My Cloud of Words ...

Over the past couple of days, other bloggers have been posting clouds of words from their own blogs. I've decided to do so myself, and so here is my word cloud for my blog:

added american ancestors ancestral ancestry antrim appears area article ballymena blog born carnival central check church civil column com comments connections contest copyright county creative date depict diary eastern eastman edition email european family familysearch float gene genealogist genealogy groups heritage history index information interesting ireland irish jasia jessica john journal labels library link lisa lived local married michigan miriam moment morales nancy news newsletter online partition past pennsylvania people pm poll posted powered project records reminder research roots scenes scottish smith society states stories subscribe think thoughts topic town tree united vital war west western writing written yahoo year

created at TagCrowd.com

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today I have added two more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• Harold Henderson's Midwest Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog
• The Polish Genealogy Project

You can find these and other blogs on the lower left hand side of the page. Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are welcome.

More on Pennsylvania Records ...

I've run across some other links on the drive to index Pennsylvanian vital records. One short article can be found in the Ancestry newsletter. The other link came from an e-mail that I received from a genealogy group.

Some Disturbing News ...

I just ran across this story a few minutes ago on yahoo, and I thought that maybe some of you would want to read this article. It is the actions of people like that who make me sick.

A TV Genealogy Show!

I just got my copy of the February edition of the Reader's Digest in the mail yesterday, and learned that the show African American Lives 2 will be put on the air by PBS on February 6 and 13. From the little blurb that I read, it appears that the show will be very interesting and exciting. I hope to find out what time it is to be shown on my local PBS channel. Enjoy!

3rd Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

It is time for the third edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern Genealogy. The topic for this carnival was stories. The stories could range from ancestral stories to folklore to history.

First off, we have 1775: Yemelyan Pugachev written by Jason of Executed Today. This article gives information and background on the man who led an uprising against Catherine the Great of Russia and also alludes to the uprising's impact upon Russian literature.

Next, we have two articles, Snapshot 1908, Galician Partition of Poland and Snapshot 1908, Russian Partition of Poland written by Jasia of Creative Gene. These articles deal with what Jasia's grandparents' lives would have been like in their ancestral villages in the year 1908.

Now, last but not least, we have Travel Writing Contest! written by Michael of Traveling Stories Magazine. As the title of the article suggests, this article is about a writing contest. Although this article does not relate to Central or Eastern Europe, I have included it as it still fits into the stories category.

And so that ends this carnival. The topic for the next carnival is a carousel. Article topics for this carnival can deal with stories, traditions, food, history, etc. of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The deadline for the next edition of the carnival will be February 18th. You can submit your article here.

A Family History Float ...

Earlier this month, Bill West put out a challenge for genealogy bloggers to come up with their own parade floats. Having just read Randy Seaver's post, I've decided to come up with my own float.

As to what I would have on my float, it is more difficult to decide. As I have mentioned before, I have ancestors from the U. K., Germany and early-1800s America, and as my ancestors come from a variety of areas, it would be difficult to adequately represent my heritage through scenes or images on my float. I think the best representation of my heritage would be to depict scenes from the history of Michigan that my ancestors would have experienced since I have ancestors who continuously lived in Michigan for the past 150 years.

So, what scenes would I depict? I probably would have a scene from the Civil War era, and the rest of the float would probably depict the major industries that Michigan has been known for in the past. Other than that, I can't think of what else I would put on my float as family has lived in Michigan for a long period of time.

Antrim County, Ireland

So far in my research, I have discovered that I have at least two ancestors who were born in Ireland. At the moment, I do not know where in Ireland they were born, I do know where and when they married. One piece of information that one can glean from a Scottish birth certificate is the date and place of the child's parents' marriage. As one of my great-grandfathers was born in Scotland, I have a date and place. According to this certificate, my great-great-grandparents were married in Ballymena, Antrim County, Ireland.

Antrim county happens to be in Northern Ireland. According to Ballymena's town council website, Ballymena has been settled for centuries. You can read more about the history of this town here and here. One of the attractions appears to be a mountain located north of the town of which more information can be found here. From looking at the official tourist site, I think I would be fascinated by the history and the old churches and buildings of the town.

Of course, I do not know if either of my ancestors were born there or lived there. All I know at the moment is that they got married there, and I do not know at which church they would have married. Hopefully, I will be able to find that answer in the near future.

New Poll Created!

I have created a new poll, and the question is "Should I continue the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy?" Your choices are:

• Yes
• No
• I don't know.

The reason that I have posted this poll is that I have not gotten very much of a response since I started this carnival, and I am wondering if it is worth it to continue this carnival. I would appreciate any suggestions or advice.

Carnival Deadline Extended Again!

Again, I have decided to extend the deadline for the submission of entries of the next carnival. This time you have the opportunity to submit an article up until 9 p. m. eastern standard time on the 28th. The topic for this carnival is on stories. Entries can be on family stories, folklore or history as long as it relates somehow to Central and Eastern Europe. You can submit your entries here.

A Family Dinner Affair?

If you could have dinner with four of your ancestors, who would you chose and why?

A difficult question to answer, if you ask me. So, who would I chose to have dinner with? Well, I would definitely invite my Civil War ancestor, Adam. Why? Well, I have a lot of questions to ask, especially questions about his children, siblings and parents. I'd want to confirm who his siblings were and the names of all the children. Also, I want to ask him about his service and his childhood. As you can see, I have a lot of questions to ask him. Plus, I want to see what he looks like as I don't have a picture of him and get an idea of what his personality was like.

And now for the difficult part: choosing the other three ancestors to invite. Do I split my invitation by gender or by the parental side that the ancestor came from? It is definitely a complex decision to make.

I definitely would like to invite one of my German - speaking ancestors, not only to ask him or her questions about his or her family, but also so that I could (technically speaking) practice speaking German. I realize that is an impossibility, but since it is an imaginary situation, it could be a hypothetical possibility. I am not sure, though, which German ancestor I would invite.

I suppose for the last two ancestors, I could invite Jacob and Barbara Detwiler. I definitely have questions to ask them about their parents and family members. Plus, I would like to know what convinced them to move to Michigan.

Of course I do have two other ancestors that I could invite. Again, I would be asking those two ancestors the same questions that I would be asking Jacob and Barbara.

As to whether I would want to want to eat a home cooked meal or a meal at a restaurant, I think I would prefer a home cooked meal as that meal would give me an idea of what my ancestors ate, the economic status of my ancestors and, of course, the ethnic heritage of my ancestors.

As to which era I would want to eat in, I would rather eat in the era of my ancestors because as a history major, I would find experiencing my ancestors' eras as exciting and adventurous, and because eating in their eras would give me an idea of what their lives were like. Plus, I believe it would be easier for me to experience their lives as I don't believe they would be able to handle the way of life in my era. I think it would be too overwhelming and shocking for them.

Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column Eleven

Some days I wish I had old letters that my ancestors wrote, but I'm not fortunate enough. I do have two old letters, but they are from cousins of my ancestors and not my direct ancestors. One letter I am unsure of who wrote the letter and to whom the letter was addressed. All I know is that the letter was in some papers of my great-grandmother's cousin. The second letter is again from the same branch, except this time, it was written by my great-grandmother's aunt to her son (my great-grandmother's cousin).

So, why am I writing this? Well, old letters are nice to have as they can shed light upon ancestors in way that other records cannot do. What I mean is that one can get a sense of what an ancestor's personality was like from reading the letter they wrote. Also, you would probably learn about the ancestor's friends and hometown. You would get a much better sense of what a person was going through. In short, a letter is a real glimpse into history. It is one of those rare times that history can come to life for a person. Newspapers articles can do that as well, but I think letters are more effective at making history sink in a person's mind. (You may or may not have remembered but I did write about the effect some old newspaper articles had on me in a previous column.)

Of course, it would be nice, but again, I know nothing of any other old family letters. I would have loved to be able to read letters from the nineteenth century, but as far as I know, any possible letters did not either survive. Or the letters never existed as I know my Civil War ancestor did not know how to write, nor his parents. I am not sure if his son even knew, although it appears that two of his children did learn to read and write. Maybe I just haven't found any of those letters, or maybe one of my cousins has some old letters. I have not yet checked.

So, how many of you have found or have letters written by your ancestors? How did you find them?

Reminder About the Carnival of Central and Eastern Genealogy

I'll be the first to admit it; the deadline for this carnival came up faster than I expected. Again, the topic for this carnival is on stories. I will still accept entries through tomorrow and up to noon on the 27th. I have received a few entries, but the majority do not appear to be on the topic.

What's Being Indexed by FamilySearch Indexing?

I happen to be a volunteer indexer for FamilySearch Indexing, and I thought I would just mention some of the records being indexed at the moment. A couple of records are:

• Indexes of the Irish BMD
• 1850 U. S. Federal Census

Of course there are other records being being indexed but the moment, these are two projects that have caught my attention. If you want to find out more information, click here.

Genealogy Societies and Membership ...

Over the past few days, several bloggers posted on the issue of genealogical societies and membership. Jasia, Terry and Denise were just a few of the bloggers who posted on the issue. I couldn't help but add my thoughts to this debate.

I realize that one of the issues is that membership is declining in genealogy societies, but I would like to bring up briefly why members of my generation are not members. I am not a member of a genealogical society, nor have I ever been a member. I haven't been a member because I have been a student, even when I began doing genealogy research in high school. Back then, I did not consider joining because I would not have been able to afford the dues, nor would I have had the time to go as I was busy with school. Even though I am now in college, I still do not give much thought to joining a society as I am busy with school. My first priority is to getting my school work done. Joining a society is not very high on my priority list. Will that ever change? Maybe, but that won't be until after I've graduated and have a job.

Do college students join anything? Sure. Many students join clubs on the college's campus. Of course, I do not know of how many people my age are into genealogy. If they have not joined any genealogical societies, it is probably because of school and work. A college student who goes to school full-time and works, usually does not have much more time than to be involved in a college club outside of school and work. Also, if a college student is working to pay for their education, he or she probably is not going to be able to afford the dues of a genealogy society as a college education is quite expensive. (Of course, I also do not know how much genealogy societies charge in the way of dues.)

Plus, this is a time in a person's life when people are dating, getting engaged or getting married. I don't believe that many of the people my age who are into genealogy (if there are many) would be interested in joining a society as this is a time in which a person's life is rapidly changing. This is the time of a person's life when he or she is just starting to live on his or her own. Of course, this probably also explains why many people in my age group do not express an interest in genealogy. As the lives of people my age are undergoing changes, my peers are more likely to focus on the present and not think about their family's history. If you asked many of my peers about genealogy, they would probably not know what it is or not care. I hesitate to put down not caring, although that is probably true in most cases. When you are just starting to gain Independence, you probably are not going to focus on the past or on your family as you just starting out on your own. Also, some people of my age are not interested in genealogy as a result of the behavior of other family members. For most of my peers, this is a time in a person's life when one is more interested in their individuality than the identity of their family.

So, what do you think? For those of into genealogy who are in college, am I right or am I wrong? As always, you can leave a comment with your opinion.

Poll Results

The poll is now closed, and the results are in. The question for this poll was, "What topics would you like to see covered in the Genealogy and History Thoughts columns?" Six people voted, and the results are:

• Personal research experiences - 1 vote
• contemporary genealogy issues - 4 votes
• Information on historical events - 0 votes
• Information on historical places or landmarks - 1 vote
• Information on the history of a location - 0 votes

To those that voted, thank you for participating. Enjoy!

Oh The Weather ...

For the past few days, it has snowed almost continuously, and it is still snowing outside. (At least that has been true for the area of West Michigan where I am at.) I'm guessing that there is at least four inches or more out on the ground. Sometimes I wonder if my ancestors experienced winters in Michigan similar to the winters I have experienced, or if their winters were worse. Someday, I'll get around to looking that up.

More History Blogs Added!

Today I have added two more history blogs to the list. The blogs added are:

• Detour Through History
• Local History Blog - Ann Arbor District Library (Note: I learned about this blog from Jasia's post.)

You can find these and other blogs on the lower left side of the page below the genealogy blogs. Any suggestions for other genealogy and history blogs are welcome.

About Scotland's People ...

Earlier today, I noticed that Dear Myrtle had posted on the site of Scotland's People. Even though this article was on the site joining with another U. K. genealogy site, I thought that I would post an article about the site.

Scotland's People is a pay-per-view site to view the vital records and census records of Scotland up to the early 1900s. Usually one pays for a price for a number of credits for a period of a time. I have never tried the site, although I have read the about information on the website. Again, I did not mention this site in my previous post because one has to pay for credits to view the information. The purpose of my previous post was to mention free sites.

I have not tried this site as I haven't had the opportunity to do so. Also, I do not know how beneficial this site would be to me as my research has indicated that my ancestors only lived in Scotland for about a generation. Therefore, I don't know if this site is any benefit to me.

More History Blogs Added!

Today I have added a couple more history blogs to the list. The blogs added are:

• Bay City, Michigan History
• Michigan Civil War Blog

I learned about these two blogs from Jasia's post. You can find these and other history blogs on the lower left side of the page below the genealogy blogs. Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are welcome.

Congrats to Jasia!

I just want to say, "Congrats!" to Jasia, who won the free DNA test. You can read Blaine Bettinger's post on the results here.

Some Free Online United Kingdom Databases

In some previous posts, I mentioned that I have British ancestry, and I thought that I would mention a few free online databases for those who are just beginning to do research on their British ancestors. So here are a few free databases and what they cover:

• Free BMD - This database covers births, marriages and deaths of England and Wales from 1837 to the early 1900s. If you have ancestors who died, married or were born in England and Wales in 1837 or later, you might find them in this index. (Please note: You will not find any vital records later than the early 1900s in this database.)
• UK BMD - This database covers some vital records from select counties and cities of Wales and England. Again, the vital records begin in 1837, and continue on into the 20th Century a lit bit later than the database above. (Please note: I have linked to the page where one can search the multiple databases, but the page has links to the local county pages.)
• Public Record Office of Northern Ireland - This site has a couple databases for Northern Ireland records. I learned about this site from John Reid's blog.

As you may have noticed, I have not included any free sites for Scotland as I did not know of any free sites. Hopefully, in future posts, I will write about other free sites for the U.K. If you know of any other sites, any suggestions are welcome. Enjoy!

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The latest edition of the carnival of genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is, "If you could have dinner with four of your ancestors, who would they be and why?"

1808: Where Were My Ancestors?

"Where were your ancestors in 1808?" That is the question that Donna over at What's Past is Prologue has posted. Her post is similar to the challenge that Lisa of 100 Years in America posted, except that the year is 1808 and not 1908.

So, where were my ancestors? Well, the question was not an easy one for me to answer. I have only been able to research back to about the 1820s and to the mid-19th century on my lines, and therefore, I am not completely sure as to where my ancestors were.

For a few lines, I can make an educated guess about the location of some of my ancestors. For my British ancestors, all I can say is that some of them would have been living in the county of the Lancashire. (My ancestors lived in various towns of the county.) As for the rest of my British ancestors, I can't get any more specific.

Three of my American lines go back to Pennsylvania. I can't exactly state where these ancestors were at, but the ancestors of these lines should have been living in Pennsylvania at this time.

As for my German ancestors, I can't state with any certainty which kingdom they lived in, nor do I know with any certainty which towns or villages they lived.

So, as you can see, I have quite a few holes in my research going back to this date. I know less about the location of my ancestors in this year than I did for them in 1908.

Response to "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1908?" Posted

Lisa over at 100 Years in America has posted a list of articles written in response to her question, "Where were your ancestors in 1908?" You can read the article here.

Local History and Genealogy Blogs

Earlier today, Terry Thornton put out a challenge for genealogy bloggers to list local history and genealogy blogs, and I've decided to participate. So, here are my recommendations:

• Sandusky History - This blog focuses on the history of Sandusky, Ohio and is maintained by the Sandusky Library Archives. I realize that this blog is not from my local area, but I'm including it as my family has a cottage about a half-hour's drive west of Sandusky. So, I guess it would be considered local, as I consider the area a second home.
• Westport (Massachusetts) History - I am not sure if this site is a blog, but it is the site for the historical society of Westport, Massachusetts.
• Ancestor Research Log - This a genealogy blog maintained by the public library of Plymouth, Michigan. The blog mostly covers genealogy news and information on genealogy sources, especially on Michigan sources.
• Pieces of Wild Rose, WI Area Genealogy and My Own - The focus of this blog is on doing genealogical research in the area of Wild Rose, Wisconsin.

At the moment I can't think of anymore blogs. I know I more listed on the lower left side of the page. I have just mentioned blogs that were mainly from the Great Lakes area. Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are always welcome.

Update 1/16 at 11:15pm: Correction - I misstated when I said it was Terry who put out the challenge. It was Denise Olson who actually posted the challenge. I'm sorry for any confusion that I might have caused.

Doing Research at the Library of Michigan

Although it has been a while since I have done research at the Library of Michigan, I thought I would write a post about my experiences since Jasia and Randy briefly blogged about the library.

Both the Library of Michigan and the State Archives of Michigan are in the same building, but are on different sides of the building. Again, I will only be posting in this post on the library.

The library is on the left side (walking into the building) of the building and is on the second floor. After taking the elevator up to the second floor, one will notice that the floor is divided between two sides of bookshelves and in the center, a row of tables. On the side of the floor that has the elevator, there is an area where one can access the internet and genealogy databases from a computer. Near the computer work-stations is the librarian's reference desk. Past the reference desk is the microfilm room where one can view censuses and vital records. The other side of the floor also has a microfilm room, but that room holds the microfilms of newspapers. (I have only gone into the newspaper room once, so I am not as familiar with what newspapers are on microfilm.)

The microfilm room near the reference desk holds, among other records, vital records and censuses. The library holds these vital records:

• Marriages - 1867 (or 1868 for some counties) to 1925. I forget the exact year, but I believe after 1921, the marriages are not indexed.
• Births - Supposedly from 1867 to 1915. (I have only seen indexes for a few years, and I haven't found any actual images for the early births.
• Deaths - 1867 to 1920. After 1915, the deaths are not indexed. Please note that Detroit deaths (and births) are kept on separate films from the rest of Wayne County.
• Censuses - Federal and state. (Most of the state censuses are from the years 1885 and 1895.) You will only be able to view the population schedules for the federal censuses. If you want to view the other schedules of those censuses, you will have to go to the State Archives.

In addition to records on microfilm, the library also has information on Michigan and other states, and has city directories for Michigan cities.

Again, I must state that I am relying on my memory for this post. I could be wrong. To check for more up-to-date information, click here to go to the library's website.

Top Ten Genealogy Blogs List Posted!

I just want to briefly mention that Kimberly Powell of About.com:Genealogy has posted a list of the top ten genealogy blogs. Of course I wasn't the first to post about this list. Randy Seaver, Jasia and Terry Thornton all blogged about this article before me, and I don't believe I can add any more to my post than what they have in their posts. Even though I am not on the top ten list, I still thought it would be nice to mention that a list has been published, and I just want to say, "Congrats!" to those who did get on the list.

World Vital Records Changes Name!

I just learned earlier today from World Vital Record's e-mail newsletter that World Vital Records has changed its name to Familylink.com. You can read more about the name change here.

Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column Ten

Why should genealogists cite their sources?

I realize that I and other genealogy bloggers have blogged before or touched on the issue of citing sources, but I wanted write about this issue again.

The lack of citations on genealogical information is a pet-peeve for me. It could just be that the drilling and insistence upon citing sources in papers in school has made me hyper-aware of the need for citations, but when I see family trees without citations, I get upset. As a history student, I have to cite my sources in any paper that I write, or I will face serious reprisals if I do not. I would be guilty of plagiarism, a form of stealing, and I could face either failing a paper or a course or getting expelled from school. Outside of academia, I could possibly be sued, as the lack of citations would indicate that I was claiming the words or ideas were my own, which in reality was not true.

I realize that from the previous paragraph, some people will consider my stance on this issue as being too serious, as these people are only doing genealogy for fun. I am also doing my family's genealogy for fun (I'm not a professional genealogist), but I am taking the time to cite my sources because the practice is ethical and because the practice saves me time. Even though I am a college student, I don't have all the time in the world, as is probably true for most genealogists. I do most of my research in the summer when I am not in school, and although I have more time then, I usually only get to visit the area where my ancestors lived about once, if I get the chance at all. I don't want to waste my limited time going over sources that I have looked at before. Plus, I am not going to remember where I found all of my information when I look over it later that evening. The citation of sources is even more important for me as I always have a couple of family members assisting with the research. If my relatives don't cite the source of their information, I am going to waste time trying to find the source of that information, especially when I could be spending the time looking at another source. I should be able to spend my time efficiently since I have relatives helping me. Of course, I have had the situation where one of my relatives did not put down the citation, and I had to spend time looking for that information again. I have also mistakenly transcribed a couple of records, and I have had to double-check some records. If you have the citation for the source, you can easily find the source within a couple of minutes. Thus, citing one's sources is quite practical.

Besides enabling one to find a source, citing also allows one the ability to be able to share quality information. What I mean is the information that one gives on a person is verifiable. The person requesting the information can find out where you got your information. For example, if someone requested information from me about one of my ancestors, I should be able to not only give that person information but I should be able to point that person in the right direction if that person wants to be able to look-up the information himself. Or in my case, when I have inquired for information on a person, who might be the same person as my ancestor, in another family tree, I hoping that I the owner of the tree will have some new information or will be able to point me in the direction where I can find a source of information. There have been times when I have contacted people who did not have any information on sources or where I could find their information. It is always frustrating to me when I find a tree with a possible connection, only to learn that the owner does not have any hard evidence to back up his or her claim.

Hopefully, by the end of this column you have understood the importance of citing one's sources. I realize that there are many experienced genealogists out there who already cite the sources of their information. My intention is not to patronize those who already know the importance of citing, but rather at those who are just beginning to do research, so that newcomers will understand why writing down where one found information is important.

So, what do you think? As always, you are welcome to leave a comment.

Family Mystery - Missing Person ...

Almost all of us probably have some family mysteries or something close to being a mystery. I blogged about one mystery a couple of months ago, but I haven't blogged about another mystery that I am trying to solve.

I only call it a mystery as I have not been able to find one of my ancestor's older brothers. (This is for a different family than the ones I have blogged about before.) The last time I can find him is in the 1900 census. After that, I have no idea where is. In his father's probate packet, his sister listed his place of residence as unknown, and that was in 1910. There is a probate file for him in the Saint Joseph County's Probate office, and the reason given for the file is missing. I have not yet checked this probate file, so I might be able to find some answers or clues from that packet. Hopefully, when I have time, I'll be able to take a look, as this inability to find him has been frustrating to me. (I'm sorry, if I'm starting to rant.)

So, why am I writing this? Well, I figured that other genealogists have come across a problem similar to one like mine. Has anyone been able to resolve a missing ancestral relative mystery? How did you solve the mystery?

Just A Quick Reminder ...

I just want to remind everyone that entries for the next Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due by January 25. The topic for this upcoming carnival is on stories. The entries can range from folklore stories to stories about your ancestors from Central and Eastern Europe. You can find out more here.

Connecting With Cousins

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have made connections with distant cousins, even though I have not met them in person. (I will not mention the names of my cousins as I do not have their permission. I'm not going to use any names, real or fake.)

So, how did I connect with other cousins? I mainly made connections through the message boards at Rootsweb and Genealogy.com. I have also connected with other cousins through contacting the owners of family trees that have my ancestors. In a couple of cases, I connected with cousins that I did not know, but were known by my grandparents. So, I have been able to verify people's claims that way. I must state, though, that I have only connected with a few cousins. I have not connected with very many cousins.

Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column Nine

Over this past week, Randy Seaver and Lee Anders have blogged about whether or not to help other people search for living people, and I thought that I would add my two cents to this debate.

To be honest, I really haven't searched for living people at the request of strangers. The closest I have come to looking for a living person is when I looked up the phone number of cousin for one of my cousins. Of course, I also knew why my distant cousin wanted to contact this other cousin; we were both hoping that this cousin might know more about our family's history. Outside of that situation, I have not been asked to search for living people.

Would I search for living people? Probably not. Personally, I don't like searching for living people as I feel that would be an invasion of a person's privacy. I truly believe that people have a right to their privacy, and I don't like the idea of intruding into people's lives. As I have stated before, I really haven't had to deal with this issue, and I really don't have any experience in searching for living people.

The only genealogy research that I engage in at the moment is my own genealogy. I have never been asked to help anyone do any genealogical research. When I have contacted people that I did not know on a line, I have either contacted that person through e-mail or on a message board, and even then, I clearly state that I believe we share a connection with the explanation as to how. Again, when I do contact strangers, I am only contacting that person or persons in the hope that maybe he or she has some information that would help me make a connection with an ancestor.

I won't go into detail about the ethical and legal issues of this problem as the issues have already been covered and to write about them would be redundant. But I can't help putting myself into the shoes of the person who is being searched for. If I knew that someone was searching for me, would I like that? Probably not. I mean, would I really want a classmate from elementary school searching for me? Probably not. Sometimes people don't want to be contacted by someone from their past for various reasons. If this person had not been a friend, I'm not sure if I would want to be contacted by someone who I haven't seen for the past forty years. Of course, some people would not have a problem. Maybe it is just me who has the problem. I honestly don't know.

Congragulations to Blaine Bettinger!

I just want to congratulate Blaine Bettinger for becoming a member of the Journal of Genetic Genealogy. I just noticed his announcement, and I want to say, "Congrats!"

New Poll Created!

I have just created a new poll, in order to determine what topics I should write about in my Genealogy and History Thoughts columns. The question is: "What topics would you like to see covered in the Genealogy and History Thoughts columns?" The choices are:

• Personal research experiences
• Contemporary genealogy issues
• Information on historical events
• Information on historical places or landmarks
• Information on the history of a location

Even though I have given five choices, you do not have to limit yourself to these five. If you would like to see a topic or have an idea, please feel free to leave a comment on this post.

Note About the Genealogy and History Thoughts Columns

As you probably know, I have not posted a Genealogy and History Thoughts column in a while. Since I last posted one of the columns, I have been very busy. I have not discontinued the column, and I will start posting this columns. I do not believe I will be able to post a column every week as I originally intended because I am expecting another busy semester at school. Even though the columns will not be as regular, I still hope to write and post more columns in the coming months.

Genealogy Article on Pennsylvania Records ...

A couple of days ago, I noticed that Randy Seaver posted an article on Pennsylvania records. I have been busy lately, so I did not have a chance to post on this article earlier.

Of course, I read this article with interest, as I have at least three major lines that come from Pennsylvania. The only problem for me is that my ancestors lived in Pennsylvania before the state began to collect vital records. All of them died before death records were instituted, so I don't have death certificates to look at. The only records on death that I would find are probate records, church records, or newspaper death notices/obituaries. My biggest problem at the moment is trying to determine the church or churches that my ancestors attended. So far, I have not been successful in determining which ones those churches are. Another road block to my research is that I do not live in Pennsylvania, and so far, I have only been able to do my research from outside of the state. I have not researched in Pennsylvania yet.

But I digress, as the article was not on records before recording was instituted. This article was on the efforts of other researchers to get Pennsylvania to allow for wider access to its vital records, especially in the form of death certificates. The article ended with the suggestion that researchers write to the Governor and state Representatives about changing the law. Even though most of my research will deal with records pre-1906, I probably should write a letter when I have the time to do so.

Also, on another note, I just want to mention that Lisa at Small-Leaved Shamrock also wrote an article about this issue back in December.

New Genealogy Blog Added!

Today, I have added another genealogy blog. The blog added is:

• What's Past Is Prologue

I first learned about this blog from Jasia's post. You can find this blog and other genealogy and history blogs on the lower left hand side of the page. Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are welcome.

The Genetic Genealogist Hosts Contest For Free DNA Test!

I realize that other people have already posted about this contest in the past few days that Blaine Bettinger at The Genetic Genealogist, but I decided to post on this contest as well.

So, what are the requirements to enter? Well, one could post an article on the contest on his or her blog, and leave a comment with the URL for the post entry. One could subscribe to the feed of The Genetic Genealogist blog, or one could leave a comment explaining why one would to win the contest.

What is the prize? The prize is a free DNA test, and one could choose one test out of three. One could choose either a mDNA test, or from two different y-DNA tests.

To be honest, I am not sure what I would actually do with a genetic test, as I have never talked to any of family members about doing one. I am not sure if I could get my family to agree to the test. If I had to choose, I think I would do a y-DNA test on my last name, as that might be the easiest option in doing research. If other DNA tests have been done by people of the same last name, I might be able to make a connection, but that is, again, an if.

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on meeting or connecting with living relatives while doing research. Enjoy!

1908: Where Were My Ancestors?

Earlier today, Lisa over at 1oo Years in America blog, put a challenge for other genealogy bloggers to write about where their ancestors were in 1908.

So, where were my ancestors in 1908? Well, they were living in various places ...

Some of my ancestors were living in the United Kingdom. Some of my ancestors were living in the county of Lancashire. Other ancestors who were living in England, I am not as positive as to where they were living, but they were most likely living in Bedforshire county. One ancestor, I am not even sure if he was still living in Scotland or was living in England. I do not know at the moment.

As for my American ancestors, most were living in Michigan: either in Detroit, or rural counties such as Saint Joseph County and Gladwin County. Other ancestors were living in Cleveland, Ohio. For one of my ancestors, I don't know where he was living are time, as I have not been able to find him in the 1910 census. He was either living in New Jersey or some other state. I do not have any clue, as he was working as a salesman and was traveling at this time.

So, as you can see, I still have holes that I need to fill, and I don't know exactly where all of my ancestors were at that time.

An Interesting Irish Genealogy Research Article ...

In light of the posting of the 2nd edition of the Carnival of Irish Culture and Heritage, I decided to post on an article that was just recently posted on Ancestry's Weekly Journal. You can read the article here.

Even though the article was short, I read it because I had a question that was similar to the topic of the article. I was wondering whether or not passenger lists existed for ships that carried passengers from Ireland to Scotland. Now that I have a little better understanding of whether or not lists existed, I'll have to keep in mind that a passenger list might not have existed for my ancestors. Either way, I thought this article was informative.

Yesterday ...

I hope everyone had good New Year's Day yesterday. I couldn't help but notice Jasia's article about the snow that she got over New Year's Eve, so I decided to write about my New Year's Day.

As most of you have probably figured out by now, I live in Michigan. I don't think I need to mention that a snow storm passed over Michigan the night before yesterday. Anyhow, where I'm staying at the moment, about 12 inches of snow fell over that night. The storm was pretty bad, so much so, that we ended up having several guests spend the night, since it was too dangerous to drive. Of course, that's not all ...

We also lost power at our house some time between and eight and nine the morning of New Year's Day. A power line fell down somewhere in the area that we lived. So, we were out of power until about 7:30 that night. So, in all, it was a pretty interesting day. ... And this morning, I woke up to see that another 2 to 3 inches had fallen last night. Ah, snow ...

2nd Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The second edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture was posted yesterday! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on Irish places that your ancestors came from. The entries are due on January 29th. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

I just want to wish everyone a happy New Year. Enjoy!

2007 in Review: So, How Did I Do?

I don't have any resolutions to compare my genealogy accomplishments for 2007 as I did not start blogging until this past March. Even though, I did not have any resolutions, I did have some goals that I wanted to accomplish.

Goal One: Obtain the death notices and obituaries for my ancestors and their siblings who lived in Detroit. Results: I obtained some of the death notices for this branch. I was only able to go through the Detroit Free Press, and I did not find all of the notices. I have not yet checked the Detroit News, so the notices might still exist.

Goal Two: Order microfilms from the LDS of church records for the area of England that my ancestors lived. Results: I was able to order a couple of microfilms, but I was only able to find a couple of ancestor's marriage records. I did not find any baptismal records for my ancestors.

Goal Three: Order Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania probate records on microfilm. Results: I was able to order one microfilm from the LDS. I found the probate entry for my ancestor. It confirmed the name of his two sons, but did not mention the names of any other possible children.

Goal Four: Find the naturalization records for one of my ancestors. Results: I have not found it yet, but I have not had any time to go the state archives and look up the naturalization records.

Goal Five: Look up the death record of a possible sibling of an ancestor. Results: I was able to look up the record, and have a couple of the leads. I am still looking for more information to confirm the relationship.

Goal Six: Visit the local family history center. Results: I went a handful of times to the local center. I was not able to as much research as I liked, but a did a little.

Goal Seven: Find the marriage record of my great-grandparents. Results: I was only able to go to the state library once, and I did not have a chance to search for to search for their marriage record. I hope to find it this upcoming year.

Well, I remember of any more goals that I set-up as I did not write them down. As you can see, I did not accomplish all of my goals. I had hoped to be much further a long now than I am. I know I still have a lot more researching to do, and I hope to do more this summer than I did this past summer.

Genealogy Resolutions for 2008

Even though I did not come up with a genealogical list of New Year's resolutions for this past year, I've decided to come up with some for 2008. So, here's my list:

1. I hope to get a chance to go to the Grand Rapids Public Library this year. The main branch of the library has records of the Old Soldiers' Home where my ancestor spent the last two years of his life. I am hoping to find more information than I did at the state archive of Michigan.
2. Order more microfilms of probate records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
3. Look up and print other probate records of ancestors who lived and died in Saint Joseph County, Michigan.
4. Order birth, marriage and death records of ancestors from the United Kingdom.
5. Order microfilms of Trippstadt, Germany's civil records.
6. And last, but not least, I hope to make more connections and to find more ancestors and relatives.

Well, those are my resolutions. I realize that it is not a lot, but I believe that I probably will be able to accomplish most of these resolutions. Well, I'll just have to wait until next year to see how I did.

Irish Research

I do not have any experience in researching Irish genealogy. I do have a couple of ancestors who were born in Ireland, but I'm not sure if they are Irish or Scottish. I haven't had much time to do research on those ancestors, so I don't know much about Irish records. I know more about English records, although my research has only been done on a long distance basis.

I do know, though, that FamilySearch Indexing is working on indexing the births, marriages and death indexes for Ireland at the moment as I have helped to index a couple of images. These index books, unsurprisingly, look like the indexes for England and Wales. (Ancestry and Free BMD do have images of the pages of the England and Wales' books' on their sites.)

Outside of that, I do not know anything about Irish records. Hopefully, I'll get some time in the summer to read up on the subject.

Poll Results

The poll is now closed, and the results are in! The question for this poll was, "Where in the British Isles are your ancestors from?" Nine people voted, and the results are:

• England - 8 votes
• Scotland - 4 votes
• Wales - 2 votes
• Ireland - 6 votes
• Other Islands - 0 votes

I think this has been one of the polls that has had the most participation. To those who voted, thank you for voting. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Enjoy!

Celebrating Christmas Eve ...

On Christmas Eve, my family usually goes over to my grandparent's house. Usually we have dinner, and then we open gifts that they bought for us. We would spend several hours at their house, eating and talking. In all, I don't believe our Christmas Eve tradition is very much different from other families' celebrations.

2nd Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Here is the second edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for this carnival was on Christmas traditions of Central and Eastern European countries. Unfortunately, this carnival is short since I did not receive very many entries.

First off, we have Russian Holy Supper written by Marcie of A Child Chosen. This article is about the traditions of a Russian Christmas dinner.

Next, we have Getting Across Germany Cheaply, Part One written by poetloverrebelspy of Less Than a Shoestring. This article is on how a person can ride the trains in Germany cheaply. Although this article does not fit with the subject, I added it as I did not have any other articles to post.

Well, that is it for this carnival. The topic for the next carnival is on stories. Do any of your ancestors have stories of their homelands from Central or Eastern Europe? Are you familiar with any stories or folklore of countries from Central or Eastern Europe? The Next edition of the carnival will be due on January 25. You can submit your article here.

Day 23 Posted!

Day 23 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day 22 Posted!

Day 22 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

About the Next Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy ...

So far, I have only had one submission for this upcoming carnival. I realize that today is supposed to be the deadline for the carnival. Since I haven't received very many submissions, I will still accept submissions that are submitted tomorrow as well.

Christmas Catch-up ...

As I haven't had time to write posts for the last five days, I've decided to play catch-up with this entry and include the past entries in this post.

When I was in elementary school, each classroom would have a Christmas party on one of the last few days before the Christmas break. Usually, we would make Christmas ornaments for our parents, and maybe have some snacks. As I got older and went to Middle and High school, I didn't have classrooms that had parties. Instead, my classmates and I would either watch a movie or would make stuff such as Christmas decorations or little Christmas boxes. In my German classes, we would make Christmas cards in German for our parents. As far as I can remember, most of the schools that I attended did not have any Christmas pageants. When I attended my second high school, the school had a Christmas concert in the gym. I don't know if one would consider it a Christmas pageant, but I believe that is the closest that I have come to one. ...

As for Christmas celebrations or Christmas services, the churches that my family attended always had a Christmas Eve service. I have only been to a couple of Christmas Eve services. At Ward's, the first church my family attended, they had an evening service. The pews would be decorated with garland-wrapped poles and lit candles on top. From what I can remember of the service I attended, the sermon was on Jesus' birth. In addition to a Christmas Eve service, Ward's had a Midnight New Year's Eve service, but I never went to one of the services. After my family moved, we attended another church. This church had at least two evening Christmas Eve services. Again, the sermon was on Jesus' birth, but there would be music at the services. A couple of times, my mom played the piano for the services. Another difference was that all of the attendees held candles that were lit during the service. (Yes, even kids were allowed to hold candles, but the parents kept an eye on them. They were only lit for a couple of minutes, and then they were blown out.) In addition to holding candles, we would also sing songs. ...

As for stockings, both my brother and I had stockings. We did not hang our stocking up every year, but when we did, we hung on the mantle of the fireplace. The few times that we did hang up our stockings, our stockings were filled with small presents, like socks or movies. Of course, the presents in our stockings were not the only the presents we got. We did get other presents. ...

Speaking of presents, they had to be bought. Until the past couple of years, I didn't really buy Christmas presents. I don't know when my parents went shopping as I never went looking for my parents' hiding place for the presents. I only started to buy gifts a few years ago, and when I did, I bought gifts at book sales on my school's campus. I guess you could say that I bought gifts early since the sales were at least a couple of weeks before my school went on Christmas break. ...

When it comes to Christmas, though, I don't associate remembering dead relatives with Christmas. I don't visit cemeteries at Christmas time, since my ancestors are buried in cemeteries to far away from home. As for remembering deceased relatives, we would talk about fond memories that we had of them. Of course, we did not just talk about relatives. At one Christmas dinner, we reminisced about one of the pastors at Ward's who had passed away just a few days before that Christmas. ...

As for music, we listened to Christmas music in the car and on the radio on days before Christmas and on Christmas. (I don't have a favorite Christmas song, but I like several of the Christmas songs.) We did not go caroling, although one year a group of neighborhood children went door to door caroling. ...

As you can see, I've had quite a bit of catching up to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to contribute to the next two entries.

Day 21 Posted!

Day 21 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

New Poll Created!

A new poll has been created! The question for this poll is, "Where in the British Isles are your ancestors from?" The choices for this poll are:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Ireland
• Other Islands

You can choose more than one choice, and you have about a week to vote. Enjoy!

Poll Results

The poll is now closed and the results are in! The question for this poll was, "Where in Southern Europe are your ancestors from?" Two people voted, and the results are:

• Spain - 1 vote
• Portugal - 0 votes
• Italy - 1 vote
• Greece - 0 votes
• Other Balkan Peninsula countries - 0 votes

To those who voted, thank you for voting. Please keep an eye out for the next poll. Enjoy!

20th Day of the Avent Meme Posted!

The advent meme for day twenty has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day 19 of the Advent Meme Posted!

The 19th entry of the advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day 18 of the Advent Meme Posted!

The 18th day of the advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!
(Again, I did not have time to write an article for this day.)

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted! The topic for the next edition is genealogical New Year's resolutions. Enjoy!

Day 17 of the Advent Meme Posted!

The 17th day of the advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!
(Again, I did not have time to write an entry.)

Day 16 of the Advent Meme Posted!

The entry for day sixteen of the advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy! (I didn't submit an entry this time. I would have liked to submit one, but I did not have time.)

Day 15 of the Advent Meme Posted!

Day 15 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Carol of the Blogs ...

FootnoteMaven has come up with a meme where bloggers post their favorite Christmas carols. I haven't been able to post my favorite carol as I haven't had much time lately, but now I do have a little more time.

One of my favorite carols is Silent Night, Holy Night:

Silent night, Holy night,

All is calm, all is bright,

'Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, Holy night,

Shepherds quake at the sight,

Glories stream from heaven afar,

Heav'nly hosts sing Alleluia;

Christ the Savior is born,

Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, Holy night,

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face,

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

This song was originally written in German. For more information on the song and the lyrics in German and English, go to this website: http://www.cvc.org/christmas/sinite.htm. (Note: I got the lyrics of the song from the website above.) Have a Merry Christmas, and Enjoy!

Day 14 of Advent Meme Posted!

Day 14 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day 13 of Meme Posted!

Day 13 of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

New Poll Created!

A new poll has been created! The question for this poll is: "Where in Southern Europe are your ancestors from?" The choices for this poll are:

• Spain
• Portugal
• Italy
• Greece
• Other Balkan Peninsula countries

You can choose more than one category when voting. The poll will close in about a week.

Gingerbread Houses ...

One of my most favorite things to do around Christmas time was to make a gingerbread house. Most of the homes that I made were done when I was in elementary school. I always loved putting the icing and candy on the house. I remember mainly that I ate the candy after I had taken the house home and the icing had harden. I never really finished eating the gingerbread house that I made, and my mom always stated that icing was unhealthy and inedible. Of course, that never stopped me from eating some of the icing.

My family knew that I liked making gingerbread houses, and a couple of times I received a gingerbread house kit for Christmas. And, yes, I did put them together. I haven't made a gingerbread house in a few years since I've been up to college and have not had the time to make one. Either way, if I ever get the time to do so, I'll make one.

Reminder ...

I just want to remind everyone that the due date for the next Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is December 21. The topic for the next carnival is on Christmas traditions, either traditions that your ancestors from Central and Eastern Europe passed down in the family or Christmas traditions of countries from Central and Eastern Europe.

Fruitcake ...

I think in my life I have only eaten fruitcake once, and I know I did not like it. I think it might have been given to my mom as a gift from work, but I can't say so for sure. Personally, I have never received fruitcake as a gift, and I don't believe that I will ever give fruitcake as a gift. I don't think my parents have ever given fruitcake as a gift, but then I could be wrong. I know my mom does not like fruitcake. I think fruitcake must one of the most loathed foods out there as every comedy on TV has some type of skit that revolves around fruitcake and Christmas. At least it seems that way to me.

Day 12 of the Advent Meme Posted

Day twelve of the Advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

A Show at the Fox Theater ...

When I was five years old, my grandparents, parents, brother and I went to downtown Detroit to watch The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater. To be honest, I really do not remember very much of the show, and I don't remember if my brother was there. I am assuming that he was, as I remember that I went with my parents and grandparents.

I do remember that the inside of the theater was very ornate. Sadly, all I remember of the show is the beginning and the scene right before the intermission. I don't have much of a memory of anything else about that show.

Advent Meme Day Eleven Posted!

The entry for day eleven of the advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Poll Results

The poll is now closed and the results are in. The question for this poll was, "Where in Scandinavia are your ancestors from?" Six people voted, and the results are:

• Norway - 3 votes
• Sweden - 3 votes
• Finland - 0 votes
• Denmark - 1 vote
• Iceland - 1 vote

To those who participated in the poll, thank you. A new poll should be coming out soon Enjoy!

Day 10 of the Advent Meme is Posted!

The advent meme for day ten was posted earlier today. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Advent Meme Day 12: Volunteering

I haven't really done any volunteer work during the holidays, although I have volunteered before. I have mainly done volunteer work with clubs that I have been a member of. A couple of years ago, the bible study group I was in crocheted scarves for the homeless in the area. I learned to crochet in that group, and I am sure that someone out there has the scarf I made. I hope it is keeping that person warm.

Day Nine of the Advent Meme Posted!

Day nine of the advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Somewhere Else for Christmas ...

There have been a couple of times when I have not been in my hometown to celebrate Christmas. Of those few times, I have spent time in Florida visiting relatives. Two of the times my family and I have gone to Florida, I think it was because it was easier for us to go visit our relatives than it was for them to come up to Michigan.

For both trips, we drove down to Florida, and it would take us two days to get down to where our relatives lived. One of the years that we went down was 1998. That was the year that we had a Ford Expedition. I remember when we were driving through Tennessee, my dad noticed that the price of gas per gallon was $0.69. Needless to say, my dad got off the highway and filled up our gas tank. Later, my dad said that he had not paid that amount for gas since the '70s. (And that was a novelty. Remember when we thought a $1.30 per gallon was expensive? How would we know that within about a decade we would be paying about twice that amount?)

Once we got to Florida, we stayed with relatives. We did not stay in a hotel. While we were down there, we visited a flea market and the Ponce De Leon lighthouse. I remember climbing all the way up to the top of the lighthouse, and when I had to go back down, I was so afraid that I had to hold onto my dad's hand. I also remember that at the beginning of the trip the temperature was in the 70s and that was it very humid. I could actually wear shorts. (For being someone who has experienced almost every Christmas in Michigan, it is a novelty.)

Other tings that I remember is that the only thing in the news on the way down was about the sex scandal in the White House. I also remember that while I was down in Florida, the Midwest got hit by a snow storm. The Detroit airport got about six inches of snow, and had problems clearing the snow which resulted in backlogs and the stranding of people at the airport. It was a total disaster. On the way home, I remember that we were racing to get home because another snow storm was on the way home and we did not want to get caught in it. We were lucky, and we made it home the day before the storm hit. On January 3rd, the storm hit. My parents still went to work, but my brother and I stayed home because school had been canceled. Of course this storm only added to the problems at the Detroit airport. Even after school reopened, I remember that some students were not back in school. (One classmate and her family got stuck in Hawaii, and I clearly remember the teacher saying, "Nice place to get stuck at.")

After reading over this, it is hard for me to believe that it has almost been a decade since this has all happened. I don't think I ever imagined then what I would be doing in ten years.

Advent Meme Day Eight Posted!

Day Eight of the Advent meme has been posted, and it's on one of my favorite foods! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day Seven of Advent Meme Posted!

Day seven of the advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Advent Meme Day 10: Christmas Gifts

I always like getting history books for Christmas, and I like to give books because one doesn't have to worry about making sure that it is the right size, as which with clothes. I don't think I have much more to say about that. Again, I don't ask for anything for Christmas anymore because I don't have time to really think about what I want.

Advent Meme Day Six Posted!

The advent meme for day six has been posted. You can read it here.

'Tis the Season for Parties ...

Has my family ever hosted any parties around Christmas time? If you count parties that have only family and friends, then I say, "Yes!" I can't say that my family hosts a party every year because we switch off with my grandparents and uncle and aunt. Most of the parties are just with family and a few close friends.

The majority of my memories of parties are of family Christmas parties. And all of the parties seem to be the same every year because they are with the same people - my family. Christmas is special to me because it is a time when I get to see family members, and since I've gone to college, Christmas is even more special because it is one few times in the year that I get to see all of my family members. Christmas is also a time when I actually have a break from school and I get to relax. So, for me, Christmas parties are not as important as just being home with my family.

Day Five of the Advent Meme Posted!

Day Five of the Advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Day 4 of Advent Meme posted!

Day Four of the Advent meme has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

Cookie Baking ...

Let me begin by saying that I love cookies. (Yes, I have a big sweet tooth.) A few days before Christmas my family would always make a variety of desserts and most of those would be cookies. The chocolate chip cookie would almost always be among the types made. And I usually would help my mom by making cookies.

About five years ago, my family hosted a Christmas party, and I helped my mom by making the cookies. Among the cookies that I remember making were Russian Tea Cookies and these brandy-and-chocolate cookies. I don't remember the exact name of them, but I do remember that they tasted very good. (I also remember one of my cousins reaction to trying one of these cookies. He didn't like them because they tasted different.) Oh, I do remember that I accidentally poured a little bit more of the brandy into the mix than was called for, and no it was not intentional.

Wonderings About Christmas Celebrations ...

I realize that this might seem a bit random, since this is not a post on my memories of past Christmases. Instead, it is a post about some questions on my mind.

As Christmas comes around, I wonder how my ancestors celebrated Christmas. So far, I have not been able to find any diaries or letters written by my ancestors, so I have no idea. I have ancestors from the British Isles and from Germany, and I realize that the traditions of both areas are completely different. How was Christmas celebrated in the Nineteenth Century and early Twentieth Century? How did farmers in the Midwest celebrate Christmas? I don't have the answers to any of these questions. To me, this sounds like a good research topic. Does anyone have any idea where to start looking for information?

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on the memories of the Millennium. What memories do you have of New Year's of 2000?

Day 3 of Advent Meme posted!

Day three of the Advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Letters to Santa

Although I don't believe in Santa anymore, when I was a little girl, I did make lists of what I wanted for Christmas. But I never mailed the lists. By the time I got to middle school, I just stopped asking for stuff for Christmas. I think I originally stopped because I did not know what I wanted, but as I got older, I didn't ask for anything primarily because I was busy with school and did not have the time.

As a little girl, my parents took both my brother and I to see Santa and sit in his lap. For a couple of years my family would go to the Twelve Oaks mall on the weekend, and we would eat at the restaurant in Hudson's. There would be a Santa sitting at the entrance, and after we had breakfast, my parents would let my brother and I go talk to Santa. Of course the Hudson's restaurant was not the only place that I talked to Santa. Over the span of my childhood, I think I talked to several Santas. I don't remember how many. I've lost count.

Advent Meme Part 5: Putting the House On Show

Every year we decorate our house and the shrubs in the front yard with lights, but we don't go overboard. Not that I have anything against people who decide to do so. I actually think that those houses are most interesting and cool. We don't have a lot of time to decorate, so the decorating has to be simple. I'm sure that is the case for most people as well.

Of course there is always someone who really decorates his or her house. In the city where I used to live, there were a couple of subdivisions that that had homes that were decorated. (They looked as though they had been done professionally; that's how amazing they were.) Word of mouth would spread around about the houses, and people would drive around the subdivision looking at the houses. If we happened to be out and noticed homes that were decked out, would drive by those homes. I have always enjoyed looking at homes decorated with Christmas lights. There is something very comfortable and cheering about decorated homes.

Second Advent Meme Posted!

The second part of the Advent meme has been posted. You can read it here. Enjoy!

The 1st Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

The first edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is here! The topic for this carnival was a carousel, so articles on any topic were accepted. Since this is first edition of the carnival, only six articles were submitted. I have chosen only to present five of the articles after reading through them because I felt that one of the articles (and I did read other articles from that person's blog to double check) was anti-Semitic. I will not post articles that are anti-Semitic (or are hateful to other people) because I cannot tolerate articles such as those and because my blog is meant to be family friendly. With that said, it is time to go on with the carnival.

First off, we have Just What Happened 99 Years Ago in Tunguska, Siberia? written by GrrlScientist (I do not know her real name) of Living the Scientific Life. This article is about the explosion that occurred in Siberian Russia in 1908, and it explores one of the theories over the cause of the explosion. (Although I was not thinking about scientific articles when I created this carnival, I have included this article because the article deals with a scientific and historical mystery from a country in this carnival's region.)

Next, we have Riding the Russian Rails written by Poetloverrebelspy (Again, I do not know this person's name) of Less Than a Shoestring. This article is about trains in Russia, and how a person can find out more information on traveling by train in Russia.

Next, we have Grandfather, the Springmaker written by Stephen Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog. This article is about Steve's research into the occupation of his grandfather and his grandfather's uncle, and the questions that he has.

Next, we have Researching German Ancestors written by Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal. This article is about Jessica's research into her German ancestors, and some of the sources of information that she used to find an ancestral village.

Last but not least, we have What color is your heritage? written by Lisa of 100 Years in America. This article is about the multicultural heritage of Americans, and how you can make your own flag to reflect your heritage. She also writes about how one can can share the flag he or she had made.

Well, that is it for this edition of the carnival of genealogy. The next edition will be on Christmas traditions. Does your family have any Christmas traditions that came from your Central or Eastern European ancestors? Or are you familiar with the Christmas traditions of countries that are located in Central and Eastern Europe? Articles for the next edition are due by December 21. You can submit your article here.

The Weather ...

I usually don't write about the weather where I am at, but the weather has turned a bit ugly over this past day. (As it is December, those of who live around the Great Lakes know, the weather can get bad at winter time.) Earlier, it snowed and rained on the west side of Michigan. Unfortunately, the rain froze on top of the little snow that we got, and so it is very slippery. If you live on the east side of Michigan (and farther east), the bad weather is heading your way. I just want to let people know.