Genealogy Writings

If you follow my writings, you will be able to tell exactly when I started working again because my writings stopped at the same time!  Now that I am working two jobs (8 to 5 then 6 to midnight), I really haven't had much time!  But I'm going to start trying because the book will be coming out soon and I want to share that news with my genealogy friends!

I gave a presentation last night at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum here in Cincinnati on Beginners Genealogy.  It went over really well but was a much smaller crowd than anticipated.  When I teach this type of class I always use the same information I posted here - 10 Easy Steps to Tracing Your Family Tree.   I'm glad that I used this approach because some of the group members did not use computers and I believe that people can start their search without a computer program and expensive website memberships.

Well, that's all for this moment.  Watch for announcements on the "How To" book!

Early Americans and the Hardest Time Period to Research

Well, I have been enjoying time lately researching my early American ancestors and just found a reference to one of them today calling him the "Founder of Medfield, Massachusetts".  His name was Ralph Wheelock and one of his direct descendants founded Dartmouth College.  At some point, my love of genealogy gets mixed in with my love of history and before you know it, I've lost an afternoon visiting the 17th century!  When I read something like that, I want to know so much more - what is Medfield like today? is his tombstone on Findagrave? did I make a record of this in my notes because soon enough I'll be onto another project and forget all about Ralph Wheelock and Medfield, MA?!!

One of my goals in life is to share this information with my siblings, nieces, nephews, and children.  I could do a really cool book through Shutterfly.com or even create an amazing video book with photos and voice overs.  It doesn't matter how I relay the information as long as it will be in some format that will last for awhile.  It's a well known fact that the younger generation may not be interested in Ralph Wheelock today but might be glad to know about him when they've aged a little bit - as we all did!

I have been doing a LOT of writing lately - working on my first book on genealogy which should be completed soon, writing articles for Casto Connections, presentations for Ancestorville Genealogy, and have totally neglected my blog - sorry, guys!  I'll try and do better!

My next subject for the book and presentation is going to be how to tackle a really tough (at least for me) time period to research - early 1800's to about 1850.  If you get too dependent on census records, you get stuck right in there and forget about all the other source material available - wills, town records, family genealogies, and so many more!  It's just a time period where you need to think a little more creatively and I thought about creating a form that would have a checklist of sources that should be examined for information.  There's probably something like it already on in cyberspace - will check and let you know!

Happy Hunting!

Danita

Early American Ancestors

I spent some time in a chat session today that made me really want to look at my Early American Ancestors again.  The last time I really spent any time working on those families the internet wasn't really a viable option for searching yet!  Even with the research I had done earlier, combined with what my great-aunt had done in the early 20th century, I know I'm related to 10 U.S. Presidents.  I visited a Facebook group called "Old Stock Americans (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29073689235&v=info#!/group.php?gid=29073689235) and couldn't really name off my ancestors because I only recall two or three.  I think I'll spend a little time updating and researching and seeing what I can find!  I've always wanted to be a part of the Mayflower descendents but never took the time to work on it.  Wish me luck!

If anyone would like help with their Early American Ancestor research, let me know and I'll see if I can help!

Beautiful Poem

I found this great poem while searching online this morning and wanted to share it with you:

"She calls to me from long ago; through sunlit skies; through drifts of snow. In clouds that dance upon the sea, I call to her, and she to me.


So real was she. She laughed; she cried. She loved; she lost. She lived; she died. She hoped and dreamed; so real was she. She lived a life that I may be.

The blood through which my veins does flow is the same as her's from long ago. So it will be that when I'm gone in an unborn child it will flow on.

I'll live my life and when it's done I'll live again in those to come. For I'm a bridge from she to me; from those that were, to those to be."

-- Darlene Caryl-Stevens

found on the Kentucky Vital Records Project website: http://kyvitals.com/vis/search/search.php

Memorial Day Tributes

Since the last member of my family to serve in any branch of the military was a great-great-uncle who served during the Civil War and lived a thousand miles from here, I could not pay my respects to him this weekend.  I am sure there are a lot of people who have the same problem - they would like to pay their respects to family members but the cemetery is just too far away.  That is why I volunteer to upload photos on FindAGrave http://www.findagrave.com/.  This weekend I uploaded the photos of not just soldiers but their families as well so people in other areas can see what the tombstones look like.  I also volunteer to take care of a small private cemetery where a Revolutionary War vet and his family are buried.  In West Virginia, where some of my ancestors are buried, strangers will put flowers on graves all year round and it is comforting to know that they are being cared for since the family now lives so far away.   I guess my point is that if you help take care of someone else's family here or upload a photo to a site like FindAGrave, maybe someone in another state is doing the same for your family there.

Road Trip Coming Up!

Well, next weekend is the big trip!  It will be the first time I have traveled to Indiana to do on-site research on the Johnson family.  As I dust off my old binders and review what I had done on this family, I realize just how many years it has been since I've worked on this line.  When I first started learning how to research my family tree, it was the Johnsons that I started learning with.  I was very proud of my efforts but I realize that I've got to take some of my own advice to heart and look at this line with a fresh perspective.  None of the research I did was done on the internet but there is a lot more available now than there was 15 years ago.  Plus, the software I am using today is not the same program I used then and as I look for my own sources and notes, I'm amazed at how much is not in there.  Also, if I am traving 250 miles I want to look for not just the Johnsons but the other lines in that area as well.  I do not want to be so narrowly focused that I ignore all the other surnames in my line that could be in the same cemeteries or record books. 

There was a book published back at the same time as I was working on these families and I have pulled it out to review again as well.  Her information on my line is different than what I have in terms of number of marriages and the wives names so I want to review what sources were used by the author and what sources I have to see which is correct.  It is also funny to see on my six-generation chart that the families intermarried a lot and my great-grandfather married two of his cousins.  No matter how many years I do this, it never gets old!

Until next time,

Danita

Ideas For The Blog, and Something New

Hey Folks,

First I want to thank you so much for visiting the blog. It makes me feel great to be able to help people with their family tree research (and pick up a few ideas myself!).

Speaking of ideas, someone stopped by recently looking for information on "electronically organizing" their research. Would anyone be interested in information about genealogy software? I could do a little research and maybe write an article on some of the different programs that are out there. Also, I've been thinking about trying to make some how-to videos on genealogy. I'd like to get your feedback and suggestions, so I set up a poll. If you like one of the things you see please click on it. If you'd like to see something I haven't mentioned, or the poll has expired, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

Now for the "Something New" part. I'm getting ready to move the blog to a new website! I want to make it easier to find just what you're looking for to help with your research and I hope the new site will do just that! I'll let you know more as we get closer to the big move.

Until next time,

Danita