Lots happening

Last night was Session 2 of a 4 part class I'm holding at the Wilbraham Public Library on the basics of genealogy and family research. The first session went very well and everyone in attendance seemed to get a lot out of it. Well, I guess it was a good session because last night, about twice as many people as the first session showed up!! A wide variety of participants in the group: Some have done a substantial amount of research but most have only dabbled or are just beginning. We spent most of the night discussing web sites and went to a few so I could show them some shortcuts to their research. Lots of great interaction and we actually went over by about 45 minutes in the Q&A!!

Next, I finally registered to attend NERGC, the New England Regional Genealogy Conference. Karen and I went to the last conference which was held down the road in Springfield. Next year's conference will be in Manchester, NH. I really got a lot out of the last one and I'm looking forward to this one. Many speakers, many subjects covered and much to learn. The easy part is registering; the hard part is trying to pick the sessions to attend. There are probably 5 or 6 different subjects being covered in each time frame such as DNA/genetics, the National Archives, immigration and naturalization, writing and publishing your work, advanced on-line research techniques and many more. I'll also be leading one of the discussion groups at a luncheon on Saturday sponsored by the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

And at last, I was able to register for the on-line “Certificate in Genealogical Research” course at Boston University. It begins January 16, 2013 and runs for 15 weeks. When that's complete, I'll begin the official certification process through the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). As I get deeper and deeper involved in specific areas of research, I discover that I don't know what I don't know! Basically, it ain't easy!

Bigfoot is Real???

I just listened to a DNA presentation by Roberta Estes, the author of the blog where I found this article.  By far, the best DNA presentation I've ever participated in. She really knows her stuff!!

So I went to her blog at dna-explain.com and found this article: Bigfoot is Real???.  At first I thought it might be ajoke.  But after reading the article and the science behind the findings.....

What are your thoughts???

Old Bones on LCTV---Interviewing Relatives

Here's the video of my interview with "Mrs Buttercup" for Ludlow Community Televisoion. I'm describing the value of contacting relatives for the purpose of learning about their childhood, where they grew up, what their family life was like, what games they played as children and dozens more questions. All of this in the interest of making the cold dry facts of genealogy research come to life by "putting some meat on the bones", telling a real family story, give your family history some color and make it interesting.  Click this link and take a look: Old Bones on Interviewing Relatives for Family Research.  The sooner a good family researcher gets to their family members, the better the chance to capture the treasures of their memories.

Questions are tailored to trigger those memories.  Here are some examples: "Did you go to your grandmother's for special dinners, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc?", "Do you have pleasant memories of the aromas in her kitchen?", "Can you still "smell them at times?", "Did your family eat dinner together at the table?", "Did everyone have their own place to sit?".  These questions should elicit more than a one word response; they should be the foundation of stories as the person you are interviewing begins to remember their childhood and how they interacted with their family.  Good or bad, you're sure to get some great stories.  When I interviewed my Great Aunt Sarah, we got to talking about some of the mischief she was involved in.  She admitted to me (and I was the first to hear her "confession"!) that she was the one who painted the neighbor's cat blue when she was about 7 years old.  She never really liked that cat!!

If you're going to take on this as a project and get some interviews, I strongly recommend using a digital recorder.  Get permission to use it in the interview.  Some people can be very intimidated by a recording device and small digital recorders can just sit on the table without microphones and other recording technology.  Very soon into the interview, everyone will just forget that it's there.  After you get permission, ask AGAIN after the recording starts.  You may be getting along just fine today, but you want to make sure that the person's voice can be clearly heard agreeing to taping the interview .  Not that you're going to publish the recording or put it in the public donain, but it's a good idea to get approval!  Take your time...you're probably not going to get this done in one session.

I'll be hosting some classes in the interview process and possibly record a "lesson" to post on YouTube wich I'd link here.

Stay tuned!

Old Bones on YouTube!

Great news...I think!  I've finally figured out how to get my debut performance on Ludlow Community TV uploaded to YouTube.  Click here http://youtu.be/3GqKT2WEov4 to view. This one is about basics. But I just recorded the second session where we talked about interviewing relatives as a part of your family research.  I'll be uploading that one later this week.  Comments are welcome!!  And don't forget to visit www.oldbones.co where I try to keep up with all upcoming programs.

More Local Programs!

Two programs are coming up. I'll be presenting "Introduction to Genealogy and Family Research" in at least 2 locations in the coming months.  First, at Wilbraham Public Library, a basic "Intro" program will take place in four sessions, one per month beginning November 19th.  The second and more comprehensive program will be held at YELLOW HOUSE COMMUNITY CENTER for LEARNING on a weekly basis beginning Thursday, January 17th 2013 and continuing for at least 5 and possibly 6 weeks.  The curriculum for Yellow House has been submitted and is awaiting approval but will include census records, vital records, interviewing relatives, becoming a "genealogical detective", soundex calculations, name variations, interviewing relatives effectively and will include individual assistance with pedigree charts and family group sheets.

Each of these are designed to open up into a more advanced sessions which may involve computer labs with hands on research by individual participants and designed around the needs of those who want to continue into deeper research strategies.

I'll be updating my web site at www.oldbones.co to include these latest additions.  Feel free to comment and let me know if you're interested in joining either of the groups!

I Didn't Know "Uncle Wallace"!!!

In last night's "Introduction to Genealogy", I took some time to discuss the web site www.findagrave.com. I explained that it's certainly not a "Primary Source" as the data is uploaded by volunteers who scour public records, family stories and even obituaries. Many volunteers are well intentioned and put up either their own family's information or the information of their friends or clients. Very ofter, a person or a group may take on a "project" whereby they will use a specific data base and upload GOBS of information. I fall into all of these categories: 1) Family data; 2) Data on the family of friends and clients; 3) Cemetery logs; or 4) just from casual walks through cemeteries after finding a specific individual or individuals.

At any rate, these sisters, who are in their late 60's or early 70's (I certainly won't reveal even though I've found them in the 1940 census!) asked if I could look in Island Pond Cemetery in Ludlow for their grandfather. I cautioned that the only way he'd be there is if a volunteer uploaded the information. That could be a relative or just someone who, like myself, will put up data for any number of reasons. They were disappointed that "William Williamson" wasn't there, but it provided a perfect opportunity too show everyone in the class how the program works. So, based on the data the sisters had (and the research I've already done for them) the whole class became a part of uploading their grandfather to the site.

"Now", I asked, "is your grandmother here as well?" As it turns out, she was Catholic and was buried in St Aloysius Cemetery in Indian Orchard, MA. William wasn't Catholic and was buried in the secular Island Pond Cemetery in Ludlow, MA a few miles away.

Now is when it gets slightly weird. Someone had already uploaded Minnie Williamson, the grandmother. As I scrolled down, I discovered who that volunteer was.....me! I uploaded it a couple of years ago, probably after finding some other memorial that had been requested. I have no memory of it specifically. The relly weird part? On the tombstone and entered with his own memorial was an infant named "Wallace" who was born in 1912 and died in 1913. The sisters gasped and stared at each other! "Did you know about Wallace?" they asked each other almost simultaneously. Neither knew of "Uncle" Wallace....a family secret revealed!!

"It's All Relative"

"It's All Relative!" That's the title of the 3 session program I'll be leading at the Palmer Public Library in Palmer, MA.  It begins September 20th at 6 PM and continues each Thursday until October 4th.

Mary Bernat, Assistant Director of the Palmer Public Library, is sponsoring the program for the library.  She'll have it up on the library's website here http://www.palmer.lib.ma.us/ in a couple of days.

Remember, you can always visit Old Bones at any time for this and other programs.

Introduction to Genealogy and Family Research

Tonight we begin Session II of the 5 week course "Introduction to Genealogy and Familly History".  Session I was a "full house" and Session II looks like it'll be the same.  The whole program is being conducted as a fundraiser for the First Church in Ludlow which is, appropriately enough, the first church that was established in the town of Ludlow in 1774. 

Ironically, the first minister of that congregation was Peletiah Chapin who, it turns out, is a 3rd cousin 6 times removed of mine.  That means our common ancestor is my 8th great grandfather, Samuel Chapin. Sign up for the class and you can learn how to make those calculations!!! Samuel Chapin was a Deacon who also happens to be one of the founders of Springfield, Massachusetts.  There's a statue representing him in downtown Springfield by renowned sculptor, Augustus St. Gudens, called "The Puritan".

 

We always have a bit of humor to get things started so I've planned to play a old song that was popular a few years ago: "I'm My Own Granpaw".  Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_Y1wQ923g

Then we get down to business.  I fully expect to be able to find old records for everyone in the class: newspaper articles, vital records, military records, etc.  Last session, I found a newspaper article describing the great grandfather of one of the attendees who was arrested for starting a brawl at a wedding!  He popped the groom in the head with a beer bottle while accusing him of marrying a 13 year old girl.  Everyone in the brawl was arrested and fined $15 each.  The wedding was in 1913 but the woman whose ancestor was arrested couldn't tell me if the wedding actually took place....it wasn't any of her ancestors so we moved on!

There'll be plenty of stories this time around, I'm sure.  I'll post the interesting ones here over the next few weeks.

 

How do you spell "Chmolumsky"

A basic error by some family researchers is to insist that their family name is spelled one way and one way only.  My own ancestors found no less than 6 ways to spell Robison....Robertson, Robison, Robinson, Robson, Robrson (4th ggrandfather's gravestone), Roberson, Robeson...OK, that's 7.  And there's probably a few others that I've overlooked. 

Here's a blog from Megan Smolenyak (Did I spell that right?) that addresses this issue:

Click here: Megan Smolenyak: Unexpected Ways To Find Your Ancestors

 

 

The Battle and the Wedding!

Just heard about this!  There are battles going on here, canon are booming, muskets are firing, people are whooping....and that's all coming from the wedding party!  It seems an unlucky bride planned her reception here and was totaly unaware of this other battle thing going on...  Well, she'll have stories to tell her grandchildren!

But here's a picture of a happy family that PLANNED to come here today...

Battle of the Seven Pines

Well, I'm here at the reenactment of the Battle of Seven Pines.  I've never been to a reenactment before, so this will be a new experience for me.  A friend of mine puts this all together and invited me to be a sponsor.  So I've set up a booth for "Old Bones Genealogy" and we'll see what happens.

Ironically, one of the letters I have on display is from an ancestor who fought in the 6th Alabama and actually participated in the REAL Battle of the Seven Pines in Henrico County, Virginia in 1862.  It's quite a bit safer here at Look Park in Northampton, though.  I've met quite a few people already who are experts in the Civil War, the battles, the leaders, the soldiers.  In the next tent, there's a couple from Mississippi.  He was glad to hear that my paternal ancestors were from Alabama!!  He showed me his bill fold and stated, "This is how we keep our cash in Mississippi" then proceeded to flip through the tens and twenties and fives and ones....  He asked, "Notice anything about that cash?"  I had the right answer... I said, "Only the fives were upside down."  He smiled!  Now, wasn't that war about 150 years ago????

Here I am with my friend, Steve Raff (on the right), who along with his significant other, Deb alias "Private Auggie", put this entire production together.



The outfit was courtesy of Steve....gotta stay in character!

Ludlow Senior Center Presentation

Usually, I'm talking to people who are trying to find their ancestors both near and distant.  Usually, I'm encouraging them to seek out the older generations  in their families (before it's too late!) to get to the bottom of family stories, ask the right questions, seek out diaries, letters, photos...anything that may help shed light on what might prove to be a fascinating family history.

Today, I had the opportunity to talk to that generation, the older generation.  My message was largely, be cooperative!  Tell the stories....even it some of them make you uncomfortable!  You might be the only person that knows about Uncle Harry's first wife, the one that "no one talks about!"  I am somewhat fortunate in that the "treasures" that I've gleaned from my own family members are not only uniqie, but tell some very interesting stories themselves.  Today, I showed an article from the Springfield Union of January 4, 1887.  I found it at www.genealogybank.com. It describes a train wreck in the West Springfield, MA freight yard.  One man was killed, several injured and a great deal of the cargo was desctroyed in the resulting fire.  This incident is of particluar interest to me.  I have a letter about spoons.  Yes, spoons!  Auntie Perham (I haven't figured out who she is exactly, but that's another blog another day!) sent my Great Grandmother Tuggey a letter about spoons. I quote her here: "I sent you the spoons nearly two weeks since & I don’t hear anything  I think perhaps they were on the train that was smashed near Springfield."  She had shipped them "Express" with a value of $25.  So I'm not sure if she was worried about the spoons or any potential claim for a loss!  Otherwise, why would she have mentioned the insurance?

At any rate, no one needs to worry about the spoons...I brought them with me to the presentation to show everyone how sometimes a few things in that old box in the attic can tell an interesting story: The article about the wreck, the letter from Auntie Perham and the velvet lined box of spoons.  I think it makes a great little family story!

[caption id="attachment_260" align="alignnone" width="243"] Shipped to Enfield, Massachusetts from Oswego, New York in 1887[/caption]

Hitchcock Free Academy

This starts out with some friends of ours asking us to head up to Brimfield, MA to a concert on the village green. The "FLAMINGOS" were playing music from the 40's, 50's and 60's. The Flamingos, you should know, is a band of women...about 14, I think... who mostly play horns: clarinet, trombone, sax... Great show! The weather was perfect and we all had a great time.

During the intermission, a woman with a very official look about her, took the mike and thanked everyone for coming and spoke of other programs that were coming to Brimfield.  And that got me thinking: “I’ve got a program I could bring to Brimfield!”

So when the show got started again and she returned to her seat, I decided to approach her and introduce myself.   As it turns out, she’s the Executive Director of the Hitchcock Free Academy!  I asked her, “Would you have any interest in having me conduct a class on genealogy and family research?”  I was pleasantly surprised at her reaction which was basically “Yes”….

So, we talked about what I had been doing in Springfield, Chicopee and Ludlow which, I explained could be tailored for whatever the folks in the Brimfield area might enjoy.  She explained what the academy was all about.  Here’s their mission statement directly from their web site: Mission: Hitchcock Free Academy is working to enrich the lives of our community members by providing educational, recreational, and cultural programs to residents of all ages from Brimfield, Holland, Sturbridge, Wales, and the surrounding communities.

After that conversation and another on the phone a day or so later, we decided that a program consisting of 4 classes could be run in October.  We’re shooting for a late afternoon session and another early in the evening.   Whether we run 1 a day or 2 would depend entirely on the response from the community.

But here’s the part that I find most interesting: I visited their web site and learned that the Academy had been originally established by a local businessman named Samuel Austin Hitchcock in 1855.  Well, I have plenty of HITCHCOCKs in my ancestry which intrigued me.  After a little research, it turns out that Samuel Austin Hitchcock (1794-1873) is a 4^th cousin 4 times removed.  Our common ancestor is John Calvin Hitchcock (1642-1711).   Who knows who else I’ll find in Brimfield!  I just may end up with more cousins right there in one of the classes!

Almost forgot...Here's a link to a video that will tell you all about the Academy and what they do....it's really nothing short of incredible for a small New England town in central Massachusetts! Click here for the video of Hitchcock Free Academy.

bogus e-mails, spam and various other nefarious internet activity!

For those who've attended my classes, you'll know that in spite of the subject matter (genealogy) I always include some cursory mention of internet security, especially with regard to e-mail.  Here's a great article from Leo Notenboom who writes a column about all things related to computers and the internet: Ask Leo

This article has to do with passwords...How to create them...How to remember them...  It's not very technical so it's easy to understand as are most of Leo's articles.  As a matter of fact, you might consider subscribing.  The article also has links to other articles he's written about password security and other issues.

He's got great credentials in that he was a Microsoft programmer for many years.  That alone gives him the scoop on many of our challenges with our computers, software, hardware, etc.  He's also been writing these helpfull articles for about 9 or 10 years.

So, I suggest you take a look and I'm sure there'll be something helpful here for everybody.

When it comes to passwords, I usually put the sites I like to use into my favorites.  When I add a site that is password protected, I change the name of the site by right clicking the name, then I click "RENAME" from the dropdown menu.  Now you're going to think that I just type in the password to make it easy, right?  WRONG!!  I type in a password hint.  I'm never sure of what can be hacked and since a "FAVORITES" list lives in a file somewhere, that, too, can be hacked.  So, the "real" password is never there, but enough info so that I can figure out what it really is.  Hey, it works for me!!

Introduction to Genealogy Sessions will continue at First Church in Ludlow

The fundraiser for the First Church in Ludlow that just completed was a very successful program. I believe that all the participants learned at least something and most picked up a lot of information regarding doing their own family research.  In some cases, the participants have asked me to help them along, which is, of course, my business!!

We covered a great many topics from simply getting started.  How?  Just write what you know.  The easiest tool to keep track of that data is a pedigree chart.  You start with yourself and build generations back as far as you know.  Names, dates, births, marriages, deaths, locations….whatever you can remember.

Then the verification process begins.  Did Uncle Fred come to the United States in 1893 or 1898?  Was great grandma married once, twice…or three times!!

In a nutshell, we filled 5 weeks with an enormous amount of information.  Everyone took notes and everyone left with more than they expected, I believe, because I tried my best to give everyone their own packets consisting of their own family’s census records, draft registration cards, birth, marriage and death records…whatever relevant documents I could find pertaining to each person.

So, now we begin again.  I’ve requested the opportunity to conduct another series of classes and the Church has given me the green light.

Who do you know that would be interested in spending about an hour and a half on Monday nights to learn about becoming a genealogical detective?

Contact me directly at dave@oldbones.co or check out the web site at www.oldbones.co.

Ludlow Senior Center

A friend of mine just called to say he saw my picture in the paper.  I was more surprised than he was!  I remember now that I was asked to make a presentation at the Ludlow (MA) Senior Center a few months ago.  I knew I had made the commitment, but clearly, I forgot that it was so close...August 8...or maybe the 9th???  I better call the activities director   It's agood thing Bob called! 

If you get this blog, feel free to leave a comment, remember to click "FOLLOW" and then visit www.oldbones.co.

Preparing for Week 5

The 5th and final night for "Introduction to Genealogy and Family Research" will be this Monday, July 30. It's very difficult trying to sort out what would be suitable...there's so much more I could keep this going for weeks! The 1940 US census is being rolled out, or more correctly, the latest available census is out there, but it's the indexing that everyone's waiting for.  That opens a lot of possibilities.

We’ve got to finish up some issues from the past couple of weeks, introduce a few more basic concepts, share some excellent web sites and then I have a few “extras” for all the participants.  I’m also going to take a few more minutes to discuss internet safety as it relates to e-mail.  There’s always a new scam to warn everyone about.

How about a 200 year old family bible...well, maybe 175 years old, but it’s OLD!!  My dear departed Aunt Sarah had found pages from an ancestor’s bible and gave them to me along with hundreds of other pages of research that she’d completed.  There are 3 pages, but only 2 are reasonably legible.  They describe the parents of 5^th great grandfather, Richard Grantham, a Revolutionary War veteran.  By describing his marriage and all of his children, it provided me a huge jumpstart for me to gather up that branch of the family tree.  With Richard and his father, John Grantham, and their ancestors, I have 12 generations of that line!  Richard is also the link to my Robertson/Robinson/Robison line.  My 4^th great grandfather, Hezekiah Rob***son, married first to Anne Grantham who died when he returned from serving in the East Tennessee Volunteers during the War of 1812.  He then married his sister-in-law, my 4^th great grandmother, Tabitha Grantham.  Altogether, Hezekiah and his wives gave him 12 children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood and raised families of their own.

More on Hezekiah on another day!

Remember to visit www.oldbones.co!  There are updates coming that could be of interest to you.  Also, there’s a link to a Civil War Reenactment at Look Park in Northampton, MA.  Old Bones will be there….who better: I have Union and Confederate ancestors!!

Week 4----

I have to say that I really enjoy the group I’m with every Monday night. Several have indicated an interest in continuing into more detailed methods and strategies of genealogical research. No problem!! I can arrange it! Everyone seems to be learning new things every week. I can tell because I see people frantically scratching out notes…and I never have to say, “You need to write this down”…

Tonight, we were joined by an old friend of mine whose son brought her to the class. He’s been researching their lines for about a year. And, he’s a history teacher! He told me after the class that he agreed to bring his Mom tonight and next week for the final session and figured he’d just sit through the class and take her home when it was over. I was pretty happy to hear him say that he learned a lot tonight…and I saw him filling out a few pages of notes!

Tonight was “Double Dates” where dates between 1582 and 1752 from January 1st through March 24th had to be written with 2 years. Example: February 10, 1688/89 or March 3 1744/45. It’s too long to explain here in the blog but you can contact me separately if you’d like an explanation!

We also went through an explanation of relationships such as “3rd cousin twice removed” and others. I gave everyone a relationship chart that is easy to use on straightforward relationship calculators. The one I passed out is one of the easiest I’ve ever seen.

We had a long a dry explanation of the evolution of naturalization laws and then I spent some time on internet security, backing up your computer and e-mail scams to watch out for.

Next week we’ll go a little deeper into becoming a detective using census and vital records, discuss various web sites and then wrap it up with certificates, my “special gift” to all the participants and an evaluation survey to help me improve the program.

Old Bones Web Site

Keep an eye on www.oldbones.co for changes that will be coming up in the next several days and weeks.  I've already begun talking with the Trustees as First Church about the next program.  It might be the same program for another group who weren't able to attend....they preferred going on vacation!!!...or, if there's interest, a more advanced program as a follow up the the "Introduction" program.

Great Class

We had a great time last night.  Week 3 covered a lot of ground including becoming a detective while reading census records, soundex calculations and some free family tree software called "Family Tree Builder". 

We started out with a slide of one of those "jokes" where all the letters of every word are jumbled other that the first and last letter.    There were 4 paragraphs.  When the slide came up, at first everyone just stared.  Then after a few seconds, a couple of people started to be able to make out the first few words.  As others joined in, reading the jumbled words became easier.  By the end, everyone was reading aloud. It was a lesson in being broadminded with the spelling of family names in the records we find or with how you search for records in the first place.  Here's the reading: 

"I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. 

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to arscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitllraed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!"

Next was the 1930 census that showed my grandfather's family.  There are 2 interesting things here: 1) It showed his mother, who lived in Canada, as a resident in his household in Springfield, MA.  Previously, I thought her husband died in the mid 1930's but could never find an actual date.  But the 1930 census listed her as a widow.  Thus, I now knew that he had died in the 1920's and I was able to redirect my searches.  Well, that was over 10 years ago when "searching" was a little more challenging, but the info was very helpful at the time.  2) There was a boarder in the household whose occupation was "painter".  Although  he was married, his wife wasn't with him.  While this is pure speculation, I wove a story about this being the the Depression Era and Charlie, the boarder, was probably a friend of my grandfather who found work in Springfield and lived there until the work ran out.  Not necessarily fact, but a good story line!

Soundex codes!  Everyone now knows what they are, why they were developed and how to use them.  Even though no one REALLY needs to know how to calculate them, that's what we learned last night.  The reason I felt this was important is so that a new genealogy researcher will now enough to use Soundex as a tool and what to expect for results.  Virtually all genealogy web search sites will offer the option to filter using Soundex.

Finally, "dit" names.....  Now there's a challenge to someone searching French-Canadian ancestry!

Week Three is Ready!

This week has flown by...maybe because I'm getting old!  But I realized that today is Saturday and Monday will be here any second.  So instead of floating comfortably in the pool with Karen and guests, I buckled down and got it done.

Monday night we'll review the last 2 weeks and get into new business.  I found a great "free" family tree builder called...wait for it... "Family Tree Builder".  Clever!  I've already downloaded the software and used it a bit to get familiar.  But for the sake of instructing the class, I uninstalled it and I'll reinstall slowly so that everyone should be able to get through it on their own at home.  I'll download it and build a quick family data base for someone in attendance.

I'm also teaching "SOUNDEX" coding and a bit of becoming a genealogical detective.
In any event, we'll all have a good time and we'll all learn something!

Ludlow Community TV

If you have some time, go to http://ludlowtv.org/LCTV/Video.html then select "OTHER" from the "CATEGORIES" menu.  Then select "MRS BUTTERCUP PRESENTS".

They say the camera adds about 10 pounds.  "They" are wrong.  To me, the camera adds at least 55 pounds!!

Then don't forget to came back for comments which are welcomed and encouraged...unless they're about the 55 pounds...

TV Debut!

Today I was interviewed for a program that is broadcast on a local community channel in Ludlow, MA. I was able to talk genealogy for about a half an hour: How I became interested, how long have I been researching, where and how could someone get started and then some basics. 

It was an interesting experience and I'd enjoy doing it again.   We'll see what the reaction is. 

If you live in Ludlow and can tune into Cable Channel 5, watch for it...I think the broadcast begins Saturday.  I'll let everyone know the schedule.

Week Two of the Intro to Genealogy Class

Week 2 went very well last night! All were in attendance and we covered a lot of ground. Everyone did their "homework" and turned it in on time... They all had to fill out their own pedigree charts to at least 3 generations. I think they learned quite a bit about their families and some even came up with answers they didn't expect.

I asked them all to try their hands at navigating the Family Search site with next to no guidance. As I expected a few were very successful and a few needed some coaching. But all in all, it was a good experience.

This week we covered Vital Records. I was able to show them some documents from the 19th century and demonstrate the amount of data that can be gleaned: name, dates, locations of birth, parents' names, etc. One of the questions someone had was "How can I be sure that the person I've found is the person I'm looking for?". The Vital Records are one of those ways by comparing parents' names, locations of birth, etc usually you can deterring by ages if the "found" person fits into what you're putting together.

I also was able to show how a newspaper's obituary may not contain the right information. I showed an obit for a cousin of mine who died in 1918. The newspaper stated (because the family reported...) that she died at the home of her daughter. The death certificate, however, stated that she was found dead in her room at an asylum...a mental asylum! Quite a different story.

Finally, we discussed census records from 1790 right up to the latest available record, the 1940 census. We took a look at a 1790 census that describes some of my Bassett and Makepeace ancestors. Then we looked at the 1940 but with the use of Enumerations Districts which are necessary because the entire census has not yet been indexed.

Three more classes to go!

What's in a name

One of the biggest mistakes made by someone getting started in their family research is failing to recognize alternative spellings of a family name. I should know....I'm one of them! From a very young age, I thought the name "Robison" was special somehow. I don't know how, I just thought that it was. There were no other families around by that name and since I had no knowledge of the large family in Alabama and Tennessee that I would meet years later I was convinced of the uniqueness! There were certainly "Robinson" families and "Robertson". So it was probably natural that I felt that if the name wasn’t spelled the way we spelled it, they couldn't possibly be related to us, and that was that!

I knew I had a grandfather in Alabama named Cecil Lee Robison, or "Papa Lee" to some of the family "back home". But I never met him, I never talked to him, I never even saw a picture of him. Again, as a kid, I figured it "Papa Lee" in Alabama and the 4 of us in Massachusetts! But when it came time to start digging around (figuratively!) I had nearly resigned myself to the fact that there were hardly enough of us to bother with. I should work on my mother's side.

My father was born in Evergreen, Alabama but didn't spend very much time there...long story! So I wrote a letter to the Conecuh County Historical Society inquiring about the remote possibility that there might be a Robison or 2 left in state. The historian (whose name escapes me now) wrote back to advise me that one of their elderly residents had been researching families in that area for years. She gave me Mrs. Sarah R Coker's address and assured me that she could help. The letter went out in the mail, yes, an old fashioned letter with a stamp and everything! About a week or so later, Mrs. Coker responded! To make a long story short, Mrs. Coker turned out to be my great aunt, the younger sister to my grandfather, "Papa Lee". It turns out that she had mountains of family research, all the way back to the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, and the Civil War....or rather...The War of Northern Aggression, as she put it!

The point here being that my family is rife with Robison's, Robinson's, Robertson's, Robeson's, Roberson's...all over the southeast United States, Texas, California...you name it! Had I eye opened my eyes, I might have found them, but Aunt Sarah had already done the work! And without any computers.

The lesson is simple. If your name is "Page", look at "Paige" as well. If your name is "Cowan", look at "Cowin" and "Cowen" and maybe even "Cohan" and "Cohen". Translations create an even wider issue: Is it "Lefebvre" or "Smith"; "Laframboise" or "Strawberry"; DuBois" or "Woods"...and the list goes on!!

 

Civil War

With my maternal lines coming from New England (and probably over 90% from Massachusetts) and my paternal lines coming from Tennessee and Alabama, it's no small wonder that I have ancestors on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.  I have great grandparents who arrived on board the Mayflower...John Howland, Sr in 1620...or aboard the Fortune....William Bassett in 1621.  On my father's side, my 5th great grandfather, my direct paternal line, I have Jonathan Robertson (or Robinson or Robison or Roberson...take your pick!) who arrived somewhere in the mid 1750's from Ireland.  As a result, I have many ancestors who were veterans of King Philip's War, French and Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, the Cvil War and so on up to the 20th century.

So it's curious that I'll be taking Old Bones Genealogy to Look Park in Northampton, MA this August as a sponsor/supporter of the reenactment of the "Battle of the Seven Pines".  I know where (Look Park), I know when (August 11 and 12, 2012) but I don't know if I'm going to have to wear a grey uniform to represent the Confederacy or a blue uniform for the Union!

Either way, I'll be ready with the stories of my own ancestors who through the window of history stood on either side of a conflict that took over 600,000 lives 150 years ago.