Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Added A Follower's Button ...

I just happened to notice that a blog follower's gadget had been made available, and I've decided to include it on this blog. If you are a reader or follower of this blog, you can now do so with this option. If you would like to become a follower of my blog, you can sign up on the link on the lower right hand of the page, just below the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Button. Enjoy!

Update, 4 September 2008 at 10:15 P. M.: I have moved this gadget up the page. It is now below the copyright notice.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Light Blogging: Back To School ... Again!

Classes start up again for me tomorrow after the Labor Day break, and since classes will be resuming, I will not be posting as much due to the lack of time I will have. I do have several posts that I am working on at the moment, and I hope to post some of those in the next few days. Other than that, blogging will be pretty light for me. I don't know if I'll be posting any more than once a week at the most. So, in case you notice that I haven't posted anything in awhile, that is the reason. I will probably resume a more normal amount of posting around Christmas break. Until then, happy reading!

I've Created A Back-up Blog!

I just created a back-up blog for this blog at http://jesshistory2.wordpress.com/ in response to Jasia's post on another genealogy that was deleted. I will be updating and posting almost all of my posts on there. I probably will not be posting the posts on my blog changes since it would not make sense. (Or should I?) As always, you can leave your thoughts in the comment section.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Google Analytic Statistics For August 2008

Yes, it is that time again. Here are the statistics for this blog for August 2008:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:
  1. United States - 535 visits

  2. Canada - 25

  3. United Kingdom - 15 visits

  4. Germany - 7 visits

  5. Australia - 7 visits

  6. Ireland - 4 visits

  7. New Zealand - 2 visits

  8. Finland - 2 visits

  9. Croatia - 1 visit

  10. Malaysia - 1 visit

The top ten U. S. states, in number of visits, are:

  1. Michigan - 113 visits

  2. California - 70 visits

  3. Texas - 51 visits

  4. not set/unlisted - 39 visits

  5. Illinois - 38 visits

  6. Washington - 21 visits

  7. Ohio - 19 visits

  8. Virginia - 17 visits

  9. Indiana - 16 visits

  10. Wisconsin - 12 visits

The top Michigan ten towns, cities or locations, in number of visits, are:

  1. Whitmore Lake - 43 visits

  2. Kent County - 31 visits

  3. Redford - 12 visits

  4. Utica - 5 visits

  5. Berkley - 3 visits

  6. Oak Park - 3 visits

  7. Grand Rapids - 3 visits

  8. Lansing - 3 visits

  9. Livonia - 2 visits

  10. Fraser - 1 visit

The top ten articles read this month are:

  1. One of my Favorite Photos ... - 53 views

  2. 10th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 40 views

  3. FamilySearch Lab Adds More Databases To Record Search - 20 views

  4. Tombstone Maker Website - 19 views

  5. I've Been Tagged! - 11 views
  6. Summer Reading Challenge: A List of the Books I Read - 10 views
  7. To Join Or Not To Join? That is the Question ... - 10 views
  8. Update On that Lake Ontario Shipwreck ... - 9 views
  9. 54th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 9 views
  10. My Two Cents on Ancestry's Internet Biography Database - 8 views

Well, that is it for this past month's statistics. (I can't believe it is September already!) Again, to my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!"

Happy Labor Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Labor Day! Enjoy the holiday!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Still Looking For A Host For The October Edition Of The Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I'm still looking for a host for the October edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. If you are interesting in hosting that edition please e-mail me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks.

Also, I just want to remind everyone that submissions for this upcoming carnival edition are due on September 21st. Steve Danko will be hosting the September edition. Also, you can submit your article by clicking on the image I made for the Carnival. It will take you to the submission form.

Blog Changes ...

Yes, I've changed the template of my blog again. Why? I'm just trying to find something that is unique. So, I just want to let everyone know that I am still resetting everything back up again as I had it before. (If anyone knows of some unique templates, please let me know.)

The Music That Defined Me ...

Tim Abbot started this meme by asking, "What music defined you during your formative years?" In other words, what music defined you in your teenage and college years. To be honest, I think this might be a little difficult for me to answer, but I'll still try. Since I'm still in college, I might have to go back a bit farther than my teenage years to answer this question.

I like several different types of music ranging from classical music to classic rock to country music, and that is probably due in part to the music my mom and dad played in the house and in the car. The primary reason why I like classical music is because my mom played (and still plays) the piano, and I always loved hearing her play the piano as a child. (Actually, I still do.) Of course, in the car, my parents primarily played classic rock and soft rock radio channels (and later, CDs), so I ended up liked to listen to the Eagles, Journey, REO Speedwagon, etc.

I don't exactly remember when my parents started listening to country music. I really can't remember either one of them listening to country until the mid-90s when we first got CDs. One of the first CDs we had was a CD of the Country band, Alabama. Alabama became my first favorite band that I liked to listen to, and the band is still one of my favorite Country bands. I still do listen to country music at times, and a few of the many Country artists that I like are: Toby Keith, Faith Hill, Rascal Flats, and Montgomery Gentry.

As for Christian music, my first exposure to Contemporary Christian music was probably from the Amy Grant piano music that I would hear my mom play. As for listening to the actual artists, I think my first exposure occurred around the same time as my exposure to country music. The first two Christian CDs that I can remember my family having were of Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. Even though these two Christian singers are still among my favorite Contemporary Christian artists that I like to listen to, I also like listening to Casting Crowns, MercyMe and other groups whose names that I can't think of off the top of head at the moment.

Currently, up at college, I primarily listen to Contemporary Christian and Country music, although I spend more time listening to Contemporary Christian music more than anything else. As you can see, my interests in music have a large range of difference between them.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Another Genealogy Carnival!

I've just learned earlier today from Miriam's post that another Genealogy carnival has been created! The new carnival is the Canadian Genealogy Carnival. The deadline for the first carnival edition is September 21, and the topic for this carnival is:

"Who were they? How did they get here? Where did they live? Did they move? Do you still have family in Canada? Share with us a bit about your Canadian roots."

You can find out more on the carnival here, on Kathryn's blog.

I've Signed Up For Blog Action Day 2008 ...

I've decided to take part in the Blog Action Day this year, and I'll be posting an article on the fifteenth of October. The topic this year is on poverty. (Most likely it will be pre-published, but that doesn't matter.) I just thought I would let everyone know. If you are interested or curious, you can find out more on the Blog Action Day website.

21st Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted!

The 21st Shades of the Departed guest column has been posted! The author of this week's column is Linda Palmer, and you can read the article here. Enjoy!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I'm Feeling That Disease Too ...

A few days ago, I happened to notice that Randy wrote about suffering from a genealogy illness, and I just want to say that I'm suffering from one right now. Which one? Well, it happens to be the Genealogicus Terminus version. Why? Well, I'm back up at school, and I won't be able to do any family history research for the next several months. In addition, the last microfilm I ordered came in over a week ago Tuesday, and I have not been able to look at it since it came in. (You can see why I'm frustrated, can't you?)

Of course, not all is lost. I was able to talk to my grandpa about the microfilm, and he is willing to take a look at the microfilm to see if he can find anything. (This is the same grandpa who got me interested in genealogy in the first place.) So, as you can imagine, I'm happy about that, and I can't to hear about whether or not he has found anything. I might not find out what it is until I go home for Christmas, but if there is anything, I'll mention it. Stay tuned ...

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

And Another Mystery Photograph ...


Like the photograph I posted yesterday, this photo also came from my great-aunt's album. Unfortunately, she did not label this photograph or write the names of the girls in the picture, and I have no idea as to who these three girls are. I suspect that they might be relatives because these three girls show up in other photographs in the album. Unfortunately, those other pictures were not labeled, so I still do not know who they or when and where this picture was taken. If anyone recognizes these three girls please e-mail me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Genea-bloggers' Games Closing Posted!

The closing ceremony for the Genea-bloggers' Games has been posted, and you can read it here. FootnoteMaven made the medals for the ceremonies, and below are the two medals that I earned.

For the Write, Write, Write category:



For the Genealogical Acts of Kindness:

School Begins!

Classes officially start today, so I do not know much time I will have to blog due to the fact that I have to concentrate on schoolwork. As such, I will be posting less than I did this summer, but I still plan post some posts. I just cannot guarantee the frequency and number of my posts.

Such Lovely Hairstyles, But Who Are They?


As you may remember, I mentioned earlier in the summer that I was scanning some old photographs. Well, this photo happened to be one over a hundred photos in an album kept by my great-aunt. Unfortunately, not all of the photos were labeled, and this happened to be one of those that were not. I chose the above photograph out of the others based upon the hairstyles of the two girls standing to the right side of the girl holding the flowers. Outside of where this picture came from, I do not have any other information. I do not know the names of any of these girls, and I do not know if they are related to my family or not. My first inclination would be to suspect that they might be connected, but then again, there are a few photos in the album that were of friends of my great-aunt. I am uncertain as to where this photo was taken, but if the girls are connected to my family, it could have been possibly taken in either Detroit, Michigan, Cleveland, Ohio, or Elizabeth, New Jersey. Of course, I do not know for sure, but those are my first three guesses based upon what I know from researching that side of the family.

If anyone has any idea of who these girls are or when and where this picture was taken, please contact me either by leaving a comment or by sending an e-mail to jess_history at yahoo dot com with the tag line mystery group of girls. Thanks.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Finally!

I just happened to notice that I am finally on Alltop.com. Yeah!

October Anyone?

I just want to let everyone know that I am still looking for a host for October's edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. If you are interested in hosting that edition please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Getting To Know Me, Getting To Know Jessica's Genejournal

Terry Thornton has issued a challenge for genealogy bloggers to post an article about themselves and their best posts, and I thought I would participate as well. So, here goes my attempt:

My name is Jessica Oswalt, and as the author of Jessica's Genejournal, I try to write articles that deal with genealogy research and history. Most of the articles dealing with genealogy research primarily deal with my experiences and searches into my own family history or with recent genealogy news. Even though I am studying history, I have not yet posted any history articles on my blog, but I am planning to eventually post some articles on an event in history or on the history of a location. One of my goals in the future is to post a well-researched article and submit it to a history carnival. Even though I have mostly focused on genealogy, I am hoping that my articles will either spark interest into family history or just into history in general.

And to give even further proof of my goals, here are my three best articles:

For the category of brightest (a.k.a. best) article, I have chosen Genealogy and History Thoughts Column 14 - My Thoughts on Another "Genealogy is Bunk" Article. Column 14 is my apologia, in a way, explaining why doing research into one's own family history is important, and I chose this column primarily because I believe it is the best article I written so far in arguing why genealogy is important.

For the category of breeziest article, I have chosen Ten Signs You're Addicted to Genealogy. So far, I believe this article has been my best attempt at finding humor in genealogy, and therefore, I chose it for that reason alone.

For the category of most beautiful, I have chosen I Am My Own - Well Not Quite .... I believe this article happens to be one of my best analysis of a part of my family research.

Of course, those are my three best in my opinion. If you disagree with my choices, please leave me a comment with the three articles/posts that you believe are my best. I will not be offended, but I do appreciate it when people do leave comments as I never really know which posts my readers truly enjoy. As always, I am a work-in-progress, and any feedback or suggestions do help me become a better blog writer. I still feel new to blogging even though I have been blogging for over a year now, and in consequence, reader feedback is one of my ways of determining how well I have written my posts.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yes, that's right. It's my birthday today. Yeah!