How Does One Become Certified?

Does anyone know how to become a certified genealogist in the United States, or has been through the certification process? I am thinking of becoming a certified genealogist, and I am trying to figure out how to get certified. I found the Board for Certification of Genealogists website, but is this the only site that certifies genealogists? Does anyone know how it costs to obtain certification? Any advice or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks.

10th Edition of the Smile For the Camera Posted!

The tenth edition of the Smile For the Camera Carnival has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is on "brothers & sisters? Were they battling brothers, shy little sisters, or was it brother & sister against the world? Our ancestors often had only their siblings for company. Were they best friends or not? Show us that picture that you found with your family photographs or in your collection that shows your rendition of brothers & sisters." Enjoy!

3rd Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival Posted!

The third edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival has been posted! (Actually, I'm late in announcing the posting of this carnival edition.) You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on Black Sheep Canadian Ancestors, and you can find out more here.

Just A Reminder ...

I just want to remind everyone that the deadline for the next edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is week from Sunday. The topic for this carnival is a carousel.

Family History Center Visit 2

Earlier today I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the two microfilms that had come in on Tuesday. The microfilms that came in were the church records for a Catholic church in Elizabeth, New Jersey and tax records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

One of my great-grandfathers grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was raised in the Catholic Church. This ancestor happens to be a bit of a brick wall to me because I am not completely sure as to who his parents were, and I thought viewing the records for the church he attended as a child might provide some answers. Well, I did take a look at the records, but I was unable to determine if the first communion records and confirmation records were of my great-grandfather as there were other boys listed that had the same name and the parents were not listed. So, I'll have to do a little more digging to figure out which one might be my great-grandfather, and until then, searching in this microfilm will be inconclusive.

Although I did not have as much success in searching through the church records, I did have more success with the tax records. Although my ancestors mainly lived in Walker and Juniata Townships, I knew from the 1830 Census that Benjamin Oswalt did live in Hopewell Township at one point, and I decided to order the microfilm that contained tax records for Hopewell Township. The microfilm included the tax records for the years 1823 to 1833 for the township, and to my surprise, I discovered that the tax payers were listed in alphabetical order by last name. (The only exception to that was the single free men section.) I do not have very much experience with tax records, so I am uncertain as to whether or not this is typical. Either way, the alphabetical order of the names made my job of searching the tax records a lot easier.

So, what did I find? Well, I found the listings for my ancestor, Benjamin Oswalt, and another Adam Oswalt. (From looking at the 1820 and 1830 censuses, it appears that this Adam Oswalt was older than Benjamin Oswalt, to the point that he was enough to be Benjamin's father, and therefore, I suspect that Adam might be his father. Of course, at the moment, I am only speculating as I do not have proof yet.) The tax records listed the number and type of animals and amount of land that a tax payer might own. For Benjamin, that happened to be mainly one cow and sometimes one horse, but for Adam, the tax record listed that he owned between 150-164 acres of land, one horse and one cow at various points. Of course, the ownership of land is news to me, so I have another lead to chase down on my Oswalt ancestors, possible and confirmed.

The tax records also contained for some of the years the papers giving a resident of the township the authority to assess all of the residents of the township, and it also listed how much each item was worth. Another column listed the total value of a person's taxable property, and how much the person had to pay in taxes. At the end of each year's assessment, the names of people who owned unseated land, single free men and the names of poor children were listed. Unfortunately, I did not copy any pages from the tax record at this visit, so I do not have any images to show as examples. On my next visit, I'll try to copy some of the pages and post a few examples.

So, that is what I accomplished on this visit. Although I did not find all of the answers I wanted to, I am still happy that I was able to find my Oswalt ancestors on the tax rolls. I know have a better idea of where they were living in between the 1820 and 1830 censuses. I did not order another microfilm as I am still waiting for the third film to come in, but on my next visit, I'll probably order some more microfilms.

Jessica's Genejournal's Best Of The Best 2008

It is February again and that means it is time for the Second Annual iGene Awards. Although this is only the second time that I have participated in this event, I still find it difficult to decide which articles are my best. So, here are my choices for the categories:

Best Picture - I posted several photographs this past year, but I think the best photograph posted was the photograph of my great-grandparents. (Please look on the right side of the page for the picture.) I posted this picture originally for the second edition of the Smile for the Camera, and you can read my post here.

Best Screen Play - This category was difficult for me to choose because I really did not go into detail enough about my family's stories, but I finally decided that the closest article I had to a screen play would be the article on my ancestor, Anton. This article was one of the very few that I happened to post that gave any personal details about my ancestors. Personally, I think the story of his life could probably be made into a movie, although the information in my post is sparse. I can't think of anyone who might portray him, though.

Best Documentary - Again, this was another difficult category for me, but I think the best article for this category was Poverty and My Ancestors: Blog Action Day 2008 Post. In this post, I explored my ancestor's experiences in living with poverty.

Best Biography - I think the article closest to being a biography was A Probable Ancestor: The Independent and Spirited Christoph Friedrich Cotta. Although I did not give too many details on his life (since I am still doing research on him), I think I was able to sum up his life in a couple of paragraphs.

Best Comedy - I think the best article for this category would be the Ten Signs You're Addicted to Genealogy. Of course, I cannot remember if I mentioned this article in last year's iGene awards, but since this was published in 2008, I'm including it even if I already used it last year.

Well, those the articles that I believe were my best? Do you agree with my choices? Which articles would you have chosen? As always, you can leave a comment with your thoughts or ideas. Thanks.

Family History Center Update

Earlier today I received a phone call from the local Family History Center and learned that two of the microfilms, that I ordered, have arrived. I am unsure of which of the two microfilms came in, but I hope to be able to look at the microfilms soon. I just hope that I find some more information on my ancestors. I'll let everyone know if I have found something.

Updates in FamilySearch's Record Search

I just happened to take a look at FamilySearch's Record Search and noticed that the Michigan deaths and marriages databases were updated yesterday. Although the death records will still only show the first half of the record, if you click the next button, you will now see the other half of the page. As for the marriage records, I haven't noticed what was changed or updated, but I will let everyone know once I have looked at the database. I hope this helps. Enjoy!

65th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 65th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is:

"iGene Awards, The Best of The Best! It's Academy awards time... time for
the Academy of Genealogy and Family History, aka AGFH, to honor their best blog
posts of 2008* in the following 5 categories:
Best Picture - Best old family
photo that appeared on your blog in 2008. Tell us which you liked best and why.
Best Screen Play - Which family story that you shared in 2008 would make the
best movie? Who would you cast as your family members?
Best Documentary -
Which was the best informational article you wrote about a place, thing, or
event involving your family's history in 2008?
Best Biography - Which was
the best biographical article you wrote in 2008?
Best Comedy - Which was the
best funny story, poem, joke, photo, or video that you shared on your blog in
2008? Please
feel free to use this graphic on your post.Start digging back into your archives
and choose which of your blog posts deserve to be recognized for outstanding
achievement. This is not a competition between bloggers but a chance for you to
spotlight your own shining efforts at recording your genealogy and family
history in 2008*.There is no nomination process. You just need to announce your
winning blog posts for the 5 categories mentioned above in an article on your
blog and submit it to the Carnival of Genealogy. Please act as your own "award
presenter" by writing an introduction and include it in the "Remarks" box on the
BlogCarnival submission form.The deadline for submissions is February 15,
2009.*We're going to define "2008" to include any posts written in 2008 as well
as those written Jan. 1-Feb. 15, 2009 as well (so that new bloggers can
participate)."

Enjoy!

Searching in FamilySearch Record Search's Germany Burials Database

On Saturday I mentioned that FamilySearch had added a database of German burials to its site, and afterward, I did a little searching in the database. Well, I found some information, and I thought I would share my thoughts on what I found.

So, did I find any information on my ancestors? Well, I did find some new information, and I might have been able to add another generation to one of my lines. I also found a possible sibling for one of my ancestors, and I was able to find the death and burial dates for a couple of my ancestors. Of course, I will still have to confirm the information with primary sources, but I think this new information will be able to help me narrow down dates of deaths for my ancestors. I just wish that FamilySearch had included the images from the microfilm with the database.

My only other gripe is that searching for burials by location does not work very well. I tried to search for graves by locations mentioned in the records, but it would come up as not having any results. My guess is that this might be a glitch in the database, and I hope that I will be able to search by location in the future.

Google Analytics Results For January 2009

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics Report. So, here are the results for January 2009:

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

1. United States - 692 visits
2. Canada - 83 visits
3. United Kingdom - 65 visits
4. Jamaica - 11 visits
5. Australia - 10 visits
6. Israel - 7 visits
7. Norway - 6 visits
8. Germany - 5 visits
9. Ireland - 4 visits
10. Philippines - 4 visits

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

1. Michigan - 108 visits
2. California - 66 visits
3. Illinois - 57 visits
4. Texas - 56 visits
5. New York - 55 visits
6. Tennessee - 36 visits
7. Virginia - 35 visits
8. Ohio - 29 visits
9. Pennsylvania - 26 visits
10. Utah - 20 visits

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

1. Hamburg - 72 visits
2. Southfield - 7 visits
3. St. Joseph - 4 visits
4. Grand Rapids - 3 visits
5. Livonia - 2 visits
6. Lansing - 2 visits
7. East Lansing - 2 visits
8. Oak Park - 2 visits
9. Redford - 2 visits
10. Battle Creek - 1 visit

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

1. Some Info on the 1911 U. K. Census ... - 50 views
2. Who Are They? - 38 views
3. My Genealogy and Blogging Resolutions For 2009 - 34 views
4. Forgot To Mention: An Article and Genealogy Databases - 32 views
5. My Scotch-Irish Ancestors: My Key To Ireland? - 29 views
6. 63rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 23 views
7. Google Analytics For December 2008 - 23 views
8. Looking For Future Hosts: Update - 22 views
9. The 99+ Genealogy Meme - 21 views
10. More Records Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search -21 views

Well, that is it for this Google Analytics report. (If you would like to have Google Analytics monitor your blog, click here.) To my readers, thank you for reading my blog!

Another Shipwreck Found!

Another shipwreck has been found! This time the shipwreck was found in the English Channel. You can read more about it here.

Has the Griffin Been Found?

I just learned about a court fight over a shipwreck that might be the Griffin from Brenda's post. For those who don't know, the Griffin was one of the first European-style ships to sink in the Great Lakes in 1679, and since the ship sank, people have been searching for it. At the moment, I have not decided what I think about this story, but I might post my thoughts about this case later.

Another New Carnival!

I just want to let everyone know that there is another carnival, and this carnival is hosted by the Association of Graveyard Rabbits. You find out more information here. The topic for the first edition is a rare find.

More Records Added to FamilySearch's Record Search

I just want to let everyone know that more records have been added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search. The records added are vital records for the Netherlands, Philippines marriage records, and burials in Germany. I hope you are able to find an ancestor. Enjoy!

A New History Carnival!

I just happened to learn about a new history carnival, the Black History Carnival, from Lidian's post. The topic for this edition of the carnival is Black History Month. You can find out more information here. Enjoy!

Family History Center Visit 1 for 2009

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

Doing the Happy Dance: Finding Answers

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

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

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

A Little Update on That Michigan History Article ...

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

Looking For Future Hosts

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

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

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

Looking For Future Hosts ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three Ladies in the 1940s?

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

More Records Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search

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

Submissions For the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

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

Submissions Are Due Today!

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

Submissions Are Due Friday!

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

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

And More On Irene Havens: Part Four

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

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

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

13th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities Posted!

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

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

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

The Byzantine Empire: A History Book

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

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

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

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

64th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

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

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

Enjoy!

One More Week!

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

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

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

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

9th Edition of the Smile For the Camera Posted!

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

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

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

More Records Added to FamilySearch's Record Search

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

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

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

Looking For Future Hosts: Update ...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm still looking for people who would be willing to host a future edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Here are the months that are still open:

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

Again, those who host an edition get to choose the the topic of the edition, and the dates for the submission of articles and for the publishing of the edition. If you are interested, please e-mail me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

My Scotch-Irish Ancestors: My Key To Ireland?

For this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture I am supposed to write about any information that I have uncovered that would lead to a village or location that my Irish (or Scotch-Irish, in my case) ancestors came from. Well, to be honest, I have not yet been able to determine where in Ireland my Scotch-Irish ancestors came from, but I do have one place where I can look for a marriage record.

As you may remember, I wrote about finding my great-grandfather's military service records a couple of months ago; however, I did not tell you that my ancestor was born in Scotland. In Scotland at that time (and maybe in the present), a person's birth certificate required that the date and place of the person's parents' marriage be included on the certificate. (Of course, that is if that person's parents married.) Thus, the information on the marriage of my great-grandfather's parents was listed on his birth certificate, and so, I now know that his parents were married in Ballymena, Antrim County, Ireland.

So, my next step is to obtain my ancestors' marriage certificate and figure out where they were born. I already know from my ancestors' death certificates and the 1891 census record that they were born in Ireland. Unfortunately, I still do not know where and when they were born. I am hoping that the marriage record will give me at least an idea of when they were born, and in addition, I will have to try to obtain the birth certificates of my great-grandfather's siblings as well, since some of them were also born in Ireland. Please wish me luck as I try to trace my great-grandfather's ancestors. Thanks!

A Little Note ...

As you may have noticed, I have not posted very many articles lately, and I just want to let everyone know that I probably will not be posting very many posts in the coming couple of weeks. At the moment, I am busy finishing my applications for graduate school, so I will not have much time to post for a little while.

Forgot To Mention: An Article and Genealogy Databases

I keep forgetting to mention that FamilySearch Lab's Record Search has added some new records and that there is an update to when the Michigan Deaths will be posted online. In addition, Ancestry has added some more databases of vital records and books from Europe.

First off, Brenda left me a comment some days ago about an update as to when the Michigan deaths, 1897 to 1920, will be online, and you can read about it here. (Personally, I can't wait for the records to be posted as I have several people I want to look for in those records.)

As I mentioned before, FamilySearch's Record Search has added death records for Arizona, more church records for the Czech Republic, funeral notices for Hungary, vital records for Brazil, and some more records to the West Virginia vital records. Ancestry has also added some more databases, and among those databases are vital records for Denmark.

I just thought I would mention this in the hopes that it might help others.

The 99+ Genealogy Meme

Becky has come up with another genealogy meme, and I thought I would play along. So, here is my list:

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

1. Belong to a genealogical society.
2. Researched records onsite at a court house.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded tombstone pictures to Find-A-Grave.
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents) .
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Helped to clean up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group on Facebook.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society.
12. Been the editor of a genealogy society newsletter.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery.
16. Talked to dead ancestors.
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants.
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board or forum.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items (calendars, cookbooks, etc.).
33. Performed a record lookup for someone else.
34. Went on a genealogy seminar cruise.
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret.
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret.
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking).
39. Think genealogy is a passion not a hobby. - (Correction: I think it is an obsession.)
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person (Unclaimed Persons).
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure.
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
45. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher.
46. Disproved a family myth through research.
47. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
48. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
49. Translated a record from a foreign language. - (Note: I am working on that right now.)
50. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
51. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer.
52. Used microfiche.
53. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
54. Visited more than one LDS Family History Center.
55. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
56. Taught a class in genealogy.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
59. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
60. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
61. Found an ancestor’s Social Security application.
62. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer.
63. Used Steve Morse’s One-Step searches.
64. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
65. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
66. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
67. Visited the Library of Congress.
68. Have an ancestor who came over on the Mayflower.
69. Have an ancestor who fought in the Civil War.
70. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
71. Became a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits.
72. Can read a church record in Latin.
73. Have an ancestor who changed their name.
74. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
75. Created a family website.
76. Have more than one "genealogy" blog.
77. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone.
78. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
79. Visited the DAR Library in Washington D.C.
80. Borrowed a microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center.
81. Have done indexing for Family Search Indexing or another genealogy project.
82. Visited the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
83. Had an amazing serendipitous find of the "Psychic Roots" variety.
84. Have an ancestor who was a Patriot in the American Revolutionary War.
85. Have an ancestor who was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War.
86. Have both Patriot & Loyalist ancestors.
87. Have used Border Crossing records to locate an ancestor.
88. Use maps in my genealogy research.
89. Have a convict ancestor who was transported from the UK.
90. Found a bigamist amongst the ancestors.
91. Visited the National Archives in Kew.
92. Visited St. Catherine's House in London to find family records.
93. Found a cousin in Australia (or other foreign country). (I found a couple in the U. K.)
94. Consistently cite my sources.
95. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don't live in) in search of ancestors.
96. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes.
97. Have an ancestor who was married four times (or more).
98. Made a rubbing of an ancestors gravestone.
99. Organized a family reunion.
100. Published a family history book (on one of my families).
101. Learned of the death of a fairly close relative through research.
102. Have done the genealogy happy dance.
103. Sustained an injury doing the genealogy happy dance.
104. Offended a family member with my research.
105. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.

63rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 63rd edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read the edition here. The topic for the next edition is :

A Winter Photo Essay. Show us those wintertime photo(s) of your ancestors
or family members and tell us the story that goes along with them. Winter is
here! Let's record it and celebrate it! The deadline for submissions is January
15th.

Enjoy!

Looking For Future Hosts ...

I'm still looking for people who would be willing to host a future edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Here are the months that are open:

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

Those who host an edition get to choose the topic, due date for submissions, and date of publication. If you are interested, please contact me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

99 Things ...

Yes, I have also decided to join in on another meme that has been going around the genealogy blogs within the past or so. As far as I know, Julie, Terry, Sheri, and Msteri are the ones who have done this meme so far. (Of course, if I have missed someone, I am terribly sorry.)

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize in blue (My addition)
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disney world.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (Does being in a boat in a harbor on the Great Lakes count?)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person.
41. Sung Karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. (I have not decided whether I want to do this or not.)
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican. (I have not decided whether I want to do this or not.)
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.

Google Analytics for December 2008

Well, another month (and year) has gone by, and you know what that means! It is time for another Google Analytics report! So, here are the results for December 2008:

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

1. United States - 554 visits
2. Canada - 57 visits
3. United Kingdom - 38 visits
4. Australia - 4 visits
5. Germany - 4 visits
6. Ireland - 4 visits
7. Jamaica - 4 visits
8. Spain - 3 visits
9. Indonesia - 3 visits
10. Norway - 3 visits

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

1. Michigan - 102 visits
2. Illinois - 59 visits
3. Texas - 51 visits
4. California - 44 visits
5. New York - 37 visits
6. Ohio - 34 visits
7. Tennessee - 25 visits
8. Maryland - 19 visits
9. Utah - 17 visits
10. New Jersey - 13 visits

The top ten places in Michigan, in number of visits, are:

1. Hamburg - 42 visits
2. Allendale - 24 visits
3. Livonia - 6 visits
4. Redford - 6 visits
5. Oak Park - 3 visits
6. Grand Rapids - 3 visits
7. Lansing - 3 visits
8. Southfield - 2 visits
9. Royal Oak - 2 visits
10. Clio - 2 visits

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

1. My Genealogy and Blogging Resolutions For 2009 - 32 views
2. Does Anyone Know? - 28 views
3. Another Database Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search - 23 views
4. Tombstone Maker Website - 22 views
5. Merry Christmas! - 21 views
6. An Award: The Proximidade Award - 18 views
7. I Can Finally Start to Breathe ... - 17 views
8. December Edition of the History Carnival Posted! - 16 views
9. My 2008 Resolutions - My Results - 16 views
10. I Found My Great-Grandpa's WWI Service Records! - 14 views

Well, that ends the results for December 2008. To my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading." Enjoy!

Happy New Year's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a happy New Year's Day! Enjoy!

Happy New Year's Eve!

I just want to wish everyone a happy New Year's Eve! Enjoy!

An Award: The Proximidade Award

A few days ago I was awarded the Proximidade Award by Msteri, but I had not got around to posting the award. Anyhow, thank you Msteri for nominating me for the award!

So, what is the Proximidade Award? Here is some information on the award:

"These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time, and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming! These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends! They are not interested in prizes or self -aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

And now, I am supposed to nominate eight other bloggers for this award, and the people I am nominating are:

• Cathy of In Deeds
• Harold of Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog
• Elizabeth of Little Bytes of Life
• Milwaukee Germans
• Gray Roots are Showing
• Wendy of All My Branches Genealogy
• Nancy of Fermazin Family Genealogy
• Brenda of Grand Traverse Area Genealogy Society

Enjoy!

How Do I? Two Questions ...

I've been thinking about the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy lately, and I'm just wondering what I should do to improve it. Lately, I have been having difficulty getting enough submissions for each edition of the carnival. Does anyone know how I can increase the number of submissions for the carnival? Also, does anyone know how I can garner more attention for this carnival?

Any suggestions or advice is welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

More Cuyahoga County, Ohio Records - Orders Two and Three ...

Today I received some more records from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio archives that I ordered within the past week-in-a-half to two weeks ago. This happens to be the third time that I ordered records from this archives, and I thought I would talk a little about the records that I ordered in my last two requests. (I did not write about the second batch of records that I ordered when they came in because I was away at school. I did not write about the second batch when I first came home because I did not think about doing so until the other records came today. Plus, I hadn't had very much time to look at the other records until now.)

So, what records did I order in the second batch? Well, I ordered a marriage record, a naturalization record, and a probate file. Unfortunately, the archive was not able to find a probate file for my ancestor, so I was only received the naturalization record and the marriage record. The marriage and naturalization were the same person, my ancestor's youngest son. (As for the naturalization record, as I mentioned in a previous post, I received part of his naturalization record in an earlier request. That naturalization record turned out to be his declaration of intent, and this record I ordered turned out to be the paper that bestowed his citizenship upon him.)

The third batch consisted of five marriage records. Those marriage records were of my ancestor's brothers. Of course, a couple of those marriage records have left me with a few more unanswered questions. I will probably have to order more records to find the answers to my questions. I will let all of you know if I have my answers when I am able to do more research on that branch.

14th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - Christmas and Hanukkah Edition!

The fourteenth edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is now here, and this edition is the Christmas/Hanukkah edition! Originally, I was supposed to post this edition on Tuesday, but I have been busy helping my family prepare for Christmas, so until now I have not had a chance to put this edition to together. For this carnival, we have articles from a couple of different countries, so please sit back and enjoy the carnival. Here are the articles:

First off, we have a few articles from Lisa of 100 Years in America. In Keeping Watch on Badnjak: Christmas Eve (Revisited), she shares Croatian traditions associated with Christmas Eve. In Not the Partridge, but the Falcon: a Little Hungarian Christmas History, she shares the origin of the word for Christmas in Hungarian and pre-Christian Hungarian traditions during the winter season. In Advent: "... the faith of our forefathers makes itself heard in our age ..." and As we approach the beautiful feast of Christmas, she defines the meaning of advent, and shares a list of posts on Croatian and Hungarian Christmas traditions that she wrote last year.

Last but not least, we have an article from Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal. In German Christmas Traditions That I'm Familiar With, she writes about two German Christmas traditions that she is familiar with.

Well, that ends this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. For the next edition, the topic will be on history books. Write about a history book that you have read or are reading that deals with the history of a Central or Eastern European country or the regions of Central and Eastern Europe. You do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestors to participate in this edition. Submissions for the next edition will be due on January 23, and the edition will be posted on the 25th. You can submit your article here. Also, if you are interested in hosting a future edition of this carnival, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

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

14th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Will Be Posted Today!

I will be posting the 14th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy later on today. (It will probably be in the evening.) I have not yet finished my post for the carnival, and I have only received one other article for this carnival. If you have any articles that you would like to submit to the article, you still can submit them, either here or to my e-mail at jess_history at yahoo dot com. (Articles do not have to be recent posts, and could have been submitted to other carnivals as well.) Thanks.

Anyone Going to Still Submit an Article?

I was just wondering if anyone was going to submit an article to the 14th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy? I will still accept submissions until 6 a.m. on the 223rd. You can either submit it through the blog carnival or you can e-mail it to me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Michigan's Old Soldiers' Home: Adam's File ...

As I mentioned Friday, I have finally obtained Adam Oswalt's Old Soldiers' Home record from the Grand Rapids Public Library. What was the Old Soldiers' Home, and where was it located? Did I get any questions answered? What did I learn?

As you can tell from its title, Michigan's Old Soldiers' Home was a convalescent home for elderly war veterans, and it was located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although in 1908, at the time when my ancestor applied, I think the home was just north of the city. A few years ago I did look at a picture book from 1912 that my university owned, and the picture book mentioned that a train had to be taken to get to the home. I think the book also stated, or implied, that it was outside of the city, but I cannot recall off the top of my head. (The book was titled Michigan Soldiers' Home, and I think it was a book that visitors take back with them as souvenir.) The home also had its own cemetery, and there are war veterans buried in that cemetery. I am not sure if the original buildings are still on the property, but I do know that the home's name was changed to the Michigan Veteran's Home. Outside of that little information, I do not know anything else. There is a website that has some old pictures of the home, and you can read about the information it has here.

Anyhow, the file I obtained from Grand Rapids was a four page application Adam had submitted to the home. In the way of genealogical data, I did not learn much more than I already knew about Adam. There was a box for his religious beliefs, but he only listed that he was Protestant. Since that does not narrow down his faith anymore than I already knew, I am still stuck at square one when it comes to the church he attended. Outside of that, I get an answer as to when Adam arrived in Michigan for the first time. (He moved to Rockford, Illinois in the late-1880s and moved back to Michigan in the late-1890s.) In addition, I also found a little bit more of the medical condition my ancestor was in when he was applying to the home. From what is listed in the application and other documents, I think I can safely assume that Adam applied to the home based upon his medical situation. Plus, I also learned what the requirements were for admission to the Old Soldier's Home. Instead of just going into the details, I thought I would include the images of the application while I explained what I found out.

I believe this page is the first page of the application, but I am not too sure for sure. (At least this was the first page of the application on the microfilm.) This page primarily deals with a soldier's service, his martial status, age, religion, appearance, birthplace, etc. In short, this was information that I already knew about Adam from my previous research. Of course, if I had not done any research, this page would have been invaluable in trying to find his military records.

The next page deals with how long he was a resident in Michigan, and when he first lived in Michigan. I did not know when Adam moved to Michigan from Pennsylvania, and so I can now begin to start looking for proof to confirm this. Before I obtained this record, I knew he was living in Michigan by 1861 when he got married. I was unable to find him in the 1860 census, but I might be able to find him in the tax records of either Van Buren county or Saint Joseph county, if I look for their old records.

The third page of the application lists the medical problems my ancestor's suffered from, and gives me an idea as to why he applied to the home. Most of this information was new to me. This page is also the page that lists whether or not an applicant would be allowed to live in the home.

And last but not least, is the last page of the application. This page indicates when a veteran was admit ed to the home, and lists his application number. The page also lists the rules that govern how an inmate would live and who would allowed to live in the home. Applicants that received more than $12 a month from their pension were not supposed to be admitted, unless they were approved by the commander of the home. Since my ancestor was receiving about $15 a month from his pension, I suspect he was only allowed to live there due to his medical problems and he was one of those "special cases".

So, that is a little about the Old Soldiers' Home and what information you might expect to find in your ancestor's application. I realize that this is a long post, and I'm sorry for making it too long. I hope, though, that you found this post to be interesting and informative. Enjoy!

Happy Hanukkah!

I just want to wish everyone a happy Hanukkah. I realize I'm a day late with my wishes, but I forgot to look and see when Hanukkah started. I am terribly sorry for that. Enjoy!

German Christmas Traditions That I'm Familiar With

For this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, I am supposed to write about Christmas (or Hanukkah) traditions, and I decided to write about a couple of German Christmas traditions that I know. (At the moment, I am writing this off the top of my head, so if I make a mistake, please let me know. I will try to correct any mistakes as soon as I can.)

Outside of having a Christmas tree, the next Christmas tradition that I associate with Germany is the Advent Calender. An Advent Calender is a box that has twenty-five doors that contain little chocolate candies behind them. The twenty-five doors count up to the days until Christmas beginning with December 1st. In Germany, the family opens up one of the doors in the calender, each night up to Christmas, and reads the saying on the back of the door. (I first learned about Advent Calenders when I started studying German in school.)

Another German Christmas tradition that I am familiar with is the two day celebration of Christmas in Germany. Christmas is celebrated in Germany on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and on Christmas Eve, presents are opened. (I think Christmas day is celebrated more solemnly than Christmas Eve, but I've forgotten if that is the case.) Of course, celebrating Christmas over two days is probably similar to other European countries and not just unique to Germany.

So, those are two German Christmas traditions that I am familiar with, and even though I have only mentioned two, there are other Christmas traditions in Germany.

Reminder: Submissions Due Today!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions are due tonight for the upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic is on Christmas and Hanukkah traditions. You can submit your articles here. If you need more time or won't be able to submit your article by tonight, please let me know.

Also, if anyone is interested in hosting the January edition (or later) of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, please contact me at: jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

My Genealogy and Blogging Resolutions For 2009

For this carnival, I am supposed to list my New Year's Resolutions for genealogy and blogging, and as you may remember, I created my first New Year's list last year. I posted my results for last year, and I did fairly well. So I'll now post two lists for resolutions. For my research, here are my resolutions for 2009, and hopefully, I'll do just as well in 2009 as 2008:

1. Look up and print other probate records of ancestors who lived and died in Saint Joseph County, Michigan. As you may remember, this resolution was one of my resolutions from this year that I did not accomplish, so I am carrying this resolution over to this upcoming year.
2. Order more microfilms of Trippstadt, Germany's civil records. I only ordered one microfilm from Trippstadt this year, and I hope to order a few more microfilms in this upcoming year.
3. Order naturalization records for my German-Russian ancestor Anton and his siblings. I am hoping the naturalization records will list where he and his siblings were born, so that I can trace Anton and his family back to the Russian Empire.
4. Obtain the Civil War Pension files for Benjamin and William Oswalt, and try to strengthen their relationship to my ancestor, Adam Oswalt.
5. Find more information on my ancestor, Irene Havens. I am hoping to figure out who her parents are, and what her connection is to Rhoda and the Mandigo family.
6. Find more information on my WWI veteran great-grandfather's family and ancestors. I do not know very much about his side of the family, and I hope to uncover more information on his family.
7. Order birth, marriage and death records of ancestors from the United Kingdom. This resolution is the same from last year, and I hope to be able to continue doing research on all of my ancestors from the U. K.
8. And last, but not least, I hope to make more connections and to find more ancestors and relatives. Of course, this was a resolution from this past year, but I hope to continue to be able to find more relatives and make some more connections.

So, those resolutions are my goals for doing genealogy research in this upcoming year. I did not mention any blogging resolutions in the list above because I am going to list them below. So, here are my blogging resolutions:

1. Publish posts listed in the "Coming Soon" box in a timely manner. As some of you may have noticed, I have listed posts that I plan to post in the future but I do not always post those posts at the time that I say I will. I hope to improve on my timing in this upcoming year.
2. Improve the writing quality of my posts. As always, I hope to write posts that are more eloquent and more professional, so I would appreciate it if you could give me feedback on how well I am writing my posts.

So, those are my two blogging goals. I have only made two because I am not sure what other goals I want to create. I did come up with a number of posts to publish for 2009 because I do not know how much time I will have to blog in the future, and in addition, I want to focus more on quality than on quantity.

So, as you can see, I have come up with some more goals for 2009. I hope I am able to accomplish as many of my goals for 2009 as I was able to for this year. As 2009 progresses, I will post updates on my progress every couple of months. Please stay tuned for this coming year, and enjoy the holidays!

My 2008 Resolutions - My Results

Over a year ago, I created my first resolution list, and over throughout this year, I updated everyone on my progress on completing my resolutions. So, here are my final results a year later:

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. Results as of May: I have yet to visit the library and look up that record. (I have been to that library before, I just never thought to look up the record in the past.) I guess I can always send a letter requesting a copy of the records. I don't know if it will cost more to order it than to copy it myself, but it is an option. Results since I posted in May: I still have not visited the library or made a request for his papers. I'm still hoping that I might be able to get a chance to do so this year. Results as of now: I have finally obtained Adam's Old Soldiers' records from the Grand Rapids Library. I have briefly looked over the four pages, and I hope to post an article on those pages in the near future.
2. Order more microfilms of probate records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Results as of May: I have not ordered any microfilms for Huntingdon County. Since I still have plenty of time, chances are that I will do so. Results since I posted in May: I did order two microfilms of Huntingdon County records this summer, but for one of the microfilms, I wrote down the wrong number. The other microfilm is of Orphan Court records for the county, and I am still waiting for that one to come. Results as of now: The microfilm finally came into the local Family History Center in mid-August, and my grandfather took a look at the microfilm as I mentioned earlier this year. I have just recently looked at the record my grandfather printed, and unfortunately, I was not able to gain any more information on the family of Benjamin Oswalt and his wife, Mary.
3. Look up and print other probate records of ancestors who lived and died in Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Results as of May: I have not done this yet. Also, I can't seem to find the call numbers for those microfilms anymore on the familySearch website. I think I wrote down the call numbers, so I'll look and see if I can still make a request. Results since I posted in May: I still have not got around to looking up more probate records for Saint Joseph county, Michigan, and I have not looked for the film numbers I might have copied from the site. Results as of now: I have not ordered any film probate records or viewed any probate records for Saint Joseph County. I hope I will be able to do so in this upcoming year.
4. Order birth, marriage and death records of ancestors from the United Kingdom. Results as of May: I have ordered a microfilm of baptismal records for the church that was closest to my ancestors' residence. Hopefully, I'll be able to find my ancestors and their siblings in these records. Results since I posted in May: I was able to able to find baptismal records for my ancestors and most of their siblings. I did also order another microfilm of church records, but I was not successful in finding a baptismal date for another ancestor. Results as of now: I did order a couple of microfilms this year, as I have indicated above, but I have not ordered any other microfilms since this summer.
5. Order microfilms of Trippstadt, Germany's civil records. Results as of May: I have ordered one microfilm of death records for the time period that a known ancestor had died. Of course, I still plan to order some more microfilms, especially of birth records. Results since I posted in May: The microfilm of death records I ordered finally came in last week, but it turned out to be the wrong years for the person I was doing research on. Instead, I was able to find a death record for another of my ancestor's children. Results as of now: I have not been able to order any more microfilms of records from Trippstadt, Germany, and I hope I will be able to order more records next year.
6. And last, but not least, I hope to make more connections and to find more ancestors and relatives. Results as of May: I have been contacted by two more distant cousins. I haven't yet been able to find more ancestors, but hopefully, I will have done so by the end of the year. Results since I posted in May: I did receive an e-mail from someone who was also researching a possible Householder ancestor, and I did send a response. Unfortunately, I have not heard back for that person since I sent my e-mail. Results as of now: I still have not heard back from a possible cousin. I also have found another person who might be connected to one of my branches, but I haven't been able to contact him yet. I hope to do so within the next few days.

Well, as you can see I have been able to accomplish at least four or five of my resolutions. I think I did pretty well this year, and I hope my next year will be just as successful as this year was.

Winter 2008 Edition of Michigan Genealogist Posted!

The Winter 2008 edition of the Michigan Genealogist has been posted! I learned about the posting from Miriam's post, and you can read the newsletter here.

Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Submissions Due Sunday!

Submissions for the upcoming Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due Sunday. The topic for this edition will be on Christmas/Hanukkah traditions. You can submit your articles here.

62nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 62nd edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on "New Year's Resolutions! What plans do you have for your genealogy research next year? How about for your blogging? No groaning or whining now. Write 'em up and let us know! The deadline for submissions is January 1st, 2009." Enjoy!

An Interesting History Book On The November 5, 1605 Gunpowder Plot

I finally finished reading today a history book that I had been on and off for the past couple of years due to be busy with school. I read Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser.

As you can tell from the title, the book is on the plot to kill James I of Great Britain and members of Parliament, famously known as the "Gunpowder Plot." The book opens with Elizabeth I's death and the negotiations with James over ascending the crown of England. English Catholics believe that Jame's ascension to the throne would lead to more tolerance for those who practice Catholicism in England, and James gives hints that he might do so. After James has been on throne a short while, the Catholics realize he is not going to end the persecution of the Catholics, and a small group of Catholic extremists begin to plan to destroy James and Parliament.In addition to explaining how the Gunpowder came about and why a small group of young Catholic men decided to overthrow James, t he author also focuses on the aftermath of the plot and how the plot affected other English Catholics.

Although I read the book off-and-on, I still enjoyed reading the book, and I believe the author did an excellent job in bringing early-seventeenth century England to life. If you are interested in the history of the Elizabethan area and early-seventeenth century England, I would put this book on your list to read. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.

Does Anyone Know?

Does anyone know when the Michigan 1897 to 1920 deaths will be posted? I read in the latest Michigan Genealogist Newsletter that the death records were supposed to be posted in October, but of course, that never happened. Has anyone heard or know anything about the project? Thanks.

Who Are They?

As you probably can guess, the photograph above of the woman and baby is another mystery photograph for me. I have no idea who either of them are, although the baby almost looks like a doll to me. This photograph along the other mystery photographs I have posted for previous editions of the Smile For the Camera come from my great-aunt's photo album. Outside of that, I do not have any further information as my great-aunt did not write on the back of the card. I do not know if they are relatives or friends of my great-aunt. If anyone recognizes the people in the photograph please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks.

December Edition of the History Carnival Posted!

I forgot to mention that the latest edition to of the History Carnival has been posted, so I am posting this late. You can read the edition here. Enjoy!

8th Edition of the Smile For The Camera Carnival Posted!

The eighth editon of the Smile For The Camera Carnival has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next post will be on:

Who Are You - I Really Want To Know? Show us that picture that you found
with your family collection or purchased, but have no idea who they might
be.Someone took the time to be photographed, someone took the time to send it to
a loved one, someone didn't take the time to identify the photograph. And you
really want to know who they are. Bring it to the carnival. Share! Maybe one of
our readers can help. Admission is free with every photograph!
Your
submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to
describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an
expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a
scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!
Deadline for
submission is midnight (PT)10 January, 2009

Enjoy!

My Three Wishes ...

Dear Genea-Santa,

Although there are many things that I wish that my ancestors had left behind for their descendants, here are three things I really wish I had:

1. A photograph of my Civil War ancestor, Adam Oswalt - Although I wish I had pictures of all of my ancestors, I really wish I had a picture of Adam in his Civil War uniform. I have always wondered what he looked like, and have wondered what his experiences were during the Civil War.
2. A memoir written by my grandfather of his service in World War Two and his early childhood. I never got a chance to ask him any questions about his service or his childhood, and thus, I do not very information on what he experienced.
3. A diary kept by one of my ancestors. I just wish one of my ancestors had kept a diary so that I could get an idea of what his or her life was like during the period the diary was kept. As far as I know, no one kept a diary, although that could change in the future by doing further research.

So, those are three items I wish my ancestors had handed down in the family. It would definitely be nice if I could uncover or find just one of those wishes. (Of course, wish number two is likely never going to happen.)

Another Shipwreck Found in Lake Ontario

I just happened to look on Fox News, and learned that another shipwreck has been found in Lake Ontario. You can read more about it here. Enjoy!

A Christmas Song ...

FootnoteMaven has challenged other genea-bloggers to post one of their favorite Christmas carols. So, here are the words to another one of my favorite Christmas carols, and to be honest, I did not even know all of the words to this song until I posted them now:

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen:

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

"Fear not then," said the Angel,"
Let nothing you affright,
This day is born a Saviour
Of a pure Virgin bright,
To free all those who trust in Him
From Satan's power and might."
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings
Rejoiced much in mind,
And left their flocks a-feeding
In tempest, storm and wind:
And went to Bethlehem straightway
The Son of God to find.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

And when they came to Bethlehem
Where our dear Saviour lay,
They found Him in a manger,
Where oxen feed on hay;
His Mother Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Lyrics courtesy of http://www.carols.org.uk/god_rest_ye_merry_gentlemen.htm

And More On That Mystery Court Case ...

As you may remember, I posted a few weeks ago on a mysterious newspaper article that mentioned that one of my ancestor's brothers was found guilty of assaulting a woman. Well, I decided to see if I could uncover an additional information in the newspapers, but unfortunately, there weren't any other articles on the case. I did notice though, that this newspaper only published the results of the court cases that were heard by that court. (I checked the newspaper for the whole year of 1845.) Apparently, there were other assault and battery cases heard by the court, and the newspaper only bothered to print what the outcome of each case was. So, it looks like the article on my brother's ancestor was typical for that newspaper.

Although I was unable to find any further information on the court case, I did decide to do some other digging to see if I could get an idea as to what the fine would be in today's dollars. In a previous post, I used the historical conversions site to covert prices from the past into today's dollars, and I did that again for the court fine. I discovered that a dollar in 1845 would be worth about $28.58 in today's dollars. Add on top of that, a week's worth of wages was lost as well, and I guess the conviction was quite costly for my ancestor's brother.

Of course, I won't know the details until I am able to obtain a transcript of the court case. Has anyone ever obtained court cases like this before? If so, how much did it cost to obtain a copy of the court's records? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I Can Finally Start to Breathe ...

I am finally finished with the semester! I finished my last paper much earlier today and turned it in. (I took my last final exams yesterday.) Now I can start to relax, and so I will be getting back to posting new posts. Of course, that will be after I finish packing and go home ...

2nd Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival Posted!

The second edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival has been posted! You can read the article here, and the topic for the next edition will be on:

"Around the Kitchen Table". Does your family have a favourite Canadian recipe? Or perhaps you have the recipe to your Canadian ancestor's favourite dish. Maybe you just like Canadian Maple syrup. Share with us your favourite Canadian recipe and/or food. Deadline is February 8, 2009. Please send your submissions to looking4ancestors@gmail.com

Enjoy!

Does Anyone Want To Host A Carnival?

I'm looking for people who would be willing to host a future edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. Editions are held on a monthly basis, and at the moment, the editions from January 2009 to December 2009 are open for anyone who wants to host the edition on his or her blog. Hosts get to choose the topic of the edition, and the dates for the submission deadline and date the edition is published. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail at jess_history at yahoo dot com with "carnival host" in the subject line. Thanks.

Also, I just want to remind everyone that submissions for this month's edition are due on the 21st. You can read more about the topic here.

67 Years Ago: A Day of Infamy

Sixty-seven years ago today Pearl Harbor was attacked, and on the next day, the United States entered the Second World War. (Obviously, I was not alive at the time the attack occurred, but some of my ancestors were. I wrote about where they were here.) I just felt that I just had to post something to commemorate that day.