tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86324654253368033462024-02-07T00:26:31.983-06:00The People in the Pencil BoxAll things genealogy including updates, discussions, tips and hints, and examples of what to do and what not to do when researching your family tree utilizing aspects of my own family history research...and anything you'd like to ask!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-78012637301662473632015-05-25T12:18:00.001-05:002015-05-25T12:18:26.886-05:00Remembering Buzzard's Roost This Memorial Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XtBFFNKqoFbgC3o72GqoskQhB63uLIL-QjJC2zhOfQ4BnnLZz0Uv1zcimZdE9Lzs-Imvw8FLtqrpAMh1ZB3d8t84AUt2tpQ7n9VXQXLo3ZuhAa3PUiJHRCTy28YqNRrncbt_iO5JuF0h/s1600/640px-Mill_Creek_Gap_plaque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9XtBFFNKqoFbgC3o72GqoskQhB63uLIL-QjJC2zhOfQ4BnnLZz0Uv1zcimZdE9Lzs-Imvw8FLtqrpAMh1ZB3d8t84AUt2tpQ7n9VXQXLo3ZuhAa3PUiJHRCTy28YqNRrncbt_iO5JuF0h/s320/640px-Mill_Creek_Gap_plaque.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>"Mill Creek Gap plaque" by John Foxe - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mill_Creek_Gap_plaque.JPG#/media/File:Mill_Creek_Gap_plaque.JPG</i><br />
<br />
<br />
There is no mention of Buzzard's Roost on the plaque commemorating a four-day portion of Sherman's infamous March to the Sea. Twenty years ago, there wasn't much information to be found at all about a place named Buzzard's Roost anywhere. The Battle of Mill Creek Gap is just about as close as you can get, and that's after digging through the saga of Resaca.<br />
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But this place with its ominous name is where Robert Carter died.<br />
<br />
Robert Carter, the oldest son of John and Martha Carter, was born in 1846 in England and arrived here in Morgan County, Illinois, in about 1848 as a toddler.<br />
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As the eldest son of a moderately successful farmer, no one knows why Robert enlisted in Company B of the 10th Illinois Volunteer Infantry when the Civil War began. Whether it was to escape the bonds of Midwestern farm life or the feeling of patriotism felt by a young 20-year-old man, we will never know. In any event, Robert entered the service of the Union and the bloodiest war in our history.<br />
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It was here in Georgia during the Resaca campaign, the Battle of Mill Creek Gap, and consequently, the Battle of Buzzard's Roost that Robert fought under Union General William T. Sherman - and died.<br />
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Robert now rests with his parents beneath a multi-faceted grave marker in East Cemetery in Jacksonville, Morgan County, Illinois. Cemetery records indicate his burial there, and one can only imagine the wait and the dread and the longing for his body to be returned from Georgia to Illinois in 1864.<br />
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Other than a brief notation from the battlefield surgeon, there is little documentation and little known about Robert, either before his enlistment or after. There are no surviving known photographs, no medals, no military trappings left behind to tell his story. Robert never had the chance to marry or father children to carry on his legacy. In all of this, Robert was alone.<br />
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Yet he was but one of 10,000 combat deaths from Illinois, and one of almost 600,000 total who gave their last full measure on the battlefields of the Civil War.<br />
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Robert could easily be lost in this sea of bloody statistics, but not this Memorial Day. <br />
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Rest in peace, Robert.<br />
<br />
<i>Robert Carter was my second great grand-uncle.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-65077376135325770672014-09-14T16:36:00.000-05:002014-09-14T16:36:44.473-05:00The Civil War Meets Rock and Roll<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Often when engaged in genealogical pursuits, we find little
tidbits of information about an ancestor intriguing or humorous, shocking or
sad. We may not see them immediately,
but discover them after files and documents are received and filed away. Only when
we take the time to fully understand the documents before us, when we read them
analytically and record their contents do we realize what we have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m not going to admit how long I’ve had this lengthy Civil
War pension file on my ancestor, John D. Alexander, or whether I have
completely analyzed all of its 165 pages. So don’t ask me. I’m not saying. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John’s file is interesting because it was filed not by John
after returning from service in the war, but by his only child, Charles. Add to that the fact that Charles was an
adult at the time of filing for his father’s pension, and you get a sense of
why the file is both interesting and lengthy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John, as a resident of Kansas, joined Company D of the 8<sup>th</sup>
Kansas Volunteer Infantry on 24 September 1861. His wife, Harriet, had died in
March 1861, leaving him to care for their only child, Charles (born 21 October
1859). Charles went to live with John’s parents, William and Mary Moore McReynolds
Alexander near Golden, Adams County, Illinois, and his father went off to war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John’s brother, David, died of injuries received in the
Battle of Stones River, Tennessee on 30 Jan 1863, having been a Corporal in the
84<sup>th</sup> Illinois from Adams County, Illinois. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John and Company D of the 8<sup>th</sup> Kansas had been in
Nashville, fortifying the headquarters for General Rosencrans. The next
movement for John and the Army of the Cumberland would be the Tullahoma
Campaign. John and a friend of his, Asa
F. Phillips of Marysville, Kansas, got a three-day pass in the latter part of
June 1863, a brief chance to get away from their daily duties before embarking
upon Tullahoma. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It turns out that John’s brother, William Alexander, had
also volunteered for the Union Army. With the 84<sup>th</sup> Illinois. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a brief letter contained in the pension file for John
Alexander, Asa Phillips recalls the furlough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBJiQadLwqBe_q3yb90z3bUDYpZYfoQhk8NBiyhTCbfYJpbkLIDBfTE-sHAPSYHYu33FB-E4ZVZxBMK2RaBamwYO797gu7r1XSIDPffRUq9J9Re2OPbqfauGrhkyNvSXB4SHM24wROfRC/s1600/imgCheckAsaPhillipsJohnAlexander003.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBJiQadLwqBe_q3yb90z3bUDYpZYfoQhk8NBiyhTCbfYJpbkLIDBfTE-sHAPSYHYu33FB-E4ZVZxBMK2RaBamwYO797gu7r1XSIDPffRUq9J9Re2OPbqfauGrhkyNvSXB4SHM24wROfRC/s1600/imgCheckAsaPhillipsJohnAlexander003.tif" height="341" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They went to visit their brothers. And their brothers were
on Cripple Creek in Tennessee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cripple Creek. Hey, isn't that a song?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RDnlU6rPfwY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>"Up on Cripple Creek" - The Band</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Admittedly, although quite familiar with the song, I had
never really known exactly where “Cripple Creek” was. Upon doing a bit of research for this post, I
discovered that the verdict is still out on which “Cripple Creek” the rock
group, The Band, was singing about. Some say it’s Louisiana, and others claim
Colorado. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to the map of the Murfreesboro area, there is a
Cripple Creek there, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve listened to the song again a number of times recently,
and have thought a lot about what John and Asa, and presumably Asa’s brother
and William Alexander did during those couple of days. I wonder what they
talked about, whether they went somewhere, what they ate. I wonder if John and
William talked about their brother, David, and the fatal wounds he received at
Stones River. I wonder if they shared any letters from home or whether John
knew anything of how his only son, Charles, was getting along. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wonder if William had any idea that he would be shot in
the head at Kennesaw Mountain, and live to receive a pension. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I wonder if John knew that by the end of the war, he
would be nearly too ill to care for himself due to lung disease, and that he
would die on 25 March 1868 at his father’s home in Adams County, Illinois, exactly 7 years to the day that his young wife, Harriet, had died. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a side note, the pension application made by Charles Alexander was
denied, as there was insufficient evidence to prove that John’s lung disease
was as a result of his participation for the duration in the Union cause. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-21346539758338553192013-12-21T17:54:00.000-06:002013-12-21T17:54:53.749-06:00Blog Caroling with Footnote Maven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdy08R4yY4HTMIdbL0YyBW1D6rdxQm7FRKa_fECeV9AOp34MlNjuPUTETOf-X_d3q_WrV5OBB8C802aveMhpU7gXae_ca_LIn1PkSePOqaAjkbFCgvoiptqFzS5r5xrn_o1IpiEivfPwpb/s1600/BlogCaroling.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdy08R4yY4HTMIdbL0YyBW1D6rdxQm7FRKa_fECeV9AOp34MlNjuPUTETOf-X_d3q_WrV5OBB8C802aveMhpU7gXae_ca_LIn1PkSePOqaAjkbFCgvoiptqFzS5r5xrn_o1IpiEivfPwpb/s1600/BlogCaroling.png" height="320" width="288" /></a></div>
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Our dear fellow Geneablogger and all-around lovely lady, Footnote Maven (<a href="http://www.footnotemaven.com/" target="_blank">www.footnotemaven.com</a>), reminded us today that it's time for her annual tradition of Blog Caroling. Blog caroling, as FM explains it, consists of choosing your favorite Christmas carol, and blogging about it, including lyrics and video.<br />
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Christmas is about tradition, so I thought I'd give this a try and join in the singing.<br />
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It just so happens that one of my very favorite Christmas carols - okay, it's more of a song than a carol, but I think FM will allow it - also carries quite a bit of tradition along with it, perhaps in a way you might not think.<br />
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For 27 years, Darlene Love has been a special guest on the Late Show with David Letterman for his last show before Christmas. Ms. Love comes with one purpose, and that is to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" to the delight of fans around the world. Darlene Love is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Tony award nominee, and has an exhaustive list of musical performances as a backup singer and collaborator and lead performer in her own right.<br />
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So last night, at the age of 72 years, Ms. Love took the stage over at David Letterman's show for her 27th year.<br />
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She brought the house down.<br />
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Here is last night's performance, sung as no one else on this planet could sing it.<br />
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/MO_eKatX3FQ/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/MO_eKatX3FQ&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/MO_eKatX3FQ&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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And the lyrics are posted below, so you can listen again and sing along.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545559; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #545559; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>The snow's coming down </i></span><br />
<div align="left" id="songlyrics" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; padding-right: 20px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<i>I'm watching it fall<br />Lots of people around<br />Baby please come home<br /><br />The church bells in town<br />All singing in song<br />Full of happy sounds<br />Baby please come home<br /><br />They're singing "Deck The Halls"<br />But it's not like Christmas at all<br />'Cause I remember when you were here<br />And all the fun we had last year<br /><br />Pretty lights on the tree<br />I'm watching them shine<br />You should be here with me<br />Baby please come home<br /><br />They're singing "Deck The Halls"<br />But it's not like Christmas at all<br />'Cause I remember when you were here<br />And all the fun we had last year<br /><br />If there was a way<br />I'd hold back this tear<br />But it's Christmas day<br />Please<br />Please<br />Please<br />Please<br />Baby please come home</i></div>
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David Letterman (through his representative) was quoted by the <i>Huffington Post</i> saying, "It isn't Christmas without Darlene Love."(1)</div>
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I tend to agree.</div>
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Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! </div>
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(1) "Darlene Love's David Letterman Appearance Kicks Off Christmas", <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/21/darlene-love-christmas-baby-letterman_n_4485773.html" style="line-height: normal;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/21/darlene-love-christmas-baby-letterman_n_4485773.html</a>. Includes additional links to Ms. Love's past performances as well.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-14827921151554067312013-11-11T08:15:00.001-06:002013-11-11T08:15:48.368-06:00Veterans Day Honor Roll<div class="MsoNormal">
Veterans Day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s the day we remember those who served, those who never
came home, and those whose sacrifice saved lives, preserved a union, and freed
nations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I try to put together my own list every year of those known
ancestors of mine who served, and I find that I discover more every year. It
makes me proud, of course, but it also reminds me that as I research these ancestors
throughout the year, so it was that they lived with their service every single
day of their lives. Their memories were not put on hold and brought out just on
one day a year, but every day. Perhaps because of physical injury, perhaps
because of the sheer horror that remained in their psyche, they lived with those
experiences. It makes me wonder who are we to relegate their bravery, their
steadfastness, their patriotism, to just one day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Every day should be Veterans Day, because as I see it, we
owe them nothing less. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And now, my personal Roll of Honor as I know it to be (there
are more, I am certain). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you, all, for the sacrifices you and your families
made.<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Thomas Wells, Massachusetts, Member of the Ancient and
Honorable Artillery of Massachusetts<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Jonathan Massey, Revolutionary War minuteman, Salem, New
Hampshire<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Capt. Philemon Waters, Revolutionary War, Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Edward Askins, Revolutionary War, Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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*James Officer, Revolutionary War, Virginia<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Major George Bruton, Revolutionary War, Virginia/South
Carolina<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Walter Wake, Civil War, Union, Company C, 20<sup>th</sup>
Illinois, wounded at the Battle of Shiloh<o:p></o:p></div>
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Robert Carter, Civil War, Union, killed in Georgia during
Sherman’s March<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Andrew Lawson, Civil War, Union<o:p></o:p></div>
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*John Robert Mawson, Civil War, Union<o:p></o:p></div>
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*James Zook, Civil War, Union<o:p></o:p></div>
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*John D. Alexander, Civil War, Union, 8<sup>th</sup> KS and
8<sup>th</sup> Wisc. Battery<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ralph John Carter, WWII, killed in action, buried in The
Netherlands National Cemetery<o:p></o:p></div>
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Robert Reeve, WWII, Iwo Jima<o:p></o:p></div>
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Major Frank Reeve, WWII, Iwo Jima<o:p></o:p></div>
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*denotes a direct ancestor<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-43362838838823371932013-09-19T22:05:00.000-05:002013-09-19T22:07:58.043-05:00The Book of Me - Week #2<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 18pt;">I am participating in Julie Goucher's activity:</span><span style="color: #535353; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 18pt;">"<a href="http://www.anglers-rest.net/book-of-me-written-by-you.html" style="color: #b87209; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1f3a69;">The Book of Me, Written by You</span></a>."</span><span style="color: #535353; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Week #2 - Your Birth<br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Do you have any baby photos?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Where were you born?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Who was present at your birth?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Dimensions?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>What day was it? Time?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Did you have hair? Eye colour<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;"><i>Are you a twin?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;">All of my birth information is packed away either in my closet or at my mother's, so I can't be very exact right now. Here's what I can recall. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;">I was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, at Our Savior's Hospital at around 7:30 in the evening, apparently during a thunderstorm (that part always makes me giggle a bit). I weighed 8 pounds and some-odd ounces and had a head full of hair and big brown eyes. I was quite roly-poly as I remember from looking at my baby photos. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;">The thing that stands out about my birth was not so much the event itself, but what happened once I got here, according to what my paternal grandmother always told me. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;">My father was still in college when I was born, and as an English major, he was taking his share of writing courses. I don't know the name of the class or the specific assignment, but the timing was such that he wrote an essay - about me. Me, the first time he held me, the amazement he felt at my arrival and my being, the feelings he had about how scared he was that I might break if he didn't hold me just the right way. All of his emotions apparently came flooding out in this paper he wrote for a class. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13pt;">Oh. He got an A+. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-80734411770333266122013-09-03T18:49:00.001-05:002013-09-03T18:49:18.643-05:00The Book of Me - Prompt #1: Who Am I?Often when we research our ancestors, we forget to preserve our own memories. Some Geneabloggers are trying a new writing prompt series from Julie Boucher at her <a href="http://anglersrest.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anglers Rest</a> blog entitled "The Book of Me, Written by You", about how you view "you", or in this case, how I view me. <div>
<ul>
<li>I am Kellie, not spelled with a "y".</li>
<li>I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a cousin.</li>
<li>I am a wife, and I'm happy about that. </li>
<li>I love my cat, Chloe.</li>
<li>I have the most awesome daughter on the face of the planet. </li>
<li>I'm not biased. </li>
<li>I love history, and particularly appreciate living in the midst of it.</li>
<li>I love genealogy to the point of obsession. </li>
<li>I consider myself to be a professional, but I will never stop learning.</li>
<li>I enjoy helping others. </li>
<li>I am strong-willed and determined (never stubborn *wink*)</li>
<li>I am a good friend to have around. </li>
<li>I can be a perfectionist about some things, and a total mess about others. </li>
<li>I take naps, and I have no guilt about that.</li>
<li>I love football and hockey. </li>
<li>I go crazy over flowers, vintage jewelry, and old "girlie" things. I don't know why.</li>
<li>I refuse to let a day pass without at least one giggle, and preferably, a belly-laugh or two. </li>
<li>I love music. It soothes my soul.</li>
<li>I live with MS. I don't let it define me, but it does change my routine at times (see naps, above). </li>
<li>I am a softie and will cry at any movie or show that is the least bit heartwarming. </li>
<li>I am thankful for every single day.</li>
<li>Really, about that bias thing...(see daughter, above)</li>
<li>This "exercise" was a bit more difficult for me to write than I anticipated. </li>
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You don't have to be a blogger to do this little activity, and I must admit, it was interesting. Give it a try!! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-62962981663735735412013-08-17T21:06:00.001-05:002013-08-17T21:06:30.937-05:00Andy, York, and Tellie I was excited tonight to confirm another ancestor who fought during the period of the Revolutionary War. I'm proud of my patriotic ancestors, and am continually amazed at men who "guarded the frontier" during such an uneasy time in our newly-formed collection of states. I say that because I firmly believe that we were not aware as colonial America that we "were": a country until after the Civil War, when the concept of the preservation of the Union was solidified. But that's another blog...<br />
<br />
I was gathering some data online about this ancestor who hailed from Spartanburg, South Carolina, and I noticed he was a slave-owner. He is not the first of my ancestors to have owned slaves, so I continued on and didn't really think much about it.<br />
<br />
I had found a couple of possible collateral relatives to this veteran, and if you have ever used collateral research in your genealogy, you know how important those other relatives can become. If you haven't used collateral research in your family tree, it's 20 lashes with a wet noodle to you, and we need to talk.<br />
<br />
So I searched a cemetery just to see the burials with my veteran's surname contained therein. I found a couple of possible connections that I need to look at further, but that's not what really caught my eye.<br />
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I came upon York and Tellie (my ancestor's surname).<br />
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York and Tellie were an African-American couple. York was born in Spartanburg in 1842. No one apparently knew when Tellie was born, nor when she died. York's father has no burial in the cemetery, but his name was Andy, according to additional information listed.<br />
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They have my ancestor's surname. Andy too.<br />
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I realized that I had possibly come across the slaves of my ancestors, or at minimum, their direct descendants. That's never happened to me before.<br />
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In previous research, slaves owned by one of my family lines were mentioned usually in wills, first name only, and just listed like all of the rest of the property being distributed in those types of documents. I've yet to look for any more information on them, and I chalked it up to colonial Southern life. There was a certain neutrality in those first-name-only people I had seen listed. <br />
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Seeing York and Tellie and Andy tonight was different. They have our name, and carried our name through the present day long enough for their grandson (in the case of Andy, his great-grandson) to purchase proper cemetery markers for them in the same cemetery where they rest with other members of my family.<br />
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I'm still processing this as I write. But to Andy and York and Tellie...I'm glad to have met you.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-12398469279334220592013-07-24T08:56:00.000-05:002013-07-24T08:56:50.155-05:00Insomnia and the Genealogist, or What Kept Me Up Last NightI can be an insomniac at times and I'm used to it. That's generally when I read, or play a mindless game on my phone until I can finally slip into the comfort of sleep.<br />
<br />
I slept 2 whole hours last night. Twice I thought about getting out of bed and jumping on the computer, but since our cat, Chloe, was contentedly ensconced next to me, I thought better of that and just tried to drift off.<br />
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Instead, I managed only to think more, and more, about what my newest research had uncovered and how it was that I could unravel the myriad of mysteries within.<br />
<br />
Here's some of what I thought about:<br />
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<ul>
<li>A 29-year-old man leaving his wife and 3 young children to go off to fight in the Civil War. </li>
<li>Dying of smallpox in Cahaba Prison, Alabama after being captured during a fierce battle at Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. </li>
<li>Existing at all after being captured and living at Cahaba. Just being there. </li>
<li>Having 2 children born during the war, a son in 1862 and a daughter in 1865. Never seeing the daughter at all, and perhaps not even knowing she existed. </li>
<li>Wondering how this couple managed to <b><i><u>have</u></i></b> 2 children during the war to begin with, given that the father was with the Army of the Mississippi and a little far from home. . </li>
<li>The conduct it takes to rank up from private to 2nd lieutenant during a war. Perhaps there was more to this man than literacy. </li>
<li>Why a family moved from Missouri to Illinois at the start of the war. </li>
<li>Why the wife ended up marrying 4 more times after the loss of her husband, and what happened to her children. How did the loss of their father affect them, or were they too young to understand. </li>
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The answers to these questions will undoubtedly lead to more questions, too.<br />
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I don't know about you, but this is enough to keep me awake for days. My mind has adopted this family and this Union solder buried now in Marietta, Georgia, and I cannot rest until I figuratively breathe the life back into them. <br />
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Have you ever had the same feeling about an ancestor you've discovered? Have you been bitten by the insomnia bug and become so doggedly determined about an ancestor that you cannot sleep? How did your sleep-deprived experience turn out?<br />
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Some people would call it being a bit obsessive. Others would just call it genealogy.<br />
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Some of those questions may never be answered, but I owe this man something for what he did in sacrificing his little family and his life to join the Union cause, and bringing his story to light is my goal.<br />
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It's the most, and the least I can do. <br />
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After I grab a quick nap.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-39797705259798418182013-07-07T13:22:00.000-05:002013-07-07T13:22:49.473-05:00On Sharing, Hoarding,and Ethical GenealogyMuch has been written lately about sharing, plagiarism and ethics in the genealogical community wherein we all reside and interact. It's a great community, and a generous, healthy spot in our world where we feel safe to address the trials and tribulations of our genealogical obsession. However, the fact that we are having the discussion, and that the issue has affected major icons as well as the everyday genealogist, has caused some to consider locking their doors at night and cast wary glances at their neighbors as they walk along the sidewalk.<br />
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I'm no expert on plagiarism (I will leave it to others more expert than I to continue to address this specific topic), nor do I pretend that my ethics are perfect, but my own experience tells me that our community has become increasingly lax on these issues. <i>I find it ironic that as we strive to provide more guidance, more instruction, and more access not only to genealogical information but to genealogical standards, we find more and more reluctance on the part of some to be cognizant of any ethical mindset. </i><br />
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We all know, or should know, a few things about sharing and ethics and genealogy in general.<br />
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<b>Our genealogy is never "done".</b><br />
Therefore, it only makes sense to cite our sources of information so that those who come after us know where we've been and why. They may want to take a trip there in person to see for themselves.<br />
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<b>We don't "own" facts.</b><br />
My 5th-great-grandfather, Huram Reeve, was born on May 10, 1806, in Wilkes Co., North Carolina. The only reason I give you that fact is that Huram said so - not to me personally, but to various others who interviewed him. Huram was quite a fellow, as it turns out, and loved to talk about the old days in frontier Illinois. I don't "own" his birth date, however. It is a fact, and anyone interested in Huram is free to use that date as his birth date from any publication of mine.<br />
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I use Huram as an example because things began to get more interesting over the years with his information and his likeness.<br />
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<b>Photographs can become a sticky wicket and libraries lose books.</b><br />
There is one known photograph of Huram. As far as I can tell, I'm the only person in the last 80-some years to have found it. I found it by accident in a very old book in a little-accessed corner at the Jacksonville (IL) Public Library about 20 years ago. That book contained photographs of some of the earliest settlers in Morgan County, and on a whim, I looked to see if it might contain one of my ancestors. There, I found a photo of Huram AND his father, Isaac. The special collections librarian assisted me in making a photocopy of these 2 images, as I did not want to harm this old scrapbook by trying to do this myself. I was beyond delighted to have these photocopies and showed them to practically anyone who would stop long enough to look at them. I was so proud of them that I contributed an upload of the 2 photos to an area RootsWeb site. I graciously received photo credit for the uploads on the website, without requesting it, and thought nothing more about it until I went back to the library in Jacksonville to look for more pioneer ancestor photographs (and to obtain a proper source citation for the book), only to discover that <i>the book has disappeared and no one at the library knows what happened to it. </i><br />
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<b>Credit where credit is due. Always. That goes for what I've done and where I've done it. </b><br />
Huram's grandson, John, became a prominent member of Jacksonville also. My cousin and his mother (my great-aunt) had some photos of John and his family, and 2 family photos were taken and copies were made for anyone in the family who wished to have them. This was around the time of the Bicentennial when everyone was doing family history research. I don't know how much it cost to obtain copies of these photos, but I would venture to say it was quite a bit more than it would be today. Being proud of my ancestry, I uploaded these 2 photos to the same website where I had uploaded Huram and his father's photos. Again, I received photo credit without even asking. I then merrily skipped along the sidewalk of the genealogical community, happy that I could have such wonderful photos to share. <i>I also knew the provenance of the original photographs, who made the copies, and how I came into possession of them, all things necessary when using photographs to support your genealogical house. </i><br />
<br />
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.<br />
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<b>I will never post my family tree on Ancestry.com. I will only post to a controlled and linked website. </b><br />
I'm on Ancestry.com checking some census data for a client. I use Ancestry often, and it's well worth the price of admission. Remembering my ties to the state my client's family is from, I paused my attention span and looked for my family in that area. And to what did my wandering eyes should appear (sincerest apologies to Clement Moore) but my 4 photographs on about a dozen family trees. Family trees done by persons I do not know. Family trees with incorrect information (about Huram and Isaac and others). Family trees with no sources. No sources, no photo credit, nothing.<br />
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Not only were these photos, 2 of which I pretty much "found" and 2 of which were literally and physically "mine", posted without my name being attached to them at some point, but <i>credit was not even given to the RootsWeb site where the photos were obtained. They have never been published to Ancestry.com by me.</i><br />
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<b>I'm not a hoarder.</b><br />
To say that I was livid is probably an understatement. My husband has requested permission to share his views on my level of lividity here, but he will have to start his own blog.<br />
<br />
I have shared tons of information over the last 25 years with other researchers from different lines of my family. Most of it was good, solid information, and I admit, a smidgen of conjecture that I have since corrected as my skills have improved. A lot of it arrived via the postal service and may still not be found online. A lot of it came straight from courthouses and libraries because no one had a computer back then. I have met new cousins, online and in person as a result. I consider my own life to have been enriched by knowing where I came from. I cherish the good and the bad (shout out to my Black Sheep). I have volunteered photos, transcribed and read cemeteries, and have gotten lost several times within 25 miles of my own home in the process. I love my ancestral heritage.<br />
<br />
This last revelation about my photographs, plus the latest ethical upheaval in the genealogical community, has really given me pause. Frankly, it's almost enough to make a person consider hoarding their information, if only momentarily. Of course, I won't, and I'm actively cleaning up my genealogy as I write this (boy, do I have a blog post about that subject). As I clean it up for proper publication, it will be "out there" for future researchers, and my daughter, hopefully forever. Remodeling my genealogical house is taking a lot of effort and time, but hey, I don't want to be the ugly house on my genealogical street.<i> It will also be correct to the best of my ability, sourced properly, and with added historical context to fully develop who my ancestors were. Chances are, every photograph will be watermarked, too.</i><br />
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<b>Be polite and ask first. When in doubt, give a shout-out. </b><br />
I have found that it does not take a lot of my time to ask another researcher if I might use a document or a photograph. Really cool things happen when you do that. You meet a distant cousin, most likely, or someone who shares the same interests. More likely than not, more sharing ensues, too. You've met another neighbor here in the community that lives a little further down the street.<br />
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What about those people who don't respond to your inquiry? What about those distant cousins who provided you their family group sheets back in 1981 and have passed away? What do you do about that information, you ask? You acknowledge it. Giving cousin Betty credit, either as a source or even just as a mention in your side notes is the proper thing to do. <i>Most of us didn't get this far without help from others, and they should be given their due - each and every one of them, automatically without their having to ask for it, and whether they are living or dead. </i><br />
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<b>Common courtesy and common sense</b><br />
For most of us, all of this boils down to common courtesy and common sense. Sometimes I feel like the crabby old lady, shaking her cane at the kids and telling them to stay off my lawn, but that's not really who I am. I welcome anyone to visit my genealogical house. All I ask is that you come equipped with some common courtesy and common sense. We'll have a great time relaxing on the front porch, telling old ancestor stories, sharing conclusions, and sipping some sweet tea.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-30094263675940573962013-01-24T21:50:00.000-06:002013-01-24T21:50:48.203-06:00Fabulous Friday - A Fabulous Find - Finally! <br />
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It seems like eons ago, but before my health and life
intervened and stomped upon my genealogical pursuits, I had told you about my
mysterious great-grandfather and BlackSheep ancestor, Arthur B. Alexander, who disappeared back in
1927, leaving his wife and two daughters in Hobart, Oklahoma. I had always
taken Arthur’s disappearance in stride since his mother, Lucy Zook Alexander,
had also eluded my grasp for many years. I was beginning to attribute the
entire lineage to genetics in a wanderlust sort of way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Not anymore. I found Lucy!</div>
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I celebrate this Fabulous Friday post with sheer joy and
yes, a bit of rapture, at this new development. I’ve found people with
accompanying documentation back in the 1630s before. How I could not have found
my own great-great grandmother was just plain silly. Sheepishly, I admit that I
had given up finding her. However, I had forgotten two very important tenets of
genealogy</div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1. <i> There IS
a reason it’s called REsearch.</i> Another blogger said this in a post I read
recently, and it’s a huge, huge reminder of why we do what we do. It’s
particularly applicable to those of us from the snail mail days, the dial-up
modem racing to Compuserve era, and the countless backroom favors granted by
the friendly county clerk brigades. This grand experience of tracing our family
history has come so far, and changes faster than my teenager’s moods. So much
information is “out there” now, and we must not forget to check again – and again
– and again – to re-research those ancestors and brick walls we have put aside
for another day. I had done this with my Lucy, wondering if I would ever find
out what happened to her.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 2. <span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><!--[endif]--><i>Let your ancestors speak to you.</i> I don’t
necessarily mean in a creepy, horror movie kind of way, although I have heard
some interesting “coincidences” over the years. Recording old family stories
may not just be for the preservation of the interviewed and cherised relative, but it may lead
you directly to the information you seek. We’ve all heard about the “three immigrant
brothers”, the “Cherokee Indian blood” we might have, and countless other
genealogical myths. I’ve been fortunate to have communicated with relatives
well into their 80s and 90s who have not only shared information and answered
many of my questions, but have done so with uncanny accuracy. Not all of our
elders are capable of this, but apparently mine were. Still, I have always
taken their “reminiscences” with a heavy grain of salt, at least until I have
the certified document to prove it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lucy’s grand-niece, or Aunt Eva, as I have
always called her, told me time and time again in our many letters back and
forth that Lucy was buried in LaHarpe in Hancock County, Illinois. Lucy’s other
niece told my cousin during a personal visit that Lucy was buried near Augusta,
Illinois, also in Hancock County. I could find no information online to verify
either one of these ladies’ stories, and had yet to travel to Hancock County
personally to try to obtain any record of Lucy’s death. It was partly due to
not knowing when Lucy had died, or if she had died at all or had been involved in a divorce. I had only been able
to pinpoint a time period of between 1900 (after the census was taken) and 1907
when Lucy’s husband, Charles, was married again and living in Oklahoma. Lucy
had disappeared sometime during that seven-year period. Seven years can be a
very long time in genealogical terms, and I couldn’t make a case one way or
another. Yet it stuck in my head that both of these ladies repeated the
information they remembered. </div>
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On a break the other night from doing a little
client work, and I thought of Lucy again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagine my shock when I saw this entry (without the photo - wink) the
other day at <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/">www.FindAGrave.com</a>: <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Alexander&GSfn=Lucy&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1901&GSdyrel=in&GSst=16&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=51282211&df=all&" target="_blank">http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Alexander&GSfn=Lucy&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1901&GSdyrel=in&GSst=16&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=51282211&df=all&</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
You also might have heard my squeals of delight
when I came upon this item shortly thereafter: <a href="http://hancock.illinoisgenweb.org/cemeteries/pulaski/pulaskicemetery.pdf" target="_blank">http://hancock.illinoisgenweb.org/cemeteries/pulaski/pulaskicemetery.pdf</a></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Several page rotations, neck
stretches, and 104 pages later, I found Lucy Alexander – listed along with her
mother, Louisiana Mick Zook, in a cemetery plot owned by Charles Alexander. My
cousin, Mary Elizabeth, was sweet enough to travel to Pulaski Cemetery and take
these photos the next day, and sent them on so they could be posted online. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
There was my long-lost Lucy, right where those ladies said she would be. </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
So, remember to RE-search, and then
research some more. And listen to your ancestors.<i> They
just might be trying to tell you something...fabulous.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-60928591206459178272012-09-10T18:55:00.000-05:002012-09-10T18:55:11.920-05:00Where Were You on September 11th?<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, a return to the blogging sphere for me today after a long and trying absence due to some medical issues. Thank you for your patience along the way. The People are still in the Pencil Box - no worries there - and I have much to write about their lives, and how I came about meeting them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For today, however, so many of us turn to where we were 11 years ago today - September 11, 2001. Being a Midwesterner, I have no story of personal loss, no horror like that of any witness, but I remember the day quite well for different personal reasons. Several years ago, I gathered those thoughts and those feelings and committed them to free verse. And so, I give you, "Your First Day of School", written for my daughter.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your First Day of School</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Today is</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Excited that we have</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>To let you go,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Our glee is holding pinky fingers</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Tightly with our apprehension.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>You’re ready and your dad is making us late,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>As I smoke my third cigarette</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In front of the television news channel I have come to adore</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Almost as much as I do you,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Addicted because Floridians had trouble with ballots.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>What a terrible accident -</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A small plane and a glistening building,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But the rescuers will come and</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I’m hoping not many will die today on</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I need makeup, caffeine and cigarettes</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>To get through this day, I proclaim,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And it happens again</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And they rerun the tape.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I don’t believe it again.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I run to the shower</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>To share the rumors with your dad and</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I know you’re impatiently ready to go because today is</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We’re standing together, once anticipating this day.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Now wondering and watching, I grab another cigarette.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We try to grasp for the gist just out of reach,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Today on</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My compulsive news habit rides with us in the car.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Fumbling with my cigarette and tuning in for more,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It is not necessary to search for news today,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Stations throwing and blasting it out,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Bleating slaughtered lambs and shouting injustice.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I smoke another cigarette</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>To help me listen faster as I drive,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And I keep driving on, because it’s</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>There it is.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>You’re so nervous and jumpy inside</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So was I, but numbness erased my memory of you</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For a time that day as yet</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Another unconfirmed report was a sure thing.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But we walked pinky-finger together</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In the door on</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A warm and welcoming place,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your teacher trying to forget outside the walls but</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Unsure how strong school walls would be that day,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Asking gingerly in code</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>About the world as we knew it an hour before.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Moving from what we knew to what we know now</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In one swift, knowing instant</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>One long silent gaze.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We walk away and leave you</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>There</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Against</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Our feelings of fear and confusion</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Thoughts of betrayal and recrimination,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Justifying your need to remain present and safe,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Normal, we said, on</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>In the parking lot, the planes were stopped,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Buildings burned, estimates not yet considered.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Somewhere something else was coming, crashing,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But this could not be confirmed.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Our government was running and leaving, all at the same time. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I lit that cigarette I needed and</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ripped the torn pinky fingernail on my left hand,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Not ladylike at all,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>But with my teeth</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>As my idling car awaited</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My decision to go, to leave you –</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Should I leave you there - on</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Repeated confirmations punctuate</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My drive back home.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The television news channel, my friend,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Incessantly chants the news,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Shatters the dream and changes forever</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Our relationship.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Crushing my cigarette butt in disgust</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I vow never to forgive it for showing me</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The crush and crumble of buildings,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Free-form falling strangers,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Empty stretchers and idle physicians</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Awaiting business that would never come.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The day goes on,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Husky-eye-blue sky and autumn beginning.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Not a regular day,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Not in the lives of those who demand fuel,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And find none at line’s end.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>They still had not a clue</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Not a wisp or taste or flicker</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Of the impact</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Of that day,</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The deep blue sky imprint of that forever day</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Which was</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Your first day of school.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Written for Madeline, who attended her first day of school on September 11, 2001.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 11.333333015441895px; line-height: 16.5px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>© Krobinson, 10/02/2004</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-29621671166296127972012-01-22T10:47:00.000-06:002012-01-22T10:47:36.647-06:00Unpacking, or Who Moved All of My Cheese?It's been a busy month since I've been away. The holidays and winter break were made interesting as I oversaw the care of my beloved during his hospital stay that began on Christmas night due to an angry gallbladder that was no longer happy residing in his body. Sometimes the best gifts we receive for Christmas are actually the removal of something unwanted, I guess! And what family doesn't like to share during the holidays? I know mine does, though I can think of better things than pneumonia to lovingly pass among my favorite people. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The new year began, and I panicked briefly when it occurred to me just how many wedding planning items were still "unchecked" on my planning list, but I am happy to report that yes, the dress is on the way, and the invitations will be going out next weekend. Whew. April will be here before I know it! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So much for the plans I had for those boxes, including my precious pencil box. I had promised a photo of the box, and some other goodies, but sadly they remain packed away. There are some 40 boxes of genealogy "stuff" that I hope to pare down to a reasonable 30 or so. It's a lofty goal in my mind, and it is quite overwhelming, but I've made up my mind that this will be the year. I'm going to start with one box a month, but I have a feeling that one box every 3 months may end up being the real schedule. And yes, there is that much in these boxes!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've managed to pull a couple of family files and find yet more entertaining aspects of my ancestors' lives. Knowing the who, what, and when is great, but to know that my fourth and fifth-great-grandfathers were winners at the Illinois State Fair is just kinda neat. I've yet to find out whether they won for animals or crops or some other skill, but I'm excited to be able to flesh out their lives so fully. Another ancestor who was the mayor of a nearby town was quite active in the Knights of Pythias, and I have found tons of newspaper articles about his participation in that society. I feel so very fortunate to have had some fairly interesting ancestors, and I cannot wait to share some of their newly-discovered exploits with you here. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One great thing about genealogy is that there is always something new. Another great thing? Nobody is going anywhere <grins>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Stay tuned...and keep the faith!! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-80028146292753784312011-12-16T09:05:00.000-06:002011-12-16T09:05:49.132-06:00Friday Farewell - A Time-Out in Memory of Christopher HitchensThe sad news hit the wires, the mainstream, the social sites, and blogs late last night as <i>Vanity Fair</i> announced the death of Christopher Hitchens at the age of 62. Though it was not always easy to agree with "Hitch", his gift for writing essays, books, and whatever else came from his mind was staggering in its depth of knowledge and was of an eloquent style rarely seen today. Always in the moment and never at a loss for the perfect word, Christopher Hitchens surely will be remembered as one of the top essayists of my lifetime.<br />
<br />
Tributes abound today, and his <i>Vanity Fair</i> editor, Graydon Carter, provides a touching remembrance of his friend and colleague: <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens/graydon-201112#pluck-comments">http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens/graydon-201112#pluck-comments</a><br />
<br />
I'm not sure what Mr. Hitchens would have said about genealogy, and I'm not sure that he had ever had reason to comment on it, so it may seem odd that his death is the subject here. But I enjoyed every word he wrote, knowing full well that he used every word purposefully and passionately, each bit of verbiage thoughtfully included as if to choosing or omitting a word or phrase might destroy an entire work. If only all writers could capture the reader like Hitch did. If only.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Hitch, for sharing your gift. I'll be sipping a scotch later just for you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-63102328451305150772011-12-16T08:19:00.000-06:002011-12-16T08:19:44.040-06:00Removal of Social Security Numbers from SSDIIt seems that political pressure has led to the removal of social security numbers from one of the most accessed databases in genealogy - the SSDI or Social Security Death Index, and the removal of the entire database from RootsWeb.<br />
<br />
You can read Kimberly Powell's About.com article for more details. What do you think about this move, and how much will it impact your research?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://genealogy.about.com/b/2011/12/16/genealogy-sites-pressured-into-removing-ssdi.htm">http://genealogy.about.com/b/2011/12/16/genealogy-sites-pressured-into-removing-ssdi.htm</a>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-26240624382046937352011-12-13T07:47:00.000-06:002011-12-13T07:47:00.332-06:00The Tiny Cemetery – Dangerous Deeds<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As promised, I return now to finish the story and intrigue
surrounding my family’s tiny cemetery. We last left off with my cousins in
disbelief, earth-moving machines tossing grave markers into a creek bed while
looking down the barrel of a shotgun, and both sides believing that they were
the rightful owners of the land in question.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am the fourth great grandniece of Keren Reeve, born in
about 1816 and daughter of the memorial subject of the tiny cemetery, Isaac
Reeve, my fifth great grandfather. Keren never married, and lived the farming
life with her brother, John, for many years until her death. Prior to her death
on 14 May 1885, she deeded the land for the cemetery as “one acre, more or less”
for the purpose of a family burial ground, a very common custom at the time in
Illinois. Her parents and other family members already were at rest there, and
it was Keren’s desire to preserve this land officially for that purpose. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the 1880s, it was still commonplace in Illinois for a
document such as a deed to be written, signed, and witnessed, and then taken to
the court clerk for filing and affixing of the clerk’s seal. Filing at that
time consisted of the clerk copying the document by hand into the clerk’s record.
The dutiful clerk in Morgan County, Illinois, did just that, and as far as
Keren Reeve knew, the land was preserved perpetually as the family cemetery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we’ve all copied things by hand before, right? Maybe it
wasn’t a deed, but some record? Or something simple, like a friend’s Christmas
cookie recipe? A phone number while standing at the mall after you’ve run into
someone you haven’t seen in ages? Did
you ever make a mistake and copy it wrong?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To make a long story short, that’s what the clerk had done. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I’m going to stop for
a second and apologize to the reader for not having the deed images available
to post here today. I wanted to finish this story for those who might be
waiting to find out the gory details, but having moved not too long ago and
being in the midst of planning a wedding (mine), I have not unpacked the most “precious”
of my genealogical goodies. So I’m doing this next part from memory in the
midst of about 30 boxes of family history materials. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The clerk of Morgan County at the time the deed was filed
made an error in transcription. Illinois follows the township mapping system
where everything is nice and neat and square. So instead of the cemetery being
located, for example, in the NE1/4 of NE1/4 of Section 16 Township 15N Range 9W
(which is actually Antioch Cemetery, just down the road) as Keren had written
in the original deed, the clerk wrote “the SE1/4 of the SE1/4 of Section…” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the comparison of the original deed in possession of my
cousin and the deed as transcribed and recorded by the County Clerk showed that
in essence, both parties were correct (though I have often wondered about the
moral turpitude of someone bulldozing a cemetery). The moral case prevailed at
this point, mostly because the damage had already been so extensively done. The
new landowner stopped his destruction, and my cousins were left to tend to what
was left of the tiny cemetery, which they did for many, many years. This
spring, I am mounting a huge clean-up effort to bring the tiny place of rest
back out of the bushes that have now overtaken it while I have been away from
caretaking it. My cousins entrusted me with Keren’s original deed and all of
the affidavits and research that was done to save the cemetery and it is the
least I can do to continue to preserve it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what did I learn from this story? Original documents are
original depending upon what the meaning of “original” is. The best original
document you can possibly find as “proof” of the existence of a person or place
is THE best source to use. It’s important to know the provenance of such an
original – who had it and where was it kept for the past 100 or so years?
Search, search, and search again until you are certain you have exhausted every
angle, every record. Listen to the stories your relatives have to tell, because
they may give you a lot of information, and be quite entertaining to boot. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And no matter how beautiful their handwriting, former clerks
of the court were human, too. <o:p></o:p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-38226766107529632682011-12-13T06:33:00.000-06:002011-12-13T06:33:26.886-06:00Advances in Data Storage - Since 1862The "Abraham Lincoln Observer" blog from the Springfield, Illinois, State Journal-Register <a href="http://www.sj-r.com/blogs/alo/x890736820/Advances-in-data-storage" target="_blank">http://www.sj-r.com/blogs/alo/x890736820/Advances-in-data-storage</a> comes up with some real goodies as it seeks to protect the name of our city's favorite son. I thought this was pretty cute.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKOckmxeFE_NgM5Qjp-ENOEMWm13WHCgT9_7jDVjOOq5mjpDaPHquJsC0Sb_WdLNvDXU0ElOyXqteKwXa5s6S7lGAwZkHm7NcmK_G_AVoqDGSCCaq4AY6hCd2mTcA-z_9UClZ5KoR0S7j/s1600/datastorage1865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKOckmxeFE_NgM5Qjp-ENOEMWm13WHCgT9_7jDVjOOq5mjpDaPHquJsC0Sb_WdLNvDXU0ElOyXqteKwXa5s6S7lGAwZkHm7NcmK_G_AVoqDGSCCaq4AY6hCd2mTcA-z_9UClZ5KoR0S7j/s320/datastorage1865.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-16892280974191410022011-12-10T21:26:00.001-06:002011-12-10T21:39:04.287-06:00RootsTech 2012 Can Sniff My Kindle<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I belong to the Facebook page “I have more books than friends”.
It’s not a high-volume site, but their posts are interesting, and I find it
very comfy to belong there, sort of like relaxing on the couch with an
interesting read. I’ve rarely met a book I didn’t like, especially where the
topic is history or genealogy or some associated subject. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve gotten over the fact that my daughter has utilized online
textbooks for a few years now, though she occasionally stresses the seams of
her backpack. I love the ability to download new books, and to find
out-of-print books online. I keep thinking that I should have saved space by
now using digital books instead of more tall shelves, but alas, I need more
shelves. A couple of people who shall go unnamed have gently suggested that I
might prune my library. Ummm, no. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mention this because of a startling development in the
RootsTech 2012 Conference
(<a href="http://www.rootstech.org/" target="_blank">www.rootstech.org</a>). This is an annual conference geared toward genealogy
through technology – a very worthy undertaking and an educational opportunity
that many of us cannot do without. I say that not having attended the
conference personally, but by virtue of reading and hearing tons of useful output from it
last year. This year, however, the RootsTech group has decided
that we really only need that technology to do our research, that technology is
the only concern one would have while immersed in their educational seminars. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They have banned booksellers from the conference.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m all for technology. It makes my life easier, and at
times, it’s darn fun. I hope the group at RootsTech will rethink their
position, though. If you close your eyes and sniff a Kindle (please forward me photos if you do), does it have that
paper pulp woody smell, or the leatherbound feel of a slightly worn favorite book?
Maybe it’s possible to have a book’s
author sign their work from your mobile phone app, but won’t it slide off into mobile oblivion when
you run your fingers over it? (yes, this could be an issue with me and my touch
screen Android, but I digress) And
honestly, for those purists out there (makes guilty face), is a digital image
really the exact same thing as the original page from the book that's in your hand? Seriously, can you imagine a major genealogy
conference without booksellers (who also sell technology books)? I say pish-posh. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To assume that attendees at RootsTech 2012 would not want to
peruse the many booksellers of the genealogical sphere is absurd. A book is
still a book. I have autographed genealogy books that, to me, are absolute
treasures. Why not be a well-rounded genealogist, and utilize technology AND
good old-fashioned books? That’s what I’ve done, and will continue to do.
Hopefully, RootsTech will re-examine their position, and remember that kindness
and sharing takes the genealogist just as far as technology, and sometimes,
just a little bit farther. <o:p></o:p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-72951296748977406452011-11-27T12:18:00.001-06:002011-11-27T13:02:41.947-06:00BlackSheep Sunday - What Ever Happened To Arthur?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As genealogists, what would we do without our Black Sheep ancestors? They often provide us with immense challenges and great entertainment, which translates sometimes into fits and starts during eons of research hours that ultimately end in a rather large brick wall. In the spirit of the "hunt", I prefer to celebrate these less than model citizens. It also helps to remind myself that it was their conduct or situation that branded them as Black Sheep to begin with, and that I had nothing to do with it, and thus, am free from guilt. </span><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One such infamous character of mine is one Arthur B. Alexander. I know so little about him that he barely qualifies as a Black Sheep, but as many of us have uttered, "something must've happened and it must've been very bad." </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arthur was the grandson of John A. Alexander, a Civil War veteran from Illinois. Arthur's father, Charles, married Lucy Zook in Morgan County, Illinois, on 25 January 1883. Arthur was born near LaBelle, Missouri, on 21 October 1898. At some point between 1900 and July 1907, Arthur's mother, Lucy, disappears from the genealogical picture (at least for now, as I am unable to locate her in any fashion anywhere after 1900, but am told she had died). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In July 1907, Arthur's father is in Roosevelt, Oklahoma Territory and marries one Hattie Harris Adams. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arthur is living with his father and stepmother on the 1910 census, and in 1920, we find him living with his married sister, Naomi Alexander Diehl and her husband. His next appearance is on a marriage license in Hobart, Kiowa County, Oklahoma, on 6 April 1920, where he marries Beulah Slater. Two daughters were born of this union - my grandmother and my great-aunt. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That is the last we find of Arthur B. Alexander.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a divorce petition filed in Illinois by Beulah Slater Alexander, it is claimed that Arthur left his wife and two children on or about 21 December 1927. Despite public notices of the filing, no response was ever received by Arthur to the court, and the divorce was granted in 1934. Both my great-aunt and my grandmother passed away never knowing for sure whatever happened to their father, although the subject was "touchy" for some reason. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being the inheritor of their genealogical notes, I set out to find out what happened to Arthur. Collaterals are always a great way to look around brick walls, so I found tons of information on Naomi, his sister, including locating living descendants of hers in Oklahoma. Eureka, I thought. Maybe they know something. </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They knew something alright. They knew enough to the degree that I was asked not to contact them on the subject ever again. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems that Naomi, Arthur's sister, would not allow any mention or discussion of her brother because of some actions on his part that were less than admirable. One relative said he may have embezzled some money and left the country, but they really weren't sure, and out of respect for Mrs. Diehl (who passed away in 1978) they weren't going to discuss it with me any further. The daughter of this relative contacted me and asked that I not contact their family ever again on the subject, and of course, I have obliged. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I may never know what happened to Arthur. At this point, it doesn't really matter, except that it leaves a blank where a date of death should be, and leaves a hole where a story might be passed on. I still look online occasionally as new records are digitized, and one day must research local newspapers from Oklahoma to see if I might uncover something scandalous and public there. That newspaper search is likely my last hope in knowing something of the story that so shocked one family and tore another apart. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arthur, one day I may just uncover your secret. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-87873874054712991862011-11-22T21:34:00.000-06:002011-11-22T21:48:28.385-06:00GeneaPress: ISGS Announces New “Shop and Support ISGS” Page<a href="http://www.geneapress.com/2011/11/isgs-announces-new-shop-and-support.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geneapress+%28GeneaPress%29"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GeneaPress: ISGS Announces New “Shop and Support ISGS” Page</span></a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you shop at <a href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5518072-10596726" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">Ancestry.com</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/?utm_source=124152&utm_medium=468x60_bnnr&utm_campaign=affil&kbid=124152&m=36&i=15" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">GenealogyBank</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">, </span><a href="http://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/?Click=88321" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">Legacy Family Tree Store</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">, </span><a href="http://www.linkconnector.com/traffic_affiliate.php?lc=058027039335004630&lcpt=0&lcpf=3" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">Shop Family Tree</a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">, and other similar sites? </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">If you do, you now have a way to support the ongoing projects at the Illinois State Genealogical Society through a new affiliate marketing program with the above vendors (and then some). </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Members of ISGS and non-members can use the "Shop and Support ISGS" page, located at </span></span><a href="http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=195" style="background-color: white; color: #3778cd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;">http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=195</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">As an ISGS member, I can assure you that we are busy, busy, busy with some very exciting new projects that will deliver even more information to anyone interested in Illinois ancestors and Illinois history.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">'Tis the season to be shopping, right??? Enjoy...I'm going to go make my list right now! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one thing that I found most disturbing about this discussion was the shifting of emphasis from using the gold standard for citing sources as published in Elizabeth Shown Mills' work "Evidence", and encouraging genealogists to just document their sources and then draw their conclusions. Perhaps my reading of Louis' comments was too literal, but I do not think so. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a reason that Mills' tome is the gold standard and should be on the desk of every serious genealogist out there. The field needs and will require a continuity of standard for citations. To say that one can document a source and then draw infinite and proven conclusions does nothing to improve the field-wide standards we all seek that will allow us to duplicate and double-check any prior work done by another genealogist. It makes a difference "when" you viewed a certain set of records, "where" you viewed them, and the "context" in which you found yourself analyzing them. Records are lost, transcribed incorrectly, moved, re-ordered, and handled every single day, and it behooves us to track ourselves so that others may ultimately track our research.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To encourage genealogists to just document, rather than carefully create proper citations is a step backward, in my humble opinion, and does nothing to further the standards so desperately needed in genealogy. We are striving to better our information and documentation and analysis rather than relying on the research practices of yesteryear. Websites are chock-full of "conclusions" that are drawn from poorly cited, rarely documented information that is basically meaningless except to serve as an example of what NOT to do with your family history. There is a proof standard, and it should be applied to every bit of information we gather, especially before it is set out for public consumption. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Granted, some genealogists are perhaps not as serious as others about their family history, but for the sake of generations to come, instead of making things less cumbersome for the casual family researcher, we should embrace them and help them, and teach them how valuable their information is, and in what fashion it can best be preserved. I do not think this point can be stressed enough. <i><u>You simply cannot have documentary proof without proper citation. An experiment in any other field must be reproducible. Genealogy should be no different if it is to be worthy of its legacy.</u></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Louis, we need you to keep working on the GEDCOM conversion standards. Your sorting of tags and the things that I see as "gobbledy-gook" most certainly must be improved if we are all to preserve our work in a communicable manner. But let's keep the standards high in all aspects of what we do, and whichever part of the field we're involved in. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you, Randy, for your wise analysis of Louis' post. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, I do have a copy of Mills' book on my desk at all times. We all should. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-85530308755078104162011-11-21T17:18:00.001-06:002011-11-21T17:29:21.051-06:00Manic Monday Thank You<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow! Thank you to Thomas at Geneabloggers for the blog plug, and for all of my new readers, and those who left such kind comments about my new endeavour. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope to sprinkle in some good, sound genealogical principles and research tips as I talk about my family history research. Who doesn't need tips on organization, good sources properly cited, and offbeat ways of bringing those people in your pencil box to life?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ahh, yes, the pencil box. Perhaps I should provide a photo and an explanation for that very soon. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More photos, too. Some that are truly amazing and bigger than a pencil box.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Original papers? Yep, have those. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of which...now where did I put that deed I was talking about the other day *wink*. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, thank you for your kind and welcoming comments. I hope to continue to pique your interest and have you coming back for more. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-62692401024733829942011-11-19T14:12:00.000-06:002011-11-19T14:12:35.180-06:00148th Anniversary of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out this marvelous celebration and recitation of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, originally given 148 years ago today. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;">"The Gettysburg Address recited by some of the best voiceover talent in the country: David McCullough, Ken Burns, Sam Waterston, Matthew Broderick, Stephen Lang and Medal of Honor recipient Paul W. Bucha. Musical score provided by Oscar-winning composer John Williams. Video was created in opposition to a proposed casino 1/2 mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park. All celebs, crew, editors, and musicians volunteered for No Casino Gettysburg. </span><a class="yt-uix-redirect-link" dir="ltr" href="http://www.nocasinogettysburg.org/" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4272db; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.NoCasinoGettysburg.org">http://www.NoCasinoGettysburg.org</a>"</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And to think that this speech was originally thought a failure by many, and doubted perhaps by Lincoln himself. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMMzY1KJVeo" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMMzY1KJVeo</a></div><div><br />
</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-77423812115135241722011-11-19T08:15:00.001-06:002011-11-19T08:16:34.852-06:00Back to the Tiny Cemetery - Markers and Dozers and Shotguns, Oh My!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will recall from an earlier post that the "tiny cemetery" was, indeed, quite tiny and contained a wooden sign and three headstones. Two of the three stones were original, the largest marking the grave of one Isaac Reeve, born in North Carolina, who died in Morgan County, Illinois, in 1860. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was one other large modern stone in the cemetery listing all of the "known" burials. It was placed by the Reeve Family Association in 1993. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjfPySi8HP7MErLcI6c0x8Xs56G1dQow__uC-Xvmpjf5i0CEOpatnhdorClaKoa7CP7vlJbn8Zs_XhmbRqPO87sTWutQ6mKCjJkWYf90fmYYHb_l8UKU4m5zF6OQrgC2mTWC7GT3bkNaa/s1600/IsaacReeveCemeteryMonument1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjfPySi8HP7MErLcI6c0x8Xs56G1dQow__uC-Xvmpjf5i0CEOpatnhdorClaKoa7CP7vlJbn8Zs_XhmbRqPO87sTWutQ6mKCjJkWYf90fmYYHb_l8UKU4m5zF6OQrgC2mTWC7GT3bkNaa/s320/IsaacReeveCemeteryMonument1993.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Immediately it was clear that something was seriously amiss. Where were all of the other stones and markers? Surely this cemetery had to encompass more land than what I was standing on. Where did it go?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was at this point that I met my distant cousins and caretakers of this cemetery, known as the "Isaac Reeve Memorial Cemetery". They were a delightful older couple, and I could instantly tell that this was a story they very much enjoyed telling. I only wish that I had recorded their voices as they explained to me what had happened, because the inflection and the give-and-take between Raymond and Lytha (my cousins) only made the telling of it at that moment worth solid gold. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lytha began by telling me about the family association, and how it was formed. She showed me the original deed to the cemetery that they had kept all of these years, showing that Keren Reeve, Isaac's daughter, had deeded a portion of her farm for the purpose of a family burial ground, as was customary in many families in this area in the mid to late 1800s. She gave me a photocopy of the deed to keep.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was about this time that Raymond began to speak. As a matter of fact, in his earnest to tell the tale of the tiny cemetery, he would interrupt Lytha with little comments about this person or that timeframe such that it was almost comical. Then Raymond took over, and I finally learned what happened years before.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots were being sold in the 1950s along the county highway where the cemetery is located. Apparently, a gentleman bought the lot adjacent to the cemetery with the intent to build a home there. Not a big deal, right?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raymond was driving home one afternoon after work, and to his disbelief, there were bulldozers on the land - the cemetery land - turning over dirt and grave markers (and heaven knows what else). He immediately stopped alongside the road and asked what was going on. He was told that the dirt was being moved to make room for the foundation of the new home. Raymond pointed to the tossed stones, some of which had fallen down into a nearby creek, and said, you can't do that, this is a cemetery. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope, said the new landowner, this is my property now, and I can do with it whatever I want. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wish I could convey to you the animation with which Raymond told the next part of the story, but sadly, you will have to bear with my narrative. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raymond proceeded to go home, called the sheriff, grabbed his shotgun, and flew back down the road to where the cemetery and bulldozers were. He demanded that the bulldozing stop or else, and I can honestly say I give the man in the bulldozer credit for ceasing his dozing, as I think Raymond very much meant what he said. The sheriff showed up and tried to calm the parties down, and eventually after an exchange of words, both Raymond and the new landowner agreed to go their separate ways and to investigate the boundaries of the land before anything further was done. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lytha then picked up the story, as she was instrumental in visiting the courthouse and double-checking on the property boundaries. Of course, she had the original deed, so in her mind and in Raymond's, there was a clear demarcation, and that the land had been trespassed upon and the cemetery destroyed. They also went back to the cemetery to rescue the turned-over markers, but found none. Affidavits from older residents in the area were collected, and all of them stated that there had been a dozen or so grave markers in that cemetery before the bulldozing incident. Raymond and Lytha had their ducks in a row, it seemed, and had covered all of the bases.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At about that time in their storytelling, I happened to glance down at the photocopy of the deed Lytha had given me, and I noticed a few words underlined in red pencil. <i><u>Those underlined words would be the crux of the entire existence of the cemetery from its beginning to its near-demise.</u></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just a few words in a deed. Not just any deed either. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Next: What I learned about 19th century deeds, the hard way...</i></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-51333052685058303352011-11-19T04:52:00.000-06:002011-11-19T04:52:09.579-06:00Historians to dissect "Killing Lincoln" at presidential museum - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-RegisterHistorians to dissect "Killing Lincoln" at presidential museum - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register<br />
<a href="http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1425130374/The-Abraham-Lincoln-Observer-Historians-to-dissect-Killing-Lincoln-at-presidential-museum">http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1425130374/The-Abraham-Lincoln-Observer-Historians-to-dissect-Killing-Lincoln-at-presidential-museum</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This should be a most interesting gathering of Lincoln scholars as they discuss Bill O'Reilly's handling of the Lincoln Assassination. I just might "have" to go!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, if you have never been to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, it's quite a treat. We are fortunate to be surrounded by this man's legacy, and to nearly walk the same paths he once walked. </span><br />
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8632465425336803346.post-58558185000833987382011-11-17T07:46:00.000-06:002011-11-17T07:46:58.209-06:00Thankful Thursday - They're Not New Here<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to be jealous of all of those genealogists out there who found their ancestors' names in the vast rolls of those coming through Ellis Island to become American citizens. To have such a monument one could point to, that one could visit, just seemed to me to be the ultimate in genealogy fame. Early on in my research, I looked at names on the Ellis Island lists and hoped that just maybe, "that one" belonged to me. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No such luck. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I continued on my path, however, I began to realize that maybe I was the lucky one. There was no Ellis Island in 1628 when the Winthrop Fleet arrived in Massachusetts, but my ancestors got off the boat anyway. New Amsterdam was geographically close, but my ancestors lived and worked there without having gone through those turnstyles and gates. One ancestral line arrived in New Orleans, traveling by boat to the frontier of Illinois, writing letters back to England about the opportunities that could be found here. Those folks from Massachusetts eventually came to Illinois by flatboat down the Ohio River. An entire North Carolina family braved Cumberland Gap, stopped in Tennessee, and came on to Illinois before statehood in 1818. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both my maternal and paternal lines, and most of their branches, were established in Illinois before 1840. That's 170 years of being neighborly, considering that 90 percent of them have lived within two or three adjoining counties. When I think of the convergence of these lines (and utter a slight giggle at the rather "close" convergence of a couple of them), I realize just how thankful I am that I need not go far from home to bring my ancestry to life. They're not new here. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps that says something about how exciting my ancestors were. Perhaps that says something about the constitution of my ancestors, about their goals and dreams, and their strengths and weaknesses. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or perhaps, just perhaps, they knew I was coming. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10244376105048170573noreply@blogger.com1