Confessions of a Gene-a-holic

Post Scanning Reflection

2011-12-31T11:45:00.001-05:00

So its taken me a few days, but I've almost completely scanned everything in my genealogy files. I have a few more pages to go and my scanner won't scan those 11x14 inch pages, I think I'm going to have to buy a flatbed scanner that will scan that size page.
I think taking on this progect was one of the best things I could have done for my genealogy research. I kept a stack of 4x6 index cards and wrote notes to myself on things I needed to follow up on and was also albe to reassess the information that I have already complied. I discovered some new leads that I had in my own informat on my Fitzgerald ancestors and wrote a follow up letter to one of the churches in the area where they lived for possible additional information. Keeping my fingers crossed! Every little tid bit of information gets me one step closer to breaking down this brickwall.

Happy Hunting!

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-12-27T14:47:00.000-05:00

William Henry Bennett

b. 27 Dec 1818 Steuben County, New York

m. Mary Ann Rowlader 28 May 1842 Wheeler, Steuben County, New York

d. 18 Jan 1863 Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee

buried Nashville National Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000-05:00

Louise Mary Valley

b. 10 Jun 1912 Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 23 Dec 1920 Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried 25 Dec 1920 St Joseph's Catholic Church, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

My own Mini Scan fest

2011-12-20T11:03:00.001-05:00

With the recent death of my beloved Grandma, I haveinherited many family documents, things that may be rather benign to the commonobserver, but are genealogical gold to those of us whose life’s work has goneto researching our roots. In as much Ihave realized, looking at the piles of paper that I have accumulated over theyears, what happens to all my paper as it deteriorates….so now here I sit at mytrusty laptop next to the scanner, even as I type…oh excuse me a second….evenas I type, scanning in page after page of my research. I am having my own little private scanfest…one that will probably last for days. So my New Year’s resolution is to get all this scanned…and I’m notwaiting until January 1^st to get it started. The one thing that I love about our HPscanner is the program with it allows me to scan in PDF files and all multiplepages for one file. Makes scanningthings and naming them a lot easier…can’t wait to scan all 75 pages of my GreatGreat Grandpa’s Civil War service record. Oh and don’t worry, I do plan to back up all my files online and to diskjust in case my trusty laptop decides to bite the big one….that would betragic!

Families for the iPhone

2011-12-18T00:15:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I am an avid legacy user. Now my favorite genealogy program has made me love them more!!! I joined the techy world this year and got an iphone. I also discovered the program Families for my iphone that works with my Legacy program on my computer. Now I can my ENTIRE legacy file, including photos, anywhere with me just by remembering my phone. It's lots of fun sharing some old family photos with my coworkers. I'm also to take more than one Legacy file with me.

It's a pretty intuitive program, but you definately have to read the directions to get your file out of legacy properly, but after that it's pretty easy. You also have to download the sync file to your computer....I found this out the hard way...I guess I should have taken my own advice and read the instructions.

So my recommendation is that if you love Legacy and your love your iphone, this is a must get! It isn't very expensive and it is well worth the investment!

Happy Hunting!

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-12-06T12:22:00.002-05:00

William "Bill" Fitzpatrick Glynn

b. 1 Jul 1977 Lampasas, Texas

m. Shalene Loper

d. 1 Dec 2008 Belliare, Antrim County, Michigan

buried Southern Cemetery, Central Lake, Antrim County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-11-01T20:17:00.006-04:00

Barbara Host Courtade

b.2 Jan 1810 Bayern, Germany
m. Lauretius Courtade 2 Jul 1836 Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio
d. 15 Feb 1882 East Bay Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-10-25T14:16:00.003-04:00

Martha Matilda Furrow Greenman

b. 22 Mar 1891 Maple Rapids, Gratiot County, Michigan

m. Hawley Manigold 25 Jan 1908 Thompsonville, Benzie County, Michigan

m. Ernest J. Fitzgerald 1 Jan 1912 Hollister, Wexford County, Michigan

m. Ralph Helferich 2 Feb 1929 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. Franklin Newberry King

m. Chester Clinton Greenman 21 May 1955 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 21 Oct 1973 Onekama, Manistee County, Michigan

buried Oakwood City Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Traverse City Record Eagle
Monday, October 22, 1973

Obituary
Page 13

Greenman- Martha M. Greenman, 83, formerly of Old Mission Peninsula, passed away Sunday at Omekama Memorial Hospital following a long illness. Surviving are three daughters, Mrs. Rufus (Joanne) Blaylock of Traverse City, Mrs. Basil (Dorothy) Worm of Battle Creek, and Mrs. Lawerence (Grace) Helfrich of Muskegon; Two sons Thomas L. Fitzgerald of Traverse City, and Alvin Jack Fitzgerald of Lansing; and other relatives. Mrs. Greenman is also survived by 32 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and [great] great-grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her husband Chester, who passed away in 1970; a daughter Amber June Sanderson; three brothers and two sisters. She was born at Lake Odessa, Mich., March 22, 1891 to the late Francis and Elnora Furrow. Friends may call at the Martinson Funeral Home in Traverse City from which services will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. by Rev. Larry Beaverson. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery.

What happened to Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Anthony Gale

2011-10-24T13:25:00.001-04:00

Lieutenant Colonel Commadant Anthony Gale was the 4th Commandant of the United States Marie Corps. The following link was sent to me by my husband and an interesting genealogy article from Leatherneck magazine.

http://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/mystery-lieutenant-colonel-commandant-anthony-gale

I found it to be very interesting reading about a hisotrical figure lost in time. Perhaps someday genealogists will reveal the answers to the questions provided in the article.

What do you think?

Happy Hunting!

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-10-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

Lillian Helen Lardie Wood

b. 14 May 1899 Old Mission, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. Stanley William Wood 9 June 1919 Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 19 October 1975 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried 22 October 1975 St Joseph's Catholic Church, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-10-11T18:26:00.000-04:00

Magdalena Yorda Jordi Courtade

b. 16 Nov 1849 Switzerland

m. Peter Courtade

d. 7 October 1922

buried 11 Oct 1922 Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-09-27T12:04:00.001-04:00

Aloysius Henry Courtad

b. 21 Sept 1895 Cleveland, Ohio

m. Nellie Lydia Courtade 22 Nov 1916 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 3 May 1960 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-09-20T14:53:00.002-04:00

Mary Catherine Valley Lardie

b. 20 Sept 1865 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. John Lardie 30 June 1885

d. 17 Mar 1931Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Greenwood Cemetery, Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan

2011-09-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

Recently I started helping a work colleague research his genealogy and I discovered a website that was shared with my by another research that is too good not to share. Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey, Michigan is a huge cemetery in Emmet County overlooking the water. I have been there once, it is quite beautiful. The Greenwood Cemetery Website has its own treasures. From the main page you can click on genealogical resources and in the search box type the last name that you are looking for. The cemetery has taken many obituaries from the local newspaper and indexed them on their website. These are not just obits from people buried in Greenwood Cemetery either. The obituaries cover people that were living in Emmet County. In one search I found 34 obituaries for my friend that I am researching for! Thank you Greenwood Cemetery for supplying us genealogists with such a valuable tool!

Now if only I could find something like that for my family......

Happy Hunting!

What happened to Baby Louise?

2011-08-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

Louise Mary Valley abt six months old

Up until recently I had a little girl, Louise Mary Valley, living with my Great Grandparents, Stanley and Lillian Lardie. That's how Louise showed up on the census. I had one of those moments where it finally occured to me that Louise's last name was Valley, not Lardie, not to mention I knew she wasn't my grandma's sister...or at least I hadn't heard of her from Grandma. When I asked my Grandma about her, all she could remember was vague details. So I set off to find out who Baby Louise was.

Louise as a toddler

I actually discovered who Baby Louise's parents were when I came across the article about John Peter Valley's death. John was killed from injuries resulting from a car accident on 26 October 1917. In the article is lists that John is survived by one daughter, Louise. I found John and Louise's death certificates online at Seeking Michigan. Louise's death certificate lists her parents as John Valley and Mildred Evans. I also found that Louise was born 10 January 1912 and died 23 December 1920.

I knew from previous research that Mildred, or Millie as she is frequently listed, was John Peter Valley's wife. Another search of Seeking Michigan's website revealed the Millie died from complications due to childbirth seven days after Louise was born. Again this information was obtained from Millie's death certificate online at Seeking Michigan.

Louise about age 8, I believe this was taken the summer before she died

So the sad death of both parents explains why baby Louise came to live with my Great Grandparents. Sadly Louise contracted diptheria and died at eight years old. At the same time my Great Grandparents, Stanley and Lillian's oldest son, John George, also died of complications of diptheria. Baby John died on 18 Decemeber 1920, only seven months old. Louise and John George were both laid to rest in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan in the family plot.

The Lardie/Valley family plot in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Mapleton, Michigan

A closeup of the plaque on the center of the cross with the names of the family members buried in the plot.

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-08-23T14:34:00.001-04:00

Lyndell Burdette Sanderson

b. 26 June 1907 Weidman, Isabella County, MIchigan

m. Amber June Manigold 23 Feb 1929 South Bend, Saint Joseph County, Indiana

d. 24 Aug 1940 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood City Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

A Family Affair

2011-08-17T21:52:00.000-04:00

For those of you that remember my top ten things I cannot research without, my number one was my husband. Well I was reflecting today as we were packing up the kids, age 5 and 20 months, into the family van and off to search for Findagrave.com requests, on how much my love for genealogy has become a family affair. My daughter, 5, gets really excited when we drive by a cemetery and says, with much enthusiasm, “Mommy, Look! Genealogy!” Both my children have taken first steps in cemeteries and I even have a photo of my daughter at a younger age in a local rural cemetery.

My husband has always been very good at spotting headstones in cemeteries when we are looking around for headstones, that skill I attribute to 10 years as a police officer.

Now my son, 20 months, spends time with mommy at the library and in cemeteries. He even has taken to having his own research forms and his crayons and filling in his own “research”. As an infant my son spent many society meetings snoozing in his car seat carrier and being oogled by the women of the society.

I hope to pass on at least some of the curiosity that I have for my family history to my children and to ignite their own passions for whatever hobbies that they choose, even if it isn’t genealogy. Heaven forbid! Most of all I just want my children to have good memories of family times together when they are older, even if they don't appreciate it until they are adults.

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-08-09T17:33:00.002-04:00

Stanley (Wheeler) William Wood

b. 11 August 1893 Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York

m. Lillian Helen Lardie 9 June 1919 Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 17 Dec 1960 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried St. Joseph's Cemetery, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Traverse City Record Eagle

Monday, December 19, 1960

Stanley Wood Taken by Death

Page 7

Stanley W. Wood, 67, of Traverse City R. 1, died at Munson hospital later Saturday morning after suffering a heart attack at a Traverse City store.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. George Wood, he was born August 11, 1893, in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, N.Y. and came to Traverse City in 1915. He had been and employe[e] of the Grand Traverse county road commission for the past 30 years.

Mr. Wood was a Traverse City fireman for four years and at the time of his death was the chief of the Peninsula township volunteer fire department.

He served in France with headquarters company of the Second Field Artillery in World War I and was a member of Peninsula township’s Garland-Tompkins Post 339 of the American Legion.

New Hobby

2011-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

I have recently discovered a new hobby, no I'm not going to now or ever give up my obsession with genealogy. I recently started and finished my first miniature dollhouse. I remember my mom making miniature furniature when I was a child. My daughter, Lily, and I worked on the house together. She helped paint and hand things to mom, although any of you that have or have had a five-year-old know how much "help" they can be sometimes, not to mention how long that help lasts. But, I hope when she's older that she remembers building that house with mom. We've even started building our second house and have our 3rd house bought and on standby!

I think we're hooked, but or right now with the nice weather we have spent some time in the local cemeteries and libraries working on Findagrave requests and Random Acts of Genealogy Kindess requests.

Here are some photos of our completed miniature house! Enjoy!!!!
And Happy Hunting!

WonderFILE Product Review

2011-07-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

Author's Note: This post is completely the author's opinion of the product. This review is neither solicited by the makers of the WonderFILE nor is the author being compensated for the review of this product.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to be a sucker for those "As Seen on TV" products. Well, come to find out, many of our local stores carry many of those products. (Just a side note, I bought the Magic Bullet blender and I love it!)

I recently bought one of those WonderFILE, desk top organizers.

So far I really like my WonderFILE. It folds up and is easy to take anywhere. When it is folded it is the size of a padfolio and about 1 1/2" thick.
When unfolded the WonderFILE does take some room up, but if your room is limited you can have the upper half against the wall to reduce space. Inside there are pockets on all 4 corners and in the middle of the lower half. Each pocket will fit regular sized pieces of paper. I found that my file folders fit very nicely in the corner pockets. There are also pockets that I can put my pens, pencils, post-its, etc in.

The WonderFILE will work spread out on your bed, but it doesn't have the rigity to work on.

The WonderFILE is able to carry several of my research folders, my printed out to do list from my legacy program, a pen and pencil, and several loose pages of paper. It does take up some table room, so either a large table is needed to open it up completely or a table with a wall to support the upper half of the when it is opened up. The draw back is if you are somewhere space is limited for researchers, the WonderFile may not be the best tool for you at that location.

The nice thing about the WonderFILE is that it is very portable. I have even taken it into cemeteries with me.

Overall I do recommend the WonderFILE.

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-07-12T12:52:00.000-04:00

Martha Ann Ferguson Fant

b. 13 Jul 1829 Grant County, Kentucky

m. Lucian B. Fant 3 Aug 1850

d. 21 Oct 1913 Okeana, Butler County, Ohio

buried Greenwood Cemetery, Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-07-05T20:01:00.000-04:00

Peter Courtade

b. April 1837

m. Magdalena Yorda Jordi

d. 4 Jul 1821 East Bay Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-05-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

Luella Adisa Schlosser Courtade

b. 20 May 1869 Ederston, Defiance County, Ohio

m. John N. Courtade 16 June 1890 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 2 Mar 1933 East Bay Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-04-26T13:37:00.002-04:00

Thomas Fitzgerald

b. 21 May 1848 Danville, Columbia County, Pennsylvania

m. Henrietta Berry20/21 Dec 1870 Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

d. 12 Oct 1932 Clam Lake Township, Wexford County, Michigan

buried Clam Lake Township Cemetery, Clam Lake Township, Wexford County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-04-19T13:40:00.005-04:00

Richard Aloyisus Courtad

b. 24 Mar 1920 Cleveland, Ohio

m. Maxine Lucille Loomis 22 Feb 1944 Fort Custer, Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan

d. 20 May 2006 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried 24 May 2006 Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tomstone Tuesday

2011-04-12T20:59:00.004-04:00

John Wickliff Fant
b. 6 Jul 1854 Williamstown, Grant County, Kentucky
m. Floretta Landrum 23 Jan 1889
m. Elizabeth
m. Carrie Boshoff 8 Jul 1914
d. 20 April 1945 Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina
buried Greenwood Cemetery, Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio

Tomstone Tuesday

2011-04-05T15:11:00.002-04:00

John Lardie

b. 8 April 1865 Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. Mary Catherine Valley 30 Jun 1885

d. 14 Mar 1919 Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried 17 Mar 1919 St Joseph's Cemetery, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-03-29T14:22:00.003-04:00

John N. Courtade

b. 31 Mar 1863 Eagle Harbor, Keweenaw County, Michigan

m. Luella Adisa Schlosser 16 June 1890

d. 1 May 1944 East Bay Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried 4 May 1944 Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-03-22T13:25:00.001-04:00

Dorothy Louise Pierce Fant

b. 25 Mar 1922 Canada

m. Leslie John Fant 19 Sept 1948

d. 21 Mar 2005 Bellaire, Antrim County, Michigan

buried Ottawa Park Cemetery, Clarkston, Michigan

Fearless Females March 21:

2011-03-21T09:55:00.000-04:00

Describe a tender moment one of your female ancestors shared with you or another family member.

Today's prompt was a little more difficult for me. So I choose this photo:

This is my grandma. The baby on her lap is me and the one on the floor is my cousin, Scott.

Fearless Females March 20: Brickwall

2011-03-20T11:21:00.000-04:00

Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.

Today's entry is an easy one. And is no secret. My brickwall would be Emily (Tennyson) Fitzgerald. First of all lets start with what I do know. Emily (and her husband John) are my immigrant ancestors from Ireland. Emily may have been born in England though. Sometimes on the Census it states she was born in England, so metimes it says Ireland. There is a family story that has been passed down that she was the niece of Alfred Tennyson and he sent her to the United States with her nanny after her father died to steal her inheritance. Although the story is pretty unlikely given Emily's aprox birthdate and Tennyson's brother's birthdates. My most recent breakthrough was Emily's oldest son's obituary that states she was Tennyson's sister. As far as I can tell from my research, she is not. Tennyson's sister Emily never left England and married a man named Richard Jesse. I once read that Tennyson's father had children by mistresses, but I cannot confirm that information, my theory is that Emily may be a half sister.
So the search continues. I have contacted one of the catholic churches in Columbia County, PA and am awaiting to hear from them if they have additional information on Emily and John and/or their children. I know where John is buried, but have not heard back from the Cemetery with my request for more information if it is available. My family and I are planning a research trip to the area of Pennsylvania to follow up on research leads and visit the cemeteries and other places of importance in the family's lives.

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-03-19T12:21:00.000-04:00

What an honor to be awarded and award by a fellow blogger! I am honored to be given the One Lovely Blog award by Donna Jane who authors the blog Hanging from the Family Tree.
So for my part of the award:
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award and their blog link.

Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for the award.

Here are the blogs I've chosen:

Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist
Paula Moore at The Scrappin Genealogist
Jennie Pak at They Came to Montana
Carey Cottage at Thoughts from Pplly's Granddaughter
Melody Lassalle at The Research Journal
Amy Crooks at Untangled Family Roots
Sally Shelton at Threads and Traces
Janeen Davis-Proctor at They Came in Ships
Diane Bowen at All Roads Lead to Roxbury

ok....So I'm still working on 15 new blogs I've discovered...more to come....

Fearless Females March 19: Suprising Facts!

2011-03-19T11:17:00.001-04:00

Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?

For this entry I'm going to defer to my post about Shocking Family Stories. My discovery of the murder of my 3rd great grandmother by her husband, my 3rd great grandfather. I'll say at first I was horrified and the newspaper accounts of the incident are quite detailed about the account.

Fearless Females March 18: Music Makers

2011-03-18T10:25:00.001-04:00

Shining star: Did you have a female ancestor who had a special talent? Artist, singer, actress, athlete, seamstress, or other? Describe.

Many member of my family play musical instruments. I personally play the clarinet. One of my Aunts also plays the clarinet, in fact she loaned me her clarinet to use while I was in school band class under the agreement that I would play at the family Christmas the following year. Well I only played for the family once. I think playing for my family was more nerve wracking than any concert I ever played in. I did play at a headstone dedication last summer for GTAGS if you all remember from my post about the Gottlieb Piltz. I also played the bass clarinet, which looks like a cross between a clarinet and a saxaphone.

My mom played the violin and the viola in high school, I suspect she still has the ability, but maybe a little bit out of practice. My paternal grandmother played the saxaphone as a teenager.

My daughter already shows interest in music. She has one of those roll up pianos that she loves to play with and she has a recorder flute.

Fearless Females March 17: Social Groups

2011-03-17T18:22:00.000-04:00

Social Butterfly? What social organizations or groups did your mother or grandmother belong to? Sewing circle, church group, fraternal benefit society or lodge? Describe her role in the group.

My mother and paretnal grandmother were both members of the Catholic Daughters. I also remembers my mother and my maternal grandmother being members of the local ladies aid society when I was younger. My Mother and I are both members and board members of the local genealogical society. For the Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Soceity my mother is the group historian and the correspponding secretary, I am the current Vice President and the publicity chair.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Fearless Females March 16: Lunch Date

2011-03-16T10:34:00.000-04:00

If you could have lunch with any female family member (living or dead) or any famous female who would it be and why? Where would you go? What would you eat?

If I could have lunch with any female family member, it would have to be my 3rd great grandmother, Emily (Tennyson) Fitzgerald. I would want to meet her because I have so many unanswered questions about her life. I would want to know why she left Ireland or England. I would also want to know where she fits into the Tennyson family. According to her eldest son's obituary she is the sister of Alfred Tennyson the writer. I would also like to hear about her husband, my 3rd Great Grandfather.
I don't know where we would go or what we would eat, but I'm not so sure I'd really be paying attention to the food anyway. :)

Fearless Females March 15: Tribute

2011-03-15T12:31:00.000-04:00

Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.

Fern Leona Kirby (my husband's grandmother). Kind hearted. Warm. Welcoming. Missed Dearly.

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-03-15T11:51:00.004-04:00

Nellie Lydia Courtade Courtad

b. 12 Mar 1896 Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. Aloysius Henry Courtad 22 Nov 1916 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 20 Jan 1981Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood Catholic Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Fearless Females March 14: Newsworthy Women

2011-03-14T11:34:00.000-04:00

News makers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column?

I have a group of female ancestors who made the news. While not director ancestors they are still tied into my lineage. These women were the women of the Loomis Gang.
Rhonda M. (Mallet) Loomis was known as the mother of the Loomis gang. She was the wife of George Washington Loomis, Sr. Rhonda was described as "a beautiful and accomplished girl who taught school and was the belle of the ballroom but she had a fiery temper" (from Noman R Cowen, "Loomis Family History"). It is also said that Rhonda had a liking for counterfeiting money and harassing the women in her son's lives. Rhonda died in 1887 at the age of 94. She outlived all her children, except for her son, Plumb, who died in 1903.

Cornelia Maria Loomis was a daughter of George Washington and Rhonda M. Loomis. She was known as the "Outlaw Queen" and considered the most aggressive and most intelligent of all the Loomis children. It is said the once she dressed as a man and bought oxen from a farmer with counterfeit money. It is also told that once at a ball she entered to dressing room and slid other ladies muffs on her legs and left the ball with them. The muffs were later recovered at the Loomis Mansion.

Cornelia Maria Loomis

There was another sister, Calista, but she didn't seem to play as much of a part in the Loomis family, or at least that is what account of the Loomis gang portray.

Fearless Females March 13: The Strength of Women

2011-03-13T11:41:00.000-04:00

Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.

This is a story about my grandma, my mom's mom. After the tornado had destroyed their house, my mom and aunt were under a table, aparently under the pile of rubble. Their dog, Collie, had found them and my grandma lifted up the edge of the house so that the girls could come out. I can only imagine, as a mother, what she was thinking at that moment. I also can't imagine the relief that she felt when my mom and aunt were safe.

Fearless Females March 12: Working Women

2011-03-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.

My Grandma was a dietician for the old county medical care facility that no longer exists. Her job was to help select and prepare the meals for the residents that were being cared for at the facility. My other grandma worked as a secretary for the local school system for many years.

Fearless Females March 11: Tragic Death

2011-03-11T13:40:00.001-05:00

Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?

My original entry on this was posted on July 25, 2010.

Last summer I discovered that my 3rd Great Grandma (Maria Wood) was murdered by her husband, my 3rd great grandpa (Joseph Wood) in 1869 in New York State. The scene was described in gruesom detail in the local papers. Appartenly Joseph, in a alcohol psychosis, accused Maria of being unfaithful and killed her with an axe. All reports from the towns people afterwards credit Maria as having an impecable character. The news paper reports describe a horrific scene of blood and gore.
I don't think we'll ever truely know what was going through Joseph's mind when he took the axe to his wife. My first reaction when I read this was shock and disbelief. But, this is history, my history, as disturbing as it might be.

Fearless Females March 10: Religion

2011-03-10T00:34:00.000-05:00

What role did religion play in your family? How did your female ancestors practice their faith? If they did not, why didn’t they? Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?

My family is, for the most part, Roman Catholic. My Great Grandpa's half sister was a nun. Elsie Jane Wood joined the convent after her husband died, presumably overseas, during WWI. She was part of the Society of Helpers convent in Chicago, IL. My grandma talked about Sister Elise frequently. She would tell me that she always looked forward to recieving her cards and letters in the mail. We never knew what happened to her until a couple years ago when I spoke to one of the Nuns that knew Sister Elise and told me many things about her. She told me that Sister Elsie died in 2004. There was a definate fondness in her voice for Sister Elsie when she told me about her and I know she has a special place in my Grandma's heart. Someday I hope to take my grandma to pay her respects.

Fearless Females March 9: Family Documents

2011-03-09T11:47:00.002-05:00

Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

I found my 3rd Great Grandparents marriage record on ancestry.com in the Druion marriage records. It is written in French, so I had to have it translated. Through people on the Find A Grave discussion forums I was able to get the information translated:

On September 15, 1846, a publication of two wedding announcements whom were not objected, Mr Pierre Bilandele, vicar-general of the bishop of Montreal the priest officially authorized for this purpose, asked for the mutual consent of George Lardy widower of Marie Josephele(?) Chartrans, of this parish on this part and Esther Beauchamps, eldest daughter of Jean Baptiste Beauchamps Journalist and Agathe Morin of this parish on the other part, and joined them in marriage according to the laws and customs practiced by the Holy Church, in the presence of François Lardy, father of the groom and Jean Baptiste Beauchamps, father of the bride who has declared his innability to sign, so that the groom and Jean Baptiste Sancer undersigned be legal.

The really cool part is that is has George's signature on the bottom.

Fearless Females March 8: Letters, Diaries, Journals

2011-03-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.

My Grandma has a collection of letters that she and my Grandpa wrote back and forth while my grandpa was in the Army during World War II. I have never read them.

Fearless Females March 7: From the kitchen of....

2011-03-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.

One of my favorite recipes is one my Grandma makes called Grandma's Strawberry Desert. Ok I don't think she uses the word 'Grandma's' in it, but I do. I really like this recipe because it is so yummy! Whenever I have it, it reminds me of my grandma.
Yummy!

Grandma’s Strawberry Dessert

1 box Frozen Strawberries, thawed and drained, keep juice

1 angel food cake

1 packet Dream Whip

1 package Strawberry Danish Desert

Prepare Danish desert per the directions on the package using the juice drained from the strawberries as part of the liquid called for. Prepare Dream Whip per directions. After Danish Desert is cool put desert together by first breaking pieces of the Angel food cake to make a layer in the bottom of the bowl, then a layer of the Danish desert, a layer of strawberries and a layer of Dream Whip. Keep layering until the dish is full. Top with Dream whip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fearless Females March 6: Grandma's Heirloom

2011-03-06T10:09:00.000-05:00

Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor (wedding ring or other jewelry, china, clothing, etc.) If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother, or aunt (a scarf, a hat, cooking utensil, furniture, etc.)

I'm not sure if you'd call it an heirloom, but I inherited a plate from my Grandma. It was the plate that she and my grandpa used for their wedding cake and that her parents used. It is decorated with flowers and gold trim. It is a beautiful plate and one of my most prized possessions.

Fearless Females March 5: How did they meet?

2011-03-05T15:02:00.000-05:00

How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?

My husband and I met in college. We were in the Police Academy together and even though I chose to leave I got a wonderful husband out of it. I know that my parents met in high school. In fact, they graduated in the same class.

I don't know how either set of my grandparents met. I guess I have never asked them. One advantage of following Lisa's prompts have me realizing what information I don't have about current generations of my family. It's time to break out the video camera and start working on those interviews!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy: Natural Disasters: The Tornado of 1956

2011-03-05T10:29:00.001-05:00

Week 10: Disasters. Did you experience any natural disasters in your lifetime? Tell us about them. If not, then discuss these events that happened to parents, grandparents or others in your family.

I have never experienced a natural disaster in my lifetime, nor do I care to. My mom went through a tornado when she was about six years old that destroyed her house and her grandparents store. She described it to me once that it "sounded like a freight train". The family dog pulled my mom and my aunt (her sister) to safety, from under the table they were under when the tornado hit the house. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words:

The aftermath of the tornado- I believe this is what is left of their house.

My Grandparent's Dog (Collie) that saved my Mom and Aunt

My Grandpa (without the hat) and the sherrif (far right) and two local men

Somewhere in my files I have been collecting articles about the tornado, but it never occured until recently to talk to my family members about their first hand accounts of the tornado. I do know that because of all the photos the press wanted to take of my mom after that she hates having her photo taken. She has told me before that "Everytime you turned around someone was taking your photo".

Fearless Females March 4: Wedding Day Memories

2011-03-04T16:29:00.000-05:00

Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.

My Grandma and Grandpa, Richard and Maxine (Loomis) Courtad were married 22 Feb 1944 at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan. The church is still standing on base. I was able to see the church in December when we were in Battle Creek for my husband's National Guard Christmas Party (the same day I visited the National Cemetery).
Honestly I don't know much about my Grandma and Grandpa's wedding, other than my Grandpa was in the Army at the time. I think it's time to sit down and talke to my grandma about it.

Fearless Females March 3: Names and Names Patterns

2011-03-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.

I'm not named after anyone. My parents choose my first name because Alanna is gaelic for Helen. I was once told that my middle name was actually a consideration for my first name, but I'm glad they choose Alanna for my first name. (Prounounced uh-Lane-uh). Little know fact my middle name is Colleen, but it is spelled Collen, because there was a typo on my birth certificate. I've thought about having it corrected for years, but for some reason never have had it done.

I named my own daughter, Lillian, after my great grandmother and her middle names Fern and Elizabeth are after my husband's grandmother and my grandmother respectively. Yes, my daughter has 2 middle names. My son, Liam, wasn't named after anyone for his first name, but his middle names John Thomas are for many men in my family. John is my husband's middle name, my dad's first name and my father-in-law's first name. John is a very common name in many branches of my family tree. Thomas is my Dad's middle name and my Grandpa's first name.

Lily and Liam in March 2010

Fearless Females March 2nd

2011-03-02T21:05:00.000-05:00

Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is my 3rd Great Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Deverney Valley. I found this photo in a box of stuff that my Aunt has. I estimate that the photo was taken about 1860. Mary would have been in her early 20's in this photo. I choose this photo because I find her very striking. I have been trying to learn more about her. I frequently wonder what she was like and what wa her life like.

Fearless Females March 1st: #1 Favorite Female

2011-03-02T00:36:00.001-05:00

In honor of Women's History Month Lisa Alzo has written on her Blog The Accidental Genealogist 31 blogging prompts to honor our female ancestors. So I know that this first entry is a few hours late for the first one, but better late than never...

March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

I choose my 3rd Great Grandma down my Fitzgerald line Emily.
Emily Tennyson, or Emma as was sometimes referred to, was born about June 1816 in Ireland or England. She married John Fitzgerald. They had at least 10 children: William Tennyson, Mary, Emma, Thomas, Agnes, John, Maragret Elisabeth, James Francis and Edward and an unknown male child. Emily Died 26 December 1897 in Pennsylvania.
So here is what I do know...somewhere between the time Emily was born and 1840 when her oldest son, William, was born she immigrated to the United States. William was born in New York City, NY while the rest of her children were born in Pennsylvania. Emily's death is listed in the Saint Columba Catholic Church death book. Saint Columba is in Bloomsburg, PA. Margaret Elisabeth and James were both baptised at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Danville, PA. I also know that her son, Thomas (my Great Great Grandfather) was born in Danville.

So the 'sketchy' information that I have is a family legend that says the Emily was sent to the United States as a young girl so that her "Unlce Alfred" could take her inheritance when her father died. Also according to William's obituary, Emily was the sister of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the writer....but unless she was a half sister, she isn't that Emily Tennyson, although I read somewhere that Alfred Tennyson's father had affairs...but can I fing that article now? Of course not!
What I think: I know that Emily's husband John is buried in Old Rosemont Cemetery in Bloomsburg, PA, so I think Emily may be buried here. I think that Emily may have actually died in another county. There is an Emma Fitzgerald who would be the right age listed living with a son, James in 1870 in Northumberland County, PA. I am following up on that to see if there is an obituary or something.

So where do I go from here? I've been writing lots of letters to churches, etc to see if there is more information. I have been contacting genealogy societies to get research done and I am planning a trip to Pennsylvania....someday.....to discover more about my ancestors.

Last WWI Veteran- "The Last Torchbearer"

2011-02-28T11:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday, the last World War I veteran died...my husband told me that from across the room this morning. The information struck me as....sad....its like the end of a legacy. Frank Buckles was 110 years old and died natural causes at home.
Last WWI Veteran Dies

May he rest in peace....and thank you, Mr. Buckles, for your service to our country.

Checking In

2011-02-22T22:59:00.000-05:00

I apologize for my recent, inexplicable absence from writing, but I have been in the process of moving the past few days and life has taken some unexpected turns. There have been many changes, but at least I have my genealogy. In fact, as I get ready to leave this morning to go pick up the uhaul, it makes me wonder what my ancestors went through when they moved from place to place....and let me tell you, some of my ancestors seemed to do that quite frequently.

My plans to go to Jamboree this year has been put on the back burner this year...my daughter needs dental work. pffft! We still have plans to travel to Pennsylvania this fall...hopefully...and discover my Fitzgerald roots!

Until then,
Happy Hunting!

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-02-22T14:26:00.002-05:00

Amber June Manigold Sanderson

b. 22 Feb 1908 Thompsonville, Benzie County, Michigan

m. Lyndell Burdette Sanderson 23 Feb 1929 South Bend, Saint Joseph County, Indiana

d. 14 Sept 1940 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Oakwood City Cemetery, Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Lyndell and Amber Sanderson

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-01-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

Ernest John Fitzgerald

2 Jan 1883 Clam Lake Township, Wexford County, Michigan

m. Martha Matilda Furrow 1 Jan 1912 Hollister, Wexford County, Michigan

d. 27 May 1957 Williamstone, Ingham County, Michigan

buried Clam Lake Township Cemtery, Clam Lake Township, Wexford County, Michigan

Tomstone Tuesday

2011-01-18T20:28:00.006-05:00

Laurentius "Lorenz" Courtade

b. 4 Jan 1809 Alenstedt, Lorraine, France

m. Barbara Host 2 Jul 1836 Norwalk, Huron County, Ohio

d. 4 Nov 1884 East Bay Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-01-11T13:06:00.005-05:00

Mabel B. Furrow

b. 9 Feb 1889 Michigan

d. 9 Nov 1900 Lake Odessa, Ionia County, Michigan

buried 11 Nov 1900 Lakeside Cemetery, Lake Odessa, Ionia County, Michigan


Francis and Marion Furrow Family, Mabel is the little girl in the front on the Right

Tombstone Tuesday

2011-01-04T12:17:00.014-05:00

Ralph Helferich

b. 19 Sept 1866 Old Mission, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

m. Florella "Ella" Agatha Colerick 1910

m. Martha Matilda Furrow 2 Feb 1929 Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

d. 22 October 1937 Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

buried Ogdensburg Cemetery, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Traverse City Record Eagle

Friday, October 22, 1937

Murder Suicide on Peninsula

Page 1A Headline Story

Farmer Shoots Friend and Self

Raplh Helfrich kills Chester F Colerick and then suicides-motive of tragedy not clear-had been friends.

Chester F Colerick, 63, well known Peninsula orchardist, was shot and instantly killed this morning on his farm by his neighbor and close friend, Ralph Helfrich, 51, who returned to his nearby farm home after the shooting and committed suicide with the same gun. Motive for the shootings is not clearly established.

Officers who investigated the case stated that Colerick and Helfrich, both prominent fruit growers, have been friends for years, working together on their farms, which are located north of Mapleton on the Peninsula. Each spent much time visiting the other at his home

Thursday Mr. and Mrs. Helfrich came into Traverse City and purchased a house trailer with which they planned to go on a motor trip through the South, leaving next Monday. Helfrich had been troubled with bronchitis for the past several years, officers reported, necessitating a trip south for relief each year. The trailer was purchased, but since there was not coupling on the car for attaching it. Helfrich left it here and planned to return and get the trailer today and paint the interior before leaving.

Yesterday morning Helfrich had made a remark to his wife concerning Colerick’s presence in their home, so Mrs. Helfrich went to Colerick’s farm and told him that to avoid any trouble it would be better or him to remain away from the Helfrich home. Colerick agreed and Mrs. Helfrich returned home and told her husband. He replied that that was satisfactory.

Early this morning Helfrich drove to Colerick’s farm, located one-half mile north of Mapleton, and apparently waited for Colerick to make his appearance. Colerick came out of his house about 6:30 and started for the barn to do his morning chores. Officers stated that it is not definitely known whether Helfrich fired the shot while sitting in his car. Colerick died instantly from a charge of buckshot fired from Helfrich’s 12-guage shotgun, which penetrated his heart. Helfrich then returned home, entered the house where his wife was still sleeping and said:

“Well, I’ve done for Joe.”

He then kissed his wife and 6year old daughter, went out the front door and around a corner of the house, placed the shotgun loaded with a once-ounce ball against his forehead, and pulled the trigger. The charge carried away the entire, upper part of his skull.

Helfrich’s step-son, Thomas Fitzgerald, 19, who was in the house, heard the shot and thought it was a door slamming. He looked through a window and saw Helfrich’s body. Helfrich’s own son, Harvey, 20, was also in the house when the shooting occurred.

State police and the sheriff’s department were notified and they took over investigation of the case. Word of the double tragedy was not received until Colerick’s son, Elgin, 22, found his father’s body lying between the house and barn at 7:15.

Mrs. Colerick collapsed and was placed under the care of a physician while Mrs. Helfrich and her small daughter, who was to have accompanied her parents on the southern trip were taken to the home of a neighbor.

Coroner H.B. Kyselka announced after investigating the case that no inquest would be held.

The bodies were brought to the Sampson Funeral Home. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

2011 Resolutions

2010-12-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

Every year I make resolutions...loose a few pounds, eat healthier, pay off some debt....but I've never before made Genealogy Resolutions.
So this week's Geneabloggers challenge, works off of last week's challenge:

Week 52: Based on the goals you made last week, make a list of the documents and research steps you need to accomplish them. The great way to start a new year is with a to-do list and a plan. What information do you want and where can you get it? If you have professional or educational goals in mind, consider drafting a timeline. This task is flexible, based on your goals. When you are finished, post your to-do list somewhere handy and pat yourself on the back. You just finished the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge!

First let's review the list of goals that I created last week:

Attend 2011 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in June
Follow up on letters I have written and research requests I have made and haven't heard back from.
Make time to research
Improve my genealogy education
Utilize more offline records such as churches, FHC, etc
continue to be a RAOGK Volunteer
Continue to volunteer on Family Search
Write on my blog at least once a week

For my first goal I need to arrange time off at work, get the plane ticket, register for Jamboree (online registration starts after Jan1st) and make my hotel reservation.

To follow up on the letters that I have written entails going through my research log notes and see which places I have no received replies from and write follow up letters. Of course after writing the letters, they need to be mailed out.

My third goal is to make more time to research. Ok, I admit that lately I've been in a funk lately and even when I've had time to research I don't. So, I'm not so sure if when I actually wrote this goal if it was more because I was in a funk, or because I really do need to set aside time every week or two to do a little bit of research. Part of this, I think, also means to think outside the box and find new resources to search to actually make progress on my research.

To improve my genealogy education, I plan to read more educational books, attend Jamboree, continue to attend our local genealogy society meetings and to participate in the genealogywise online chats. I'm sure there are other educational opportunities that will come up along the way during the year as well.

My next goal ties in with my goal of making more time to research and to seek out information in other resources. I tend to research the same online sites over and over and it can be very frustrating not making progress on my research, which can also account for the research funk.

The next two goals, continue to volunteer for Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness and to do volunteer work for Family Search supports my goals of helping to keep genealogy free and help other researchers.

The last goal that I have written, I have already gotten a head start on. I've been busy planning and scheduling my 'Tombstone Tuesday' entries. Although I don't have the next year completely finished, I have much of the year planned out. I hope to write more entries in general though about my research and how and what I've researched. Also be looking for my insights as a first timer to Southern California's Jamboree!

Tombstone Tuesday

2010-12-28T11:44:00.016-05:00

Margaret Velt Rauleder (Rowlader)

b. 23 May 1793 Munchingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

m. Johann Micahel Rauleder 10 Jul 1819 Munchigen, Baden-Wuttemberg, Germany

d. 16 Sep 1876 Woodland, Barry County, Michigan

buried Woodland Memorial Cemetery, Woodland, Barry County, Michigan

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T17:11:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thank you for making my blog great this year!

I'm excited to share 2011 with you all!

2011 Here I come!

2010-12-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

This week's Geneabloggers Challenge:

Week 51: Think about the goals you want to accomplish next year and write them down. What research steps do you want to take? What records would you like to find? Think about the brick walls you’d like knocked down. What things haven’t you done yet and why not? This task doesn’t have to be a resolution list unless you want it to be. Authors of genealogy blogs may share their lists with their readers if they choose

I jokingly told someone the other day that my 2011 Genealogy plan was to have a plan....
So this is my plan for my 2011 research list/plan:

Attend 2011 Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in June
Follow up on letters I have written and research requests I have made and haven't heard back from.
Make time to research
Improve my genealogy education
Utilize more offline records such as churches, FHC, etc
continue to be a RAOGK Volunteer
Continue to volunteer on Family Search
Write on my blog at least once a week

So he's a start to my 2011 plan. The next part of my plan to return to it at least once a month, but hopefully every couple of weeks and let you all know my progress on my plan and to keep you all updated on my progress and my finds/brickwalls. So stay tuned!

Tombstone Tuesday

2010-12-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

Elisie Moore Empey

b. 1854, New York

m. John Nelson Empey

d. 1932, Norwood, Charlevoix County, Michigan

burial: Norwood Cemetery, Charlevoix, Charlevoix County, Michigan

Ancestor Approved Award

2010-12-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/This morning I received a message from Bill West that he has awarded me and my blog the Ancestor Approved Award!

Thank you Bill! I am both honored and humbled! And of course, I had to do the 'Genealogy Happy Dance!'....now where is my 4-year-old...?

As a recipient of the award I am to list 10 things that have humbled, surprised and enlightened that I have learned about my ancestors in my research and to pass the award on to 10 other genealogy blogger that I feel are doing their ancestors proud!

So here's my list of 10 things and my list of 10 fellow bloggers.

1. I was surprised (and shocked) with the discovery of the murder/suicide committed by my 3rd great grandpa against his wife, my 3rd great grandma. For those that did not see my entry on this, check it out here.

2. I have been enlightened over and over again by the history that my ancestors have lived through.

3. I am humbled by the notion that if even one link in my ancestry was broken, I would not be here!

4. I am always enlightened by the history that I learn through my research. I have learned history, improved math skills, writing skills and research skills. My daughter has always been my research buddy and now my son. My daughter will ask for a blank form and sit next to me with her pens and pencils and fill in her forms! I hope that she will enjoy genealogy as well because of the many educational benefits she can receive from it.

5. I am humbled by the changes in technology that we enjoy and perhaps even take for granted, that my ancestors would never have dreamed of. As well as the changes my own grandparents have seen in technology from the invention and progression of automobiles and telephones to computers and cell phones. Can we even fathom what technology our grandchildren will enjoy?

6. I am surprised by how many people I meet are interested in Genealogy, but many of them tell me, "Oh I don't have time to do it like you do!" What? Who has time? I just graduated nursing school, I work full-time night shift, and I have 2 children and a husband. Genealogy is a family activity in our house though and many times I sit with my laptop and work on my research while we watch our evening TV.

7. At times I am surprised how much time has passed when I am researching...sometimes and entire night will slip by while I am deep in the hunt! (How many of us have done this?)

8. I am humbled by the miles that some of my ancestors have traveled from their homelands and across the United States....the phrase "are we there yet?" takes on a whole new meaning!

9. I am surprised at all the wonderful people I have met, my "genealogy" cousins and how certain family stories have survived generations of family and multiple family lines.

10. I am humbled by the receipt of this award for just doing something that I love so much!

1. Elyse Doerflinger Elyse's Genealogy Blog
2. Gena Philibert Ortega Gena's Genealogy
3. Brenda Moore Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society
4. Brenda Joyce Western Kentucky Genelogy Blog
5. Amy Coffin, MLIS We Tree Genealogy Blog
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Ok, so I know I only have 5 blogs listed so far...I'm working on 5 more.

Making the Family Skeletons Dance

2010-12-09T07:11:00.000-05:00

A quote I recently found by George Bernard Shaw..."If you can't get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance".....is the inspiration for today's entry. In honor of Halloween, of course, I was thinking about how my own family "skeletons" can come out and dance. Anyone who has been following me for a while knows that I have my own share of family skeletons...from my family ties to the infamous Loomis Gang of Sanger County to this year's startling discovery of the horrific murder/suicide committed by my 3rd great grandfather.

This started me to think, how can I make the family skeletons dance? So I thought of 4 ways that we can all share our family 'skeletons'.

1. Write a blog. Having a blog allows me to share my thoughts and ideas. It also helps me to brainstorm and connect with other genealogists and learn and come up with new ideas. It's also a good place for me to share my stories, especially seems we genealogists love to talk!

2. Make a family history album. There are so many options to make family history albums. From traditional paper and glue scrapbooks, to digital scrapbooks, to online services such as Ancestry who offer the ability to make and have a family history book made. Personally I use my Creative Memories Story Book Creator digital scrap booking software. I have three or four albums I have been working on for a couple years now.

3. Publish a website. My favorite website it Tribal Pages. I have my own Tribal Pages website. I am able to upload my GedCom file and family photos to share. Another benefit of having a website is that it is an online, off site place for me to keep my information and research safely stored away.

4. Write an article for the Genealogy or historical society. I have written a family history on my Lardie family for the GTAGs newsletter. I was able to connect with a couple members who are also tied into the family. I also inspired other members to write about their families. You might not see results right away, but good things can come of it. Plus this is another way to safeguard all your research.

So, how do you make your family skeletons dance?

Fort Custer National Cemetery,Augusta, Michigan

2010-12-08T11:56:00.001-05:00

During a recent trip to Battle Creek, Michigan, I found some time to take a tour of Fort Custer National Cemetery. This is my first visit to a National Cemetery.

The main entrance to the cemetery

Ok, so I have to admit that I drove past the cemetery the first time without even seeing the road sign pointing out the cemetery entrance or this beautiful stone wall that marks the main entrance to the cemetery.

Let me note here that yes, that is snow on the ground and yes it was very cold that day, so I have no close up headstone photos. In fact many of my photos are taken out my car window.

Close up of the emblem on the main entrance sign.

The Cemetery map

Coming in the main drive, there is this sign that has a layout of the entire cemetery. I know we have a couple large cemeteries in Traverse City, but I think we could fit them all here in Fort Custer, together at one time.
The map is nice to have and gives a good idea of the layout of the cemetery.

The main drive is also know as the Avenue of Flags and flags are flown, according to the pamphlet I picked up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from around Easter time until after Veterans Day. From the photos I have seen, it must be quite a sight to see all the flags up. Volunteer donation of flags are accepted for the flags on the poles and volunteers are used to maintain the flags and poles when they are flown.

The main drive entering the cemetery standing next to the map pictured above. The drive is also known as the Avenue of Flags.

Gravesite locator kiosk

Ok, I admit that I was like a kid in a candy store at the Gravesite Locator. This is the first time I have been to a cemetery with one of these, although I have heard that there are cemeteries that have them out there.

I searched 4 surnames in my research. Fitzgerald, Courtad, Loomis, and Lardie. My search for Fitzgerald revealed 12 persons buried at Fort Custer, 0 for Courtad, 10 for Loomis and 0 for Lardie. A search of Find A Grave at home revealed there are others with other surnames from my family also buried within the cemetery.

I must have been some sight standing there dressed up (we had a party a little later that afternoon) jumping up and down trying to stay warm while I waited for my print outs to finish. There were also five different pamphlets available about the cemetery and about military funerals.

The main flagpole

One of the bronze sculptures in the cemetery

The Forgotten 26

The forgotten 26 is a tribute to Germans that have died in service to their country. Of these particular Germans 16 of them died in a car accident when the truck they were in was hit by a train at an unguarded railroad crossing. The other 10 died of various causes. All were P.O.W.s being held at Fort Custer.

The Forgotten 26 dedication plaque

An annual ceremony is now held in honor of the German Veterans buried here.

The cemetery overall was amazing to see. I was awestruck by the beauty and the size of the cemetery. it seems that only a small portion of the cemetery is used and much wooded property is still available for future use. I felt a great sense of pride in the military men and women buried here.

For more info and history you can visit the Fort Custer Cemetery website.

Traditions

2010-12-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

My Irish Santa Ornament

The Carnival of Eastern and Central European Genealogy, 32nd edition topic is anything to do with the Holidays.

With the holidays right around the corner, it got me thinking about my family traditions as I frequently do every year around this time of year.

Every year, the weekend after Thanksgiving my husband and I put up our Christmas tree and decorate the house. This year was no exception. Satruday evening. We took out our artificial prelit tree and let the kids put on the decorations. Of course our daughter, who is 4, delights in putting up the decorations. The next morning she woke and looked at me with a bewlidered look and said, "Mommy, there's no presents under the tree!" She made me laugh and I explained to her that it wasn't time yet.

All the special ornaments are on the tree. One special one sticks out in my mind this year. It is my Irish Santa. I had bought one for my grandpa and gave it to him when he was still in the nursing home. He had it hanging on his buliten board while he was still there. I bought the exact same ornament for myself. Every year I hang it on my tree. It give me happy memories of my grandpa, who was very proud of our Irish roots. I remember he used to tell us grandkids that "You can always tell and Irishman, but you can't tell him much".

Another tradition that we have every year is that everyone gets to open one present on Christmas eve. Now this year may be different. This year I have to work the 7pm to 7am night shift at my job, so we may not continue this tradition this year, although if my daughter has anything to say about it, I'm sure we will!

One of my favorite things about Christmas is all the decorations. My husband and I started taking trips out every year to see all the lights and decorations that people put up outside their houses in their yards. Let me tell you, we have seen some pretty elaborate set ups. My daughter love to see all the lights and she gets very excited, even now as more and more displays are up when it gets dark out at night. We can always count on hearing, "Look! Christmas!" from the backseat of our mini van when my daughter sees the lights outside.

There's One in Every Family!

2010-11-27T19:07:00.001-05:00

The 100th Carnival of Genealogy topic is "There's One in Every Family". When reflecting on this topic, many names come to mind. The Loomis Gang, my 3rd Great Grandpa Wood, (I wrote about earlier this summer), and various other colorful characters. Although, one comes to my mind. My Great Grandpa Stanley Wood.

Stanley and His father, George C. Wood.

My Grandma tells me fondly of her father's days with the circus. And not just any circus, the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. Grandma always speaks of great fondness of her father. Apparently Stanley ran away from home when he was 15 and joined the circus. (How many of us said we would od this at one time or another during our lives.) Stanley worked with the elephants and horses. One story she tells me is of Stanley taking the elephants down to the river to bathe them. The townsfolk would come down to the river to watch the elephants and occasonally they elephants would spray the onlookers. I've never been able to find any record of Stanley being part of Barnum and Bailey Circus, but I haven't done much intensive research on this.

Another interesting story about Stanley that I can confirm is that he was one of the founders of the Peninsula Township Fire Department in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. I have a copy of the newspaper article about the formation of the department and I have a photo of the founding members of the department.

1963 Members of Peninsula Township Fire Department-Harry Heller, Arnie White, Roy Hooper, Claude Watson, Isadore Lardie, Stan Wood, and Ray Heller. Not pictured is Oakley Lardie.

So who is your one in your family? I'd love to hear! Don't forget to check out the Carnival of Genealogy on Facebook!

Happy Hunting!!

Oakwood Cemetery CD is finally available from GTAGS!

2010-11-22T15:38:00.000-05:00

The long awaited Oakwood Cemetery CD is now available from the Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society! There are a limited number of the CDs available and this is the most complete collection of information on Oakwood Cemetery! See the info below from the GTAGS blog:

Oakwood Cemeteries CD-rom for sale!

Oakwood Cemeteries

is published and for sale!!!!

by Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society of Traverse City, Michigan

Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society has just released its third CD; this one covers the four Oakwood Cemeteries of Traverse City, Grand Traverse County, Michigan burials. Oakwood, established in 1861, encompasses a total of four cemeteries: Traverse City, Catholic Diocese, Beth El Jewish and the Northern Michigan Asylum. The four cemeteries are all at the same location on E. 8th Street.

There are a total of 22,185 burials recorded with information that includes, if known, full name including maiden name, birthdate, death date, birthplace, cause of death, parents, military service, place of death and cause of death.

The price is: $35.00 plus $3.00 S&H. Send orders, with check or money order made out to GTAGS, to:

GTAGS

POB 2015

Traverse City, Michigan 49685 2015

For further information, email Kathi: kfarley40@charter.net, Cemetery Chair

http://gtags79.blogspot.com/2010/11/oakwood-cemeteries-cd-rom-for-sale.html

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T16:20:00.000-05:00

Lillian H. Lardie

My Great Grandmother as a small girl. The photo was found in a box of old family photos.

Happy Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T15:06:00.001-05:00

Thank you to all the men and women who have and who are currently serving in our armed forces!
HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Tombstone Tuesday

2010-11-09T15:55:00.002-05:00

Valley/Lardie Family Plot in St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Mapleton, Michigan

Close up of the cross that marks the family members buried in the plot

Mary Elizabeth Deverney Valley

Mary Elizabeth Deverney Valley
b. 11 Feb 1837, P. Eulia(?), Wisconsin
d. 3 Jun 1916 Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
buried 6 June 1916 St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Mapleton, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
m. Isadore Valley
Find a Grave Memorial

mother to:
Rose Magdaline Valley
Mary Catherine Valley Lardie
Frances J. Valley
George H. Valley
John Peter Valley

I edited this post to include the link to the Find A Grave memorial that I created.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2010-11-04T11:38:00.000-04:00

Growing up in Michigan and having the last name of Fitzgerald, I was frequently asked if my Grandpa's name was Edmund. No, his name wasn't Edmund, it was Thomas.

SS Edmund Fitzgerald Courtsey of NOAA

The challenge this week for GeneaBloggers is to write about a song or poem that has some signficance to your ancestors of to the area where your ancestors lived. For me "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" has always had a special interest even though, as far as I know, there is no relation between me and the famous ship's namesake.
The ship sank in Lake Superior in November during a storm. It is unknown for sure what happened that illfated day, but all on board were lost. I have visited the Whitefish Point Museum where several artifacts from the Fitzgerald have been brought up. More information Here on the Fitzgerald.
The song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot, gives a haunting account of the sinking...

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.

Tombstone Tuesday

2010-11-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

Deacon John Loomis
born 1622
died 1 Sept 1688 in Windsor, CT
buried Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, CT
The Son of Joseph and Mary (White) Loomis
Married Elizabeth (Scott) Loomis
Find a Grave Memorial

If the stone is still intact, it is believed to be the oldest Loomis headstone in the U.S.

Who or what do you blame? SNGF

2010-10-30T02:46:00.000-04:00

Tonight I read a post by fellow blogger Elyse Doerflinger posted an entry based on Brenda Joyce Jerome's Who or What do you blame prompt from her blog for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (SNGF).
Brenda asks:

"Can you identify person or event that started you on this search for family information? Did you pick up researching where a relative had left off? Did your interest stem from your child's school project on genealogy? If you have been researching many years, it may be hard to pinpoint one reason for this journey. "

First of all, I think blame is a rather strong word. I can think back to a school project that I had to do in Social Studies class in 3rd or 4th grade, it may have even been 5th grade. Our assignment was to fill out a pedigree chart. After that I dabble in research with my Mom's help. I wrote letters to the family and worked on more current generations of the family. I think I was about 13 when my passion really started to take off. I wrote letters diligently and compiled information.

Ancestry made another big impact on my obession with genealogy. I began to compile historical information on my roots. About the same time I met my husband and eventually his Mom. She introduced me to Family Tree Maker. That Christmas my husand gave me a copy of Family Tree Maker for a Christmas gift.

I did always love to her my Grandpa tell stories of him growing up. I have been working on compiling those stories...something I wish I had done when I was younger. My Dad and I have been working to record some of the stories that my Grandpa used to tell.

So, I guess there are many reasons and many people why I am here. And many people why I am here....either way, I am here. Like I said ealier, blame is a very strong word. Either way all the people who are important in my life, also support my passion. My parents, my Grandma and my wonderful husband! My daughter takes much joy in filling out her own forms and walking through cemeteries with Mommy.

Kids and Genealogy

2010-10-28T22:02:00.000-04:00

Tonight I read a blog entry from Legacy. He talked about his son wanting to be a genealogist. You can read the story Here.
This made me think of my own child and our trials and tribulations through genealogy. One of my favorite moments with my kids is when we were driving past Oakwood Cemetery on 8th Street in Traverse City (MI) one day and my 4-year-old chimed in from the back seat and she said, "Look Mommy genealogy!" (Pronounced only how a 4-year-old can....GeeNeeeOLOGY).

Cluster Research

2010-10-28T10:00:00.002-04:00

So I've been reflecting on my recent genealogy break through on my Fitzgearld line and I'm sure some of you are wondering how I was able to track down all this information on one family. The answer: Cluster Research.

So what is Cluster Research....good question, I didn't know what it was either, but apparently I was doing it already AND I had been doing it for years. Basically cluster research is reseaching collateral lines of your ancestors and researching other people your ancestors may have associated with to discover more information on your brickwall ancestors.

So here's what I'm talking about with real life examples...
My 2nd GrGpa is Thomas Fitzgerald. From his records, I have found that his parents were John and Emily (Tennyson/Tenison) Fitzgerald. Through additional reserach I have found the John and Emily had the follow children: William, Mary, Emma, Thomas, Agnes, John, Margaret Elisabeth, James Francis, and Edward. After some time I could not link John and Emily to their parents, I started researching on their sons to see if I could find additional information on John and Emily. It has been almost impossible to find anything on their daughter....but not for lack of trying. Through researching the sons additional information on John and/or Emily. Through my research I found on Edward's death certificate that John was born in the City of Cork, Ireland....I have yet to confirm this, but its a starting point. So far tracking down Edward, the youngest son, has given me the most information on John and Emily. It has definately proven to be beneficial to track information on my GGGGrandparents children.

This is just a brief overview on Cluster research. I highly recommend Gus Marsh's chat on Genealogywise. There is a transcript online of Gus' chat on cluster reserach. If you have brickwalls....even if you don't have brickwalls, you should be cluster researching. Additional information and source supports the research that you already have.

Happy Hunting!

The Fitzgerald Family Find

2010-10-27T20:15:00.000-04:00

This week brought more information to my 3rd Great Grandparents family! I recently wrote to the Diocese of Harrisburg after finding that my family was catholic. Through reseach, I discovered that the Diocese provides a research service for a fee. I printed out the research request for and filled in the information that I had and sent off the form and the research fee. It didn't take very long to get a return.
The letter returned gave me some history on the diocese and the churches....again fire is my nemesis, the church bured to the ground completely, all records being lost. Although, I did glean some information about the family.
The information provided to me included the births, baptisms and full names of three of the Fitzgerald children. It also provided very different spellings of names....for example, John's name was spelled Joanne Fitzgerald and John Jr's name spelled Joannem. At first thought I was thinking this was the Irish version of the name John, but after some inquires on Genealogywise, there is no 'J' in the Gaelic language....which means I'm searching for the wrong name in Irish records. Come to find out, Joanne and Joannem is the latin form of John, which makes sense seems so many early catholic records are written in latin. The irish form of John is Eoin.
But the records gave me the births and baptisms of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th youngest Fitzgerald children. And another place to write to for additional information on the family. I'm composing my letter next!
The lesson here: Don't forget the good old tried and true research methods, even in this day and age of technology!

Happy Hunting!

Amazing Event

2010-10-12T01:25:00.000-04:00

On September 16th GTAGS had an amazing event at the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) put together by our past president, Mary B. Our event was called "Hands On Genealogy" in which we exposed people to various sources for research at the library to assist researchers in their search. The turn out was amazing. We doubled our expected turn out.

Participants were given tasks to do in the library to find certain information on pre-researched information to help familiarize themselves with the resources available at our library. I was posted at the 2 computers that the library has provided with databases where people can come and do their own research. I was so amazed at the positive responses that we were given! One participant even found her mother in a year book that the library had in it's collection.

All of GTAGS should be proud of the amazing accomplishment. We planned for 20 to 30 people, and we had 51 registered participants, and about a dozen GTAGS members helping out. We're already planning for our next event.

Genealogy Quote of the Day!

2010-10-03T15:48:00.002-04:00

‎"If you can't get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance" -George Bernard Shaw

The Brickwall Comes Tumbling Down

2010-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

Recently my focus has been on my Fitzgerald ancestors, specifically John and Emily (Tennyson) Fitzgerald's family. I have been doing a lot of collateral or cluster research. I have been tracing down their children as far as I can chase them....some farther than others. All this in preparation for the trip to Pennsylvania with my family (the trip has been postponed again due to my recent new job...but that's for another day). Anyway, this family has been m brickwall for 10 years!
A few weeks ago I requested a death record transcription from a wonderful volunteer via Random Acts of Genealogical Kindess for John and Emily's youngest son, Edward. Edward moved to Iowa, had a family, then died in Los Angeles at the home of his daughter. He and his wife are buried in Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Imagine my joy when, on Edward's death certificate, John's city of birth in Ireland was recorded! So know I know that my 3rd Great Grandfather was born in the City of Cork, County Cork, Ireland! Now I still don't have John's parent's names, but I have a great detail about my ancestry! AND it's a very exciting discovery.
So maybe the brickwall hasn't come completely down, but I think I have broken a big chunk out of it!
Happy Hunting!

Burning the midnight Oil...

2010-09-01T06:59:00.000-04:00

I have been known in the past to stay up well into the wee hours of the morning working on research, espcially when I am on a hot lead. I think many genealogists can relate to that. Now I am working night shift and I am awake at night, even on my nights off. It takes a whole new meaning to "Burning the midnight Oil". It is funny to think that when I first found out I would be working nights, like many other new nurses, I thought "Wow! I'll have lots of time for genealogy research!" So on a recent night off I was working on research and fortunately also on a 'hot' lead as well. And No family complaining that I wasn't paying attention to them. :)

My Top 10 Genealogy Website Picks

2010-08-23T15:44:00.000-04:00

So I've decided to talk about my top 10 Favorite websites that I use for my own personal Genealogy research. These are in no particular order.

1. Google A General search engine, of course, is hand because I am always looking things up.   I use it to look up words and medical conditions I'm not familar with, to find addresses for places to write letters to, sometimes I just do a search for the ancestor I'm currently researching, and then my own personal email is a gmail account. Some other features of Google that I really like is the mapping feature, the online google books and the ability to store files online.

2. Family Search I like Family Search a lot. I mostly use the Pilot website. I like to be able to see the images of the sources. Indexing isn't always perfect for a number of factors, old handwriting, clearity on the screen, typos, etc. I love the fact that this website is also free to use and supported by volunteers. Don't forget to include the website in your source citation! I also volunteer to help index the records on this website. It's because of people willing to help out and index the website that helps keep it free!

3. Ancestry I think every modern day Genealogist knows about Ancestry. Ancestry has given me a lot of information for my research over the years. And if you can't afford the subscription to ancestry, most public libraries have free access to the site as long as you are onsite at the library.

4. Find A Grave I love findagrave. Not only is it a good source for information, it is also a great way to get photos of your relatives and ancestors graves. Some people put a lot of work into their online memorials. One word of caution here, although Findagrave is a good resource, it is only as good as the person creating the memorials. I have a previous post on Findagrave from a geneabloggers challenge.

5. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindess This is another site that I love to use. If you've never used RAOGK I highly recommend that you check it out. People sign up based on Geographical location and list the Acts of Kindness that they are willing to do in those areas. For example, I am a volunteer in Leelanau and Grand Traverse Counties in Michigan. Under my listings are the following acts that I have said that I would do: "Public Records lookups and copying, courthouse & library. Obituaries. Gravestone pictures, Reimbursement may be required. I will travel to any cemetery in Grand Traverse or Leelanau Counties, weather permitting."    If there's no volunteer in the area you are looking for, keep checking back, new volunteers come in all the time. Also don't forget to sign up to be a volunteer to help out fellow genealogists! Also please, please, please read the guidelines before making a request. I don't know how many times I've gotten requests that are something like "Looking for any information possible on the Joe Smith family in Leelanau County." Seriously?!

6. Genealogywise Another website that if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend you do. This is a social networking website for genalogists. There you'll find people brand new just beginning in genealogy to seasoned researchers, experts and professional genealogists. There are groups to join for just about every topic thinkable to genealogy from surnames to software programs. There's also a great chat room where there are chats almost nightly with different educational topics. I've also seen several members connect with other members of Genealogywise as genealogy cousins.

7. Newspaper Archive Old newspapers are a great source for genealogical information about our ancestors. They are also a great source to learn about everyday events in our ancestors' daily lives. Recently I was listening to a presentation by Karen Krugman about female ancestors with no surname and one thing she mentioned is when you are looking through the rolls of old newspaper on microfilm or microfiche is to browse the social pages. You never know who your ancestors had over for a dinner party....and who might be related to them. Recently I discovered quite a shock in the old newspapers about my ancestors (you can read about it under my last topic of Shocking family stories).

8. Footnote Footnote is fast becoming my most favorite paid site.   It is great for military records. I have recently heard a lot of the documents that are in the National Archives are being put up on footnote! WooHoo. Fortunately I have a lot of family that had spent their time in the military. If you've never purchased a pension file or a compiled military file from the National Archives, you're missing out....well now you can get some of them on Footnote. I've found out so much information about my ancestors. Although some of the records I have come straight from the archives, and you pay a hefty fee for them, to me it was worth it for the family members that I have followed up on.

9. Seeking Michigan I think every state should have a 'Seeking' website. The newest and most valuable addition to the Seeking Michigan website is the addition of the 1897-1920 Death records. Yes, that's right, the state held death certificates for your Michigan ancestors if they died between 1897 and 1920 are online with images of the original documents. I have found so many of my Michigan relatives on there it's crazy! The best part is the site is free!!!!! So if you have Michigan relatives it's worth a look.

10. USGen Web Another free website with information compiled by volunteers. It is broken down by State then county. The amount of information is variable by each location. It really depends on how much the volunteers of that county have put onto the website, but not to be discouraged because I have found some good information on the website, in fact I recently found a bunch of information on my GrGrGrGrandpa's brother's family, like birth dates, death dates, marriage dates, and where a bunch of people are buried.

Shocking Family Stories

2010-07-25T16:36:00.002-04:00

Have you ever come across something so shocking in your research that it makes you say, “WHOA!” I think we all come across shocking family stories, but I think this one takes the award for the most shocking for me.

Recently I was researching and came across a Joseph and Maria Wood in the 1870 mortality schedule. Now if you don’t remember from awhile back, I found that Maria is the daughter of Eliakim Wardell (my 4th GrGrandfather. I had obtained Eliakim’s probate record from Ulster County, New York Surrogate Court. This is significant because I had information that Maria’s name was actually Mary. I can understand the difference of information with the name. From the same information I have, Joseph’s name is given as George. Maria and Joseph’s son, George Cornelius is my 2nd Gr Grandfather. Maria and Joseph had been a brickwall for me for sometime now.

So I had always know that George C. is found as a very young boy living with his Grandfather, Eliakim, and Aunts in the 1870 census. What puzzled me for a long time was why. My likely conclusion was that his parents had died. In the box of ‘stuff’ that my Great Aunt has (which I have referred to in the past) was George C’s obituary stating that he had lived with his Grandparents and Aunts as a young boy….but didn’t say why. It is also in the obit that his parents names are given as George and Mary. There was also a subpoena for George in the box of stuff for the reading of Eliakim’s will when he died in 1892. That is where I got the information to get the surrogate court file, which told me Mary was really Maria and that she was deceased.

So the other day I was searching on Ancestry and I searched for Maria Wood who died before 1870. I came across a couple Marias, but the one that struck me was the 1870 mortality schedule that lists Maria Wood 29 years old born in New York state died in October 1869 (seems the Schedule was done in June); her cause of death listed that she was murdered by her husband. The next line down was Joseph Wood age 45 years, born in New York state, occupation as a ship carpenter, also died in October 1869. Joseph’s cause of death is listed as suicide-cutting throat. I was a little taken aback and then felt bad for the people that are their family. I was curious though about this Joseph and Maria Wood. Perhaps they were some sort of relation after all. I made a post on Ancestry’s website to see if there was anyone who could help me as well as requested some research assistance through Random Acts of Genealogical Kindess (RAOGK).

A couple of weeks after posting to ancestry I got a search suggestion/help from another Ancestry member that had searched for Joseph and Maria on the Fulton County History website. Ok so I cut and pasted the search string "maria wife joseph wood october 1869 rondout", and searched……I found an article on the crime all right , but I got more than I bargained for!

Joseph Wood in a suspected fit of suspected rum induced jealousy killed his wife with a hatchet. His wife’s father’s testimony is given, his name Eliakim Wardell from Dutchess County, New York (WHAT?!) his testimony states that his daughter’s name is Maria Wardell (WHAT?! OMG!) She was the wife of Joseph Wood (I think you get what was going on in my head at this point). Later in the article it says that Maria and Joseph have one surviving child, a son named Georgie!

My GrGrGr Grandfather murdered his wife….my GrGrGr Grandmother. I immediately called my Dad and told him the story. WOW! I then called my Grandma (George is her Grandfather) and told her about my find. She told me she doesn’t think her Dad even knew about this. Probably not something that came up at dinner conversation.

I shared my find with some regulars on the GenealogyWise website chat room. Then drifted off onto more research which led me to a total of 4 articles about the event, one in the New York Times! Each one gives me a few details about my GrGrGrGrandarents that I didn’t have before. I have attached links to the articles online at the end of this post, but be forewarned, some of the details are rather graphic…even by today’s standards.

So I have some answers, but , of course, now I have more questions. Where are Maria and Joseph buried? Does the records from the Coroner’s inquest still exist? How do I get a coy? And of course some doubt that is this really my family…the evidence is hard to dispute here.

Links to the Articles:
New York Times "The Rondout Horror"
The New York Times "Crimes and Criminals"
The [Hudon] Evening Register "The Rondout Tragedy!"

10 Genealogy things I can't live (or research) without!

2010-07-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

Fellow blogger Elyse Doerflinger wrote a Meme titled "10 Things I Can't Live Without", related to genealogy of course! After reading her entry I was inspired to write my own Meme of my 10 Genealogy things that I can't live/research without! Thanks for the inspiration Elyse!

1. My Laptop. I have an Acer Aspire that I just love! The nice thing my laptop affords me is that I can pretty much take it anywhere! If I can't take my regular laptop I have a mini that I can just toss into a tote bag or my purse to have a computer with me. It's nice to have my master file on hand when I'm out researching because I frequently like to go off on research tangents.

2. Legacy. I love my Legacy program. It does so much for me that I want to be able to do with my files and my information. It has some great forms and reports that I can print out and take with me to places where laptops are not allowed. For more info on legacy you can check out my post on Software Comparision or on Legacy's Website.

3. Forms. I love genealogy forms! I guess there isn't a Genealogist who doesn't love forms. They are our most basic tool for gathering information. I have even designed several of my own forms, which I will share when I figure out how to upload them here.

4. The library. I love going to the library. Our local public library is on a lake and our genealogy collection is in the back corner on the second floor on the lake side of the building. The library has huge work tables that I am able to spread out on when I'm working. Plus what a view! (photos to come in a future post). The local library also offers free access to Ancestry.com I also like the Family History Center in my town. There is a lot of information there on our area and some of my roots run deep here locally.

5. The Post Office. Yes the good old United States Postal Service! There is so much information on the internet to be found, but there is so much more that is not online. For a long time I abandoned my letter writing skills and focused primarily on just researching on the internet. For some reason, really unknown to me, I just decided to start writing letters and sending in requests for research. My efforts have paid off tremendously!

6. Pretty Pens and Highlighers. I was teased in nursing school by my fellow nursing students about my pretty colored pens and highlighters. I just love my colored ink pens and my highlighters. I also do use them to color code my research and untangle confusing areas of the family tree.

7. My Genealogy "Tool" kit. I have a hard pencil box with a few goodies in it that I always carry with me. Inside I have a book light, sticky notes, a mini stapler and staples, paper clips, a few rubber bands, a calculator, a correction tape runner, a roll of scotch tape, and a scanning pen. These are the things I was always forgetting, and of course would need, when I would go somewhere to do my research. Now I have them all in a handy box that I keep in my tote bag.

8. Family Search. Or more specifically the Pilot Site with all the online images. I love that fact that Family Search is free and supported by volunteers. I have spent lots of time on Family Search and I also volunteer when I have time. I feel that every little bit helps.

9. The internet. I am always on the computer it seems. At home, at work, genealogy, scrapbooking, facebook....the list goes on and on. The internet has really changed the way the we research our genealogy! There is so much information available on the internet. With websites like Family Search and Ancestry we have access to the records that hold our ancestors information that we spend so much time searching down! If the information isn't online search engines help us find addresses to write those letters, contact genealogical societies or find cemeteries that we are looking for. Again the list goes on what we can find on the internet related to our searches.

10. My husband. Besides the obvious reasons that he is on this list..he loves me, he's my biggest fan, he shares in my big and little discoveries, etc...my husband is my research buddy. He proof reads letters for me, helps me understand military records, he's great at finding headstones in cemeteries, he'll go with me just about anywhere that I want to for research purposes and he drives there too! My husband goes to genealogy society meetings with me and he helped me write my Power Point for my very first meeting presentation. He's also the reason that I an in genealogy so deeply. When we met I found out that his mom is into genealogy just as much as I am! She is the one that showed me Family Tree Maker and the records contained within the companion CDs! She also showed me Ancestry!!!! My husband bought me my first copy of Family Tree Maker for Christmas the first year we were dating!

Army Wife

2010-07-11T09:58:00.001-04:00

Recently my husband went back into the military, specifically the Army National Guard and he is currently going through his Officer Candidate School (OCS). In June he was gone a week, home 4 days then gone for 2 weeks. For his 2 weeks he was in Minnesota. Part of their training is they are not allowed to have and contact home except for letters. Of course, I waited every night hoping to get a phone call. Now I know two weeks isn't a long time in the scheme of things, espcially when his Marine unit was deployed for 7 months to africa in 2003 and we would go for weeks without talking on the phone.

Two things occured to me during his 2 weeks away that I have reflected on at length. First of all, in this day and age of technology with things like our email, cell phones laptops, facebook, etc we (as a society) are in constant contact with each other. It is very stressful not knowing what is going on in the day-to-day, but ultimately it gave us something to talk about when he got home. Many times I find myself alling home telling my husband about my day even before I get home. I wonder at times, if all this technology for communication is really cutting out our true communication with each other.

The second thing that occured to me is this: my mother, both my grandmothers, part of my great grandmothers (and so on) were military wives. Both my grandpas were in the Army during World War II. My parternal grandpa spend time in the pacific theater. The only communication they has was letter writing. It never occured to me until my husband was gone, is that this is what the women in my family before me must have gone through, but at much longer time intervals when their husbands, brothers, fathers, and uncles were away at war. Their hopes for even a few words in a letter must have been very great as mine was for a phone call, an email, a text message...something.

I talk mainly about the Army here because that is the branch of service my family just happens to be in, but this could very easily be the Navy, Marines (which my husband was in before the National Guard), Air Force or Coast Guard. I'm sure no matter the branch of service, the experience was the same.

Happy Hunting.

You Never Know!

2010-07-05T22:06:00.000-04:00

You never know where you are going to find your family history. Last weekend my cousin got married in Frankenmuth, MI. We stayed at the beautiful Bavarian Inn Lodge. Before leaving my mother-in-law told me that there is a room there named after my husband's Great Grandmother's line, the Schmitzers. Sure enough room 314 is also known as the Schmitzer Room. After talking to the front desk I was able to venture into the room, which we did not stay in. And see the photos and couple documents that were hanging on the wall. I took photos, but didn't have my flash on, so they turned out kinds blurry. There is also on the website, a page on the Schmitzers (as well as many other families) that anyone can check out.

We also visited the little museum on Main Street in Frankenmuth, called The Frankenmuth Museum. There were a couple mentions of the Schmitzers, which I also snapped quick photos of. Not bad for $5 for admission for the familiy. And no, I did not use a flash in the museum.

So besides seeing my cousin who was one of my bridesmaids almost 9 years ago, get married...and what a beautiful bride she made...I also got to experience some local history and even catch a glimpse at some of my husband's ancestors. You never know what you'll find when your on your travels.

Happy Hunting!

Gottlieb Piltz

2010-06-08T18:31:00.000-04:00

Friday, June 4th at 2 p.m. in Oakwood City Cemetery in Traverse City, Michigan. myself with several other board members and other Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society Members, dedicated the headstone for Austrian born stone cutter, Gottlieb Piltz.

Gottlieb was an Austrian born stone carver who came to our area of Michigan. It was brought to the attention of the Genealogical society that Gottlieb had no headstone marking his grave in Oakwood Cemetery. One only needs to walk around Oakwood itself to see Gottlieb's work. Many other local cemeteries also have his works found in them. My own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents have a headstone carved by Gottlieb Piltz. My GGGGGrandparent's are buried a short distance from Gottlieb Piltz and I was able to show a couple of people who are descendents of Gottlieb their stone as an example of his work.

This is my 4th Great Grandparents stone. Lorenz (Laurentius) and Barbara Courtade. Lornez's information is on the other side of the stone.

The interesting thing about Piltz is that he signed his work, which is very unusual. He also seemed to prefer working in marble as it is a softer stone than Granite and easier to carve. Not only are his stones ornately decorated, but they frequently have various amounts of text in different fonts.

Our program consisted of a Big Piper, our Cemetery Committee Chair person, Kathi Farley, giving a history of Gottlieb, the Fife Lake (Michigan) Historical Society Present and retired minister giving a blessing and unveiling to stone, which was set that morning just before the dedication, myself playing Beethovan's "Ode to Joy" on my clarinet and our past president, Mary Briggs, giving a thanks to all those who helped make the headstone project possible.

Members of GTAGS (back row) and decsendents of Gottlieb Piltz (front) that attended the dedication. That's me on the far Right in the pink and black.

This is me playing my clarinet during the ceremony. That's my Mom holding my umbrella over me while I was playing. Thanks Mom!

Happy Hunting!

Find-A-Grave

2010-06-04T11:54:00.001-04:00

Week 22 for Geneabloggers challenges us to visit the website Find-A-Grave and write about our impressions of the website and any interesting entries we find while we are visiting the website.

I have to say the Find-A-Grave is one of my favorite websites. There is so much I can say about it. I have been a member of the website for just a couple months shy of 4 years.

Find-A-Grave is a free website created by a group of people that just love cemeteries. From the main website one can choose to view famous gravesites or "normal" gravesites.

Under the famous website is various divisions of organization, for example, you can search by name, let's say Al Capone for example.

From the results page, we find several listings from the Capone family members and gang. So I choose Alphonse "Al" Capone. Which brings me to his individual memorial.

Here is can read the bio written about Capone, see photos of him as well as a photo of his Grave. For famous people, you can 'vote' at the bottom about how famous (or infamous) the person was.

Each person listed on Find-A-Grave has their own memorial page (famous or not) in which the creator can include information like birth date and place, death date and place and, of course, where the person is buried. There is also a bio area where biographical information can be typed in by the memorial creator.

One feature nice for memorial creators is the ability to request a photograph of the grave, even if the grave of their ancestor is in another state or even another country. Let's look at one of my memorials for an example.

This is John Fitzgerald, my Great-Great-Great Paternal Grandfather. I recently learned that his was buried in Old Rosemont Cemetery in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.

I created this memorial from the main page under the 'Add Burial Records' selection.

You can also use the search for a cemetery function and add a memorial from the cemetery's page. I live in Michigan near Traverse City and my GGG Grandpa was buried in Columbia County, PA in Old Rosemont Cemetery. Old Rosemont Cemetery is about 700 road miles from where I live and a 12 to 13 hour drive. Not something I can just hop in the car and go check out. So that's where Find-A-Grave comes in! Find-A-Grave allowed me to add John's name to the cemetery and request a photograph of his headstone, if there is one.

One note here, there is no guarantee how fast my request will be filled. I've had requests filled very quickly and I've had requests I've requested quite a while ago that are still waiting to be fulfilled.

I also enjoy being a photo volunteer in my area and taking photographs of headstones for others. It is very satisfying to me to help someone else as well in their search.

There are so many other features to Find-A-Grave that you can discover by visiting their website!

Haapy Hunting!

Murphy's Law for Genealogists

2010-05-25T11:08:00.000-04:00

Yes, Murphy even comes to Genealogy! Hope you get a giggle or two out of this!

Murphy’s Law for Genealogists

1) The public ceremony in which your distinguished ancestor participated and at which the platform collapsed from under him turned out to be a hanging.

2) When at last after much hard work you have solved to mystery you have been working on for two years, you aunt says “I could have told you that.”

3) Your grandmother’s maiden name that you have searched for, for four years, was on a letter in a box in the attic all the time.

4) You never asked your father about his family when he was alive because you weren’t interested in genealogy then.

5) The will you need is in the safe on board the Titanic

6) Copied of old newspapers have holes occurring only on the surnames, especially the ones you need.

7) John, son of Thomas, the immigrant whom your relatives claim as the family progenitor, died on board ship at age 10.

8) Your great grandfather’s newspaper obituary states that he died leaving no issue of records.

9) The keeper of the vital records you need has just been insulted by another genealogist.

10) The relative who had all the family photographs gave them all to her daughter who has no interest in genealogy and no inclination to share.

11) The only record you find your great grandfather is that his property was sold at a sheriff’s sale of insolvency.

12) The one document that would supply the missing link in your dead-end line has been lost due to fire, flood, or war.

13) The clerk to whom you wrote for information sends you a long handwritten letter which is totally illegible.

14) The spelling of your European ancestor’s name bears no relationship to its current spelling or pronunciation.

15) None of the pictures in your recently deceased grandmother’s photo album have names written on them.

16) No one in your family tree ever did anything noteworthy, owned property, was sued, or named in wills.

17) You learn that your great aunt’s executor just sold her life’s collection of family genealogical materials to a flea market dealer ‘somewhere in New York City.’

18) Ink fades and paper deteriorates at a rate inversely proportional to the value of the data recorded.

19) The 37-volume. 16,000 page history of your country of origin isn’t indexed.

20) You finally find your great grandparent’s wedding records and discover that the bride’s father was named John Smith.

Funny, HAHA

2010-05-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was at Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Traverse City, MI taking photos for volunteer look ups on Find-A-Grave when I had stopped to take a photo and didn't realize I had parked in the path of a sprinkler. My baby had started fussing a little bit, so I opened the side door of my van to check on him. All of a sudden I got a blast of water across my back! The cemetery has underground sprinklers so they aren't the fastest moving sprinklers. Not only did I get soaked, but a bunch of stuff in my van was soaked and my little guy got a blast of water as well. He really didn't like that. My little guy let out a screech to let me (and the rest of the township) know that he was not happy about gettnig wet. I looked at my 4-year-old, who was also with us, and just broke down laughing. I really didn't mind the water anyway seems it was in the 90's yesterday.
I did get all my photos taken and posted online yesterday.

Happy Hunting!

Good Old Letter Writting

2010-04-11T11:27:00.000-04:00

This week's 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy challenges us to write letters, not email letters, but good old United States Postal Service paper, envelope and stamp letters.

I had to laugh at first when I read this challenge/topic for the week. In the past week I had written 8 letters and then wrote another one last night. I like getting mail, especially when it relates to my genealogy.

I sent out requests for some birth certificates to the Grand Traverse County Clerk's office. There were 3 of those in the past week or so. Out of 3 only 2 were on file, but that's not bad odds for the 1880's. I requested these for 3 of my Great Grandma's sibilings. Daisy Bell Lardie, who died when she was a month old, Julius Arthur Lardie who died when he was only 10 months old and Mary Louise Lardie (Garland, Sunquest). The first two we are just curious to what had happened to them. Mary Louise, or Mamie, is supposed to be buried in the local City Cemetery, but there is no record of her burial there.

I wrote 4 letters to a local catholic church inquring about records. The first letter was for Daisy Lardie. The return reply stated that they have no records of Daisy nor do they show her buried in the church's cemetery. The second letter was for information about Daisy's (my GGGGranpa) Grandfather, George Lardie, if there is any information in the church records about him or his wife. The third and fourth letters are also to the same church, but I am mailing them one at a time so I'm not asking for a bunch of information all at once.

One letter is making its way to Ulster County Surrogate Court in New York State. I am trying to get a copy of a will for my GGGGGrandpa, Eliakim Wardell, who ended up being the Guardian of my GGGrandpa, George C. Wood, after his father, George Wood, and mother, Mary (Wardell) Wood died when George C. was a young boy. I am still waiting for a response to that letter. My letter is asking for information on how to obtain a copy of the will/probate file.

The last letter I wrote, which I the one I wrote last night, is to a catholic church in Lewisburg, PA. I am requesting information on my GGGGranpa Fitzgerald, Thomas Fitzgerald's, brother, James Frances Fitzgerald and his wife, Susan Francis (Quigley) Fitzgerald. I have previously written to the same church to confirm that Susan is buried in their cemetery. I also learned in that letter that a Mary Fitzgerald is also buried in the same cemetery, although I'm not sure how, or if, she fits into my family tree.

All my letters are written in formal format. For Example:

Date
My return address
address Line #2

The Reciever
Reciver address
address line #2

Dear Sir or Madame;

The body of the letter with the specific information that I am looking for and the details needed about the person or people to help aid in the look up of the information. I always make sure to read over my letters and I also have my husband read over my letters to proof read as well as to make sure I don't have extra information that I don't need in the letters.

I always thank the person for their time in a seperate line.

Sincerley,

(My Signature goes in here on the printed page)

Alanna Fant

When I write away for information I always include a Self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), however if I have to pay reserach fees I do not, unless it is a genealogy society or similar and they specifically request a SASE.

With this day and age of computers and email and online research we forget about letter writing. One thing we must remember as genealogists is letter writing is one of our strongest research tools that we have in our repetoire, but I also think it is probably one of the most forgotten. While I'm writing this, I sit here and wonder how many records exist with my ancestors' names on them versus how many are online!

I challenge you to write a letter (or more) a week for the next month. Leave a comment in the comments section about your experiences and results! Your ideas may spark another researcher and help them track down tha elusive ancestor!

Happy Hunting.

"Oh Danny Boy"

2010-04-05T13:53:00.001-04:00

For this Month's Blog Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture, we are challenged to write about a favorite Irish Blessing or Poem. (Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Challenge ) My Grandpa's favorite song was the very famous and familiar song "Danny Boy". Although it is not a poem or a blessing in the traditional sense, this is one of my very favorite Irish things. Every time I listen to the song it reminds me of my Grandpa who died in 2002. I can hardly ever listen to the song without a few tears in my eyes. I miss my Grandpa so much.
The song was written by Frederick Weatherly. Acoording to one website that I read on Brobdingnagian Bards the song was written around the begning of the 20th century.

The words are:

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling

From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.
And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

To hear the music to this song click Here.

You can also download on MP3 of Danny Boy by Clicking on the image below from Amazon.com

Tuning in to Technology

2010-04-03T18:05:00.001-04:00

I haven't written from a geneablogger's prompt in a while so after checking out this week's topic I thought I would add my 2 cents worth.

This week's prompt comes from We Tree: Jump Start your Genealogy. Amy Coffin has come up with 52 blogging prompts to help 'Jump Start Your Genealogy'. This week is #14: Talk about the different types of technology you use in your genealogy research. *Just a little side note, after rereading Amy Coffin's post, I realized I wrote about 2009's prompt #14. Oh well, it made for interesting writing anyway.

Ok so the obvious one is my computer, which I am using now. My new Acer Aspire One. (Just a side note, walmart.com has a great deal on these right now.) I also have an Acer Aspire mini that I just love for its portability. Most of my photos are digital and of course, Legacy runs on the computer. I also have a program that goes on my Palm Pilot called GedStar Pro, which is basically a GEDCOM file reader. Very convient for those unplanned stops at local cemeteries or the local library. I have also used a similar program for a pocket pc calledn Pocket Genealogist. (Both are available to purchase from the Legacy Website.)

Another piece of equipment that I used frequently is my printer which is a HP Inkjet all-in-one printer/fax/copier. Having a copier is definately a plus at home for making extra copies of a form and not having to dig it out of a file folder on my computer somewhere, although I'm sure I could find a form on my computer just as fast as I could throw it in the copier. I occasionally use my fax, but not very often for genealogy purposes. The scanner funciton is handy, espcially for the collection of old family photos that my Great Aunt has and let me scan in for digital copies.

My digital camera is another tool that I frequently use. I mainly use it for photos of headstones in cemeteries (as far as genealogy goes) and we just got a JVC digital video camera a few weeks ago. I have heard that people use them in cemeteries, but I'm not sure how. Although I see where it could be useful for family interviews and other events. I'm sure I will use it on our trip to Pennsylvania this fall.

One thing we don't think of very often is good old pen and paper, when we talk about technology, but it is. I frequently use pen or pencil and paper when I am researching to take notes, extra information from websites or print out my to-do list. In fact my to do report is sitting here on my desk next to me and I have 3 pens laying next to my computer. I also have a thing for pretty (colored) pens, for which I frequently get teased about, but it makes is more fun for me when I am writing.

The telephone is another thing I think that we frequently take for granted in our technology driven world. I use is to talk to my Grandma a lot, who is probably my biggest genealogical cheerleader, to try to nail down details of a story I heard or to jar her memory about some family information. When I had a Blackberry I used the GPS function on it to help me mark cemetery locations.

Speaking of GPS, that is something I use. I have been so lost in places that even a map woudln't help. Thank you to the guy that invented GPS. (It was the military I think). And to my husband who now leaves his Tom Tom in our Mini Van (which is the car I usually drive or we take when we are out with the family anyway) so I always have access to the GPS when I get lost.

I'm sure there are many other things that I haven't even thought of to include in the list of Technology that I use for genealogy, but I can't think of anymore right now. This has been a fun entry to think about and to write. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Happy Researching!
Have a Happy Easter everyone!!!!!

Spring Cleaning

2010-04-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was cleaning out my closet for Spring cleaning and I came to the realization that I needed to do the same with my genealogy papers. So after the closet was cleaned and the bags taken to the mini van, I decided to tackle my pile of paper that was sitting on the top of my desk hutch. First I looked at the looming pile and thought "This is going to take forever!" But I sat down (and after procrastinating on facebook for a time) and decided to takle the pile bit by bit. So I took the first layer of papers off the top and sat down and started sorting.
Armed with a paper bag for recycling (yes I recycle) and started to sort out and get rid of (GASP!) my excess papers. I once read in a book about purging your genealogy files once a year to get rid of all the excess paper. I believe the book was Organizing Your Family Research (or sometime like that) by Sharon DeBartello Carmack. So I try to at least once a year go through my extra papers and get rid of what I don't need. Seriously, do I really need 5 copies of Great Great Great Grandpa Fitzgerald's Family Group Sheet when 4 of them are out of date?
So I did make it to the bottom of my pile last night after about 5 or 6 hours and I have a full bag of recycling. Plus I have some things on my 'To Do' list to finish up and some letters to follow up on. Feels good to have a clean(er) desk to go with my clean(er) closert!

Happy Researching.

Sourcing

2010-03-30T20:59:00.000-04:00

Isn't it fun to add names to your database? I picked up another line of my husband's genealogy (ultimately my kids' ancestors) and added a bunch of names onto my husband's maternal grandmother's line. I still have to go back an verify my work with other sources, but I have a start on the information.
That brings me to my thought for the night, first of all, never take another reseracher's information for gospel truth, I know there are many good researchers out there, but you should always verify the information that you find. Second always, always, always give credit to the source you got your information from and always ask permission from the researcher for their information. Also if you get, for example, an obituary from another researcher's information, you site the information from that researcher, not the source of the obit unless you see it yourself. Plus you should always verify with those sources yourself as well.
Not much else to add to this...short and sweet tonight. :)

As always, Happy Researching!

A Wee Bit o' Irish

2010-03-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day is fast coming on us this week. The day that we all get to be a little bit Irish, although some myself included, get to be Irish all year around. What does St. Patrick's Day mean to you? For me it makes me think of my Grandma that died in 2002. He always used to say "You can always tell and Irishmen, but you can't tell him much!"
I never drink green beer on St. Patrick's day, I hate beer. I do usually wear green, although this year it might be tricky because I have nursing school clinicals for 12 hours on Wednesday and we are required to wear white uniforms. Bummer, I just bought a couple cute Irish T-shirts too! I'll have to wear them other days this week I guess.
Today a friend of mine asked on Facebook to post a favorite Irish blessing. This one always come to my mind:
“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”
A few years ago I started cross stitching this, but it ended up so out of line it was horrible, it's on my to-do list after graduation....actually now that I think about it I could really start it now. I will definately take photos when I am done and share...it might be in 5 years, but I will share. :)

Not much more to write today, but feel free to share your favorite Irish blessings in the comments! I'd love to see what you all think of.

Happy Hunting!

Appologies

2010-03-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

I have realized today that it has been over two months since I've written. I wish I could say it is because of some great genealogical adventure or that I have been neck deep in family history reseach, but, alas, it has not. I suffer from what many of my classmates also suffer from - not having enough time to do everything we want to do, be a mom and go to nursing school. In fact, seems we thought we were moving back in September, most of my genealogical materials is boxed up in boxes.

Since, my computer has also needed a trip to the shop, so I must find in the mountain of boxes in the closet, my legacy program so that I can reinstall my program and load my files back onto my laptop, which I can happily say is like a new computer since the installation of a brand new mother board.

So plans are quickly underway on what has been a long time coming family vacation to Pennsylvani. We will be embarking via RV on September 10th, with an overnight stay in Lansing, Michigan for my husband's commissioning ceremony for the National Guard at the state capital on September 11th, then off to Pennsylvania, with a couple days at the end of our trip in Gettysburg. Anticipation bubbles for the trip, but it still seems like such a long way off, but still not so long.

This year I plan to gather the documentation for to earn an Ancestral Certificate from Grand Traverse Area Genealogical Society. This year I will not be speaking as planned, but committed to being a back up if someone cancels. The only month available was September and seems I will be in Pennsylvania, it would be difficult to present at the meeting, although with today's technology, not impossible. Have I mentioned yet that I am really looking forward to my trip? :D I can't help it. The excitement of walking down the same streets my ancestors traveled is exciting for me to think about!

So until next time,
Happy Genealogy!