Busy, Busy, Busy

   

 All I can say is busy, busy, busy.  Family research could keep me busy all day long, every day; such a change from years ago.  Back then, I wrote a letter in longhand and put it in my mail box, then waited.   I tended to other projects until a few weeks later when I received a reply telling me how much money to send.  I put a check in my mailbox and waited some more.  Again I dabbled in other interests until another few weeks later, when I had the document which I had anticipated.
     Family matters over the past year have kept me from spending a lot of time on my research, but lately, finally, I have enjoyed again the hunt for and discovery of my family's story.  But I find myself in somewhat of a quandary.
     Databases:  I foremost use a commercial home database to digitally gather my information.  I am the only contributor so I never find any surprises, unless I have made a silly mistake.  However, I tend to be quite thorough and accurate, so I like having a place all to my own.  I upload my data regularly to Ancestry and RootsWeb for the benefit of other researchers.  But every time I do this, I get hundreds of leafs--hints, many of which, I have already seen.  It is time-consuming to sift through them to find hints that are new to me.  Then there is FamilySearch.  As a Mormon, I am encouraged to use this database.  But I am having a hard time learning to love it.  Since it is interactive, changes can be made to my tree!!  I have had many discouragements over finding erroneous information or having a line of ancestors, unknown to me, who extend way back to the kings and queens.
   But I do like FamilySearch's Memories feature, where I can add photos and stories.  I can also add those everywhere else, but in Ancestry, they will disappear the next time I upload my data from RootsMagic.  I can add photos to RootsMagic, but they are all housed in a different file, so they will not follow my gedcom file over to Ancestry.  I can send all kinds of data over to FamilySearch from RootsMagic, but not my photos.
     I haven't even yet mentioned my own family website, which I have created through Google Sites.
It is a great way to get my family history on the internet where it can be easily found.  Not everyone has a paid subscription to Ancestry.  And not everyone has a free subscription to FamilySearch.  And there's still that nagging ability for anyone to make changes to the pictures or stories I send to FamilySearch.
     As one who embraces simplicity and minimalism, I yearn for a way to push one button and all my data, stories, and photos will be accessible to all interested researchers.  Entering the same family history facts and pictures into so many places makes me unnecessarily busy.  If anyone has found a practical way to accomplish the task, I'd love to hear from you.

Single, With Dependents

A while ago, I found my dad's World War II Enlistment record on Ancestry.  At the bottom of the form was a sweet piece of information noting that my dad, in 1946, was single, with dependents.  He was just 17, but I smiled when I remembered that I had been told long before that he had an allotment taken from his Army check each month and sent to his widowed mother.

Today I just discovered that Uncle Jack (Jack R. Hahn) also enlisted in the military during World War II when he, too, was just 17 years old.  Like my dad, he was single, with dependents.  I have no idea who is referred to by the word dependents.  They may have been his siblings, the youngest one twelve. Or the word dependents may have referred to his half-siblings, all of whom were younger than twelve.  Perhaps his wife, Ethel, was the dependant.  They were not quite married at the time, but very soon to be.  Or, his dependants may have simply been his parents, farmers trying to recover from the depression of the 1930s.  Whoever they were, I am left with feelings of admiration for Uncle Jack, who took upon himself, at such an early age, the financial support of someone else.

http://www.realnews247.com/wwII_soldiers.jpg

Roots of Patriotism Run Deep

   
 It has been fascinating to find similarities among various people from one lineage, especially since these people sometimes span several generations.  For instance, my husband, by nature, is very interested in politics.  He keeps informed of current events.  He loves this country and his freedoms, guaranteed by the Constitution written long ago by his heroes, the Founding Fathers.  Somewhat of a rebel, he is not afraid to voice his political opinion, even if he is surrounded by people with opposing views.  Interestingly, his ancestry is filled with frontiersmen, rebels and patriots--men just like him.
     One such patriot was Capt. Henry Rhoads.  History records that Capt. Rhoads served with Gen. Washington and spent that awful winter with the general at Valley Forge.  Capt. Rhoads later settled the frontier of Kentucky and represented his area in the state legislature.  My husband really admires this particular ancestor of his.  He feels connected to him.  Imagine his pleasure when I discovered that he and this forefather, whom he so admires, share the same day and month of birth!
   

Save the Livery

Recently, I was asked to write a couple of paragraphs stating why the livery stable in Fountain should receive funds for its preservation.  My letter along with others will be presented before a committee who will make the decision.  The letter follows:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing in support of the historic preservation of the structure known as the livery stable located in Fountain, Colorado.  While there is more research needed into the historic details of this building, it remains one of Fountain’s few existing original structures.  The livery is very unique because it was constructed with large cobbles.  The first glance at the rock structure sparks interest in its history.  Maintenance on the stable has been neglected over the years, and Fountain stands to lose one of its treasures if repairs and reinforcements to the structure are not addressed soon. 

Repairing the old building is just the first step in securing a variety of possibilities for the livery.  Rescuing the structure from demolition would keep it on Fountain’s walking tour of historic buildings.  Should the city ever acquire ownership of the stable, it could be used for educational opportunities, with displays and demonstrations, for local school children, curious visitors, and those with genealogical ties to historic Fountain.  Preserving the rock livery helps to preserve Fountain’s history, as well as the history of liveries and rock buildings in general wherever they may have been located in the United States.  

 

Genealogy Skills

I haven't posted anything recently because I have been working on a book project for Arcadia Publishing.  In case any of you readers have not discovered Arcadia's little history books, they are amazingly wonderful.  The "Images of America" series contains books published about hundreds of cities and towns across the country.  Sometimes the books cover a county or even a piece of history for which a city is known.  Many people like to purchase these pictorial histories of places they have lived or places where their ancestors have lived.  Last year I published Fountain, and right now I am working on Security-Widefield. 

With all the research, organizing, and writing involved in these two projects, I have not spent any time on my own genealogical pursuits.  However!  I have been using skills I have developed as a genealogist to create my current project.  When studying about the historical families of Security-Widefield, I just naturally turn to the census and newspaper archives.  I, likewise, seek people to interview, and I know what questions to ask.  So, recently it occured to me that one of the reasons why I am so well suited to author these books is because of my experience in the genealogy field. 

My Grandmother's Rings

My grandmother Thaden was often observed caressing her wedding rings with the fingers on her right hand. My cousin told me this as she gave me the golden bands, one topped with a sparkly diamond.  Grandmama must have loved Granddaddy very much.  The rings were passed to my cousin after our grandmother’s death, but my cousin always thought our oldest cousin should have them, or maybe me since I was named after our grandmother.  After forty years, she chose me. 

My grandmother was a very small woman, and even though her fingers were thick, her rings did not fit me.  I felt like one of Cinderella’s step-sisters trying on the slender glass slipper.  Recently, with some sudden weight loss, I decided to try them again.  This time I was like Cinderella, because the rings slid right on and now join the gold band put there by my husband.  Now it is my turn to caress the rings as I admire the sparkle and think of my grandmother.

Maria's Family History Blog

I'm passing on the link to Maria's blog--the one on which she writes about the Bishop family of Ohio.  She has discovered some very interesting tidbits on this family who has remained in the area for over a hundred years.

Meet Some Families of Logan County, Ohio