So It's April Fool's Day ...

Yes, this is another one of those random posts. As a child, I always wondered if someone was going to pull off a prank on me on that day, and sometimes, I wonder how my ancestors reacted to this day. Did children pull off pranks on this day, or did my ancestors pay little attention to this day? I'm not sure. It is always interesting to read about how people celebrated certain holidays.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today I have added a few more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• Winging It
• Ahnenforschung Genealogy - My Time In History (Note: auf Deutsch/ in German)
• Genealogy Works & Fun Blog

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

A Family Affair: One Michigan Family's Civil War Experience - Part One

One of the few family stories that were passed down was that one of my ancestors was a Civil War veteran. Within the first year or so of doing research, I was able to prove that this family tradition was true. In addition, I discovered that my ancestor's brother-in-laws, wife's uncle and possibly two Oswalt men (living in the same county) that might be his brothers. In short, my ancestor's involvement in the Civil War was just as much of a family affair as it was for almost every other family in the United States at the time of the Civil War. (I say almost because another one of my ancestor's family did not have anyone serve in the Civil War, although they may have contributed to the war effort in other ways. I am still doing research to determine what they may have done.)

One detail I am wondering, though, about my Civil War ancestor is what made him sign up for service when he did. My ancestor did not enlist in a volunteer Michigan infantry regiment until February of 1865. I'm not sure, but hopefully, I will be able to find an answer in future research. In later posts, I'll write more about my Civil War ancestor and other relatives' experiences during the Civil War.

The Automotive Industry: One Family's Connection ...

When I read that the next carnival was on cars, I thought I would write about my family's involvement in the automotive industry instead of writing about cars my family has owned. Why? Well, I'm not sure when my ancestors began to own cars as I have never thought to ask when my family first owned a car. Of course, one could argue that I haven't thought about asking because I've taken cars for granted. (I didn't grow up in a time where owning a car was a luxury.) I realize it may seem strange, but I have mostly been concerned with the occupations of my ancestors, especially since ancestors and family members have worked in jobs connected with the automotive industry for the past four generations. Of course, if it weren't for the people who worked in the automotive industry, we wouldn't be a nation of car lovers.

My family's involvement with the automotive industry began with a few of my ancestors moving to Detroit in the early Twentieth Century, around the same time that the automotive industry was being formed. According to family tradition, my ancestors primarily worked for Ford Motor Company. While I am not completely certain as to the jobs my ancestors held, I do know that these jobs were primarily factory jobs. Since that time, someone in my family has worked in an automotive-related job.

Of course, my family did own cars some time around World War Two (maybe?), but I don't know exactly when. Even then, I think owning a car was more a luxury for my family than it was a necessity. From family stories, I've gathered that most of my ancestors traveled to work by streetcar, so I don't know how much of a need there was for a car. I guess I just assumed that owning a car wasn't necessary for my ancestors living in the early years of the Twentieth Century.

I know even less about the jobs my British ancestors had with the automotive industry, but I did have a few ancestors who worked in the automotive industry. They primarily worked for Vauxhall Motors. I'm not sure exactly when my family members became involved with Vauxhall because I haven't thought to ask. (I should start asking a few questions relating to automotive industry jobs.) In addition to knowing very little about my British ancestors' involvement with the automotive industry, I don't know when they began to own cars or if they did own a car, so I can't truly write about car ownership.

So, what could someone gather from my post? Well, I have to admit that I don't always think about how much of an impact that the automotive industry has had on my family. I've understood for a long time that jobs in the automotive industry has put food on my family's table. I'm sure that has been the case for many families that lived in and live in the Detroit area.

More Congrats and Awards ...

Yes, you read that correctly. Three genealogy bloggers have been recognized by the 2008 Artistry of Genealogy Awards, and I want to say, "Congrats!," to Jasia, Miriam and Renee.

I also want to mention that I first learned about these awards from Becky's post. Randy Seaver also wrote a post on these awards.

Congrats to Jasia!

I just read Randy Seaver's article about Jasia's blog being mentioned in Internet Genealogy, and I just want to say, "Congrats Jasia!"

What's My Accent?

I just happened to look at Thomas MacEntee's post on his accent, and I thought I would take the quiz myself. So, here are my results:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

All I can say is that the quiz results did not surprise me as I have lived in Michigan all of my life; however, I had been thinking about regional accents since I read Terry Snyder's post on regional words and accents.

Why? Well, as I have done census searches of my ancestors and their siblings over the past four or so years, I have come across a few unusual spellings of my surname that I would not have thought of if I had not done a first-name only search in the censuses. A case in point would be the 1880 Census. When I first searched for my ancestors in the 1880 U. S. Census, I could not find the family (except for the youngest child), although I had a fairly good idea of where they were living. To be honest, I had expected from day one of doing research that I would have to look for variations in the spelling of my last name. I am used to it as my last name is misspelled by other people from time to time. It is not unusual for me to find my ancestor's surname spelled as Oswald instead of Oswalt as these surnames are virtually pronounced the same. So, how was their surname misspelled? It was written as Olswath. Yes, even in the image. The census had not been mis-transcribed. Even more unusual about the spelling was that the family was not together; the family was split up and everyone was living in separate households. Yet, the spelling of the surname was almost consistent for the whole family. Since the surname was consistently misspelled, I have a feeling that either my ancestor had an accent or the census taker had an accent. At the moment I am leaning towards the possibility that my ancestor had the accent, but then, I can't say for sure. Either way, accents do influence how one might find an ancestor's name spelled in a record. I don't know how many beginning genealogists keep this in mind when they search for their ancestors, but it is a very good idea for beginners to keep this in mind.

5th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

The time for the fifth edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is here! The topic for this edition was on traditional dishes from the regions of central and eastern Europe. Although this edition is smaller than the previous one, we have several interesting posts. So get ready for a mouth-watering experience and read on.

First off, we have an article from Steve Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog. In W Polskich Restauracjach - In Polish Restaurants, Steve writes about his dinning experience in restaurants of Poland and his search for the best pierogi.

Next, we have an article from Miriam of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. In Alaskan Russian Foods, Miriam writes about two Russian dishes that she ate as child growing up in Alaska.

Next, we have an article from Elizabeth O'Neal of Little Bytes of Life. In My Husband's Favorite Slovak Dish, Elizabeth writes about her husband's favorite dish, Pirohy.

Last, but not least, we have an article from Lisa of 100 Years in America. In Easter Traditions: Decorating Eggs and ... Fighting, Lisa writes about the Croatian and Hungarian traditions of decorating Easter eggs and about a Croatian Easter egg game.

And so this ends this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for the next carnival will be a carousel. The deadline for submissions of the next edition of the carnival will be April 27. The carnival will be posted on the 28th. You can submit your article here.

Three More Genealogy Blogs Added!

I've added three more genealogy blogs to the list today. The blogs added are:

• ~Shades Of The Departed~ - I learned about this blog from footnoteMaven's announcement
• A Genealogist's Sketchbook
• The Genealogist

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

New Poll Created!

I have created a new poll. The question for this poll is, "Should I change the deadline of this upcoming carnival?"

I am asking this question as I have not received very many entries for this carnival. Any suggestions for another deadline time are welcome.

Update 3/22: The results for this poll are:

• Yes - 0 votes
• No - 2 votes

To those who voted, thank you!

Happy Easter!

I just want to wish everyone a Good Friday and happy Easter!

Snow ... Again!

Yes, you have read that correctly. Michigan has more snow. Over the past two weeks, the weather where I am at had been warm. Okay, the temperature was probably at the most only in the 40s, but after the weather of this winter, that is warm. Either way it had recently been warm enough that I could wear either my spring jacket or winter coat, until today. Since it was fairly warm, I left my window open overnight, and when I woke up this morning, I discovered that my room was cold. All I had to do was look out the window to see that it was snowing pretty well. When I first I looked out the window, I thought there was only a couple of inches of snow. Well, after getting dinner this evening, I have to say that there is more than two inches on the ground. I'm guessing there is at least three or four inches on the ground. And it is still snowing quite steadily.

Of course, I should not be surprised to see snow. Generally, one cannot say Michigan is free of snow until after the second week of April, although three years ago, it snowed as late as the third or fourth weekend of April. Either way, this winter has been quite harsh. Supposedly this winter is supposed to be either the coldest or most severe that Michigan has experienced in fifty years. (At least that is what my dad heard on the radio.) I can definitely say that I don't believe Michigan has had this much snow since the winter of 1998-1999. Oh, well. Winter isn't over yet.

Carnival Note ....

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for this upcoming Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due tonight. The carnival will be posted some time tomorrow.

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted. You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on cars and the roles they have played in one's family.

(I did not submit a entry for this carnival as I believed I would not have had enough time to write a post. Hopefully, I will be able to contribute to this next carnival.)

Just A Reminder ...

I just want to remind everyone that entries for this upcoming Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is due on the 21st. The topic for this carnival is on traditional dishes of these areas.

First Anniversary ...

Exactly one year ago, I started this blog. In the space of one year I have posted 368 posts. (This is post 368.) Just this year alone, I have posted over 100 posts. To be honest, I never expected or believed that I would have posted this many posts in one year only. It has been quite a year.

Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The latest edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted. You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival will be on the Gaelic language, and you can find out more about it here.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Today is supposedly the official Saint Patrick's Day for this year. You can find out more information from Randy's post. Either way, I still consider the 17th as Saint Patrick's Day, but I just want to wish everyone a happy Saint Pat's Day whether it is on the 15th or 17th of this year.

The Genetic Genealogist Offers New Ebook

The Genetic Genealogist is offering a new and e-book on how to interpret your DNA test results. It is free, and you can find out more here. Enjoy!

Rootsweb To Be Hosted on Ancestry's Domain

Within the past few days, Ancestry has announced that it is moving rootswb.com to its address domain. I first noticed Ancestry's announcement on its Weekly Journal blog. From what I have read on other blog articles, some genealogists are not happy with this move. The primary concerns these genealogists have is with the length of the URL and with the possibility that Ancestry will resell the data on websites hosted by rootsweb.

To be honest, I am not thrilled by Ancestry's move. I am still wary of Ancestry's actions since the internet biography debacle of last year. I am a bit suspicious of Ancestry's motives for moving rootsweb; I still feel as though there are other motives not mentioned in that announcement. I'm probably not the only one who feels this way. To be honest, I did not have a problem with Ancestry's placement of advertisements on rootsweb, if that was a way for Ancestry to keep rootsweb information free. What I am worried is that Ancestry might one day decide not to keep rootsweb free by claiming the volunteer-donated information as their data and thereby justifying charging for that data.

Other genealogists have written articles with their feelings, and you can read them here:

• Randy Seaver's Post
• Ancestry Insider's Post
• Dear Myrtle's Post

Another History Blog Added!

Today I have added another history blog. The blog added is:

• This Day ... In Jewish History

I first learned about this blog from Schelly Dardashti's post. You can find this and other history blogs on the lower right side. Any suggestions for other genealogy or history blogs are welcome.

Regrets and Actions To Be Proud Of ...

For the past few days genealogy bloggers have been blogging about their research regrets and successes. These posts were started when Randy wrote about his regrets (and then later successes) and footnoteMaven including her successes with her regrets. After reading several of the posts, I've decided to write about my regrets and successes.

So, what are my three regrets? Well ...

1. Not interviewing my maternal grandpa - This is my biggest regret, as I never really asked about his side of the family, his childhood or military service during World War Two. I think the best time to have asked him questions would have been when I was between 8 and 11 years old. (I had to do a family tree project when I was 11. I should have asked more questions then.) He has now passed away, so I can't ask him now.
2. Visiting cemeteries before going to the library - The first time I went to do research in Saint Joseph County, I wasted about three hours of research time searching for the burial places of my ancestors. I was with my grandparents, and we were trying to find the cemeteries that my grandparents had visited about twenty years before with my grandfather's aunt. Obviously, we were not successful with our search at that time. We ended up arriving at the library in Three Rivers with only having enough time to do research for an hour. If we had gone to the library first, we probably would have been able to find the graves much sooner.
3. I have a few other regrets, but compared to the two above regrets, they are fairly minor, and I can still find the information. (These regrets primarily have to do with not paying attention to the details at the time I read my day's research.)

My three greatest successes are:

1. Reading a how-to-do genealogy book first - My greatest success is probably having read how to genealogy research first, before I actually even attempted to start digging for answers. I think this action has saved me from making many major mistakes that can befall a novice genealogist.
2. Interviewing my three surviving grandparents - I think asking my other three grandparents what they knew or remembered about our family's history was one of the best steps I could have taken. Many of my first "leads" came from interviewing my grandparents.
3. Citing my sources from the beginning - I think keeping or writing notes on where I found a record has been a great success. There have been a couple of times that writing done the location of a source has helped me in double-checking my notes. (A couple times, I mistranscribed a record.)

Well, those are my regrets and successes. I really don't have that many in either category as I have only been doing research now for about four-and-a-half years.

Second Edition of Where Were You? Carnival Posted!

The second edition of the Where Were You? Carnival has been posted. You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is Where Were You (ie. ancestors) in the Civil War?

And Some More Genealogy Blogs Added!

I have added some more genealogy blogs today. The blogs added are:

• Arlene H Eakle's Genealogy Blog
• Arlene Eakle's Virginia Genealogy Blog
• The Guilford Genealogist Blog
• Twigs and Branches
• Fra Norge til Minnesota ...

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

Technology Lessons Learned ...

Yesterday, I happened to read one of the quick tips on Ancestry's blog. Of course, I did not read this article without a little bitterness? Why? Well, my computer crashed yesterday afternoon. I did not lose any files except for a few computer programs, but the worst part about this incident was that my computer was new. (I just got this laptop for Christmas.) I'm not sure what exactly caused the crash, but I was finally able to fix it after 8 and half hours. Unfortunately, I had not backed my computer up, so I could not use the roll back option on my computer. (Actually there are two different back-up programs on my computer: one with windows and the other with the company that made the laptop.) So, what did I have to do? I had to go back to the factory settings of my computer and reset it. Needless to say, after fixing my computer, I backed it up.

So, what did I learn? Well, always back-up your computer, even if it is new. I hadn't backed up my laptop because it was new, and that was my mistake. It could have been worse for me. I did not lose files because I already keep my school work and other files on flash drives, so I did not lose those. (Of course, it is always a good idea to back up those files to a CD.) So, please learn from my mistake and to take the time to back up your computer.

Baby Names ...

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has challenged other genealogy bloggers to a baby names meme. Specifically he asked, "If you had a chance to name your children again, what names would you choose to honor your ancestors?" Well, I can't write from the vantage of renaming children as I have never had children, but I guess I could do it from the vantage point of, if I might ever have children.

So, if had to choose possible names, these would be my favorite names from the list of my ancestors and their siblings:

• Benjamin - (I have to be careful with one, as I've named my dog, Ben. I don't want my child to feel as though he was named after my dog, but I really do like the name.)
• John - (A common name, I realize, but it is the name of a few of my ancestors and their brothers.)
• William
• Samuel
• Henry
• Adam
• Peter
• Anna
• Emma

Okay, I realize I didn't list as many names for girls. To be honest, I haven't really thought about naming children as I am young. I'm not sure if I would name any of my children after any of my ancestors. The only name that I really like from the list is Benjamin; the other names are just okay, as they are common. I'm not sure what I would name my children. Maybe, I should come up with a list of names I would not give to my children. How about a meme spin-off of this meme? Do you have a list of names that you would never give your children?

Results of This Past Month ...

It has been a month since I signed up for Google Analytics' tracking of this blog. So, what did I learn? Well, I learned that many people from around the world read my blog. The top ten (there many more countries that visitors are from) countries of where readers had visited - in order from highest to lowest, - are:

1. United States
2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
4. Israel
5. Australia
6. India
7. Colombia
8. Poland
9. Finland
10. Ireland

The top ten states in the United States that visitors have come from are:

1. Michigan
2. California
3. New York
4. Mississippi
5. Illinois
6. Indiana
7. Ohio
8. Massachusetts
9. New Jersey
10. Texas

Well, those are the top ten. Again, there were many more states and countries that visitors came from, but I only chose to list the top ten in the list. To all of my readers, I just want to say thank you for reading my blog.

Places On My Bucket List ...

Over the past few days, a meme started by Larry Lehmer of Passing It On has been going around the genealogy blogs. In his post, Larry asked, "What places do you want to visit before dying?"

So, what three places do I want to visit before I die? Well, here are three ancestral areas that I want to visit:

1. Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania - Well, I want to be able to visit and do research in that county as my ancestors lived there. (Of course, I don't know how long and in all of the townships which they lived.)
2. United Kingdom and Ireland (Great Britain) - I'd actually like to visit, so that I can do research this time and remember the visit. (Yes, I visited, but I was a baby at that time.) As my ancestors lived in various places in Great Britain, it is easier for me to just list the names of the countries.
3. Germany - I have been to Germany before (and I remember this trip!), but I haven't been to the locations where my ancestors lived. As I don't know all of the locations where my ancestors lived in Germany, I can only list Germany at the moment.

Well, those are my three places. I would list more, but I was only supposed to list three places for this meme. (Of course, there are other places I would like to visit that are not related to my genealogy.)

Another Genealogy Blog Added!

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

• Haplogroup H

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

A Few More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today I have added a few more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• My New Mexico Ancestors and Favorite Recipes
• The Meeks Genealogy
• DNA Ancestry Blog

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

More on Genealogy Tech ...

A couple of days ago, FootnoteMaven left a question on my recent Carnival of Genealogy post asking about backing up files that are on flash drives. To be honest, when I wrote the post, I didn't think about the possibility for the failure of a flash drive. I have backed up photos on my flash drives to CDs in the past, and it is probably a very good idea to create CDs that back up one's files. Of course, I also keep paper copies of my research in case of a failure. I think it is a good idea to keep in mind, though, that flash drives can fail. Speaking of losing files, I almost thought I lost some of my files on one of my flash drives recently. Needless to say, I did a back up of those files in case something did happen.

Did Anyone Notice This Article?

Did anyone happen to notice yesterday that a photo of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan was found? You can read the article here.

Note About the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Miriam left me comment, asking if I was still going to do this month's edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. I still intend to this edition, but I think I won't have the fifth edition posted until late-April, early-May.

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on writing a tribute to a women who has influenced your life.

Note About Genealogy and History Thoughts Columns ...

I have to temporarily stop posting the Genealogy and History Thoughts Columns. You can read why here. I will start posting the columns again back in May.

More On Light Blogging ...

I realize that I said earlier last week that I would not be posting much, but I have to extend that as I won't be posting as frequently as I have lately. I probably won't be back to posting until early May, because I am entering the last few weeks of the semester and will be spending my time on school work.

Another Silly Quiz ...

I decided to go to Blogthings and take another one of their silly quizzes just in time for Saint Patrick's Day. Here is the results from the only quiz that I believe was appropriate for all ages:

Your Irish Name Is...

Jade Boyle

What's your Irish Name?

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today, I have added several more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• Ancestor.ie's Genealogy Discussion Blog
• Genealogy Addiction and Future Parenthood
• Genealogy and History Fan
• Parishmouse
• TNGenWeb - Blount County, Tennessee

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

This Date ...

You won't see this date again for another four years! Okay, I realize this statement is a bit corny, but I couldn't resist. I was just tempted to post something on this date as this is a leap year.

Speaking of leap years, when a person is born on this day, how do families celebrate that person's birthday in non-leap years, and how does the government determine when that person is legally an adult? What does the government do, as this date only comes once every four years? I'm just curious. I've always wondered what people do in a situation such as this one.

Congrats to FootnoteMaven!

I just noticed that FootnoteMaven has announced that she has been blogging for a year. I just want to say, "Congrats!"

Light Blogging?

As many of you might have noticed, I have not posted as many posts this week. I am not sure if the next few days or next week will be similar to this week. At the moment, I feel as though I am going through a writer's block, and I can't come up with very many ideas for topics to post on at the moment.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today, I have added a couple more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• Chris Staat's Genealogical Musings
• International Association of Amateur Genealogists (IAAGEN)

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

Thoughts On A Quote ...

Yesterday, I happened to read a quote that was posted on GenLady's blog. After reading the quote, I thought about it for a long time. Would my ancestors be proud of me? I don't know. For one, I am more educated than many of my ancestors were or ever hoped to become. Undoubtedly, most of my ancestors would be proud of me for that alone. Of course, I am only guessing as I do not know what their thoughts were.

Re-added a History Blog!

I've re-added a history blog to my history list that got deleted from my blog by accident. The blog is:

• WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier

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

Have You Looked At These Sites?

I was just wondering if anyone had noticed these two websites:

• Behind the Name - the Etymology and History of First Names
• Behind the Name - the Etymology and History of Surnames

Obviously, from the titles of the websites these websites deal with the meaning of first names and surnames. Both sites appear to be very informative. My only problem is that most of the surnames of my ancestors did not show up when I typed them. I don't know when the websites are updated, so it could be very possible that the owner is still updating the surname database. So, what do you think about these two websites?

Added Another History Blog!

Today I have added another history blog. The blog added is:

• World History Blog

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

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today, I have added a few more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:

• Caddo - My Home Town
• OneGreatFamily Blog
• The Polish Pioneers of Calumet, Michigan
• Why My Family Genealogy Would Make A Great Western

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

Thoughts About Irish Heritage in America ...

Whenever I think of writing a post on Irish ancestry, I hesitate as I am not completely sure if my ancestors who married in Ireland are actually Irish. The problem is that the surname for my ancestor is supposed to be Scottish and not Irish, or so information that I have read on the surname says. (Of course, it is entirely possible that my ancestors were descended from Scots that settled in Ireland.) Of course, when I was little girl, I did not know that I had ancestors that were born in Ireland, and I think that was also true for my family members. It was not until I began researching my family history that I learned I had ancestors born in Ireland.

So, why am I writing this? Well, when I was in elementary school, students were expected to wear green on Saint Patrick's Day. This was, of course, primarily a peer pressure expectation from fellow classmates. I realize that wearing green on Saint Patrick's Day is probably expected almost everywhere in the United States, but there was also another rumor that was told in my elementary school that I am unsure if it has been heard anywhere else in the United States. Supposedly, according to this rumor, on Saint Patrick's Day, one could see leprechauns but only if one was Irish (or, apparently, of Irish ancestry). Silly and unbelievable? Yes, but when one is five, six or seven years old, it can be believable. Or it was when I was that age. Of course, that was the time of my life when I was enthralled by fairy tales. And among those fairy tales were stories of leprechauns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, especially with cartoon shows of fairy tales. Undoubtedly, the leprechaun with a pot of gold is a stereotype, albeit one that seems to be friendly. And, one could argue, that the Lucky Charms cereal reinforces that stereotype. If one thinks about cartoon shows and cereal that deal with Irish stories, one could argue that the Irish immigrants who came to the United States did influence our culture, even if that influence is subtle.

My Grandparent's Names

Earlier today, Randy Seaver posted about the names he gave his grandparents and then challenged other genealogy bloggers to post about the names they gave their grandparents.

So, what names do I give to my grandparents? I call my grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa. If I happen to be talking to a family member about one of my grandparents, I might specify with the surname of my grandparent. For example, I would say, "Grandma [Surname]." I can't say for sure, but I think it was the same way for my parents as well. In referring to my grandparents, my parents call them "Mom and Dad," even if they are not their parents, but their in-laws. (As far as I know, I don't believe my parents' calling each other's parents, "Mom and Dad," has ever caused problems, although I did have a high school teacher who got upset that his married daughter called her father-in-law, "Dad.")

Speaking of parents, I have only called my parents either, "Mom and Dad," or, "Mommy and Daddy" when I was younger. I have never been allowed to call my parents by their first names, although I understand that there are some parents who do allow their children to call them by their first names. If I ever have children, I don't believe I would allow them to call me by my first name. I guess I'm just too traditional to allow that to happen.

Some Useful Technology For Genealogy?

"What technology do you most rely on for your genealogy and family history research?" Well, that happens to be the question for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, and I'll confess, it is not a question that I can easily answer. I could only choose three items, one each from the categories of hardware, software and website. So, which three items did I choose? Here's my choices:

Hardware: For the hardware category, I would have to say that a ubs 2.0 flash drive has been one of the items I have relied the most on. (I couldn't choose my computer.) I have a flash drive that I use to store my genealogy software and family tree. Of course, I must state that this flash drive is also password protected. I would not put my family tree on a flash drive that did not have a password-protected component to it. There are many different ubs drives out there at different prices and storage capacities. The flash drive that I use for my genealogy has 256 MB of space on it. I keep my genealogy files and genealogy software on this flash drive. (I must state that I have other flash drives that I use for school.)

Software: For the software category, I would have to nominate the genealogy program that I use. I use Family Trees Quick and Easy, version 5. How did I come to choose this program? Well, a few years ago, my college's bookstore was selling some computer programs for five dollars or less, and I happened to notice that one of the programs was a family tree program. Since I already knew what the price for other family trees programs were being sold at, I bought the program because it was such a bargain. Even though I have tried some other free and demo versions of family trees, I have never been impressed by those programs. I like the program that I use, and I am happy with the program.

Website: For me, this category was the most difficult for me to make a decision. For the moment, I think I'll have to go with Rootsweb's message boards. As there are many different categories and topics for queries, I think many novice genealogist could find a lot of information on how to do genealogy research or where to find records. (I had a hard time coming up with this answer as there are many websites and blogs that I visit, and this was best I could do at the moment.)

So there are my three choices. Do you agree or disagree with me? As always you can leave a comment.

Some Interesting Articles ...

I've wanted to mention some articles that I found interesting over the past week or so, but I never got around to mentioning them. So here are some articles that I have found interesting:

• "Copyright Issues: Photographs" at GeneaBlogie
• "Age of Consent vs Age of Majority Explained" at Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
• "If These Walls Could Speak: A German Häuserchronik" at What's Past is Prologue
• "Building a Better Blog" at the same blog as above
• "What is Blogging? Why Would I Want to do it?" at Kinexxions
• "What's Next? European Genealogy & Social Networking" at 100 Years in America
• "European Genealogy Resources Online" at the same blog as above
• "Nagyon Köszönöm! The National Archives of Hungary in English" at the same blog as above
• "British WW1 Medal Cards on Ancestry" at Anglo-Celtic Connections
• "New Genealogy Guide for Finland Research" at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors

I realize that I have listed a large number of articles, but I thought these articles were interesting. Enjoy!

Update at 2:30 p.m.: I added the links to the articles for Anglo-Celtic and AnceStories, and more post labels.

More on Kosovo and Serbia ...

A few days ago I mentioned that Kosovo had declared its independence. I've been watching the news, and I forgot to mention that the United States (along with some other countries) has recognized Kosovo as an independent country within the past couple of days. Now today, earlier this afternoon, I learned that protests were held in Belgrade. Some were peaceful but other protests were violent. And the U.S. embassy was attacked by those violent protesters. You can read more here and here.

I usually do not post on politics on this blog because I have another blog for that purpose, but I did so in this case as I thought my readers might have been interested in reading about the recent events with Kosovo. I realize that the issues surrounding Kosovo's declaration have long roots in history that are connected with strong emotions, but I don't have any sympathy for the Serbs who attacked the embassy of my country. I can't speak for my fellow countrymen, but I don't believe attacking another country's embassy will garner very much sympathy from the citizens of the attacked embassy. Especially when one remembers that Serbs attacked the Albanians in Kosovo back in 1999, I don't believe the average American will be very sympathetic to the Serbs. I could be wrong, but then, I can only speak for myself. I guess the best thing one can do is pray that this difficult and intense situation does not erupt into violence or war.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

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

• Virginia Pioneers
• Primary Selections from Special Collections (Davenport, Iowa Public Library)

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

4th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

The fourth edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is now here! The topic for this carnival was a carousel, so articles on any topic that was related to Central and Eastern Europe was accepted. I had several articles submitted, and I believe this is largest edition of the carnival as of date. So read on:

First off, we have three articles from Lisa of 100 Years in America. The first article is An Eastern European Celebration in Pittsburgh. In this article, Lisa writes about the FEEFHS conference that will be held in Pittsburgh in early August of this year.

The next article from Lisa is Back and Forth Across the Kingdom of Hungary. In this article, Lisa writes about the Radix Log - Hungarian Genealogy Blog, and the useful links for Hungarian genealogy that a genealogist can find on that site.

The last article from Lisa is Crossing Borders and Language Barriers. In this article, Lisa writes about the difficulty she has in researching on her ancestors in Hungarian and Croatian language records.

Next, we have an article from Miriam of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. In 11. The Railroad Front, Miriam writes about the conditions her great-grandfather and fellow soldiers experienced in the 1918-1919 military expedition in Russia.

Next, we have two articles from Stephen Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog. In The Website of the Plock Diocese, Steve writes about the information one could find about church records and priests in the Plock Diocese in Poland.

The last article we have from Steve is Abstracts of Presentations. This article was posted was posted on the United Polish Genealogical Societies blog, and the article contains abstracts of presentations that will be presented at the 2008 Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah in April.

Next, we have an article from Donna of What's Past is Prologue. In Polish Names and Feast Days, Donna writes about the Polish tradition of naming children after the Saint of the closest feast day.

Last, but not least, we have News From Eastern Europe ... from Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal. In this article, Jessica briefly writes about the recent events that occured in Kosovo and includes a link to a news article about these recent events.

And so that ends this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic for the next carnival will be on the traditional dishes of our ancestors from Central and Eastern Europe. The deadline for the next edition of the carnival will be March 21. The carnival will be posted on the 22nd. You can submit your article here.

I Wish This Wasn't True ...

I happened to be reading Chris Durham's blog when I came across his commentary on Alison Weir's new book. Apparently, one of Alison Weir's sources came from a World Connect family tree. After reading the Times' article and viewing the World Connect tree, I'd have to agree that using an online family tree as a source is not acceptable. To me, the listing of registers as a source was too generic; I did not know where I could find the source. The point of a citation is to give information on where one can find that source.

So, why is this important? When an amateur genealogist/family historian lists a source without including the information on the source's location or posts false information without correcting it, all genealogists/family historians look like fools. We appear to lack the professionalism of other people who do historical research. When a professional biographer or historian does this, false information is just perpetuated. It is bad enough that false information is spread around over the Internet. This misinformation does not need to be repeated in books.

Non-fiction Meme ...

Over the past few days, many genealogy bloggers have posted their responses to this meme. I wasn't directly tagged by any blogger but by reading Terry's post, I have become tagged. So, here is my response:

What issues/topic interests you most--non-fiction, i.e, cooking, knitting, stitching, there are infinite topics that has nothing to do with novels?

Well, I mostly read history books, but I also read a few genealogy books. Most of the genealogy books I read are how-to-do books. I also enjoy reading books about current events, different cultures and about different religions from my own. Most of the reading that I do is on non-fiction topics. I don't read as many works of fiction as I use to when I was younger.

Would you like to review books concerning those?

I already write mini-reviews of history books that I have read on this blog. I haven't posted a review lately, but eventually I'll get around to doing so.

Would you like to be paid or do it as interest or hobby? Tell reasons for what ever you choose.

I'm not paid now to do the reviews that I do. I have never thought about being paid, and I really do not feel like being paid for them. I don't believe my book reviews are very good to make money, anyhow.

Would you recommend those to your friends and how?

Only if I knew that they were interested in the subjects of books that I read.

If you have already done something like this, link it to your post.

Here are a few posts where I have reviewed a few history books:

• An Interesting History Book
• Another Interesting History Book
• Another Maritime History Book

I have only included the first three reviews. I don't believe these reviews garnered very much attention as they were posted very early on on my blog.

And now, I am supposed to tag ten other people. So, here are the ten I am tagging:

• Harold of Midwestern Microhistory
• Jennifer of But Now I'm Found
• CanadaGenealogy
• Olive Tree Genealogy Blog
• Terry Snyder of Desktop Genealogist
• The Ancestry Insider
• Chris of The Genealogue
• Two Sides of the Ocean
• Irish Family History
• The Polish Genealogy Project

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 on technology. What hardware, software and website do you use primarily in your research?

I Realized I Forgot One ...

I just realized today that I had forgotten to include another history blog. Originally, I had Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century listed in my history blogs list, but when I changed my template, the links to my history blogs got deleted. So, I've added this blog back to my history blogs list. I am terribly sorry for forgetting to add this blog. You can find this and other history blogs on the lower right hand page of the blog.

News From Eastern Europe ...

I just happened to notice yesterday that Kosovo declared its independence on the 17th. It will be very interesting to see what goes on in the Balkan Penninsula. You can read more about the declaration here.

On a side note, should I include this in the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy? Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Added a Link ...

I just added a link to the submission page for my carnival. The link is below the Carnival of Genealogy and H.O.G.S. blogger images. It is a small rectagular image. I hope this makes submissions easier for everyone. Please let me know if this does not help. Thanks!

Just A Reminder ...

I just want to remind everyone that the submissions for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due tomorrow, in case anyone hasn't submitted a post and want to do so. I will continue to accept posts up to 11:00 p.m. The topic for this carnival is a carousel. Posts written that deal with Central and Eastern Europe are welcome. The posts do not have to be recent posts.

Update, a few minutes later: I keep forgetting to mention the location of the submission link. It is toward the very bottom of the page. It is above the links to my yahoo groups. I'm terribly sorry about that.

Genealogy and History Thoughts - Column Twelve

I do not know about other genealogy bloggers, but lately, I've become a bit hesitant to post on any memories of living relatives.

I guess the best example at the moment is my Great Depression post. I could have included some of my grandparents' memories, but I just felt that that would be violating their privacy. I'm not sure if they would want to find their memories posted on the internet, so I just decided to play it safe and write in general terms. I've also written in mostly generic terms about my ancestors since the whole Internet Biography Database fiasco. I'm still uncomfortable with the thought that a genealogy company could take my words and call them their own. So, in order to prevent that, I've come to the decision to include as few indentifying details as possible. (Plus, one could possibly run into copyright violations if one is quoting or using information from another source.)

Still, I wonder how much should a genealogy blogger post on his or her family or ancestors. How much is too much? I really don't have the answer to this question. Has anyone come across this issue before? How did you resolve this problem? How much is too much?

As always, you can leave a comment with your thoughts and feelings.

Light Blogging ...

I probably won't be posting very much this upcoming week. I'll be busy.

My Family and the Great Depression ...

Obviously, I was not around when the Great Depression occurred, but some of my family was. So, where was my family during the Great Depression?

Well, a some of my ancestors and family were living in the Detroit area. Other ancestors were living in England. As to the experiences of my ancestors in the U. K., I don't know very much about their experiences.

As for my American ancestors, I have a much better idea of what they experienced. I won't go into details as to what their experiences were like in this post. All I will say is that it was a time of struggle for my family members. Having enough to eat was more important than passing down family stories, as life was very difficult. I can't completely comprehend what life was like during the Great Depression as I never lived through it or experienced conditions similar to my ancestors. So, I truly do not have a very good sense of what life was like back then.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

I've added a few more genealogy blogs today. The blogs added are:

• St. Vincent Memories
• Nikki-ann
• CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt'

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

More on Limericks ...

Over the past few days since I posted my limerick post, a couple of limerick posts on me have been posted in the comments section. I've been busy, so I haven't had a chance to post them before, but I will now.

The first one is from Terry:

Jessica is a student who blogs
(Wearing mittens) about some HOGS
As off to class through snow she slogs
To learn and to earn her degree.
Top priority is to study we decree ---
But at genealogy away she plugs.

The second one is from Janice:

Jessica stockpiles all the links she can muster,
Shining the best of them to a fine lustre
Quizzes, carnivals, and tips she includes in the cluster
If only she'd known of a very rich uncle
Thoughts of grad school would then not give her carbuncle
And she could master the world into which life has thrust her.

Thank you to both Terry and Janice.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day!

Re-added Links to the Genealogy and History Thoughts Columns

I just realized in the past couple of days that my links to the Genealogy and History Thoughts columns got deleted when I changed the appearence of my blog. I am terribly sorry for any confusion that it might have caused.

Here's My Best ...

The first genealogy awards are here! I've decided to maily focus on my posts from 2007. Since I began my blog in March of 2007, I had plenty of posts to review. I'll have to admit that this was not any easy post to write. I had a hard time choosing which posts to pick. Oh, and as a side note, everyone is free to disagree with me about my choices. Please don't feel hesitant to say whether you agree with my nominations or if you believe another post was worthy of the nomination. I appreciate any feedback. So, here are my nominations:

Best Picture: I realize that we were supposed to post old family pictures, but I've decided to post the picture I took of one of my ancestor's tombstone. (Everyone is free to disagree with me. I wasn't sure which picture to pick.)

Best Screen play: I guess the best post that would fit in this category would be this post: I Am My Own - Well Not Quite ... . I am not sure who I would want to play the parts of my ancestors and relatives. I really don't know enough of any of the personalities of any of the people that I mentioned in this post. I chose this post as I believed this was the closest to a screen play that I could find. Of course, the screen play of this post would probably fall under the category of comedy.

Best Documentary: I guess the best post that would fit into this category would be this post: One Puzzle Piece I Would Like to Solve. The only way that I can make this fit into the category of documentary is if it was portrayed as a historian searching for the answer by digging into old records. I can't think of any other way to portray this post and make it fit.

Best Biography: I have to admit, I don't have a post that fits into this category. The posts that I can come closest to are either one of my history book reviews or Speaking of the Know-Nothing Party. I guess the latter choice is the best pick as this was a brief analysis of the political leanings of a county where my ancestors once lived.

Best Comedy: My choice for this category is different from all of my other choices. First of all, this post was written this year, and secondly, my choice isn't a family story but a joke. My choice is Ten Signs You're Addicted to Genealogy. I think this was probably the funniest post that I wrote, but I could be wrong. If anyone disagrees with me or has a better choice from one of my other posts, please feel free to let me know.

And so, this ends my picks for the best of the best. This was fun, and I look forward to the next genealogy awards carnival.

Just A Quick Reminder ...

I just want to quickly say that the deadline for the Carnival of Central and Eastern Genealogy is February 18. The topic is a carousel.

First Edition of Where Were You? Carnival Posted!

The first edition of the Where were you? carnival has been posted. You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is where were you or your family was during the Great Depression. Enjoy!

Limerick Post ...

Within the past week or so, Terry Thornton has posted a challenge for other genealogy bloggers to post limericks about their blogs. I am going to attempt to come with my own limerick. So, here goes my poem:

I live in the land of the mitten

where every gets written

on my blog,

from the weather to book logs

all the while I'm sittin'.

Okay, I tried. I don't think this is very good, but this is what I came up with at the moment.

Light Blogging ...

I probably won't be posting much for the next week or so.

Blog Changes ...

I've added a list of labels for my posts. You can find them on the lower right hand side of the page below the history blogs.

Snow - Again!

It is snowing again in Michigan where I am at, and the wind is really blowing outside. It is bad out there and it is cold. A person could easily freeze out there, even if he or she is wearing layers, especially if you happen to stop and stand for a few minutes.

This has definitely been one of the wildest winters that Michigan has had in a long time.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

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

• Dee's Genealogical Journey
• Geneaphile
• The Ballycastle Blog
• Nevada Genealogy

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

Random Question ...

I was just wondering. How does a blogger figure out which of their blog posts are the most read? I've noticed that a few other genealogy bloggers have lists of their most read posts, and I was just curious as to one is able to figure it out. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Have Ancestors That Lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio?

If you happen to have ancestors who lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, you might want to check out the Cuyahoga County Recorder's Office. They have an online database with images of their land records going back to (I believe 1810). You can find the website here.

An Interesting Quiz ...

I decided to take a look at Blogthings and see if this site had any new quizzes since I hadn't been to the site in a while. I'll be honest: some of the quizzes are okay or fall into the category of funny, but there are some quizzes on the site that I think are innappropriate. Anyhow, this quiz just happened to catch my eye:

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

So, what do you think? What type of blogger are you?

More History Blogs Added!

Over the past few days, I have added some more history blogs. The blogs added are:

• Boston 1775
• Appalachian History
• Scandalous Women

You can find these and other history blogs on the right side of the page. (It used to be the lower left side.) Any suggestions for other history or genealogy blogs are welcome.

A Non-Genealogy Blog

I just wanted to mention a non -genealogy blog that I just learned about within the last couple of days. I learned about it through a submission to the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, and as the submission did not relate to the carnival, I was not going to include it with the next edition. Although I wasn't going to include it in the carnival, I thought I would mention it here: http://www.robschaumer.com/blog/ . You can read more about it here.

Genealogy Parade Floats Response Posted!

A listing of the genealogy parade floats have been posted at West in New England. You can read it here. Enjoy!

Weather Update - West Michigan

I just got back inside from participating in an outside-class function (It was for a class, but it wasn't during class), and the weather is just getting worse by the hour, if not by the minute. It has been snowing steadily since about 10 a. m. (or at least it wasn't snowing at 8 a. .m), and it is snowing ever harder than it was then. Right now, at about 4:17 p. m., it is snowing enough to be a partial white-out. At about 12:37, I'm guessing there was about half - in - an - inch to an inch of snow out, and now I'm guessing there is about three inches. (And I just heard thunder a second ago.) Either way, it is bad enough for my university to cancel classes and activites after four p. m. (My school rarely cancels classes.)

If you live in West Michigan, be careful out. If you live on the east side of Michigan, I would probably leave work a little earlier, as it is only going to get worse. The bad weather is coming.

Hoping For the Best ...

I've been hearing over on the news about the destruction down in the south. I'm hoping that bloggers who live down South are alright.

If I Had A Million Dollars ...

I would use it to pay for Graduate school and invest the rest of it ...

Well, I would do that, but that doesn't conform to the challenge's question. Both Becky Wiseman and Shelly Dardashti have posted their answers to this question, and now I will too.

If I had a rich uncle who gave me a million dollars to research my family history, what would I do? I couldn't tell my family, but I don't know if that would be a problem. I took over the research originally from my grandfather, and he still assists me in our research. My brother also helps me. Both help look up and read records when I visit places to do research. I don't believe that would change regardless if I recieved money.

I think the biggest change for me would be that I wouldn't have to rely upon family members to help pay for obtaining records or ordering microfilms. I probably would be able to pay my way to do research in countries that my ancestors lived before coming to the U. S.

So, I don't know how much that would change my research. As I don't have an uncle that is rich, I think this will still be a fantasy.

Speaking of the Lost Colony ...

In light of GenLady's post about the Lost Colony, I thought I would recommend two history books that I read on the Lost Colony.

The first book that I want to recommend is Big Chief Elizabeth: The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America by Giles Milton (New York: Picador, 2000). This book is written in the style of popular history books. In other words, it is easier to read than many other history books would be. The history of the colony and world events are mentioned in the book, and the author also gives his speculation on the fate of the lost colonists.

The other book is Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony by Lee Miller (New York: Penguin Books, 2000). Unlike the other book, this book is written more in the style of an investigative report, only with a historical analysis twist. This book also explores the events and history of the colony and world, but this book also speculates on who was most likely responsible for the failure of the colony. The author also gives her opinion as to the fate of the colonists.

I can't say which book I like more as I enjoyed both of these books. To me, they were both very interesting. In addition to these books, you might want to check out the blog, Searching for the Lost Colony DNA Blog for further information.

Finding Cousins ...

I couldn't help but notice that Randy Seaver posted an article on finding living cousins, and I have decided to explain how I found a couple of cousins.

So, how did I find a couple distant cousins? Well, I found one cousin from the family tree that that person had posted. I found two other cousins from message board queries they had posted. Of course, I must state that I only found these people because they posted either looking for information on their family or posted their family tree that connected with a branch of my tree. Outside of those methods, I have not connected with any other distant cousins. I think the main reason I was able to find a couple of cousins is that those cousins were searching for information and wanted to be found. Of course, I have posted responses to other queries and have not received a response as that person did not update his or her e-mail. I guess that is just one of the realities that we must all face when searching for cousins.

Blog Adjustments

I've changed the template somewhat; I've just changed to a three column. (I had to go to another site.) I've had to add a few more things back onto to my blog, so if you blog is not listed anymore, that is why. Please let me know if I've lost your blog link, and I'll put you back up. I'm terribly sorry for losing anyone's blog link. Thanks!

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

I have added several more genealogy blogs today. The blogs added are:

• Janet the Researcher
• Jewelgirl's Searching For Family Branches
• Sharon Klein's Genealogy
• The Virtual Dime Museum

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

Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The carnival of genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is the Academy of Genealogy and Family History Awards! That's right, we get to nominate our own posts for best picture, best possible screenplay, best documentary, best biography and best comedy. Enjoy!

Blog Changes - Again!

As you can see, I've made changes to my blog again. This time I have changed the template as I was getting bored with the template that I had. Plus, I wanted another template that I could make changes to much easier than I could with the previous template.

Ten Signs You're Addicted to Genealogy ...

I've decided to take another stab at coming up with genealogy humor. After reading Chris Durham's post a few times, I could not help but come up with my own humorous post. (Or an attempt at it.)

So here are ten signs you're addicted to genealogy:

10. You have dreams where you see your family tree.

9. You are grumpy for most of the day if you do not get a chance to read articles from genealogy blogs or read about genealogy techniques.

8. You bring notebooks, pencils, and possibly tape recorders or camcorders to family gatherings, even if it is not for a holiday or special event.

7. You can remember what a first cousin five times removed is but you can't remember what you need to buy at the grocery store.

6. Family members run away from you when they see you coming towards them with a notebook and pencil in your hand.

5. You are always finding cousins related to you, no matter how distant, and introducing them to your family members.

4. Local archivists, librarians and county officials know you on a first name basis.

3. You write or speak about your ancestors as if you have known them your whole life.

2. You stop to transcribe the tombstones in every cemetery you drive by.

1. If you did not have to eat, sleep or work, you would spend all of your time at an archive.

Response to "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1808" Posted!

Donna over at What's Past is Prologue has posted a list of all the articles that responded to the question, "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1808?" You can read the article here.

Poll Results ...

The poll is now closed, and the results are in. The question for this poll was, "Should I continue the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy?" Nine people voted, and the results are:

• Yes - 7 votes
• No - 0 votes
• I don't know - 2 votes

I guess I'll be continuing the carnival for the time being. To those who voted, thank you! Enjoy!

A Cute Quiz ...

I learned about this quiz from reading one of Janice's articles, and I thought I would try this quiz out myself. So here are my results:

Take the Quiz here!

Blog Changes

As you might have noticed, I have added a new graphic to the title of my blog. It is supposed to be a 3-d shape. This graphic was something simple that I could do with my computer's paint project. Some day I would like to have a unique look for my blog, but I still don't know how to do that. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome.

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Again, I have added more genealogy blogs today. The blogs added are:

• But Now I'm Found
• Searching for the Lost Colony DNA blog
• Kasper & Anna
• Genealogy - Northwest Ohio

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

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

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

• Nordic Blue
• GenLady
• Genealogy - Southeast Michigan
• Irish Family History
• Ohio Historical Society Archives/Library Blog

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

Where Was I in the Censuses?

The only two censuses that I might have been in so far are the 1990 and 2000 Censuses, but I do not know if any census takers ever came to my house. In 1990, I would have been too young to remember. In 2000, I remember that a census was occurring, but I don't recall anyone coming to the door to ask about our family. I was under the impression that the census bureau would be mailing those sheets. I asked my dad if anyone had ever come by, or if we ever received a form, but he said no. So, I do not know if my family was recorded or not. So, I can't say for sure if I am in either census, even though I was living in the same house for both censuses.

Another Genealogy Carnival!

I just happened to be looking at Blog carnival's listings for history blogs, when I happened to notice another genealogy blog. This carnival is called Where Were You? The carnival is hosted by GenLady. The first carnival will be posted on February 11th. The topic for this carnival is: Where were you when the censuses were taken? You can find more information on this carnival here. Enjoy!