It's Saturday night, and time for some genealogy fun. If you're reading this on Sunday morning, you can still have fun, and will probably miss church doing so. You may have more energy to do it than those of us wasting Saturday night playing silly genealogy games.
Here's the challenge: In the 1880 United States census, what is the age of the oldest person enumerated? Who is this person, and where does the person live?
I chose the 1880 census, because it is available on free sites (like the LDS Record Search and LDS FamilySearch sites, and on HeritageQuestOnline) and on commercial sites (like www.Ancestry.com).
This should be a piece of cake, right? I don't want you to work too hard and stay up too late (on Saturday night) or miss church (on Sunday morning). Have fun!
Please post the answer on your own blog, or post a comment on my blog. Your choice.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
SDGS Seminar and Luncheon on Saturday, 10 January 2009
The San Diego Genealogical Society will have a very special event on Saturday, January 10, 2009. It is the 63rd Annual all-day Seminar and Luncheon, with nationally known lecturer and researcher, Lloyd Bockstruck as the featured speaker for the day.
The Seminar and Luncheon will be at the Handlery Hotel and Resort (950 Hotel Cir North, San Diego, CA 92108)
RESERVATIONS: Reservations must be received by 5 January 2009 (see note below)
The featured speaker for this all day seminar will be nationally known lecturer and researcher, Lloyd Bockstruck. Last at SDGS in 2001, his talks always get rave reviews. This year he will be discussing:
1) Migrations 1607-1850,
2) Newspaper Genealogy,
3) Church Records,
4) Illegitimacy.
These are certainly topics every researcher will want to hear.
Mr Bockstruck has been Supervisor of the Genealogical Section of the Dallas Public Library since 1973. He graduated cum laude with a B. A. in Biology and
History from Greenville College, earned his M. A. in Modern European History at Southern Illinois University, a M. S. in Library Science at University of Illinois and a certificate from the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. He is also a teacher and since 1991 has authored the “Family Tree” column in the Dallas Morning News. He is a member of numerous genealogical and historical societies and is featured in Who’s Who. His awards include the Filby Prize for Genealogical Librarianship, Outstanding Alumnus and Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society. We are most fortunate that he could be with us for this event.
The luncheon will feature a three course, sit-down gourmet meal including salad, choice of Chicken Pecan or Salmon Ravioli, dessert and beverage.
SDGS will also be installing our new board members for 2009. There will be drawings for numerous door prizes. There will be a special drawing for a 7 night hotel package for the Plaza Hotel in Salt Lake City. Tickets for this will be available at the seminar and by mail on the SDGS web site.
Get your reservations in now before the holiday season starts so you don’t miss this important event. The reservation form is on the SDGS web site (www.rootsweb.com/~casdgs ). Parking will be validated for a reduced fee.
The Seminar and Luncheon will be at the Handlery Hotel and Resort (950 Hotel Cir North, San Diego, CA 92108)
DATE: January 10th, 2009,
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
REGISTRATION: Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.
FEE: Including gourmet sit down lunch, is $40 per person.RESERVATIONS: Reservations must be received by 5 January 2009 (see note below)
The featured speaker for this all day seminar will be nationally known lecturer and researcher, Lloyd Bockstruck. Last at SDGS in 2001, his talks always get rave reviews. This year he will be discussing:
1) Migrations 1607-1850,
2) Newspaper Genealogy,
3) Church Records,
4) Illegitimacy.
These are certainly topics every researcher will want to hear.
Mr Bockstruck has been Supervisor of the Genealogical Section of the Dallas Public Library since 1973. He graduated cum laude with a B. A. in Biology and
History from Greenville College, earned his M. A. in Modern European History at Southern Illinois University, a M. S. in Library Science at University of Illinois and a certificate from the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. He is also a teacher and since 1991 has authored the “Family Tree” column in the Dallas Morning News. He is a member of numerous genealogical and historical societies and is featured in Who’s Who. His awards include the Filby Prize for Genealogical Librarianship, Outstanding Alumnus and Award of Merit from the National Genealogical Society. We are most fortunate that he could be with us for this event.
The luncheon will feature a three course, sit-down gourmet meal including salad, choice of Chicken Pecan or Salmon Ravioli, dessert and beverage.
SDGS will also be installing our new board members for 2009. There will be drawings for numerous door prizes. There will be a special drawing for a 7 night hotel package for the Plaza Hotel in Salt Lake City. Tickets for this will be available at the seminar and by mail on the SDGS web site.
Get your reservations in now before the holiday season starts so you don’t miss this important event. The reservation form is on the SDGS web site (www.rootsweb.com/~casdgs ). Parking will be validated for a reduced fee.
Genealogy Software Reviews Revisited
It's been almost three months since Louis Kessler unveiled his Genealogy Software Reviews web site at www.GenSoftReviews.com. I thought I would take another look and see if many persons have contributed their opinions.
There are over 380 genealogy software products here at present, just waiting for you, and others, to evaluate and rate them.
Each software review has information about the provider, a short program description, and a ratings box. Windows, Mac, Unix, handheld and online programs are included. The summary includes whether the program is free, purchased, subscribed, or unsupported.
Program types include Full-Featured, Utilities, Website builders and Auxiliary programs useful for genealogy. The user ratings are in five categories:
* Whether you enjoy using it
* Do you use it often
* Does it have easy input
* Does it have useful output
* An overall rating.
The user can contribute ratings, write a short review and list the program's biggest benefit and biggest problem.
Or the user can read the ratings and read the reviews and decide which program to download and use.
The site also has Frequently Asked Questions, Links to software providers and articles about software, and a suggestion page.
The Search feature is really useful. You can put the name of a program into the Search box (at the top right of the page) and find a specific program rather than scroll through up to 20 pages of summaries to find that program.
Or you can fill in one or more of the Search boxes in the web site heading - you can select from:
* Software License: All Licenses, Free, Purchase, Subscription, Unsupported
* Computer Platforms: All Platforms, Windows, Mac, Unix, Handheld, Online
* Types of Software: All Types, Full Featured, Utility, Builds Website, Auxiliary
Using these Search boxes really helps find specific software program types quickly.
There is a Sort box below the Search box. You can choose to Sort by Most Reviews, Latest Reviews, Alphabetically, and by each rating phrase.
The five software programs with the most ratings is The Master Genealogist (53 ratings), followed by RootsMagic (27), Legacy (22), Family Tree Maker Since Version 2008 (18) and Family Tree Builder (16). There are many that don't have any evaluations yet. That's where you come in!
This web site serves two functions - the first is a catalog of available software. The second is the reviews provided by users of the software. Both functions serve the genealogy community well.
For the second function to be really helpful to readers, more people need to submit their software review to the site. It is real easy to do - you provide your name, select your ratings, and write any comments you want. Go for it!
There are over 380 genealogy software products here at present, just waiting for you, and others, to evaluate and rate them.
Each software review has information about the provider, a short program description, and a ratings box. Windows, Mac, Unix, handheld and online programs are included. The summary includes whether the program is free, purchased, subscribed, or unsupported.
Program types include Full-Featured, Utilities, Website builders and Auxiliary programs useful for genealogy. The user ratings are in five categories:
* Whether you enjoy using it
* Do you use it often
* Does it have easy input
* Does it have useful output
* An overall rating.
The user can contribute ratings, write a short review and list the program's biggest benefit and biggest problem.
Or the user can read the ratings and read the reviews and decide which program to download and use.
The site also has Frequently Asked Questions, Links to software providers and articles about software, and a suggestion page.
The Search feature is really useful. You can put the name of a program into the Search box (at the top right of the page) and find a specific program rather than scroll through up to 20 pages of summaries to find that program.
Or you can fill in one or more of the Search boxes in the web site heading - you can select from:
* Software License: All Licenses, Free, Purchase, Subscription, Unsupported
* Computer Platforms: All Platforms, Windows, Mac, Unix, Handheld, Online
* Types of Software: All Types, Full Featured, Utility, Builds Website, Auxiliary
Using these Search boxes really helps find specific software program types quickly.
There is a Sort box below the Search box. You can choose to Sort by Most Reviews, Latest Reviews, Alphabetically, and by each rating phrase.
The five software programs with the most ratings is The Master Genealogist (53 ratings), followed by RootsMagic (27), Legacy (22), Family Tree Maker Since Version 2008 (18) and Family Tree Builder (16). There are many that don't have any evaluations yet. That's where you come in!
This web site serves two functions - the first is a catalog of available software. The second is the reviews provided by users of the software. Both functions serve the genealogy community well.
For the second function to be really helpful to readers, more people need to submit their software review to the site. It is real easy to do - you provide your name, select your ratings, and write any comments you want. Go for it!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Genealogy Metrics - does it have your number?
Genea-Musings has occasionally posted traffic statistics for genealogy web sites and blogs - see here and here for the latest.
David Lifferth alerted me via email to his web site http://genealogymetrics.ning.com/ which is keeping a monthly count (I think!) of the top genealogy web sites, in terms of traffic ranking relative to the entire Internet.
There are listings for:
* Top Genealogy Web Sites (Quantcast rankings) - top 8
* All Genealogy/Family History sites (Alexa rankings) - Top 9
* US Top 15 Web Sites (Alexa rankings)
* UK Top 9 Genealogy/Family History web sites (Alexa rankings)
* Europe Top 3 Genealogy/Family History web sites (Alexa rankings)
* Canada Web Sites (Alexa Rankings)
* International Web Sites (Alexa Rankings)
* Top Genealogy Blogs (Alexa rankings, but the list doesn't include URLs that contain a Blogspot domain name or other URLs that cannot be quantified)
* Top Genealogy software sold by Amazon
* Top Genealogy Books sold by Amazon
There are also links for Blogs, Groups (discuss web sites or blogs), Events, a Discussion Forum, a Member List, personal member pages, and a place to invite others to join the Genealogy Metrics network.
This site is FREE to join. Once you have joined, you can update your profile with a picture, some personal description, etc. just like a blog. You can write posts in a personal blog environment, although my guess is that the blog topics might focus on the genealogy industry and traffic rankings.
According to the blog rankings, Illya D'Addezio's http://www.genealogytoday.com/ leads (although it is much more than a blog site), Dick Eastman's http://www.eogn.com/ is second, http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/ third, followed by http://www.geneamusings.com/, http://www.genealogue.com/, http://www.genealogybranches.com/ (also more than a blog), and http://www.dearmyrtle.com/. As mentioned above, the rankings do not include URLs that are on a site like Blogger, WordPress, etc., so take them with a large grain of salt.
The top 9 genealogy/family history web sites by Alexa rankings?
1. http://www.ancestry.com/
2. http://www.legacy.com/
3. http://www.myheritage.com/
4. http://www.genealogy.com/
5. http://www.ancestry.co.uk/
6. http://www.familysearch.org/
7. http://www.geneanet.org/
8. http://www.findagrave.com/
9. http://www.notrefamille.com/
Thanks to David Lifferth for creating a quick, easy-to-use web site that reveals traffic information about genealogy web sites, and a forum to discuss them.
UPDATE: 12/14/08: I messed up the most important thing in this post - the link to Genealogy Metrics! Thank you to Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage.com for his comment noting the error. The correct URL is http://genealogymetrics.ning.com/ (which I've corrected in the original post).
David Lifferth alerted me via email to his web site http://genealogymetrics.ning.com/ which is keeping a monthly count (I think!) of the top genealogy web sites, in terms of traffic ranking relative to the entire Internet.
There are listings for:
* Top Genealogy Web Sites (Quantcast rankings) - top 8
* All Genealogy/Family History sites (Alexa rankings) - Top 9
* US Top 15 Web Sites (Alexa rankings)
* UK Top 9 Genealogy/Family History web sites (Alexa rankings)
* Europe Top 3 Genealogy/Family History web sites (Alexa rankings)
* Canada Web Sites (Alexa Rankings)
* International Web Sites (Alexa Rankings)
* Top Genealogy Blogs (Alexa rankings, but the list doesn't include URLs that contain a Blogspot domain name or other URLs that cannot be quantified)
* Top Genealogy software sold by Amazon
* Top Genealogy Books sold by Amazon
There are also links for Blogs, Groups (discuss web sites or blogs), Events, a Discussion Forum, a Member List, personal member pages, and a place to invite others to join the Genealogy Metrics network.
This site is FREE to join. Once you have joined, you can update your profile with a picture, some personal description, etc. just like a blog. You can write posts in a personal blog environment, although my guess is that the blog topics might focus on the genealogy industry and traffic rankings.
According to the blog rankings, Illya D'Addezio's http://www.genealogytoday.com/ leads (although it is much more than a blog site), Dick Eastman's http://www.eogn.com/ is second, http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/ third, followed by http://www.geneamusings.com/, http://www.genealogue.com/, http://www.genealogybranches.com/ (also more than a blog), and http://www.dearmyrtle.com/. As mentioned above, the rankings do not include URLs that are on a site like Blogger, WordPress, etc., so take them with a large grain of salt.
The top 9 genealogy/family history web sites by Alexa rankings?
1. http://www.ancestry.com/
2. http://www.legacy.com/
3. http://www.myheritage.com/
4. http://www.genealogy.com/
5. http://www.ancestry.co.uk/
6. http://www.familysearch.org/
7. http://www.geneanet.org/
8. http://www.findagrave.com/
9. http://www.notrefamille.com/
Thanks to David Lifferth for creating a quick, easy-to-use web site that reveals traffic information about genealogy web sites, and a forum to discuss them.
UPDATE: 12/14/08: I messed up the most important thing in this post - the link to Genealogy Metrics! Thank you to Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage.com for his comment noting the error. The correct URL is http://genealogymetrics.ning.com/ (which I've corrected in the original post).
Blog Caroling - "Angels We Have Heard on High"
Our dear footnoteMaven is warming up the Choir of GeneAngels for this year's sing-along of Christmas Carols. We are supposed to claim our favorite Christmas Carol. The collection of songs from genea-bloggers should lift all of our spirits as we shop until we drop.
Mine is still "Angels we Have Heard On High" - maybe because of the Latin in it? Or because I can sing it in J-sharp and no one notices because of the joy it brings everyone else? Most likely because Linda collects angels and is referred to as Angel Linda by friends. The rumor that the first angel she collected was me is untrue.
Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels we have heard on high,
Singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tiding did you hear?
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see Him
whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the new-born King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
See him in a manger laid
Whom the angels praise above;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While we raise our hearts in love.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Amen!
Musicologists have decided that this anonymous French tune was probably created around the eighteenth century. Some legends place its origin as as early as the second century.
Traditional French Carol
Words: Traditional French carol (Les Anges dans nos Campagnes).
Translated from French to English by James Chadwick (1813-1882); appeared in Crown of Jesus, 1862.
Music: “Gloria (Barnes),” French carol melody; arranged by Edward S. Barnes.
Recorded/Performed: Andy Williams - 1970
Also recorded by: Tennessee Ernie Ford; Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Tommy Greer; Clancey Brothers; Scarlet Rivera; Eric Rigler; Madeline McNeil; Sandi Patty; Nat King Cole; Lorie Line; Connie Brown; Scott Miller; Vienna Boys Choir; Percy Faith; Collin Raye; Frankie Gavin; Texas Boys Choir; Mel Weston; Donny Osmond.
Mine is still "Angels we Have Heard On High" - maybe because of the Latin in it? Or because I can sing it in J-sharp and no one notices because of the joy it brings everyone else? Most likely because Linda collects angels and is referred to as Angel Linda by friends. The rumor that the first angel she collected was me is untrue.
Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels we have heard on high,
Singing sweetly through the night,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their brave delight.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
Why these songs of happy cheer?
What great brightness did you see?
What glad tiding did you hear?
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Come to Bethlehem and see Him
whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the new-born King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
See him in a manger laid
Whom the angels praise above;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While we raise our hearts in love.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Amen!
Musicologists have decided that this anonymous French tune was probably created around the eighteenth century. Some legends place its origin as as early as the second century.
Traditional French Carol
Words: Traditional French carol (Les Anges dans nos Campagnes).
Translated from French to English by James Chadwick (1813-1882); appeared in Crown of Jesus, 1862.
Music: “Gloria (Barnes),” French carol melody; arranged by Edward S. Barnes.
Recorded/Performed: Andy Williams - 1970
Also recorded by: Tennessee Ernie Ford; Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Tommy Greer; Clancey Brothers; Scarlet Rivera; Eric Rigler; Madeline McNeil; Sandi Patty; Nat King Cole; Lorie Line; Connie Brown; Scott Miller; Vienna Boys Choir; Percy Faith; Collin Raye; Frankie Gavin; Texas Boys Choir; Mel Weston; Donny Osmond.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Getting Ed and his brother together
I posted several times over the past four months about my Project M research. In the last post, I mentioned that I had found Ed's step-siblings and that I was trying to set up a telephone call between them. I wrote then "I have a feeling that this adventure in finding and contacting living people and ancestral information isn't over yet."
The first phone call finally happened today. Ed talked to his youngest step-brother today, and they spent an hour talking about their memories and their lives. I tried to take some notes of the historical information. They talked about their lives, which are very similar in some ways (locality, struggle with an absent father, church work) and different in their present circumstances (mainly due to age and health). They both told stories about the last time they saw their father. It was fascinating to see them settle into a camaraderie - they both thought that their father was a "scoundrel" for deserting their mothers and themselves.
When I posted about this earlier, I was told by some colleagues that "you've done the job he asked you to do - you found the siblings - now let them deal with each other." That was obviously a voice of experience talking - it took over two months to get this telephone call done because I was acting as an intermediary due to Ed's illness. In hindsight, I should have told him "here's the phone number, why don't you call your brothers and sister and ask them about your father?" But then I wouldn't have heard some of the funny, and sad, stories, that these brothers exchanged today.
Learning my lesson, I gave Ed a list of his brothers' and sister's phone numbers and addresses, and threw in the information for a cousin too - since he apparently knows quite a bit about Ed's father.
The first phone call finally happened today. Ed talked to his youngest step-brother today, and they spent an hour talking about their memories and their lives. I tried to take some notes of the historical information. They talked about their lives, which are very similar in some ways (locality, struggle with an absent father, church work) and different in their present circumstances (mainly due to age and health). They both told stories about the last time they saw their father. It was fascinating to see them settle into a camaraderie - they both thought that their father was a "scoundrel" for deserting their mothers and themselves.
When I posted about this earlier, I was told by some colleagues that "you've done the job he asked you to do - you found the siblings - now let them deal with each other." That was obviously a voice of experience talking - it took over two months to get this telephone call done because I was acting as an intermediary due to Ed's illness. In hindsight, I should have told him "here's the phone number, why don't you call your brothers and sister and ask them about your father?" But then I wouldn't have heard some of the funny, and sad, stories, that these brothers exchanged today.
Learning my lesson, I gave Ed a list of his brothers' and sister's phone numbers and addresses, and threw in the information for a cousin too - since he apparently knows quite a bit about Ed's father.
Census Fun with Christmas names
Here's an oldie but a goodie for my devoted readers --
I was devastated when the post came out two years ago about the Christmas characters that Dan Lynch posted on his web site, http://www.1930census.com/santa_clause.php. I had worked on most of those names for two weeks and was waiting for the "season" to post them.
So, here are the rest of my "character" findings (originally posted in 2006) -
1) Ebenezer Scroggs (1850, Harrison County OH) is as close to Ebenezer Scrooge as I can get.
2) Robert Crachet (1880, Scott County AR). Another Robert Crachet flew into New York City from Paris on Air France on 2 August 1956 - maybe to perform in a play on Broadway?
3) Three Grinch brothers (Charles, John and Lenwards) came into New York City on 6 September 1875 aboard the "Egypt." There is no word if they came to steal Christmas. Obviously, if they did, they failed.
4) There is a Jasper Magi and Baldermo Magi (1930, Fairfield County CT) but no Melchior; there are Gaspar Wiseman (1930, Queens County NY) and Melvin Wiseman (1930, Muskegon county MI), but no Balthasar or similar.
5) There are 18 Harold Angel persons in the 1930 census. No Hark Angel, however.
6) Sila Knight (1870, Randolph County, AL) is the closest to Silent Night I could find. Lots of Silas Knight people.
7) There are 3 Noel Noel persons in the 1930 census.
8) Angel Angel (1930, Maricopa County AZ) is one of the repeating angels.
9) There are two Merry Christmas girls in the 1930 census (there are lots of Mary Christmas females too).
10) Holly Bush (1930, Roanoke County VA) sticks out.
11) Christ Tree (1930, LaPorte County IN) probably extended his branches
12) Jessie Manger (1930, Polk County IA) parents were not Joseph and Mary
13) Then there are Santa's reindeer: Were they:
Cupid Wiseman
Melvin Dancer
Hugo Blitzen
Chris Donder
Rudolf Dasher
Dasher Berry
Prancer Saner
Vixen Locke
Theodore Comet
Just wondering!!
You know, if Bah Morgan (1900, Stephenson IL) had married Cecil Humbug (1900, Delaware County PA) we would have had more Humbugs than we would know what to do with.
I'm wondering if Alvin Monk (1930, Schoharie County NY), Simon Monk (1930, Lonoke AR) and Theodore Monk (1930, Cotton County OK) really got together in 1958 to sing The Chipmunk song. I guess they were a figment of Ross Bagdasarian's imagination.
OK, I'm done! I hope you enjoyed this little prance down Santa Claus lane.
What other Christmas related names are there? C'mon, lay them on me.
I was devastated when the post came out two years ago about the Christmas characters that Dan Lynch posted on his web site, http://www.1930census.com/santa_clause.php. I had worked on most of those names for two weeks and was waiting for the "season" to post them.
So, here are the rest of my "character" findings (originally posted in 2006) -
1) Ebenezer Scroggs (1850, Harrison County OH) is as close to Ebenezer Scrooge as I can get.
2) Robert Crachet (1880, Scott County AR). Another Robert Crachet flew into New York City from Paris on Air France on 2 August 1956 - maybe to perform in a play on Broadway?
3) Three Grinch brothers (Charles, John and Lenwards) came into New York City on 6 September 1875 aboard the "Egypt." There is no word if they came to steal Christmas. Obviously, if they did, they failed.
4) There is a Jasper Magi and Baldermo Magi (1930, Fairfield County CT) but no Melchior; there are Gaspar Wiseman (1930, Queens County NY) and Melvin Wiseman (1930, Muskegon county MI), but no Balthasar or similar.
5) There are 18 Harold Angel persons in the 1930 census. No Hark Angel, however.
6) Sila Knight (1870, Randolph County, AL) is the closest to Silent Night I could find. Lots of Silas Knight people.
7) There are 3 Noel Noel persons in the 1930 census.
8) Angel Angel (1930, Maricopa County AZ) is one of the repeating angels.
9) There are two Merry Christmas girls in the 1930 census (there are lots of Mary Christmas females too).
10) Holly Bush (1930, Roanoke County VA) sticks out.
11) Christ Tree (1930, LaPorte County IN) probably extended his branches
12) Jessie Manger (1930, Polk County IA) parents were not Joseph and Mary
13) Then there are Santa's reindeer: Were they:
Cupid Wiseman
Melvin Dancer
Hugo Blitzen
Chris Donder
Rudolf Dasher
Dasher Berry
Prancer Saner
Vixen Locke
Theodore Comet
Just wondering!!
You know, if Bah Morgan (1900, Stephenson IL) had married Cecil Humbug (1900, Delaware County PA) we would have had more Humbugs than we would know what to do with.
I'm wondering if Alvin Monk (1930, Schoharie County NY), Simon Monk (1930, Lonoke AR) and Theodore Monk (1930, Cotton County OK) really got together in 1958 to sing The Chipmunk song. I guess they were a figment of Ross Bagdasarian's imagination.
OK, I'm done! I hope you enjoyed this little prance down Santa Claus lane.
What other Christmas related names are there? C'mon, lay them on me.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Dear Genea-Santa
I've tried really hard to be a good genealogy boy this year - served my local society as President, presented at three local societies, helped several friends and colleagues with their research, added many sources to my database (I'm not done yet, though), and blogged about all of it in deathless prose, er, ramblings. However, I did not blog about the demise of Santa Claus this year like I did in a previous year. I know you appreciate that!
Genea-Santa, old friend, old buddy, can I ask you for three really special gifts that will help me in my family history research? They are:
1) The green photograph album that my Aunt Marion said that she gave to my cousin Peter many years ago. My dearly departed Aunt claimed that it had family pictures for several generations.
2) The family Bible kept by my fourth great-grandfather Russell Smith, who lived in Oneida county NY in the early 1800's. I don't know much about his parents, his wife's maiden name, his siblings, or his children, and I think that his family Bible might have information that would help me break down my Smith brick wall.
3) The letters written by Isaac Seaver (1823-1901) to his wife and children when he served in the Civil War. I'm not sure that these exist, but if they do, I would love to have them.
My list is longer, but these three will suffice for now. Perhaps some distant cousins will find more "goodies" to put under my Christmas tree.
Thank you, Genea-Santa, for listening to my pleas. I will leave a nice hot dog and a beer by the chimney for you on Christmas Eve just in case you need fortification. You can get a yummy Dove chocolate ice cream bar out of the refrigerator if you'd like. Nothing's too good for Genea-Santa - mi casa es su casa.
Genea-Santa, old friend, old buddy, can I ask you for three really special gifts that will help me in my family history research? They are:
1) The green photograph album that my Aunt Marion said that she gave to my cousin Peter many years ago. My dearly departed Aunt claimed that it had family pictures for several generations.
2) The family Bible kept by my fourth great-grandfather Russell Smith, who lived in Oneida county NY in the early 1800's. I don't know much about his parents, his wife's maiden name, his siblings, or his children, and I think that his family Bible might have information that would help me break down my Smith brick wall.
3) The letters written by Isaac Seaver (1823-1901) to his wife and children when he served in the Civil War. I'm not sure that these exist, but if they do, I would love to have them.
My list is longer, but these three will suffice for now. Perhaps some distant cousins will find more "goodies" to put under my Christmas tree.
Thank you, Genea-Santa, for listening to my pleas. I will leave a nice hot dog and a beer by the chimney for you on Christmas Eve just in case you need fortification. You can get a yummy Dove chocolate ice cream bar out of the refrigerator if you'd like. Nothing's too good for Genea-Santa - mi casa es su casa.
CVGS Holiday Luncheon Highlights
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Holiday Luncheon was today - what a movable feast!! Great food, wonderful company, and installing our new elected officers for 2009-2010. We had 31 attendees today and filled the room at the South Chula Vista Library with laughter, applause and stories.
The menu included ham and turkey provided by CVGS, salads, vegetable and potato dishes, and desserts provided by the attendees, and a sherbet-filled punch bowl. Susi P and Shirley B organized the luncheon and did a wonderful job of planning and executing the event.
One of the CVGS holiday traditions is to have a large Santa Claus, a large Angel and poinsettia plants as door prizes, donated by several members. Five attendees went home with a nice gift. We also had a wrapped gift exchange and the members donated toys and non-perishable food to the Salvation Army.
In the business meeting, 2007-2008 President Randy Seaver gave a "state of the society" address, thanked the 2007-2008 board members for their service, presented them with certificates of appreciation, and then performed the installation ceremony for the elected 2009-2010 officers. 2009-2010 President Gary Brock gave a short speech, then managed the door prize and gift exchange drawings, and sharing by the attendees of their "best" genealogy experience in 2008.
We finished up with holiday greetings and cleaning up the room and kitchen.
This is always a fun meeting, and for me it was a nostalgic one. I enjoyed being the leader of CVGS and having outstanding support and participation from the board members. The President's job is really easy when the Board acts efficiently, responsibly and enthusiastically. I'm remaining on the Board as the Research Group and Queries Chairman.
The menu included ham and turkey provided by CVGS, salads, vegetable and potato dishes, and desserts provided by the attendees, and a sherbet-filled punch bowl. Susi P and Shirley B organized the luncheon and did a wonderful job of planning and executing the event.
One of the CVGS holiday traditions is to have a large Santa Claus, a large Angel and poinsettia plants as door prizes, donated by several members. Five attendees went home with a nice gift. We also had a wrapped gift exchange and the members donated toys and non-perishable food to the Salvation Army.
In the business meeting, 2007-2008 President Randy Seaver gave a "state of the society" address, thanked the 2007-2008 board members for their service, presented them with certificates of appreciation, and then performed the installation ceremony for the elected 2009-2010 officers. 2009-2010 President Gary Brock gave a short speech, then managed the door prize and gift exchange drawings, and sharing by the attendees of their "best" genealogy experience in 2008.
We finished up with holiday greetings and cleaning up the room and kitchen.
This is always a fun meeting, and for me it was a nostalgic one. I enjoyed being the leader of CVGS and having outstanding support and participation from the board members. The President's job is really easy when the Board acts efficiently, responsibly and enthusiastically. I'm remaining on the Board as the Research Group and Queries Chairman.
Family Photographs - Post 33: Wedding Announcement
I'm posting old family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do - I simply am incapable of having a wordless post.
Here is one of the most precious (to me) images from my Seaver-Richmond family collection:
This is the wedding announcement of my grandparents, Alma Bessie Richmond to Fred Walton Seaver on Thursday, 21 June 1900 in Leominster, Massachusetts.
From this union came seven children, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 30 great-great-grandchildren and 4 3rd-great-grandchildren (and more undoubtedly in the future).
I received this wedding announcement from my second cousin, Laura, who found me on the Internet. Her great-grandmother, Grace (Richmond) Shaw, was a sister of Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.
Here is one of the most precious (to me) images from my Seaver-Richmond family collection:
This is the wedding announcement of my grandparents, Alma Bessie Richmond to Fred Walton Seaver on Thursday, 21 June 1900 in Leominster, Massachusetts. From this union came seven children, 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, 30 great-great-grandchildren and 4 3rd-great-grandchildren (and more undoubtedly in the future).
I received this wedding announcement from my second cousin, Laura, who found me on the Internet. Her great-grandmother, Grace (Richmond) Shaw, was a sister of Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.
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