One of my favorite days is when the Carnival of Genealogy is posted. The latest edition, the 21st, is at http://creativegene.blogspot.com/2007/04/carnival-of-genealogy-21st-edition.html. Jasia does a wonderful job introducing and commenting on each post. There were 11 posters this edition on the topic of "Funny, Foolish, Family."
There are some good stories on the list - I was amused by all of the car stories.
The next Carnival of Genealogy deadline is April 15, and the topic is "Carousel" - anything you want to post about and submit. You can submit your blog posts to the Carnival at http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_346.html using the submission form. I need to think about what I want to submit...I'll have to go look at the archives and see what is funny, poignant or even good - there must be something!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Finishing Phase I of my Cornelia Bresee search
I spent several weeks in March trying to find the parents of Cornelia Bresee (1780-1840) in online records and databases. The "To-Do" list is at http://randysmusings.blogspot.com/2007/03/searching-for-cornelias-family-part-1.html and the Index for my completed searches is at http://randysmusings.blogspot.com/2007/03/index-for-my-cornelia-bresee-search.html .
I have been lax in completing this To-do list, so I decided to do it today.
1) Number 16 on my list is to search Google Web for web pages that might mention the Bresee/Bries families of the Hudson river valley area, especially in Columbia and Rensselaer Counties. I tried:
a) Searching for ["cornelia bresee"] leads to 198 hits on Google for postings of mine on the web and message boards, plus many mentions of my search at the web sites of other researchers.
b) Searching for [bresee family rensselaer york] results in 233 hits - none of them fruitful for my purposes.
c) Searching for [bresee family columbia county york] results in 970 hits - none of them fruitful for my purposes.
I also tried Bries, Brazee, Brazie, Brissy, and Brees using the same counties, and received no useful hits.
2) Numb er 8 on my list was to search Google Books for the Bresee (and variants) surname and also for County records. I tried the same searches as above, and did find one interesting book that at least mentioned the Breese family - in "Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County."
In addition, I tried [rensselaer county church records] and [columbia county church records] and found several references that might be helpful, but the reference is sometimes to a single page of the book.
3) The last unfinished item is #17 on my list - searching the "Making of America" database at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moagrp/. I input the Bresee (and variants) surname, and found many documents with the names, but few were from New York and most of them I had seen in the previous book searches.
As far as I'm concerned, my online search for the "low hanging fruit" that might lead me to the parents of Cornelia Bresee is completed. There is the chance that someone will respond to my message board or blog posts that can add to my Bresee family knowledge.
I have created a database in FamilyTreeMaker, based on the data gleaned during my online search. Of course, this database was created from derivative sources - the LDS IGI, Rootsweb WorldConnect, message board posts, etc. The challenge now is to go find the original source material to verify the collected data and perhaps to find unique records that define Cornelia's parents.
So the path is clear now - go search the more "traditional" genealogy resources for Bresee (and variant spelling) family data. I will make a to-do list for that too!
I have been lax in completing this To-do list, so I decided to do it today.
1) Number 16 on my list is to search Google Web for web pages that might mention the Bresee/Bries families of the Hudson river valley area, especially in Columbia and Rensselaer Counties. I tried:
a) Searching for ["cornelia bresee"] leads to 198 hits on Google for postings of mine on the web and message boards, plus many mentions of my search at the web sites of other researchers.
b) Searching for [bresee family rensselaer york] results in 233 hits - none of them fruitful for my purposes.
c) Searching for [bresee family columbia county york] results in 970 hits - none of them fruitful for my purposes.
I also tried Bries, Brazee, Brazie, Brissy, and Brees using the same counties, and received no useful hits.
2) Numb er 8 on my list was to search Google Books for the Bresee (and variants) surname and also for County records. I tried the same searches as above, and did find one interesting book that at least mentioned the Breese family - in "Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Berkshire County."
In addition, I tried [rensselaer county church records] and [columbia county church records] and found several references that might be helpful, but the reference is sometimes to a single page of the book.
3) The last unfinished item is #17 on my list - searching the "Making of America" database at http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moagrp/. I input the Bresee (and variants) surname, and found many documents with the names, but few were from New York and most of them I had seen in the previous book searches.
As far as I'm concerned, my online search for the "low hanging fruit" that might lead me to the parents of Cornelia Bresee is completed. There is the chance that someone will respond to my message board or blog posts that can add to my Bresee family knowledge.
I have created a database in FamilyTreeMaker, based on the data gleaned during my online search. Of course, this database was created from derivative sources - the LDS IGI, Rootsweb WorldConnect, message board posts, etc. The challenge now is to go find the original source material to verify the collected data and perhaps to find unique records that define Cornelia's parents.
So the path is clear now - go search the more "traditional" genealogy resources for Bresee (and variant spelling) family data. I will make a to-do list for that too!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
1925 Iowa State Census data on Ancestry
My love-in-law is lucky - part of her family was in Iowa in 1925. Note: my love-in-law is the partner of my brother-in-law...makes sense, no?
I spent an hour tonight going through the Iowa State Census records available on www.Ancestry.com. There are census records from 1836 to 1925. I concentrated tonight on the 1925 records because they are the most recent, and hold the most potential for finding additional information on the parents of the people in the census.
The information on the 1925 Iowa census includes:
* Name
* Relation to head of household
* gender
* race
* age
* marital status
* rent or own
* birthplace
* father's name
* father's birthplace
* father's age
* mother's maiden name
* mother's birthplace
* mother's age
* person's marriage location
There are some real goodies there! For instance, I found that Thomas E. Corporon (head, white, male, age 57, married, born MO) had parents Geo W. Corporon (born Canada, age 83) and Jane McClure (born MO, no age). His wife, Anna E. Corporon (wife, female, white, age 55, married, born IA, had parents James Kin g (born MO, no age) and Sarah Bentley (born OH, no age). The previous data from an online source said that her mother was Sarah Johnston, and I had been unable to find her before the marriage in the census.
You can search on the mother's or father's given name and/or surname, so you can find children of specific people in the census. This is especially handy if you are looking for the married name of daughters.
This is a wonderful resource - it's too bad more census records didn't take genealogists wishes into account!
If you have Iowa ancestors in the 1920's, try to access the 1925 Iowa State Census on www.ancestry.com for the data on those people.
I spent an hour tonight going through the Iowa State Census records available on www.Ancestry.com. There are census records from 1836 to 1925. I concentrated tonight on the 1925 records because they are the most recent, and hold the most potential for finding additional information on the parents of the people in the census.
The information on the 1925 Iowa census includes:
* Name
* Relation to head of household
* gender
* race
* age
* marital status
* rent or own
* birthplace
* father's name
* father's birthplace
* father's age
* mother's maiden name
* mother's birthplace
* mother's age
* person's marriage location
There are some real goodies there! For instance, I found that Thomas E. Corporon (head, white, male, age 57, married, born MO) had parents Geo W. Corporon (born Canada, age 83) and Jane McClure (born MO, no age). His wife, Anna E. Corporon (wife, female, white, age 55, married, born IA, had parents James Kin g (born MO, no age) and Sarah Bentley (born OH, no age). The previous data from an online source said that her mother was Sarah Johnston, and I had been unable to find her before the marriage in the census.
You can search on the mother's or father's given name and/or surname, so you can find children of specific people in the census. This is especially handy if you are looking for the married name of daughters.
This is a wonderful resource - it's too bad more census records didn't take genealogists wishes into account!
If you have Iowa ancestors in the 1920's, try to access the 1925 Iowa State Census on www.ancestry.com for the data on those people.
San Diego Seminar with Dick Eastman
Hey, San Diego genealogists - Dick Eastman, the premier genea-blogger and expert genea-technology guy is coming to town for an all-day seminar on May 12.
The seminar is sponsored by the San Diego Genealogical Society and the Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (both of which I belong to!). It will be held at St. Andrews Lutheran Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd (at Jackson Drive) in San Diego, starting at 8:30 AM (registration) until 3:30 PM. A catered buffet lunch will be provided. Prices are $28 for members of SDGS/CGSSD, or $30 for non-members.
Dick Eastman will make four presentations:
1) "Grandpa in Your Pocket" -- a demonstration of various gadgets that will make your genealogy research easier and do things not thought possible before.
2) "The Internet - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" -- learn the many great and new things the Internet has to offer as well as the pitfalls and scams. A must for every researcher.
3) "Google for Genealogists" -- learn how to maximize your results in using the world's most popular search engine; find out how to do things you never dreamed possible.
4) "Putting the Genes in Genealogy" -- learn your family history to help your family fight or neutralize inherited diseases; something every genealogist needs to know.
Spaces are limited so make your reservation soon - make checks payable to SDGS and send them to Gloria Osborn (1997 Alameda Tr, San Diego CA 92103). Contact Gloria at globob22(at)yahoo.com.
The seminar looks like it will be excellent, and I am going to try to rearrange my flight schedule so that I can attend (we are scheduled to be in Santa Cruz that week before to see the grandsons).
I urge all San Diego area (and even all Southern California) researchers to sign up and attend this seminar. The price is right, the food is good and I know Dick's programs will be excellent.
The seminar is sponsored by the San Diego Genealogical Society and the Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (both of which I belong to!). It will be held at St. Andrews Lutheran Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd (at Jackson Drive) in San Diego, starting at 8:30 AM (registration) until 3:30 PM. A catered buffet lunch will be provided. Prices are $28 for members of SDGS/CGSSD, or $30 for non-members.
Dick Eastman will make four presentations:
1) "Grandpa in Your Pocket" -- a demonstration of various gadgets that will make your genealogy research easier and do things not thought possible before.
2) "The Internet - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly" -- learn the many great and new things the Internet has to offer as well as the pitfalls and scams. A must for every researcher.
3) "Google for Genealogists" -- learn how to maximize your results in using the world's most popular search engine; find out how to do things you never dreamed possible.
4) "Putting the Genes in Genealogy" -- learn your family history to help your family fight or neutralize inherited diseases; something every genealogist needs to know.
Spaces are limited so make your reservation soon - make checks payable to SDGS and send them to Gloria Osborn (1997 Alameda Tr, San Diego CA 92103). Contact Gloria at globob22(at)yahoo.com.
The seminar looks like it will be excellent, and I am going to try to rearrange my flight schedule so that I can attend (we are scheduled to be in Santa Cruz that week before to see the grandsons).
I urge all San Diego area (and even all Southern California) researchers to sign up and attend this seminar. The price is right, the food is good and I know Dick's programs will be excellent.
Tagged by the "Life Balance" Meme
Jasia tagged all of the Genea-blogosphere with the Life Balance meme.
Fittingly, I posted about it at my Geneaholic blog. somehow, it fit! Go read it if you want my pearls of wisdom about this subject.
Fittingly, I posted about it at my Geneaholic blog. somehow, it fit! Go read it if you want my pearls of wisdom about this subject.
Shadows of a Live Man
Back in December, the Sheboygan (WI) newspaper published the photo below, featuring a man in a top hat sitting on a supposedly dead horse, with a man and a dog, plus many buildings, in the background. A full summary of the story, the picture, and the early analysis can be found on Sharon Sergeant's Ancestral Manor site.
Together with Sharon, Colleen Fitzpatrick and Andrew Yeiser have analyzed the photo to try to determine where and when the photo was taken. The first installment of their findings have been written up in a newspaper article in the Sheboygan (WI) Press by Jan Hildebrand. Based on the setting, the buildings in the picture, other features not in the picture, and the shadows cast by the men, they determined that the picture was taken in Sheboygan WI on 24 September 1871.
...
Please read the whole article, Sharon's web site and Colleen's web site for more information.
...
It seems to me that the shadow lengths can only be determined from the picture above by measuring the shadow of the man in the background with the dog - the shadow appears to extend all the way to the fire hydrant. Measuring the man's height in the picture (which may not be accurate if it's a wide angle lens as Colleen and Andy think) relative to the apparent length of the shadow, the altitude (angle relative to the ground) of the sun is about 30 degrees. The shadows appear to be directly to the east (azimuth angle of about 270 degrees), although it is difficult to tell exactly.
...
I found an altitude and azimuth calculator for the sun and the moon at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/AltAz.html. Inputting Sheboygan WI and a range of dates, I found that the combination of Altitude = 30 degrees and Azimuth = 270 degrees (east of north, 270 degrees = due west) occurs on about July 21 at 1630 in Sheboygan.
...
For Colleen's date of September 24 at 1630 local time, the altitude angle is 12.7 degrees and the azimuth angle is 256.7 degrees. If it were this date, I think the shadow would be much longer than what I see (12.7 degrees means the shadow would be about 4.4 times the length of the object, in this case, the man with the dog).
...
If my measurements are off by say 5 degrees in altitude, that would make it either June 21 at 1605 local time (35 degrees altitude) or August 5 at about 1645 local time (25 degrees altitude).
...
It's possible that the azimuth angles are not exactly 270 degrees also - they may be off by 5 to 10 degrees - it is very hard to measure that from the photograph.
I'm not saying I'm right and Colleen is wrong - because I cannot be sure what the height of the man is, the length of his shadow or the azimuth angle of the sun. Colleen must have measurements and it would be useful to know what they are and how she calculated the date from them.
...
If my measurements are roughly accurate, then the approximate date of the photograph is between June 21 and August 5. I'll leave the year up to Sharon, Colleen and Andy.
...
This was an interesting investigation by everyone!
...
UPDATE (3 April, 6:30 PM): I've had some emails with Colleen about her calculations, and have tried to explain my comments to her. She provided a marked up photograph with the shadow length of the man sitting on the dead horse, which resulted in a sun altitude angle of about 24 degrees. Based on the calculator at the USNO site, that correlates to August 7 at 1645 for an azimuth angle of 270 degrees.
UPDATE (4 April, 2:30 PM): Colleen has assured me in email that on the large digital image she has of the picture that the shadow of the top hat is visible, and the measurement is fairly exact. She agrees in principle with my methods here and the calculation. She has measured an altitude angle of 23 degrees from the image - that changes the day a bit. In a comment to this post, Steve Danko noted that the same combination of altitude =24 degrees and azimuth angle = 180 degrees also occurs on May 5 at 1636. That is logical, since the sun's path is essentially symmetrical about the solstice in June. Nice catch, Steve.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Della's Journal - Week 14 (April 2-8, 1929)
This is Installment 14 of the Journal of Della (Smith) Carringer, my great-grandmother, who resided at 2115 30th Street in San Diego in 1929.
The "players" and "setting" are described here. Pictures of some of the players are here. Last week's Journal entry is here.
Here is Week 14:
-------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 2: Election. Ma not able to go. Mrs. Nolan told her yesterday to drink baking soda, 1 tea spoon to 1 qt cold water, was good for the kidneys. Letter from Rose, she would try to come up Wed or Fri afternoon. I washed & ironed.
Wednesday, April 3 (rained in night): Swept. Ma stayed in bed all day, moved around too much yesterday. Betty went to a party, Easter party. Election carried Bonds for Camp Kerney, 5 to 1.
Thursday, April 4 (showered): Letter from Hazel. She was 11 years old, wrote a nice letter, did well in her school work, 6th grade. I went to town, pd on mortg[age] on Fern St. house - 2116 - $65.00. Got some medicine. Ma stayed in bed all day, soacked feet and rubbed with oil & alcohol. Ma better in some ways, but bladder bad yet. Mrs. Baxter called in evening. Mrs. Easterbrook called for a while to see how we liked the way the election went.
Friday, April 5 (cloudy PM): Ma still in bed. Rose did not come, sent card if wet she would not come, it cleared off but toward night cloudy & showered in night. Mrs. Chapman came to see Ma. She had been like Ma but took nito (?) & got over it quick.
Saturday, April 6 (showered in morning): Ma not as well. Got her an Electric Pad $6.00. She likes it very much. Letter from Mary Dyar.
Sunday, April 7: Cold wind all day, Lyle's worked at home in forenoon, then took ride to the country. Took letter & check of $3.00 out to Mrs. Schmidt to pay for water. I did not go out, to cold & Ma had a poor day. Austin has cold.
Monday, April 8 (pleasant & some warmer): Ed over, cut lawns, gave him check of $5.00. He had not been very well. I washed. Letter from Aunt Libbie. Ma in bed yet.
-------------------------------------------
Ma (Abigail (Vaux) Smith) is still sick at age 85 and has a kidney or bladder problem. Several friends have suggested different cures. Della received several letters this week. I don't know who Rose and Hazel are. Aunt Libbie is Ma's sister, Elizabeth (Vaux) Crouch in Long Beach CA. Mary Dyar is a cousin of Della's who lived in the midwest.
The "players" and "setting" are described here. Pictures of some of the players are here. Last week's Journal entry is here.
Here is Week 14:
-------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 2: Election. Ma not able to go. Mrs. Nolan told her yesterday to drink baking soda, 1 tea spoon to 1 qt cold water, was good for the kidneys. Letter from Rose, she would try to come up Wed or Fri afternoon. I washed & ironed.
Wednesday, April 3 (rained in night): Swept. Ma stayed in bed all day, moved around too much yesterday. Betty went to a party, Easter party. Election carried Bonds for Camp Kerney, 5 to 1.
Thursday, April 4 (showered): Letter from Hazel. She was 11 years old, wrote a nice letter, did well in her school work, 6th grade. I went to town, pd on mortg[age] on Fern St. house - 2116 - $65.00. Got some medicine. Ma stayed in bed all day, soacked feet and rubbed with oil & alcohol. Ma better in some ways, but bladder bad yet. Mrs. Baxter called in evening. Mrs. Easterbrook called for a while to see how we liked the way the election went.
Friday, April 5 (cloudy PM): Ma still in bed. Rose did not come, sent card if wet she would not come, it cleared off but toward night cloudy & showered in night. Mrs. Chapman came to see Ma. She had been like Ma but took nito (?) & got over it quick.
Saturday, April 6 (showered in morning): Ma not as well. Got her an Electric Pad $6.00. She likes it very much. Letter from Mary Dyar.
Sunday, April 7: Cold wind all day, Lyle's worked at home in forenoon, then took ride to the country. Took letter & check of $3.00 out to Mrs. Schmidt to pay for water. I did not go out, to cold & Ma had a poor day. Austin has cold.
Monday, April 8 (pleasant & some warmer): Ed over, cut lawns, gave him check of $5.00. He had not been very well. I washed. Letter from Aunt Libbie. Ma in bed yet.
-------------------------------------------
Ma (Abigail (Vaux) Smith) is still sick at age 85 and has a kidney or bladder problem. Several friends have suggested different cures. Della received several letters this week. I don't know who Rose and Hazel are. Aunt Libbie is Ma's sister, Elizabeth (Vaux) Crouch in Long Beach CA. Mary Dyar is a cousin of Della's who lived in the midwest.
10 Wise Genealogy Decisions
I posted 10 of my foolish ways yesterday, and wanted to be positive today - so here are 10 Wise Decisions I've made relative to genealogy research over 19 years:
10) Made or obtained audiotapes of several aunts and an uncle about their family life, including earlier generations they remembered or heard about.
9) Pestered my mother about family papers, photographs, etc. and who people in pictures were, if she knew (she had 4 generations of papers and stuff). Even so, I found many papers, books and ephemera in the house after she died.
8) Joined local and national genealogy societies in order to obtain periodicals and enjoy the membership benefits. I submitted queries to many of the societies for my elusive ancestors in those areas.
7) Used local libraries and the FHC to obtain books (sometimes through Inter-library Loan) concerning my ancestral families and localities. At the FHC, people were very helpful when I started my research - so much so that I went almost every week for many years.
6) Determined early on that the Family History Library microfilms and microfiches were wonderful sources of primary information records; I ordered innumerable films at the FHC, and used them extensively in the "research" phase of my ancestral search.
5) Traveled to ancestral homelands on vacation, and visited family in those places, in order to experience the places and the people. I learned that there are many unique genealogy records in local historical societies, genealogy societies and libraries.
4) Started a family newsletter (19 years worth so far), and self-published two books, in order to share my research finds with my extended family - children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I have provided these mainly as Christmas gifts.
3) Put my research results online - in the form of ahnentafel and descendants reports in order to share them with other researchers, and using them to elicit contacts or queries from other researchers.
2) Participated in my local societies when possible - by speaking, volunteering, leading, helping, and creating ways to bring people together to share genealogy methods and research.
1) Pursued continual genealogy education - in the form of reading articles, magazines, or books; attending talks, seminars and conferences; helping friends and family with their family history (and thereby learning about new localities or time frames); searching for and writing about current genealogy events and research techniques.
What wise decisions have you made during your genealogy research activities? I encourage my fellow genea-bloggers to create their own lists and share them with us and the people in their local society.
10) Made or obtained audiotapes of several aunts and an uncle about their family life, including earlier generations they remembered or heard about.
9) Pestered my mother about family papers, photographs, etc. and who people in pictures were, if she knew (she had 4 generations of papers and stuff). Even so, I found many papers, books and ephemera in the house after she died.
8) Joined local and national genealogy societies in order to obtain periodicals and enjoy the membership benefits. I submitted queries to many of the societies for my elusive ancestors in those areas.
7) Used local libraries and the FHC to obtain books (sometimes through Inter-library Loan) concerning my ancestral families and localities. At the FHC, people were very helpful when I started my research - so much so that I went almost every week for many years.
6) Determined early on that the Family History Library microfilms and microfiches were wonderful sources of primary information records; I ordered innumerable films at the FHC, and used them extensively in the "research" phase of my ancestral search.
5) Traveled to ancestral homelands on vacation, and visited family in those places, in order to experience the places and the people. I learned that there are many unique genealogy records in local historical societies, genealogy societies and libraries.
4) Started a family newsletter (19 years worth so far), and self-published two books, in order to share my research finds with my extended family - children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I have provided these mainly as Christmas gifts.
3) Put my research results online - in the form of ahnentafel and descendants reports in order to share them with other researchers, and using them to elicit contacts or queries from other researchers.
2) Participated in my local societies when possible - by speaking, volunteering, leading, helping, and creating ways to bring people together to share genealogy methods and research.
1) Pursued continual genealogy education - in the form of reading articles, magazines, or books; attending talks, seminars and conferences; helping friends and family with their family history (and thereby learning about new localities or time frames); searching for and writing about current genealogy events and research techniques.
What wise decisions have you made during your genealogy research activities? I encourage my fellow genea-bloggers to create their own lists and share them with us and the people in their local society.
The Genea-FOOL is gone
Devoted readers may have noticed that Genea-Musings was replaced by the Genea-FOOL yesterday, due to circumstances beyond my addictions. I couldn't help myself.
In my haste to recover from April 1, I forgot to capture the screen of The Genea-FOOL. Oh well - maybe next year.
Have you noticed the color changes on the blog? I've used Orange, Purple, Dark Blue, Red and now Blue for the Genea-Musings header and title backgrounds. And Yellow for the type on the header and post titles. Which colors have you preferred? I really liked the Orange and Blue combination, and thought the Red was a bit too flashy. I like the current Blue and Yellow because it provides good contrast.
Does anybody care? Probably not - it's content that counts, I think.
In my haste to recover from April 1, I forgot to capture the screen of The Genea-FOOL. Oh well - maybe next year.
Have you noticed the color changes on the blog? I've used Orange, Purple, Dark Blue, Red and now Blue for the Genea-Musings header and title backgrounds. And Yellow for the type on the header and post titles. Which colors have you preferred? I really liked the Orange and Blue combination, and thought the Red was a bit too flashy. I like the current Blue and Yellow because it provides good contrast.
Does anybody care? Probably not - it's content that counts, I think.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
I Was a Fool - my Top 10
Looking back on my genealogy "career" this morning while sitting in church, I thought about all of the mistakes I've made over 19 years - what a Fool I was (and still am, in some cases). I usually look at my errors on Sundays (in private prayer time, of course, not out loud - I'm a Presbyterian, one of the "frozen chosen") and on April Fool's Day. I blindly admire my successes on the other days of the year (except for Leap Day, of course) - it's great for my self-esteem and confidence.
Here are my top 10 Foolish genealogy mistakes:
10. Accepting other researchers family group sheets, pedigree charts and GEDCOMs sight unseen and merging them into my own databases. Arghh. It takes years to find all of the errors.
9. Accepting the names, dates, places in the LDS Ancestral File and putting them into my databases without checking them out. I didn't understand that the data might be wrong until it was too late.
8. Finding a name, birth record and parents names for a person that "looks like" it is, and therefore "must be," my elusive ancestor. I have notebooks full of secondary information because I didn't find primary information that proves the relationships before going off on the wild goose chase.
7. Not adding the source citations to my database entries at the time of data entry. This still haunts me - I am going back into my databases regularly to add source information.
6. Spending a LOT of time at the FHC searching the Ancestry databases when I could have subscribed many years ago for 50 cents a day or less.
5. Spending a LOT of time at the FHC searching the Ancestry databases when I could have been searching microfilms for primary information data on my known ancestors.
4. Not attending national, state or regional genealogy conferences to benefit from the wisdom of other researchers.
3. Not taking enough vacation/research trips that included visits to major repositories like the Family History Library (twice), NEHGS (thrice), NYGBS, DAR, Library of Congress (once), National Archives, Allen County, Newberry, etc.
2. Not spending enough interview time with my mother, my aunts, uncle and cousins to hear their life stories, to label photographs and to enjoy their company once I started my research.
1. Not starting my genealogy research until my father and grandparents had died, even though I had considered pursuing it years before they died. I never did interview my father or my grandparents about their lives or their memories.
There are lessons in that list for veteran and newbie researchers alike. I plead with you to heed them and don't make the mistakes that I have made.
What about you - what FOOLish mistakes have you made in your genealogy research?
Here are my top 10 Foolish genealogy mistakes:
10. Accepting other researchers family group sheets, pedigree charts and GEDCOMs sight unseen and merging them into my own databases. Arghh. It takes years to find all of the errors.
9. Accepting the names, dates, places in the LDS Ancestral File and putting them into my databases without checking them out. I didn't understand that the data might be wrong until it was too late.
8. Finding a name, birth record and parents names for a person that "looks like" it is, and therefore "must be," my elusive ancestor. I have notebooks full of secondary information because I didn't find primary information that proves the relationships before going off on the wild goose chase.
7. Not adding the source citations to my database entries at the time of data entry. This still haunts me - I am going back into my databases regularly to add source information.
6. Spending a LOT of time at the FHC searching the Ancestry databases when I could have subscribed many years ago for 50 cents a day or less.
5. Spending a LOT of time at the FHC searching the Ancestry databases when I could have been searching microfilms for primary information data on my known ancestors.
4. Not attending national, state or regional genealogy conferences to benefit from the wisdom of other researchers.
3. Not taking enough vacation/research trips that included visits to major repositories like the Family History Library (twice), NEHGS (thrice), NYGBS, DAR, Library of Congress (once), National Archives, Allen County, Newberry, etc.
2. Not spending enough interview time with my mother, my aunts, uncle and cousins to hear their life stories, to label photographs and to enjoy their company once I started my research.
1. Not starting my genealogy research until my father and grandparents had died, even though I had considered pursuing it years before they died. I never did interview my father or my grandparents about their lives or their memories.
There are lessons in that list for veteran and newbie researchers alike. I plead with you to heed them and don't make the mistakes that I have made.
What about you - what FOOLish mistakes have you made in your genealogy research?
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