7th Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted!

The seventh Shades Of The Departed Guest Column has been posted. You can read it here. The author of this week's column is Nikki-ann. Enjoy!

7th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

The seventh edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is now here! The topic for this edition was in honor of Mother's Day, and submitted articles were to be on a female ancestor from the region of Central or Eastern Europe. Only a few articles were submitted, so this is a short edition:

First off, we have an article from Elizabeth of Little Bytes of Life. In Anna Susan Bires: From "Cinderella" to a Happy Ending, she writes about one of her Czech female ancestors whose life was similar to the story, Cinderella.

Next, we have an article from Steve of Steve's Genealogy Blog. In A Sixteen-Year-Old Immigrant, he writes about his ancestor who left the Russian Empire at sixteen years old to live in America.

Last, but not least, we have an article from Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal. In a German From Russia: Caroline's Story, she shares what little information she has on her ancestor.

Well, that wraps up this edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. In honor of Father's Day, the topic for the next edition will be on a male ancestor from the region of Central or Eastern Europe. The Deadline for the next edition will be June 12. The eighth edition will be posted on June 13. You can submit your article here.

Just A Double-Check ...

I was informed by one of the bloggers who submitted me a submission that Blog Carnival had not issued a receipt. If you submitted an article to this edition and did not receive a receipt, I probably did not receive the article. If that is the case, please leave me a comment with URL to article. I just want to make sure I haven't missed anyone's submission. Thanks!

FamilySearch Lab Adds More Databases To Record Search

FamilySearch Lab has added some more databases to their record search. Among the records added are Michigan births from 1867-1902, Michigan marriages from 1867-1925, and Michigan deaths from 1867-1897. You can find the databases here. Enjoy!

Summer Reading Challenge: Book Review Two

Well, I finally finished reading the second book I chose to read for this challenge. The book I chose was Making Your Dreams Come True by Marcia Wieder (New York: Harmony Books, 1999). From the title of the book, one can readily determine that this book belongs in the self-help category. This book is about 230 pages long, and includes a workbook that assists the reader in making his or her dreams come true.

The author takes the reader step-by-step on how to achieve one's dreams, through advice on how to change one's thoughts and with exercises in the chapters. Even though this is a short book, I would not rush through one's reading of the book. This is a book that one should read and work along.

So, how does one achieve his or her dreams? Well, I would read the book to find out.

A Day of Infamy ...

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred way before I or my parents were born. My grandparents and my great-grandparents' families were alive at that time, though. So where were they at that time?

Well, one side of my family was living in Detroit at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. The other side of the family was living in the U. K, and my grandfather was already serving in the British Army. Of course, I am sure that I have asked my grandparents before about when they learned of the attack; I just can't remember exactly what they said about the attack. (Oh, well. I'll just ask them again the next time that I see them.) As for my British side, I'm not sure when they learned of the attack or how they felt about it. (Again, I can ask.)

What I do know is that the attack on Pearl Harbor changed American minds over whether to go to war, and thereby, changed the course of U. S. History.

Poll Result ...

By now, I am sure that everyone has seen the poll results. I asked if I should extend the submission deadline for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. One person voted, and the results are:

• Yes - 1 vote
• No - 0 votes

To the person who voted, thank you for voting. Obviously, I have decided to extend the deadline as I mentioned in an earlier post.

Carnival Update

I have decided to push back the submission deadline. Submissions are now due on May 21. I will post this upcoming edition on the 22nd.

7th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities Posted!

The seventh edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

A Quick Poll ...

I have added another poll. The question for this poll is: "Should I extend this edition's submission deadline?" (Carnival of Central and Eastern Genealogy 7th edition, that is.) Your choices are:

• Yes
• No

You can only vote once, and the poll will close by midnight EST time. Thanks.

Did You See This Article On A Historical Event?

I was just wondering if anyone had noticed the article on yahoo about New England's Darkest Day? If not, you can read about it here. I never knew that something like this had occurred. Hm ... . Do I sense another research project?

An Interesting Quiz ...

I learned about this quiz through one of the yahoo groups that I belong to (I belong to several). It is a quiz that challenges your knowledge of historical utensils. You try it here.

A Blog Change ...

I've made another change to my blog today. I've added my profile onto my blog again, and I have moved it to the top right of the page so that people can see it better. I had removed my profile for a while, but I've decided to post it back up again.

Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Deadline ...

I just want to let everyone know that the deadline for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is today at midnight. I haven't received any submissions, but I can move the deadline back if everyone needs more time. Please let me know. Thanks.

A Bell and Beau Couple: My Great-Grandparents

The above picture is a picture of one of my great-grandparents. I don't know too much about this photograph, and I'm not sure exactly where and when it was taken. From what I can remember, there was nothing written on the back to tell me. I only have a digital copy, so I can't take a look again. (My grandma owns the original.)

My guess of where and when this photo was taken? I'm guessing the photo was taken in the 1910s. At least the clothing and hats appear to be from that time period. (For some reason, I thought 1915, but I can't remember why I thought that.) From looking at the hats, it appears to be summer time, and it appears as though the wind is blowing since they are holding onto their hats. As I stated before, I don't know where this picture was taken. My first guess would be Michigan as they lived in Michigan, and it could be anywhere on the coasts of that state. For some reason I guessed it could have been taken in Muskegon, but I don't remember why. Or it could have been taken in Detroit across from Bell Isle. Of course, I could be wrong. The picture could have been taken anywhere, and not necessarily in Michigan.

Either way, I chose this picture of my great-grandparents (a different couple from the one I previously wrote about) because I believe they fit the Belles and Beaus category the best. I think their marriage was a real love story. I might post on it some day.

Last Update On My Dog ...

I plan on this post being my last of my updates on my dog. Ben's doing very well, and his scar is barely noticeable. I put him on the deck on Thursday with Casey, and they have been running around on the deck. Ben is definitely back to his hyper self and his compulsive barking. (I'll spare you the barking.) Sigh ...

Speaking of Funny Place Names ...

I just happened to notice Randy's post on funny place names, and his mention of Hell, Michigan. I know where that is! I live somewhat near the area of Hell ... Hell, Michigan that is. Oh, and while I'm at it, I should mention that there's a Paradise in Michigan. Except, it's in the Upper Peninsula. I don't think it would be too much of a Paradise in the winter, but that's my thoughts. (Ha, ha!)

48th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 48th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition is a swimsuit edition or beach stories. Enjoy!

My New Year's Resolutions: Five Months Later

Since I mentioned earlier that I went to the local Family History Center, I thought it would be a good time to review the New Year's resolutions that I made in December 2007.

So, how did I do?

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. Result so far: 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
2. Order more microfilms of probate records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Result so far: I have not ordered any microfilms for Huntingdon County. Since I still have plenty of time, chances are that I will do so.
3. Look up and print other probate records of ancestors who lived and died in Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Result so far: 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.
4. Order birth, marriage and death records of ancestors from the United Kingdom. Result so far: 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.
5. Order microfilms of Trippstadt, Germany's civil records. Result so far: 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.
6. And last, but not least, I hope to make more connections and to find more ancestors and relatives. Result so far: 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.

As you can see, I have only been able to make headway with the last three goals. Since I still have most of the year left, I probably will come close to completing most of my goals, if not all.

This Week's Genealogy and History News ...

Here is a link list of some of the news relating to genealogy or history that I have noticed in the past week:

• My post on the changes made at FamilySearch Lab's Record Search.
• Ancestry's partnership with the NARA to digitize military records.
• A Little Information on the Holocaust Records Opened to the Public.
• 1860 Census Added to Footnote.

I think that is all of the news relating to history and genealogy. Of course, I could be wrong and have missed some. If I have missed an article, please let me know.