Just Wanted Everyone To Know ...

I just want to let everyone know that I am still adding blogs back to my genealogy and history blogs lists. (I goofed up on changing my template, and now I'm back to my old one.) If you don't see your blog on these lists, it is probably due to a backlog of work. I will try to post everyone's blogs up again. If I forget to add a blog, it is not intentional. Please leave me a comment if I have forgotten your blog.

9th Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted!

The 9th Shades Of The Departed guest column has been posted!. The author of this column was Jasia, and you can read the column here.

Technical Difficulties ...

You may have noticed that the list of genealogy blogs are missing from the page. Well, I am going through some technical difficulties. I was trying to switch my list to the new Blogger list, and I have been unsuccessful. I'll have to rebuild the list, so it may take me a few days to get it back together again. I will try to recreate it as best as I can. Thanks.

Update: I have also changed my template again. I will try to put everything back to the layout earlier. It will take some time, though

And More Great Lakes Books - Islands!

In addition to mentioning books on lighthouses and shipwrecks, I thought I would mention a couple of books on the islands of the Great Lakes.

A couple of interesting books to read are:

• Mysterious Islands: Forgotten Tales of The Great Lakes by Andrea Gutshe and Cindy Bisaillon
• Ghosts of the Bay: A Guide to the History of Georgian Bay by Russell Floren

Well, those were two books that I could think of off the top of my head. I'm sure there are other books on the islands of the Great Lakes.

And More Great Lakes Books - Shipwrecks!

As I promised earlier, here is a couple of books on shipwrecks of the Great Lakes:

• True Tales Of The Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
• Shipwrecks Of The Lakes by Dana Thomas Bowen
• Ghost Ships, Gales & Forgotten Tales: True Adventures on the Great Lakes by Wes Oleszewski

Of course there many other books written by the authors above and many other authors, including Frederick Stonehouse. Enjoy!

Speaking of Lighthouses ...

I just happened to notice an article on yahoo about the discovery of a missing lighthouse. You can read the article here. Also, I happened to notice Harold's post mentioning another blog article on Michigan lighthouses a couple of days ago. (The blog Harold mentions is Michigan Civil War Blog.)

And speaking of Great Lakes Lighthouses, if anyone wants to read a couple of books or just start reading on Great Lakes lighthouses, I would suggest that he or she take a look at these books:

• Lighthouse Adventure: Heroes, Haunts & Havoc On The Great Lakes by Wes Oleszewski
• Great Lakes Lighthouse Tales by Frederick Stonehouse
• Keepers of Valor: Lighthouse, Lake Boats & Lifesavers by Wes Oleszewski
• The Northern Lights: Lighthouses of the Upper Great Lakes by Charles K. Hyde, Ann Mahan, and John Mahan
• Great Lakes Lighthouses: American and Canadian by Wes Oleszewski

These are just a few of the books that I can think of that are on the Great Lakes lighthouses. There are quite a few books on the subject. Of the books I have listed, the only one that I have not read is Great Lakes Lighthouses: America and Canadian. I am making a few suggestions as to where one might want to start reading to learn about the lighthouses of the Great Lakes. Another post, I'll list books that I have read on Great Lakes shipwrecks. (Yes, it was also a subject I liked to read about when I was younger.)

Detroit's Won the Stanley Cup ...

I've just learned this morning this morning that the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup. I did not watch the game (or any of the hockey games this season) last night, so I didn't know about the win until today. I just found out from looking at a Yahoo news article, and Jasia's post. It seems as though the only good news that comes out of Detroit is sport-related, but I'll save that for another post some day ...

Anyhow, I remember the 1997 season when Detroit won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 42 years. I remember how my family and I watched the games for that season. (I haven't paid very much attention to hockey or watched the games on TV in a while because I'm not interested in hockey. But I'll stop now, before I get into a tirade about Detroit ...)

Genealogy and History Thoughts Column 13 - Gas and Genealogy

A couple of weeks ago, Jasia posted an article on how gas prices were affecting genealogy research, and I thought I would post my thoughts on this topic.

Are gas prices affecting genealogists' genealogy research? I think so. With gas now at $4 dollars a gallon (in the U.S.), I think genealogists are making some changes, whether it was to travel to an ancestral location or cutting down on the number of trips they are taking to repositories. Of course, I could be wrong about making a generalization about all genealogists, but I think genealogist who are on fixed budgets are making or have made changes in their research plans. Of course, that could mean that some genealogists will not be traveling as much or might not be renewing their subscriptions to genealogy websites (if they have not already cancelled their subscriptions).

As for me, I am seriously wondering how much more genealogy research I should try to do for the rest of this summer. I had wanted to travel to an ancestral location this summer, but I dropped that idea as gas prices went up. Of course, I can still order microfilms from the LDS, but I still have to go by car to get there. I don''t know how many more times I will be able to go there if gas prices keep rising. And I don't believe my grandparents will be able to help me with research as gas is too expensive. I am starting to come to the conclusion that I might not be able to do as much research this summer as I had hoped.

Well, what can genealogists do? We probably can't do very much. (We can't change gas prices.) The only possible solution that I can think of is that genealogists offer to do more look-ups for each other. I realize that most genealogists already do look-ups for others, but I can't think of anything else at the moment that would help. So, what do you think? As always, you can leave a comment.

49th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 49th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is on family pets.

Family History Center Visit 4

Earlier today, I went to the Family History Center. I was only there for a short time, but I was still able to find a few more people in that microfilm. The other microfilm has not come in yet, so I am still going through the same microfilm. Of course, I haven't finished going through that microfilm, so I guess it is a good thing that the other film hasn't come yet.

I'll keep everyone posted with my research.

65th Carnival of History Posted!

The 65th edition of the Carnival of History was posted yesterday. (I learned about this post from World History blog's post.) You can read it here. Enjoy!

Google Analytics' Statistics For End Of May 2008

Since it is the beginning of the month, I thought I would post data of my blog from Google Analytics. (If you are not interested in these types of posts, please let me know.) I've noticed that, lately, readership has declined. If there are genealogy or history topics that you would like to read on this blog, please let me know. Thanks.

Anyhow, on to the results from the last post until today. The top ten countries in number of readership are:

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Australia
5. Germany
6. India
7. Unknown (2 visits)
8. Netherlands
9. Finland
10. Israel

The top ten states (in the United States) in number of readership are:

1. Michigan
2. California
3. New York
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
6. Texas
7. Unknown (15 visits)
8. Ohio
9. Virginia
10. Massachusetts

In addition to those two lists, I thought I would list the top ten towns or cities in Michigan. The top ten towns and cities in number of readership are:

1. Livonia
2. East Lansing
3. Sterling Heights
4. Southfield
5. Grand Rapids
6. Farmington
7. West Bloomfield
8. Bloomfield Hills
9. Berkley
10. New Hudson

Of course, I don't know who is visiting my blog. I am only given the names of places and number of visits. To those who have visited and read my blog, thank you for your visits and readership.

Congrats to Jasia!

I just want to congratulate Jasia on Blog Carnival's recognition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I learned about the award from her post about the recognition. "Congrats Jasia!"

Ten More Days ...

Yes, that's right. You have ten more days left to submit your article to this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. I will accept submissions up til midnight of June 13, in case anyone needs a little more time. This edition will be in honor of Father's Day, and the topic for this edition is on a male ancestor from the region.

So, What Does It Mean To Be Irish?

What does it mean to be Irish? I've thought about this question for a few days, and I'm still not sure of an answer. Whenever I try to answer the question, I start to think about stereotypes of the Irish, but I don't believe that those stereotypes answer the question since these stereotypes could describe other cultures as well.

So, I don't know what I would say. It is hard for me to answer that question as very few traditions or customs were passed down in my family, especially when it comes my British ancestry. (I have ancestors from the main areas of the United Kingdom.) So, when I think about Irishness, I think about Irish music, red hair, leprechauns, and whiskey. Obviously, those images do not come close to answering the question. I guess the best way for me to obtain an understanding of Irish culture, I will have look for and read books on the subject.