Monday, February 4, 2008

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:


I am Emma Woodhouse!


Take the Quiz here!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

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!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

How Addicted Am I?

Other genealogy bloggers have blogged about how addicted they are to blogging, and I thought I would take the test as well. So here are my results:


54%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I thought I would be higher, but oh well, I guess it is high enough. Tim Agazio challenged other bloggers to take this test.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The third edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next carnival is on the heritage of Ireland, and will be presented in the form of a parade. The deadline for the articles are March 14. Enjoy!

Blue Eyes: Who Would Have Known?

Over the past several hours, genealogy blogs have been a buzz with the news that people with blue eyes have a common ancestor. You can read more about it here. I guess that's why the genes for blue eyes are considered recessive.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

More History Blogs Added!

Today I have added two more history blogs. The history blogs added are:
  • Walking the Berkshires
  • The Victorian Peeper

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

My Cloud of Words ...

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


created at TagCrowd.com

More Genealogy Blogs Added!

Today I have added two more genealogy blogs. The blogs added are:
  • Harold Henderson's Midwest Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog
  • The Polish Genealogy Project

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

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

More on Pennsylvania Records ...

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

Some Disturbing News ...

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

A TV Genealogy Show!

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

Monday, January 28, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Family History Float ...

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

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

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