Christmas Past

The years go by, pages of the calendar are torn off, holidays come and go and our lives progress minute by minute to what we call the future.  As a genealogist, I leap backward into the past, sometimes forgetting the day and time as well as the future.  With that leap comes memories of Christmas past.  The ghost of Christmas Past has never visited me, but in my mind I travel back in time.

One of my fond memories is of the enormous Christmas tree that my family decorated when I was five years old.  It was larger than life and seemed to fill the entire room.  As I grew older the trees grew smaller and shorter.  It wasn't a larger than life tree, I was just a small girl looking up at a large, tall tree.  But what a precious memory that has been.  I can still see the angel on the top and have never seen one like her.

As I decorate my Christmas tree of 2011, memories are conjured up about decorating trees in years past.  There was the thrill of seeing the lights on the tree and hoping that none would burn out.  The ornaments that students gave me still remain precious to me.  There are fragile ornaments that my children made in school.  Rounded out with home made ornaments, they make my tree festive and special.  If only I could find the angel that topped the tree over sixty years ago.

Terry .. Christmas at age 2

On my bookcase I have a collection of Santas.  There is one made of paper that my husband gave me years ago.  Another is an old ceramic Santa.  Then there is the large Santa in regal splendor.   It was a gift I gave to my Mother when she lived in assisted living.  She wanted her room decorated immediately after Thanksgiving.  The next day was not too soon.  I can still see her gently touching the garment of her Santa.  Little did I know that she would pass away less than two weeks later.

Christmas is for all ages.  I love the sights, smells and sounds of Christmas.  It is seeing awe in the eyes of children which we can than return in love through our eyes.  One of my favorite Christmas photographs is of my nephew, Terry.  He was two years ago.  Terry passed from us too soon at the age of 46.

Perhaps conjuring up memories brings moments of sadness, but we can always find love through sadness.  Merry Christmas to all of you ... and to all of you best memories.

Ruby

Pinning History to the World

Partnered with Google, Historypin brings over 71,000 photos, videos, audio clips and stories to your computer in ways you have never imagined.  You can explore their collections and create your own collection of photographs linked to history.  It's fun, easy and addictive.  On the home page a video will take you through the highlights of Historypin in 90 seconds.  Be sure you watch it!

Click on "Explore the Map."  This brings up a Google map of the British Isles and continental Europe.  The fun is not limited to that part of the world.  Query boxes are located at the top of the map page.  You can enter search terms, such as a location or topic or combination of the two.  Next to that is a time frame that allows you to select the era of interest, or explore all of the time periods.  Let the whirling fun begin as you travel to that location in the world!

You can zoom in and out, change time periods and best of all, begin clicking on the photos that are pinned to the map.  A small photo will pop up along with information.  If you click on the pen and paper, a story will appears, sometimes with audio.  Zoom in on the map or in satellite view for a closer look around.

Historypin does even more.  In the description box of the photo, look for the double arrow.  Click on that and suddenly you are taken to a street view.  In the background is the street as it appears today with the old photograph superimposed over it.  To go back to the map and resume searching, look for the double arrow in the right hand portion of the screen.

Between GoogleEarth and Historypin, I may come up only for air.  Somebody order pizza delivery.  I'm glued to my computer!

Maine Town Records

Recently I discovered Maine Town Records at the Raymond H. Fogler Library, the University of Maine.  No, I didn't drive or fly to Maine.  The web page can be accessed anytime of the day or night wherever you are located.

Maine towns represented in town reports

Boothbay Harbor Town Report 1891

Not all towns are represented, but there are many on the web site with links to a variety of years of reports. The dates are usually from the mid 1800s to the late 1800s.  Information is different by towns, counties and type of report.  Expect to find information on resident taxpayers, non-resident taxpayers, insolvencies, teacher reports and businesses.  If you think this is "boring" information, think again.  Your ancestor may be listed in these reports.  The dates between 1880 and 1900 fill in with information that is lost to us on the 1890 U.S. Census.

One of the links on the web page is Windows on Maine.  Here you can search and browse to find information on places and topics in Maine.  There are moving images, maps, photographs, texts and databases.

Caribou Town Report 1891 

The web site also hosts a special project, Plantation of Lakeville.  Even if Lakeville doesn't interest you, drop in for a visit to see what is digitized regarding the town.  Beginning in 1859 the records include the petition for organization, list of voters and return of enrolled militia.

You will want to bookmark this excellent page for reference in your Maine research.

Genealogy Webinars

There are many genealogy webinars available on Internet.  You need to plan in advance to attend them at their specific day and time.  Some are free and some cost to attend.  However, you don't to fill up the car with gas, get airplane or train tickets, reserve rooms ... they are brought to you on your computer.

Michael John Neill has announced his Genealogy Webinars.  One started yesterday, but you are in luck because there are still webinars scheduled through October 16th.  Michael is an excellent speaker and very knowledgable about genealogical research.  You can keep up with his research ideas and tips at his blog, RootDig.com.  He also writes  Casefile Clues, a subscription newsletter,  delivered to your e-mail address weekly.  I particularly enjoy his blog, Genealogy Tip of the Day, which provides a very quick read about a genealogy topic.  Do you have problems reading old documents?  Check in with Michael at his blog, Daily Genealogy Transcriber.  Another blog he writes is Search Tip of the Day.  You will want to check out all of them as they are beneficial to researchers.

The schedule for the remaining webinars that he presents:
Two German Women in Illinois - 23 September
Seeing Patterns and Organizing Information - 25 September
Determining Your Own Migration Trail - 1 October
Introduction to Federal Land States - 16 October

There is a fee of $4.25 for each webinar and you will also receive a PDF handout several days before the seminar, along with instructions.  All of this information can be found at Genealogy Webinars with Genealogist Michael John Neill.

Check out the webinar schedule and learn from Michael John Neill.  He is one of the best!

Finding City Directories

Salt Lake City, Utah 1869 Directory by Smith

Genealogists are adept at using federal and state census records, but often stop short of continuing their research in city directories.  Taken at various years and locations, city directories can supply interesting information, plus fill in gaps between census years.  There are many in transcription and/or digital format on Internet.  You can also find them in libraries, historical societies and archives.  The trick is to find them!

Miriam Midkiff's Online Historical Directories Website is a great place to start when looking for online directories.  There you will find links to city directories for the United States and other countries.  Not all states have complete listings because it is a work in progress.  Some of the links will take you to free sites for city directories and others to subscription sites.  The city directories are for a variety of years and may be city, county, town directories, as well as business and farm directories.

Doniphan County, Kansas Directory, 1868-1869 by Smith

When using the website, be sure you read Miriam's blog, Online Historical Directories,  for updates and interesting information about directories.  Her web page is always under construction as directories are located.  It's one of those you bookmark and remind yourself to check frequently.

Tennessee Formation Maps

I have a strong ancestral heritage in the state of Tennessee.  Anything Tennessee catches my attention.  Because no genealogical study and research is complete if you do not know about county formations, I am recommend Tennessee Formation Maps web site for those researching the state.  At the top of the web page is a section called Interactive Maps from 1776 to 1985.  You can play the maps, go back and forth between years and view specific years.  I recommend that you play the maps and then view each separately.

To enhance your knowledge of Tennessee county formations, read the chronology in text.  This begins with Washington District of North Carolina which was formed 12 November 1776.  There is also a list of Tennessee discontinued counties.  I had never heard of Spencer County which was formed in 1785 from Sullivan County and renamed Hawkins County in 1786.  But I did know about Sullivan and Hawkins counties.  No genealogist likes to even think about destroyed records, burned or ravished courthouses, but it happens.  There is also a list on the web page of Tennessee destroyed courthouses.

A study of the chronology also reveals the changes in government in Tennessee.  In 1784 three counties, Washington, Greene and Sullivan, formed the provisional State of Franklin.  If your ancestors lived in northeast Tennessee in that time period, the records may refer to them as being in the State of Franklin.  Three years later North Carolina gained supremacy over the State of Franklin and once again they were part of North Carolina until ceded to the federal government.  A document that I have refers to my ancestor as living in the "Territory of the United States South of the Ohio River."  That could encompass a broad area, but when named in 1790 it was in reference to what would become the state of Tennessee.  Finally on 1 June 1796 Tennessee was admitted as a state.

By reviewing the maps and county formations, you can place your Tennessee ancestor in the proper time period and place.  This one web page is outstanding for genealogical information!

Learning from Blogs

Blogs are places where I learn, exchange ideas and information, and catch up on what my genealogy friends are doing.  It seems each week I find blogs I want to follow.  Some have infrequent posts (as this one does at times), but reading archived posts can also be interesting.

Today I was reading my friend Leland Meitzler's Genealogy Blog.  His post "Discover the Van Dusens of New Amsterdam - 1627-2011" has a link to the full article in the New York Times, published on 22 July 2011.  The name Van Dusen popped right out and I knew that I would learn from that article since I research the family in New Amsterdam.  Thanks, Leland!

Each day I read the short, but informative blog written by Michael John Neill called Genealogy Tip of the Day.  On 19 July 2011 he wrote about the terms devise and bequeath.  Thanks Michael for informing us that devise refers to real property and bequeath to personal property.

Since grade school days I have been fascinated with the Lost Colony of Roanoke.  The history book account sparked an interest in mysteries that need to be solved.  My interest was later rekindled when I discovered early ancestors living in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  They weren't members of the Lost Colony, though.  Because of my interest in that part and place of history, I frequently read the blog, Lost Colony Research Group.   If you enjoy history and genealogy in combination, check out the blog, Jamestown Adventurers.  It is a part of Virginia Pioneers.net.  You might want to also check out their web page.

Now is the time to celebrate the Civil War.  There are many blogs pertaining to the war, research, reenactments and events.  I would be hard pressed to figure out my favorite.  To find some of those great blogs, check out Best of the Civil War Blogs.

For a "trip" to a foreign country, read a blog.  You don't need to pack a suitcase or make travel arrangements!  I like the blogs Scotlands Genealogy and Scottish GENES.  Linda Elliott writes a great blog about genealogy, English genealogy in particular, at Mad About Genealogy.  Family Tree Tours brings us the blog, Heritage Travel.  There are photographs, links, videos and many research tips.  If you have European ancestry, be sure to click and read.

Some bloggers write to share family experiences, such as can be found at my sister-in-law's blog, Those Old Memories.  Others share research travels and experience.  One of my favorites is Reflections From the Fence, written by Carol Stevens.   Travel with Carol as she and her husband and dogs go searching for adventure and ancestors.  Learning skills are shared at Adventures in Genealogy Education written by Angela McGhie.

There is a lot to learn by reading blogs, such as the Library of Congress Blog.  Not every post contains information about genealogy, but they are interesting and you will a great deal about the library, history and yes ... genealogy.  The Allen County Public Library's blog, The Genealogy Center, brings news about the library, plus research information.

If I didn't mention your blog, it doesn't mean I don't read it and enjoy it.  Hey bloggers ... keep up the good work!