Family History Center Visit 1 for 2009

Earlier today I paid a visit to the local Family History Center, and I ordered three microfilms. I order a microfilm of Catholic church records that one of my ancestors attended, and I hope I'll find his confirmation record. I also ordered a microfilm of death records from Trippstadt, Germany and ordered a microfilm of tax records from Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Hopefully, the records will all come in a couple of weeks, and I'll be able to find out more information on my ancestors. Wish me luck!

Doing the Happy Dance: Finding Answers

To be honest, I'm not sure I have ever done a happy dance after finding a key piece of information, but I do know that I have uncovered some key pieces of information in the few years since I started doing genealogy research. Even though I don't actually get up and dance when I find a new piece of information, I am cheering in my mind. So, here are a few of the successes I have had since I began researching my family's history:

• Finding an ancestor's grave. - I have already started to write about the search for this ancestor's grave on my other genealogy blog, but I haven't finished the story yet. You can read the first three parts here, here and here.
• Finding the county in Pennsylvania where my Civil War ancestor came from. - When I ordered Adam Oswalt's Civil War Pension file, he gave his birthplace as outside of Huntingdon, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. Since the information came from his testimony, the chances are pretty good that the information is accurate.
• Finding my ancestors in the 1894 Michigan state census. - This census helped to establish a link to my ancestor to another man, who had the same surname as my ancestor, that I suspect was connected but did not have proof.

Of course, there are several other successes that I have had in the five plus years that I began doing genealogy, but at the moment, I can't think of all of them. Someday, I'll list the other successes when I have a little bit more time.

A Little Update on That Michigan History Article ...

I just want to give everyone an update on the history article for Michigan that I was going to post on this blog. I am unsure if I will actually post an article because I have decided to turn this idea into a book, but I might post something. At the moment, I have just begun to do research on the topic, and I don't know when I will finish my research. I might post some more updates on the topic in the future. I just thought I would let everyone know.

Looking For Future Hosts

As everyone probably knows by now, I am still looking for hosts for future editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Here are the months that are still available:

• April
• May
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Looking For Future Hosts ...

I just want to let everyone know that I am still looking for future hosts for upcoming editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Here are the months that are still open:

• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting a future edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

15th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

The fifteenth edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has finally arrived! For this edition, the submitters were asked to submit articles on history books they read or are reading that deal with Central and Eastern European history. This edition is a bit longer than the last edition, but it contains articles on history books from different countries. So, let's take a look at the books!

First off, we have an article from Diane Rogers of CanadaGenealogy. In Ukraine: An Illustrated History -Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 15th Edition, she writes about an illustrated book on an overview of the history of Ukraine, and she also recommends other history and genealogy books that deal with Ukraine and Ukrainian emigration to Canada.

Next, we have an article from Lisa of 100 Years in America. In A lot can happen in 100 years, she writes about a book that depicts images of places around the world from 100 years ago to the present day, and some of the pictures she highlights were taken in Central and Eastern Europe.

Next, we have an article from Miriam of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. In The Zion Covenant Series, she writes about a series of historical fiction books that are mostly set in Central and Eastern Europe during the Holocaust and World War Two.

Last, but not least, we have two articles from Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal. In The Byzantine Empire: A History Book, she writes about a history book she is reading that gives an overview of the history of the Byzantine Empire. In A History of Hungary, she resubmits a previous submission on a book that gives an overview of the history of Hungary.

Well, that is it for this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I hope a history book that you might be interested in reading. The topic for the next edition will be a carousel, so all articles that focus on genealogy and Central and Eastern Europe will be accepted. Submissions are due on February 22, and the edition will be published on the 24th. You can submit your article here. Enjoy!

Three Ladies in the 1940s?

This photograph is another picture from my great-aunt's album, and again, I do not know who these women are. I am assuming that they are either family members or friends of my great-aunt. I am guessing that this picture was taken in the 1940s and that it had to be either summer or early fall when this picture was taken. This picture could have been taken in Michigan, but I do not know for sure. If you recognize any of these ladies, please contact me by e-mail at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

More Records Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search

Some records have been added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search. The records added are the Irish civil registrations, 1869 Argentina census, and the San Francisco, California funeral home records. I hope this helps someone. As for me, I am going to take a look at the Irish records. Enjoy!

Submissions For the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I just want to let everyone know that I am still accepting submissions for the upcoming edition until Sunday evening since I believe there are some people who still want to submit articles. I will post the edition on Monday. Thanks!

Submissions Are Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due today, but I will still accept articles that are submitted tomorrow. (If you need more time, please leave me a note in the comment section. Thanks!)

Submissions Are Due Friday!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due Friday. If you need more time, please let me know.

Also, I am still looking for a host for February, but if you want to host that month's edition, please contact me by Friday. You can contact me at my e-mail: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks.

And More On Irene Havens: Part Four

In my previous post on my Havens ancestor, I left off with the mistakes I made in trying to establish who were the parents of Irene and Rhoda Havens. For this post, I want to continue writing about my search for my ancestor's parents. (Although I stated I that I was going to list my sources at the end of this article, I am unsure if I will be able to finish with my analysis in this post due to the possible length. Therefore, I will post the sources at the end of my analysis post.)

Until I viewed Rhoda's death record, I did not know if I was right or wrong about who Gordon and Salinda. Well, during the summer of 2007, I finally was able to view Rhoda's death record when I visited the local Family History Center near my home. This Family History Center had microfilms of the first three books of Saint Joseph County's death records, and since I had checked Saint Joseph's online death index to confirm that Rhoda's death was recorded in Saint Joseph county, I was able to quickly look up her death. Instead of seeing Gordon and Salinda Havens listed as Rhoda's parents, I discovered that Rhoda's mother was listed as Clarissa Mandigo and the father was only listed with his surname, Havens. (As you can imagine, that was a shock for me.)

So, my next step was to do research on this Clarissa Mandigo, and find out more information on her. In the next post, I will continue my research on Rhoda and Irene Havens' connection to Clarissa Mandigo, and post on what I discovered. Stay tuned ...

13th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities Posted!

The thirteenth edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!
(I keep forgetting to post an announcement whenever a new edition is posted. I'm terribly sorry about that, Tim.)

11th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The eleventh edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be Saint Patrick's Day Parade, and you find out more information here. Enjoy!

The Byzantine Empire: A History Book

For this upcoming edition of the Carnival of the Central and Eastern European Genealogy, I am supposed to read a history book that deals with an aspect of the history of Central or Eastern Europe.

I have not yet finished the book I am reading, but I thought I would write a brief summary of what I have read. (Actually, I have been reading this book off and on for the past several years.) The book I chose was History of the Byzantine State, 3rd edition by George Ostrogorsky (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1999).

As you can tell from the title, the book is a history on the Byzantine Empire. (When I was in high school, I wanted to learn more about the history of that empire, so my grandparents bought this book for me as a Christmas gift.) The book spans the whole time period of the Empire, from the early Fourth Century to its collapse in 1453, but unfortunately, the book is probably not the best book to read if you just want to briefly read about the empire. It is a scholarly book and apparently was not intended for the general reading public. Thus, I have spent the last several years reading this book off and on because it is very dry and technical. Of course, after I went to college, the book got easier to read, but it is still a slow read.

Would I recommend this book? If you want a quick read on the Byzantine Empire, this is not the book for you. In fact, I would not recommend this book to the general reader, although I have learned more about the Byzantine Empire by reading this book.

64th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 64th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is:

The Happy Dance. The Joy of Genealogy. Almost everyone has experienced
it. Tell us about the first time, or the last time, or the best time. What
event, what document, what special find has caused you to stand up and cheer, to
go crazy with joy? If you haven't ever done the Happy Dance, tell us what you
think it would take for you to do so. This next edition will be hosted by Becky
at kinexxions.
Thanks Becky! The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1st.

Enjoy!

One More Week!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the next edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due in a week! The topic is on a history book on the area, but do not need to finish reading the book to submit an article. If anyone needs more time, please let me know.

Also, I am still looking for hosts for future editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The months still open are:

• February
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

If anyone is interested in hosting the February edition, please let me know by next Friday, the 23rd. Thanks!

9th Edition of the Smile For the Camera Posted!

The ninth edition of the Smile For the Camera has been posted! You can read the edition here. The topic for the next edition is:

Costume? No, not as in Halloween. Costume as in dress in general; especially the
distinctive style of dress of a people, class, or period. Show us that picture
that you found with your family collection or purchased that shows the costumes
of the rich to the not so rich, from the civil war to the psychedelic sixties. I
know you have them, so share. Admission is free with every photograph!

Also, the deadline for this carnival is February 15th. Enjoy!

More Records Added to FamilySearch's Record Search

A few more records have been added to FamilySearch Lab's record search. The records added are church records for Aguascalientes parish in Mexico, the 1916 census for Canada and church records for Costa Rica. I hope these records help you. Enjoy!

Some Info on the 1911 U.K. Census ...

I just happened to notice that John Reid over at Anglo-Celtic Connections has posted some news on the releasing of the 1911 U.K. You can read about it here. Enjoy!