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???
28 November 2012
22 November 2012
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!
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.
13 November 2012
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!
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!
25 September 2012
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!!
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!!
06 September 2012
"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.
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.
27 August 2012
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.
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