Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #30

Prompt:  Write about your experiences with social networking tools for genealogy purposes. Do you use MySpace, Facebook or Twitter? Are you a wiki kind of person? None of the above? Tell readers about your experiences with these tools and watch your own social network grow.

 

As I’ve stated before, I got into blogging and Facebook through Miriam’s blog AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.  I had wondered about starting a blog for genealogy, so I Googled genealogy +blog to see if there were other people blogging about their genealogy.  Sure enough, I found a few and Miriam’s was one of the ones I started reading.  She also had a badge for the GeneaBloggers group on Facebook, so I decided to check it out. 

I had a FB account prior to this, but really didn’t use it.  But since discovering Miriam’s blog and the GeneaBloggers group, I’ve used FB to connect with over 400 other individuals interested in genealogy (as well as friends, family, and colleagues).  I’d say that I interact with about 50 of these folks on a regular basis.

There have been a few instances where I have had a question about something and I get on FB to see if someone is logged on that may be able to help.  Within minutes, I have an answer!  It’s nice to have this network in place for these occasions.  It’s also wonderful because I learn so much from these folks through FB and their blogs.

Additionally, I have met distant cousins through FB and our blogs.  Without these tools, I never would have met these wonderful people!!

Several months ago, I got involved with Twitter.  I have to admit though, I don’t really care for it.  I think it’s hard to follow conversations and interact with others.  I truly prefer FB for conversation and interaction.  I do have my blog posts automatically tweeted, simply as a means to reach a broader audience and those who don’t use an RSS reader.

Like many who read this blog, I recently joined Genealogy Wise, which is like FB for genealogists.  I have mixed feelings about it.  For one, agreeing with Bill West, it’s just one more place I have to go and participate in.  But on the other hand, it is a network strictly for genealogists (10,000 and counting, in just over a month!), so there is certainly a lot of potential.  This last month has been really busy for me and I haven’t really been able to spend much time here, so the jury’s still out.

And then there is this blog.  I am able to post whatever I want, and I have a faithful following.  I can post a research problem and people are kind enough to offer help.  Even for the routine-type posts, such as Wordless Wednesday, the comments I get offer encouragement and keep me going, both in blogging and in genealogy.

I want to take a moment and thank all of my genealogy buddies across the web, whether via Facebook, Twitter, Genealogy Wise, or this blog.  You are all wonderful people and I don’t think I could have gotten this far and learned as much as I have in the last 366 days.  And for those that I am not buddies with on FB, Twitter, or GW, I’ve listed the links to my profiles below, so feel free to friend or follow me.

• Facebook Profile
• Twitter Profile
• Genealogy Wise Profile

Break Out the Bubbly, GenBlog Turns 1 Today

Today is GenBlog’s birthday.  One whole year!  Thanks to everyone who reads this blog.  I do hope you get something out of it.

Photo credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/seeks2dream/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Wordless Wednesday – 07/29/09

Family Events – Week of July 26 to August 1

Maida “Meta” HOFFMANN – Meta is my great-grandaunt (by marriage), who was born on 22 June 1906 in Germany.  She died on 28 July 1997 in Arizona.

Thomas PARKE – Thomas is my ninth great-granduncle, who was born on 13 February 1615 in England.  He died on 30 July 1709 in Connecticut.*

Ida MILLER – Ida is my great-grandaunt, who was born on 31 July 1891 in Illinois.  She died in December 1970 in Wisconsin.

Elizabeth “Nettie“ VLIET & Charles Rosseau LAMBERT – Nettie is my first cousin four times removed.  She and Charles were married on 1 August 1885.*

Ashbel WEBSTER – Ashbel is my sixth great-grandfather, who was born on 12 March 1733 in Hartford, Connecticut.  He died on 1 August 1801 in Hampton, New York.*

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Saturday in the Attic – 07/25/09

My dad was big into slot car racing.  This article (likely published in the Elmhurst Press) was written after his win in the Ford Chicago Model Racing Car Championship held in Elmhurst in 1966.  I wonder if I still have that trophy he’s holding….

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #29

Prompt:  Write about your favorite genealogy web sites. It seems like a new web site pops up every day. Tell us about the ones you like best.

I have a handful of websites that I use regularly and are bookmarked in my Firefox browser’s bookmark toolbar.

Ancestry – Great starting place to find an array of information.  From censuses, to passenger lists, to city directories, to BMD records.  If I’m just starting a search for a particular person, I typically start here.

Family Search – This is usually my second stop, particularly the pilot search.  I have found several birth and marriage records for Cook County, Illinois (even though the collections are not yet complete) and BMD records for Michigan.

GenealogyBank – Oh the number of obituaries I have found here!  Love it.  I will typically use this site when I have a death date figured out.  I’ve not used the historical newspapers too much, as I find searches are a little harder since it is searching an image (using OCR??) as opposed to the other collection, which searches actual text.

Find A Grave – What a wonderful concept!  I have used this site to find gravestone photos/transcriptions for many of my relatives.  I am also a contributor.

Footnote – I don’t use this one as often (although, I should since I pay for a subscription!!).  I have been able to find Revolutionary War information of relatives, but haven’t had much luck in other resources.  I also contribute information to this site.

Newspaper Archive – Another one that I have a paid subscription for that I don’t use too often.  There is a lot of great information out there, but I haven’t had much luck for my own research.

Wordless Wednesday – 07/22/09

Family Events – Week of July 19 to July 25

Bridget ( ) Ward – Bridget is my third great-grandmother, who was born in January 1838 in Ireland.  She died 19 July 1912 in Chicago, Illinois.

Marie Ethel ROTTMAN – Marie is my grandmother, who was born on 29 April 1920 in Chicago, Illinois.  She died on 20 July 1989 in Bensenville, Illinois.

Mildred SCHULTZ & Gottlieb KUNBERGER – Mildred is my second great-grandaunt, who married Gottlieb on 20 July 1901 in Chicago, Illinois.

Joseph Webster GARRISON – Joseph is my great-granduncle, who was born on 4 January 1898 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 23 July 1930 in Chicago.

Frances HILLS – Frances is my eleventh great-grandmother, who was born on 23 July 1605 in England.  She died about 1690 in Farmington, Connecticut.*

Margaret RYAN – Margaret is my third great-grandmother, who was born about 1846 in Ireland.  She died on 23 July 1928 in Illinois.

Henry August LEPPIN – Henry is my great-granduncle, who was born on 24 July 1898 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 26 March 1958 in Illinois.

Hannah JOHNSON – Happy 20th birthday to my niece on July 25th.

Harry Henry Adolph TRAPP – Harry is my first cousin three times removed, who was born on 25 July 1895 in Chicago, Illinois.  He died on 4 February 1972 in Antioch, Illinois.

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• ShoeString Genealogy

  "ShoeString Genealogy provides Family Historians with information about how to research their ancestors both on the Internet and in libraries and other repositories. Besides how, we will show you where—locations for information and the relative value of each."

  tags: genealogy

• Scottish Crest Badges

  tags: no_tag

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Saturday in the Attic – 07/18/09

This is my mom’s senior year prom ticket from 1969.  Impressive considering I don’t even have my own!  But it kinda looked like this; same school even :)

Friday Finds – 07/17/09

 

Found, Unfound, Found Again?  If you are on Facebook, you may have seen my status earlier in the week saying that I learned I was a Mayflower descendant.  However, a source led me astray, having me think that my tenth great-grandfather, Stephen HOPKINS, came to America on the Mayflower!  In truth, this is NOT the case.  Heck, he wasn’t even born when the Mayflower set sail!!  Further investigation has me wondering if the Stephen HOPKINS, who did arrive in America via the Mayflower, is instead my twelfth great-grandfather.  I trace this line back to my eleventh great-grandfather, John HOPKINS.  A variety of sources reviewed so far are contradictory:  some say John is Stephen’s son, others say no.  There doesn’t seem to be any proof either way at this point.  So for now, it’s unclear whether I am in fact a Mayflower descendant or not.  Hoping to unravel the mystery, perhaps on my research trip to SLC in September.

Article  There were actually two articles in the July 2009 edition of Reader’s Digest.  The first is, “This Land is Your Land.”  It’s an article about our National Parks (U.S.) from the perspective of filmmaker Ken Burns, who produced a documentary, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.  The second article is, “You Named Your Kid What?!,” written by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz.  It’s an interesting read about the names given to children today, with a bit of history about naming conventions.

Photo obtained from Wikipedia; public domain.

Wordless Wednesday – 07/15/09

   

I miss this house :(

Family Events – Week of July 12 to July 18

Oreste BELLUOMINI – Happy birthday to my step-dad on July 12th.

Thomas Joseph CAHILL – Thomas is my first cousin twice removed, who was born on 15 July 1924.  He died on 17 March 1992.

James Norton GARRISON – Loraine PLATT – James is my great-granduncle, who married Loraine on 15 July 1922.

Agnes SMITH – Agnes is my eleventh great-grandmother, who was born on 29 August 1585 in England.  She died on 15 July 1655 in Hartford, Connecticut.*

Erna Hulda TRAPP – Erna is my first cousin three time removed, who was born on 15 July 1897 in Illinois.  She died in May 1977 in Illinois.

Harriet R TRAPP – Harriet is my second cousin twice removed, who was born on 2 November 1929 in Chicago, Illinois.  She died on 16 July 1988 in Illinois.

George I WEBSTER – George is my second cousin three times removed, who was born about 1905 in Michigan.  He likely died on 16 July 1965.

Mary Ellen COFFINGER – Mary Ellen is my second great-grandaunt, who was born on 18 July 1861 in Chickasaw, Iowa.  She died on 17 February 1916 in Chicago, Illinois.

Theresa K SCHWARTZ – Theresa is my great-grandaunt, who was born on 22 January 1899 in Aurora, Illinois.  She died on 18 July 1942 in Aurora, Illinois.

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

  Includes interactive maps to show the changes in boundaries.

  tags: genealogy, history, maps

• Roster of Connecticut volunteers who served in the war between the United States and Spain 1898-1899

  Book

  tags: connecticut, military, spanish-american war

• Record of service of Connecticut men in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps of the United States; in the Spanish-Americn War, Phillippine insurrection and China relief expedition, from April 21, 1898, to July 4, 1904

  Book

  tags: connecticut, military, spanish-american war

• Evendon.com

  Contains directories, yearbooks, etc. The site is not particularly user-friendly, but there's a lot of good stuff nonetheless.

  tags: city directories, yearbooks, census

• Got Genealogy? Newsletter

  Using the Tools of the Future to Discover Your Past

  tags: genealogy, genealogy resources

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #28

Prompt:  Write about the genealogy software you use. Comment on any tips, tricks or complaints you may have about the product.

I usually post these on Friday’s, but I had a friend ask me about what program I use, so I thought I’d post this one a little early.  What impeccable timing for this topic to come up!

Why I Love Legacy

First, let me say this:  You have to find the program that works best for you, suits your needs, and that you are comfortable working in.  I sampled a variety of programs, including some not-so-known ones until I found the perfect match for me.

User Interface

I chose Legacy for a number of reasons.  First, I like the design of the interface better than all the other programs.  It seems like many of the programs use a “tree” view, usually left-to-right, that is often hard to follow.  While Legacy does have a tree view (Pedigree view), I work from the Family view.  This is a top-to-bottom view: main person/couple in the middle, parents for each at the top, children at the bottom.  You can customize what data is displayed in the main screen.  For example, the default was originally Birth, Baptism, Death, Burial, and (I think) RIN.  I’ve chosen to use Birth, Baptism, Death, User ID, and Updated.  (The User ID is a field I use to note which overall family a person belongs to.  It’s just a way for me to keep track at a glance.)

In addition to the Family view and the Pedigree view, there is a wonderful Index view.  Need to find someone quick?  Simply go to the Index view and type in the Given or Surname to find them in the index.  You can even customize what is displayed and in what order.

Sourcing

Even before version 7 came out, the sourcing feature was pretty good.  But with version 7 came the ability to cite sources using the correct format based on Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.  There are still a few kinks (not technical) that I’m trying to work through and in some cases have found workarounds for them.  For example, when you add a census as a Master Source, it wants you to include the county and state.  That would create a HUGE list of Master Sources for me.  Instead, I just add a Master for each of the years.  Then, I add the city, county, and state all in the “City” field of the source details when I use the source.  It generates the source in the same way it would had I done a Master Source for each county/state combination.

Anyway, with SourceWriter, you simply select the type of source (through a series of 1-4 questions), input the information in the form for the Master Source (form generated based on type of source), and your Master Source is created.  Additionally, following Evidence Explained, it formats the source appropriately.  Then, when you attach a source to a fact, you can fill in additional details, such as a page number.  The written source is then formatted to include that information as well.

Here’s an example.  The first image shows the Master Source input screen, with the written source at the right.  The second image shows the Source Details.  Notice how the page number has now been added to the source’s output.

Reports & Such

There are so many reports and things that you can generate with Legacy.  The nice thing is that you can customize them as well.  You can decide to include or exclude various types of information based on the type of report.  For example, let’s say I want to run a quick descendant report for someone that I don’t know very well.  I can chose to exclude all living people from the report. 

In addition to reports, you can create books.  Legacy is set up to produce books that automatically place the details with preset (or customized) verbiage. 

Need to ask people for information?  Run a Questionnaire form, which is a blank form that asks for various details.  Need to interview someone?  Run an Interview sheet.  There are various types to choose from.  What about a research log?  There’s a blank Research Log waiting to be printed.

And of course, you can print charts and family group sheets.

Customization

Legacy offers various ways that you can customize the program to suit your needs.  For example, my color scheme is red, which is not the default.  You can choose the way information is displayed, such as date formats, and surname formats.

Searches

Legacy has a pretty good search tool.  I say pretty good only because I wish it would allow for more conditions, as well as the rules for date ranges.  But nonetheless, it’s a good search tool.  And what’s really nice is that you can save your search criteria if you have a search that you frequently run.

Related Posts

I have written a few posts about Legacy in the past.  Here are two that may be of help to others.

• Searching for Events
• Saturday Night Genealogy Fun – April 25, 2009 (using the Date Calculator)

Conclusion

I won’t pretend to be a Legacy guru.  But I am comfortable with the program, so if anyone needs help or has questions, please feel free to ask.  I’ll try my best to help or answer your questions.

Saturday in the Attic – 07/11/09

John Ward McMAHON, my great-grandfather, was apparently a temporary member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves in 1945 and possibly participated in World War II.

Below is a Certificate of Enrollment as a Temporary Member of the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, dated 27 July 1945. 

Below is the enrollment paperwork.

Below is the disenrollment paperwork.  So far, it looks like he enrolled on 27 July 1945 and was disenrolled on 30 September 1945.  None of these papers indicate whether he participated in the war.

Below is a letter to John from the U.S. Coast Guard indicating that he had been awarded the WWII Victory Medal.  This medal was awarded to anyone “who served on active duty, or as a reservist between December 7, 1941 and December 31, 1946.” [wikipedia]

I’m curious to know more so it’s on my list of things to ask my grandaunt (John’s daughter).

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #27

Prompt:  Visit the graves of local celebrities. Talk about their lives. The word “celebrity” is used very loosely here. Just do some research and you’ll find some fascinating people buried within. Tell your readers about these past lives and they’ll be hooked on your blog.

Back in January I wrote about Jesse W Fell, a prominent figure in the Bloomington-Normal area where I currently live.  You can read the article, The Jesse W. Fell Family in Stone,  on my GYR blog, Cemeteries of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

Wordless Wednesday – 07/08/09

ProGen Study Group

I have been meaning to sign up for the ProGen Study Group for a while now.  I want to thank Amy Coffin for her post ProGen Explained, which gave me the push I needed to sign up.  Hope a new group starts soon!  I’m so excited!

Carnival Roundup – June 2009

Let’s see what the GeneaBloggers were up to in June.

 

• Carnival of Genealogy – The Good Earth
  
• Carnival of Genealogy – Swimsuit Edition
  
• Smile for the Camera – Wedding Belles
  
• Festival of Postcards – Main Street
  
• Graveyard Rabbits Carnival – Obituaries
  
• Carnival of Central & Eastern European Genealogy – Carousel Edition

 

Photo Credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/santarosa/ / CC BY 2.0

Family Events – Week of July 5 to July 11

Harold Leslie MILLER & Marie Ethel ROTTMAN – Harold and Marie are my grandparents.  They were married on 6 July 1939; today would have been their 70th wedding anniversary.  May they be celebrating it together in Heaven.

Jean Marie MILLER & Oreste BELLUOMINI – Happy 15th anniversary to my mom and step-dad on July 9.

Elsie STOFFEL – Elsie is my great-grandaunt, who was born on 26 October 1892 in Illinois.  She died on 10 July 1979.

Eleanor CHICHESTER – Eleanor is my twelfth great-grandmother, who was born in 1547 in England.  She died on 10 July 1585 in England.*

*Based on information from several compiled source, of which I have not personally verified at this time.

Diigo Bookmarks (weekly)

• In The First Person

  An index to letters, diaries, oral histories, and personal narratives.

  tags: letters, diaries, oral histories, personal narratives, genealogy, family history

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Friday Finds – 07/03/09

Blog  Starting Roots – Brian DeGraaf finally sets up a blog!

Guide  “National Archives,” by Rick Crume – This guide was published in the September 2009 edition of Family Tree Magazine.  It’s a very helpful guide to using the National Archives’ website more efficiently.

Website  In The First Person – An index to letters, diaries, oral histories, and personal narratives.

Website  Ancestral Atlas – A new website that allows you to map your family history and meet other genealogists.  A free subscription allows you to plot your data and find other’s data.  A paid subscription lets you contact the people who have plotted data along with other benefits.

Group  GeneaBloggers on Diigo – Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows you save your bookmarks and access them from anywhere.  You can also annotate your bookmarks, which is great for us researchers.  Diigo also allows the ability to create groups in order to gather a collection of bookmarks tied to a particular topic.  There is now a GeneaBloggers group at Diigo.  If you haven’t already, please join.

Happy 4th of July

Wishing my fellow Americans a happy and safe 4th of July.

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/grope4mac/ / CC BY 2.0

Saturday in the Attic – 07/04/09

This appears to be a dues receipt for my great-granduncle, James Norton GARRISON.  Looks like he belonged to the Knights of Pythias.

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #26

Prompt:  Visit a cemetery. Take photos and comment on unusual/unique grave monuments. Most cemeteries have at least a monument or two that make you stop and look, so do just that. Take a picture of the grave marker that made you pause and tell us why it did so.

I am a big fan of Celtic crosses and I really like this one because of its simple design and the incorporation of shamrocks.

Taken at Holy Cross Cemetery (Normal, Illinois)

Wordless Wednesday – 07/01/09