Friend of Friends Friday: Pittsburgh Folks Just Keep Dying to Get In

The good people in the Allegheny County, PA, area keep dying and well, we keep finding them.

For over two years, our little band of volunteers has been digging in the old Pittsburgh area newspapers for death notices.  The volunteers come and go, but there are usually at least five of us working at any given time.

Our last update brought us to over 88,000 death entries.  We have over 3500 entries waiting in the hopper.  I suspect these names will be available for family history buffs by Easter weekend. 

Check us out.  In addition to our death index, we have:

over 24,000 marriages
Divorce notices
WWI Military Personnel with over 73000 names
World War I articles
The record of Company E from the Civil War
House of Refuge information
Morganza information
Poor House Census 1850-1910
Poor House articles
1931 Fire of Little Sisters Poor House
1890 Veterans Schedule/Poor homes
Allegheny Co Home Census 1860-1940

There are also wonderful snippets of interest that will lead you to outside links with history information and resources from the area.

Whatcha waiting for?  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paallent/
The index of names:  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/allegheny/death-index.htm

Ahhh, genealogy.  Such generous, kind friends--  any day of the week, not just Friday!

©2013 AS Eldredge

Motivation Monday: Let's Change the World, One Document at a Time

Remember the old slogans used in the past to start a movement?  Remember "Feed The World" or "Yes, We Can"?  Perhaps, now is the time to start changing the world of genealogy in how items are placed online.

Recently, I wrote about finding a new cousin only to see his family tree was what I had worked on with other cousins.  If you missed it, read it at http://genitalesga.blogspot.com/2012/08/thankful-thursday-seek-and-ye-shall.html . 

Have you ever wanted to reach out and strangle all the family seekers who just clone the information they see online?  I know I have.  I've been known to email folks who have taken my information or my writings and asked them to please, pretty please source their information.  Some have taken the hint and others have just ignored my pleas.

Many sites online do say they haven't documented the information found.  To me, that is like buying a house or car unseen.  How many people willingly do that? 

In writing the post on Seek and Ye Shall Find, Maybe, I was pleased to see the comments sent on this subject.  (A big thank you to those who sent them.)  One of the comments from Katherine suggested Ancestry and those other sites ask for sources.

I love the idea, but I'm not sure how it could work or if they are really interested in documentation.  It would be a big project for all family researchers to source the information.  Perhaps, there could be a separate tier for those genealogy buffs who are true researchers and document their information.  Maybe something like Family Trees Plus or Sourced Trees.  It shouldn't be too difficult to program a section for documentation or sources, especially for the old pictures.

Perhaps, we should start a ground movement to those sites who have genealogy information, like Ancestry or Find a Grave,  to create a separate tier.  Thoughts, anyone?

Ahh, genealogy.  As for me, I will look at the information placed online by others, but will only include it in my information if it has been sourced.  Or better yet, only if I can trace their sources.  Just call it being curious, or is it the scientist in me?

©2012 AS Eldredge

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Recently, one of my dear cousins was a presenter at a genealogy conference held in York, PA.  Since I was unable to attend in person (just my spirit was there), dear sweet Frank was kind enough to grab the handouts for me.  I've been reviewing these and look forward to seeing if any of the hints will be beneficial as the search for those elusive kin continues.

Cousin Frank's topic was on creating a family history book.  After reviewing his notes, I find myself wanting, yet again, to take the time to create a book that future generations can read when they have a need to find their roots.

I've been asked to do this by several kin and I just haven't done it.  The main reason is the information uncovered changes so rapidly that the alleged book would be out of date when it is published. Seems like a familiar lament in the world of publishing.

If you decide to create a family history book, please consider the following as "must-have."

• Table of Contents with each major and minor family surname.
• Every name index.
• Source everything.
• Names, dates, marriages, deaths, grave locations, all children found.
• Add pictures of homes, people, graves, family plots, wedding announcements and obits.
• Have an appendix with wills.
• Have an appendix with land records.
• Tell the story of the area(s) in which your family lived or migrated.
• Tell the story of why they migrated.
• Include family lore, but be sure to acknowledge whether it has or has not been documented.
• Did I mention source EVERYTHING?

Ok, so maybe writing a family history book isn't in the immediate future.  Maybe, I'll just continue writing these genealogy tidbits which have been discovered about the family of long ago.  That way, I can entertain my readers without the standard "who begat who", and rather, focus on WHO the beloved ancestors were.  And, maybe, just maybe, I'll publish some of my favorite GeniTales for my kin to keep on their coffee tables.:)

Ahh, genealogy.  Tis always wonderful to sit and reread genealogy tales of the past.  Many times, they remind me of the next step I need to take. That is, after I say a prayer of thanks for what my beloved family did, however big or small, and for their dedicated faith in God.


©2012 AS Eldredge

Treasure Chest Thursday: There's a New Search Engine in Genealogy Town

Recently, I've seen a couple of references to the new online genealogy research tool, mocavo.com.  While I don't know much about it from personal use, its presence may help to redefine the future for those of us who have been bitten with "the bug." 

After hearing about the site, I thought I'd take a look and see what all the fuss is about.  After typing in several names which I am interested in, I did find some old entries of mine from Genforum and some from Find a Grave. It is nice to see just genealogical connections on the site.


I hadn't found anything of use to me when I typed in my grandmother's uncommon maiden name.  Not expecting much, I was surprised to her listed with her siblings and parents.  As her parents came direct from Sweden and changed names when they landed, I was intrigued to find her name.  Lucky for me, I clicked on the link and it took me to the site where her name is mentioned.  No new information was spotted, but the name and email address of the submitter was there.  


I've jotted off an email to the submitter to see if I can determine who they are and if they share my blood.  I'll let you know.


Overall, current reviews are mixed, but here is Eastman's take on the site.  I suspect the reviews will become more in favor of the site as new information is uploaded on the internet.  It is certainly a great place to include in the search for your elusive ancestors.

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. 

Mocavo.com - a Genealogy Search Engine

I suggest you remember this web site: Mocavo.com. I bet you are going to hear a lot about it in the next few weeks and months. In fact, I'd suggest you try it right now. I've been using the site for a while during its testing and have been very impressed. This thing actually works! Today, Mocavo.com went public and is now available to everyone.

Mocavo.com is a genealogy search engine that is available to you at no charge. It searches hundreds of thousands of genealogy web sites, looking for the words that you specify. Web sites searched include thousands of genealogy message boards, society web pages, genealogy pages uploaded by individuals, state historical societies, family societies, Find-A-Grave, the Internet Archive (mostly scanned genealogy books from the Allen County Public Library), the Library of Congress, several sites containing scanned images of old photographs, and tens of thousands of distinct sites sites that contain various transcribed records of genealogical interest.

Unlike other search engines, Mocavo.com limits its searches solely to genealogy sites. That makes a big difference to many of us who are searching for names that also are common words or corporate names. For instance, if I search for my own surname, Eastman, on most any other search engine, I receive hundreds of thousands of "hits" from photography sites and other sites that have nothing to do with genealogy. Performing a search for "Eastman" on Mocavo.com returns thousands of "hits," all of them from genealogy sites and with very few references to photography. Even the few that refer to the Eastman Kodak Company were references found on genealogy sites. A search for my own surname did return a "hit" for one page about the "Eastman Sea Rover airplane," something I had never heard of previously. Even that one "hit" was from a genealogy message board, providing information about the ancestry of the airplane's designer. Regardless of your search terms, Mocavo.com always returns information found on web sites that contain significant genealogy information.

I suspect you will always have better luck searching for your own surnames of interest on Mocavo.com than on any other search engine.

As an example of how Mocavo.com works, I'd suggest you first go to the site and perform a search for Amos Shaw who was married to Sarah Maxey. I found the couple by a search of:
"amos shaw" "sarah maxey"
(Include the quote marks.)

That search found 41 "hits," but the one that was really productive was the fifth "hit" on the first page. That fifth "hit" may change up or down in the future, but you can always return to the correct page if you go to http://www.mocavo.com/visit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.findagrave.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Ffg.cgi%3Fpage%3Dgr%26GRid%3D9525960. It is a FindAGrave result with an amazing photograph of a lady who was born in 1793 and died in 1868. You can find a photograph of her husband (who died in 1859) one click away. Those are old photos! It is rare to find a photograph of someone born in the 1700s. You will find it much more difficult to find old photographs like this using Google searches for genealogy!

Now try a few searches on Mocavo.com with your own names of interest.

Of course, searches on Mocavo.com are not limited to names. As with any other search engine, you can search for towns, states, occupations, relatives, or any other text information you think might be included with an ancestor's name. Whatever you specify, the search will be limited to pages on genealogy web sites. For instance, I have long been looking for the origins of Washington Harvey Eastman who lived his adult life in Corinth, Maine. I performed the following search on Mocavo.com:

"Washington Harvey Eastman" Corinth
This returned only two results, both referring to the specific person I have been looking for (although they only provided information I had already seen previously). Searching for the same person without his town of residence produces many more "hits," most of them for other men with the same or similar names. Adding the town of reference quickly produces focused results.

With the exception of the sites being searched, Mocavo.com operates in much the same manner as Google and most other search engines. Mocavo always displays the full URL of the web site(s) found, along with a line of text from the site that contains the words you searched for. Clicking on the URL displays the original web site. Mocavo.com never "hides" anything; the original web site is always displayed in its entirety.

According to Cliff Shaw, the creator of Mocavo.com:

“Genealogy has always had the problem of information and potential clues being spread across thousands of disparate web sites and sources. Imagine a world where you have all of the Web’s free genealogy content at your fingertips within seconds. That is Mocavo.com.

“Mocavo.com has the capacity to index every single piece of free genealogy content found anywhere on the web, and will be growing by leaps and bounds in the coming months. We expect Mocavo.com to shortly offer all of the web’s free genealogy information, searchable and accessible to all – something that has never been done before. It’s set to become the go-to search engine for every family history enthusiast.”

At this time, Mocavo.com finds mostly North American genealogy information. I suspect that will expand in the future as the site grows "by leaps and bounds every day."

Cliff Shaw has created a great genealogy search engine, the best I have seen. Try it. I suspect you'll be as pleased with Mocavo.com as I am. Go to http://www.Mocavo.com

I still plan on using other search engines for a lot for my other web searches. However, all my future genealogy searches will start on Mocavo.com. I've been using the site for a while during its testing and have been very impressed. I suspect you will always have better luck searching for your own surnames of interest on Mocavo.com than on any other search engine.


--

Ahh, genealogy.  Always shaking those trees for my roots.

Update:  I heard back from the submitter of my great grandparents' information.  No kin here.  They had just pulled something off the census.  Disappointing.



©2011 AS Eldredge

Wordless Wednesday: The Nut Really Doesn't Fall Far with Family Traits

I watched the recent news story regarding the family skeleton in Oprah's mother's closet with interest.  It must have been hard for her to give up an infant she knew she couldn't care for as it has been for mothers for years.  How exciting the genes that were passed were able to provide joy for the family.  Oprah and her family talked lovingly of the sister who had previously died and how similar the mannerisms are of the newly discovered sister are.  How blessed they are to have found her and to have her presence bring back so many loving memories of one who has gone.

It's the same in so many families.  When I think about the cousins I have met whose laugh can stop me in my tracks, or whose eyebrows can make me cry, I think about the genetics and how our deep our family ties can be.  I just love hearing the laugh of the cousin who sounds just like my mom did, or looking at the eyebrows of a cousin who I just know took them straight off my dad, or even the I'm-rather-ticked toe tapping that my child does as she stands and looks just like grandma.

And to go further, I love looking at old photographs to see if I can identify any family traits that have been passed down.  And yes, the old photos have me looking so much like my dad's mom and my children looking like their 3g grandma.  Amazing.

Just recently, I established contact with a descendant of a female cousin.  This female cousin, Margaret GLENN (1837-1902) was a bear to find.  Tracing married female cousins can be hard to do when they moved away from the area and lost contact over the years.

I knew about Margaret from the 1936 papers of my cousin, S B HERDMAN.   In that tree, SB had written that Margaret had married a McKEE and had 3 children of which he was aware.  McKEE was a college professor.  End of story.

Until a month ago----

One of my other GLENN types had asked me if I had ever traced her line in more detail.  I had not as Margaret was the granddaughter of my 4g uncle, William GLENN. 

I started digging around and found her living in Centre Co, PA, in the 1880 census with her hubby and children.   After searching around more for the one child's name that was listed in the 1880 census, I found the family.  They had moved to Cleveland later and the sons were prosperous.  I found a great great grandson of Margaret and contacted him.  He didn't know much of the family, but directed me to his uncle.

I popped off an email to the uncle's business and waited.  Waiting to see if they were interested in the family or just thinking I was a nut job---  kind of like Oprah's staff thought when they were contacted by Oprah's newly discovered sister.  You know, you always wonder what people really think when someone contacts them and says,'Hey, we're family." 

When I contact someone, I try to give them a sense of who I am by having them check out the family cemetery page where I have done a lot of research and work, and by checking out my blog.  I also provide enough background info on our mutual relation that they should be able to verify what I say easily.

Sometimes people don't.  They either don't check or they don't care.  Or perhaps, they think I want more than a distant cousin who can tell me more of the family.  That has happened to me before when someone who was famous did not want to connect the dots or know about the other parts of their blood roots.  Oh well, their loss.

Anyway, the uncle did call me the other day, and as luck would have it, I was no where near my computer so I probably sounded like a bumbling fool when I was digging into the deep recesses of my mind for the right family connection.

He did tell me more of his family history and I was able to provide more to him.  Hopefully, he'll dig around and find some more old pictures for me so I can look for the family mannerisms or traits that give me such a warm touchy-feely feeling.

Ahh, genealogy.  Seeing the past on the young descendants today can still provide me with a sense of family, and warmth and love.

©2011 AS Eldredge

Wordless Wednesday: Sharing Memories of Christmas Past

The time has come for the yearly dragging out of the dusty boxes which are filled with the holiday decorations.  It always seems to take hours for me to unwrap the ornaments.  It's not that I have a house full of holiday boxes.  Nope, instead I have a heart full of loving Christmas memories of the past.

Each year as I unwrap the treasured ornaments and decorations, I travel back in time to when I was a child and my parents and other beloved family members were alive.  Their smiles, voices and stories of their youths all swim around in my heart.  Often, I find myself just sitting quietly as I relive the warmth of Christmas past with my family.

Take time this year to share your Christmas memories of the past with your children and grandchildren.  Give them a reason to sit and think lovingly about the past in years to come.

Ahhhh, genealogy.  Sometimes, just an ornament can bring time to a standstill.

©2010 AS Eldredge

Politicians are All in the Family Thru Early Plymouth Connections

Another day, another genealogy find.  I find this story from Ancestry.com of interest if only to show we are pretty much all connected to each other one way or another.  We may not share any common interests in the present with some of our extremely distant kin, but we are probably more alike than we realize.  Take, for instance, ....

Ancestry.com Reveals Midterm Election Connections: President Obama Related to Palin and Limbaugh

/PRNewswire/ -- As Americans prepare to cast their votes in November's mid-term election, Ancestry.com today announces that several key political leaders and media personalities are more than mere political allies or political foes—they are actually related.

The world's largest online family history resource reveals that President Barack Obama is related to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Obama and Palin are 10th cousins through common ancestor John Smith. The website also found that Obama is related to one of his most vociferous critics, conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Perhaps Rush will ease up on the President when he learns they are actually 10th cousins once removed via common ancestor Richmond Terrell.

Ancestry.com researchers also discovered that Palin, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and conservative author Ann Coulter are also cousins through Englishman John Lathrop, who was exiled to the United States for becoming a minister of an illegal independent church.

But the connections don't end there. Obama, Palin and former President George W. Bush are also related. Obama and Bush, who both reached the highest office in the land, are 11th cousins through common ancestor Samuel Hinckley. Palin and Bush, who are also 11th cousins, are also related through Hinckley. Apparently leadership runs in the family, since Hinckley's son, Thomas, went on to become governor of Plymouth Colony.

"We have all watched the heated media coverage as the leadership of Congress is at stake in this very contentious upcoming November election," said Anastasia Tyler, a genealogist at Ancestry.com. "It is not unusual, however, to find family members on different ends of the political spectrum. This election season is an ideal time to look into the family trees of our candidates and their critics to learn more about the ties that make them all part of this great country."

Other Famous Finds

These newfound family connections between our nation's top political players are the latest of several discoveries from the research team at Ancestry.com:

* In 2009, Ancestry.com discovered that Obama and financial investor Warren Buffett are more than just allies. The two men are 7th cousins three times removed.
* Ancestry.com also revealed that Obama and actor Brad Pitt are 9th cousins.
* In 2008, Ancestry.com announced that then-Governor Sarah Palin is a distant cousin to both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Princess Diana.


Ancestry.com recently announced it has extended its relationship with NBC for the second season of the hit television series "Who Do You Think You Are?" Ancestry.com worked with NBC on the first season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" that debuted in March 2010, providing important family history research for the show, including tracing the roots of the seven celebrities featured.

As for my roots, I do have White House connections to a president, but not the current one.  My blood kin there was James Buchanan.  A presidential gold coin was just released for Buchanan--  I've got one.


Ahh, genealogy.  How many blood lines are hanging around in the ole proverbial woodpile?


©2010 AS Eldredge

Family Tree Maker for Macintosh Pre-Sale

 The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

Ancestry.com announced last spring that the company would re-introduce Family Tree Maker for Macintosh before the end of the year. Apparently, the company plans to meet that deadline. The product isn't available yet but Ancestry.com is now taking orders and is promising delivery in "early November." Best of all, those who order the product now will receive a 20% discount.

A new page has appeared on Ancestry.com's online store to says (in part):
Family Tree Maker for Mac - Pre-Sale
20% Off

Introducing Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker for Mac
For 20 years, Family Tree Maker has been the #1-selling family history software. Millions of people have used it to discover, preserve and share their family stories. Now Mac users can too.
Family Tree Maker for Mac, which is based on Family Tree Maker 2010, makes organizing, researching and sharing your family history easier than ever, whether you're just getting started or already an expert.
The web site then goes on at some length giving details of the new program's capabilities. To be blunt, it all sounds identical to the capabilities of the Windows version and I'd suggest that is a good thing.

Near the bottom of the web page, it says "This item has not yet been released. It will be released and shipped in early November."

Family Tree Maker for Macintosh will retail for $69.95. The Ancestry.com online store is offering it as a "pre-sale" for a 20% discount: $55.96.

I ordered my copy today.

You can find Ancestry.com's online description and order page at http://store.ancestry.com/ProductDetail.aspx?P=P-4845&cj=1&o_xid=0002370517&o_lid=0002370517

Sweden Family History Soon to be Part of Ancestry.com

The following press release caught my attention.  Since I spend so much time searching in Sweden, I find this of immense interest.  Perhaps, you will as well.

Ancestry.com to Acquire Sweden's Genline.se

Leading Swedish Family History website

26 million pages of family history records, 16th-20th century


Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq: ACOM), the world’s largest online family history resource, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the leading Swedish family history website Genline.se.
Total consideration for Genline is approximately US $6.7 million, to be paid in cash at closing. The offer has been accepted by Genline’s Board of Directors but remains subject to approval of Genline Holding AB’s public shareholders and other ordinary course closing conditions.

Genline expects to provide proxy materials to shareholders immediately and hold a Special Meeting of Stockholders shortly to vote on the transaction. Genline trades on the Stockholm exchange AktiTorget under the ticker symbol GENL.

Upon completion of the transaction, Genline will join Ancestry.com’s family of nine web properties globally, which together serve more than 1.2 million subscribers and host over five billion historical records and 17 million family trees containing 1.7 billion profiles.

Genline currently has more than 17,000 paying members with access to 26 million pages of digitized Swedish church records spanning more than 400 years from the 16th to the 20th century.

Josh Hanna, SVP and General Manager, International, Ancestry.com Inc., comments: “The Genline.se transaction, our first international acquisition, represents an exciting opportunity for Ancestry.com to access Sweden’s avid family history community and to provide Ancestry.com subscribers of Swedish heritage in the U.S. and other markets with access to important historical content.

"For Genline members, the millions of US and Canadian records with Swedish relevance will provide many new opportunities to discover North American ancestors."

Mikko Ollinen, Genline AB Managing Director, comments: "We are delighted that Ancestry.com sees the potential of Genline. Together we look forward to continuing to grow our business in Sweden and to making new and exciting historical records, both local and international, available to our members."

Ancestry.com expects to acquire all shares of Genline AB for approximately 53 million Swedish kronor with an adjustment for net working capital. Based on a June 11, 2010 exchange rate of SEK7.94 to US$1.00, the net purchase amount approximates US$6.7 million
Genline’s 2009 reported revenue was $2.4 million. Ancestry.com does not expect the acquisition to have a material impact on its financial guidance as issued in connection with its first quarter earnings release on April 29, 2010.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "appears," "may," "designed," "expect," "intend," "focus," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "should," or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include statements describing our subscriber base, our activities to enhance subscribers' experience and our business outlook. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements.
Factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements, and our ability to execute on our business strategy include those listed under the caption "Risk Factors" of the Ancestry.com Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

All in the "Spin" of Things, Eh?

Guess it depends on the "spin", er, the twist, of words! This story is a great one, even though the ties to Reid are not real. This story is one that illustrates how stories can change over time. It is easy to imagine the "history revised" version being told by descendants who might be ashamed of the illustrious past of their ancestors. Just remember that the next time someone tells you they are related to royalty or they had 10 horsethieves in the family. Genealogy. The family stories can be amusing, but it's best done with the facts.

Go on and read this lore and just-- smile with the twist on the words.

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogy researcher in southern California, was doing some personal work on her own family tree.

She discovered that Congressman Harry Reid's great-great uncle, Remus Reid, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. Both Judy and Harry Reid share this common ancestor.

The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows in Montana territory:

On the back of the picture Judy obtained during her research is this inscription:
'Remus Reid, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885,
escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times.
Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

So Judy recently e-mailed Congressman Harry Reid for information about their great-great uncle.

Believe it or not, Harry Reid's staff sent back the following biographical sketch for her genealogy research:

"Remus Reid was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory .
His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable
equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad.
Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to government
service, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad.
In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the
renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency.
In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function
held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing
collapsed."


NOW THAT's how it's done, Folks!

Bitten Again

Now, I've done it. I've been bitten again by the volunteer genealogy bug.

One of the groups that I lurk and contribute to had recently alerted everyone of some new newspaper archives to search online. After many hours of looking, which were accompanied by massive eye strain and few nuggets of gold, I realized that I couldn't be the only family searcher who had invested in massive quantities of Visine. Those old newspapers sure can be hard on the eyes!

I wondered aloud to the list to see if anyone was interested in taking the names of the dead found on the pages they had searched and making an index. I even volunteered to compile the list if the information was sent to me.

This thought has caught on like wild fire. Now, my box is full of lists of different dates and loads of names. I've made a spreadsheet and now, I just type and type.

Me and my big idea. It could be of value to seekers of the past and I hope I find some nuggets too. Sigh.

An Orphan with Family Ties

".....The years will come and go, joys and sorrows will multiply upon us who shall tarry here
below, but the memory of this quiet beautiful life will linger in our hearts like some goodly dream, which grows softer and sweeter and more precious each time that we recall it........."

The words above were spoken by the Rev. Elijah R Donehoo at the 1884 funeral of Kate NEELY in Allegheny Co, PA. I love this quote and think of it often as I think of family and those who have gone.

Family is such an interesting word and can bring up all sorts of thoughts.

I always felt like I didn't have much family growing up. As my dad was in the military, we were stationed nowhere near either family. My thoughts as a child on family were that we visited them now and again and gifts would show up at Christmas. I don't remember the loving hugs of grandparents, as one died when I was four and the other had developed dementia by the time I became a teenager. I could never run down the street to see my grandparents, aunts or cousins. Somehow, I feel like I got left out in the cold.

My parents also died while I was a young adult, so I missed out on getting to really know them as an adult.(If only I could remember all those stories they told now!) My older siblings live far away and left home before I developed lots of memories about them. Therefore, I have felt as if I am an orphan of sorts.

But, I have so much family. The blood of my veins sings a brilliant song and calls out to others who share it. Through my genealogy research, I have come to know many distant cousins. It can be entertaining to see what traits we share and to hear stories from them. Their memories intertwine with mine as we sing our family song. Yes, we are family. Yes, we have history.

The memories of our loved ones stay with us. They bring us smiles, laughter and tears. They bring us solace as we cope with loss.

No longer an orphan, I'm now surrounded by family. The love, the memories, the joy and the sorrow are all there. And they do become sweeter with time.

My thought of the day is share the past with your family. Memories shouldn't be left alone. They should be shared so your children don't have the feelings of orphans with family ties.

Family-ology Testing Genealogy Program

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com.

I haven't yet seen this program, due to my travels, but the press release does sound interesting:

myFamily•ology Genealogy Program Enters Beta Testing

myFamily•ology today announced the beta release of its one-of-a-kind Web-Based Family Genealogy Program. Amateur and professional genealogists are invited to help test the soon-to-be released software program before it is available to the public.

myFamily•ology has invested significant time and resources in developing the features that genealogists have come to expect and that make genealogy such a fun and worthwhile hobby. myFamily•ology’s Web-Based Family Genealogy Program offers features no other genealogy program has ever offered – either as PC software or as an online Web-based application.

The Web-Based Family Genealogy Program from myFamily•ology allows you to:
Work on your own or collaboratively with family members
Control access to your private tree with required individual passwords
Update genealogical details for the same person in multiple files with one click
Easily attach sources, photos, notes, etc. to multiple family members
Search genealogical information by birth, death, notes, or place
View/Print/Export 18 different Reports, Lists, and Charts
Receive warnings and reports for probable data issues
Share sources with other researchers and receive notification of possible matches from members' databases
Track the accuracy and completion of your family tree with myFamily•ology’s color-coded Progress Rating Chart
Beta Testers evaluating the functionality of the program before it is released to the public will provide recommendations for fixes, changes, enhancements, and improvements to the program.

As an incentive for helping myFamily•ology perfect its genealogy program, once the service officially goes live all Beta Testers will be able to access their files for one full year free of charge. After that, if a participant decides to continue using the program, that Beta Tester will receive a 50% discount on his or her subscription level, for life.

To register as a Beta Tester for myFamily•ology’s Web-Based Family Genealogy Program, please go to http://www.family-genealogy.com/subscriptions.aspx.

About myFamily•ology

myFamily•ology® is a security conscious, Web-based provider of genealogy tools to help you build and organize a precise family history and a reliable family tree that can be shared with family and friends. For more information, please visit www.Family-Genealogy.com.



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Her Laugh Lives On

In my last post, we were chatting about how some researchers take census info and people with same initials and just kind of "make it work." Well, I contacted the gent to ask him some questions about what I knew to be true. To my delight, my mom's first cousin is still alive and well at the ripe old age of 87.

I got her phone number and just called. I spent time listening to her tell me stories of my great grandmother Poston nee Coward, my Poston grandparents and other family members. These beloved family members are all gone- or so I thought.

You see, Henrietta laughed and I started to tear up. Her laugh is the laugh of my mother and my aunt. What joy for me to hear that familiar laugh again.

Henrietta told me of her mother who died of tuberculosis at the age of 34. She only has one memory of her mother standing. So, today, Henrietta has not only given me more of a sense of family, she has given me back my mom - if only in her laugh.

Family. Ain't it just grand!

Bama Won't Be Happy

Once again the frigid air blowing around has forced me to see what I can stir up in my mind and in my family.

I was contacted today by one of my paid sites with the announcement that someone had replied to my query. It has been so many years since I did that, so I had to backtrack and see what all has transpired in my neglect of checking the forum. Not much new has been posted, and absolutely nothing that would get my blood rushing around.

However, I did find something that would stir Bama's blood, and stir it mightily.

On the off chance of digging up some new family members, I decided to go in and look for my great aunt. Now, I know she died in 1931, but that doesn't stop me. I knew she had married and I have a note from my grandmother who died in 1976 with the name of my great aunt's husband.

Off to the census I go, and locate them where and when I should. I suspected he had remarried after the death of Kathleen as they had a young child, and everyone back then remarried to get a mama figure around the house.

I found Herbert's draft card for World War I and then I found a user submitted family tree with his name and Kathleen's name. Yep, I was right. He had remarried.

One glaring error though is the number of siblings that this guy had placed on the tree for Kathleen. He also had Bama dying about 40 years too soon. Yep, he has her dead and her husband remarried with a whole 'nother pack of children.

I had to do a double take on that one. I know there weren't that many kids in the family. Luckily, the user had attached his sources, so it was easy for me to find the error of his ways. He chose to use a different family with the same last name and with the father's initials for his source. Sorry. He should have checked out a few more items.

Know ye here and now that Bama would not have liked to hear that her husband had married someone else and had all these alleged children. Nope, not at all.

The lesson is to look at the information you can find online and take it with a grain of salt. Be sure your really know what you think you know before stating it as fact. And be sure to have some smelling salts-- you or Bama just may need them!

Such Kind Words That I Must Blush

Even though the temperature is frigid outside, I feel my face heating up. I just received a very nice note from a blood related distant cousin. She just gushed about my family findings and my tenacious attitude about documenting sources.

Sources are what makes genealogy much more than a fairy tale. While I always listen to family lore, I also am willing to discount it when I find the facts. Sometimes, the facts bear out the lore. Sometimes, stretching the truth must have sounded more pleasing to those telling the tales.

I was asked about finding records in states that didn't bother with vitals until the 20th century. The best suggestion I can give is to follow the land. It's advice I was given early in my search and it still bears true.

Other great sources include wills and church records. Of course, it's always wonderful to find old newspapers which have been preserved. Once again, some states are better than others at this.

Be sure to spend some time with LDS. They have such an extensive record holding. I would love to spend time out in Salt Lake and just know they would find the answers to my questions. Ah, one day, one day.

I also lurk around in the county genealogy forums in which I am interested. Sometimes, I'll hear suggestions from others that open my eyes to a new way to research the family. Occasionally, I stumble across another family member.

The best advice I can give is don't give up. Take a break sometimes. When you come back, some information may just literally jump up off the page for you.

Last, be willing to help others. You just never know when the kindness will be returned.

Caught in 1885

The best gift for me last year was the presentation of the 1885 Bible. While it has been in the family since that time, there have been no entries made into the marriage, death, and birth sections. I suppose it is because the owner of the Bible never married.

So, I shall fill in the blanks for the family history.

In the meantime, I have lovingly looked at the pages, so old and yellowed with time, and realize the truth is still there in those pages. The pictures in the Bible are so beautiful.

Take time to get caught in the past. It can be a beautiful moment in time.

Happy New Year!

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