Family History Center Visit 16

Yesterday, I visited the local Family History Center, and I took another look at the Weisenheim am Berg, Germany church records. I had missed a few entries on a few ancestors, so I decided to go back and look again. I was able to find those records, and I also made larger copies of some other records that I had found before. So, all in all, it was very successful research hour for me, and I guess a good way to end my research for awhile, if not for the rest of the year. The next time I'll be able to do research is around Christmas break, and hopefully, I'll be able to do so. Stay tuned ...

77th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 77th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on:

"Pony Pictures! This is your chance to show off those pony pictures in your family album. Did you ride your first pony at the state fair or on a farm? Did you have to sit on the back and hold on to your older brother? Was your pony real or a rocking horse? Got any pictures of other family members on ponies? Show us the cowboys and cowgirls in your family and tell us the stories to go along with them. Giddyup pony! The deadline for submissions is August 15."

Enjoy!

Google Analytics Report For July 2009

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another google analytics report. Here are the results for July 2009:

The top ten countries, in number of visits, are:

1. United States - 400 visits
2. Canada - 36 visits
3. Brazil - 33 visits
4. United Kingdom - 26 visits
5. Netherlands - 15 visits
6. Argentina - 4 visits
7. Germany - 3 visits
8. Norway - 3 visits
9. New Zealand - 2 visits
10. Poland - 2 visits

The top ten states in the United States, in number of visits, are:

1. Michigan - 89 visits
2. Illinois - 42 visits
3. California - 35 visits
4. Texas - 26 visits
5. Ohio - 19 visits
6. Massachusetts - 15 visits
7. New York - 15 visits
8. Virginia - 14 visits
9. Wisconsin - 11 visits
10. Minnesota - 9 visits

The top ten articles, in number of views, are:

1. 20th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 76 views
2. History Being Destroyed ... - 26 views
3. Frustrated Friday - Who Are Their Parents? - 22 views
4. 76th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 19 views
5. Working Hard: A Scene From the Early Days of the Automobile Industry - 18 views
6. More Records Have Come! - 14 views
7. 15th Edition of the Smile For The Camera Carnival Posted! - 13 views
8. Not Going ... - 13 views
9. Still Looking For Hosts ... - 13 views
10. Tombstone Maker Website - 12 views

Well, that is it for this edition of the Google Analytics Report. To my readers, thank you for reading my blog! Stay tuned for next month's report!

Family History Center Visit 15

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the microfilm of church records from Weisenheim am Berg, Germany. I was able to go through the film and make copies of the church records in two hours. I think that today was one of the most successful research days I have had in a while, and as you can image, I'm pretty happy with my research.

I was able to find two marriage records for my ancestors of two different generations, but I was still unable to find the marriage record for Georg Klippel and Barbara Jost. I don't know if that is due to the missing years in the microfilm, or if it is due to them marrying in another town. When I glanced at Georg's burial record, I think I say something about his marriage, so I'll have to take a look at what that record says first. Overall, though, I am happy with my research. I believe I've moved back a couple more generations on the Klippel maternal side, but I still have to analyze the records. Of course, if I uncover more information, I'll let everyone know. Stay tuned ...

14th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The 14th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been published! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on Irish reading, and topics will be due by August 30th. Enjoy!

Family History Center Visit 14

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center, and with the help of my grandma, I looked at the three microfilms. Two of the microfilms were church records for Manchester, Lancashire, and the other microfilm was of church records in Weisenheim am Berg, Germany.

One of the Manchester microfilms was of baptismal records, and my grandma was able to find my ancestor in the baptismal records. When she looked at the other microfilm, which contained marriage records, she was unable to find the marriage record for that ancestor's parents. It turned out that I ordered the microfilm, and thus, did not get the right years of the marriage records. I'll have to order the right microfilm, although I am not sure when I will be able to do that.

As for the microfilm of German church records, I was able to find the baptismal record of my Klippel ancestor. I then tried to look for other siblings in the baptismal records, but I was only able to find a couple of other siblings. I was able to find the death records of his parents, but I was unable to find the marriage record of his parents. The microfilm was missing some of the years of the church book, so I'll have to look and see if they are on the other microfilm listed in the LDS catalogue. Until then, I cannot do too much research into my Klippel ancestor's maternal side. I was able to find out who his paternal grandparents were, and hopefully, I'll be able to do a little bit more research before I go back to school. So, I guess my research today was somewhat successful. Stay tuned ...

Not Going ...

Well, it looks like I will not be going to the local Family History Center today. The battery in my brother's car decided that today was the day it would die. It looks like I'm going to have to wait until another day. Either way, I'm frustrated ...

Family History Center Update

I just received a phone call from the local Family History Center, and learned that the three other microfilms have arrived. I hope to take a look at the microfilms later today, so stay tuned ...

An Early Irish History Book ...

(I'm writing this book review for the 15th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture early because I don't know if I'll have time later and because I want to make sure that I have an entry for that edition.)

For this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture, I have to read book on Ireland, and so, I checked out a history book on Ireland from my local library. I have finished reading the book today, and the book I read was In Search of Ancient Ireland: The Origins Of The Irish From Neolithic Times To The Coming Of The English by Carmel McCaffrey and Leo Eaton (Chicago: New Amsterdam Books, 2002).

As you probably can tell from the title, this book in on the history Ireland up to the Norman invasion in 1167. I wanted to read up on Irish history for this edition, and as I was not very familiar with early Irish history, I decided to check the book out. This book happens to be a companion book to the PBS TV series In Search of Ireland. The book focuses on social aspects of Irish history and how the Irish lived in the past. Information that I read about in a previous book review on early Irish history meshed nicely with this book, and this book helped to illuminate and explain much of what I had read before. I enjoyed reading this book, and thus, recommend it to others. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I did.

21st Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 21st edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on roadblocks and breakthroughs, and will be hosted by Al of Al's Polish-American Genealogy Research. You can read more information about that edition here. Submissions are due August 8, and the edition will be published on August 15th. Enjoy!

Also I am still looking for a host for two upcoming editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy:

• October
• December

I am especially looking for someone to host October's edition. I have not decided yet, but I might host December's edition. Is anyone interested in hosting the October edition? Pleas contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

My German Ancestors and Their Summertime Experiences ...

For this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern Europe, I'm supposed to write my ancestors' experiences with summers in America and Europe, and to be honest, I really do not know very much about what life was like for my ancestors in Europe or America. (Although when it comes to life in America, I can guess a little about what their summers might have been like.)

Most of my German ancestors settled in the Great Lakes area, primarily in Michigan and Ohio, and since I've grown up in the same region as they settled, I do know what summers are like for the area. Summers in Michigan tend to be hot (Temperatures can range from the 70s to 90s, and sometimes even higher.) and humid. This year the summer has been cooler than it usually is, but even so, I've still had to use the air conditioning because there have several days that were either humid, hot or both. Of course, my ancestors would not have had air conditioning, so they would have had to find other ways to stay cool. Although I'm not completely sure as what my ancestors might have done, I do know that a couple of my ancestors would leave Detroit, either to go to the cottage they owned or to a farm owned by other relatives. Of course, those probably were not the only things my ancestors did, but at the moment, I don't know what they might have done.

As for the weather in Europe, I do not believe I would be too far off to say that they might have had to make a little adjustment, but I cannot say for sure. I have been to Germany in the summer, and from what I remember, the weather was slightly warmer than what I was familiar. Although it was slightly warmer, I think the weather was quite comparable to the weather or the Great Lakes region, so I do not believe my ancestors would have been shocked by the weather in the summertime. As for the weather during wintertime, I think that is a completely different story.

Reminder: Submissions Are Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that the submissions for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due today. You can read more about the topic here, and you can submit your articles here.

Also, I am still looking for hosts for these two months:

• October
• December

If you are interested in hosting either one of these months, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

The Inter-Library Loan Book Has Come In!

Yesterday, the book I ordered through inter-library loan came into the local library, and I picked up the book later that day. I had ordered the book about a week-and-a-half ago, and so, obviously, I'm thrilled that it has arrived. The book I ordered was Revolution und Constitution -Die Brueder Cotta: Eine biographische Studie zum Zeitalter der Franzoesischen Revolution und des Vormaerz by Monika Neugebauer-Woelk (Berlin: Colloquium Verlag, 1989), and as you might be able to tell from the title, the book is a biography of Christoph Friedrich Cotta and his brother, Johann Friedrich Cotta, and their role in the French Revolution.

Obviously, I ordered the book because it was on my ancestor, Christoph Friedrich Cotta and because I believe the book will help me with my research into my Cotta ancestors. As you might have guessed the book is in German, so it'll probably take me awhile to read this book. Of course, I do not if I will have enough time to finish reading the book before I go back to school, but I can just order the book again through interlibrary loan again. Either way, reading this book should be a good way for me to practice my German. Stay tuned ...

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 9

I have finished reading another book, and unlike the previous eight books, this history book was not on the reading list for my history classes. This book was one that I read for fun, and was a gift I received from my parents.

The book I read was Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring by Alexander Rose (New York: Bantnam Book, 2006). As you probably tell from the title of this book, the focus is on George Washington's attempts to create a spy ring to defeat the British during the American Revolution, and on how successful the ring was to gathering and sharing military intelligence with the Continental Army.

(October 15: I did enjoy reading the book, but I will not be adding any other thoughts to this book review as too much time has past since I finished reading the book. I just wanted to get this review posted as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.)

Family History Center Visit 13

Yesterday, I paid a visit to the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the microfilm that had arrived. That microfilm happened to be of civil marriage records from Gelnhausen, Germany, but unfortunately, I was unable to find the marriage record for my ancestors, Adolph Kees and Amelie Cotta. The problem was partially due to the fact that I had difficulty reading the handwriting and partly due to the fact that I was unfamiliar with this record type. (Up until this point in researching my German ancestors, I was only familiar with the civil records in Trippstadt, Germany which was a part of Bavaria in the time frame of my research. Gelnhausen was part of the country of Hessen-Nassau at that time, about early to mid-1800s. Thus, I was looking at the records for another country than I was used to, and so, I was unfamiliar with the records that I was researching.)

Of course, I thought that by ordering the civil records first, I might be able to find a record of my ancestors' marriage without having to look at the church records. (There was more than one microfilm of Protestant churches in the LDS catalogue, so I wasn't sure of which church to look at first.) Obviously, I was unsuccessful, so I'll have to order microfilms from the churches in Gelnhausen the next time. Of course, I'll have to wait until I'm on break from school because I will be going back to school soon. Hopefully, the other three microfilms will come in soon, especially the other German microfilm because I don't have much time left.

Family History Center Update

I called the local Family History Center, and I learned that one of the microfilms, the Gelnhausen, Germany marriage records, I ordered had arrived. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit the center soon, and look-up the marriage record for my Kees and Cotta ancestors.

As for the other microfilms, they haven't come in yet. Apparently, the microfilms have been backlogged, but I hope they come in soon because I won't have very much time left to do research before I go back to school.

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 8

I have finished reading another book, and like the previous seven books posted, this book was on the reading list for my history class.

The book I read this time was Washington County: Politics and Community in Antebellum America by Paul Bourke and Donald De Bats (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995). As you probably could guess from the book's title, the book focuses on the politics and society in Washington County, Oregon before the Civil War.

(October 15, 2009: I had originally planned to post my opinion on this book, but due to the amount of time that has past, I have chosen to post this review without my thoughts.)

Submission Deadline Update

I just want to let everyone know that the deadline for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been extended until the 24th of July. Thanks!

Is Anyone Planning To Submit Articles?

I'm just wondering: Is anyone still planning to submit an article for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy? The submission deadline is supposed to be today, but you need more time, please let me or Thomas know. Thanks!

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 7

Well, I have finished reading another book, and like the previous six books, the book I had to read was also on the reading list for my history class. This time, I read Reforming Men & Women: Gender in the Antebellum City by Bruce Dorsey (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2002).

This book deals with the history of gender ideology in the reform movements in the Antebellum North. The primary focus is on how white men defined their view of manliness against women, African Americans and European immigrants.

(Note from October 10: Since I waited too long to post this book review, I have decided to omit my opinion of the book so that I can post this review.)