It is therefore no surprise that our countryside is dotted with small freed slave communities that sprung up before and after the end of slavery. The sad fact associated with these small communities is their omission from local histories and history books. Not all histories ignore their existence, but they were not preserved nor noted for future generations in the same manner as early white settlements were once they were no longer inhabited. I am delighted to see this fact change as more groups are interested in restoring these little phoenix communities that rose from the ashes.

Yesterday, the public library in my community invited a local historian to speak about recent preservation efforts within our county. The Scott County Public Library drew over 50 attendees when Shirl Marks brought to light the restoration efforts surrounding an original structure in the former community of Stonetown. According to Marks the freed slave community in the Stamping Ground area encompassed several roads: Stonetown, Locust Fork, Main St, Woodlake, etc. Some of the local surnames associated with this former community were: Samuels, Patterson, West, Thomas, Fisher, Young, Phoenix, Fishback, Dudley, Carter, and Bell. She went on to explain that it was only oral history and family legend that explained the older structures that were abandoned and falling into oblivion.

After Shirl's family inherited one of the original structures, a group effort to restore this precious piece of history was set in motion. For the past three years a devoted group of volunteers has been working to restore life to this small structure which Shirl has named "Stonetown Haven".

The efforts have reached about a 70% completion rate and they hope to finish soon by placing a museum and information center inside. Once the efforts have been completed I hope to post another notice for those of you within the state or nearby that wish to support the new center. A celebration and grand opening will be planned soon.

Ms. Marks explained that the purpose behind this project is to "preserve the history of all its citizens". For anyone who thinks that history is in the past, I wish you could have watched the people in this room. Even though the structures were almost faded completely from the countryside, many of the descendants of Stonetown, Watkinsville and Pea Ridge are still living in these areas. Their ancestors had built these communities and their children were making sure those communities did not fade from memory. It was extremely heart warming to watch the descendants reminisce about the earlier generations and remember their neighbors from long ago. It was another reminder that history and preservation is not simply about the past, but ensuring our future is complete with the knowledge of how we arrived at our current destination, and how that past journey affects where we are headed.

I will post more about the organization and its efforts as soon as we get closer to their completion date. After the meeting about the preservation of Stonetown Haven, the second meeting of the newly formed African American Genealogy Group of Kentucky took place. Once they are a little more established I will post more about how to support them and how to join. If you are interested in getting involved with this group (and also as a way to get in touch with Shirl Marks), their e-mail is: AAGGKY@gmail.com.
CD 2/20/11

RootsTech 2011 - My Take

2011-02-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

As a regular conference goer in both library and genealogy lands, I have to give an overall thumbs up to the RootsTech conference. Allowing for the fact that this was their first attempt at hosting a technology conference centered on the genealogy market, the thumbs up get even bigger. However, I feel it my duty to offer an unbiased critique of what I witnessed in the hopes of: 1. providing those who were unable to attend another eye view of the event, and 2. adding to the analysis that will make things even better for next year.

Let's start with the positive:

Venue: Very nice facility. Clean, spacious in the areas of the main session and exhibit halls, parking was also nicely done.
Exhibit Hall: Lovely and spacious....and extremely fun! They took the technology queue to the extreme with all the flashing bells and whistles - and it worked! Places to play, blog, interview, record, demonstrate, etc. Very inviting - a true tech playground that made you want to stay - I know I took more than one turn around to make sure I took in everything.
Speakers: Fantastic selection of speakers! People who knew what they were talking about and were willing to share their vision of the future of genealogy in relation to technology.
Outside events: Very nice.....Planetarium, Late Night at the Library, etc. Watching Who Do You Think You Are? on Friday night with the genealogy crowd was an epic hoot!
Goodies: The Bags! The Bags! Ok, this was the most clever bag giveaway I've ever seen. Novell was the sponsor of the syllabus goodie bags, and instead of giving us all the same bag, as is customary, they gave out many different bags throughout the conference! I counted at least six different kinds as I roamed around and I doubt that was all - from giant duffel bags to laptop sleeves, to oversize laptop bags, everyone got a treat - although it did create some serious bag envy as the days progressed and new arrivals got different bags!
Demonstrations and hands-on sessions were awesome - need more of those!

Ok, now for the not-so-positive:

Venue: Despite some really great features, the steps were very steep in the main classroom areas and the only elevators were usually too slow to accommodate the crowds that really needed to avoid such steep rise and run. Created some really frustrated groups when trying to make it to the next sessions.
Sessions: Too many and not appropriately labeled according to difficulty level. This was a very common complaint. Each time slot included from 11-13 presentations. Even if a person visited each one for a few minutes, they still wouldn't have been able to gather anything substantial. I know the levels were supposed to be varied enough to allow for only a few of each type to be going on at the same time, but genealogists who attend this conference are likely to be tech savvy, which means most could fall into more than one category. Besides, a conference like this. where the future is the main theme, means we all want a peek at what is being discussed in the other sessions. And FYI, when the purpose of the conference is to have genealogists and programmers get together when talking design and function, it defeats the purpose if programmers are in one type of session and the genealogists in another. One comment overheard "All levels should not be beginner only". Several people were disappointed that many of the "all levels" sessions were very basic genealogy technology based tasks - most are hoping they clarify the level structure assigned to sessions for next year.
Syllabus: VERY disappointed in this area. Only about 2/3 of the presenters supplied syllabus material for their sessions (and I'm not counting the open discussion sessions). When we are paying $100 (plus airfare and hotel/meals) for this many sessions, without the hope of being able to attend even a half of them, it is expected that the syllabus is the gem we take home to serve as supplemental material for our learning. In any future RootsTech conferences, this aspect MUST be changed.
Communication: This one is coming from the pre-planning aspect of the conference. As someone trying to arrange a speaker's arrival and session material, the communication structure was extremely frustrating. Multiple people to e-mail, sometimes no answer back, many times only partial information on some of the info sheets, requirement of submitting the same info on more than one type of form and vague instructions. I understand that there was not a huge number of people assigned to planning this conference, but in the future, communication must be polished.
Support: Dear Myrtle had a great critique about the problems she encountered, and one especially rang true with us.....the equipment used for the speakers was sadly inadequate. Like Myrt, we wanted to use our own laptop for the presentation, but this proved to be a huge hassle which the team was not prepared for. Even when we did use the supplied laptop, one of their techies admitted that they pulled out the oldest laptops to use with this conference, and I joked to the guy that it was ironic to pull out the oldest equipment for a cutting edge technology conference.....the joke went over his head because he seriously looked at me and said "the newer stuff is being used in the offices". Really? Anyway, there were not enough tech assistants around to help with technical difficulties - one of our presentations was delayed by 15 minutes while trying to find someone that could help resolve our simple connection problem.

With all of that out of the way, none of these problems were catastrophic. In my opinion, they are expected rough spots when dealing with a first time conference. However, we are here to give feedback in the hopes of making things better for next year. It was an amazing conference and we are already looking forward to being involved again next year. Before wrapping this post up, I would offer another pipe dream for future RootsTech conferences: take the technology portion up a notch. If you insist on this being held in Salt Lake City every year, less and less people are going to be able to attend simply due to the cost prohibitive nature of such a venue. Since the genealogy tech field will only grow to its full potential with maximum broad range participation, make sure we utilize the best in live streaming and concurrent virtual participation. Even if you have to offer this at a discounted registration rate, I think this would ensure more widespread participation. The issues discussed at this conference are vital to our growth and development as a research genre.....we all benefit if more of us can participate.

As a fun way to remember this conference, here are some snapshots from the venue, exhibit hall, family history library and closing ceremonies. Enjoy! CD 2/17/11

Stone Mason or Turnpiker?

2011-01-29T23:56:00.006-05:00

Stone masonry has a long history in America. As a natural resource, stone was quickly utilized to mark boundaries, keep in livestock, and line roadways. It was also a natural extension of skill as immigrants from Ireland increased in number. The Bluegrass region of Kentucky is a well known international example of stone masonry. With a landscape infused with natural limestone, Kentucky pioneers were quick to realize a practical use for the stones serving as obstacles for their plows.

When stone masonry is referenced as a trade of the 19th century, it is often referring to the unique skill of building dry stone or mortarless rock walls/fences. This talent or skill was a direct inheritance from our Irish/Scottish/British ancestors. Dry stone masonry requires a more highly detailed and precise skill that results in a lasting and durable structure with no cement or mortar to aid in stability. For those of you with "stone mason" listed as the occupation of your ancestor in the census, there are high odds that this was the kind of stone mason they were describing. Prior to and just after the surge in railroad construction, this was the highest demand for labor associated with transportation.

Plantation style fence with thicker cut stones,
especially at the base.

However, stone fence construction had structural phases that you should be aware of. In the the first phase of dry stone fence construction, from the 18th to the mid-19th centuries, a true, solid, interlocking construction was used. This type of construction is referred to as a Plantation fence. The Plantation fence was used more among farmers on their own property to display boundary lines and corral livestock. The difference can be seen more after describing the next phase, but the solid nature of construction, that involved rock spanning the entire width of the wall, meant longer structural durability. Not all of the rock spanned the width, but after the tie rocks across, the shorter rocks were at least long enough to overlap the others to provide an interlocking type of construction.

Overhead view of a Turnpike fence.
Notice the void of sinkage in the center.

The next phase of the construction was begun in the early 19th century with the birth of the turnpike roads. These company maintained roads were lined with dry stone fences to prevent bypass of the turnpike collection houses or toll houses(often also built out of stone), prevent livestock from wondering into the roads, and as visual dressing or proof of the maintenance that justified the fees to travellers. This type of construction was not as stable and involved an outer lining of solid stone, with the inner void filled by spall or filler in the form of tiny pieces of stone. Many of the remaining stone fences seen in Kentucky are along roadways and are often turnpike fences. This is also the time period that allowed a stone mason's occupation to be reported differently on the census. In fact, it could be conjectured that this alternate term, "turnpiker", was also a way to differentiate between a true stone mason, and a laborer who was on the turnpike building teams. These teams were headed by true stone masons, but in order to speed up production, many workers were needed as assistants and haulers. In fact, this is where the use of slaves came into frequency. Growing up, I always heard the stone fences referred to as "slave walls" because it was believed that the slaves built them. This is partially true. Slaves were a huge part of the production process. However, most were used in the quarrying and hauling of the stone. Some were allowed to assist closely and learned the trade for use after slavery, but by then the demand for construction had dropped considerably.

20th century stone fence built with mortar
and accented by a castle capstone motif.

The post Civil War era of stone masonry marked another transition. Not only were the former slaves, who assisted in previous fence building, now allowed to take on the trade as stone masons, but with a dwindling generation that no longer had as many skilled stone masons, mortar was employed to stabilize construction. Larger stones were often used with this method to speed up production and experiment with artistic elements. This type of construction was highly favored during the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries when aesthetics became even more important as the horse industry adopted a more lavish lifestyle.

As the snow begins to melt and the temperatures rise a bit, this is the best time of year to examine these agrarian works of art. It has been noted that even though the stone fences in the Bluegrass region are numerous, only 5% of the original number still stand. However, there are a few misconceptions about these fences that are also worth noting.

Cross section of Plantation style fence.
On previous Cox family land in Pendleton County.

Most people outside of Kentucky are only aware of the stone fences in the Central Kentucky region. While the majority of preserved fences are in the areas that include Fayette, Bourbon, Woodford Scott and Franklin counties, there many more examples spread throughout the surrounding regions. My 4th great grandfather, Samuel Cox, of Pendleton County Kentucky (1 county south of the Ohio River) was listed as a stone mason in the early half of the 19th century. Records indicate he took on an apprentice, John Dean in 1829 for four years as a "stoneman". In the 1830 census, Samuel is also listed as having two free black males in his household. This would be consistent with not only farming labor, but also hauling/quarrying help when building stone fences. Samuel was a large landowner in his own right, and I would guess that his income was not purely based on stone masonry. There is evidence that he did pass this skill on to his sons, even though they chose to focus more on farming and left the stone mason trade altogether rather quickly. The evidence I speak of is the remnants of thick stone walls surrounding various parcels of Cox property - some built after Samuel died in 1857.

Creek bed in Pendleton County.

Another interesting thing to point out when exploring the remaining fences is the importance of where they found the stone for construction. In the northern areas, such as Pendleton County, the rock is not only heavily on the surface due to the rolling nature of the topography, but the streams are compacted sources of rock. In the central Bluegrass region, the rock was often quarried from the gentle hills that dotted the landscape. One of the most interesting features of a former turnpike is the small quarries that can be found at intervals along the road. These can easily be identified by crescent shaped places that have been dug out of small hills. In many cases, the place has been left untouched except for cattle who often gather there for a cooler space that often contains water in the basin area.

Limestone permeating the fields of Pendleton County.

Limestone layering just under the surface in Scott County.

For further reading I strongly recommend Rock Fences of the Bluegrass by Carolyn Murray-Wooley and Karl Ratz (1992). This is the most detailed history of the stone fence industry in Kentucky from its earliest beginnings. Another fantastic feature about this title is the appendix in the back that includes 34 pages of registered stone masons in Kentucky. Their are two lists, one listing Black stone masons, and one listing White. Each name is followed by their year of birth, location of birth, residence county and date working. A copy of this book can be purchased through the Dry Stone Conservancy web site, along with other related titles. This web site is also a great place to continue your research as the organization not only seeks to preserve and repair remaining stone fences, but also promote the perpetuation of this skill among modern artisans.

A fascinating subject that sheds more light on the occupation of our ancestors!

CD 1/29/11