Looking For Hosts - Update - Again!

As everyone knows, I'm still looking for hosts for future editions of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, but I have to update the list again. Here are the months still available:

• July
• August
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please feel free to contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Google Analytics Report For March 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for March 2010:

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

1. United States - 240 visits
2. Canada - 37 visits
3. Germany - 11 visits
4. United Kingdom - 8 visits
5. Netherlands - 6 visits
6. Poland - 4 visits
7. Philippines - 2 visits
8. Sweden - 1 visit
9. Czech Republic - 1 visit
10. Austria - 1 visit

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

1. California - 30 visits
2. Indiana - 17 visits
3. Wisconsin - 15 visits
4. New York - 14 visits
5. Texas - 12 visits
6. Illinois - 12 visits
7. Michigan - 10 visits
8. Georgia - 10 visits
9. Florida - 9 visits
10. Arizona - 9 visits

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

1. 26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 31 views
2. 1st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies Posted! - 30 views
3. Google Analytics Report For February 2010 - 24 views
4. 3 Years Ago Today ... - 19 views
5. 27th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted! - 17 views
6. Genealogy and History Thoughts Column One - 16 views
7. Looking For Hosts - Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 15 views
   
8. Tombstone Maker Website - 13 views
9. Cemetery Thoughts ... - 7 views
10. Trippstadt, Germany Civil Death Records, Part One: 1806-1829 - 7 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. To my readers, I just want to say, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report, and enjoy!

Looking For Hosts - Update

Although I am still looking for additional future hosts, another month has been taken. Here are the months still available:

• July
• August
• October
• November
• December

If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

27th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Posted!

The 27th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. (Thank you, Al, for a wonderful edition!) The topic for the next edition will be on war stories, and the deadline for submissions will be April 25. The edition will be posted on April 28th, and you can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Looking For Hosts - Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

I just wanted to let everyone know that I still have some openings for future Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy editions, if anyone is interested. The months still available are:

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

I let the person hosting the edition choose the topic, submission date and publication date of the edition. If you are interested in hosting an edition, please contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

1st Edition of the Carnival of African-American Genealogy Posted!

The 1st edition of the Carnival of African-American Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

" Grandma’s Hand: Grandmothers and Their Influence On The Family

Host: Sandra Taliaferro of I Never Knew My Father

Grandmothers are often the matriarchs of the family. In fact, truth be told, many of us were raised by our grandmother; if not, she was definitely a constant in our lives.

For the 2nd Edition of CoAAG: Grandma’s Hand, write a post about your memories of your grandmother and be sure to include a picture of Grandma if you have one!

Submissions deadline: 12 April 2010"

Enjoy!

91st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 91st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Dance! Did you take dance lessons as a child? Did your parents go out dancing every Friday at the Elks Hall? Do you enjoy taking in a good ballet at the theater? Care to share a memory from your high school prom? What role does dancing play in your family history? Come on, let's cut a rug! Deadline for submissions is April 1st, 30 submissions will be accepted."

Enjoy!

3 Years Ago, Today ...

It's really hard for me to believe, but I started this blog exactly three years ago on this day. At the time, I never imagined that I would still be writing this long, nor did I ever imagine that I would post over 1,150 posts by now. It has been an interesting three years so far, and I can only imagine what the next several years will be like for this blog. Enjoy!

Don't Forget! Submissions Due Tomorrow!

I just want to remind everyone that submissions for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy are due tomorrow! You can read more about the edition's topic here. Enjoy!

(I apologize for not posting a reminder earlier. I've been busy with school work lately, and I forgot to post a reminder. I am really sorry about that.)

18th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture Posted!

The 18th 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 on poetry, and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

March 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted!

The March 2010 issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine has been posted! You can read it here. Enjoy!

(I'm very sorry for the delay in posting this. I've just been very busy over the past several weeks.)

1st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies Posted!

The 1st edition of the Carnival of Genealogical Societies has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"Collaboration.

Does your society collaborate with other societies?

(genealogical, historical, lineage, etc.)

Or groups? (local library, family history center)

Why or why not?

What works or needs improvement?"

Enjoy!

Google Analytics Report For February 2010

Well, another month has gone by, and that means that it is time for another Google Analytics report! Here are the results for February 2010:

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

1. United States - 277 visits
2. Canada - 41 visits
3. Poland - 11 visits
4. United Kingdom - 11 visits
5. Russia - 7 visits
6. Germany - 4 visits
7. Australia - 4 visits
8. India - 2 visits
9. Japan - 2 visits
10. Pakistan - 2 visits

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

1. Indiana - 46 visits
2. California - 24 visits
3. New York - 23 visits
4. Illinois - 17 visits
5. Georgia - 16 visits
6. Michigan - 13 visits
7. Wisconsin - 11 visits
8. Ohio - 10 visits
9. Florida - 9 visits
10. Oregon - 8 visits

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

1. 26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 57 views
2. 2009 iGene Awards: The Best of the Best of Jessica's Genejournal -29 views
3. 89th Carnival of Genealogy Posted! - 20 views
4. Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 8 - 17 views
5. A New Carnival! - 17 views
6. Another New Genealogy Carnival! - 15 views
7. What I've Been Up To Since Mid-December ... - 13 views
8. February 2010 Issue of the Shades Of The Departed Magazine Posted! - 13 views
9. Don't Forget! Submissions Due Thursday! - 11 views
10. 25th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - 9 views

Well, that is it for this month's report. I just want to say to my readers, "Thank you for reading!" Stay tuned for next month's report, and enjoy!

Another Award!

Last month, Amanda of A Tale of Two Ancestors left a comment notifying me that she had nominated me for the Happy 101 award. I wasn't able to post my response until now, and I just want to say, "Thank you Amanda for the award!"

For this award, I have to list ten things that make me happy. Here are my ten things, in no particular order:

1. My faith
2. My family
3. My friends
4. My two dogs, Ben and Casey
5. Completing a paper/school work
6. Genealogy research
7. Historical research
8. Listening to Christian music
9. Writing posts for this blog
10. Doing something creative, like drawing or writing a story

Well, those are my ten things. For this award, I'm supposed to nominate ten other people, but since it has been so long since I was nominated for the award, I don't remember who received or didn't receive this award. So, instead of nominating anyone, here is what I'll do: If you haven't received this award yet and are reading this post, consider yourself tagged. Enjoy!

That Reminds Me ... The Archives and Regional History Library at Western Michigan University

I happened to notice Harold's post on the Archives and Regional History Library at Western Michigan University earlier this week, but I hadn't had a chance to write anything about the library until now.

As I mentioned in my comment to Harold's article, Western Michigan's Archives and Regional History Library holds documents and records relating to the Southwestern part of Michigan. So, if you have ancestors from the region of Michigan, it might be a place to look into to see if there are any records that might assist you in your research. Since I have ancestors from Saint Joseph County, I definitely want to go there to do research, although I haven't had a chance to do so yet. I hope I am able to go there one of these days.

You can look at their catalog here to see if there are any records you may be interested in, and the archives is located in the older section of Western's campus. You can read more about the archives here. Enjoy!

26th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy

Welcome to the 26th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy! The topic for this edition was a carousel - the articles could be on any topic. Several articles were submitted, and here are the articles for this edition:

First off, we have an article from T. Casteel of Tangled Trees. In The Village Church of Segenthau, Casteel gives a brief overview of the Catholic Church in Segenthau, Romania.

Next, we have an article from John Frank of Ancestry Chronicles. In The Soviet Takeover of Hungary: a Tale of Tragedy, he writes about the forced removal of ethnic Germans from their homes in Eastern Europe after World War Two.

Next, we have an article from Al Wierzba of Polish-American Genealogy Research. In Waiting For The Mail - Parish CD's, he writes about ordering parish records from a contact in Poland.

Next, we have an article from Antra of Discovering Latvian Roots. In Myths About Latvian Research, Antra writes about a few common myths in Latvian genealogy research and the reality behind those myths.

Next, we have an article from Diane Rogers of CanadaGenealogy or 'Jane's Your Aunt'. In Immigrants in Canada's West - 1898 - Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, she transcribes a newspaper article that gives immigration statistics for Western Canada in the year 1898.

Next, we have an article from Zenon of Polish Origins. In Polish Genealogy Databases, Zenon provides a link for Polish genealogy databases that can be searched online.

Last, but not least, we have an article from Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal. In Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 8, she writes about her discovery of a Declaration of Intent for one of her ancestors.

Well, that is it for this edition. The topic for the next edition is on "'The Village of my Ancestor'. Each article should deal with any known history of any location that one ancestor may have lived. It could be history of a town or area in the U.S. or an European Village," and will be hosted by Al of Polish-American Genealogy Research. The deadline for submissions will be March 19th, and the edition will be published on March 22nd. You can submit your articles here. Enjoy!

Another New Genealogy Carnival!

Another genealogy carnival has been started, and this carnival is the Carnival of African-American Genealogy. The topic for the first edition will be on "Restore My Name - Slave Records and Genealogy Research," and you can read more about it here. Enjoy!

90th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy Posted!

The 90th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! You can read it here. The topic for the next edition will be on

"A Tribute to Women! March is women's history month and a great time to honor the women on our family trees.This is will be the 4th annual edition on this topic so we're going to change it up just a bit to keep it fresh... Write a biography about a woman on your family tree starting with a timeline of their life. The timeline can be a separate post that you link to from your biography (which can itself be a series of articles) but please just submit one post to the COG. If you haven't written from a timeline before you may find it a great learning/research experience! Since this topic will likely require more research and writing time you'll have a full month till the deadline. There will be no March 1st edition of the COG. The deadline for submissions will be March 15th. Thirty submissions will be accepted."

Enjoy!

20th Edition of the Smile For The Camera Carnival Posted!

The 20th 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

"'Give Their Face A Place.' March is Women's History month and you are asked to picture women back into history. The unknown, known and unsung women who are often the foundation of our family history. Give their face a place. The interpretation is yours. Admission is free with every photograph!"

Enjoy!

Looking For My German Ancestors, Part 8

In my previous post, I promised I would continue writing about my Kees ancestors' connection to Cleveland, Ohio; however, I discovered a naturalization record during my time off in December that I want to discuss in this post.

While I was at the Archives of Michigan doing research for my thesis, I happened to spot the naturalization index for Saginaw County, and I thought I would check and see if my ancestor, Fred Klippel, had applied to become a naturalized citizen in Saginaw County, Michigan. What led me to believe that my ancestor might have applied for citizenship?

Well, a few months prior to my visit, I discovered that Footnote.com had digitized federal naturalization records for the Eastern district of Ohio, which includes Cleveland, and found the naturalization record of Fred's son, Adolph. In Adolph's application for naturalization, he mentioned that he was told by a family friend (I think?) that his father had become a citizen in 1874, and thus, Adolph believed he could legally vote. The only problem was that Adolph did not know where his father's naturalization certificate went, and thus, had his voting privileges challenged in 1916. Interestingly, Adolph did not apply for naturalization until 1919, and I wonder if he waited until World War One was over before he tried to apply.

Obviously, the information in Adolph's naturalization records intrigued me. I had wondered if Fred had applied for naturalization during his lifetime, but after viewing the Naturalization Indexes for Cuyahoga County put online by the Cuyahoga County GenWeb, I concluded that he hadn't applied for naturalization in Cuyahoga. (Of course, I was making the assumption that those indexes online were complete, and that may or may not have been the case.) Adolph's naturalization record was the first clue I had that Fred did apply. The only problem was that in 1874, Fred was still living in Cleveland, and I hadn't found a naturalization record for him as I stated before. Of course, Adolph could have got the year wrong, but at the time, I couldn't do any follow up on the lead as I was busy with school work.

By the time I visited the Archives of Michigan for other research, I had pretty much forgotten about the naturalization records. I just happened to spot the index for the Saginaw County Naturalization Records while I was looking for one of the volumes of the Michigan Pioneer Collection, and I just decided on the spur of the moment to look and see if I could find my ancestor. I found his name listed, and with the archivist's help, I discovered the record was for Fred Klippel's Declaration of Intent. The record was dated September 22, 1884, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to look and see if there were any more papers because the Archives was starting to shut down at that point. I had noticed that there was additional mention of a Fred with a last name spelled similar to Klippel, but I didn't have a chance to follow that lead. It may be my ancestor with his surname misspelled, but I'll have to wait until my next visit to the archives.

So, why is this naturalization record important? Well, for one, it narrows down my time frame of when Fred died. As you may or may not remember, the date of Fred's death has been a mystery for me since his death does not show up in Saginaw County's death records. (I haven't been able to find a possible match, through searching FamilySearch's Michigan vital records, in other Michigan counties either. I've only been able to find Amelia's death record.) The only information that I had been able to uncover as to a possible time of death were from two Saginaw directories. In the 1882 directory, Fred is listed as a baker, and thus, was still alive at the time of the book's publishing. The next available directory, though, wasn't published until 1887, and in that directory only Fred's wife, Amelia, is listed. Since Fred wasn't listed under the baker's occupation as he was for the 1882 directory, I concluded that he had died by 1887. My time frame for time of death was now between 1882 and 1887. I hadn't been able to narrow down the time frame any further as Saginaw County's records in the Michigan State Census of 1884 appears to not have survived. Thus, this naturalization record that gives an application date of September 1884 indicates that my ancestor was still alive by that date. (I should note also that my ancestor, Fred Klippel, is the only Fred Klippel living in Saginaw during this time period that I am aware of.) So, now I have a time frame for death between September 23, 1884 and 1887. I haven't had a chance to check for any deaths mentioned in Saginaw's newspapers yet, so I might be able to come up with a death date, but at least I have a much narrower time frame to search for a record of his death. If he did survive to become a naturalized citizen, then I will have an even narrower time frame of death. Of course, I still need to do further research to determine his exact date of death.

In my next article, I will continue writing about Amelia's family in Cleveland, if I do not uncover any additional information on Fred's naturalization records between now and my next post. So until then, stay tuned and enjoy!