...
It's Saturday Night - time for our weekly Genealogy Fun!
I'm having too much fun at the FGS Conference, so I'm dusting off an oldie but goodie!Genealogy Insider blog by Diane Haddad about Ways I'm Genealogically Lucky. I thought to myself "old Rand, that would be a good SNGF topic." Thank you, Diane, for the idea:
Here's the directions:
1) When have you had a dose of good genealogy luck? What document or resource did you find just by happenstance or chance? By being in the right place at the right time? By finding a family history treasure in your family's attic or basement? By finding a helpful document or reference without even looking for it?
2) Tell us about it in Comments to this post, in Comments on Facebook or Google Plus, or in a blog post of your own.
Here's mine:
Read Treasures in the Closet for my extreme good luck after I thought that all family treasures had been found. This was certainly a case of being in the right place at the right time.
I'm still working my way through all of these items! I wonder where I put some of them? Hmmm, probably the file cabinet! I need to scan them and get them archived somewhere.
John Milton originally said "luck is the residue of design" (and Branch Rickey is often credited with the saying). However, the definition of "luck" is "the chance happening of fortunate or adverse events."
I saw a post on the
Here's another: Somehow I fell into this blogging gig five years ago, and because of good fortune I've managed to be involved in Geneabloggers where there are hundreds of interesting, smart and fun genealogy writers sharing their family history and their experiences with readers. Blogging has sort of taken over my genealogy life for some reason - and I feel very lucky!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Day 3 (Friday) at the FGS Conference
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It seems like blogging has taken a back seat to attending sessions, and talking to vendors and friends at the FGS Conference in Springfield, Illinois. My Friday (Day 3) activities included:
* I started my day at Linda Geiger's talk on "U.S. Territorial Papers, 1789-1873: Records of the Frontiersmen." This presentation highlighted, for me, just how many records are not yet online. The National Archives have so many records "hiding" in their repositories that this talk was very useful for me. Linda's main point was to track the different jurisdictions from first settlement through territorial status to state status. She mentioned resources created by the Departments of State, Justice, Agriculture and Interior. There are also collections of territorial censuses, papers of Congresse Papers of US Presidents, US District Courts, Territorial courts and the US Post Office. Her web page with finding aids is http://woodward-geiger.com/US_Territories/
* In the Blogger Cage, I hooked up my computer (they were working on the direct wired connection) to the wireless, and I read my mail, blogs and wrote the Thursday summary post. Then it was off to wander the exhibit hall and learn more about some of the products and vendors. Two of the interesting, and new, vendors are HistoryGeo.com (with Arphax maps online for a fee) and Genealogy Records Solution (Catalyst Consulting Group) which creates websites for counties to market their vital records certificates.
* Lunch was at the exhibit hall, and then it was back to the Bloggers Cage for awhile. At 2 p.m. I attended James Hansen talk on "The Draper Papers: Research in This (In)Famous Manuscript Collection." Unfortunately, I was in the back row and this was a lecture, not a presentation (no slides). There are 491 volumes of these materials Also on 130 microfilm reels at several repositories) featuring the "trans-Allegheny West" states, which include some original material, and Lyman Draper's research notes and correspondence. I sat next to Chris who works with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and she encouraged me to visit their booth for answers to my questions about cemeteries, manuscripts, newspapers and vertical files.
* Back at the Bloggers Cage, the Geneabloggers Radio Show started at 3 p.m., and I heard Thomas's end of the conversation. I spent the whole hour trying to make the blasted wireless connection show the online chat - it never did. The perils of genea-blogging at a conference, I guess. I should have used the direct connection.
* I went out vendor stalking again and saw Janet Hovorka at Family ChartMasters and Ed Zapletal and Rick Cree at Family Chronicle Magazine.
* Ruth Blair (The Passionate Genealogist) came by for my audio interview in the RootsTech Lounge and that went well. Watch her blog for the audio segment.
* I went back to the hotel to get ready for the FGS 35th Anniversary Banquet. We walked across the street to the Hilton Hotel and waited for the doors to open. We sat with The Ancestry Insider and Mrs. Insider and had a great time chatting. The FGS History skit, written after the Geneabloggers Radio show, was a smash hit with the audience - the best bit was Josh Taylor noting that he missed most of the events because FGS is older than he is. After a nice dinner, Harold Holzer, a Lincoln scholar, described the photos in the Abraham Lincoln family photograph album.
One more day - what will I find on Saturday?
One lowlight from Friday: Lorel at http://www.sortyourstory.com/ lost her Mac laptop yesterday - apparently stolen from her booth. If anyone knows something, please contact Lorel through her website.
It seems like blogging has taken a back seat to attending sessions, and talking to vendors and friends at the FGS Conference in Springfield, Illinois. My Friday (Day 3) activities included:
* I started my day at Linda Geiger's talk on "U.S. Territorial Papers, 1789-1873: Records of the Frontiersmen." This presentation highlighted, for me, just how many records are not yet online. The National Archives have so many records "hiding" in their repositories that this talk was very useful for me. Linda's main point was to track the different jurisdictions from first settlement through territorial status to state status. She mentioned resources created by the Departments of State, Justice, Agriculture and Interior. There are also collections of territorial censuses, papers of Congresse Papers of US Presidents, US District Courts, Territorial courts and the US Post Office. Her web page with finding aids is http://woodward-geiger.com/US_Territories/
* In the Blogger Cage, I hooked up my computer (they were working on the direct wired connection) to the wireless, and I read my mail, blogs and wrote the Thursday summary post. Then it was off to wander the exhibit hall and learn more about some of the products and vendors. Two of the interesting, and new, vendors are HistoryGeo.com (with Arphax maps online for a fee) and Genealogy Records Solution (Catalyst Consulting Group) which creates websites for counties to market their vital records certificates.
* Lunch was at the exhibit hall, and then it was back to the Bloggers Cage for awhile. At 2 p.m. I attended James Hansen talk on "The Draper Papers: Research in This (In)Famous Manuscript Collection." Unfortunately, I was in the back row and this was a lecture, not a presentation (no slides). There are 491 volumes of these materials Also on 130 microfilm reels at several repositories) featuring the "trans-Allegheny West" states, which include some original material, and Lyman Draper's research notes and correspondence. I sat next to Chris who works with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and she encouraged me to visit their booth for answers to my questions about cemeteries, manuscripts, newspapers and vertical files.
* Back at the Bloggers Cage, the Geneabloggers Radio Show started at 3 p.m., and I heard Thomas's end of the conversation. I spent the whole hour trying to make the blasted wireless connection show the online chat - it never did. The perils of genea-blogging at a conference, I guess. I should have used the direct connection.
* I went out vendor stalking again and saw Janet Hovorka at Family ChartMasters and Ed Zapletal and Rick Cree at Family Chronicle Magazine.
* Ruth Blair (The Passionate Genealogist) came by for my audio interview in the RootsTech Lounge and that went well. Watch her blog for the audio segment.
* I went back to the hotel to get ready for the FGS 35th Anniversary Banquet. We walked across the street to the Hilton Hotel and waited for the doors to open. We sat with The Ancestry Insider and Mrs. Insider and had a great time chatting. The FGS History skit, written after the Geneabloggers Radio show, was a smash hit with the audience - the best bit was Josh Taylor noting that he missed most of the events because FGS is older than he is. After a nice dinner, Harold Holzer, a Lincoln scholar, described the photos in the Abraham Lincoln family photograph album.
One more day - what will I find on Saturday?
One lowlight from Friday: Lorel at http://www.sortyourstory.com/ lost her Mac laptop yesterday - apparently stolen from her booth. If anyone knows something, please contact Lorel through her website.
Surname Saturday - BARBER (England > Colonial Massachusetts)
...
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 273, who is Ruth BARBER (1696-????), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back through three generations of BARBER families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)
16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)
34. Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)
35. Elizabeth Horton Dill (1791-1969)
68. Aaron Smith (1765-1841)
69. Mercy Plimpton (1772-1850)
136. Moses Smith (1732-????)
137. Patience Hamant (1735-????)
272. Henry Smith, born 16 December 1680 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 14 April 1743 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 544. Samuel Smith and 545. Sarah Clark. He married 01 September 1730 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
273. Ruth Barber, born 05 March 1696 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of Henry Smith and Ruth Barber are: Ruth Smith (1730-1813); Moses Smith (1732-????); Asa Smith (1740-1795).
546. Zechariah Barber, born 29 September 1656 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 11 August 1705 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He married 30 August 1683 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
547. Abiel Ellis, born 15 October 1662 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 14 April 1716 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 1094. Thomas Ellis and 1095. Mary Wight.
Children of Zechariah Barber and Abiel Ellis are: Benoni Barber (1684-1684); Zechariah Barber (1685-1746); Joseph Barber (1687-1770); Abiel Barber (1691-????); John Barber (1693-1754); Ruth Barber (1696-????); Thomas Barber (1698-1705); Elizabeth Barber (1700-????); Mary Barber (1703-????).
1092. George Barber, born about 1617 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England; died 13 April 1685 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He married 24 November 1642 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
1093. Elizabeth Clarke, born before 23 July 1620; died 22 December 1683 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 2186. Thomas Clarke and 2187. Mary Canne.
Children of George Barber and Elizabeth Clarke are: Elizabeth Barber (1641-1642); Mary Barber (1643-1643); Mary Barber (1644-1700: Samuel Barber (1647-1736); John Barber (1649-1688); Elizabeth Barber (1651-????); Hannah Barber (1654-1705); Zechariah Barber (1656-1705); Abigail Barber (1659-????).
So far, the only information I've found about this the George Barber line is from the book:
William S. Tilden (editor), History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886 (Boston, Mass.: Geo. H. Ellis, 1887).
The family genealogy section of the book provides this summary:
"George Barber was born in England about 1615. He embarked for the New World in the "Transport" July 4, 1635, receiving a certificate of his conformity to the orders and discipline of the Church of England from the minister at Gravesend. He was accepted a townsman at Dedham in 1640. Among the names of those who were members of the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company in 1646 is that of "Captain George Barber." In 1647, he took the freeman's oath at Dedham. He was one of the foremost in forming the settlement at Medfield, and in November, 1651, made a contact with the selectmen to build a mill "for the supply of the town," which he did, locating it on Mill Brook, just below where it crosses Elm Street. This mill he sold the next year to Henry Adams. In 1652, he was on the committee for laying out highways, and to his care was intrusted the cutting of the fine timber trees that grew along Vine Brook. In 1663, he "beat the drum," and received from the town therefor four bushels three pecks of corn. He was frequently employed in the settlement of estates, and was also, for some time, the principal military officer of the town. He served ten years on the board of selectmen, twenty-three years consecutively as town clerk, and four years as representative to the General Court. His house was on Main Street, near where that of the late Bradford Curtis now stands. He married in 1642 Elizabeth Clark, who died in 1683; second, Joan, widow of Anthony Fisher of Dedham. He died in 1685."
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 273, who is Ruth BARBER (1696-????), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back through three generations of BARBER families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)
16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)
34. Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)
35. Elizabeth Horton Dill (1791-1969)
68. Aaron Smith (1765-1841)
69. Mercy Plimpton (1772-1850)
136. Moses Smith (1732-????)
137. Patience Hamant (1735-????)
272. Henry Smith, born 16 December 1680 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 14 April 1743 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 544. Samuel Smith and 545. Sarah Clark. He married 01 September 1730 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
273. Ruth Barber, born 05 March 1696 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of Henry Smith and Ruth Barber are: Ruth Smith (1730-1813); Moses Smith (1732-????); Asa Smith (1740-1795).
546. Zechariah Barber, born 29 September 1656 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 11 August 1705 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He married 30 August 1683 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
547. Abiel Ellis, born 15 October 1662 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 14 April 1716 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 1094. Thomas Ellis and 1095. Mary Wight.
Children of Zechariah Barber and Abiel Ellis are: Benoni Barber (1684-1684); Zechariah Barber (1685-1746); Joseph Barber (1687-1770); Abiel Barber (1691-????); John Barber (1693-1754); Ruth Barber (1696-????); Thomas Barber (1698-1705); Elizabeth Barber (1700-????); Mary Barber (1703-????).
1092. George Barber, born about 1617 in Fressingfield, Suffolk, England; died 13 April 1685 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. He married 24 November 1642 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
1093. Elizabeth Clarke, born before 23 July 1620; died 22 December 1683 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 2186. Thomas Clarke and 2187. Mary Canne.
Children of George Barber and Elizabeth Clarke are: Elizabeth Barber (1641-1642); Mary Barber (1643-1643); Mary Barber (1644-1700: Samuel Barber (1647-1736); John Barber (1649-1688); Elizabeth Barber (1651-????); Hannah Barber (1654-1705); Zechariah Barber (1656-1705); Abigail Barber (1659-????).
So far, the only information I've found about this the George Barber line is from the book:
William S. Tilden (editor), History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886 (Boston, Mass.: Geo. H. Ellis, 1887).
The family genealogy section of the book provides this summary:
"George Barber was born in England about 1615. He embarked for the New World in the "Transport" July 4, 1635, receiving a certificate of his conformity to the orders and discipline of the Church of England from the minister at Gravesend. He was accepted a townsman at Dedham in 1640. Among the names of those who were members of the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company in 1646 is that of "Captain George Barber." In 1647, he took the freeman's oath at Dedham. He was one of the foremost in forming the settlement at Medfield, and in November, 1651, made a contact with the selectmen to build a mill "for the supply of the town," which he did, locating it on Mill Brook, just below where it crosses Elm Street. This mill he sold the next year to Henry Adams. In 1652, he was on the committee for laying out highways, and to his care was intrusted the cutting of the fine timber trees that grew along Vine Brook. In 1663, he "beat the drum," and received from the town therefor four bushels three pecks of corn. He was frequently employed in the settlement of estates, and was also, for some time, the principal military officer of the town. He served ten years on the board of selectmen, twenty-three years consecutively as town clerk, and four years as representative to the General Court. His house was on Main Street, near where that of the late Bradford Curtis now stands. He married in 1642 Elizabeth Clark, who died in 1683; second, Joan, widow of Anthony Fisher of Dedham. He died in 1685."
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 2 (Thursday) at the FGS Conference
...
I may be the only San Diego blogger writing today - the power went out on Thursday afternoon and apparently won't be on until Friday afternoon. I'm in Springfield, Illinois attending the Federation of Genealogical Society Conference through Saturday. Now I'm wondering about my refrigerated foods...oh well!
Thursday at FGS for me started with rushing across the street to the Hilton Hotel for the 100Memories hosted breakfast, with a panel featuring Josh Taylor, DearMYRTLE and Jonathan Good. The early birds got theworm, er, pastries, I was five minutes late and got a glass of water. The discussion was interesting, but it was difficult to hear in the back of the room without a microphone. About 60 people attended.
Hungry, I went to Starbucks but the line was out the door, and I needed to be back for the Keynote talk at 8:30 a.m. recalled that there were vending machines in the Convention Center, so I ran over there and the blinking machine wouldn't take my dollar bills. Foiled again. I decided to eat the Peanut M&Ms in my laptop pack for breakfast, and went back to the Hilton.
The Official Bloggers got front row seats for the FGS welcome and keynote talk by David Ferriero, the National Archivist. Jennifer Holik-Urban's blog post I’m at the Media Hub at FGS2011 summarizes David's talk.
The Exhibit Hall opened at 10 a.m., and there was a mad rush to get in. I quickly found the Media Hub where the Official Bloggers have a dedicated area with Internet connections. The hard-wire system didn't work, but we eventually got hooked up using wireless from the Convention Center. I read my email, and blogs, and checked in on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Many sessions were tweeted from smart phones and iPads on Twitter using the hashtag #FGS2011. Got to http://search.twitter.com/ and you can read all of the FGS tweets.
I wandered around the exhibit hall, seeing old friends and meeting new friends at the vendor displays. Joy Shivar demonstrated her Just a Joy site that I highlighted in a blog post last night. I discussed the MyHeritage synchronization issues with Daniel Horowitz. I talked with David Dilts at the FamilySearch booth about volunteer opportunities, and submitted my Fun Card for a free iPad. The exhibit hall was pretty busy during the first hour and at break times between classes. Lunch was a cheeseburger from the concession stand in the hall.
The early afternoon was more reading and chatting in the Blogger cage, and I met a number of geneabloggers and readers that I had not met in person before. I enjoyed chatting with Roger Moffat, Ruth Blair and several others (I'm sorry, I didn't write down everyone I talked to!).
I attended the 3:30 p.m. session by Lisa Arnold on "Online Member Trees: Ancestry's Powerful Tool Keeps Getting Better." I sat next to Curt from Michigan, who reads Genea-Musings, and we chatted before the talk about Family Tree Maker 2012. Lisa reviewed Ancestry Member Trees capabilities and features, and noted the benefits of having an Ancestry subscription, and the synchronization with Family Tree Maker 2012. There were many questions about the details about picture copyrights, searching in trees, and the FTM synchronization.
I packed up and went back to the hotel to take Linda out to dinner. We walked over downtown Springfield (not many restaurants were open in the near area) and finally ate at Subway with a visit to Cold Stone for dessert.
We wandered over to Bennigan's at 8 p.m. to join the large group of geneabloggers and readers for fellowship, laughs, and drinks.
I even took some pictures but will wait to post them when I have more time.
I may be the only San Diego blogger writing today - the power went out on Thursday afternoon and apparently won't be on until Friday afternoon. I'm in Springfield, Illinois attending the Federation of Genealogical Society Conference through Saturday. Now I'm wondering about my refrigerated foods...oh well!
Thursday at FGS for me started with rushing across the street to the Hilton Hotel for the 100Memories hosted breakfast, with a panel featuring Josh Taylor, DearMYRTLE and Jonathan Good. The early birds got the
Hungry, I went to Starbucks but the line was out the door, and I needed to be back for the Keynote talk at 8:30 a.m. recalled that there were vending machines in the Convention Center, so I ran over there and the blinking machine wouldn't take my dollar bills. Foiled again. I decided to eat the Peanut M&Ms in my laptop pack for breakfast, and went back to the Hilton.
The Official Bloggers got front row seats for the FGS welcome and keynote talk by David Ferriero, the National Archivist. Jennifer Holik-Urban's blog post I’m at the Media Hub at FGS2011 summarizes David's talk.
The Exhibit Hall opened at 10 a.m., and there was a mad rush to get in. I quickly found the Media Hub where the Official Bloggers have a dedicated area with Internet connections. The hard-wire system didn't work, but we eventually got hooked up using wireless from the Convention Center. I read my email, and blogs, and checked in on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. Many sessions were tweeted from smart phones and iPads on Twitter using the hashtag #FGS2011. Got to http://search.twitter.com/ and you can read all of the FGS tweets.
I wandered around the exhibit hall, seeing old friends and meeting new friends at the vendor displays. Joy Shivar demonstrated her Just a Joy site that I highlighted in a blog post last night. I discussed the MyHeritage synchronization issues with Daniel Horowitz. I talked with David Dilts at the FamilySearch booth about volunteer opportunities, and submitted my Fun Card for a free iPad. The exhibit hall was pretty busy during the first hour and at break times between classes. Lunch was a cheeseburger from the concession stand in the hall.
The early afternoon was more reading and chatting in the Blogger cage, and I met a number of geneabloggers and readers that I had not met in person before. I enjoyed chatting with Roger Moffat, Ruth Blair and several others (I'm sorry, I didn't write down everyone I talked to!).
I attended the 3:30 p.m. session by Lisa Arnold on "Online Member Trees: Ancestry's Powerful Tool Keeps Getting Better." I sat next to Curt from Michigan, who reads Genea-Musings, and we chatted before the talk about Family Tree Maker 2012. Lisa reviewed Ancestry Member Trees capabilities and features, and noted the benefits of having an Ancestry subscription, and the synchronization with Family Tree Maker 2012. There were many questions about the details about picture copyrights, searching in trees, and the FTM synchronization.
I packed up and went back to the hotel to take Linda out to dinner. We walked over downtown Springfield (not many restaurants were open in the near area) and finally ate at Subway with a visit to Cold Stone for dessert.
We wandered over to Bennigan's at 8 p.m. to join the large group of geneabloggers and readers for fellowship, laughs, and drinks.
I even took some pictures but will wait to post them when I have more time.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Can you find your Great-Grandfather's Civil War Sword?
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One of the more interesting "new" services I saw today at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Springfield, Illinois is Just a Joy (http://www.justajoy.com/), the brainchild of Joy Shivar. I spent some time with Joy, and offered to share her press announcement with my readers:
------------------------------------------
September 6, 2011
For Immediate Release:
Is It Possible to Find Your
Great-Grandfather’s Civil War Sword?
Joy Shivar, owner of the JustaJoy.com Family Heirloom Exchange has dedicated the last ten years to that question. As she handled many such artifacts as Revolutionary War items, Civil War letters, WWI and WWII identified photos and hundreds of other surname-related antiques in her business, JustaJoy Historical Treasures, she was constantly alert of the need to be able to make family historians aware of the items existence. Noting that none of the genealogy sites or auction sites are specifically designed for this purpose she set her mind to creating one and on May 23, 2011, the JustaJoy.com Family Heirloom Exchange was introduced at the National Genealogical Society’s annual meeting in Charleston, SC to rave reviews.
JustaJoy.com regularly advertises at antique shows and military and Civil War shows to attract vendors who are then invited to add surname related items to the website. Once a member, antique dealers can list an unlimited number of items on the site for free. Joy then advertises the site to genealogists and others who know their family’s history. Buyers and sellers negotiate directly and unlike other sites, JustaJoy.com imposes no listing fees, buyer’s premiums, commissions or final value fees. The annual membership cost of $20.00 per year helps fund the outreach.
The site currently boasts of original items or “Orphaned Heirlooms” associated with nearly 40,000 families.
The annual membership fee also entitles the user to the “Surname Notification Service” - an e-mail alert system that notifies members as items are added to the site that are associated with the user’s specific surname interests. This is an important service as there is usually only one of each item available - one family Bible, one Civil War sword, etc. This also saves the member from the necessity of constantly checking the site to see if anything new has been added, related to his or her specific family. Up to twenty surnames can be included in this service.
If JustaJoy.com members have items that are not important to their own family but would be a special find for someone else, they are also invited and encouraged to add them to the site. As mentioned above this service is free for both listing and selling. If members are not interested in making matches for profit, the site can accommodate free listings, as well.
Although not billed as an “information site”,,JustaJoy.com does serve as a resource. As items are sold, listings remain on the site, allowing users to view and print pictures of the item or the description, as desired - an added value to the site.
In the short time since its introduction, the JustaJoy.com Family Heirloom Exchange has received broad accolades including being filmed by the History Channel and many other television outlets as well as much print exposure and an extensive interview by GeneaBloggers Radio.
For more information, contact Joy Shivar at 704-948-1912 or Joy@JustaJoy.com
“Let’s Go Antique Hunting in the Family Tree”
FGS Conference Day 1 Summary
...
Day 1 at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Springfield, Illinois is over, and a fine day it was. Here are my highlights:
1) After breakfast at the hotel, I walked the 100 feet to the Convention Center and immediately ran into several geneabloggers and picked up my registration packet, including a nice bag sponsored by NEHGS, which included my tickets and the syllabus on a USB drive (thank you, FamilySearch).
2) I wandered around a bit since the exhibit hall was not open, and finally found the meeting rooms downstairs. I sat next to Jana B, and we discussed societies, people, and our grandchildren. The Plenary Session was at 8:30 a.m., highlighted by David Rencher's presentation on "How Will Our Society Survive? Do We alter, Mutate, Modify, Shift or Switch?" The answer is YES, one or several of the above. David noted that one third of the FGS charter societies in 1976 have disbanded...and encouraged every society to embrace change and move into the 21st century in order to survive. He discussed evaluating your society, identify value in the society, the services you could provide to members, how to provide those services, creating a business model, and to look for opportunities to change in order to include all members - old and new, local and distant - and how to market the society in today's environment.
3) I couldn't pass up Thomas W. Jones and the "Editing the Society Newsletter" presentation (Tom was filling in for David Ouiment), since I'm the CVGS Newsletter Editor. Tom described the goals of editing a newsletter as maintaining consistency, providing contrast and being clutter-free. He listed the 14 parts of the typical newsletter, including many of the finer points of banners, body content, headings, eye catchers, tables, and figures. The recommendations included having invisible columns, two or more of equal width, with sufficient margins. Tom suggested that editors not be shy about editing content, and recommended using an active voice, eliminating unnecessary words, and more.
4) In the 11 a.m. session, I attended Jane Haldeman's session on "Internet Collaborative Tools for Genealogical Societies." Jane reviewed file sharing options, online meetings, online group sharing, and Internet surveys and forms.
5) It was time for lunch, so I went to the Feed Store with Amy, Jen and Kathryn for sandwiches and soup. We had a great time sharing and eating.
6) The 2 p.m. session I attended was Josh Taylor's "Engaging a New Generation of Genealogists." Josh identified new audiences as "21sters," meaning they have an online presence, are under 45, technology oriented, and are looking for family stories. They are largely untapped by societies, find printed resources and forms boring, avoid methodology, and it is essential for societies to engage them. The question is how. He suggested that societies create a task force, involving leaders, members and 21sters, to bridge the generations by finding new activities while not abandoning the old. The 21ster has questions and needs to learn methodology, while the current members need to embrace technology. He suggested partnering, consulting, case studies, community activities, mentoring, and involving 21sters in society activities, especially when they can contribute technology expertise.
7) Thomas MacEntee and Randy Whited led a spirited brainstorming session on "Social Media." They briefly described the social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, blogs, etc.) and the audience asked questions and offered comments about them. Many attendees are on Facebook, some are on Twitter and few are on Google Plus.
8) I went back to the hotel in order to pick up Linda for dinner, and we ate at Bennigan's across the street.
9) At 6 p.m. we went into the Hilton Hotel for the Prairie Social hosted by FamilySearch. The desserts were scrumptious, and the table conversation was excellent. I discussed NC/TN research with Judy. Abraham and Mary (Todd) Lincoln strolled around the ballroom, and I took Linda's picture with them. The program started at 7 p.m., with introductions, Abe Lincoln talked about his ancestry and genealogy in general, there was the door prize drawing, and everybody went back to talking and mingling. I had the pleasure of meeting Tina Lyons and Audrey Collins, and spoke to many geneabloggers in attendance.
10) We were back to our room at 8 p.m. Linda fell asleep quickly after her big day sightseeing with friends, and I finally was able to read email and blogs, write this post, check Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
The highlight of the day was meeting geneabloggers I had not met in person before, and meeting Genea-Musings readers who recognized me and stopped me in the hall to tell me that they enjoy the blog. I really appreciate my readers, and than you all for letting me spend a little time with you on your busy days.
I took no pictures on Wednesday. On Thursday, there will be a press conference after the Keynote Session, followed by the opening of the Exhibit Hall at 10 a.m. I anticipate hanging out at the Media Hub for awhile, roaming the Exhibit Hall, and attending several learning sessions during the day.
Day 1 at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Springfield, Illinois is over, and a fine day it was. Here are my highlights:
1) After breakfast at the hotel, I walked the 100 feet to the Convention Center and immediately ran into several geneabloggers and picked up my registration packet, including a nice bag sponsored by NEHGS, which included my tickets and the syllabus on a USB drive (thank you, FamilySearch).
2) I wandered around a bit since the exhibit hall was not open, and finally found the meeting rooms downstairs. I sat next to Jana B, and we discussed societies, people, and our grandchildren. The Plenary Session was at 8:30 a.m., highlighted by David Rencher's presentation on "How Will Our Society Survive? Do We alter, Mutate, Modify, Shift or Switch?" The answer is YES, one or several of the above. David noted that one third of the FGS charter societies in 1976 have disbanded...and encouraged every society to embrace change and move into the 21st century in order to survive. He discussed evaluating your society, identify value in the society, the services you could provide to members, how to provide those services, creating a business model, and to look for opportunities to change in order to include all members - old and new, local and distant - and how to market the society in today's environment.
3) I couldn't pass up Thomas W. Jones and the "Editing the Society Newsletter" presentation (Tom was filling in for David Ouiment), since I'm the CVGS Newsletter Editor. Tom described the goals of editing a newsletter as maintaining consistency, providing contrast and being clutter-free. He listed the 14 parts of the typical newsletter, including many of the finer points of banners, body content, headings, eye catchers, tables, and figures. The recommendations included having invisible columns, two or more of equal width, with sufficient margins. Tom suggested that editors not be shy about editing content, and recommended using an active voice, eliminating unnecessary words, and more.
4) In the 11 a.m. session, I attended Jane Haldeman's session on "Internet Collaborative Tools for Genealogical Societies." Jane reviewed file sharing options, online meetings, online group sharing, and Internet surveys and forms.
5) It was time for lunch, so I went to the Feed Store with Amy, Jen and Kathryn for sandwiches and soup. We had a great time sharing and eating.
6) The 2 p.m. session I attended was Josh Taylor's "Engaging a New Generation of Genealogists." Josh identified new audiences as "21sters," meaning they have an online presence, are under 45, technology oriented, and are looking for family stories. They are largely untapped by societies, find printed resources and forms boring, avoid methodology, and it is essential for societies to engage them. The question is how. He suggested that societies create a task force, involving leaders, members and 21sters, to bridge the generations by finding new activities while not abandoning the old. The 21ster has questions and needs to learn methodology, while the current members need to embrace technology. He suggested partnering, consulting, case studies, community activities, mentoring, and involving 21sters in society activities, especially when they can contribute technology expertise.
7) Thomas MacEntee and Randy Whited led a spirited brainstorming session on "Social Media." They briefly described the social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, blogs, etc.) and the audience asked questions and offered comments about them. Many attendees are on Facebook, some are on Twitter and few are on Google Plus.
8) I went back to the hotel in order to pick up Linda for dinner, and we ate at Bennigan's across the street.
9) At 6 p.m. we went into the Hilton Hotel for the Prairie Social hosted by FamilySearch. The desserts were scrumptious, and the table conversation was excellent. I discussed NC/TN research with Judy. Abraham and Mary (Todd) Lincoln strolled around the ballroom, and I took Linda's picture with them. The program started at 7 p.m., with introductions, Abe Lincoln talked about his ancestry and genealogy in general, there was the door prize drawing, and everybody went back to talking and mingling. I had the pleasure of meeting Tina Lyons and Audrey Collins, and spoke to many geneabloggers in attendance.
10) We were back to our room at 8 p.m. Linda fell asleep quickly after her big day sightseeing with friends, and I finally was able to read email and blogs, write this post, check Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
The highlight of the day was meeting geneabloggers I had not met in person before, and meeting Genea-Musings readers who recognized me and stopped me in the hall to tell me that they enjoy the blog. I really appreciate my readers, and than you all for letting me spend a little time with you on your busy days.
I took no pictures on Wednesday. On Thursday, there will be a press conference after the Keynote Session, followed by the opening of the Exhibit Hall at 10 a.m. I anticipate hanging out at the Media Hub for awhile, roaming the Exhibit Hall, and attending several learning sessions during the day.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
SDGS Meeting on Saturday, 10 September features Del Ritchhart
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The San Diego Genealogical Society program meeting for September is on Saturday, 10 September at 10 a.m. at St. Andrew's Methodist Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd in San Diego).
The program speaker is Del Ritchhart on two topics:
1. "Ten Tips for Stimulating Your Family's Interest in Their History (or How to Clear up those 'Glazed Over Eyes.'" Ask any genealogist when they were "bitten by the family history bug" and the odds are they can tell you that moment. For many, it was a seed planted in childhood.
This presentation will discuss methods to get your children and grandchildren more interested in Family History.
2) "Expanding Your Genealogical Horizons." Are you using all available resources to further your research? In a pop-quiz, could you name the local assets, many of which are only a couple of hours drive from San Diego? Del will provide information on many San Diego and Southern California venues.
The San Diego Genealogical Society program meeting for September is on Saturday, 10 September at 10 a.m. at St. Andrew's Methodist Church (8350 Lake Murray Blvd in San Diego).
The program speaker is Del Ritchhart on two topics:
1. "Ten Tips for Stimulating Your Family's Interest in Their History (or How to Clear up those 'Glazed Over Eyes.'" Ask any genealogist when they were "bitten by the family history bug" and the odds are they can tell you that moment. For many, it was a seed planted in childhood.
This presentation will discuss methods to get your children and grandchildren more interested in Family History.
2) "Expanding Your Genealogical Horizons." Are you using all available resources to further your research? In a pop-quiz, could you name the local assets, many of which are only a couple of hours drive from San Diego? Del will provide information on many San Diego and Southern California venues.
(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 169: Baby Geraldine
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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 family collection:
This is a picture of my father's sister, Geraldine Seaver, daughter of Frederick W. and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver, taken in 1918 when Gerry was about one year old.
Gerry was the seventh (and last) child of a seventh child (Bessie was the seventh child of Thomas and Julia (White) Richmond), and was always considered "special."
This photo was included in the Geraldine (Seaver) Remley "Red Album" of family photographs, and was scanned from the pasted page in that album.
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 family collection:
This is a picture of my father's sister, Geraldine Seaver, daughter of Frederick W. and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver, taken in 1918 when Gerry was about one year old.
Gerry was the seventh (and last) child of a seventh child (Bessie was the seventh child of Thomas and Julia (White) Richmond), and was always considered "special."
This photo was included in the Geraldine (Seaver) Remley "Red Album" of family photographs, and was scanned from the pasted page in that album.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
We're in Springfield, Illinois for the FGS Conference
...
It was a long day, but the travel was easy - on time, no problems, and Lynda the Southwest Airline flight attendant was awesome - funny comments and even seat exercises! We landed in Chicago at 1 p.m., got our rental car and headed for Springfield, where we are in the Abraham Lincoln Hotel.
I found myself trying to figure out where we were over Kansas and Iowa, and if some of my ancestral homesteads were going past the window. Central Kansas has a regular pattern of square sections laid out nicely, but the roads don't always follow the section boundaries. Once we got over northeastern Kansas and southern Iowa, it was difficult to discern the sections sometimes. It's the end of summer, and the dendritic pattern of the creeks and rivers was amazing to see from the air. Water runs downhill and creates fascinating patterns! Living in a large city, I am always amazed by how unpopulated the Far West and the Midwest are, at least away from the population centers. Many of the small towns in Kansas and Iowa dominate only one section of land, and then it;s one or two farms per section as you get further away from town.
We got to the hotel by 6:30 p.m., just enough time to get unpacked and check out dinner options. I went over to the Hilton Hotel for the Blogger reception hosted by the FamilySearch team. I met many bloggers that I had not met before in person, and enjoyed chatting with them and the bloggers I've met before. It is almost instant bonding here, because we have a common interest and purpose, and our little community is very open and friendly. FamilySearch provided an interesting presentation about their activities to the 30 or 40 bloggers present. Ginger Smith has the best summary I've seen so far - check out her post Family Search Bloggers Reception at FGS.
I was intrigued by the mention of a consortium to index the 1940 U.S. Census. That was the first I'd heard of it. Jim Ericson would not talk about who is participating in the consortium. I could guess, but I won't, because I'm usually wrong on things like this and don't want to ruin my accuracy average even more!
Then it was back to the hotel for dinner with Linda in the restaurant, and up to the room to see if the free wireless internet works. It does, but it sure loads slowly! I managed to read the 280 posts in my Google Reader (since last night) and the 60 emails since this morning, then wrote this post.
Wednesday morning is the start of the FGS Conference, and I look forward to holding up my end of the Official Blogger bargain. The problem is, of course, if I write blog posts I don't get to go to a learning session, so I'll have to balance those needs out.
It was a long day, but the travel was easy - on time, no problems, and Lynda the Southwest Airline flight attendant was awesome - funny comments and even seat exercises! We landed in Chicago at 1 p.m., got our rental car and headed for Springfield, where we are in the Abraham Lincoln Hotel.
I found myself trying to figure out where we were over Kansas and Iowa, and if some of my ancestral homesteads were going past the window. Central Kansas has a regular pattern of square sections laid out nicely, but the roads don't always follow the section boundaries. Once we got over northeastern Kansas and southern Iowa, it was difficult to discern the sections sometimes. It's the end of summer, and the dendritic pattern of the creeks and rivers was amazing to see from the air. Water runs downhill and creates fascinating patterns! Living in a large city, I am always amazed by how unpopulated the Far West and the Midwest are, at least away from the population centers. Many of the small towns in Kansas and Iowa dominate only one section of land, and then it;s one or two farms per section as you get further away from town.
We got to the hotel by 6:30 p.m., just enough time to get unpacked and check out dinner options. I went over to the Hilton Hotel for the Blogger reception hosted by the FamilySearch team. I met many bloggers that I had not met before in person, and enjoyed chatting with them and the bloggers I've met before. It is almost instant bonding here, because we have a common interest and purpose, and our little community is very open and friendly. FamilySearch provided an interesting presentation about their activities to the 30 or 40 bloggers present. Ginger Smith has the best summary I've seen so far - check out her post Family Search Bloggers Reception at FGS.
I was intrigued by the mention of a consortium to index the 1940 U.S. Census. That was the first I'd heard of it. Jim Ericson would not talk about who is participating in the consortium. I could guess, but I won't, because I'm usually wrong on things like this and don't want to ruin my accuracy average even more!
Then it was back to the hotel for dinner with Linda in the restaurant, and up to the room to see if the free wireless internet works. It does, but it sure loads slowly! I managed to read the 280 posts in my Google Reader (since last night) and the 60 emails since this morning, then wrote this post.
Wednesday morning is the start of the FGS Conference, and I look forward to holding up my end of the Official Blogger bargain. The problem is, of course, if I write blog posts I don't get to go to a learning session, so I'll have to balance those needs out.
Genealogical Societies Should Consider Ancestry Content Publisher
...
I listened to the MySociety Radio show on Saturday on Blog Talk Radio - did you? The subject was Digital Publishing for Preservation and Community Building, hosted by Thomas MacEntee, and featuring Mark Weaver of Ancestry.com.
The Ancestry Content Publisher page describes the concept as:
"Ancestry.com Content Publisher Beta is a FREE online publishing service which provides easy-to-use tools and dedicated support to help you convert your historical digital records into professionally indexed, searchable collections to better serve your patrons and build a more active community."
A society needs to Set Up an Organization Profile, and then after acceptance can start providing imaged records and/or indexes to historical record content that they can legitimately provide.
There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page which covers most of the questions that individuals and societies might have about the concept, the process and digitizing/indexing collections.
The San Diego Genealogical Society (SDGS), of which I am a proud and active member, is the first society with published records online using Ancestry Content Publisher - the SDGS Group Profile is here. There are six collections currently available - three are completely indexed, and three are being indexed. Here is a screen shot of the page:
Most genealogists can see the real benefits of partnering with Ancestry.com on this venture. The advantages I see include:
* Free hosting of a society's record images a branded page, accessible for free by any user.
* Entries in the searchable index can be found in an Ancestry search.
* The society can make the index available on Ancestry.com, and keep the digital images behind their subscription wall (according to what I heard on the radio show).
What are the drawbacks?
* The society has to create the scanned images of the records and create the indexes.
* The society group profile is on an Ancestry.com page, which will bring out the "Ancestry.com is stealing free content..." frenetics.
I think it's a Win-Win-Win for all concerned - societies get their content published, Ancestry gets more content, and researchers get access to more digital record collections, most of which will be unavailable anywhere else.
I look forward to discussing this concept and the details with Mark Weaver and his staff at the FGS Conference this week.
For more information about Ancestry Content Publisher, please see their web page http://publish.ancestry.com/.
I listened to the MySociety Radio show on Saturday on Blog Talk Radio - did you? The subject was Digital Publishing for Preservation and Community Building, hosted by Thomas MacEntee, and featuring Mark Weaver of Ancestry.com.
The Ancestry Content Publisher page describes the concept as:
"Ancestry.com Content Publisher Beta is a FREE online publishing service which provides easy-to-use tools and dedicated support to help you convert your historical digital records into professionally indexed, searchable collections to better serve your patrons and build a more active community."
A society needs to Set Up an Organization Profile, and then after acceptance can start providing imaged records and/or indexes to historical record content that they can legitimately provide.
There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page which covers most of the questions that individuals and societies might have about the concept, the process and digitizing/indexing collections.
The San Diego Genealogical Society (SDGS), of which I am a proud and active member, is the first society with published records online using Ancestry Content Publisher - the SDGS Group Profile is here. There are six collections currently available - three are completely indexed, and three are being indexed. Here is a screen shot of the page:
Most genealogists can see the real benefits of partnering with Ancestry.com on this venture. The advantages I see include:
* Free hosting of a society's record images a branded page, accessible for free by any user.
* Entries in the searchable index can be found in an Ancestry search.
* The society can make the index available on Ancestry.com, and keep the digital images behind their subscription wall (according to what I heard on the radio show).
What are the drawbacks?
* The society has to create the scanned images of the records and create the indexes.
* The society group profile is on an Ancestry.com page, which will bring out the "Ancestry.com is stealing free content..." frenetics.
I think it's a Win-Win-Win for all concerned - societies get their content published, Ancestry gets more content, and researchers get access to more digital record collections, most of which will be unavailable anywhere else.
I look forward to discussing this concept and the details with Mark Weaver and his staff at the FGS Conference this week.
For more information about Ancestry Content Publisher, please see their web page http://publish.ancestry.com/.
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