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Friday, May 31, 2013

Follow Friday - Favorites for May 31, 2013

Favorites is my weekly list of favorite genealogy, history and random finds from across the Net.
Celebrity wedding cakes prized by collectors
"She That's Here Interred Needs No Versifying"
FamilySearch goes behind the scenes of image capturing
How that nineteenth-century handwriting got so pretty
Nancy at My Ancestors and Me shares some lovely family quilts
A beautiful textile sample book from the 1880s and 1890s
Long lost art is found wearing a price tag
Is the apostrophe a dying breed?
Judy, The Legal Genealogist reminds us that sharing is forever at FamilySearch.com
Turn old recipe cards in to a treasured gift
What to pack for WWII
Beef tea, potato pie and duff pudding: How to eat like a WWI Tommy
A ghost's a crowd at Jollett, Etc.
 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Spring 1942 again

My great-grandfather, Audrey Burnett, in Spring 1942. His wife's version of the photo was featured here.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day


A repost, but important enough to state again.

Memorial Day was officially established as a national holiday in 1971, although celebrating the day actually began soon after the civil war. Memorial Day is designated as a day to remember the men and women who gave their lives in the service of their country, whereas Veteran's Day is designed to honor all veterans, dead or alive. Today I remember members of my family that made the ultimate sacrifice.

2nd Lieutenant Jesse C. Turnage
Co. D, 51st Enrolled Missouri Militia
Civil War
Killed 18 July 1864


Sgt. James Smith Trabue
356th Infantry Regiment
89th Infantry Division
World War I
Killed 11 November 1918

TEC 5 Warren Edward Kuhn
814th Tank Destroyer Battalion
World War II
Killed 17 March 1945

Friday, May 24, 2013

Follow Friday - Favorites for May 24, 2013

Favorites is my weekly list of favorite genealogy, history and random finds from across the Net.
Help Heather at Nutfield Genealogy grow her Honor Roll project
Wendy at Jollette, Etc. shares some women and their wheels
Kathryn at Kathryn's Quest shares her connection to the anniversary of the NASA Skylab
Nancy at My Ancestors and Me creates a back story for a set of old photographs and see Nancy's great detective work to locate an ancestor's house today based on an old photo and map
Some historic Arkansas Quilts for your viewing pleasure
Heather at Nutfield Genealogy shares a great list of New Hampshire blogs
Love these great photos of Wendy's grandma at Shaking Leaves
A beautiful sugar bowl from Every Stone is a Story
Some great wedding photos at Family History and Other Things
Google-Fu for Genealogy at Roots and Blood
How the latest version of The Great Gatsby gets flappers all wrong
The history of the barber's pole
A WWI athlete's story at Pages from the Ancestry Binder
View U.S. Colored Troops service records for free at Fold3.com from May 22-31
 


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Spring 1942

My great-grandmother, Ruth Burnett, in spring 1942

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Living in Tornado Alley

Hearing the news of the devastating tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma yesterday, I couldn't help but be reminded of my days of living in tornado alley. I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and every spring and summer we dealt with the fear of tornadoes. I lived there for 26 years before I moved and there was only one time when I had to face the green, sickly skies up close and personal.
Davidson Elementary School
I was attending school at Davidson Elementary in Kansas City North. I think I must have been in fourth grade. I vividly remember that tornado sirens were going off and our teachers escorted us to the downstairs hallway, that had no windows. As we passed the front door of the school I saw that tell-tale green sky. As we sat crowded together in the basement, I remember my friend Laura crying uncontrollably because she was worried about her mother. I remember feeling the need to be calm and talking with her to try to help her understand that her mother would know what to do to be safe.

Luckily, a tornado didn't touch down. If there was one, it was brief and completely missed the school. It wasn't until a year or so after I moved away that a tornado touched down a block from my childhood home.

My heart is sick today thinking of the poor folks in Moore. I know that life is not about things, but as a genealogist I can't help but also mourn the memories that have been lost. I wish the people of Moore the strength to get through this horrible day and the weeks to come.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Follow Friday - Favorites for May 17, 2013

Favorites is my weekly list of favorite genealogy, history and random finds from across the Net.
Girls and young women beware
The Legal Genealogist reminds us that They Also Served: Women in the military
Beautiful images of Paris shop fronts at The Bees Knees Daily
Genealogy Roadshow Coming to PBS this fall
Everyone needs Chocolate therapy...try this version
A 92-year-old shoe cobbler is the pride of his town
An interesting tale of Frank Baum, the Wizard of the Wizard of Oz at Filiopietism Prism
Annmarie at Skipping Down Memory Lane has finally found a missing child from her family tree!
The Genealogy Guys celebrate their 250th podcast
Mocavo reinvigorates Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness through Genealogy Karma
Donna at Finding Ellen makes a genealogical trip through my stomping grounds
A beautiful and unique brooch at Caroline's Chronicles
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Home on leave

My great-uncle, Bill Burnett on his first leave home from the war. The lovely lady is unidentified.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A slow down

There are times when real life seems to push my "past" life out of the way. Right now is one of those times. There are big changes going on with the living right now which I hope to be able to share with you all soon. For the time being, my posts may be few and far in between so please bear with me! I very much enjoy reading your posts and getting your feedback to my various thoughts so I hope to be back sooner rather than later. Thank you!

Friday, May 10, 2013

Follow Friday - Favorites for May 10, 2013

Favorites is my weekly list of favorite genealogy, history and random finds from across the Net.
This Month in History: Selective Service Act of 1917
Long lost mental asylum drawings create a stir
Follow a great research find at A Southern Sleuth: Part I, Part II and Final 
Fashion Friday at The Bees Knees Daily: Spring and Summer fashions from 1915
May Day was really moving day?
The lewd women made me do it...
Meat Pie, Anyone? The True Story of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
A Scrap of Fabric That Could Save a Downed Pilot's Life
Foundling Tokens: For Surrendered Children, a Final Tie to Family
Late Arrivals, Goldfish, and Guinea Pigs: Unofficial Soldiers' Clubs of WWII
Bill West shares his Bad Boy Plymouth Colony ancestors
Some great southwest travel photos by Wendy at Shaking Leaves
A yummy granola recipe at My Ancestors and Me

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Fun at the beach

My mom searching for shells at the beach. I believe this was during a vacation to Florida in 1980.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Tuesday's Tip - Google Alerts for family finds

I have written about using Google Alerts to monitor the unauthorized distribution of your blog content. Today, I'll share how Google Alerts work to find new family information.
Google Alerts is a tool that allows you to set up automatic searches for new web content that interests you. Google scans the web for your entries and sends you an email when something new related to your search is posted on the web. I have set up a Google Alert for the name of my blog and some of my more interesting posts just to monitor if someone uses the content without my approval. But another great use of Google Alerts is to search for content about family names.

A couple of years ago I set up a Google Alert to search for the name: Roelker. Just last week I received a hit on the alert, sending me to a news article from Cortez, Colorado. Amazingly, the article was posted about a German community that the Roelkers helped to form in southwest Colorado. It gave details as to exactly where the family lived and now I have someone to reach out to for more information. I would have probably never come across this great article if it weren't for my Google Alert. In fact, I did a regular Google search for "Roelker" and the same article did not show up. I even helped the search by adding the city "Cortez" and still did not find the article.

Google is a powerful tool for searching for your ancestors and Google Alerts makes the work easy. You can set up as many alerts as you like and manage how many times a day Google alerts you with links relevant for your search. In order to not have your inbox explode with information I suggest narrowing down your alerts to more unique family names or locations.

Do you use Google Alerts? How have they helped (or hindered) your research?

A big thank you to Geneabloggers!


Yesterday I was the featured blogger on the on-going Geneabloggers series "May I Introduce You To." It was such a pleasure to be asked and I've already been introduced to some new bloggers. A big thank you to Gini of Ginisology for all her work on this great series. And thank you to all my readers for your supportive comments...you make this such a wonderful hobby!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Military Monday - 90th Division World War I Soldiers


90th Infantry Division Soldiers, World War I. (L-R) Mart Ashurst, Harry F. Mahon, H.F. Beardsley, E.C. Barnes, Fred Dring.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

John Wilkes Booth DNA - Update

Two years ago, I wrote a post about John Wilkes Booth's DNA. A post which has become, by far, the most read post on my blog. It stemmed from an article I read that stated the family of Edwin Booth was trying to conclusively determine if it was actually John Wilkes Booth that was killed in a tobacco barn in Port Royal, Virginia, or if he survived and went on to lead a relatively obscure life.

Their family legend is that John Wilkes Booth survived and lived for many more years. Using modern DNA testing, the family was hoping to compare the remains of Edwin Booth (John's brother) with those believed to be John Wilkes Booth to definitively conclude that it was indeed John that was killed.

As it turns out, their efforts have been thwarted. The family had hoped to obtain access to three vertebrae that reside in the collection of the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C., which is managed by the U.S. Army Medical Command but the Army rejected their request. The fear of degrading the 150-year-old specimens was just to great for the museum.

From the beginning of Booth's killing the identity of the body found in the barn has been in question. It looks like it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

To read a full article about the John Wilkes Booth DNA saga, click here.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Follow Friday - Favorites for May 3, 2013

Favorites is my weekly list of favorite genealogy, history and random finds from across the Net.
Beautiful vintage travel posters at Frequent Traveler Ancestry reminded me of these travel posters
Queen Bee at The Bees Knees Daily shares great photos of a circa 1962 department store
Finding Maggie's Fork at Ellie's Ancestors
Wild west justice: Fort Smith criminal case files now online
Free 1940s patterns to knit
Civil war tear catchers
The murder of Blanche Hendricks at Ahnentafel...Genealogically speaking
Social media and genealogy at adult care centers by a Worthington Weblog
Film about last WWI veteran presses for national memorial in D.C.
A WWI Soldier's story
 

 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Treasure Chest Thursday - The Screwdriver

You may think it strange, but one of my dearest treasures is a screwdriver.
The Screwdriver
This is my beloved screwdriver. Squirreled away from my parents' house many years ago I have coveted this tool for as long as I can remember. It belonged to my father and was his go-to screwdriver for any task. This was the "go get my screwdriver" screwdriver. The blotches of paint signify the varying colors of paint cans it was used to open and remind me of the many colors of our house. The shaft of the screwdriver is reversible making it both a flat and Phillips head screwdriver.

It has now become the go-to screwdriver in our family. We've used it to fix broken toys, make updates to our first house and teach our children how to use tools. The best part of this treasure? Every time I use it I think of my dad and there is no better reason to love it.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Gone Fishin'

My brother and great-grandfather, Clifton White, with their catch.