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July 2009 Blog Posts (368)

SMALE

Is anybody researching the name of Smale?
To my knowledge they lived in Plymouth, London and Hampshire.
JennyB

Added by Jenny Board on July 11, 2009 at 9:46am — No Comments

Do I Need A Genealogy or Family History Blog?

Technology - and specifically the Internet - has allowed many of us to make great advances with our own genealogy research. And it has given us the ability to connect and network with other genealogists on sites like GenealogyWise.

My colleague Elyse Doerflinger who runs the Elyse's Genealogy Blog has another… Continue

Added by Thomas MacEntee on July 11, 2009 at 9:01am — 1 Comment

Descendants of Edward Russell of Scotland

Would love to have any info on ancestors further back that my g-g-grandparents, Edward Russell 1824-1885, and Margaret Thomson 1834-1913. They were married 22Jan1855 in East Parish, Greenock, Renfrew co., Scotland and had my g-grandmother Margaret Rankin Russell in 1855. Margaret R Russell (photo) married my GGrandfather William Horace Jones in 1884 in Hoboken, NJ, so I know they came to America between 1855-1884. Edward Russell was the son of Edward… Continue

Added by Nancy Eaton on July 11, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Border What Border?

One thing that you begin to notice as you research you ancestors is that they seem to view the border as not there at all. Searching the border crossings at Ancestry.com is a good way to track some of these elusive people. Not only that, if you look at the document closely it may also give you a bit of an insight as to what they looked like (I found that my maternal grandfather whom I never knew as he died in 1935 was 5’8” with blue eyes and brown hair). Since I have never been able to find… Continue

Added by William Bruce Hillman on July 11, 2009 at 7:29am — 1 Comment

Automotive genealogy

Driving in to work the other day, I got to thinking about my automotive genealogy and about how cars help shape our families.

Nearly all the cars I remember as a kid were station wagons. We had a Rambler wagon, like this:

except ours was a forest green. And I remember seeing a picture of the car it replaced, another Rambler wagon with a white roof.

The Ramblers gave way to Chevrolet wagons in the mid-1960s. I… Continue

Added by Doug Tallman on July 11, 2009 at 7:23am — 3 Comments

Rao/Passero/Perrotta/Catalfamo/Pirotta

Looking for relatives.
Capazzo from Sassa di Castalda,OZ,Basilica
Catalfamo from Barcellona Pozza di Gotto,ME,Sicilia
LaTerra from Ragusa,RG,Sicilia
Passero from Marano di Napoli,NA,Campania
Perrotta from Mirto,ME,Sicilia
Rao and Trentacosta from Marineo,PA,Sicilia

Added by Joanne Perrotta on July 11, 2009 at 5:34am — 2 Comments

Why I Love Old Cemeteries

Finding old and lost cemeteries is one of my favorite hobbies. I live to discover them.

"Who cares!", some may say.

How about the descendents of those long buried and mourned, but not forgotten? How about someone like me who cherishes the history and appreciates that a life was lived, enjoyed or despaired, and then passed away from this earth?

Only a few times have I been blessed to find a lost cemetery in the woods, the trees grown thick around the fence line… Continue

Added by Sherry Hightower on July 11, 2009 at 5:30am — 3 Comments

Amanuensis Monday

Amanuensis: a person who writes what another dictates or copies what has been written by another

Perhaps you are lucky enough to have an ancestor’s journal, or a bundle of letters they wrote. Perhaps a grandparent recorded their memories on a cassette tape before they passed away.

Have you considered scanning/digitizing these documents into your computer, and transcribing the contents?

Why?

1) Handwriting fades over time. As long as one… Continue

Added by John Newmark on July 11, 2009 at 5:00am — No Comments

Hugged by Ancestors

I made a reference in a previous blog about feeling hugged by my ancestors when sitting among my grandparents scrapbooks, photo albums, journals, etc., when I was 16 years old. A new found friend on GenealogyWise emailed me and said he liked that phrase, "hugged by ancestors." A few of the back and forth emails had the subject line "Hugged by ancestors," and I have not been able to get this phrase out of my head since.

As I pulled a few different genealogy files out today to look up… Continue

Added by Jennifer Eklund, PLCGS on July 11, 2009 at 12:00am — 2 Comments

"KARLA'S KORNER"

Welcome to Karla's Genealogy Korner!!

Added by Karla Reimers-Archuleta on July 10, 2009 at 9:51pm — 3 Comments

Genealogy: History becomes virtual

Faces stare back at you from across decades. Names written and recorded for generations to read. Traveling to far away places you've only heard of, only to know that somewhere, a small part of you, originated there. Miracles of modern technology, yes, but so much more. The virtual reality that is now genealogy research.

Years ago, when I first began researching my families surnames, it was labor intensive to say the least. Summers spent traveling to courthouses, libraries and… Continue

Added by Shannon Stokes Sheppard on July 10, 2009 at 9:40pm — No Comments

Great Online Map Site - Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

I've "tweeted" about this already a couple of times (I'm "rcurious", in case you tweet too), but I am just so thrilled with this site, that its worth yet another mention. Most genealogists are familiar with the "must have" book, Map Guide to the US Federal Census, by William Thorndale and William Dollarhide - you just can't do census research without it! But recently I found a website, hosted by the Newberry Library (Chicago), that really is incredible. Not only does it show… Continue

Added by tami osmer glatz on July 10, 2009 at 9:30pm — 2 Comments

First entry

I am going to try to put my posts from two other sites on this one.....if I persist long enough it will work. Nothing like being a stubborn Dutchman. A GATHERING OF DUTCH COUSINS will be in late September in Harrodsburg, KY for those descendants of a large group of settlers from Conewago Colony from near Gettysburg, PA, York County. Some of those that followed Father Hendrick Banta 3rd and his second wife, Antie Demarest Banta to Kentucky were families named Montfort, Riker, Demarest, Banta,… Continue

Added by Barbara Whiteside on July 10, 2009 at 8:56pm — 8 Comments

Geneaolgy Beginner - super excited to know who I am

This is my first attempt at this"Genealogy" stuff. Who isn't interested in finding out more about their ancestors and what kind of people they were. You wonder if they assisted in determining the kind ofd person you would be. At least I do. I'm not a quitter so once I start this, I plan on continueing and helping others with this same research. Genealogy can go on and on and on....I'm so excited to see where this will take me...

Added by Julie Senterfitt on July 10, 2009 at 8:48pm — 3 Comments

1 September 1939 Commemoration

You are invited to participate in our weekend event designed to commemorate those who witnessed World War II in Poland. We want the community at large to know of Poland's suffering and strength during World War II. Please, tell us your stories and submit the names of those you’d like to remember.

HONORING

Polish Veterans

Polish-American Veterans

United States Veterans

Survivors

Children In Exile

Displaced… Continue

Added by Ceil Wendt Jensen on July 10, 2009 at 8:28pm — 3 Comments

Ludovic Grant

For those who are descended from Ludovic Grant. If you want the FACTS, not the wishful thinking - order the following book from Powells in Portland, Oregon. The Legacy of Ludovic Grant by Jerry A. Maddox, 2007. This book is filled with primary sources reserched in the U.K.

Added by Marcia Hall on July 10, 2009 at 7:17pm — No Comments

What do you wish you had known when you started your research?

There are several things, but I wish I had known the importance of neighbors, both those who are related and those who are not.

And the importance of identifying people on those old photographs.

Michael

www.rootdig.com

Added by Michael John Neill on July 10, 2009 at 6:17pm — 5 Comments

Why I sent chocolates to Iowa

I've been wanting to start a genealogy blog for awhile, but I couldn't figure out what of value I could contribute. Although I, of course, am very excited to discover that my great-great-grandmother's maiden name was Buzzard, you probably don't want to hear about this discovery in great detail unless you share my Buzzard ancestry.

And I'm new to genealogy in general, so I don't have brilliant tips and tricks and resources to share.

So I've decided that I'll share not my… Continue

Added by Jessica Hammond on July 10, 2009 at 3:32pm — 7 Comments

Fact or Fiction?

One of the problems we face doing genealogical research is getting the facts straight. It's one thing to have names, but it's another thing to gather facts such as date and place of birth, date of death, and other vital information. As you find your ancestors, you may discover that they may have recorded birthdates that vary within a range as large as 10 years. Your ancestors records may also list different states as their birth location. This is typical for early African-American records… Continue

Added by Anitria Langlais on July 10, 2009 at 3:30pm — 3 Comments

Genealogy Tip When Hanging Photos

This spring I made a new wall arrangement of photographs. I used scanned copies instead of originals and made 2 photos at the same time. I then glued/taped/however the same photo on the back that was on the front. I added names to the one on the back so the names would always be handy. Some I put on the front but the back photo I was able to write right on the person's image so there was no dispute which one was Granny or Auntie!

Added by Brenda K. Wolfgram Moore on July 10, 2009 at 2:38pm — 1 Comment