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This is the 23rd of 24 posts for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, a Geneablogger tradition.
On the 2nd day before Christmas
My true love spoils me
With so many Christmas gifts.
1) Do you have a special memory of a first Christmas present from a sweetheart?
I have no clue what the first Christmas present from Linda was in 1969. I do know that we made a commitment to each other about that time, and that was the greatest gift I could have received. We married in March 1970.
2) How did you spend your first Christmas together?
We didn't in 1969, even though that was our first year "together." Linda flew up to San Francisco to be with her parents, brother and other relatives for Christmas. I probably took her to the airport on the 23rd or 24th, and I'm sure that I welcomed her back several days after Christmas.
In the literal sense, our first Christmas together (1970) was spent in San Francisco at her parents house on 47th Avenue in the Sunset District. I had been there several times before. It was one of those row houses ("little boxes on the hillside") that was essentially 24' by 24' with two stories - living above, garage below. They had added a room (again probably 24' by 24') on both stories - the upper room was her parents' bedroom, the lower room was the party room.
When we visited, we got to sleep in the second bedroom with a foldout bed. A terrible bed - had a plywood board under the two-inch thick mattress. Christmas there was different - with several elderly family members coming to dinner and close neighbors dropping by.
The atmosphere was celebratory, everyone seemed happy to see everyone else, liquor flowed freely, and the gifts were forgettable. But the family feeling was always there. The most special person was Linda's grandmother - called "Oo Hoo" (yep - you guessed it, when Linda was a child, when they arrived at the door, her aunt would call out "Yoo hoo" and "Oo Hoo" would come to greet everybody. The name stuck - everybody used it). In 1970, she was age 86 and had attended our wedding and just beamed when her granddaughter married this nice young engineer man from San Diego with some hair. Paul and I would go fetch the elderly aunts, another elderly distant cousin and her husband would come also, and a widow from down the street who was her parents good friend also attended.
As the years went on, we alternated celebrating Christmas in San Francisco and San Diego. When the girls came along, we kept this tradition well into the 1980's.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Checking Out the Mocavo Tree Connections
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I received an email from http://mocavo.com/ the other day saying:
"Thank you for uploading your family tree to Mocavo.com. Your connections are now ready to be viewed!
The top menu row has links to "Search," "Company," "Blog," "Contact," "FAQ," and "My Connections."
The large buttons on the top right of the screen are for "Home," "Advanced Search," "Upload," and "Contact."
A user can now Upload a GEDCOM file to Mocavo using the "Upload" button. Here is the Upload screen:
This screen says:
"Get the best results from Mocavo and the open web by uploading your family tree today. Mocavo will begin sending out fully-automated search results and will publish family trees in to the search index to help out the community. Make sure you have a GEDCOM file ready with all of your family tree data."
A user can browse for their GEDCOM file in their computer file folders, name their tree, describe their tree, and check the box if they want their tree results to be found by the Mocavo search engine. I do, so I checked the box.
I did this back in June, so now I am ready to go exploring in my own tree. I clicked on the "My Connections" link and saw:
The title of my Family Tree is at the top of the page, below the Mocavo banner. On the left is a little information box that says:
"Here are advanced search results for people in your family tree. We add more results as they become available."
On the right is a "Family Tree Connections" list of all of the people in my Mocavo Family Tree with advanced search results found by Mocavo for each person in my tree. I scrolled down a bit further, and clicked on one of the search results for Peter Adams (1621-1690). A screen for a Peter Adams entry in another Family Tree appeared:
He is in my Mocavo Tree, so he should be found in the Search if the Trees are searched by Mocavo.
Here are the search results.
I received an email from http://mocavo.com/ the other day saying:
"Thank you for uploading your family tree to Mocavo.com. Your connections are now ready to be viewed!
"Our vision of sending your family tree matches by email has expanded, and now you're able to see all of them in one place, right on Mocavo.com. While we'll still be sending you notifications of new connections via email, you can see yours right now by logging into Mocavo.com and clicking on "My Connections" in the top navigation bar on the home page.
"From here, you'll be able to explore all current and past connections that we've found for you. Additionally, in the upcoming weeks & months, we'll be making many improvements, including the ability to track what pages you've looked at already and to rate our connections for future reference."
That sounded promising, so I went to http://mocavo.com/ and signed in to their Mocavo Plus service.
Here is the Home Page screen:
The top menu row has links to "Search," "Company," "Blog," "Contact," "FAQ," and "My Connections."
The large buttons on the top right of the screen are for "Home," "Advanced Search," "Upload," and "Contact."
A user can now Upload a GEDCOM file to Mocavo using the "Upload" button. Here is the Upload screen:
This screen says:
"Get the best results from Mocavo and the open web by uploading your family tree today. Mocavo will begin sending out fully-automated search results and will publish family trees in to the search index to help out the community. Make sure you have a GEDCOM file ready with all of your family tree data."
A user can browse for their GEDCOM file in their computer file folders, name their tree, describe their tree, and check the box if they want their tree results to be found by the Mocavo search engine. I do, so I checked the box.
I did this back in June, so now I am ready to go exploring in my own tree. I clicked on the "My Connections" link and saw:
The title of my Family Tree is at the top of the page, below the Mocavo banner. On the left is a little information box that says:
"Here are advanced search results for people in your family tree. We add more results as they become available."
On the right is a "Family Tree Connections" list of all of the people in my Mocavo Family Tree with advanced search results found by Mocavo for each person in my tree. I scrolled down a bit further, and clicked on one of the search results for Peter Adams (1621-1690). A screen for a Peter Adams entry in another Family Tree appeared:
As an aside, I love that the Western Michigan Genealogical Society has put the family trees of many of their members into a "The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding" database and made it available on their website.
Back to my Mocavo family tree... back on the "My Connections" page, I clicked on the link for the "Family Tree Profile" for Hannah Adams, and saw (two screens):
This Person screen has the person's name, birth information, death information, father's name, mother's name, spouse's name, and children's name(s). The father, mother, spouse(s) and children names are buttons that can be used to navigate from one person to another in the Mocavo tree.
I noted that there are no Notes or Sources for these Persons. There are placeholders for pictures of the Persons, although they are not active links yet.
As best I can tell, the purpose of the Mocavo Family Connection feature is to enable searchers to find your information in a Search and not as a family tree pedigree chart, family group sheet or narrative report generator.
I went to the "Advanced Search" button and entered the name of Amos Plimpton (1735-1808) into the Search fields:
He is in my Mocavo Tree, so he should be found in the Search if the Trees are searched by Mocavo.
Here are the search results.
There are seven matches for my search terms, but none of them are the Amos Plimpton in my Mocavo Family Tree. It appears that the Search feature for the Mocavo Trees is not working yet, or at least it hasn't added my Persons to the Search list yet.
I will report further when the Mocavo Search finds the people in my Mocavo Family Tree.
Disclosure: I was given a Mocavo Plus account by Mocavo so that I could test their Search and Tree system. That did not affect the descriptions and opinions expressed in this blog post.
The Twelve Days of a Genealogist's Christmas
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A genealogy oriented version of the Twelve Days of Christmas is available on the Internet - see Kimberly Powell's site at http://genealogy.about.com/library/blchristmas-twelve.htm.
I decided I would do my own based on using computer genealogy, my own needs and my own research:
On the 12th day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me --
Twelve Revolutionary War pension files with the Family Bible -pages included (12)
Eleven passenger lists clearly written (22)
Ten WorldConnect entries of elusive ancestors (30)
Nine message board postings from distant cousins (36)
Eight probate files (40)
Seven census pages (42)
Six deed abstracts (42)
Five newspaper obituaries (40)
Four marriage records (36)
Three family Bibles (30)
Two draft registration images (22)
And a new name in my family tree. (12)
I've put the total number in parenthesis of each item - if you sing the song all the way through, going one number at a time.
My true love is a busy girl, isn't she?
But, but, but ... that would take all the fun out of the ancestor search, wouldn't it?
A genealogy oriented version of the Twelve Days of Christmas is available on the Internet - see Kimberly Powell's site at http://genealogy.about.com/library/blchristmas-twelve.htm.
I decided I would do my own based on using computer genealogy, my own needs and my own research:
On the 12th day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me --
Twelve Revolutionary War pension files with the Family Bible -pages included (12)
Eleven passenger lists clearly written (22)
Ten WorldConnect entries of elusive ancestors (30)
Nine message board postings from distant cousins (36)
Eight probate files (40)
Seven census pages (42)
Six deed abstracts (42)
Five newspaper obituaries (40)
Four marriage records (36)
Three family Bibles (30)
Two draft registration images (22)
And a new name in my family tree. (12)
I've put the total number in parenthesis of each item - if you sing the song all the way through, going one number at a time.
My true love is a busy girl, isn't she?
But, but, but ... that would take all the fun out of the ancestor search, wouldn't it?
All-in-One 1940 U.S. Census Utility Available
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I received this from Joel Weintraub and Steve Morse this morning:
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Last week a new 1940 Census tool was added to the Census section of the One-Step website (http://stevemorse.org). It's called the Unified 1940 Census ED Finder (http://stevemorse.org/census/unified.html). Here's some background so that you can appreciate why this tool is necessary and what it does.
As you know, the 1940 census when released on April 2 will not have a name index, and probably won't have a complete one for at least six months. In the interim, the only way to access the census is by ED. That means that researchers will have to determine the EDs for their locations. And the largest collection of tools for doing such is on the One-Step website.
The One-Step 1940 ED tools consists of the Large City ED Finder, the ED Street Finder, the ED Definitions tool, the 1930/1940 ED converter, the ED Map tool, and the Census Tracts tool. That's a daunting number of tools so, to make life simpler, a Tutorial Quiz was recently introduced (yes, another tool) that guides the user through a series of questions and recommends the appropriate tool based on his answers.
But the Tutorial Quiz takes time and understanding, and most researchers would like to just jump in and find their ED. That's what the Unified ED Finder allows them to do. They simply enter on the form as much of their location as they know. The tool then makes the decision as to which of the most popular One-Step tools is most appropriate, and takes the user directly to that tool with the desired ED (or perhaps a small number of possible EDs) displayed. And each ED so displayed contains a link to the census images for that ED, although the links will not be operational until April 2.
I received this from Joel Weintraub and Steve Morse this morning:
-------------------------------
Last week a new 1940 Census tool was added to the Census section of the One-Step website (http://stevemorse.org). It's called the Unified 1940 Census ED Finder (http://stevemorse.org/census/unified.html). Here's some background so that you can appreciate why this tool is necessary and what it does.
As you know, the 1940 census when released on April 2 will not have a name index, and probably won't have a complete one for at least six months. In the interim, the only way to access the census is by ED. That means that researchers will have to determine the EDs for their locations. And the largest collection of tools for doing such is on the One-Step website.
The One-Step 1940 ED tools consists of the Large City ED Finder, the ED Street Finder, the ED Definitions tool, the 1930/1940 ED converter, the ED Map tool, and the Census Tracts tool. That's a daunting number of tools so, to make life simpler, a Tutorial Quiz was recently introduced (yes, another tool) that guides the user through a series of questions and recommends the appropriate tool based on his answers.
But the Tutorial Quiz takes time and understanding, and most researchers would like to just jump in and find their ED. That's what the Unified ED Finder allows them to do. They simply enter on the form as much of their location as they know. The tool then makes the decision as to which of the most popular One-Step tools is most appropriate, and takes the user directly to that tool with the desired ED (or perhaps a small number of possible EDs) displayed. And each ED so displayed contains a link to the census images for that ED, although the links will not be operational until April 2.
Treasure Chest Thursday - a Hildreth + Sawtell Marriage Certificate
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The treasure today is the marriage certificate for Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell in 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, obtained by postal mail from the Townsend Town Clerk's office in 1995:
The information on this "CERTIFICATE of DEATH" includes:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE
from the records of marriages in the town of Townsend Massachusetts, U.S.A.
GROOM
Name: Zachariah Hildreth Jr
Residence: Townsend
Age: ---- Years
Occupation: -----
Place of Birth: ------
Name of Father: -----
Name of Mother: -----
No. of Marriage: -----
BRIDE:
Name: Hannah Sawtell
Residence: Townsend
Age: ---- Years
Occupation: -----
Place of Birth: ------
Name of Father: -----
Name of Mother: -----
No. of Marriage: -----
Place and Date of Marriage: Townsend October 21, 1810
By Whom Married: Rev. David Palmer
I, Marilyn C. MacEachern depose and say that I hold the office of Town Clerk of the Town of Townsend, county of Middlesex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts; that the records of Births, Marriages and Deaths required by law to be kept in said Town are in my custody, and that the above is a true copy from the records of Marriages in said Town, as certified by me.
WITNESS my hand and the Seal of said Town, on the 12th day of January 19 95.
Marilyn C. MacEachern
Town Clerk
Unfortunately, the Townsend town records do not include the ages, occupations, parents names or birthplace of both Zachariah and Hannah.
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to share an artifact or a document image from my collection of ancestral stuff.
The treasure today is the marriage certificate for Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell in 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, obtained by postal mail from the Townsend Town Clerk's office in 1995:
The information on this "CERTIFICATE of DEATH" includes:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE
from the records of marriages in the town of Townsend Massachusetts, U.S.A.
GROOM
Name: Zachariah Hildreth Jr
Residence: Townsend
Age: ---- Years
Occupation: -----
Place of Birth: ------
Name of Father: -----
Name of Mother: -----
No. of Marriage: -----
BRIDE:
Name: Hannah Sawtell
Residence: Townsend
Age: ---- Years
Occupation: -----
Place of Birth: ------
Name of Father: -----
Name of Mother: -----
No. of Marriage: -----
Place and Date of Marriage: Townsend October 21, 1810
By Whom Married: Rev. David Palmer
I, Marilyn C. MacEachern depose and say that I hold the office of Town Clerk of the Town of Townsend, county of Middlesex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts; that the records of Births, Marriages and Deaths required by law to be kept in said Town are in my custody, and that the above is a true copy from the records of Marriages in said Town, as certified by me.
WITNESS my hand and the Seal of said Town, on the 12th day of January 19 95.
Marilyn C. MacEachern
Town Clerk
Unfortunately, the Townsend town records do not include the ages, occupations, parents names or birthplace of both Zachariah and Hannah.
Advent Calendar - December 22: Christmas and Deceased Relatives
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This is the 22nd of 24 posts for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, a Geneablogger tradition.
On the 3rd Day before Christmas
My true love said "I'm sad,
Let's go see your mom and dad."
1) Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas?
I have specific memories of, as a boy, going with my mother and her parents to put flowers on the wall to honor Georgia Auble, and Austin and Della Carringer, at the Cypress View mausoleum. I think it was at Christmas. My grandparents were very close to their parents, having lived with them, or next door to them, nearly all their lives. I think I took my mother (since she didn't drive) to Cypress View after her parents died for several years at Christmas.
I don't recall going to my father's grave at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Christmas time, although we went occasionally when we had Seaver family visitors.
2) How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?
We have never had shrines or anything like that for our deceased relatives. There are pictures on the walls of them. At the Christmas Day dinner, I usually lead a family prayer and specifically mention those that have gone before, and name them by name (I only go back to my grandparents! It would be a really long prayer otherwise).
I had hoped to gather thumb sized face photos of as many ancestors as possible from my collection of photographs and get them put onto Christmas tree ornaments but that project was put on hold. If I did that, then I could put the photos in my online Family Trees too.
This is the 22nd of 24 posts for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, a Geneablogger tradition.
On the 3rd Day before Christmas
My true love said "I'm sad,
Let's go see your mom and dad."
1) Did your family visit the cemetery at Christmas?
I have specific memories of, as a boy, going with my mother and her parents to put flowers on the wall to honor Georgia Auble, and Austin and Della Carringer, at the Cypress View mausoleum. I think it was at Christmas. My grandparents were very close to their parents, having lived with them, or next door to them, nearly all their lives. I think I took my mother (since she didn't drive) to Cypress View after her parents died for several years at Christmas.
I don't recall going to my father's grave at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Christmas time, although we went occasionally when we had Seaver family visitors.
2) How did your family honor deceased family members at Christmas?
We have never had shrines or anything like that for our deceased relatives. There are pictures on the walls of them. At the Christmas Day dinner, I usually lead a family prayer and specifically mention those that have gone before, and name them by name (I only go back to my grandparents! It would be a really long prayer otherwise).
I had hoped to gather thumb sized face photos of as many ancestors as possible from my collection of photographs and get them put onto Christmas tree ornaments but that project was put on hold. If I did that, then I could put the photos in my online Family Trees too.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Historical Records of a Real Santa Claus
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A person named "Santa Clause" (born April 1887 in MO) was the son of William Clause (born Feb 1857 in MO) and Henrietta Clause (born May 1861 in MO) in the 1900 census, with siblings Emma B. Clause (born Jan 1881 in MO), William E. Clause (born Nov 1882 in MO), Earler (?) Clause (born Dec 1885 in MO), Nellie Claus (born Nov 1889) and Earl Clause (born Dec 1894 in MO). The family resided in Liberty township, Saline County, MO (NARA T623, Roll 902, ED 129, Page 3A).
In the 1910 census, "Sante Claus" was age 23, single, a farm laborer, living as a hired man in the household of David Fleshman in Liberty township, Saline County, MO (NARA T624, Roll 823, ED 172, Page 4A).
In the 1920 census, "Santy Clause" (age 31, single, a boarder) resided with his brother Earl Clause in Blackwater township, Pettis County, MO (NARA T625, Roll 939, ED 125, Page 4B).
In the 1930 census, "Santa Claus" (age 42, married, first at age 24, born in MO, a laborer, works in river construction) resided in Marshall township, Saline County, MO with his wife Mabel Claus (age 36, married, first at age 18 in MO), son William Claus (age 15, born MO), son Raymond Claus (age 12, born CO), son Fred Claus (age 9, born MO), son Joseph Claus (age 6, born MO), son James Claus (age 3, born MO) and daughter Dorthy Claus (age 0, born MO) (NARA T626, Roll 1246, ED 20, Page 12A).
Notice that son Raymond Claus was born in Colorado, not Missouri. And also note that Santa was in Missouri in the 1920 census listed as single, but he obviously had a wife and children in 1920 if the 1930 census records are correct.
There is more:
Santy Clause married Minnie Mabel Hill on 9 June 1912 in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri. Their marriage record is in the Missouri Marriage License database on Ancestry.com, but it only says that he was from Marshall and over age 21, and she was from Marshall and over age 18.
"Santy Clause" registered for the World War I draft on 5 June 1917 in Prowers County, Colorado. He was age 29, born 4 April 1888 in Marshall MO, a natural born US citizen, Caucasian, married with two children. He was a farmer, and resided in Lamar, Route A, Prowers County, Colorado. He was medium height, medium build, blue eyes, light brown hair, and no disabilities, and had no previous military service.
I was unable to find Mabel Claus or the two children, William and Raymond, in the 1920 census - perhaps someone else would like to try! My best guess is that they may be in Colorado then, or back in Saline County MO.
One last bit of data: Members of the Clause family are buried in Blue Lick Union Church Cemetery in Saline County, Missouri. The list includes:
Donna Clause (died 3 Oct 1942, age 0-4-24)
Earl Clause (1894-1940)
Helen F. Clause (1919-1955)
Henrietta S. Clause (18__-1915)
Minnie Mabel Clause ("mother," 1894-1944)
Raymond E. Clause (1917-1971)
Santa Clause ("Father," 1888-1957)Silvina Clause (1877-1964)
William Clause (1856-1917)
So, to summarize:
"Santa Claus" was born 4 April 1887 or 1888 in Marshall, Saline County, MO, the son of William and Henrietta (--?--) Claus. He married Minnie Mabel Hill in 1912 and they had at least 6 children. He was a laborer in river construction in 1930. He died in 1957 and is buried in Saline County, Missouri.
This Santa Claus is, unfortunately, not coming to town soon - he's dead and buried in Missouri. It doesn't appear that he could possibly be the jolly purveyor of toys and good cheer with a big belly and long white beard who lives with his unnamed wife and elves and 9 reindeer at the North Pole, does it?
Don't tell the kids.
Isn't it amazing what you can find on the Internet with lots of spare time on your hands?
I posted this originally on 27 November 2006 and had two comments from granddaughters of Santa Claus, one from a cousin several times removed, and one from a lady whose parents were married by Santa Claus..
A person named "Santa Clause" (born April 1887 in MO) was the son of William Clause (born Feb 1857 in MO) and Henrietta Clause (born May 1861 in MO) in the 1900 census, with siblings Emma B. Clause (born Jan 1881 in MO), William E. Clause (born Nov 1882 in MO), Earler (?) Clause (born Dec 1885 in MO), Nellie Claus (born Nov 1889) and Earl Clause (born Dec 1894 in MO). The family resided in Liberty township, Saline County, MO (NARA T623, Roll 902, ED 129, Page 3A).
In the 1910 census, "Sante Claus" was age 23, single, a farm laborer, living as a hired man in the household of David Fleshman in Liberty township, Saline County, MO (NARA T624, Roll 823, ED 172, Page 4A).
In the 1920 census, "Santy Clause" (age 31, single, a boarder) resided with his brother Earl Clause in Blackwater township, Pettis County, MO (NARA T625, Roll 939, ED 125, Page 4B).
In the 1930 census, "Santa Claus" (age 42, married, first at age 24, born in MO, a laborer, works in river construction) resided in Marshall township, Saline County, MO with his wife Mabel Claus (age 36, married, first at age 18 in MO), son William Claus (age 15, born MO), son Raymond Claus (age 12, born CO), son Fred Claus (age 9, born MO), son Joseph Claus (age 6, born MO), son James Claus (age 3, born MO) and daughter Dorthy Claus (age 0, born MO) (NARA T626, Roll 1246, ED 20, Page 12A).
Notice that son Raymond Claus was born in Colorado, not Missouri. And also note that Santa was in Missouri in the 1920 census listed as single, but he obviously had a wife and children in 1920 if the 1930 census records are correct.
There is more:
Santy Clause married Minnie Mabel Hill on 9 June 1912 in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri. Their marriage record is in the Missouri Marriage License database on Ancestry.com, but it only says that he was from Marshall and over age 21, and she was from Marshall and over age 18.
"Santy Clause" registered for the World War I draft on 5 June 1917 in Prowers County, Colorado. He was age 29, born 4 April 1888 in Marshall MO, a natural born US citizen, Caucasian, married with two children. He was a farmer, and resided in Lamar, Route A, Prowers County, Colorado. He was medium height, medium build, blue eyes, light brown hair, and no disabilities, and had no previous military service.
I was unable to find Mabel Claus or the two children, William and Raymond, in the 1920 census - perhaps someone else would like to try! My best guess is that they may be in Colorado then, or back in Saline County MO.
One last bit of data: Members of the Clause family are buried in Blue Lick Union Church Cemetery in Saline County, Missouri. The list includes:
Donna Clause (died 3 Oct 1942, age 0-4-24)
Earl Clause (1894-1940)
Helen F. Clause (1919-1955)
Henrietta S. Clause (18__-1915)
Minnie Mabel Clause ("mother," 1894-1944)
Raymond E. Clause (1917-1971)
Santa Clause ("Father," 1888-1957)Silvina Clause (1877-1964)
William Clause (1856-1917)
So, to summarize:
"Santa Claus" was born 4 April 1887 or 1888 in Marshall, Saline County, MO, the son of William and Henrietta (--?--) Claus. He married Minnie Mabel Hill in 1912 and they had at least 6 children. He was a laborer in river construction in 1930. He died in 1957 and is buried in Saline County, Missouri.
This Santa Claus is, unfortunately, not coming to town soon - he's dead and buried in Missouri. It doesn't appear that he could possibly be the jolly purveyor of toys and good cheer with a big belly and long white beard who lives with his unnamed wife and elves and 9 reindeer at the North Pole, does it?
Don't tell the kids.
Isn't it amazing what you can find on the Internet with lots of spare time on your hands?
I posted this originally on 27 November 2006 and had two comments from granddaughters of Santa Claus, one from a cousin several times removed, and one from a lady whose parents were married by Santa Claus..
MyHeritage Releases new feature-packed Family Tree Builder 6.0
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Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage.com sent this press release via email today:
====================================
Chief Genealogist US Genealogy Advisor Affiliate Manager
MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com
Daniel@myheritage.com (505) 994.1554 (801) 687.0599
Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage.com sent this press release via email today:
====================================
MyHeritage releases new feature-packed Family Tree Builder 6.0
Updated version of world’s most popular free family history software adds new blend of historical content and technological innovation to highlight the depth and diversity in every family’s heritage
PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel – December 21, 2011: MyHeritage.com, the largest family network on the web, today announced the release of Family Tree Builder 6.0, the most comprehensive free software for family history fans around the world. With the addition of automatic research in historical records and new features for presenting family memories, Family Tree Builder 6.0 makes researching family history more engaging and rewarding than ever.
Millions of family history enthusiasts and genealogists worldwide use MyHeritage’s Family Tree Builder software to explore, document and showcase their roots. The newly improved Family Tree Builder 6.0 will enable them to access historical content for the first time, view their family history in several innovative and stylish new ways and help celebrate family events - past and present.
“Combining cutting edge technology with ease-of-use, Family Tree Builder is the ideal companion for taking an exciting journey to the past, sharing memories in the present and documenting them for future generations”, said MyHeritage Founder and CEO Gilad Japhet. “Packed with exciting new features, Family Tree Builder adds color and depth to family history research for professionals and beginners alike. We’re proud to have developed the industry’s most comprehensive and feature-rich software, and, true to our mission of bringing family history to the masses, we’ll continue to keep it free for all to use.”
Automatic search for historical content
Following the recent acquisition of World Vital Records by MyHeritage, Family Tree Builder 6.0 adds historical content to its suite of features for the first time. The software automatically searches for relevant historical records amongst billions of birth, marriage, death and census records, plus newspapers and yearbooks - whenever information in the family tree is added or edited. Relevant historical records for any person in the tree can then be viewed in just one click.
New ways to view and present your family history
Family Tree Builder users can synchronize their data with a private online family site on MyHeritage.com, an ideal platform for sharing their heritage and staying in touch with their family. This also enables family members to view their family tree and share photos on-the-go using MyHeritage's recently released free mobile apps for iPad, iPhone and Android. Improved integration with family sites seamlessly merges some of the most popular web-based features on MyHeritage with the software, such as:
• Family Statistics: MyHeritage analyzes the family tree and produces 45 beautiful, enlightening statistics like average lifespan and most commonly used first names. Many unique stats not available anywhere else are displayed. For example, the geographical distribution of countries of birth and residence, the top families where the gap between the age of husband and wife is highest, the average age difference between youngest and oldest child in all families, and much more.
• Profile pages: Profile Pages present the depth and diversity of family history person by person. Profiles beautifully display information about individuals in the tree and include photos, close family relatives, events, citations and much more.
• Family Timeline: Family events and photos are arranged in an attractive, fun-to-use timeline. Zoom in from a century to a single day and compare any family member’s timeline with relevant historical events.
• Family Timebook: The Timebook is a beautiful digital book of family photos and biographies of close relatives. Timebooks are generated using clever algorithms that resemble the way people create scrapbooks with tender loving care, but do so automatically.
• Family Memory Game: This unique online game automatically generates personalized picture cards of close relatives and ancestors - based on a user’s family tree. It can be played in competition mode or against the clock. The game is ideal for educating younger generations about their ancestors and introducing them to the fascinating hobby of genealogy.
Celebrate family events
• Family Events: Important family events are listed and displayed on convenient monthly or yearly calendars – making it easy to remember special family occasions and send greetings.
The above new features complement the vast range of existing features in Family Tree Builder 6.0, which include Smart Matches™, stunning family tree charts, facial recognition technology, interactive maps, photo albums and slideshows, book reports, family tree consistency checker, to-do lists and much more.
The new Family Tree Builder 6.0 is available in 37 languages and can be downloaded for free from www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder.
About MyHeritage
MyHeritage is the most popular family network on the web. Millions of families around the world enjoy having a private and free place for their families to keep in touch and to showcase their roots. MyHeritage’s Smart Matching™ technology empowers users with an exciting and innovative way to find relatives and explore their family history. With all family information stored in a secure site, MyHeritage is the ideal place to share family photos and preserve special family moments. Available in 38 languages, MyHeritage has more than 60 million registered users and is home to more than 900 million profiles and 21 million family trees. The company is backed by Accel Partners and Index Ventures, the investors of Facebook and Skype. For more information visit www.myheritage.com.For more information contact:
Daniel Horowitz Schelly Talalay Dardashti Mark OlsenChief Genealogist US Genealogy Advisor Affiliate Manager
MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com
Daniel@myheritage.com (505) 994.1554 (801) 687.0599
Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPhone Ancestry App - Post 3
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The previous posts in this series are:
* Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPhone Ancestry App in which I noted that the Media items that I had attached to my Ancestry Member Tree using my iPhone had not been added to the Family Tree Maker 2012 tree that I had synchronized to the Ancestry Member Tree.
* Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPhone Ancestry App - Post 2 in which I started over after my FTM 2012 database would not sync with the Ancestry Member Tree for some reason. I unlinked the Ancestry Member Tree from the Family Tree Maker 2012 database, then created a new Family Tree Maker 2012 database from the Ancestry Member Tree. This worked with no sync errors.
Last night, I added more links to historical records on Ancestry.com to my Ancestry Member Tree using my iPhone - and I did this only for persons in the Tree that I had not added links to records previously. Let's see how we did:
1) Before I tried to Sync the FTM 2012 database to the modified Ancestry Member Tree, I took this screen shot of the Plan workspace:
The screen told me that I was not in Sync with the Ancestry Member Tree, and that a Sync was needed. So I clicked on the Sync Now button and waited while the FTM 2012 database synced to the ancestry Member Tree.
2) It finished, and the Sync Change Log appeared:
The Sync Change Log told me that these items had changed:
* 30 People had Changes
* 2 Sources had been added
* 74 Citations had been added
3) The Plan workspace screen showed:
The FTM 2012 database and the Ancestry Member Tree are now in Sync.
Note that the "Media processing" ribbon is only partially green, so I have to wait until that finishes.
4) After the "Media processing" ribbon finished, I clicked on the "Media" workspace tab and saw:
There are now 89 images in the Media workspace, up from 67 yesterday. So while I added 74 new Citations, only 22 new images were added to the database. this is because more than one person were linked to the images, but citations were added for each Fact added to each Person.
5) What about the Person screens for these added citations? Here is the screen for Severt Oliver Leland:
There are now seven Birth Facts for Severt Leland, and six of them have images attached to them. I checked the other persons with Facts and links to record images added last night, and they all appear to be there.
6) Summary:
* All of the Facts added and the images attached using the iPhone to an Ancestry Member Tree were added to the Ancestry tree, and then synced to the Family Tree Maker 2012 database.
* The origin of this Tree started as an Ancestry Member Tree, not as a Family Tree Maker 2012 tree. So the iPhone to Ancestry to FTM2012 works fine when the starting tree is an Ancestry Member Tree.
* Russ Worthington had me add Facts and links to images using the iPhone to a shared Ancestry Member Tree, created originally from an FTM 2012 database, and then he synced that to the FTM 2012 database. That worked. He reported on it in his Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPad Ancestry App post yesterday.
* Why did I have a problem with my iPhone to Ancestry to FTM2012 in my Post 1? And why wouldn't it Sync for me? I don't know.
* My conclusions here are:
*** Be very careful how you add Facts and links to historical record images using any of these tools. *** Keep your FTM 2012 database in Sync with your Ancestry Member Tree.
*** Don't add content to them separately - use them one at a time, and Sync afterwards. That way the last one you worked on can be used to create a new database for the other.
*** If you add content with an iPhone or iPad or another mobile device, be sure to check the Ancestry Member Tree that the content was added, and then Sync the information to the FTM 2012 database.
*** If you discover that some Media did not download to FTM2012, then try the Ctrl-F5 key combination to add missing media.
* The major problem I see for users working with these tools is that if a Shared Tree has added content, and an FTM 2012 database won't Sync with it, any changes made in the FTM 2012 database will be lost to the Shared Tree. Deleting a Shared Tree, and uploading a new FTM 2012 database, will result in having to invite the other tree editors and guests again to the new shared Ancestry Member Tree.
The previous posts in this series are:
* Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPhone Ancestry App in which I noted that the Media items that I had attached to my Ancestry Member Tree using my iPhone had not been added to the Family Tree Maker 2012 tree that I had synchronized to the Ancestry Member Tree.
* Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPhone Ancestry App - Post 2 in which I started over after my FTM 2012 database would not sync with the Ancestry Member Tree for some reason. I unlinked the Ancestry Member Tree from the Family Tree Maker 2012 database, then created a new Family Tree Maker 2012 database from the Ancestry Member Tree. This worked with no sync errors.
Last night, I added more links to historical records on Ancestry.com to my Ancestry Member Tree using my iPhone - and I did this only for persons in the Tree that I had not added links to records previously. Let's see how we did:
1) Before I tried to Sync the FTM 2012 database to the modified Ancestry Member Tree, I took this screen shot of the Plan workspace:
The screen told me that I was not in Sync with the Ancestry Member Tree, and that a Sync was needed. So I clicked on the Sync Now button and waited while the FTM 2012 database synced to the ancestry Member Tree.
2) It finished, and the Sync Change Log appeared:
The Sync Change Log told me that these items had changed:
* 30 People had Changes
* 2 Sources had been added
* 74 Citations had been added
3) The Plan workspace screen showed:
The FTM 2012 database and the Ancestry Member Tree are now in Sync.
Note that the "Media processing" ribbon is only partially green, so I have to wait until that finishes.
4) After the "Media processing" ribbon finished, I clicked on the "Media" workspace tab and saw:
There are now 89 images in the Media workspace, up from 67 yesterday. So while I added 74 new Citations, only 22 new images were added to the database. this is because more than one person were linked to the images, but citations were added for each Fact added to each Person.
5) What about the Person screens for these added citations? Here is the screen for Severt Oliver Leland:
There are now seven Birth Facts for Severt Leland, and six of them have images attached to them. I checked the other persons with Facts and links to record images added last night, and they all appear to be there.
6) Summary:
* All of the Facts added and the images attached using the iPhone to an Ancestry Member Tree were added to the Ancestry tree, and then synced to the Family Tree Maker 2012 database.
* The origin of this Tree started as an Ancestry Member Tree, not as a Family Tree Maker 2012 tree. So the iPhone to Ancestry to FTM2012 works fine when the starting tree is an Ancestry Member Tree.
* Russ Worthington had me add Facts and links to images using the iPhone to a shared Ancestry Member Tree, created originally from an FTM 2012 database, and then he synced that to the FTM 2012 database. That worked. He reported on it in his Ancestry Member Trees, Family Tree Maker 2012, and the iPad Ancestry App post yesterday.
* Why did I have a problem with my iPhone to Ancestry to FTM2012 in my Post 1? And why wouldn't it Sync for me? I don't know.
* My conclusions here are:
*** Be very careful how you add Facts and links to historical record images using any of these tools. *** Keep your FTM 2012 database in Sync with your Ancestry Member Tree.
*** Don't add content to them separately - use them one at a time, and Sync afterwards. That way the last one you worked on can be used to create a new database for the other.
*** If you add content with an iPhone or iPad or another mobile device, be sure to check the Ancestry Member Tree that the content was added, and then Sync the information to the FTM 2012 database.
*** If you discover that some Media did not download to FTM2012, then try the Ctrl-F5 key combination to add missing media.
* The major problem I see for users working with these tools is that if a Shared Tree has added content, and an FTM 2012 database won't Sync with it, any changes made in the FTM 2012 database will be lost to the Shared Tree. Deleting a Shared Tree, and uploading a new FTM 2012 database, will result in having to invite the other tree editors and guests again to the new shared Ancestry Member Tree.
(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 184: Randy and Santa Claus
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I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I simply am incapable of having a wordless post.
Here is a photograph from the Seaver//Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:
This photograph was probably taken at Marston's Department Store in downtown San Diego where my grandfather worked for 55 years. This photo was probably taken in the 1947 to 1950 time frame. My guess is that my grandfather, Lyle Carringer, took this picture, although my mother may have taken it.
It looks like Santa has a good hold on me - an arm around my waist and a hand holding down my left arm. I was never scared of Santa Claus, so my smile is genuine and anticipatory. Either that, or someone made a funny face at me when the picture was snapped.
I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I simply am incapable of having a wordless post.
Here is a photograph from the Seaver//Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:
This photograph was probably taken at Marston's Department Store in downtown San Diego where my grandfather worked for 55 years. This photo was probably taken in the 1947 to 1950 time frame. My guess is that my grandfather, Lyle Carringer, took this picture, although my mother may have taken it.
It looks like Santa has a good hold on me - an arm around my waist and a hand holding down my left arm. I was never scared of Santa Claus, so my smile is genuine and anticipatory. Either that, or someone made a funny face at me when the picture was snapped.
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