61st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 61st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on:

3 Wishes! This is your chance to write a letter to Genea-Santa*. Make a
list of 3 gifts you would like to receive this holiday season from 3 of your
ancestors. These have to be material things, not clues to your family history
(we're talking gifts here, not miracles!). Do you wish your great grandmother
had gifted you a cameo broach? Or maybe you'd like to have the family bible from
great great grandpa Joe? How about a baby doll that once belonged to your dear
Aunt Sarah? This is a fantasy so you can dream up gift items. They don't have to
be actual items that you know your ancestors owned. However, they do have to be
historically accurate to the time period in which your ancestor lived. Do your
research. No asking for a new computer from your great grand aunt! Genea-Santa
wouldn't like that ;-) The deadline for submissions is December 15th.

Enjoy!

Another Database Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search

I just happened to notice that another database has been added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search. The new database consists of Catholic Church records from the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio. I just thought I would let everyone know. Have fun searching for ancestors! Enjoy!

Found Something On Another One Of My Branches ...

Or at least I believe I have found something on my Russian-German ancestral branch that settled in Detroit. What did I find? Well, I happened to come across a website for Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit through the Detroit and Wayne County Online Death Records website, and I found a three burials listed on the website's cemetery transcriptions (that have been posted so far) that are connected to my Russian-German ancestral family. (I know they are connected because the surname I am researching is a rare surname in the United States.) Now I just have to obtain the death certificates for these three people, and figure out where exactly in the family they connect. (Although I have an idea of where they fit in the puzzle, I cannot make a complete connection without looking at the death records first.) So, needless to say, I will be chasing down a couple new leads on this family over the Christmas break. If you have any ancestors who died in Detroit, I hope the above websites help you in your research. Enjoy!

Google Analytics For November 2008

Well, November has ended, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics report. So, here are the results for November:

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

1. United States - 517 visits
2. United Kingdom - 34 visits
3. Canada - 15 visits
4. Poland - 8 visits
5. Australia - 8 visits
6. Germany - 4 visits
7. Netherlands - 4 visits
8. Israel - 4 visits
9. Spain - 3 visits
10. Thailand - 2 visits

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

1. Michigan - 101 visits
2. California - 62 visits
3. Illinois - 60 visits
4. Texas - 39 visits
5. Ohio - 29 visits
6. New York - 24 visits
7. Wisconsin - 15 visits
8. Virginia - 15 visits
9. New Jersey - 13 visits
10. Pennsylvania - 13 visits

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

1. Allendale - 54 visits
2. Kent County - 19 visits
3. Oak Park - 4 visits
4. Redford - 4 visits
5. Southfield - 3 visits
6. Huntington Woods - 2 visits
7. Livonia - 2 visits
8. Roscommon - 1 visit
9. Genesee - 1 visit
10. St. Joseph - 1 visit

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

1. I Found My Great-Grandpa's WW1 Service Records! - 29 views
2. Eight Things About Me ... - 27 views
3. Tombstone Maker Website - 24 views
4. Who's That Baby? - 24 views
5. 59th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 15 views
6. Fall 2008 Edition of Michigan Genealogist Newsletter Is Available! - 15 views
7. 28th Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted! - 11 views
8. 12th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 9 views
9. A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale That Goes Well With Halloween ... - 9 views
10. Check Out Elizabeth's Post For This Upcoming Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! - 9 views

Well, that is it for November's statistics, and I cannot believe it is December already! Anyhow, to those who read this blog, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!"

Where I've Been ...

As you may have noticed, I did not post very much over this past week. This is primarily due to the fact that I have been busy working on a paper over the Thanksgiving break. Of course, I did celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, but outside of the holiday, I have spent my time doing schoolwork. So, that is why I did not post on the 13th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy on the day that it was posted.

Of course, I still have a couple of weeks of school left, so I will be busy, and therefore, blogging will be light until mid-December or so. I hope to do a little blogging, but I do not know how much I will be able to post until after I get out of school. Anyway, I thought I would let everyone know.

Another Database Added to FamilySearch Lab's Record Search

I just happened to notice earlier today that FamilySearch Lab's Record Search has added Cook County, Illinois marriage records from 1871-1920 on their site. If you have any ancestors living in Cook County, I wish you luck in finding records. Enjoy!

13th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 13th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read the article here. The topic for the next edition is on Christmas Traditions of Central and Eastern Europe. (Hanukkah traditions will also be accepted. I forgot to mention this when I gave Elizabeth the topic for the next edition.) You do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestry. You can submit articles on a tradition that you have read or learned about as well. The deadline for the submissions will be December 21, and the edition will be posted here on the 23rd. You can submit your article here.

Also, if you are interested in hosting a future edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, you can read more about it here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Here's An Interesting Article: Another Shipwreck Found ...

I just happened to notice this article on yahoo, and I thought I would share the link to the article. Apparently, a shipwreck of a slave ship has been found in the Caribbean. (This article caught my interest because one of my history classes deals with slavery and emancipation in Latin America.)

10th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The tenth edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture has been posted! You can read the edition here. The topic for the next edition is on: "My key to Ireland. This edition will be dedicated to the stories of genealogists tracing their Irish family trees." You can find out more information here.

Eight Things About Me ...

I've been tagged by both Apple and Tex for the "8 things about me" meme. The rules for this meme are:

1. Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. A the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their name.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

I do not believe I have participated in this meme before, so here are eight facts about me:

1. Besides doing genealogy, I also like to read (Something you have probably figured out by now.), write stories, draw, paint, knit, crochet and play the piano.
2. I also love to learn about other cultures, countries, religions and languages.
3. I have studied German for almost five years. I had two years in high school, and almost three years in college.
4. After I finish my bachelor's degree, I plan on continuing onto graduate school, and hopefully, I will eventually obtain a PhD in history. (It looks like I will be in school for a long time.)
5. I also like to play computer games, and my favorite computer game at the moment is Age of Empires 3. (It's not exactly a historically accurate game, but the historical theme and strategy are what interests me the most about this game.)
6. I hope to write a book someday and have it published.
7. The historical topics and eras that I am interested in span from the Middle Ages to the present. (Yes, I realize I have a broad interest in history.)
8. I would like to travel the world some day.

And now, I am supposed to tag eight other people. The eight people I am tagging are:

• Harold of Midwestern Microhistory
• Wendy of All My Branches
• Nancy of Fermazin Family Genealogy
• Cathy of In Deeds
• Machie Family Genealogy
• Milwaukee Germans
• Gray Roots Are Showing
• Sheri of Twig Talk

So, that is eight things about me that you now know. I hope you find them interesting. Enjoy!

Submissions for this Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Are Due Today!

Submissions for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due today! The topic for this edition is on, "What research resources are you thankful for?" You do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestry to participate, and you can submit your article here. Thanks!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To the Continent of Africa

In honor of Geography Awareness Week, I have decided to do another post on geography quizzes of a country. I have already done posts on Germany, England, Scotland, Wales and Michigan, but for this post, instead of focusing on one country, I have decided to focus on the continent of Africa.

So, how much do you know about Africa, and how well do you think you know your information? Here are some quizzes on Africa:

Countries of Africa

Rivers of Africa

Largest Cities, By Population, of Africa

Capitals of Africa

Geographical Features of Africa

More Physical Geography of Africa

I hope you enjoy these quizzes, and learn something new. Please do not feel bad if you do not do well on these quizzes because I also did not do very well when I tried them myself. Enjoy!

30th Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted!

The 30th Shades of the Departed guest column has been posted. The author of this week's column is Apple, and you can read the article here. Enjoy!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To Michigan

For today's post focusing on geography, I have decided to post on the state of Michigan. (Of course, I'll probably do another post on the geography of another place, but at the moment, I have not decided on the number of places I will do today.) Michigan, as many of you know, is my home state. So, how much do you know about Michigan?

Here are some quizzes on Michigan:

Counties of Michigan

Cities of Michigan

I hope you have fun with these quizzes. Enjoy!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To Wales

Since I have already done posts on the geography of England and Scotland, I will now do a post on Wales' geography.

Here are a couple of quizzes on the geography of Wales:

Counties of Wales

Wales' Geography

I hope you have fun with these quizzes, and I hope you have learned something new about the geography of the British Isles. I know I did. Enjoy!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To Scotland

As I promised in my post on England, I am also going to do posts on the geography of Scotland and Wales. For this post, I will only focus on Scotland.

So, here are a some quizzes for Scotland:

Cities of Scotland

Areas of Scotland

Islands of Scotland

I hope you have fun with these games. Enjoy!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To England

Yesterday, I did a geography post on Germany due to the fact that this week is Geography Awareness Week, and for today, I have decided to continue do posts on the geography of other countries. For today's post, I have decided to visit England. (I will also cover Scotland and Wales as well, but in other posts. Lisa has already done on a post on Ireland, so I won't repeat a country she has done.)

So, here are a few quizzes for England:

Cities in England

Counties of England

I hope you have fun with these two quizzes and the ones for Germany. And I hope you do better on these quizzes than I did. Enjoy!

Geography Awareness Week: Going To Germany

For the past few days, Lisa at 100 Years in America has been publishing articles in honor of Geography Awareness Week, and so far she has done posts on Croatia, Hungary, and Austria-Hungary. As a result, I have been inspired from these posts do a post myself on the country of Germany.

The official German name of Germany is Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Before 1871, Germany did not exist as country, and as you may know, Germany's borders as of now are go back to when Germany was reunited in 1990.

So, do you think you know a lot about Germany? Here are a couple of quizzes on Germany that you can try:

Cities of Germany

Germany's Bundesländer

Rivers of Germany

I hope you have fun with these quizzes. Enjoy!

Check Out Elizabeth's Post For This Upcoming Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy!

Earlier today, Elizabeth posted a reminder for this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. In addition, she created a beautiful image that reflects the theme of this upcoming edition. Click here to see it. Enjoy!