"If you can't get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance"
-George Bernard Shaw
I like this quote. I am currently taking Genealogy 1000, the beginning class at Salt Lake Community College. It is an online class and has been very interesting. In this class we are counselled to research our family history so we can "put flesh and bones on the family skeletons." I am thankful there are so many resources today to help me do this.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Riverton Family History Library
On Saturday April 16, 2010 I attended the Saturday Seminar at the Riverton Family History Library. The key note speaker was Tim Cross who spoke about ways for ward family history consultants to introduce members to New Family Search and to pique their interest in family history. He introduced me to Tree Seek where family tree charts can be printed out for no cost. Tree Seek links to your New Family Search account and takes the information for the pdf charts from your database in New Family Search. I applied what I learned on Sunday April 17 by printing off some of my own charts. I taught my husband how to do it (for practice) and then I went to a ward member's house and got her signed up for New Family Search and helped her print off a nine-generation chart.
At the Riverton Saturday Seminar I also attended a class on English Research taught by Raymon Naisbitt and a class on New England Research taught by Jason B. Harrison. These presentations were very interesting and I am excited to do research in England and New England as I have time.
At the Riverton Saturday Seminar I also attended a class on English Research taught by Raymon Naisbitt and a class on New England Research taught by Jason B. Harrison. These presentations were very interesting and I am excited to do research in England and New England as I have time.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Home Movies
We have been talking about converting home movies to DVD format. I discovered this interesting web site Center for Home Movies. There is a lot of good information. I think it might be fun to have a Home Movie Day.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Mission Possible Part 2 November 2010
The reporting session of Mission Possible was held on November 4, 2010.
I was pleased that so many of the sisters had success with their missions.
Mission #1 -- Several sisters reported how they are organizing their documents and other memorabilia. There is a good method for organizing your hard drive for genealogy research on You Tube. It is from Lisa Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems.
Organize Your Hard Drive
Mission #2 -- The sister who had this mission had saved her genealogy information digitally with Personal Ancestral File years ago. Her computer had crashed and she had lost it all. It was in the days when back-up and recovery systems were not as good as now. She is starting over again with Roots Magic. Fortunately she has her hard copies and though it might be tedious, she can transfer her information to Roots Magic and also New Family Search.
Mission #3 -- The sister who completed this mission enjoyed seeing all that is available on New Family Search. She said it took a long time because she has dial-up Internet service. Probably we should take a group of sisters to the Family Search Center in Riverton and introduce them to New Family Search there using the computers that are available there.
Mission #4 -- The sister who completed this mission wrote a ten-page report about her grandmother. She found much interesting information from an aunt who lives in Nauvoo and wants to follow up and learn more about other ancestors. Her report on her grandmother was very interesting.
Mission #5 -- Thanks to this sister and her husband we had two yummy desserts for refreshments, an apple cobbler and a cherry loaf. Both were prized family recipes.
Mission #6 --This mission was "Display Your Heritage" and we heard a very interesting report of how this sister inherited her grandmother's china and how she displays it in her home.
Mission #7 -- The sister who started doing Family Search Indexing went gungho! She has given a lot of service throughout the month and learned many things about the program and is a great resource to the rest of us.
Mission #8 -- This mission was to create an Internet blog. The sister who had this assignment was not able to create a blog but she is involved in many other family history projects.
Mission #9 -- This was a photography mission. Maybe we can do more with this project at another time in Relief Society.
Mission # 10 -- This sister reported on watching several TV programs about family history. She reviewed several episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? and Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
I was pleased that so many of the sisters had success with their missions.
Mission #1 -- Several sisters reported how they are organizing their documents and other memorabilia. There is a good method for organizing your hard drive for genealogy research on You Tube. It is from Lisa Louise Cooke of Genealogy Gems.
Organize Your Hard Drive
Mission #2 -- The sister who had this mission had saved her genealogy information digitally with Personal Ancestral File years ago. Her computer had crashed and she had lost it all. It was in the days when back-up and recovery systems were not as good as now. She is starting over again with Roots Magic. Fortunately she has her hard copies and though it might be tedious, she can transfer her information to Roots Magic and also New Family Search.
Mission #3 -- The sister who completed this mission enjoyed seeing all that is available on New Family Search. She said it took a long time because she has dial-up Internet service. Probably we should take a group of sisters to the Family Search Center in Riverton and introduce them to New Family Search there using the computers that are available there.
Mission #4 -- The sister who completed this mission wrote a ten-page report about her grandmother. She found much interesting information from an aunt who lives in Nauvoo and wants to follow up and learn more about other ancestors. Her report on her grandmother was very interesting.
Mission #5 -- Thanks to this sister and her husband we had two yummy desserts for refreshments, an apple cobbler and a cherry loaf. Both were prized family recipes.
Mission #6 --This mission was "Display Your Heritage" and we heard a very interesting report of how this sister inherited her grandmother's china and how she displays it in her home.
Mission #7 -- The sister who started doing Family Search Indexing went gungho! She has given a lot of service throughout the month and learned many things about the program and is a great resource to the rest of us.
Mission #8 -- This mission was to create an Internet blog. The sister who had this assignment was not able to create a blog but she is involved in many other family history projects.
Mission #9 -- This was a photography mission. Maybe we can do more with this project at another time in Relief Society.
Mission # 10 -- This sister reported on watching several TV programs about family history. She reviewed several episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? and Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Mission Possible -- 4th Ward Relief Society October 2010
NOTE: The Mission Possible missions are designed to be projects that will turn “the hearts of the children to their fathers” and to be things that will strengthen families. Some of them require computer access and some computer skills. Some do not. Before you accept your mission you will be given the opportunity to trade missions or accept another mission, if necessary. It is expected that you will spend about four hours over the next month working on your mission and that you will report your experiences at the next Relief Society meeting. It is also expected that we will help each other and provide resources for everyone to work on their mission.
Family History Mission #1
Take time to gather ALL your genealogy papers, documents, photos, books, outlines, etc. Organize them and file them. OR Get a cardboard box. Then follow the instructions given by President Packer as written in “Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign Aug 2003, 12-17.
Family History Mission #2
Digitize your Family History records if you have not already done so. Use Personal Ancestral File (free from Family Search) or use one of the Certified Products shown on the New Family Search web site.
Examples are Legacy, Roots Magic, Ancestral Quest, FamilyInsight, Gaia Family Tree, Genetree
If you already have your Family History digitized, spend four hours reviewing and updating your information.
Family History Mission #3
Register for New Family Search if you have not already done so. Once you are registered spend four or more hours reviewing the information about your ancestors. Check for accuracy. Investigate whether other family members are researching your family history and contact them to collaborate.
Family History Mission #4
Choose one of your ancestors and write a history about them and their life. Include all important dates, names and places. Give citations for your sources. This can be as long or as short as you desire. Imagine that you or your child is giving a talk about this person.
Family History Mission #5
Promote food traditions. Take a traditional family recipe and learn to prepare this food. Serve it to your family. If you are already doing this on a regular basis, then teach a child, grandchild, niece or nephew how to prepare an old family recipe so that the family tradition will continue into the next generations.
Family History Mission #6
Display your heritage or your personal history. Use a shadow box or a frame to display photographs or artifacts from your family. Beware of bright sunlight and use copies if necessary or display only on special occasions. Another option is to learn how to preserve fabrics, antiques, etc. and take steps to protect valuable family heirlooms. Create labels and inventories so that your children know the history of your family treasures.
Family History Mission #7
Register to volunteer with Family Search Indexing and complete three or four batches. You will help make genealogical information available for researchers and you will gain valuable research skills that will help you when you desire to research these documents for your ancestors. Go to http://www.familysearch.org/eng/indexing/frameset_indexing.asp to get started or ask a family history consultant to visit you in your home and help you. If you are already an indexer, complete at least four batches in the next month.
Family History Mission #8
Make an Internet Blog. This can be a family news blog, a research blog, an educational blog, or a blog to co-ordinate research. If you already have a blog, you may choose to update it.
Family History Mission #9
Organize your photographs. Make sure all photos are labeled. Convert old photos and slides to digital format. Make scrapbooks. Attach digital images to your ancestors in your digital genealogy software. Decide which part of this project you are going to spend four hours on in the next month and get started.
Family History Mission #10
Be a film critic. Watch at least four genealogy TV or Internet programs and review them for our group next month. Suggestions are:
NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/
PBS’s Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/
BYU’s Generations Project http://www.byutv.org/thegenerationsproject/Episodes/
Roots Television http://www.rootstelevision.com/
Family History Mission #1
Take time to gather ALL your genealogy papers, documents, photos, books, outlines, etc. Organize them and file them. OR Get a cardboard box. Then follow the instructions given by President Packer as written in “Your Family History: Getting Started,” Ensign Aug 2003, 12-17.
Family History Mission #2
Digitize your Family History records if you have not already done so. Use Personal Ancestral File (free from Family Search) or use one of the Certified Products shown on the New Family Search web site.
Examples are Legacy, Roots Magic, Ancestral Quest, FamilyInsight, Gaia Family Tree, Genetree
If you already have your Family History digitized, spend four hours reviewing and updating your information.
Family History Mission #3
Register for New Family Search if you have not already done so. Once you are registered spend four or more hours reviewing the information about your ancestors. Check for accuracy. Investigate whether other family members are researching your family history and contact them to collaborate.
Family History Mission #4
Choose one of your ancestors and write a history about them and their life. Include all important dates, names and places. Give citations for your sources. This can be as long or as short as you desire. Imagine that you or your child is giving a talk about this person.
Family History Mission #5
Promote food traditions. Take a traditional family recipe and learn to prepare this food. Serve it to your family. If you are already doing this on a regular basis, then teach a child, grandchild, niece or nephew how to prepare an old family recipe so that the family tradition will continue into the next generations.
Family History Mission #6
Display your heritage or your personal history. Use a shadow box or a frame to display photographs or artifacts from your family. Beware of bright sunlight and use copies if necessary or display only on special occasions. Another option is to learn how to preserve fabrics, antiques, etc. and take steps to protect valuable family heirlooms. Create labels and inventories so that your children know the history of your family treasures.
Family History Mission #7
Register to volunteer with Family Search Indexing and complete three or four batches. You will help make genealogical information available for researchers and you will gain valuable research skills that will help you when you desire to research these documents for your ancestors. Go to http://www.familysearch.org/eng/indexing/frameset_indexing.asp to get started or ask a family history consultant to visit you in your home and help you. If you are already an indexer, complete at least four batches in the next month.
Family History Mission #8
Make an Internet Blog. This can be a family news blog, a research blog, an educational blog, or a blog to co-ordinate research. If you already have a blog, you may choose to update it.
Family History Mission #9
Organize your photographs. Make sure all photos are labeled. Convert old photos and slides to digital format. Make scrapbooks. Attach digital images to your ancestors in your digital genealogy software. Decide which part of this project you are going to spend four hours on in the next month and get started.
Family History Mission #10
Be a film critic. Watch at least four genealogy TV or Internet programs and review them for our group next month. Suggestions are:
NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? http://www.nbc.com/who-do-you-think-you-are/
PBS’s Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/
BYU’s Generations Project http://www.byutv.org/thegenerationsproject/Episodes/
Roots Television http://www.rootstelevision.com/
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Identifying Women: The Ultimate Brick Wall by Barbara Vines Little
Barbara Vines Little is an instructor for Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She is co-ordinator for the Virginia track of courses. She is editor of Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. She has been president of the National Genealogical Society and is a very popular lecturer and teacher. I will always remember she was the presenter wearing the black hat and red suit.
I was a little late getting to this class and literally took the last seat in the room. People were being turned away at the door, but a kind woman in the middle of the hall was pointing to a vacant seat near her. I climbed over a dozen people to get to this seat and I was glad. The room was jam packed with people and the lecture was jam packed with information.
This class was about "locating and deciphering the clues that help us identify the unnamed women in our family tree." The introductory premise was this. "A woman, whether servant, slave or free, frequently lost and gained property and other rights based upon her age and marital status. In order to successfully research women, it is necessary to understand these rights and how and under what conditions they changed."
Barbara Vines Little next presented definitions in English common law for age, curtesy, dower, dower by common law, femme sole, femme covert, spinster, coverture, and next friend. She gave us a check list of questions we can ask about our female ancestor and she listed resources to use in determining a maiden name. She had lots of suggestions and ideas for sources to further our research on women. Some were very creative such as searching business records for the lists of people who charged at a store or reading the social columns in the newspapers near the time of a death in the family to determine who may have visited for the funeral.
I was glad I could attend this class and I learned a great deal.
I was a little late getting to this class and literally took the last seat in the room. People were being turned away at the door, but a kind woman in the middle of the hall was pointing to a vacant seat near her. I climbed over a dozen people to get to this seat and I was glad. The room was jam packed with people and the lecture was jam packed with information.
This class was about "locating and deciphering the clues that help us identify the unnamed women in our family tree." The introductory premise was this. "A woman, whether servant, slave or free, frequently lost and gained property and other rights based upon her age and marital status. In order to successfully research women, it is necessary to understand these rights and how and under what conditions they changed."
Barbara Vines Little next presented definitions in English common law for age, curtesy, dower, dower by common law, femme sole, femme covert, spinster, coverture, and next friend. She gave us a check list of questions we can ask about our female ancestor and she listed resources to use in determining a maiden name. She had lots of suggestions and ideas for sources to further our research on women. Some were very creative such as searching business records for the lists of people who charged at a store or reading the social columns in the newspapers near the time of a death in the family to determine who may have visited for the funeral.
I was glad I could attend this class and I learned a great deal.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Kodak Moments and Technicolor Dreams: Twentieth Century Photos and films in the Family Archive by Maureen A. Taylor
Maureen A. Taylor is known as the Photo Detective. She has a blog entitled Photo Detective in connection with Family Tree Magazine. She writes regular columns for Family Tree Magazine and I have a subscription so I have read her work. She helps readers identify old photographs. I was excited to hear her speak. She has been a private photography consultant for 11 years and before that she was a photo curator for 20 years.
She gave us an overview of all the types of twentieth century images starting with digital imaging and reviewing home movie film, paper prints, postcards, polaroids, stereographs, slides, and tintypes. She gave many interesting details. When she explained about "silvering" which is when an old photograph gradually turns a silvery color I recognized that I have some photographs in which the silver is gradually coming to the surface. I need to quickly scan these photographs before they are completely obliterated! I liked seeing the photos of the Brownie cameras. About 1900 there were 250,000 Brownie cameras sold for $1.00 each. She referred us to the interesting web site of Northeast Historic Film http://www.oldfilm.org/. I learned I need to take my old photo albums and wrap them in washed unbleached muslin. Fortunately I have about ten yards of unbleached muslin.
Maureen Taylor was a very good speaker. She had technical difficulties when the bulb on her projector burned out. She showed poise and called someone to bring her another projector on her cell phone and proceeded with her lecture without her slides. Soon the projector was replaced and we were able to see all her excellent slides.
She gave us an overview of all the types of twentieth century images starting with digital imaging and reviewing home movie film, paper prints, postcards, polaroids, stereographs, slides, and tintypes. She gave many interesting details. When she explained about "silvering" which is when an old photograph gradually turns a silvery color I recognized that I have some photographs in which the silver is gradually coming to the surface. I need to quickly scan these photographs before they are completely obliterated! I liked seeing the photos of the Brownie cameras. About 1900 there were 250,000 Brownie cameras sold for $1.00 each. She referred us to the interesting web site of Northeast Historic Film http://www.oldfilm.org/. I learned I need to take my old photo albums and wrap them in washed unbleached muslin. Fortunately I have about ten yards of unbleached muslin.
Maureen Taylor was a very good speaker. She had technical difficulties when the bulb on her projector burned out. She showed poise and called someone to bring her another projector on her cell phone and proceeded with her lecture without her slides. Soon the projector was replaced and we were able to see all her excellent slides.
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