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!