Saturday Night Fun - What Inspired Me?

For this Saturday Night Fun challenge, Randy is asking, "What event or person inspired you to start your genealogy research?" So, what inspired me?

Well, I did touch upon this subject before in a previous article, but I don't mind mentioning it again. As I mentioned before, I believe my interest in history and the fact that my grandfather was doing research into the family were the two factors in inspiring me to do genealogy. Of course, when I think I about when I began to do genealogy, I usually say that I began my research in my late teens, but after thinking about for a while, I wonder if I actually started it earlier.

When I was in the sixth grade, I had to do a family tree project for a project, so I began asking my grandparents for the names of my ancestors for the projects. I created a poster (which I still have) of the information that was known at the time, and when it was time to present my family tree, I had my grandpa bring in the family tree that had been done on my grandmother's side in addition to my posted. Then, when I entered the seventh grade, I had to do another family tree project as well, and I had to ask questions again. Of course, I also had to collect information on my family's medical history as that was a part of the project at that time.

Add those factors to the influence of my grandfather and my love of history, I guess it isn't a surprise as to why I do genealogy. Of course, when I think about those two early factors, I wonder if I actually started to research my family history earlier than I thought before because if I hadn't had to ask questions at those times, I don't know if I would have been able to uncover information on my great-grandfather without some of the information I learned at that time. So, what do you think?

13th Edition of the Smile For The Camera Carnival Posted!

The 13th edition of the Smile For the Camera Carnival has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Wedding Belles. Historically, couples married in the month of June to
honor Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Others did it to time conception so
births wouldn't interfere with harvest work. And brides in the 15th century
chose to marry in June because it coincided with their "annual bath" - that's
right - ensuring a relatively sweet-smelling honeymoon. Show us a photograph of
a wedding, a wedding party, a bride, a groom, the reception, or even the
honeymoon."

Enjoy!

Family History Center Visit 8

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the new microfilm that had come in earlier in the week. As I suspected, it was a microfilm of church records (Bishop's transcripts, to be specific) from Wigan, Lancashire, but unfortunately, after looking through the film, I realized that I had ordered the wrong microfilm. So, the next time I visit the local Family History Center, I'll have to order a different film for the area.

After not having any luck with the Wigan film, I went through the Huntingdon, Pennsylvania microfilm again, but as with the first film, I was unable to uncover any more information on my ancestors. So, I did not have any luck with that film either.

After not having any success with those two films, I did take another look at the Luton microfilm I had looked at before, and this time, I did find the marriage of my great-grandmother's older brother. (I didn't find her younger brother's marriage, but I couldn't remember the year he married.) When I looked at the witnesses to the marriage, I was surprised to see my great-grandparents listed as the witnesses! Since I did not know how they met or for how long they knew each other before they married, I was thrilled to find their signatures on the record at least three years before they married!

So, for this visit, I really did not have any success, other than when I looked at the Luton microfilm. I did not order any additional microfilms at this visit, but I am hoping to visit the center next week. I might order a few more microfilms at that visit. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Update

I received an e-mail from the local family history center earlier today informing me that my other microfilm had arrived. This microfilm is of Church of England church records from Lancashire county, although I do not remember if the records are for Wigan or another city in the county. Well, I hope to go to the center soon, so I'll refresh my memory about which location is on the microfilm. Stay tuned ...

New Records Added to FamilySearch's Record Search

Several new databases have been added to FamilySearch's Record Search. Among the records added are vital records for Brazil and North Carolina, death records for Florida and South Carolina, and more images for Czech Republic church records. I hope these new databases help you in your research. Enjoy!

And Now For Another Episode of the "Adventures of Ben and Casey" ...

Well, not exactly, but the photograph above is a picture of my dogs, Ben and Casey that I took earlier today. (I wanted to post a recent picture of them, but I wasn't able to get Casey to face towards the camera, so you cannot see Casey's face. Trust me, it wasn't very easy for me to get them close enough to take a picture today. And that is in addition to the fact that I do not have a very good digital camera.

As you may remember, I wrote about them before in a previous post. In case you are wondering how Ben and Casey were named, my brother and I named the dogs when we first chose them. We did not know about the old TV show, so we did not name them after the show. I named Ben after a my favorite character from my favorite book series (at that time), and as for Casey's name, I'm not exactly sure why my brother gave him that name. (Casey is my brother's dog.) Of course, I could go on and on about the two of them, but I think I'll spare everyone the stories I could tell about Ben and Casey, for now.

Happy Mother's Day!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy!

Michigan Genealogist Newsletter 1st Edition of 2009 Posted!

The first edition of the 2009 Michigan Genealogist Newsletter has been posted! You can read it here! Enjoy!

Genealogy and History Thoughts Column 17 - My Thoughts on the IGI and LDS Rite, Baptism of the Dead, Controversy

Last year, when the controversy between the Catholic church and LDS occurred over Catholic parish records, I thought about writing a column on, but I eventually chose to not do so because I waited too long to write my column. So, when I happened to notice Schelly's post on the news about the baptism of the President's mother, I thought I would write about my thoughts on this issue. (But, before I continue with my column, I just want to mention that I understand that the LDS rite, baptism of the dead, does not mean the deceased person becomes a Mormon after the rite or being listed on the IGI.)

So, what I think about this controversy? Well, to be honest, I am torn between two different views on the rite and IGI listings. On the one hand, I am bothered by the rite but my issue with the rite is due to the fact that I am an Evangelical Christian. On the other hand, I do not have a problem with deceased people's names being listed in the IGI as the IGI has been useful in my research. For instance, I would not have uncovered the birth date for my great-grandfather as quickly as I did if someone had not entered the put the information on the FamilySearch website. I have also found other information on many other ancestors, such as marriage and birth dates, on the site and was able to confirm that information by using it as a guide in my search for sources and further research. The IGI has been a wonderful tool in researching my family's history.

With that said, I also understand that other people might object to their ancestors being listed in the IGI. Do I believe that it is insensitive for a person to have non-related people baptized in this rite? Yes. Those who object to having their deceased relatives listed probably do so out of privacy, religious or other concerns, and I think it is rude for someone who is not connected to a person to have the rite done. (Of course, I have not had a problem with finding any of my ancestors in the IGI only because the ancestors listed are at least separated by a generation from my living relatives, and thus, I haven't had to worry about any privacy concerns.) I realize that the person doing so may be doing it out of the goodness of their heart, but if that person is not connected to the person baptized, I think it would be best for that person to not submit the person's name unless the family has given him or her permission to do so. (I do not have as much of a problem if that person is descended from an ancestor, although I think he or she should consider the feelings of other family members before submitting a name.)

So, what does one do if one wants to memorialize the deceased? Well, in the case of uncovering the names of Holocaust victims, I think the proper procedure would be to donate the research uncovered on victims to a Holocaust survivor group or museum, and allow the members of those groups to decide if and how they would like to memorialize the victims. In other cases, I would avoid baptizing anyone who isn't connected to the person doing the research, and for those are having dead relatives baptized, I would check with relatives before having the names posted on the internet. I think depends on the situation of each case.

Should one donate the names of their ancestors to the IGI, if the IGI has been useful to their research? I think it depends upon the feelings of the researcher and his or her family. As to whether or not I will ever submit ancestors whose names are not listed in the IGI, I am not completely sure what I'll do. Right now, I believe my answer is no due to the fact that I do not want to offend any family members and that I want to respect the privacy of my relatives. Of course, I might change my feelings in the future, but I don't know for sure. Of course, I do not believe there are easy answers or guidelines for all of the issues connected to this controversy.

So, what do you think? Am I right or Wrong? As always, you can leave your thoughts in the comments section.

A New Award!

I just learned that Diane of Random Relatives has awarded me the "One Lovely Blog Award." Thank you Diane!

So, what does one have to do after receiving this award? Well, the recipient has to nominate seven other blogs for the award. So, here are the seven blogs I am nominating:

1. Wendy of All My Branches Genealogy
2. Diane of CanadaGenealogy or 'Jane's Your Aunt'
3. Claudia of Claudia's Genealogy Blog
4. Greta of Greta's Genealogy Blog
5. Cheryl of In Deeds
6. Lori of Smokey Mountain Family Historian
7. Alana of A Twig In My Tree

Enjoy!

71st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 71st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

Mothers! Mother’s Day is right around the corner and this is the perfect
time to honor your mother, grandmother, godmother, step mother, den mother,
aunt, neighbor, or friend who happens to be a mother. If you’ve written about
your own mother for the COG before, consider writing about another mom on your
family tree. Let’s make all our moms famous! The deadline for submissions is May
15th and next edition will be hosted at Creative Gene.

Enjoy!

Family History Center Visit 7

Yesterday, I visited the local Family History Center, and started to take a look at the two microfilms that had come in. I had only about an hour to do research, so I wasn't able to get too far into my research.

The first microfilm that came in happened to be of marriages from St. Matthew's Church in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. I had hoped to find my great-great-grandparents marriage record in this microfilm, since it was the church where my great-grandparents got married. Although the records went back to the time of my great-great-grandparents' marriage, their marriage was not recorded in this church. I'll have to take a look at other church records in the area, and order another microfilm. (Of course, before I return the microfilm, I will double check to make sure that I haven't overlooked any of the marriages of my great-grandmother's siblings as well.)

So, after quickly determining that my great-grandparents were not in that film, I decided to look at the other microfilm. This microfilm contained the records of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania's cemetery, church and bible records, and I quickly discovered that the microfilm contained a typed transcript of those records done by the local DAR branch in Huntingdon county. Despite being disappointed at not viewing the originals, I still decided to go through the film and see if I could find my ancestors mentioned. Unfortunately, I only got through about a third of the microfilm, so I'll have to make another trip to the center to finish going through the microfilm. Hopefully, I will get lucky and uncover more information on my ancestors on my next visit. Stay tuned for future updates ...

Google Analytics Report for April 2009

I cannot believe that April is already over, but since it is, that means it is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for April:

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

1. United States - 470 visits
2. Canada - 43 visits
3. United Kingdom - 24 visits
4. Netherlands - 20 visits
5. Germany - 6 visits
6. Australia - 4 visits
7. South Korea - 3 visits
8. Israel - 2 visits
9. New Zealand - 2 visits
10. France - 2 visits

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

1. Michigan - 84 visits
2. Illinois - 51 visits
3. New York - 41 visits
4. California - 34 visits
5. Virginia - 28 visits
6. Texas - 25 visits
7. Ohio - 22 visits
8. Tennessee - 21 visits
9. Colorado - 18 visits
10. Pennsylvania - 15 visits

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

1. Whitmore Lake - 57 visits
2. Hamburg - 9 visits
3. Washtenaw County - 3 visits
4. Algonac - 2 visits
5. Flint - 2 visits
6. Lansing - 2 visits
7. Muskegon - 2 visits
8. Kent County - 1 visit
9. East Lansing - 1 visit
10. Roseville - 1 visit

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

1. 18th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 24 views
2. 34th Shades Of The Departed Guest Column Posted! - 17 views
3. More Death Records Added to the Seeking Michigan Site! - 16 views
4. Tombstone Maker Website - 15 views
5. Forgot To Mention: It Has Been Two Years! - 15 views
6. Researching My Central and Eastern European Female Ancestors ... - 13 views
7. 12th Edition of the Smile For the Camera Carnival Posted! - 13 views
8. 69th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 13 views
9. Madness Monday - More on Irene Havens, Part 5 ... - 13 views
10. Question About Pre-1906 Naturalization Records ... - 13 views

Well, that is it for this month's Google Analytics report. To all my readers, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report! Enjoy!

New Records Added to FamilySearch's Record Search

I forgot to mention this earlier, but over the past week, FamilySearch's Record Search has added a couple databases to their site. The records added were the 1892 New York State census, church records for a parish in Jamaica, and some more records for a diocese in Spain. I hope these new databases will help you with your research. Enjoy!

Saturday Night Fun - Date Calculations

For this Saturday Night Fun, Randy has challenged other genea-bloggers to post on the use of their genealogy software's date calculator to find a birth date, and I thought I would participate in this challenge.

I have two genealogy programs on my computer: Family Trees Quick and Easy, version 5 that I use to keep track of my ancestry and Family Tree Maker 2005 trial version, so that I can open any gedcoms e-mailed to me. (I cannot successfully open gedcoms with the other program for some reason.) So, for this challenge I will use the date calculator in the Family Tree Maker version.

For this challenge, I have decided to calculate the birth date of my ancestor, Irene Havens. My only record of death happens to be her tombstone which states that she died on March 16, 1876 and was 35 years, 5 months and 25 days old at the time of her death. (I have not been able to find a record of her death, but it is quite possible that it never got recorded. I have a couple of other female ancestors whose deaths do not show up in the Saint Joseph county, Michigan death records either.)

To calculate the date of her birth, I opened Family Tree Maker software and selected the date calculator under the tools menu. I then entered the date of death and age of death as recorded on the tombstone, and the calculator came back with the date of 20 September 1840, although it mentioned that the calculation result was ambiguous. I'm guessing that the calculator does not know if the year was a leap year or not, so I'll have to do a little bit more research to find whether or not that is the case for 1876. So, I might have the right day of birth, but I won't know for sure until I uncover a baptismal record. Hopefully, I will find one for her.

18th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Welcome to the eighteenth edition of the Carnival of Central and European Genealogy! The topic for this edition was on Easter and Passover traditions. Although this is a small edition, here are a few Easter and Passover traditions:

First off, we have an article from Greta Koehl of Greta's Genealogy Blog, who is also a submitting an article to this carnival for the very first time. In Easter Traditions in the Eastern Churches: The Easter Basket, she writes about what types of food go into the basket, and she includes a recipe a dish that is included in the baskets.

Next, we have two articles from Schelly Talalay Dardashti of Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog. In Passover Memories: NYC, Teheran, LA and Part 2, she writes about her experiences celebrating Passover in New York City, Iran and Los Angeles.

Last but not least, we have an article from Donna Pointkouski of What's Past is Prologue. In Happy Dyngus Day!, she writes about the Polish tradition practiced on the Monday after Easter.

Well, that is it for this edition. I hope you have enjoyed this edition as much as I enjoyed reading the articles. The topic for the next edition will be on food! Does your family have any traditional dishes that came from Central or Eastern Europe? Do you have a favorite dish from Central or Eastern Europe? You do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestors to participate in this carnival. The deadline for the submission of articles will be May 20th and the edition will be published on the 22nd. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Family History Center Update

I just received an e-mail from the local Family History Center and learned that two of the microfilms I ordered have arrived. I know that one of the microfilms is of the church and bible records of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, but I am unsure of what the other microfilm is because I only ordered one microfilm from Pennsylvania this time around. I did order two microfilms of church records from England, so it is possible that one of the microfilms is from England. Either way, I'll find out which microfilm that one is the next time I go to the center.

Reasons Why I Haven't Posted Too Much Lately ...

As you have probably noticed, I haven't posted very much over the past few weeks. Part of the reason for the lack of posts is that I haven't felt like posting very much, and secondly, I've been doing research into one of my German branches. Most of the research has been with secondary sources, but I believe I have made some more connections on my Cotta ancestors. Of course, I'll have to back up the research with primary sources, but so far, the secondary sources (consisting primarily of biographies and history books) have been consistent. Either way, I'm thrilled to uncover new information.

So, I've been a bit busy, but I do plan to post other articles soon. I am still back-logged, but I hope to finish those posts soon. It just might take a while. Stay tuned ...

Question: Does Anyone Still Want to Submit Articles?

I forgot that yesterday was the submission deadline for the 18th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, and since I forgot, I'm willing to push back the deadline for the submissions and the publishing of the edition. Is there anyone who still wants to submit an article? Please let me know.

Also, I am still looking for people interested in hosting future editions of the carnival. Here are the months still available:

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

If anyone is interested in hosting, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

70th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 70th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

Local History! As genealogists, we are used to tracing our ancestors and
the history of the places they lived. But not all of us live where our ancestors
did - do we take the time to see the history all around us? Use some of your
investigative skills to research the house, street, or town/city where YOU live.
Write about an interesting person, place, or event of local history. The
deadline for submissions is May 1st. This edition of the COG will be hosted by
Donna at What's Past is Prologue.

Enjoy!