The Keough Corner

Motivation Monday ~ February 2012 Goals

2012-02-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

February is the shortest month so I'm going to do my best to be realistic about what I can get accomplished this month. If you joined us last month, you know the drill. For any newbies, this is a three part meme.

Publish a post on the first Monday of the month that includes your goals (mine are broken down in five areas ~ research, organization, blogging, writing and education).
Monitor your achievements and pitfalls during the month (you can be as transparent as you want to be).
Publish a post at month end discussing what got done, how it got done, what didn't get done (usually placed on the following month's list) and what you learned along the way. This last part is the most important in my view because it is always helpful to get tips, tricks and ideas from my fellow goal setting Geneabloggers. Thanks again to Stephanie at Corn & Cotton (check out her February Goals and the whole meme thing) for helping me stay focused in 2012. Why not join in the fun and get some genealogy goals accomplished with the rest of us this year.

Without further ado, here are my February Goals.

Research

I need to continue to organize and analyze my Newfoundland research. My research trip to Newfoundland was in August 2009. I acquired so much information and it has been really helpful in putting together the various Plate Cove families and piecing together my Newfoundland family history. However, I am still not finished incorporating the research into a fully searchable database. The drop dead date for having all of the photographs, documents, and research organized is August 2012. This month I am going through all the work I have already done, making a list of what still needs to be done, and making a schedule for actually getting the work done. This project involves both research and organization.

Organization

The end is in sight so I need to continue working on the remaining census entries for my USA Census Excel Workbook. April 2 is going to be here soon and I want to be ready to move on to the 1940 USA Census.

Blogging

I am enjoying the prompts and plan to continue to blog each week using the 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy meme. Why not join us?
I am starting to work on a blog post about my grandfather Ernest William Lidman (so it will be finished in time for the anniversary of his birth). I find that these types of posts are interesting to family members and they have even turned up some new-to-me relatives.

Writing

I plan to spend some time on the Genealogy in the Classroom website and an education module (for a heritage fair) that is used in a local 6th grade class. I would like to try to improve both the educational and family history/genealogy aspects while increasing the fun factor for the students. Any thoughts out there on what turns 6th graders on to family history ~ please share!

Education

I plan to watch the RootsTech 2012 presentations that will be made available for those of us not attending in person. I downloaded the schedule, syllabi and handouts, put them in my OneNote Genealogy Notebook, and plan to follow along from home this year.

February 2-4 was the genealogy and technology fun fest otherwise known as RootsTech 2012. I made a point to watch much of the first day's presentations live (and even broke down and signed up for Twitter so I could keep up with all the comments and make a few of my own). Luckily for all of us, the RootsTech organizers made each of the live streamed presentations available to watch (or watch again) at our convenience. Thank you RootsTech ~ it was quite an education.

I signed up to attend DearMyrtle's RootsTech Review webinar tonight to find out what others thought of RootsTech and to share my thoughts as a virtual attendee.

Motivation Monday: January Genealogy Goals ~ Check!

2012-01-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

January is just about finished and it's Monday, so it's time to check in on my genealogy goals/resolutions.

Thanks to jscreationzs
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

Research

I finished my Shoebox project on Ancestry.com by downloading and saving all my “international records.” I also switched my Ancestry.com membership from World to USA. Since I am working on my USA and Newfoundland research this year, this as a cost savings and it will keep me focused on my research goals!

Organization

Both my paper and my computer Norwegian and Swedish Notebooks are complete. This project was an excellent proving ground for what will be my larger paper and computer organization projects and will be the focus of its own blog post – stay tuned over on Scandia Musings & More.
My USA Census Excel Workbook ~ during the past two weeks I worked on the 1880 Census entries for my extended family members. I plan to write about this project and show examples in the near future. This is a continuing work in progress to get ready for the 1940 US Census release in April. How are you coming on preparing for the 1940 Census release?

Blogging

Four posts in for the 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy meme (only 48 more to go!). It has been helpful not only to think and write about Amy Coffin’s weekly prompt, but also to read others’ responses.
I blogged about my grandmother Dora Josephine Murphy here ~ the personal posts are always a nice way to connect with family who oftentimes have no interest in genealogy but do have lots of interest in our relatives/ancestors.
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun was interesting and gave me some additional avenues of research over at Scandia Musings & More (ah, those maternal paternal relations!). Thanks Randy!

Writing

I finished writing a “guest blog post" about my family’s slide/photo scanning and organization project for Marian's Roots and Rambles, written by Marian Pierre-Louis. Photos are together but I need to hear back from Marian on how she wants/needs to receive it for “publication.” Follow-up email is definitely necessary!
Google+ is my second online stop in the morning. I am thrilled that there is such a vibrant genealogy community/circle on Google+. Thanks to all of you who contribute and keep me up-to-date on what is happening in the genealogy world.

Education

There were so many webinars at the beginning of January and then a bit of a slow down after the 15^th. However, today I am attending Dear Myrtle’s Webinar Google Reader Update.

My genealogy goals were definitely accomplished in January. Maybe it was the weather, or the newness of those resolutions, or the camaraderie of those other geneabloggers. Whatever it was, it worked. After today's webinar, I willgive some serious thought to my goals for February. Kudos to my goal-oriented geneablogger pals (an even dozen listedover at Corn & Cotton: My Family's Story) ~ I am keeping up with your goalposts and am very impressed! Cheers.

Thanks to renjith krishnan
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

Keep climbing one rung at a time to reach those goals!

My Take On The Bucket List GeneaMeme

2012-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay - I am late to the game but here is my list. This was a fun meme and there is lots I would like to do! How about you?

The instructions (or key) are as follows:
The list should be annotated in the following manner:

Things you would like to do or find: Bold Type
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments after each item

Where does Redbreast fit in
on my Bucket List?

The genealogy conference I would most like to attend is... this is a tossup EITHER Jamboree 2012 OR RootsTech 2013 (the bloggers make them sound like so much fun and the presentations sound so informative)
The genealogy speaker I would most like to hear and see is... Elizabeth Shown Mills - she is the real deal, I saw her once and she packed so much information into the 3 talks that my brain almost exploded. But seriously, I heard so many great tips that my research improved, I finally understood citations, I started grouping families with cluster research, and I had a new lease on life (okay three of four). I am now ready for another helping of her knowledge – oh and she was incredibly personable and so genuine.
The geneablogger I would most like to meet in person is... this is a tossup between Jennifer Geraghty of 'On a flesh and bone foundation – she is an amazing writer/photographer and her blog simply makes my soul sing! OR Thomas MacEntee – I want to find out how he does it - we all have the same number of hours in the day, so I’m wondering if he made a deal with the devil?
The genealogy writer I would most like to have dinner with is... John Grenham, I want to pick his brain about my Irish research and he wrote the definitive book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors – it would be a long dinner, a late night and several fingers of Redbreast.
The genealogy lecture I would most like to present is... Hooking the Next Generation & Reeling Them In – the future of genealogy is our youth and we need to encourage them to learn about their families, their history, the countries their ancestors originally came from, the religion, politics, geography and culture that make them unique and part of this bigger community.
I would like to go on a genealogy cruise that visits... Slovenia & Italy – the nice warm Adriatic Sea for me!
The photo I would most like to find is... a family photo of Andrew Kough & Catherine Aylward taken in 1850 (this way I would have Andrew & Catherine as well as all their children, some of them already married with families of their own – oh and I want a family tree with all their information handwritten on the back – not asking too much am I?).
The repository in a foreign land I would most like to visit is... The Rooms (The Archives in St. John’s, Newfoundland – and I need a summer – that way I can get through a portion of their amazing collection and I want retired professor Dr. John Mannion (geography at Memorial University) to be at my side giving me pointers.
The place of worship I would most like to visit is...The church in County Carlow where my ancestors were born, married, and buried (together with the church records noting all their names, dates and places together with extended and affiliated families).
The cemetery I would most like to visit is.... the Roman Catholic Cemetery in St. Mullins (if that is where all those family members are buried).
The ancestral town or village I would most like to visit is.... St. Mullins, County Carlow, IRELAND.
The brick wall I most want to smash is... crossing the pond to find Michael Daniel O’Murphy and Honora Agnes Butler’s origins – I want to find those families in County Kerry and County Cork, IRELAND before Michael and Honora each came to the USA.
The piece of software I most want to buy is... Legacy Family Tree 8.0 – still contains all the great stuff it has now but also includes a Research Manager/To Do section that is coordinated and an improved group attachment for sources & events/facts (go ahead and cherry pick from RootsMagic, I won’t tell).
The tech toy I want to purchase next is ... a tablet – not sure if that is an iPad or something else, the jury is still out.
The expensive book I would most like to buy is... hmmm, I will need to give this some thought.
The library I would most like to visit is... this one is a tie – and I want both the Family History Library, hey it’s the genealogy mecca; and the Library of Congress – scads of great stuff, oh and I want John Philip Colletta as my personal tour guide!
The genealogy related book I would most like to write is... The Irish, Norwegian, Slovenian, and Swedish Genealogy Pie that is my Keough, Murphy, Kocevar & Lidman Families – with all the information found and cited, with great stories and photographs!
The genealogy blog I would most like to start would be about... I have two blogs (The Keough Corner and Scandia Musings & More) so I’m good!
The journal article I would most like to write would be about... The Families of Plate Cove, Newfoundland and Surrounding Villages – from Ireland to Newfoundland – who they were and what became of them.
The ancestor I most want to meet in the afterlife is... Catherine Alyward – who are your people and why isn’t there a Catholic marriage record for you and Andrew until after your fifth child? Where is an earlier marriage recorded (perhaps in the Protestant church). Please tell me all about who your children married, those sons and daughters-in law’s people, and all your grandchildren. Oh, and where is your tombstone? An enquiring mind (mine) wants to know!!

Is there anything else on yourGenealogy Bucket List?

Why yes Jill – thereare a few things more things on my Genealogy Bucket List (thanks for asking - can you grant wishes?).

Be the first non-celebrity on Who Do You Think You Are? Please help me with my research let’s getsome of those questions answered!

Get a grant to model anational program for the schools Genealogyin the Classroom (using the great program by the Victoria GenealogicalSociety) AND AskGranny (or Granddad) to help seniors and youth connect with family history –use local, state and national genealogical organizations, libraries andarchives to encourage our youth to learn and our seniors to share our history – it would make us all better citizensof the world.

My Favorite Free Genealogy Site

2012-01-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

Cue the Mission Impossible music ~ Your mission this 3rd week of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, should you choose to accept it ~

Free Online Genealogy Tools: Free online genealogy tools are like gifts from above. Which one are you most thankful for? How has it helped your family history experience?

The winner, hands down is FamilySearch.org. This site has it all - whether you want to learn the process of family history/genealogy, ask questions or ask for translations, learn to research online in either USA or international records, browse images, or check out indexed records, it is all here and it is all FREE. I am especially thankful for the following images, research wikis and research courses:

Newfoundland Vital Records
Ireland research (7 lessons) and research wiki
Newfoundland research (2 lessons)
USA research (100 lessons) and the Nebraska and Washington research wikis

Thanks Family Search for all you and those amazing volunteers do and for making it available to the rest of us. Mission accomplished!

Remembering My Grandmother ~ Dora Josephine Murphy

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Please excuse me forbackdating this post but I wanted to share a little bit about my grandmotherDora Josephine Murphy on the anniversary of her birth. My grandmother died before I was born, infact before my parents were even married. I don’t recall my father mentioning her much as I was growing up. Last year on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are, Rosie O'Donnell said that the Irish don’t discuss deceased familymembers unless pressed. As a result she knew littleabout her mother. I think that she wasspot on, as my parents did not discuss Dora or have many family pictures out during my childhood.

My “memories” of mygrandmother came from a couple of of stories told at family get-togethers and a fewphotographs. I do recall that we went toMurphy family reunions when I was young but that was more about having a picnicand playing with cousins than learning anything about our family. I don’t recall anyone in our family beinginterested in genealogy with the exception of my Aunt Doreen. Sadly she died in Nov 2000 before I started this “journey,” and most of her work has not been shared. When my cousin Meagan put up that draft family treeat our 2005 Keough family reunion, she mentioned the existence of a Murphy Family booklet that was givento family members in 1982. At my request, my mother found their copy and gave it to me. The stories and photos in that booklet began my Murphy family research and helped me learn about my grandmother's people. On theanniversary of her birth, I thought I would share the information I havegathered so far by following the paper trail.

Dora Josephine Murphy[Keough]

(19 Jan 1899 – 23 Jul 1953)

My grandmother was born on 19Jan 1899 in Burlington, Skagit County, Washington, the eighth child of LawrenceEdward Murphy & Catherine Matilda Murphy (that’s right a Murphymarrying a Murphy ~ but no relation). Shewas one of 12 children (4 boys and 8 girls). Dora’s father was born in Nebraska; her mother was born in NewYork. Dora’s parents met and married inNebraska, where both their families had settled. Dora’s grandparents James Joseph Murphy & Eleanor Kieleyand MichaelDaniel O’Murphy & Honora Agnes Butler all emigrated from the South of Ireland (Counties Carlow, Cork and Kerry) to the United States.

My Murphy Tree ~ A Work In Progress
Can You Help?

Dora was born eight yearsafter her parents moved to Washington from Nebraska. The family homesteaded near Port Angeles,logged, and later owned a hotel at Maple Falls (at the end of the railroad at thefoot of Mount Baker). Dora appeared with her family on the 1900 USCensus for Avon, Skagit, Washington. The six oldest children (2 boys and 4 girls)were named after Lawrence and Catherine’s parents and Catherine’s grandmothers(a common Irish naming pattern).

1900 US Census - page 1, Ancestry.com

1900 US Census - page 2, Ancestry.com

The abstracted census entryreads as follows:

(1) Lawrence Murphy - head, Apr 1862, 38, married14 years, born in Nebraska, father born in Ireland, mother born in Ireland,engineer sta, rents house.

(2) Catherine Murphy - wife, Aug 1864, 35,married 14 years, borne 8 children, 8 children living, born in New York, fatherborn in Ireland, mother born in Ireland.

(3) Eleanor K. Murphy - daughter, Sep 1886, 13,born in Nebraska, attends school.

(4) Nora A. Murphy - daughter, May 1888, 12, bornin Nebraska, attends school.

(5) James Murphy - son, May 1888, 12, born inNebraska, attends school.

(6) Michael D. Murphy - son, Apr 1890, 10, bornin Nebraska, attends school.

(7) Mary Murphy - daughter, Aug 1892, 7, born inNebraska, attends school.

(8) Margaret Murphy - daughter, Nov 1894, 5, bornin Washington.

(9) Catherine Murphy - daughter, Dec 1896, 3,born in Washington.

(10) Dora J. Murphy -daughter, Jan 1899, 1, born in Washington.

Lawrence & Matilda Murphy's Family, circa 1900
That is my grandmother Dora in her mother's arms

One year later (1901) the twins Angelineand Adeline were born. Two years later abrother Lawrence Edward (named for his father) was born (1903) and four years afteranother brother Francis was born (1907). As was often the case in the early 1900s and in the space of six years, siblings Adeline (Dec 1902), Lawrence (Aug 1907) and Francis (Sep 1907),together with their mother Catherine (Jun 1907) all died, leaving Lawrence toraise the eight remaining children who ranged in age from 6 to 20. My grandmother was 8 when her mother died. Catherine’s parents took the train fromNebraska to Washington for their daughter’s funeral (and to take the youngest grandchildren back to Nebraska, or so the story goes). Lawrence not only refused their request/demandbut soon thereafter moved his family to Vancouver, Canada.

The family appeared on the 1911Canada Census. They were listed asimmigrants to Canada and I especially appreciated that their religion and tribewere listed as Roman Catholic and Irish!

1911 Canada Census, Ancestry.com

The abstracted entry reads asfollows:

(1) Lawrence E. Murphy - 1342 Harris Street, head,Apr 1864, 47 years, born in USA, [immigrated] 1908, [racial or tribal origin]Irish, American, Roman Catholic, logging contractor, [employed] in woods, yes[can read], yes [can write] english [language(s) spoken].

(2) Ella K. Murphy - daughter, Sep 1886, 24 years,born in USA, stenographer, in real estate office.

(3) James J. Murphy - son, May 1888, 23 years,born in USA, fireman, by Railroad Co.

(4) Michael Murphy - son, Apr 1890, 21 years, bornin USA, fireman, by Railroad Co.

(5) Mary A. Murphy - daughter, Aug 1892, 18 years,born in USA, stenographer, in law office.

(6) Margaret C. Murphy - daughter, Nov 1894, 16years, born in USA, stenographer.

(7) Catherine T. Murphy - daughter, Dec 1896, 14years, born in USA, student.

(8) Dora J. Murphy - daughter, Jan 1899, 12 years,born in USA, student.

(9) Angeline C. Murphy - daughter, Aug 1901, 9years, born in USA, student.

The family returned to theUnited States after 1915 and settled in Seattle, Washington. Dora’sfather died in September 1918 when she was 19. I can't imagine what it must have been like to lose both your parents at such a young age and I am sure this was why Dora and her siblings were so close and very involved in each other's lives. When Lawrence Murphy died, he apparently left each of hischildren a small legacy which the Murphy girls (as they were always known)pooled to purchase a home on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington. Interestingly I grew up on Queen Anne Hilland after college lived about ten blocks from where my grandmotherlived with her sisters in 1920.

1920 US Census, Ancestry.com

Dora and her sisters appearedon the 1920 Census and the abstracted entry reads as follows:

(1) Margaret C. Murphy - head, owns, mortgage,25, single, born in Washington, stenographer, lawyer's office.

(2) Kathleen Murphy - sister, 23, single, born inWashington, bookkeeper, telephone company.

(3) Doris Murphy - sister, 20, single, born inWashington, none [she kept the house but did not work outside the home].

(4) Angeline Murphy - sister, 18, single, born inWashington, stenographer, lawyer's office.

(5) A.L. McDonnell - brother-in-law, 37, marriedarrival in USA 1911, born in Canada, father born in Canada, mother born inCanada, laborer, shipyard.

(6) Elinor McDonnell - sister, female, white, 33,alien [because she married a non-citizen, she lost her citizenship],born in Washington, none.

Apparently at this time therewere always parties/socials for the Irish Catholic singles and my Aunt Peggytold me that my grandmother and grandfather met at one of these socials. My grandfather’s best friend (they emigratedfrom Newfoundland together) Richard Tracey met my great aunt Kathleen (Dora’ssister) at one of these same socials. Each married a Murphy girl!

The Murphy Girls - Dora, Angie, Margie & Kate
circa 1950

In Jul 1925 Dora marriedAndrew Francis Keough in Cordova, Alaska. They remained in Alaska for a few years but returned to Seattle,Washington in 1928.

Andrew & Dora's Memorial of Marriage
9 Jul 1925

Dora and Andrew appeared onthe 1930 Census and the abstracted entry reads as follows:

(1) Andrew Keough - head, owns, house, 37,married at 32, born in Canada, father born in Canada, mother born in Canada,arrived in USA 1918, citizenship pending, ironworker, iron works.

(2) Dora Keough - wife, 31, married at 26, bornin Washington, none.

(3) Gordon Keough - son, white, 3, born in Alaska.

(4) Dorin Keough - daughter, 1, born inWashington.

1930 US Census, Ancestry.com

My grandparents went on tohave four more children and were married for 28 years until my grandmother’sdeath on 20 Jul 1953, after a lengthy illness (cancer). She was 54 when she died, leaving behind sixchildren between the ages of 13-27.

One of my favorite photos of my grandmother (what a great outfit!)
Andrew & Dora with two of their daughters, Peggy & Doreen

The Keoughs at Home
Andrew on the far left and Dora on the far right

Dora's obituary published in TheSeattle Daily Times and The Ballard News-Tribune, stated that she died in a Seattle hospital after a longillness. She was a member of St.Alphonsus Church. She was survived byher husband, her six children, five sisters (Mrs. Eleanor McDonnell, Mrs.Catherine Tracey and Mrs. Angeline Wink, all of Seattle; Mrs. Duncan Johnston,Langley, B.C., and Mrs. Margaret McMillan, Olympia) and a brother (MichaelMurphy, Seattle), and six grandchildren.

The paper trail is just asmall part of my grandmother’s story, but it has provided me with a wealth ofinformation I otherwise would not have known.

I was unaware that the family immigrated to Canada and had the opportunityto research in the Canadian census which was new to me.
I also learned that one of Dora’s sistersmarried and remained in Vancouver, and was able to research in the BritishColumbia vital statistics for various marriage, birth and death certificates for thatfamily.
My grandmother’s marriage certificate(the religious ceremony) contained the names of witnesses to her marriage.
Herprobate file gave the value of her estate, the expenses associated with her hospitalization, listed all her property (real and personal), identified her spouse and gave her children's full names, relationship and ages. The names and dates of service of the hospitals, doctors, funeral home, and cemetery were listed, together with the bills and receipts, which proved useful in finding additional information from those sources.
Her obituary provided additional family information, aswell as information about her rosary, funeral and burial.

As a result of the paper trail, I have researched Dora’s extended family in Canada, Nebraska and Washington. I have corresponded with new-found Murphy relations and plan to visit Nebraska this summer to see Dora’sgrandfather’s original homestead (which remains in the family) as well as meet some of our extended Murphy relations. The 1982 Murphy Family booklet provided a number of beautiful remembrances of the Murphy family from children and grandchildren as well as gave me clues for further research. If you are a Murphy descendant, please contact me so we can update this booklet in 2012!

I have the luxury of sittingdown with my grandmother’s 4 remaining children (my father, two of his sistersand one brother) to find out more about Dora, but I need to follow through and not take the time for granted. One of my goals/resolutions thisyear is to interview them and update this entry by this time next year (19Jan 2013).

In addition to the paper trail, here are a few things I learned about my grandmother.

Dora is fondly remembered byher daughters as a wonderful cook. MyAunt Peggy told me that she made great stews, soups and chilis. My Aunt Kathleen mentioned that she enjoyed baking and made amazing pies andcakes.
Dora's hair went completely white in her mid-twenties but she never colored it ~ my Aunts told me it was beautiful (we all inherited this tendency but do our best to thwart mother nature!).
My Aunt Doreen told me that her mother enjoyed writing letters, which came in handy because my Aunt Doreen lived away from Seattle during the early years of her marriage ~ Dora regularly sent letters filling her in on life at home.
Dora was also the taskmaster in the family (as Irish mothers are wont to be). One story they all mentioned was that they were playing football in the house with a bag of sugar and it broke ~ this was during WWII when many items were rationed. My father recalls that there was no sugar for any of the children for a long time after that incident and my grandmother shared her "disappointment" with each of them!
My father also recalled that he was rather shy and quiet as a child and there was a particular boy who bullied him. When my grandmother found out she encouraged him to fight back with the proviso that if he didn't she would beat him up! My dad said he was more afraid of his mother than the boy so he fought him, and that was that ~ no more bullying. Talk about tough love, but my father said he learned to stand up for himself from that point on!
My grandparents were quite devoutand I was told that every Friday night when the rosary began, anyonethere at that time got down on their knees and joined the family in praying the rosary (Catholic or not!).

Dora is remembered as a loving wife, a good mother, a wonderful homemaker and cook, a true and loyal sister, and a bright light that was extinguished too soon. So today, on the anniversaryof her birth a toast to the grandmother I never knew, Dora Josephine Murphy,“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam uasal.”

Two Weeks In And I'm In The Groove ~ Motivation Monday

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Suat Eman
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

An Update on my January Genealogy Goals

Research

I am busily working through my Shoebox on Ancestry.com and have downloaded and saved 75 “international records.” By mid-week I will switch my Ancestry.com membership from World to USA. I have not uploaded my family tree to Ancestry and so have not taken advantage of any “shaking leaves” to further my research. This is something I might do in 2012 and would love your thoughts on the value of uploading a tree to Ancestry.

Organization

Research collected in my paper Norwegian and Swedish Notebooks is now scanned, filed, and entered in my Legacy database (these notebooks are much smaller now). Onward to my Norwegian and Swedish Digital Notebooks, where I hope to employ the same “clear the decks” determination! How are your organization projects coming along?
I continue to organize my USA Census Excel Workbook. The census citations for all USA and State censuses are in order and the 1900-1930 census entries are up-to-date (downloaded, abstracted, and assigned/linked) for all family and extended family in my Legacy database. I plan to write about this project and show examples in next week’s Motivation Monday post. After that it is onward to the 1800s censuses. Thankfully most of my family wasn’t in the USA until the 1860/1880 timeframe but I do have several “related” or cluster families to check out. This is a work in progress to get ready for the 1940 US Census release in April. A little bit each week should get the project done in time. How are you coming on preparing for the 1940 Census release?

Blogging

I posted for the first two weeks of the 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy meme (only 50 more to go!). It has been helpful not only to think and write about Amy Coffin’s weekly prompt, but also to read others’ responses. This week, Jennifer of 'On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History gave some great tips for free Irish research websites. Are you contributing to this meme? If so ~ how is it going for you? If not ~ why not join us and share your knowledge?
I need to work on blogging consistently ~ there are so many distractions! Definitely an area where I need improvement.

Writing

I finished writing a “guest blog post" about my family’s slide/photo scanning and organization project for Marian's Roots and Rambles, written by Marian Pierre-Louis. I just need to add a few more photos and email it by midweek. It was quite helpful to revisit and write up the process we used for this project (and gain a cheatsheet to pass on to the next family memory keeper).
This is so much fun that I feel guilty considering it a goal ~ I love reading and commenting on posts in my Genealogy Bloggers Circle at Google+. What a great community (I don’t think it is a distraction yet but I will need to set the timer and limit myself so I get some work done!).

Education

Another guilty pleasure – oh wait, I am learning so much there is no guilt. January started strong with the following webinars and radio shows:

Me and My Laptop ~ Linda Woodward Geiger through the Southern California Genealogical Society (Saturday, 7 January)

Linda was an amazing speaker and provided us with such an incredible wealth of information (one of my February goals will be to incorporate many of her organization tips).

10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Genealogy in 2012 ~ Thomas MacEntee through the Illinois State Genealogical Society (Tuesday, 10 January)

Thomas gave a great presentation and his slides were clear, concise and a pleasure to watch.

Tax Considerations for Your Genealogy Business ~ James M. Beidler through the Association of Professional Genealogists (Wednesday, 11 January)

James took a rather dry topic and really livened it up. I learned so much through his presentation as well as the terrific audience questions and comments.

The FamilySearch Research Wiki and Your Genealogy Society ~ FGS My Society on blogtalk radio (Saturday, 14 January)

Lise Embley discussed how Societies can use the FamilySearch Research Wiki to get themselves out there – lots of great links to check out (who knew?). Lee James Irwin of the Fairfax Genealogical Society spoke about his society’s programs and projects. Both Lise and Lee were interesting and informative.

What were your webinar and radioshow finds this month? Do you have any suggestions for the next two weeks?

The first two weeks of January were a great start

Keep climbing one rung at a time to reach those goals!

Thanks to renjith krishnan
shared at Freedigitalphotos.net

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Paid Genealogy Tools

2012-01-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Digital Art by Daniel St. Pierre at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This week I am answering our AbundantGenealogy question at each of my blogs because they focus on completely different sides of mygenealogy ~ Ireland & Newfoundland in the case of Keough Corner andNorway, Slovenia & Sweden in the case of Scandia Musings & More. Both sides do meet up when they get to America but that's anotherstory!

And now ~ for the question

Week 2 - Paid Genealogy Tools: Which paid genealogytool do you appreciate the most? What special features put it at the topof your list? How can it help others with their genealogy research?

Right now I am focused on my Newfoundland research and so there are two paid genealogy tools that I truly appreciate and they both have helped me make connections with my Newfoundland roots.

Family History Society of Newfoundland & Labrador
FHSNL is a not-for-profit organisation that helps researchers locate genealogical information. FHSNL publishes a quarterly journal (all 26 years worth of back issues are available online for members), maintains a research centre, and its holdings include a collection of cemetery transcriptions, genealogies and family histories submitted by members and the general public. FHSNL also has information regarding ongoing Newfoundland DNA projects. FHSNL's website has an interactive forum for genealogical queries. This is a terrific distance research website and the quarterly journals have given me a real flavor for the people, places and customs of my Newfoundland ancestors (and current relations).

Stonepics
This project located over 1700 cemeteries, documented their locations and took 221,000 photographs of headstones - all in an effort to preserve burial markers and provide an exhaustive database which can be searched by cemetery and/or individual name. The website provides excellent information about the project, the cemeteries, the headstones, and Newfoundland burial traditions. Once you know the communities your families are from, you can to purchase the appropriate CD to further your research. The database is available online at Stonepics as well as at Newfoundland's Grand Banks. I have had an amazing amount of luck reviewing the gravestones for the villages and towns my ancestors were from and connecting the dots to find more recently deceased relations and the cost of the CDs is quite reasonable.

If you have Newfoundland roots, check out these two excellent paid genealogy tools. Slainte

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy - Blogs

2012-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here I am the first week of this meme and sliding in with my post on the last day. Better almost late than not at all! I enjoy reading blogs and they are a great help to me in learning about genealogy, organization methods, tech resources, research and writing, and those pesky citations. When I first started reading blogs I followed the big names and institutional blogs. As I got more into my research, I found that many of those blogs served as a launch pad for various press releases but oftentimes did not provide the personal and/or hands-on type of posts that informed, educated or entertained me.

At that point I started following blogs where the author shared and/or expanded my particular interests:

How-Tos ~ Bloggers who try out software programs, websites, and/or explain how they do their research.
Location ~ If it is about Ireland, Newfoundland, Norway, Slovenia or Sweden, you have a reader in me!
Resources ~ Blogs that follow programs and websites I use, like Legacy Family Tree & RootsMagic, Excel, OneNote & PowerPoint, GenSmarts & Family Atlas, Ancestry.com & FamilySearch.org.
Tech Stuff ~ Blogs that discuss subjects that I have decided to follow in order to become a better genealogist, specifically blogs about photography, education, organization, maps, and new products (computers, smart phones, apps, and the like).

There are so many great blogs out there and I follow many of them through Google+. Over the past six months I have been introduced to so many blogs I would have missed if I had not seen a snippet in my Google+ Stream. If you haven't added a Genealogy Circle to your Google+ Stream ~ make it a 2012 resolution!

That said, my top 3 blogs are:

'On a flesh and bone foundation: An Irish History ~ Jennifer's prose and photographs are stunning! She writes not only about her Irish heritage but our common Irish heritage. She shares with the rest of us the trials and triumphs, the saints and the sinners, the history and the folklore that make our Irish heritage so special. Go raibh maith agat.
Genea-Musings ~ I don't know how he does it but Randy Seaver tries everything so we don't have to, points out the pros and cons, publishes screenshots, answers any question we send him, and just all around helps make our genealogy lives easier and better.
Geneabloggers ~ Thomas MacEntee is a force for good in the genealogy world. Looking for a genealogy blog, a calendar of webinars, a spotlight on new blogs, any possible resource that will help you be a better blogger? Well, look no further than Geneabloggers. I can't tell you the number of times I have had a technical blog question, or wanted to find a blog about a particular genealogy niche and Thomas' blog was the place to go to find it.

Motivation Monday - January 2012 Goals

2012-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

It is January 2 and time for my New Year’s Resolutions. Last year I published my resolutions/goals on aquarterly basis and that worked okay (I got a little lazy the last few months) butI need to be even more focused this year. I previously wrote that I planned to write up resolutions/goals on amonthly basis during 2012.

I resolve touse the Motivation Monday meme to publish my resolutions/goals on the firstMonday of each month during 2012 and then use the following three Mondays to keeptrack of my progress.

I resolve to publishmy resolutions/goals in five specific areas Research, Organization, Blogging,Writing & Education.

Since thisworked so well for me last year, I resolve to continue working smarter notharder in 2012. Simply put this meansto think about and plan for the things I want to accomplish, to continue tolearn how best to use my genealogy database program, and to research, analyze and write up my findings.

Since today is the first Monday of January – here are mygoals:

Research

Use my one remaining month of World Deluxe membership to Ancestry.com to go through my Shoebox and download and save all “international records” that I have found during the past few years. In 2012 I plan to focus on my USA and Canada research and dial back my Ancestry.com membership.

Organization

Finish organizing my Norwegian and Swedish Notebooks (both paper and hard drive). I spent part of the summer last year researching my Norwegian and Swedish lines in Minnesota and Washington and need to go through everything I acquired that needs to be scanned, filed, entered in my Legacy database, and/or shredded or discarded.
Finish organizing my USA Census Excel Workbook. I spent one month last year updating my census research for all individuals in my Legacy database. I downloaded the census images, abstracted the information for each family’s census fact/event, and updated the master sources and details for each census using the SourceWriter. I now have census entries through 1930 together with residence/location information for most individuals in my Legacy database and need to run a Search for missing census information – a continuing project to get ready for the 1940 US Census release in April.

Blogging

Begin participating in a new weekly meme: 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, written by Amy Coffin and hosted on Geneabloggers
Blog at least two times each week – including Motivation Monday and Surname Saturday.

Writing

Write a “guest blog post" about my family’s slide/photo scanning and organization project for Marian's Roots and Rambles, written by Marian Pierre-Louis.
Read and comment on posts in my Genealogy Bloggers Circle at Google+.

Education

Watch at least two genealogy webinars during January.

What are your goals for January? Why not join the rest of us and put yourgoals out there on your blog. If you areon Google+ perhaps you would interested in getting together once or twice amonth in a Hangout to discuss your goals and share your progress. Let’s make 2012 the year we move ourgenealogy forward by leaps and bounds. Cheers!

Happy New Year - Welcome 2012

2011-12-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

Digital Art by Salvatore Vuono - Thanks

Welcome 2012! I am still working on my New Year's Genealogy Resolutions/Goals and will post them soon. I am especially thankful for all the great Geneabloggers who have shared their knowledge, humor and tips during the past year. I am also thankful for Google+ because I find it a terrific way to keep up with all that is going on in the genealogy world. The ability to comment and share in pretty much real time is a great boon. I am hopeful that we will all take advantage of Hangouts in a big way in 2012.
Cheers ~ All the best to you and yours in 2012.

Motivation Monday - The Grades Are In!

2011-12-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

At the start of December, I listed my goals for the month ~ a great idea of some savvy bloggers mentioned in my previous post. Keeping in mind that December would be a busy month with travel, preparing for the holidays and such, I kept the expectations realistic.

I blogged three out of the four weeks & commented on blogs and Google+ posts on an almost daily basis. Google+ is an excellent discussion board for genealogists. There are so many thoughtful and interesting posts and I am "finding" many new-to-me genealogists to follow. The immediate give and take on Google+ is something I don't experience with my blog, so I appreciate the sense of community and helpful comments and tips.
I cleaned up my Legacy genealogy database ~ including:

the master surnames list
the master locations list
the master sources list

I reviewed my 2011 genealogy goals as well as what I accomplished this year. Now it is time to grade myself:

Data Entry (inputting records from my Newfoundland Research Trip) Grade = C

I continue to work on this research data entry project but it is slow going and will take more time than originally planned. This is a project to put on my list for 2012.

Organization (spending one hour each week) going through both my paper and computer files to be better organized in 2012. Grade = B

I got through a great deal of paper (scanning, shredding, and recycling). I am slowly moving in the direction of having most of my genealogy on my computer (with backups).

Working Smarter Not Harder = Overall Grade B+

Research Logs ~ I started using Legacy's To-Do lists and kept track of the results (both positive and negative). The more I used the To-Do lists the easier it became and the more useful they were. [I was quite jealous when I saw the RootsMagic 5 Research Log and am hoping for this improvement in Legacy Family Tree] Grade = A-
Sources ~ I am happy to say that I have converted and cleaned up all of my master sources. I finally came up with a system that works for me and keeps my sources consistent. It involves becoming a confirmed "lumper" and learning to use the Sourcewriter templates (and some cheat sheets) to my advantage. Grade = A
Data Entry ~ I made a conscious effort this year to clean up my data entry so that it would be clear and consistent. Since my database is not as large as most others, I decided to focus on records I already had and made sure my downloaded copies and scans were correctly named, legible and transcribed or abstracted. I started with the various census entries, moved on to military registrations and enlistments, continued with immigration records, naturalization records, and finished up the year with all my Swedish Church records. There are additional classes of records to get through but I have made significant headway. Working on this project took time away from new research BUT it was worthwhile as it gave me an opportunity to take a second look at all my records, spend time analyzing them, and oftentimes I found new or overlooked information. Grade = B+
Back Ups ~ I was very good this year backing up my data and thank Thomas MacEntee for his monthly reminders! The peace of mind backing up my data gives me is priceless. Grade = A
Learning Legacy ~ I spent about five hours each month learning how to do more with my Legacy database program. I reread the Legacy manual, re-watched the Legacy training CDs, attended Legacy webinars, and used the Legacy User's Forum to learn more about Legacy and how to make it do what I want and need. Grade = B+

What did I learn how to do?

manipulate the sentence structure in fact/event sentences,
use the search capabilities find particular people, events, and time frames,
use global search and replace to clean up my database, and
make good use of research guidance (together with a stand alone program GenSmarts) to come up with research plans and research logs.

Using Facebook and Social Media ~ I have not taken advantage of Facebook as much as I should for corresponding with family and extended family. So many people are on Facebook but I do not find the conversation on Facebook as interesting or immediate as that on Google+. Since lots of family and extended family are on Facebook, I need to work on making better use of it in 2012. I started using Google+ when it was first offered by invitation and I love it! It is incredibly intuitive to me ~ I like the Stream, Circles, and the ability to interact and post and/or read others' posts in one place. I hope that 2012 brings lots of genealogy Hangouts! Grade = B-

Overall my grade this year is "not bad but needs improvement." Stay tuned as I will post later this week about my goals for 2012.

So how did you do on your 2011 resolutions and what are your goals for 2012?

DigitalArt at FreeDigitalPhotos ~ Thanks

My Favorite Christmas Carol & My Wish For 2012

2011-12-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

Would that we all take these lyrics to heart ~ as individuals, as a community, as a country, and as a world. Wishing all of you a very merry and joy filled Christmas and hoping that we all remember to share our bounty with those less fortunate. Happy Holidays!

Grown Up Christmas List
Do you remember me? I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies.
Well, I'm all grown-up now, And still need help somehow,
I'm not a child, But my heart still can dream.
So here's my lifelong wish, My grown-up Christmas list.
Not for myself, But for a world in need.
No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend, And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

As children we believed, The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely, Wrapped beneath the tree
Well heaven surely knows, That packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul.
No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend, And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.
And then there would be
No more lives torn apart, That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend, And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.
This is my only wish
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

Music by David Foster & Lyrics by Linda Thompson Jenner

Digital Art by Danilo Rizzuti - Thanks

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town!

2011-12-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

A Christmas tradition ~ visiting Santa and having your picture taken with him! What a wonderful memory ~ do you have a picture with Santa? Why not share it. These are photos of me and my siblings with Santa. (There is one of us missing ~ still looking for your photo Susan!)

My Rooted Technology - WAGF

2011-12-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

This might be Wednesday Afternoon Genealogy Fun! I took a look at Randy Seaver's post and thought I would share my technology status. Check out the link below for the meme (I copied, pasted, and revised his list to respond to the meme).

Genea-Musings' My Rooted Technology meme:

Technology you already use: bold face type
Technology you would like to use or learn more about: italicize
Technology you don’t use, have no interest in using or no longer use: plain type
Explain or give opinions in brackets [ ] at the end of each bullet point

I have a tablet computer such as an iPad that I use for genealogy. [I have a notebook and an itouch – the combination works for me; maybe I will check out tablets in the next iteration.]
I have downloaded one or more apps to a Smart Phone or similar device. [I use an itouch and have downloaded several genealogy apps as well as a PDF reader app – excellent for having reports at your fingertips.]
I belong to a genealogy society that uses social media. [GOONS, MNGS, UGA]
I use GEDCOM files and understand the various compatibility issues involved. [Thanks to Randy Seaver’s latest series on GEDCOMs and various software programs, my understanding has increased.]
I have added metadata to some of my files and digital photos. [A few years back as a family project we got all our slides and photographs professionally scanned, selected a software program (Creative Memories Memory Manager) to store them and used our time to add names, dates, and places. Since then we keep it up by adding our digital photos to the MM program on a regular basis.]
I have utilized an API from a genealogy-related application or website. [what's an API?]
I have taken a DNA test related to my genealogy research. [This would be a great Christmas present.]
I have used the FamilySearch Research Wiki. [Very helpful site and so much is being added all the time.]
I have a Facebook account and use it regularly for genealogy. [Facebook is a great method to “meet” extended family in distant places and has been helpful for contacts in my research. I am not too crazy about the junk but it does have a huge number of members.]
I use tech tools to help me cite my sources in genealogy research. [I make use of both Evidence Explained and the source templates in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 – that is a definite improvement over figuring it out on your own with a manual of citation.]
I have developed a genealogy-related app for a Smart Phone or similar device. [Well that is never going to happen – I like these apps but I am not a developer!]
I use a genealogy database program [Legacy Family Tree is my go to program; RootsMagic 5 has me thinking about updating for the Research Manager – hey Legacy are you listening?]
I use cloud computer resources to store my genealogy data. [I use Google Docs for working files but do not (as yet) have any trees online and I use external hard drives for backup of my notebook.]
I have made one or more contributions to the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
I have attended a genealogy webinar. [Webinars might be the best new thing in genealogy in the past year and I might vote for Google+ Hangouts for this year!]
I have organized and administered a DNA testing group related to my genealogy. [no plans...]
I use apps involving GPS and Geo-caching for my genealogy research. [not yet...]
I have a Google+ account and use it regularly for genealogy. [I love, love, love Google+ and would love for more genealogists to join. I think the potential for circles by surname, location, genealogy program, etc., and hangouts by research topics, programs and goals with no need to travel to meet up would all be really good things.]
I have created and published a family history e-book. [Still working on the research.]
I have created a wiki related to my genealogy research.
I have conducted a genealogy webinar as a presenter. [This is one of those things I am thinking about.]
I read genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research. [This is a great way to learn, thanks to all the bloggers out there who share their knowledge; I keep up with them in my Google Reader and at Google+.]
I have one or more genealogy-related blogs to help improve my own research. [Excellent source of motivation and have heard from extended family; also helps to give back and share some tips and resources.]
I have a Twitter account and use it regularly for genealogy. [I don’t see the attraction but do follow along on pages with tweets – especially RootsTech 2011]
I have one or more genealogy-related websites which I run and administer. [I am working on a website for my one place study – still in the draft stage at this point.]
I have created a screencast or video related to genealogy and posted it at a video sharing site (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.). [Not yet, but I am working on this one.]
I use one or more digital tools to capture and record my family history. [digital camera for family pictures, photos at cemeteries, document images at repositories; Livescribe Pen for interviews, seminars, etc.]

Thanks Randy - that was fun and I can't wait to see what others have to share!

Motivation Monday ~ December 2011 Goals

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

December is a time for making lists ~ Santa does it (naughty or nice), children and many adults do it (letters to Santa with hopes & wishes, and maybe an excuse or two). A few genealogists out there are also making lists. Their monthly genealogy goals provide a method of pondering, planning and publishing their goals for the month. Check out these blogs for some inspiration and then take a few moments to make your list and share it with the rest of us.

Corn And Cotton: My Family's Story ~ Stephanie provides a nice overview with one small goal, one bigger goal, one long-term goal, and the dreaded previous month in review (keeping it honest).
Finding Our Ancestors ~ Terri gives a shoutout to Stephanie and lists her seven goals for December (I'm impressed as it sounds like she is going to be busy!).
Tonia's Roots ~ A quick search of "motivation" at Tonia's blog shows you her monthly to-dos and weekly updates.
Ancestrally Challenged ~ Dee has decided to set a monthly goal of focusing on one locality each month and drafting a research plan so she will be ready for any distant research trips that come her way.

Publishing your list is a great start. Working through your list and sharing your progress is a great motivator. Checking those goals off your list in 2012 will be a great finish. It might be fun to "kick it up a notch" by hanging out with each other on a monthly basis with Google+ Hangouts. What do you say ~ want to hangout and encourage each other during 2012?

December is a busy month, so I'm going to start out slow (you know "slow but steady wins the race"). Here's my list.

Blog once a week during December
Go through my Legacy genealogy program to check/clean up my Master Lists

Surnames
Locations
Sources

Review my 2011 genealogy goals and grade myself ~ what got started, what got done, what I need to focus in 2012 ~ and start planning my 2012 genealogy goals.

Ready, Set, Go!

Digital Art by JScreationzs

Motivation Monday ~ The Census Is Coming!

2011-11-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

digital art by Renjith Krishnan

The Census is coming! The Census is coming! Read all about it!

How many states were there in the USA in 1940?

48 (Alaska and Hawaii joined in time for the 1950 US Censusbut let’s not get ahead of ourselves)

How many states, counties, or towns had changed boundaries between 1930 and 1940census?

Good question! I haven't figured that one out yet but I'm sure its lots.

How many questions were on the 1940 standard census form?

How many supplemental questions were asked and to who werethey directed?

12, and they were directed to individuals recorded on lines14 and 29 of each census sheet; as well as some lines randomly designated toensure a fair sampling.

When & Where will the census images be available?

On Monday, April 2, 2012 & Online at the NARA national and regional offices and also onlineand free to the public at Archives.com

Will an index be available on April 2^nd?

Although the records have been digitized and will beavailable on April 2, there will not be any indexes on opening day. However, people will be hard at work indexingalmost immediately (that was what we call a softball question). Once again we can thank Dr. Stephen P. Morse for coming up with yet more one-step programs to help us out.We will need to know the enumeration district for the city or town in which ourancestors lived in order to find and make use of the census images. Why not visit www.stevemorse.org (amazing one-step search programs including several for the 1940 US Census) and check out how to find those EDs today because continuedprocrastination is not a good thing where the 1940 Census is concerned.

Where can you go to get more information about the 1940Census?

If you need a primer about the census, 1940census provides a great overview and image of the forms used.
Or why not go directly to the source and learn more about the censusfrom the U.S. Census Bureau (terrific discussion of the 1940 Census Records aswell as a nifty countdown clock!).
Asusual, Randy Seaver was way ahead of the curve ~ his Saturday Night GenealogyFun for April 2, 2011 posted information about the release of the 1940 Censusand asked us to post about which ancestors we would be searching for in the1940 Census and where they were living on Census Day (hint ~ he told us tocheck city directories or telephone books and to make a list of those for whomyou had an address and those that you needed to find addresses for). Did you engage in SNGF back then? Perhaps we should revisit that mission soon ~why not read Randy Seaver’s post discussing SNGF& the 1940 Census.
Want atutorial to walk you through the process of locating a person in the 1940Census? Check out Plan Now for the 1940 U.S. Census at Susan’sGenealogy Blog.
And for those of you planning ahead, on Wednesday March 7 2012 Thomas MacEntee willpresent Are You Ready for the 1940US Census Images? through Legacy Family Tree webinars – why not sign upnow.

I’m sure there are plenty more examplesout there, but these should get you motivated to start preparing for the release of the 1940US Census.

Thankful Thursday ~ An Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

Created with Wordle.net ~ Thanks

Here is what we are whipping up this Thanksgiving. Our extended family won't all be together but we do have the family recipes to share. Wherever you are and whomever you are with today ~ Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading. So, what are you serving at your Thanksgiving Dinner?

Thanksgiving Table ~ 1962

2011 Thanksgiving Menu in Carver

Appetizers

Spicy Cashews, Warmed Mixed Olives & Sweet Potato Chips

Thanksgiving Cocktail ~ Poinsettias

Dinner

Ashley's 7 Layer Salad

Aunt Diane's Cherry Jello

Mario's Brined & Herb Roasted Turkey

Chuck's Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Mom's Stuffing

Susan's Crescent Rolls

Kris' Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake Tartlets
Caramel Apple Cranberry Torte

Coffee/Tea

Food for Thought Today

Question ~ Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Question - What are your family's Thanksgiving traditions?

Visit National Day of Listening

Tuesday's Tip ~ Be Grateful, Listen & Share

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Digital Art by Simon Howden - Thanks!

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, to join together in making that perfect meal with old favorites and new experiments. We make grocery lists, shop for ingredients, get out the nice linen and good china, set a beautiful table, and organize the meal from carving time backward. It all comes together mid-afternoon and, at least in our household, something is always left in the oven (usually the rolls)!

Thanksgiving is a great holiday because it is all about sharing a meal and enjoying each other's company (whether you are seated at the "adults' table" or the "kids' table"). Thanksgiving would not be complete in our household without football games on television during the day and White Christmas on television in the evening.

This year, in addition to any traditions your family already enjoys, I would like to suggest three more:

Express your gratitude to our military this Thanksgiving ~ both our active duty service personnel and their families who serve right along with them. One percent of our population is shouldering the responsibility for the other ninety-nine percent of us who have not been directly affected by The Iraq War (2003-current) and the War in Afghanistan (2001-current) . Let us express our gratitude to these hardworking families who provide us with the safety and security to live our lives not only with words but also with deeds.

We all have people in our lives who have served as role models and for whom we are grateful. This Thanksgiving ~ take some time to listen to and record the stories of your parents, aunts & uncles, and grandparents. Friday, November 25th is StoryCorps third annual National Day of Listening ~ why not start early and express your gratitude to those people who have touched your life in a personal way.

Share your material bounty with others this Thanksgiving ~ consider making an after Thanksgiving donation to your favorite charity or local food pantry. The poverty level continues to increase (the US poverty rate rose to 15.1%, the highest since 1983 ~ that is about 46.2 million people). It is important to remember we are all part of a community and we need to share our material bounty with others.

Check out these links to find out more about sharing your gratitude:

Joining Forces ~ Taking action to serve America's military families

National Military Family Association

KIVA ~ Empower people around the world with a $25 loan

Heifer International ~ Pass on the gift

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Feeding America ~ Food Bank locator

Big Brothers Big Sisters ~ Help a child reach his or her potential ~Start Something

(Be sure to investigate any charities you are considering and give/share wisely ~ Charity Watch rates over 500 charities and is a starting point for doing your homework in this regard.)

Food for Thought on Thanksgiving Day

Question ~ Who was your favorite teacher and why?

www.nationaldayoflistening.org

Motivation Monday ~ National Day of Listening

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

This Friday, November 25th, is StoryCorps National Day of Listening. Please take a few moments to check out their website National Day of Listening and contact a teacher who has touched your life. You can call, send a letter, post on Facebook, Google+, or your blog, or use other social media to get your message out. If you are really industrious you can interview that teacher and share it with the rest of us on YouTube!

There are so many avenues available and everything you might need (instructions, helpful websites, and tips) is available at their website. Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner ~ why not take a moment to remember and thank those teachers (past and present) who touched, improved, or perhaps changed your life.

I am thankful for the great teachers I had from grade school through college ~ especially these fantastic five:

Mrs. Jaffie ~ You were the first teacher I really connected with and because of you Great Expectations was an incredible reading experience.
Mr. Adams ~ You were the most amazing history teacher ever and made the past come alive for all your students! You were singlehandedly responsible for my abiding love of history and learning.
Mr. Paul Boring ~ You made science fun and encouraged all your students to be good people.
Mr. Glen Jackson ~ If everyone had the opportunity to take your course Rights & Responsibilities, we would have an amazingly bright and thoughtful citizenry. You taught me the wisdom of always being prepared rather than playing Jackson roulette ~ something that has served me well in life.
Professor James Klonoski ~ You taught the hardest courses, assigned the most reading, gave the toughest exams, and demanded the most work from your students. You were a great lecturer and you put your ideals into practice by not only teaching but also doing in the political arena! I took every course you taught and am a more discerning citizen for the experience.

Hopefully today's post has motivated you (on Monday) to be thankful (on Thursday) and share your story of a teacher who touched your life with the rest of us either now or during the National Day of Listening (on Friday).

Cheers

Motivation Monday - Database Clean Up

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Long time no blog! My plan to blog at least once a week fell by the wayside due to "real life" interruptions. Last year at this time I was sailing through a month (31 days straight) of posts devoted to family history topics using an alphabet theme. Ah, those were the days! These past few months while I have kept up with other blogs, attended several webinars and web workshops, gone searching for ancestors at the Minnesota Archives, several County historical society libraries, and more than a few out of the way cemeteries, I just could not get it together blogging-wise.

Now that the leaves have turned and an autumn chill is in the air, it is time to get back to it. I have spent the past few weeks cleaning up my master lists in my Legacy database program. This particular project is part of my continuing effort to organize my genealogy research (both the paper and computer variety). I discovered that I needed to make a few decisions about what I was doing and how I was doing it before I added any more people, places and things. The impetus for this organization project is that I just have too much paper, too little space, and I don't think I have taken advantage of all the information I have accumulated over the past few years. I want to make sure I am working smarter ~ not harder, and in the process I wanted to pare down all the excess (sound familiar).

My organization project is an effort to have a more professional product or output for all my research. I spent the better part of this summer playing with Legacy and some add-on programs, reading the manuals, attending seminars, workshops and webinars, and lurking at the various program forums. Until I played around with the program and printed several reports and then used them during my research trips, I found I had not really paid enough attention to the input and the output of my genealogy data.

So what have I learned?

Pick a database management program and learn it ~ play around and learn all the ins and outs, the tips and tricks. Make sure the program you chose works for you! If you keep jumping from one program to the next, you tend to lose focus and you will never master the program.
Determine at the outset how you want your data to look in a report and then plan your data entry accordingly ~ be consistent with data entry (the key here is templates - mine are in a Word document on my desktop).
Set time aside to clean up your database program on a monthly basis ~ clean up those master lists (surname, address, event, repository, and sources) on a regular basis. Doing a bit each month means you won't have a big mess to clean up right before you need a research to-do list or an ancestor report.
Spend some time with your master source list and make sure you like how the sources read in a report. Figure out how to add events/facts and sources in your program. Make sure you are comfortable with the wording of both the events/facts sentences and the source output and/or make any necessary changes and additions. I spent the better part of the last month cleaning up my master sources list and changing the sentences for facts/events for a better flow in reports. It was a pain but it helped me clean up past mistakes, put my master sources in a useful order, and gave me plenty of quality time with the source clipboard. Is a fellow genealogist able to follow your research and find your sources?
Spend some time each week with one family and do the following:

check for vital records information (birth, marriage, death) ~ make a note of what is missing and where you should look for it ~ add it to the to-do lists.
check for census entries (for me these are facts/events) ~ make a note of any missing censuses and where you should look for the family ~ add them to the to-to lists.
check for obituaries - make a note of where you should look for them ~ add them to the to-do lists.
check for burials/cremations ~ make a note of what is missing and where you should look for it ~ add it to the to-do lists.

It is all about quality not quantity ~ pay attention to the details at the outset and you will be rewarded with a professional work product.

A big thank you to all those lecturers whose webinars, workshops and seminars helped me fine tune my approach to genealogy research. Both my paper and computer organization are slowly but surely "getting there."

SNGF - Genealogy Database Statistics

2011-10-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun ~ Randy Seaver suggested we take a look at our stats in our genealogy database/management program. I use Legacy Family Tree so unlike Randy, I had to do a bit more searching (and counting) to be in a position to compare stats. The categories are:

People: 5,657
Families: 1,766
Surnames: 1,266
Events: could not find an easy way to total this
Alternate names: could not find an easy way to total this
Places: 1,194
Sources: (master sources - I am a lumper) 184
Citations: (detail added) 2,090
Repositories: 36
To-do tasks: (both open and closed; use as a research log) 547
Multimedia items: (do not use this aspect of program yet) 0
Multimedia links: (do not use this aspect of program yet) 0
Addresses: for events - 153; for mailing - 126
Correspondence: (do not use this aspect of program yet) 0

Well, those are mine. What are yours?

Happy 4th Quarter 2011! - My (Continuing) New Year's Resolutions

2011-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am closing in on the final quarter of the year (almost finished with this year-long organization project!!). As the weather turns crisp and Autumn is in full swing, I am indoors more and it is time to focus on indoor activities. Now is the perfect time to finish that paper organization, spend a few hours at the local library or archives, and plan those Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. I am also wondering if there any way I can interest my extended family in a bit of our family history?

In that spirit and with a little toasty warm mead to inspire me, these are my goals for the fourth quarter of 2011 ~

I resolve to send out my "October is Family History Month" letter to my extended family and ask them to take a look at their immediate family's group sheet and provide me with corrections and additions. I will find one member of each affiliated family who will be my go-between or family resource for additional research.
I resolve to transcribe the student stories I acquired while in Newfoundland so that I have a better understanding of the life and times of those in the Bonavista Bay region. I will share the Christmas traditions in Newfoundland in my Christmas Card blog.
I resolve to continue to work smarter, not harder, in 2011 ~~

Plan - In light of the results of my previous research plans, I need to decide where my my research focus should be and chart the next three months of my research plan (a bit like a treasure hunt) ~ I continue to use my Legacy program and GenSmarts program for research guidance.
Document - Using a research log has almost become second nature to me. I use a combination of paper (which I scan into my computer) and my computer research log which works perfectly for me!
Source - Sourcing continues to be an ongoing process. I enter the source citation at the beginning of my review of any item (film, book, newspaper, etc.) as this really makes me stop and think about the source - how it should look, how it came about, where it might lead me, and the weight to place on it. Evidence Explained and Worldcat.org are my go to citation bibles. It takes time (sometimes I have to spend some serious thinking skills working through a source) and it is not the "fun part" of genealogy. I have found getting my sources right the first time is the mandatory part of this process and it makes me a better and more thorough researcher.
Location - I make a point of checking out the repository at the beginning of my research visit. If I am going to a library or other research facility, I make a note of their webpage, their online (or in person) card catalog, I cite to the repository as a location in my genealogy database and I make sure to include all those notes in my Legacy program. In the future, I know where I got the information from, something about the repository, and I have a ready reference.
Quality Control - This is another ongoing process! I have made myself a checklist for quality control. This checklist helps me cut down on errors and I have learned that by giving myself a half hour at the end of the research day (and before the repository closes) I am able to process my work and know that I won't be asking myself those embarrassing questions later - What is this? Where did I get it? Why did I copy, scan or note this? Which individual in my tree does this go with?
Data Entry – I have to continually remember to pull back from the "thrill of the hunt" and enter the information into my databases. This means entering it into my Legacy program, my Excel worksheets, my Creative Memories Memory Manager program and filing the paper copies and computer copies as appropriate.
Protect – Backing up my computer continues to be the single most important thing I can do on a regular basis to protect my work. It has become a good habit and second nature to me. I back up my genealogy files every week - Sundays at 8:00 am, no fail. I have heard too many horror stories of years of research that has been lost because of this one simple mistake.

Most importantly, I resolve to keep a positive attitude, be ready to learn and ready to help others both in my genealogy life and my real life.

So, as we head into the last quarter of the year, how are you doing with your genealogy resolutions and what goals have you reached this year?

SNGF - My Heritage Pies

2011-07-16T16:30:00.001-07:00

If it is Saturday you know that Randy Seaver has another bit of genealogy fun for us. Did someone mention pie - I'm up for that!

My mission (which I accepted) was to find my Sixteen Great-Great Grandparents in my genealogy database (thanks for the hint about using an Ancestors Report ~ after a bit of playing around with the options and then saving it in a text format I was able to add it to this post). For extra credit I went over to the Kid Zone and used the chart generator to come up with my own Heritage Pies. (Be sure to check out the original post referencing this cool website.) Have some fun making your own pie!

Without further ado, here is a little something about my Sixteen Great-Great Grandparents.

16. James KEOUGH [170], son of Andrew KEOUGH [187] and Catherine AYLWARD [188], was born in Aug 1824 in Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND and was baptized on 22 Aug 1824 in Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND. I have not yet found his death date but I am pretty sure that he died in NEWFOUNDLAND.
17. Margaret DOOLEY [171], daughter of James DOOLEY [3924] and Margaret MICHAN [3925], was born on 10 Nov 1832 in Knight's Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND and died on 17 Sep 1919 in Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND at age 86.
James and Margaret were married [MRIN: 60] on 31 Oct 1849 in King's Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND.

18. Dennis DRISCOLL [1564]. To-date I do not have any information on his birth and death dates, he may have been born in either IRELAND or NEWFOUNDLAND, but I am pretty sure he died in NEWFOUNDLAND.
19. Ellen KENNY [1565] was born about 1832 in Saint John's, , , NEWFOUNDLAND, died on 30 Mar 1902 in Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND about age 70, and was buried in Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NEWFOUNDLAND.
Dennis and Ellen were married [MRIN: 508] in NEWFOUNDLAND. I do not have their marriage date.

20. James Joseph MURPHY [352], son of Patrick MURPHY [891] and Mary McCABE [892], was born on 19 Aug 1819 in County Carlow, Leinster, IRELAND, died on 13 Mar 1882 in Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA at age 62, and was buried in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA (St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery, Tecumseh, Nebraska, USA).
21. Eleanor KILEY [353] was born in Feb 1835 in County Cork, Munster, IRELAND, died on 24 Feb 1913 in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA at age 78, and was buried in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA (St. Andrew Catholic Cemetery, Tecumseh, Nebraska, USA).
James and Eleanor were married [MRIN: 10] on 28 Apr 1861 in Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA.

22. Michael Daniel O'MURPHY [354], son of Michael Daniel John O'MURPHY [889] and Mary HENNESY [890], was born on 8 Sep 1836 in County Kerry, Munster, IRELAND, died on 19 Aug 1926 in O'Neill, Holt, Nebraska, USA at age 89, and was buried on 22 Aug 1926 in O'Neill, Holt, Nebraska, USA (Calvary Catholic Cemetery, O'Neill, Nebraska, USA).
23. Honora Agnes BUTLER [355], daughter of Thomas BUTLER [511] and Margaret HENIGAN [513], was born on 14 Mar 1840 in County Cork, Munster, IRELAND, died on 16 Aug 1925 in O'Neill, Holt, Nebraska, USA at age 85, and was buried on 19 Aug 1925 in O'Neill, Holt, Nebraska, USA (Calvary Catholic Cemetery, O'Neill, Nebraska, USA).
Michael and Honora were married [MRIN: 91] on 11 Jan 1861 in New York, New York, New York, USA.

24. Elof LARSSON [847], son of Lars ELOFSSON [4274] and Anna HALVARDSDOTTER [4275], was born on 4 Sep 1833 in Fastnäs, Norra Ny, Värmlands län, SWEDEN, was baptized on 8 Sep 1833 in Fastnäs, Norra Ny, Värmlands län, SWEDEN, died on 22 Apr 1922 in Ward County, North Dakota, USA at age 88, and was buried in Waverly, Wright, Minnesota, USA.
25. Marit LARSDOTTER [3412], daughter of Lars JÖNSSON [4290] and Ragnilda PERSDOTTER [4291], was born on 6 Jul 1829 in Stakerud, Ekshärad, Värmländs län, SWEDEN, was baptized on 12 Jul 1829 in Stakerud, Ekshärad, Värmländs län, SWEDEN, and died on 5 Mar 1906 in Woodland, Wright, Minnesota, USA at age 76.
Elof and Marit were married [MRIN: 248] on 27 Apr 1856 in Ekshärad, Värmlands län, SWEDEN.

26. Peder ERIKSEN, Hastagjerdet [412], son of Erik IVARSEN, Medkilplass/Hastadgjerdet [4269] and Marta ZAKARIASDATTER, Berget [4270], was born on 29 Sep 1833 in Hegra, Øvre Stjørdal, Nord-Trøndelag, NORWAY, died on 5 Jul 1913 in Seattle, King, Washington, USA at age 79, and was buried on 7 Jul 1913 in Seattle, King, Washington, USA (Crown Hill Cemetery, Seattle, Washington, USA).
27. Mali PEDERSDATTER, Rolfsengbergene [413], daughter of Peder PEDERSEN, Kvål [4697] and Mali ERIKSDATTER, Skjelstadsveen [4698], was born on 6 Apr 1835 in Hegra, Øvre Stjørdal, Nord-Trøndelag, NORWAY, was baptized on 10 May 1835 in Hegra, Øvre Stjørdal, Nord-Trøndelag, NORWAY, and died between 1881 and 1885 in Minnesota, USA.
Peder and Mali were married [MRIN: 270] on 23 Apr 1860 in Hegra, Øvre Stjørdal, Nord-Trøndelag, NORWAY.

28. Francis KOCEVAR [2390] was born in AUSTRIA. To-date I have not found his birth and death dates but I am pretty sure he died in AUSTRIA. The family were Slovenes and their homeland was part of the Austria-Hungary empire during their lifetime.
29. Jenie PRISEL [4650] was born in AUSTRIA. To-date I have not found her birth and death dates but I am pretty sure she died in AUSTRIA.
Francis and Jenie were married [MRIN: 748] in AUSTRIA. I do not have their marriage date.

30. Anton ZAGRADISNIK [915] was born on 6 May 1839 in Gornji Grad, , , AUSTRIA and died in 1918 in AUSTRIA at age 79. The family were Slovenes and their homeland was part of the Austria-Hungary empire during their lifetime.
31. Anna PEVEC [916] was born about 1840 in Bocna, , , AUSTRIA. To-date I have not found her death date but I am pretty sure she died in AUSTRIA.
Anton and Anna were married [MRIN: 265] in AUSTRIA. I do not have their marriage date.

So for those of you keeping track here are the birth and death places for my Great Greats:

the birth places for my Great Greats break down as follows:
4 = Newfoundland
4 = Ireland
2 = Sweden
2 = Norway
4 = Austria (Slovenes)

the death places for my Great Greats break down as follows:
4 = Newfoundland
4 = Austria/Slovenia
2 = USA - Minnesota
4 = USA - Nebraska
1 = USA - North Dakota
1 = USA - Washington

And finally ~ here are my Heritage Pies

Thanks Randy ~ that was fun and I learned how to cut and paste between my genealogy database program and Blogger.

July Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-07-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to July's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during July. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland, Scotland and the United States (Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska) are represented.

Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

Diana KEOUGH [1582] Jul 1855, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
William M. GOULD [1325] Jul 1860, , , Nebraska, USA
Isabelle GRANT [480] Jul 1872, SCOTLAND
Ellen Jane MURPHY [475] 2 Jul 1878, Marysville, Clark, Missouri, USA
Patrick FURLONG [168] 10 Jul 1881, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Bernard KEOUGH [178] 11 Jul 1866, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Johannah KEOUGH [941] 11 Jul 1866, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
John KEOUGH [195] 13 Jul 1834, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
William Anthony KEOUGH [N897] 15 Jul 1892, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
James F. MURPHY [1079] 18 Jul 1877, Red Oak, Montgomery, Iowa, USA
William Thomas MORRISSEY [247] 18 Jul 1888, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
George POWERS [3374] 19 Jul 1875, , , Illinois, USA
Claire Agnes SHAUGHNESSY [493] 19 Jul 1893, , , Washington, USA
Mary MURPHY [1074] 25 Jul 1839, Ballyknock, County Carlow, Leinster, IRE
James KEOUGH [182] 26 Jul 1839, Ballyknock, County Carlow, Leinster, IRE
James KEOUGH [182] 26 Jul 1874, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Diana KEOUGH [N1578] Jul 27 1855, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
James TRACEY and Mary KEOUGH [67] 28 Jul 1843, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Michael C. BURNS [1130] 31 Jul 1871, , , Nebraska, USA
Mary KEOUGH [183] 31 Jul 1878, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL

Note: The number in brackets [ ] is the individual's RIN (record identification number) or the couple's MRIN (marriage record identification number) in my genealogy program. An N before the number indicates that the record is found in my Newfoundland Families database.

July Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

Happy 3rd Quarter 2011! - My (Continuing) NewYear's Resolutions

2011-06-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

thanks FreePhotos.net

Well it is summertime (finally)! Who wants to be indoors working on their genealogy files? This is the time for trips to cemeteries, family get-togethers and vacations. I am half-way through the year (although I am not quite half-way through my genealogy goals). It's time for lemonade and a few more varied tasks. So, these are my resolutions for the third quarter of 2011 ~

I resolve to correspond regularly with extended family members/genealogists about our research-to-date in order to confirm, deny, and supplement our individual research and hopefully encourage these same family members to put our proven data in an on-line semi-private format for our collective use and to connect with other extended family members (make use of Ancestry’s member connect, Rootsweb’s member connect and GrandBank’s member forum).
I resolve to blog on a regular basis (at least once a week) about the status of my family research, any research trips, and how I am doing with my resolutions!
I resolve to continue working smarter, not harder, in 2011 – This is a continuing effort:

Source - Continue working through my source citations. This is a never-ending project but I have it down to three main tasks: clean up current sources in my Legacy program, draft a source citation for all new items before I work with them (film, book, newspaper, etc.), check my source citations against Evidence Explained, the FamilySearch Wiki, and Worldcat.org.
Data Entry – Put it all together by entering it into my Legacy program, my Excel worksheets, my Creative Memories Memory Manager program and filing as appropriate.
Protect – Continue backing up my computer on a regular basis – just do it!

How do the genealogy bloggers out there keep up with other bloggers, post regularly and find time to get their own research done? If you have any tips or hints, please share them.

Better Late Than Never!

2011-06-11T13:00:00.003-07:00

A little over six weeks ago I posted about freshening up my blog in the context of Spring and making things new again! I spent some time looking at other blogs to see what I liked and disliked. I played around with changing from side gadgets to the newer pages (tabs) for a cleaner look on my Home Page so that the right side of The Keough Corner would be more inviting and less of a laundry list of gadgets. I have found that pages (tabs) give me the ability to provide in-depth information that is useful but does not need to be front and center on my blog. While I originally thought I could make the changes in a week or two (woman plans and God laughs) that was not to be. Life happened and things got in the way. However, this weekend (and since I am not at Jamboree ~ sigh!) I spent some time finishing this project and today am rolling out an improved The Keough Corner.

So careful readers what has changed?

Print Friendly added to each post - this is an easy and quick add so readers can print out a post (thanks DearMyrtle).
Favorite Websites Page added - this page is my version of a research toolbox (thanks Thomas MacEntee) with a discussion of the websites I use for research as well as their links, under the following categories (this is a work in progress).

General
Education & Webinars
Ireland
Newfoundland
USA

People, Places & Things Page added - this page gives me the ability to discuss my family surnames, places of origin, and the products I use in greater detail.

Keough Surnames Gadget removed
Murphy Surnames Gadget removed
My 12 Favorite Things Gadget removed

Posts by Topic Page added - I mentioned this idea in my April 26 post and I think this layout is cleaner and clearer for Post Topics grouped by category (thanks again to Julie of Genblog for the suggestion and the example).

Labels Gadget removed

Posts by Date Page added - Also mentioned in my April 26 post and I think it is a great idea to provide Posts by date on a separate page rather than a gadget (and it is less visually distracting).

Archives Gadget removed

Since gadgets show up on each of the Pages using the Blogger format (something called static pages), I will probably limit my gadgets to photos, the creative commons' license, and my legal disclaimer.

There are still a few more pages I am working on and they will (hopefully) be up by the end of June. In the meantime, I welcome your comments and suggestions. What do you think of the new look? Cheers

June Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-06-01T10:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to June's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during June. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland, and the United States (Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, and New York) are represented.

Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

Martin KEOUGH [248] 1 Jun 1890, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Parnell Patrick MURPHY [2070] 2 Jun 1886, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Lawrence SHAUGHNESSY [492] 6 June 1864, Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, USA
Peter William WALSH [3926] 6 Jun 1873, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
John MURPHY [468] 14 Jun 1863, New York, New York, New York, USA
David Francis MURPHY [476] 14 Jun 1880, Rock Port, Atchison, Missouri, USA
Gertrude GOULD [1326] 15 Jun 1899, , , Nebraska, USA
Joseph Cornelius MURPHY [466] 16 June 1887, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Peter DONAHUE [2027] 18 Jun 1891, Boyds Cove, , ,NL
Elizabeth G. MURPHY [2123] 19 Jun 1886, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Thomas KEOUGH [2028] 26 Jun 1876, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Peter Andrew WINK [881] 29 Jun 1899, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA
Margaret Ellen KEOUGH [N731] 29 Jun 1900, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL

June Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

SNGF ~ Wordle (Word Cloud Fun)

2011-05-21T13:00:00.035-07:00

Anyone who reads The Keough Corner knows that I love Wordle and its creator Jonathan Feinberg. I use it every month for my Birthday & Anniversary Posts. I make one wordle that includes the names and locations for everyone who celebrates a birthday or anniversary as well as a second wordle that includes information about the month. Wordles make for great art on your blog and the options to play with fonts and colors are pretty amazing.

In keeping with Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun ~ I prepared a wordle for my Newfoundland places and surnames. My process is pretty simple ~ grab the text from my blog post (either in Blogger or Microsoft Word), insert in the Wordle magic machine (remember if you want a word or name to stay together use a tilde - Plate~Cove), play with fonts, colors and additional options ~ I like half and half or randomize, make a screen capture with my Microsoft Snipping Tool, save it on my Desktop and then go to my blog and insert the jpeg ~ Done!

Now that I've shown you mine, why not go over to Wordle, have some fun, and then show us yours! As usual ~ thank you Randy Seaver for our Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

May Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-05-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to May's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during May. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland and the United States (Missouri and Nebraska) are represented. Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

Margaret “Maggie” MURPHY [2069] May 1894, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Andrew TRACEY [N1481] 3 May 1846, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Daniel Paul MURPHY [47] 3 May 1871, Rock Port, Atchison, Missouri, USA
Samuel BARKER and Catherine KEOUGH [N59] 5 May 1846, Keels, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary KEOUGH [174] 9 May 1855, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Thomas KEOUGH [937] 9 May 1855, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary KEOUGH [N213] 9 May 1856, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Michael Joseph DAVEY [3059] 9 May 1899, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Lawrence MURPHY [1076] 10 May 1844, Ballyknock, County Carlow, Leinster, IRE
James MURPHY and Mary REDDIN [533] 10 May 1883, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Patrick KEOUGH and Mary DRISCOLL [55] 10 May 1887, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Patrick KEOUGH [239] 21 May 1880, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary Loretto KELLEY [1640] 23 May 1882, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Bridget TRACEY [1387] 24 May 1895, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary Magdaline MURPHY [2068] 25 May 1892, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
James Joseph MURPHY [205] 27 May 1888, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Honora Agnes Butler MURPHY [206] 27 May 1888, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
John Jacob Varvel [3371] 27 May 1893, , , Nebraska, USA
Elizabeth KEOUGH [N157] 28 May 1830, , Bonavista Bay, , NL
Samuel BARKER [N253] 29 May 1855, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Bridget TRACEY [N788] 29 Oct 1859, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL

May Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

Thankful Thursday - Online Lectures & Webinars

2011-04-28T10:00:00.112-07:00

There has been a great deal of discussion lately about genealogy and money ~ how to make a living doing genealogy, whether to and how to monetize genealogy blogs and websites, whether the genealogy community thinks that everything should be free (and what "free" means), whether the genealogy community understands the true costs of providing information in a bricks and mortar setting, online, and through sharing with each other, and how the genealogy community should determine the value to place on genealogy resources. This was a much-needed discussion and scads of bloggers provided lots of great responses to the daily posts.

Digital Image by Felixco, Inc. ~ Thanks

Online Lectures & Courses

One of the discussion topics focused on online lectures and webinars ~ their availability, the costs associated with them, and how to value them. Since this is a Thankful Thursday post, I would just like to say thank you to the individuals and organizations that provide online lectures and webinars for our benefit. A special thank you to FamilySearch which gathers lectures from a variety of sources and makes them available at its website. Kudos to the following organizations and individuals for placing their lectures with FamilySearch-Learn and making these lectures available to all of us:

Midwest Genealogy Center
Library of Congress
Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society
Tulsa City-County Library
Association of Professional Genealogists
Board for Certification of Genealogists
ICAPGen
Several Individuals who provide their lectures through the above organizations, individually or through their employment or in their volunteer capacity at the Family History Library

There is an amazing amount of material out there online. I have said it before and will say it again ~ these online lectures, courses and webinars are a great resource for genealogists and should be encouraged and appreciated. If you have not been to the FamilySearch-Learn website lately, check out the lengthy list of research courses ~ there are some great new additions.

Webinars

Yesterday I attended AncestryTrees with DearMyrtle, a webinar that focused on publishing your family tree online. As usual, DearMyrtle gave an excellent presentation. I have attended some of her in-person presentations as well as presentations through Legacy Family Tree webinars and now her own webinar presentations. She is one of the most comfortable, "go with the flow" presenters I have encountered. She is extremely personable, stays focused on the major points of her presentation, provides useful PowerPoint presentations, and organizes her presentations to include a lengthy question and answer period.

In this presentation, DearMyrtle explained why and how she began using online trees, walked the attendees through the process of setting up and using a tree on Ancestry.com, together with her co-presenter she showed attendees how to make a GEDCOM and upload it to Ancestry.com, and answered attendees' questions. There were about 100 attendees at the webinar ~ at least one was from Sweden, a few were from England, and several were housebound (either in wheelchairs or unable to attend an in-person presentation due to medical conditions). The webinar was interesting, she addressed the pluses and minuses of publishing a tree on Ancestry.com, and I think made the attendees comfortable with the idea of publishing their trees (whether on Ancestry.com or another website). DearMyrtle recorded the presentation but I am not sure how or when it will be available ~ you might want to check out DearMyrtle's blog. FYI ~ she has a Facebook webinar/workshop coming up on May 18, 2011.

If you haven't checked out the GeneaWebinars Schedule posted by Geneabloggers, take a look and see if there is something you would like to learn. I make it a point to check out the schedule, sign up for webinars and put them in my calendar. While attending the webinar, I take notes and make screenshots in my OneNote program for further reference (and because I like to noodle around a bit with the concepts). These webinars have been a huge help to me. I have used them to:

make improvements to my blog (Blogging for Beginners, More Blogging for Beginners, and Building a Research Toolbox)
check out online storage and cloud computing (Dropbox for Genealogists)
decide whether to use some additional social media (Twitter and Tweet Deck with DearMyrtle)
learn more about add-on software (Map & Explore Your Family Tree with Family Atlas)
improve my genealogy research skills (What Is A Reasonably Exhaustive Search? and Silent Voices: Tip & Tricks for Tracing Female Ancestors) and, most recently
decide whether to publish an online tree (AncestryTrees with DearMyrtle)

Thanks to DearMyrtle, Legacy Family Tree, and all the other individuals and organizations that are "doing" webinars. It is a great service to engage and educate the genealogy community. Whether these webinars also showcase paid resources (software programs or subscription websites) or provide a marketing opportunity for presenters (presentation materials for sale after the webinar), I say "more power to you." I applaud these individuals and organizations ~ they are taking us forward in genealogy and technology. Bottom line ~ these webinars provide a valuable and oftentimes no-fee service to the genealogy community. Thanks!

Tech Tuesday - It's Time to Freshen Things Up!

2011-04-26T19:00:00.000-07:00

It is Spring although the weather is not exactly cooperating ~ today brought us rain, rain and more rain. However, we just had a beautiful Easter! In the spirit of reawakening and rebirth that is what Easter and Spring is all about, why not take a look at your blog and see if it could use a bit of freshening up.

Digital Image by Maggie Smith

First, take a little time and check out a dozen genealogy blogs (try to choose these at random from the Genealogy Blog Roll at Geneabloggers). Do you find them interesting and/or appealing to read? Why or why not? Take a good look at their layouts and gadgets ~ are any of these gadgets "new to you?" If there were blogs that you found difficult to navigate, why was that?

Now, take a look at your blog and answer the following questions. Even better, ask someone (who will be brutally honest with you) to take a look at your blog and answer the following questions:

Is my blog easy to find? ~ Is the URL easy to remember and input or is my blog easy to find with a google search?
Is my blog "easy on the eyes?" ~ Are the colors complementary, too bright, or too blah? Are the font styles easy to read, are the margins wide enough for an easy flow of blog posts?
Is my blog clean and easy to navigate? ~ How busy is the blog and is the busyness distracting to a reader?
Can you easily figure out how to subscribe or follow my blog? ~ Does the reader have options for following the blog and are those options "front and center" or somewhere lost in the long scroll to the end of the page?
Are my posts free of obvious errors and do I change it up enough with a variety of themes or topics to keep up interest? ~ Obvious errors imply a "lack of attention to detail." In genealogy, as in blogging, details matter. Do you give yourself enough time after writing a post to proofread, spellcheck and re-edit?
Are the gadgets on my blog helpful and/or interesting? ~ Have you taken advantage of the ever changing gadgets and improvements that your blogging platform and/or third-parties provide? Are you making your blog as attractive and user-friendly as possible?
Are you able to copy and/or print a post from my blog? ~ Have you made it easy for your readers to save, email, or print your posts?
Do I include enough links or photos or examples to assist, entertain or educate my readers? ~ Have you varied your posts so that you provide both written and visual material? Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!
What would make my blog better? Go ahead, you asked for it, now graciously accept any constructive criticism.

In this vein, I took a look at a dozen blogs and checked out some "new to me" gadgets. The first thing I noticed is that the Pages idea has taken off in Blogger and I like how polished some of the blogs that use Pages look. I decided to start working on Pages for my blog and hope to have anything up and running within the week ~ come back next Tuesday for a new and improved version of The Keough Corner. I was intrigued with the "Posts by Topic" and "Post by Date" in Julie Cahill Tarr's GenBlog and thanks to her great post detailing how to do it, spent some time playing around with html code today (thanks to those who write code for the rest of us and those who post on how to incorporate these great ideas in our blogs).

As to the remainder of the blogs I checked out (twelve in all) I saw things I wanted to avoid as well as some great ideas and formats that I plan to borrow from because they impressed me. Comments on six of them follow:

The Shy Genealogist ~ just love the look of this blog; the posts are well written and the images are great
Genealogy's Star - excellent writing, he is always thought provoking; however, I find the layout distracting and scrolling through the page is endless
Genea-Musings - clear, bright and really well written, lots of material (too much for me) in the sidebar
A Twig in my Tree - interesting blog posts, great job with pages, nice research toolbox, the green in the sidebar is a bit bright for me but I love the other colors
Before My Time - great pages, a real mix of all things genealogy and family history
Potato Roots - lovely layout, terrific sidebars, great images, lots of great information especially as it relates to Irish history

I also had one of my sisters (who is brutally honest) check out my blog and answer the questions I posed above. She gave me a solid B ~ I got points for the first five questions but she thought the side gadgets were too busy and I did not have the ability to print from my blog. She thought more personal stories and pictures or maps would make my blog more interesting and she thought I was a bit wordy. Ah, thanks sis!

My To Do List

Add PrintFriendly to my blog ~ My father has asked a couple of times about printing a post, why not make it easier for him and everyone else.
Add some Pages to my blog ~ Pages should free up some of the sidebar space and if these items are on specific pages they will not appear on every page of my blog (it seems that the sidebar gadgets appear on every Page in Blogger). Be sure to check out the Blogger article on this subject ~ Pages in Blogger

Table of Contents - Post by Topic (Labels gone)
Table of Contents - Post by Date (Archive gone)
People, Places & Things - a Page that includes why I blog, the surnames and places in my genealogy and the products I use (Surnames Keough and Murphy gone, Favorite Things gone)
Favorite Sites - a Page that includes the websites (with links) that I make use of for my genealogy ~ thanks to Thomas MacEntee for this "Genealogists Toolbox" idea (Favorite Sites gone).
Plate Cove Families - a Page that details my Plate Cove, Newfoundland Keough families
Nebraska Families - a Page that details my Nebraska Murphy families

Organize my Labels before I finalize my Post by Topic Page - I really liked the format used by GenBlog and spent some time organizing my labels around Archives and Libraries, Columns, Families, and Locations. Hopefully this will make the topics easier for readers to navigate. Be sure to check out the Blogger article on this subject ~ How to Edit Labels.

How do you plan to freshen up your blog? Got any great ideas to share with the rest of us?

Surname Saturday ~ Aylward, Part II

2011-04-23T08:00:00.146-07:00

Welcome back to The Keough Corner's Surname Saturday. Last week I told you a little bit about my elusive Aylward ancestress, Catherine Aylward. This week (as promised) some history of the Aylward surname, some tips for finding this type of material for your own surname, and a list of Aylwards in my Newfoundland database. So, let's get started.

It is thought that the Aylward surname comes from a Germanic personal name made up of "adal" meaning noble, and "ward" meaning guard or protector. The surname was first recorded in the 13th century and was found in the counties of Suffolk, Wiltshire and Norfolk. Today, families with this surname are most often found in counties Waterford and Kilkenny, Ireland (the region where their ancestors settled in the wake of the Anglo-Norman invasion and conquest) as well as the Bonavista region of Newfoundland.

Aylward has many variant spellings including Ailward, Allward, Aluard, and Alyward (although this last one may simply be a misspelling). The surname is pronounced (at least in Newfoundland) Elwood. In fact when I first asked an archivist at Memorial University about records relating to this surname I pronounced it Allward or Ayelward, which he did not understand. When I spelled the surname for him, he smiled and rather kindly corrected my pronunciation ~ the first of many such instances during my research trip!

Location, Location, Location (or where the Aylwards came from)

"Members of the Allard family of Kent, Sussex, England, received a grant of land and positions from King John and settled in Ireland. Over time they became the Aylwards of Aylwardstown. They were an Anglo-Norman race and, presumably, a branch of the Aylwards of Faithleg, in the Co. Waterford. ..." The original grantee was William Aylward of Aylwardstown. The family was Roman Catholic and throughout the history of the occupation of Ireland, they forfeited their land grant, were transplanted to Connaught, received royal confirmation of their lands, and were once again outlawed. An heir to the original grantee (Nicholas Aylward) conformed to Protestantism in 1711 and received the transplanted land grant in Shankill, Connaught.  Common given names for the Aylward family during this time (1200-1800) were William, Nicholas, and Piers.
(From The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossary, by the Reverend William Carrigan (Dublin, 1905). For additional information about this particular branch of Aylwards, see A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, by Sir Bernard Burke (London, 1899) p. 260.)

Roots, Top Countries & Top Regions (or everything statistics)

If you haven't checked out PublicProfiler to learn about your surname or map it ~ you are in for a treat. This UK website provides the findings of its project investigating the distribution of surnames in Great Britain, both current and historic (the results of any surname search are shown on a map of the UK and laid out in table format). Listed below are the results for my search of Aylward:

Roots
Group ~ European
Subgroup ~ English
Language ~ English

Top Countries (frequency per million)
Ireland ~ 161.82
Canada ~ 120.57
Australia ~ 42.46
United Kingdom ~ 26.81
New Zealand ~ 21.16

Top Regions (frequency per million)
Southeast Ireland ~ 1209.81
Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada ~ 872.26
Prince Edward Island, Canada ~ 769.27
Hauraki District, New Zealand ~ 295.12
Northwest Territories, Canada ~ 275.83

But what about the United States and Newfoundland? (or how does this apply to my people?)

A search of the surname Aylward in the US census records limited to the exact spelling of Aylward with a birthplace of Newfoundland, brings up the following number of hits:

United States Census Records
1880 US Census =   340
1900 US Census =   780
1910 US Census =   907
1920 US Census =   971
1930 US Census = 1136

My results were obtained by entering the exact spelling of the surname Aylward, entering birthplace of Newfoundland, and limiting the results to particular census years in Ancestry.com.

A search of the surname Aylward in the Newfoundland census records was rather more difficult as the information although transcribed (or recorded) online by volunteers, has not been gathered or investigated for a surname study of which I am aware. For privacy reasons, Canada specifically does not make available the most common surnames that it collects through the census. Since Newfoundland did not join in the confederation until 1949 and because my main interest is my Newfoundland connection, I used the 1935 and 1945 Newfoundland censuses to determine frequency and location for the surname Aylward. My search was limited to the exact spelling of the surname Aylward (as well as Alyward which shows up interchangeably in the vital records and census records in Newfoundland at that time), which brings up the following number of hits:

1935 Newfoundland Census = 177 [Cape Broyle (15), Bonavista (5), St. John's East (4), Stock Cove (17), Knight's Cove (46), Fermeuse (6), Broad Cove (17), Dock Cove (35), St. John's West (7), Great St. Lawrence (10), Plate Cove East (1), Tickle Cove (1), King's Cove (9), Buchans (2), Whitless Bay (1),Bell Island Mines (1) )]

1945 Newfoundland Census = 168 [Knights Cove (42), Stock Cove (21), Broad Cove (13), Cape Broyle (14), St. Brendan’s (27), Buchans (11), St. John’s West (9), Buchans (Part 2) (5), St. John’s East (6), St. John’s East, Ward 4 (7), Burin (8), St. John’s City (5)]

Aylwards in my Newfoundland Database (or relating all of this to my people)

Catherine Aylward (Cal 1794 - Cal 1850) ~ I am still looking to place Catherine with her family (see my 16 April 2011 post).

Johanna Aylward – served as a witness to Catherine’s 1827 marriage to Andrew Kough/Keough at King’s Cove.

James Aylward – served as a sponsor to Mary Keough’s baptism on 7 Mar 1820 at King’s Cove.

Sally Aylward – served as a sponsor to James Keough’s baptism on 22 Aug 1824 t King’s Cove.

William Aylward and Mary Aylward – served as sponsors to Andrew Keough’s baptism on 17 Mar 1832 at King’s Cove.

The witness for the marriage and sponsors for the baptisms listed above were most probably related to Catherine Aylward (either her parents or siblings).

Aylwards in my Newfoundland Database – found in the baptismal records as sponsors for other families in the Bonavista South region (for females, these could be maiden surnames or married surnames):

Anastasia Aylward
Betsy Aylward
Bridget Aylward
Catherine Aylward
Charlotte Aylward
Edward Aylward
Hannah Aylward
John Aylward
Martha Aylward
Mary Ann Aylward
Michael Aylward
Patience Aylward
Sera (Sara) Aylward
Thomas Aylward

Aylwards in my Newfoundland Database – found in the marriage records as parties to marriage in the Bonavista South region:

Grooms
1892 - John Aylward (Broad Cove) and Mary Weeks (King’s Cove)
1893 – William Aylward (King’s Cove) and Sarah Barker (King’s Cove)
1894 – Matthew Aylward (Stock Cove) and Ellen Woodford (Plate Cove)
1897 – Matthew Aylward (Knight’s Cove) and Ann Carew (Broad Cove)

Brides
1891 – Anne Aylward (Burnt Island) and Thomas Murphy (Open Hall)
1891 – Catherine Aylward (St. Brendan’s) and Bernard Hynes (St. Brendan’s)
1892 – Mary Aylward (St. Brendan’s) and Patrick Hynes (Gooseberry Island)
1893 – Elizabeth Aylward (Kiels) and William Ducy (King’s Cove)
1895 – Johanna Aylward (St. Brendan’s) and Francis Ryan (St. Brendan’s)
1900 – Anastasia Aylward (Broad Cove) and John Harty (Broad Cove)
1900 – Elizabeth Aylward (St. Brendan’s) and John White (St. Brendan’s)
1901 – Catherine Aylward (King’s Cove) and Peter Barron (King’s Cove)
1901 – Mary E. Aylward (Broad Cove) and John Tobin (Broad Cove)
1901 – Mary Aylward (Broad Cove) and Henry Fitzgerald (Kiels)

Do you have Catherine Aylward (who married Andrew Kough/Keough) in your genealogy database AND, if so, have you found any information about her parents and/or siblings? Do any of the other Aylwards listed here in your genealogy database? Are you an Aylward from Newfoundland with roots in Ireland or Great Britain?  If so, please help me fill in the blanks! Thanks.

Tuesday's Tip ~ Newfoundland Vital Records on FamilySearch

2011-04-19T08:00:00.019-07:00

Do you have family members who were born in Newfoundland between 1891-1897, married in Newfoundland between 1887-1922, or died in Newfoundland between 1891-1949? Do you have the register entry relating to the birth, marriage or death? Have you made copies of those register entries for your family database or files?

If your answer to my first question is YES and your answer to my second and/or third question is NO, run don't walk to the FamilySearch.org and check out the "Newfoundland, Vital Records, 1840-1949" browseable indexes and registers.

But before you go clicking through the 58,839 images in the collection, take a quick detour over to the FamilySearch Wiki to learn about these Newfoundland Vital Records. The Wiki provides search helps, explains the categories of possible content you may find in the records, and provides sources for the information as well bit of history regarding the record collection. For those of you who are cite challenged, check out the examples of how to cite your research from the records once you have found your family members.

This collection has been online since August 2010 but I did not check it out at the time as I had previously scanned certain of these registers while at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. In going through my research I found some blanks, unclear names and dates, and had a few questions ~ confession, my research notes are not always perfect! Being able to check my notes and scans against these browseable images (in the comfort of my home in my pjs) was a treat ~ the high quality scans with a great zoom feature resolved most of my questions.

So if you have Newfoundlanders in your family ~ happy hunting ~ and if your area of interest is Bonavista South ~ perhaps we are looking for the same folks. Be sure to check out my Newfoundland surnames. This is an excellent opportunity to "put the pieces" together with your vital records research.

Putting It All Together - Gears

Surname Saturday ~ Aylward (Newfoundland)

2011-04-16T11:00:00.002-07:00

I have been meaning to this for awhile ~ jump into the Surname Saturday ocean. Every Saturday I read through the Geneabloggers' aggregation for Surname Saturday and think "I've really got to get on that because it seems like it might be good cousin bait." And then the moment passes. Well today we are going to start fishing!

Here is the plan ~ I will start with the Newfoundland (or Keough) Family Surnames and then move on to Ireland/Nebraska (or Murphy) Family Surnames. For each Surname I will introduce the original family member with the surname, list the individuals in my tree with the surname, and provide a little history and original locations for the surname. In the case of one of my major surnames (see the list in the sidebar), I will probably use two posts. This will give me the opportunity to address my family members as well as general information about the various surnames found in my trees.

But first, a little bit about the methodology relating to my Newfoundland Families ~ Several people through the years have conducted research of Newfoundland's religious and vital records. Some (Vince, Jeri, Bernie, and Mary) have provided me with copies of their research on particular families. Those individuals and others have also published their research online at the GrandBank's website. In the summer of 2009 I went to Newfoundland to conduct research and visit the area for myself. While there I reviewed and transcribed certain of the original church registers at the Catholic Basilica in St. John's, as well as copies of church registers maintained for Catholic churches in Bonavista, King's Cove, Open Hall, and Plate Cove. I also reviewed and transcribed certain of the vital records' registers for the Bonavista region of Newfoundland.

I am slowly working my way through entering the data into an Excel spreadsheet, verifying the data entries against my transcriptions (early ones done in Word, later ones done in Excel) and/or the scanned copies of the records, and entering the information into my Newfoundland Families' database and where appropriate into my Keough Family database (both in Legacy Family Tree).

My particular focus is on families (mostly Roman Catholic) from the following fishing villages and towns ~ Broad Cove, Bonavista, Keels (Kiels), King's Cove, Knight's Cove, Open Hall, Plate Cove (East & West), Stock Cove, Sweet Bay, & Tickle Cove. In instances where I am aware that a related family member moved from or to another village or district, I have attempted to find the religious and vital records for that family. I welcome any information (including additions and corrections) from those of you out there who have families from those villages and districts ~ please help me fill in the blanks and make those family connections. Thanks! I know that my ancestors came to Newfoundland from the Southeast of Ireland in the early 1800s and they lived first in the St. John's area, then King's Cove, Open Hall and finally in Plate Cove.

And now, on to our countdown ~ let's start at the very beginning with ~ AYLWARD

Aylward is one of my more elusive ancestor surnames. My original Aylward ancestor is (drum roll please) Catherine Aylward. My research to-date shows that Andrew Keough/Kough and Catherine Aylward were married at Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church in King's Cove, Bonavista, Newfoundland on 1 September 1827. The marriage register does not provide any information regarding the ages or residences of the parties. The register does provide the witnesses to the marriage ~ Michael Costello and Johanna Aylward. Johanna was most probably a family member, but was she a mother, a sister, or a cousin ~ who knows? The only other records I have found relating to Catherine Aylward Keough/Kough are baptism records for her children and baptism or marriage records where she appears as a sponsor/witness. On these she is referred to at various times as Catherine, Katherine, or Kitty.

Andrew and Catherine had ten children. Interestingly enough, five of their children were baptized before the King's Cove record of marriage. However, only in the first instance with their daughter Catherine was there a reference to the parents being unmarried. The Archivist at the Basilica stated that it was not uncommon for a couple to have a child out of wedlock but it would be noted in the baptism register. The Basilica register lists the birth as illegitimate so clearly Andrew and Catherine were unmarried at the time of their daughter Catherine's baptism in 1814. However, there is no reference to illegitimacy recorded for the next four children baptized before the King's Cove marriage date ~ the Archivist said that would be highly unlikely (and probably NOT the case).

Rather, he explained that Andrew and Catherine may have been married in a Church of England or Methodist ceremony while living in St. John's as many Catholic couples and Catholic/non-Catholic couples did so (business or social reasons, as well as lack of religious tolerance for Catholics). Alternatively, Catherine may have been previously married and abandoned (early Newfoundland history provides several examples of one spouse leaving Newfoundland at the end of the fishing season and never returning). He suggested that I check Protestant registers in the St. John's area as well as other business and legal records. For whatever reason, a Catholic marriage was performed and recorded in 1827 and the couple proceeded to have an additional five children.

To-date I have not found a tombstone or grave marker for Catherine (although Andrew has a rather impressive one located at the Open Hall Catholic cemetery). Since Catherine was not mentioned in the Deed Poll that Andrew executed in favor of his sons, I assume that Catherine predeceased her husband (Andrew conveyed his real and personal property to his sons, in effect selling his fishing enterprise to them). Vital records were not maintained in Newfoundland until the 1891-1892 time frame so I am unable to trace her through those records. I have not been able to find any records which would indicate whether Catherine was born in Newfoundland or arrived in Newfoundland (as Andrew Keough/Kough did) from Ireland or perhaps England. The Aylward surname was a common one in St. John's as well as Knight's Cove and King's Cove in the early 1800s. However the only Aylward connection I have do-date is that several Aylwards served as witnesses and/or sponsors at religious events (baptisms and marriages) in the Bonavista South region.

In looking at the records where Catherine Aylward appears as well as the records where she does not appear ~ I have Catherine with Andrew Keough/Kough from 1813-1838 (the time frame for the birth of their children). Assuming she was at least 20 at the birth of her first child and that she was deceased at the time Andrew executed the Deed Poll, I calculate Catherine's life time frame of 1794-1851. While I realize that I have made a number of assumptions, I do need a framework with which to work (and which is flexible).

Calling all Aylwards ~ do you recognize Catherine Aylward Keough/Kough in your family tree as either a daughter, sibling, cousin, extended family member, mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt? If so, please let me know so I can fill in the blanks and learn more about my original Aylward entry in my Newfoundland Families database. Thanks ever so much!

Stay tuned as next Saturday I will provide a little history of the Aylward surname, where it originated (and traveled to), and a listing of all the individuals with the Aylward surname (by birth or marriage) from my Newfoundland records. Cheers!

April Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-04-01T10:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to April's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during April. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland and the United States (Nebraska) are represented.

Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

John KEOUGH [177] Apr 1863, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
James A. MURPHY [1773] Apr 1879, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Andrew TRACEY [1384] Apr 1886, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Michael Daniel MURPHY [207] 4 Apr 1890, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
John KEOUGH [N217] 12 Apr 1863, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Anne BARKER [N249] 15 Apr 1846, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Bernard KEOUGH [246] 15 Apr 1888, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Anne KEOUGH [179] 21 Apr 1869, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary PHILPOTT [N3077] 25 Apr 1893, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
James Joseph MURPHY [2127] 25 Apr 1898, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Lawrence Edward MURPHY [202] 26 Apr 1862, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Lawrence MURPHY and Ellen E. TAGART [424] 26 Apr 1898, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
William M. GOULD and Katherine BURNS [443] 26 Apr 1898, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary BARKER [N1093] 27 Apr 1841, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
James Joseph MURPHY and Eleanor KILEY [10] 28 Apr 1861, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
William MURPHY and Catherine KEOUGH [N578] 28 Apr 1887, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Charles Oliver TUCKER [211] 29 Apr 1880, Washington, Nemaha, Nebraska, USA
Bridget KEOUGH [2001] 30 Apr 1894, Boyds Cove, , NL

April Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

Happy 2nd Quarter 2011! (My Continuing New Year's Resolutions)

2011-03-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net ~ Photo by Francesco Marino)

Early morning ruminating about my genealogy resolutions with my favorite beverage, coffee with cream. While I continue working through my first quarter resolutions, I decided to add a few more resolutions for the second quarter of 2011, here they are ~

I resolve to keep up my correspondence with the individuals I met in the Bonavista Bay region of Newfoundland. I need a simple method to encourage them help fill in the blanks on my research so we can group families in the Plate Cove area.
I resolve to make use of the Plate Cove Facebook page and use email or snail mail as necessary to follow up on these contacts for extended family members from the Plate Cove area.
I resolve to continue working smarter, not harder, in 2011 – This continues to be a work in progress but I know it will make my life easier in the long run. This quarter I will focus on the following three areas:

Document - Use a research log each and every day for the second quarter of 2011. I am using the research log but it is not second nature yet and I am still working on the format. How do others use paper and pen and/or the computer to log their research?
Source - Work on cleaning up my sources (these are ones that were entered haphazardly or before I became best friends with Evidence Explained) and strive toward consistency as far as sourcing is concerned. This is quite a time-consuming but very necessary task and I have decided to tackle a dozen sources a week until I get them cleaned up.
Protect – Backup my computer on a regular basis – I purchased two external hard drives for my notebook and have set up a formal backup system:

On the first hard drive I have a complete backup (on a monthly basis) of

the C drive of my notebook computer,
my Creative Memories' Memory Manager libraries [the family library which consists of all our family slides and photographs which were professionally scanned (onto DVDs) and my library which consists of all my personal photographs as well as all photographs and scans taken of all my genealogy research],
all my genealogy files, and
all my Legacy program files

On the second hard drive I have backups (on a weekly basis) of

my Creative Memories' Memory Manager libraries, and
all my Legacy program files

I attended Thomas MacEntee's webinar on data backup on March 23. His presentation was really informative and reminded me how important it is to take the time to safeguard my work.

our genealogy research data is an investment ~ how much time, effort and cost has gone into your research? What would you do if you lost it all tomorrow? Would you be able to recreate it? Why put yourself in that position?
make a plan for safeguarding your data
use a combination of backup methods
be sure to backup not only all your data, but also your favorites or bookmarks, your settings, your email, and your blog or website
use your calendar to remind you of your backup schedule
keep it simple and do it!
be sure to check out Thomas MacEntee's website at www.geneabloggers.com

So far, so good. These resolutions are continuing in nature but I take time every week and focus on a particular aspect of my genealogy and work through it. I hope that by the end of the year, my computer files, paper files, and genealogy database (Legacy Family Tree) will all be clean and shinny like a new penny and that the fruit of my labor (this year-long organization project) is scads of time for research and writing!

How are you doing with your genealogy goals this year? How do you organize your computer files, your paper files and your "genealogy life." Do you have any tips or hints - if so, please share them.

SNGF - Surnames

2011-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

For this mission (I hear the Mission Impossible theme in the background!) I took a look at two databases in my Genealogy Management Program (GMP). I have my personal family database and my Newfoundland Families' database (the start of a one-place study for the Bonavista South region).

How many surnames are in my family tree database:

Keough/Lidman database = 1,133 surnames
Newfoundland families database = 302 surnames

I use Legacy Family Tree version 7.5 and this is how I performed the task:

Open family file
Click on Reports - All Reports
Click on Surname Summary
Click on Preview Report - Screen/Printer
Surnames are listed in alphabetical order so I paged through to find the top five surname entries - the report gives you the name, the quantity and the date range

The top five surnames in my family tree databases are:

Keough/Lidman database:

Keough = 347
Murphy = 173
Shaughnessy = 116
Tracey = 63
Kavanaugh = 62

Newfoundland Families database:

Keough = 414
Walsh = 228
Sullivan = 200
Philpott = 148
Aylward = 147

Posting in my blog!

DONE! Key the music as Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun post self-destructs (am I dating myself?). Cheers

March Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-03-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to March's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during March. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland and the United States (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and New York) are represented.

Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

Andrew KEOUGH [945] Mar 1847, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Alexander William MELVIN [2002] Mar 1877, Lamanche, Ferryland, , NL
Anna MURPHY [2121] Mar 1884, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary MURPHY [2122] Mar 1885, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Bridget Josephine KEOUGH [3899] Mar 1900, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Peter H. DAVEY and Catherine MURPHY [923] 2 Mar 1886, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary KEOUGH [190] 7 Mar 1821, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Honora MURPHY [469] 7 Mar 1867, New York, New York, New York, USA
Andrew KEOUGH [N1491] 10 Mar 1847, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Andrew TRACEY [1389] 12 Mar 1846, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Denis KEOUGH [1560] 12 Mar 1888, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Honora Agnes BUTLER [355] 14 Mar 1840, , County Cork, Munster, IRE
Clara Marie GEIS [482] 14 Mar 1898, Creston, Union, Iowa, USA
Michael Francis KEOUGH [181] 16 Mar 1873, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Andrew KEOUGH [N158] 17 Mar 1832, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Katherine BURNS [734] 18 Mar 1870, , , Nebraska, USA
Michael D. MURPHY [474] 18 Mar 1877, Rock Port, Atchison, Missouri, USA
Bridget Josephine KEOUGH [N665] 18 Mar 1900, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Harold James MURPHY [1154] 18 Mar 1900, , , Nebraska, USA
Mary DRISCOLL, [160] 19 Mar 1864, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Ellen Delores BURNS [1139] 23 Mar 1882, Nemaha, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Thomas KEOUGH [942] 24 Mar 1869, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Jeremiah KEOUGH [943] 24 Mar 1869, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Anne KEOUGH [191] 25 Mar 1826, King’s Cove, Bonavista, , NL
Mary Catherine KEOUGH [N664] 25 Mar 1900, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Courtney Milton AITKEN [3375] 26 Mar 1886, Bradford, Stark, Illinois, USA
Michael KEOUGH [939] 27 Mar 1859, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
John PHILPOTT [N999] 27 Mar 1890, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL

March Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

Irish Research ~ Thanks WDYTYA!

2011-02-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a chance to watch Rosie O'Donnell on last night's episode of Who Do You Think You Are (WDYTYA). The show was excellent for several reasons!

Rosie's ancestors had a story that many of us with Irish ancestors can relate to:

Her family was devastated by the continuing Famine in Ireland and the British government's response. Many Irish Americans are unaware of this aspect of Irish history. There are several excellent sites and books that explain this tragedy in great detail ~ check them out.
Her family consisted of poor, hard working people who left Ireland to make a better life for themselves and the families (the majority of our ancestors started out in this socio-economic group whatever country we come from).

Rosie was quite involved in the research process and WDYTYA made a point of showing some of the nuts and bolts of research:

Going through old family documents and photographs
Meeting with relatives to learn what they knew
Using online resources
Using a combination of Archives, Libraries, and other Research Facilities
Meeting with professional genealogists and acknowledging their work
Learning about and using Church Records and Poor Law Union Minute Books
Analyzing the information received in newly found documents
Visiting those places that give you a flavor for your ancestors' struggles

If you have Irish ancestors, Google terms that will bring up Irish History websites and blogs. Be sure to check out my summaries of the Irish Family History Research course held at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy 2011 (check out the archive at right). Some of the books and websites mentioned may help you in your research.

A big thank you to Lisa Kudow for helping to bring this show to the American market, to NBC for putting the show on their network in prime time, and to the celebrities who are sharing their family stories with us. Well done!

Tuesday's Tip ~ Blogging ~ It Does A Genealogist Good!

2011-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

A blog post, a Google search, some emails, and we have blast off
(hopefully through that brick wall)!

Last week I had the great good fortune of connecting with a previously unknown relative (my second cousin once removed) ~ all thanks to the Internet. I wanted to share the story with you and hopefully motivate you to make use of technology and get out there and blog!

Digital Photo by Filomena Scalise

Last Sunday I received an email asking me about some family members who were listed as my relations on this blog (my monthly roll call for birthdays and anniversaries). He mentioned some other relatives and asked if I had a listing for them.
That afternoon I responded with a few screenshots (using the Microsoft Snipping Tool) of my Legacy Family Tree database program showing our common ancestor and his family as well as my family. I asked if the screenshots confirmed his information and waited to hear back.
On Monday he responded by confirming our "connection" and providing me with some more current family information and telling me his family remained in Nebraska.
On Tuesday I responded by sharing some of my more current family information and also giving him a summary of information about the family members who moved from Nebraska to Washington. I also asked him if he knew anything about where our original family in Ireland was from as well as possibly exchanging additional information.
He responded by sharing some more about his family and telling me ~

"We still own land originally homesteaded by the Murphys in the 1870s."
He found my blog when he did a search of his name - which brought up not his name (living people consideration) but related deceased family as well as the particular towns and counties in Nebraska.
He shared more about family members who moved from Nebraska to Utah and Oregon
He mentioned that many Murphy family ancestors are buried in the town cemetery and that he was willing to check them out for me when the weather improved.
He offered to work on some dates and names and look up some addresses for me.

On Wednesday (after checking out the FamilySearch Wiki, Wikipedia, NARA and the Nebraska Historical Society websites), I followed up on the "homestead" issue. The sites mentioned that the original paperwork might provide some insight into James Murphy's place of birth, immigration and naturalization, all items that I have not been able to find.
He responded by providing me the legal description of the land that his family owns and offering to check his title abstract! He also informed me that certain of the families in our collective past were awarded Pioneer Farm Family Awards by AK-SAR-BEN.
After googling AK-SAR-BEN (Nebraska spelled backwards) I found out about the Knights of AK-SAR-BEN Foundation and their various agricultural and civic deeds.
On Thursday I offered to work with my genealogy database to prepare a report with the information I have entered to-date for his and other family members' review and comment (my work in progress). What a great opportunity to fill in some blanks, confirm or dispute information, add to my knowledge of the family and hopefully gain lots more information and stories about our extended family.
Later that same day, he sent me the first page of the title abstract for the property which lists:

the legal description of the land;
the original entry between the USA government and our original Ireland to America ancestor James Murphy dated in 1872 listing the land records office and the registration information; and
the patent between the USA government (by President U.S. Grant) and James Murphy dated in 1873 listing the Act of Congress and the homestead certificate number.

I went to the NARA site and downloaded the National Archives Order for Copies of Land Entry Files (Form 84). The information required to acquire copies of the Entry Files consists of the following:

Name of entry man
State land located
Approximate date of entry
Legal description of the land by Section, Townland and Range
Type of land entry
Patent final certificate number
Name of land office

A completed NARA Form 84 plus $40 should provide me with the Entry File for James Murphy! The entire process can be done online and the processing time is between 60-90 days ~ what an unexpected gift!
The abstract contained additional information regarding the land:

James' oldest son later quit-claimed his interest in the farm to his mother ~ this was my great grandfather who later moved with his wife and young family to Washington.
James' wife later quit-claimed her interest (except for dower rights) to her minor children ~ another way to identify and confirm family members and follow the land through the years.

On Saturday I filled out the NARA form and sent a quick question to NARA about in person research versus online request for records. I also worked on the draft family report which I plan to send off on to my Nebraska relative later today.
This morning I received a response from George at NARA explaining the in person research process:

You are more than welcome to do land-entry research by visiting our facility on Pennsylvania Ave.
Note that we prefer that records are requested in person and you are required to get a researcher's ID before we pull records; the second can only be done in person.
We also have set time for retrieving records, at 10:00, 11:00, 1:30 and 2:30 five days a week, with an additional pull time of 3:30 Wed-Fri. For the first visit we recommend that researchers show up at least 45 minutes before one of the pull times.
Our research room is also open late Wed.-Fri. and is open from 9:00-5:00 on Saturdays (though there are currently no Saturday pulls).
The cost for using our copiers in person is twenty-five cents a page, though digital photography is allowed in the research room.
If you have any further questions fill free to ask.

Since I have the choice and can easily travel to Washington, D.C., I may just make the trip to see the file in person. Whether online or in person ~ what a difference a week makes!

~Five Final Thoughts ~

Digital Photo by Salvatore Vuono

Blog, Blog, Blog ~ Put some information about family members online. My monthly blog roll lists birthdays and anniversaries of family members together with dates, RINs and MRINs (all from by genealogy database program).
Have an email address or account so people who visit your blog can get in touch with you.
Correspond with people who visit your blog ~ you may find some family, they may have information which will break down brick walls, and you will be able to do the genealogy happy dance!
The Internet can open doors ~ I researched online with the Nebraska Historical Society, FamilySearch Wiki, NARA; all provided lots of information and additional links for:

the history of the State as well as towns in Johnson County, Nebraska;
migration routes between New York and Nebraska (and onward to Washington);
record types at the Nebraska Historical Society;
property records in Nebraska;
land records research at NARA and the history of the Homestead Act of 1862;
USGenWeb school, marriage and cemetery abstracts and transcripts for Johnson County, Nebraska; and
a catalog of early Nebraska newspaper obituaries through O'Bits of Nebraska.

A road trip to Nebraska is definitely on my agenda ~ an opportunity to connect with family, see the original homestead, learn more of our history, hopefully get some stories and the opportunity to scan documents and photographs.

So, what are you waiting for? Place some information online, share your family stories and find some additional family members. Slainte!

Motivation Monday - Ancestor Approved Award

2011-02-14T11:30:00.001-08:00

Thanks so much to Homestead Mommy at Footsteps Of The Past for her nod and passing on of the Ancestor Approved Award.

First off, my apologies for being so late in responding to her January 11th blog ~ I "received" the award while out of town attending the Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy and I stayed on to do some research at the Family History Library.
Once I returned home I had to catch up with "real life" ~ you know all that stuff that is not genealogy!
This past week (when I had scheduled to get caught up on my outstanding emails and blog comments) I had the great good fortune to connect up via the Internet with a previously unknown relative. We found each other through this blog (more on that in a separate post ~ stay tuned).

~ In any event, with no more excuses and a small bit of fanfare ~

Thank you so much, I am quite honored to receive your kind acknowledgement regarding my blog, The Keough Corner. Blogging has been a great experience so far and I implore other genealogists, family historians and family storytellers to get online and start telling your stories. The blogging community is quite warm and welcoming, you will learn a great time about time-management, writing, editing, and sharing your family's history.

The Ancestor Approved Award was created in March 2010 by Leslie Ann Ballou at Ancestors Lived Here. It has traveled far and wide returning to some bloggers a few times while making its rounds. Leslie Ann asks two things of those who receive it (surprisingly more involved than one might think):

List 10 surprising, humbling, or enlightening aspects of your research; and
Pass the Award on to 10 other researchers whose family history blogs are "doing their ancestors proud."

~10 surprising, humbling, or enlightening aspects of my research ~

I am humbled to realize how much more difficult the process of family history research was for those who went before us. When I work with hand-written or typewritten pedigree charts and review correspondence sent via the mails (both in the USA and abroad) I am in awe of those who did it all the "hard way." Kudos to you and thanks for providing us with the building blocks for our research.
I am humbled by and thankful for the technology that has been embraced by the genealogy community. I started researching my family history 5 years ago and the changes we have seen during this time period are amazing. I came of age in the technology era so I have had the benefit of the Internet, E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, RootsWeb State projects, FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, Historical Societies and State Archives who have placed materials on-line for our use and, most recently, Podcasts and Webinars offered by many genealogy presenters. It is a brave new world out there and technology will assist us in ways unimagined even 5 years ago!
I was surprised to learn that my grandparents (three of whom I did not know) spoke so little of their own families to their children (my parents). Today most of us have the luxury of free time and discretionary income to engage in our family history research. My great grandparents and grandparents had neither ~ I have learned how difficult and hard their lives were and that talking about their past was not all that important to them ~ they were focused on the present and the future for themselves and their families.
I have found it enlightening to learn how rich the ethnic tapestry is that is my family ~ I am 4 parts Irish, 1 part Austrian, 1 part Norwegian, 1 part Slovenian, and 1 part Swedish ~ shaken, not stirred (one of the reasons I have two blogs The Keough Corner and Scandia Musings). I have learned so much by immersing myself in the history, geography and culture of each of these groups. We are lucky to have such excellent libraries and archives (the brick & mortar type) as well as Wikipedia, the FamilySearch Wiki, and Google Earth to learn more about people and places ~ it's a small world after all!
I am amazed, thankful, humbled and grateful that my ancestors had the drive, desire and willingness ~ often at great hardship to themselves and certainly with more than a little bit of faith ~ to leave their homelands and journey to Newfoundland or the USA between 1810 and 1916:

Andrew Kough who left Ireland in the early 1800s to make his home in Newfoundland
James Murphy who left Ireland in the 1850s to make his home in Nebraska
Michael O'Murphy who left Ireland in the 1850s to make his home in New York, Missouri and finally Nebraska
Honora Butler who left Ireland in the 1850s to make her home in New York, Missouri and finally Nebraska
Eleanor Kiley who left Ireland in 1858 to make her home in Nebraska
Peder Eriksen and Mail Pedersdatter who left their home in Norway in 1865 to make their home in Minnesota
Elof Larsson and Marit Larsdotter who left Sweden in 1882 to make their home in Minnesota
Valentin Kocevar who left his home in Austria in 1903 to make his home in Washington
Antonia Zagradisnik who left her home in Austria/Slovenia in 1907 to make her home in Washington, and
Andrew Keough who left Newfoundland in 1916 to make his home in Washington,

I was surprised to learn how many children the women in our families had and how many children died young ~ it certainly helps me to appreciate the times in which we live today as far as advances in nutrition, immunizations, and general health care are concerned.
I was surprised to learn that when my grandfather Andrew Keough became a US citizen he gave up allegiance to the British crown! Time for a history lesson regarding Newfoundland before confederation. Thanks to Newfoundland's GrandBanks website, family and friends I met online and those I met in person for the first time when I visited my grandfather's birthplace during the summer of 2009 for providing me with an education and a sense of my grandfather's past.
I was surprised to learn how much we don't know about our family origins in Ireland and how much work I will need to do to find out where exactly my Irish originally came from (of course it really helps that the surnames include Butler, Kiley, and Murphy!). Thanks to all of those who blog on Irish research methodology and to SLIG for an excellent course this year on Irish Family History Research ~ wow, do I have a ways to go!
I was surprised to find out (just recently) that my great grandfather James Murphy homesteaded in Nebraska and that with the help of a new-found cousin, I now have all the information I need to send to NARA for his Entry File. I am hoping this file will contain copies of his immigration and naturalization documentation.
I am humbled by the continuing generosity and esprit de corps of fellow genealogists and genealogical societies who have assisted me in my research efforts ~ special thanks to:

the Norwegian and Swedish Sections at the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MNGS)~ more helpful people you will not find
the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) - helpful people and a terrific journal
the members of DISBYT - if you have Swedish ancestors you need to join this group ~ they place their genealogy on-line and have email addresses to connect up with current (and previously unknown) family
The Maple Valley Historical Society - helpful members with a terrific newsletter and great photo archive for those of us with roots in this corner of King County, Washington

~Family History Blogs that are "doing their ancestors proud" ~

(some of you may have received this award already ~ just put a X2

or whatever number next to the award)

These blogs do an excellent job of highlighting personal and place research, entertaining their readers, and educating us ~ thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and your passion. Congratulations & Cheers to You!

Motivation Monday - Research Plans

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

We have all heard it before ~ in order to really focus on our research we should write up and use Research Plans. In addition, we need to take that Research Plan and focus our research on that particular issue and not meander online or get distracted by ancillary research.

A few points to consider:

Think of a research question you want to answer;
Write up the research question and your plan for answering the question;
Consider the types of research (online and bricks & mortar) you need to conduct to answer the question;
Set a time limit for conducting the research (use your genealogy database program to-dos or your genealogy calendar) and set benchmarks;

A great blog entry I read on Clue Wagon was about spending 4 hours of time researching a particular person ~ check it out.

After researching your question, write up your results and next steps in a Research Report.
Give your Research Plan and Research Report to a genealogist friend to review (and offer to do the same for your friend); and
Hopefully you will gain some insight into your research question (or solve it!) and you will continue to gain more experience by really focusing on your research.

I belong to one of the current ProGen Study Groups and January's assignment was to draft a Research Plan (assignments are turned in monthly and critiqued by other members of the Study Group as well as discussed during our monthly online chat). Thanks to a member of my Study Group who was on the ball and turned in her assignment early (thank you Micki), I had an opportunity to read and use (as a template) her rather excellent Research Plan.

The research problem I chose was "to find the marriage date and place for my great great grandparents ~ Michael Daniel O'Murphy and Honora Agnes Butler." According to information provided by their youngest granddaughter, the couple met and married in New York City in 1861. Nice story, but I don't have any primary source information to support this "fact."

Their published obituaries state that each was born in Ireland, each immigrated to the United States, they met and married in New York (although they list different wedding dates!) and the family bible entries list their first five children as born in New York City between 1861 and 1868. Various later censuses show these children's birthplace as New York. To-date I have not been able to find any immigration record or New York census record for either Michael or Honora (in the time period of 1840-1855).

I have not spent much time on this family as we had birth, marriage and death dates and places from Murphy relatives for the more recent family (grandparents and great grandparents). However, since I am now attempting to document the information I have received from family and do the necessary research to prove our family history and carry it back to Ireland, I need to learn more about Michael and Honora. Writing up a Research Plan is one example of following through on my "work smarter not harder" genealogy goal for 2011.

These screenshots show the draft of my Research Plan, including "Known" Facts, Research Plan (lots of to-dos here!) and Summary of Findings (to be filled in once I conduct the research).

I have done some research in Canadian, Norwegian and Swedish records, as well as records' research in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington. However, I have not done any research in New York records so I will need to read up on what is available and how to get to it. A terrific resource to start with is the FamilySearch Wiki for New York. Why not check out your own "State of interest?"

Sounds like a good online research project during February and perhaps a research trip in the Spring. Alternatively, if we share any of the above family members and you can shine any light on Michael and Honora's early years ~ I would love to hear from you!

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Final Thoughts

2011-02-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

~ All Good Things Must Come To An End ~

SLIG 2011 was, overall, a great experience. The Irish Family History Research course was well thought out and really informative. I especially appreciated having two main instructors with three speciality instructors ~ it provided varied pacing for the lectures, additional insights and expertise and different "octane" levels. The combination of the high energy, rapid fire delivery of David Rencher together with the moderate energy, thoughtful delivery of David Ouimette was excellent. The guest lectures were very good and it is always nice to hear Thomas Jones speak on any topic!

A few thoughts and suggestions (on both the SLIG in general and Irish Family History Research course in particular) now that I have had some time to process the week:

Location, Location, Location ~

The Irish Records Collection at the Family History Library lecture would have been much better over at the FHL ~ it would have provided an excellent introduction to the collection and would have given the attendees a sense of where things were physically located (help us "get our feet wet") during individual research.
The Irish Records and Resources on the Internet lecture could have been, at least in part, a computer lab held at one of the FHL computer rooms. Learning by doing is quite helpful and attendees would have had an opportunity to click and try various suggested websites.
The Identifying Irish Locations lecture would also have been much better over at the maps and gazetteers section of B2 at the FHL. It would have been helpful to see various maps (perhaps with one of the librarians explaining their drawer system) and actually locate certain of the townlands, parishes and counties on the larger maps. Visual learning should not be discounted.

Mix It Up ~ I think it is good to mix things up (in terms of educational format) rather than having static lectures ~ especially first thing in the morning or after the lunch break (something to keep us all awake). I also think that the FHL can be a bit intimidating to the first time visitor or the first time to that section visitor. Besides, what is not to love about field trips!

Invest in Great Coordinators ~ David Ouimette did a fantastic job of encouraging class interaction and was very patient in answering our questions (he seems to be a natural teacher - really enthusiastic and supportive of students). His lectures never felt rushed and his ease and mastery of the subject matter was quite impressive. Ouimette also imparts such a love of genealogy and thrill for the whole records' process that you can't help but share his excitement. His considered opinions as to where FamilySearch, Ancestry, Footnote, and various Irish online and actual repositories are (or will be) with their capabilities as well as what the future holds for Irish research were quite interesting.

Timing is Important ~ Instructors need to keep to the time limits set out in the schedule. This was really only a problem with lectures held before lunch on Tuesday through Thursday. Since various genealogy database providers were giving "lunchtime lectures" about their programs, something was missed when arriving late to the lecture.

What Will We Be Learning? ~ Instructors should take special care with the titles of their lectures. I am sure there are plenty of reasons for being creative with the titles but at SLIG 2010 and again at SLIG 2011, two of the evening sessions I attended where not really what was "advertised" in the blurb. It could be the attendee's misreading or the fact that they had "cute titles," but an instructor needs to be clear what he/she plans to teach so that attendees are not disappointed. Attending an evening class on top of the all day sessions is an additional cost in time and money for the attendee ~ make it worth our while.

Materials In Advance ~ It would be nice to get the course materials in advance of SLIG. Reading through the materials the night before the lectures does not really give the attendees much time to digest the information. Certainly the bibliographies provided with the course materials would be nice to have beforehand to check some of the materials out at a local library.

Little Glitches & Let's Go Paperless ~ In an effort to save paper (or perhaps it was just done in error) the course materials were copied two-sided in their entirety (with no page breaks). This made it difficult to separate out the course materials by topic and/or by day. I would happily download or get a DVD of the course materials and forgo paper completely but that is just my personal preference. Barbara Renick often provides her course material in a download format (a great idea but also something we should have been aware of before the lecture in order to take advantage of having the information available to us).

Too Much Information ~ At the closing banquet UGA gives out certain awards and the various administrative/institute people speak about the current SLIG and future SLIGs. The awards for Thomas Jones and Paula Stuart Warren were interesting and applicable to SLIG. On the other hand, the administrative coordinators need to be aware that most of us are not "active" members of UGA and are unfamiliar with, what appeared to be, some type of internal shakeup or difficulties with this year's SLIG. More than a few people mentioned "the situation" several times and it was disconcerting and awkward for those of us who were clueless. Keep in mind the audience at these functions, the purpose of the banquet (an entertaining after dinner speaker and a "thanks for coming see you next year" upbeat message), and perhaps share your internal comments at a UGA meeting rather than at the Institute.

Caffeine Please ~ Since SLIG is held at the Radisson and the back table has ice water, would it be that hard to have coffee and tea (or even hot water) available to the attendees. We are there all day Monday through Friday (usually 8:30 am to 3:00 pm). Just a thought from a coffee/tea lover!

SLIG 2011 was excellent and I learned so much about Irish research. I have a lot of work to do before I can cross the pond, but now I feel like I have an excellent road map to help me on my journey. Thanks to all the instructors and a big thank you to the coordinator, David Ouimette. Lucky for me I spent some extra time in Salt Lake City ~ so I proceeded to the FHL for a little bit of research.

Ah ~ records galore!

Almost always open!

SLIG 2011/Tech Tuesday - PowerPoint with Barbara Renick

2011-02-01T14:00:00.002-08:00

Mea Culpa Barbara Renick ~ I Should Have Known Better!

SLIG is not for the fainthearted. Personally, I find the the thought of four to five hours of lectures a day five days in a row a bit draining, especially because I try to get in at least a couple of hours of research at the FHL each day.

On previous SLIG trips I attended at least a few of the evening sessions because it is a good opportunity to hear a some well-known speakers (Thomas W. Jones, John Colletta, and Barbara Renick) as well as some less well-known speakers ~ at least when I first heard them (D. Josh Taylor and Debby Horton). It is also a good way to learn something in an hour-long lecture that you may not be interested in or ready for with the week-long course. The downside of evening sessions is that it makes for an incredibly long day and at times you feel like you have reached information overload!

This year, I decided to limit myself to one course and since I previously attended Barbara Renick's SLIG Internet & Technology Course, I signed up for her PowerPoint for Presenters presentation. Her presentation focused on the logistics of a PowerPoint presentation (the slide projector, the differences between PowerPoint versions 2007 and 2010, the QAT, and navigating around your presentation) rather than how to put together a presentation. At the time and in discussions with a few other attendees we were a bit underwhelmed with Renick's performance and thought it didn't match our expectations. What I was expecting was more along the lines of:

how to go from lecture concept to preparing slides
how to incorporate jpegs or screenshots into slides
ideas for theme colors and fonts
how to update slides

The attendees did not receive a handout at Renick's presentation but at the outset she informed us that her presentation was available in PDF format on her website Zroots.com. Her "energy level" was definitely not on high (which is her usual mode of operation) and that evening I felt that her presentation was "not all that."

Flash forward three weeks and I am happy to say mea culpa Barbara Renick for three reasons:

You coordinated one of the Courses and taught several additional sessions. Attendees sometimes forget that the instructors are "always on" whether in the classroom, at the FHL, at the area restaurants and/or just hanging out around the Institute hotel.
You had one hour to speak. Looking back the presentation was titled PowerPoint for Presenters not How to Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation.
I didn't have the opportunity to check out your "written material" during SLIG but upon my return home I downloaded and reviewed Advanced PP2007 Lab by Debby Horton & Barbara Renick. This 47-page document is the roadmap for any PowerPoint presenter and discusses in detail the following areas:

Creating

New Features
Keyboard Shortcuts
Comparison of versions 2003 and 2007
Design Elements
Working with Slide Masters
Reusing Slides and Other Elements
Using Multimedia
Macros
Online and Offline Help

Editing

Adjusting Backgrounds
Adding Emphasis
Adding Animation
Adding Hyperlinks

Practicing

Printing Slides/Notes/Handouts
Quality Check
Screen Capture

Packing

Packing or Publishing
PowerPoint and Other Programs

Presenting

Working with Projectors
Presenter View
Navigation during a Presentation
Pen/Pointer Options
Using a Remote/Mouse

What's New in PowerPoint 2010

Barbara and Debby laid out in a clear and logical manner (with screenshots) all the aspects of preparing and presenting a PowerPoint presentation. A number of exercises that walk you through the process from start to finish are included as a bonus to put into practice what you have learned. Advanced PP2007 Lab can be saved to your computer (I put mine in Microsoft OneNote) and highlighted, notated, and/or searched as necessary while you work through the wealth of information.

Barbara ~ I stand corrected. On the surface your lecture did not seem to meet my needs but you (and Debby Horton) blew me away with your "written material." I especially appreciate the ability to work through the exercises. Looking back, there was of course no way you could have explained everything PowerPoint in one hour. I didn't get that you were giving us some highlights but expecting us to take your full presentation and run with it (at our own pace). Kudos!

Just one little quibble ~ I think you should have shown us a few screenshots of Advanced PP2007 Lab to make it clear that you were providing us with a real treasure that we needed to download and noodle through. Just thought I would spread the word to other attendees and suggest to the rest of you that if you get the chance to hear Barbara Renick and/or Debby Horton ~ do so ~ you won't be disappointed.

February Birthdays & Anniversaries

2011-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to February's "roll call" of those who came before me ~ a listing of the birthdays and anniversaries of my Keough & Murphy ancestors who were born or married during February. I use a cutoff year of 1900 for privacy concerns. As you can see, Ireland, Newfoundland and the United States (Illinois, Nebraska and Washington) are represented.

Do we share any of the same ancestors? If so, I would love to hear from you and hear all about them.

Eleanor KILEY [353] Feb 1835, County Cork, Munster, IRE
William MENKIN [3590] Feb 1895, , , Nebraska, USA
Bridget A. MURPHY [998] 1 Feb 1870, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary KEOUGH [1583] 2 Feb 1861, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary REDDIN [1629] 2 Feb 1861, IRE
Patrick J. MALONE [2990] 2 Feb 1864, Jerseyville, Jersey, Illinois, USA
Pierce J. MURPHY [1000] 2 Feb 1874, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary KEOUGH [245] 2 Feb 1887, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary Catherine KEOUGH [N2885] 2 Feb 1890, Plate Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Ellen Cecelia (Ella) MURPHY [207] 6 Feb 1888, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Mary Loretta MALONE [2992] 10 Feb 1899, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
James BARKER and Abigal CAREW [N662] 11 Feb 1876, King’s Cove, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Denis KEOUGH [N2888] 12 Feb 1889, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Mary KEOUGH [948] 13 Feb 1859, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Lawrence Edward Shaughnessy [497] 16 Feb 1900, Kent, King, Washington, USA
Lawrence Augustine MURPHY [2128] 18 Feb 1900, Saint Mary, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Francis L. SHAUGHNESSY [494] 20 Feb 1895, Sumner, Pierce, Washington, USA
Hanna KEOUGH [N156] 22 Feb 1829, Open Hall, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Ellen Catherine KEOUGH [N2884] 23 Feb 1890, Plate Cove East, Bonavista Bay, , NL
Thomas J. MURPHY [477] 24 Feb 1882, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
John Pierce MURPHY [2124] 24 Feb 1889, Vesta, Johnson, Nebraska, USA
Winnie DAVEY [3063] 27 Feb 1886, Tecumseh, Johnson, Nebraska, USA

February Month & Name Wordles made with Wordle.net ~ thanks

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 5

2011-01-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Friday morning ~ the last day of SLIG ~ we were in the home stretch as far as SLIG went and a quick check of the schedule showed we were in for a big time! David Rencher was giving three of the lectures and Tom Jones was going to share how he reconstructed a lineage from Irish records fragments ~ this was going to be one busy day.

Irish Poor Law System

Rencher explained the Poor Relief Act of 1838 and how the system worked in practice. In the back of my mind I was aware that one of the jurisdictions referenced in Irish records was the Poor Law Union (PLU). I was not aware of what it meant, how it worked, and the effect of the PLU on our ancestors.

This lecture served as another example of how important it is to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the area you research.
The Act was modeled after the English version of the Act and was administered through the Church of Ireland parishes.

The purpose of the Act was to "provide for" the poor and destitute by setting up a tax system on land occupiers, building local workhouses, interviewing the poor as to their need, placing them in workhouses, arranging for their removal (either from a parish or from the Country), and keeping track of them.

During this time period (1830s-1860s) several famines and droughts hit Ireland. The English government's corresponding decisions, actions and failure to act devastated the Irish population and affected Ireland for generations to come. An excellent (thoroughly researched, heavily sourced and unflinchingly brutal) book in this regard is The Great Hunger by Cecil Woodham-Smith (follow the link to find it at a library near you).
Since this course was for genealogists and its purpose was to provide sources for Irish family history research, Rencher only mentioned in passing the fact and results of the famine. I direct genealogists/researchers to the following websites because I believe a study of the history of this appalling event is crucial to understanding its effect on the Irish people (to the present day).

Check out Dr. William Rogers' course outline for the Great Hunger at Drew University ~ his course reading list and introduction are quite informative.
The Wikipedia article on The Great Hunger gives an excellent outline of the causes and effects of this tragedy (be sure to check the accompanying notes and bibliography).
Quinniplac University's The Great Hunger website provides an excellent introduction to its amazing collection of famine related items (workhouse minutes, parliamentary papers, books, photos, and art).

Records were maintained so research in your particular townland should give you a fuller picture of your ancestor's time and circumstances (whether your ancestor appears in the records or not).
Rencher discussed in detail the possible classes of records and where they could be located:

Pre-1838 Records ~

Vestry Minute Books
Bastardy Bonds
Pew Schedule/Assignments
Examinations

Post-1838 Records (as the system became more institutionalized) ~

Board of Guardian Minute Books
Admission Books
Dismission Books

Locating the Records

In Ireland, these records are deposited in the County library. In Northern Ireland the records are at PRONI. Rencher provided an appendix that listed the PLU records by Board of Guardian number, County and Repository.

Rencher ended his lecture by telling us that all of the Irish were in some way affected by PLU from whatever side ~ I took that to mean whether your ancestors were landowners or tenants, city dwellers or rural dwellers, native Irish or transplanted Scots or English, church members or church administrators, families who experienced the workhouses, families removed from their land, individuals and families forced to emigrate, or families who remained.

Irish Probate Records and Genealogical Collections

Rencher reminded us that, as in all aspects of genealogy, an understanding of jurisdictions is key to Irish probate records.

Rencher discussed the history of Irish probate law and discussed in detail the types of records to be found.

Wills
Administrations
Grant Books
Day Books
Inventories

Rencher discussed the use of original indexes to probate court records and pointed out the the FHL has an excellent microfilm collection of many probate indexes.
Many original probate records (say it with me now ...) were destroyed in the Four Courts explosion and subsequent fire of 1922. However, as is often the case, abstracts or transcripts may exist. Additionally many wills are registered in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin. Finally, if an individual had property in other places in addition to Ireland, records would have been maintained in those additional places (think England and Scotland).
A large portion of the lecture was devoted to a discussion of sources of Irish probate records including:

Transcript Collections (over 20 collections were detailed and discussed)
Pedigrees

Two specific items to check (if your ancestors had probates) are the Prerogative Will Index and the Diocese Index.
Rencher also suggested checking out the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) website which has an excellent online catalog and quarterly journal. Rencher even had copies of previous IGSI journals that he passed out ~ yeah a free gift!
Rencher provided an extensive bibliography as well as appendices listing the pre- and post-1858 probate jurisdictions. Two books suggested that provide an overview of Irish probate records are:

ffolliott, Rosemary "Wills and Administrations A Prime Source for Family Research," in Irish Genealogy - A Record Finder, Donel Begley, editor. Dublin: Heraldic Artists, Ltd., 1981.
Greham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. 2006.

As always, be sure to check out the FHL catalog for a wealth of probate records available to researchers right here at home (before you make the trip to Ireland).

Methodology for Reconstructing Lineages from Irish Record Fragments

If you have not had an opportunity to attend a lecture by Thomas W. Jones ~ try to find one! He is an amazing speaker and after you listen to him noodle through a genealogical problem you will come away with a new appreciation for the research process done right!
Of course the underlying theme of any Jones lecture is that lineages can be reconstructed. However, there are four requirements to do the research accurately and thoroughly:

persistence
organization
extensive research
systematic analysis

Jones walked us through his personal research on the Geddes men in County Tyrone, Ireland. He discussed in detail the steps required to reconstruct a lineage ~

Conduct an Exhaustive Search

go from the known to the unknown ~ think "big picture" broad search, do not limit your time period, add years on either end
make sure you include all name variants
do cluster research
search all known surviving records
extract all information ~ cast a wide net

Correlate the Findings

use tables or spreadsheets to be able to manipulate your data

Establish Identities

look for similarities
look for differences ~ you can't afford to be a lazy or complacent researcher

Group Identities into Generation

use chronology ~ look for math errors and locations too far to make sense

Propose Relationships

determine family and extended family relationships ~ land records and probates are especially helpful for identifying members but also consider name lists
consider naming patters
consider location
remember to include your negative evidence

Use the Genealogical Proof Standard to Justify Your Conclusion

a reasonably exhaustive search
complete and accurate source citations
analysis and correlating evidence from each applicable source
resolve conflicting evidence
explain your proof conclusion

Jones gave an excellent (of course) bibliography to assist us in learning about the process and methodology he covered in his lecture.
He also supplied us with one of his spreadsheets so we could follow along with his analysis of the Geddes' men.
Jones' lectures are always so packed with information that you just need to sit back, listen and follow along. Thankfully he provided us with great written materials to review.

Preparing for a Family History Experience in Ireland

Rencher returned for what was billed to be the last lecture of the day (and the course) and it was a a relaxed discussion of preparing for a trip "across the pond."
Rencher outlined the most important aspect of planning a trip to Ireland ~ What do you hope to accomplish?

Identify place (where your ancestors lived)
Identify people (are there siblings, parents who stayed or living relatives today to meet up with)
Research pedigrees
Visit your homeland and take in the history and culture of the area

For each of the above objectives, Rencher outlined the plan to accomplish that goal.
He reminded us to be realistic about what we can accomplish, how to accomplish it, and the amount of time and effort to accomplish our objectives.
Planning a trip requires time and effort and includes "doing your homework" in regard to transportation, accommodations, travel guides, research facilities, opportunities to relax and take in the sights.
Rencher pointed out that group research travel is an option ~ someone to guide you with your research in a new place is always helpful.
He also reminded us to have a "Plan B" (you have heard of Murphy's Law haven't you?) and realize that you will not accomplish everything in one trip (I haven't even done that with local research).
If you are realistic in the planning stages, you will know what to expect and have a better time ~ Rencher's parting words were to "have fun."

Review & Questions

Ouimette returned to close out the course and answer any remaining questions. Not to be outdone by Rencher's gift of previous IGSI journals, Ouimette stepped it up and brought parting gifts (what a great guy!).
His handout entitled The Irish Collection at the Family History Library ~ Ouimette also discussed the handout in detail (really an additional bonus lecture ~ notes below)

Ouimette began by telling us that the FHL has the largest and most comprehensive collection of Irish genealogy in the world. He then spent the next hour outlining the collection (and proving his claim)!
He discussed the ten most significant records collections available at the FHL. While I was aware of certain of the records, until this course I was unaware of the importance of a few of them.

Canceled land books, 1850s-1920s
Townland and tenement valuation manuscripts, 1830-1864
Registry of Deeds, 1708-1929

Ouimette discussed the catalogue system at the FHL and set out how the Irish collection is cataloged by topic ~ over 75 topics were provided in our written materials.
The key point of this lecture (yes an added bonus lecture ~ like an additional music track) was to really make us think about all the possible record types/topics that need to be consulted in order to find documentation regarding our ancestors.
Ouimette did an excellent job of discussing how to find the major records in the FHL catalog. Keep in mind that records are catalogued by author, title, subject and locality so there are many paths to follow to find the records.
Ouimette pointed out that Irish records can be difficult to locate at the FHL because "most original manuscript collections are not conveniently arranged by civil parish." That said, Ouimette then suggested how we could make our searches accurate, thorough and (hopefully) successful.

Check out Ouimette's book Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide at page 143 for a table explaining Irish sources at the FHL.
Ouimette reminded us to continue to check out two online resources:

FamilySearch.org's Record Search pilot where many Irish records are being indexed and are searchable online and
Irish Research Wiki at FamilySearch.org which has a wealth of Irish content and research guidance.

Finally to whet our appetite for all research Irish, Ouimette discussed the large amount of records on microfilm as well as materials that have been scanned but not yet catalogued in the FHL Catalog. So much material, so little time!
Ouimette provided us with a one page sheet Research Methodologies for Tracing Irish Immigrants ~ giving us another reminder of the importance of the Genealogical Proof Standard!
But that's not all folks ~ he also gave us a one page sheet Irish Given Names and Surnames with scads of variants to open our minds to all the possibilities out there for names.
He gave us a really nice laminated brochure from Failte Ireland Tracing Your Ancestors in Ireland. If you get a chance, try to locate one of these (a really nice and helpful 6-page summary of all things Irish genealogy).

The front cover of the brochure

The back cover of the brochure

It definitely appears there is a wealth of materials available to assist us in our research ~ with our questions answered and our course evaluations filled out, it was time to close out our Irish Family History Research Course ~ Slainte!

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 4

2011-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

With the religious and civil registration records out the way, we set our sights on census and land records. By Day 4 the group was dragging a bit ~ I think many of us spent part of our evenings checking out the records discussed during the day ~ just a bit of "records overload." I'm glad the FHL closes at 9:00 pm each evening so we can get some sleep before another day of lectures!

Irish Census and Census Substitutes

Ouimette began the day by summarizing the history of the national censuses in Ireland. Surprisingly enough although several censuses have been taken, far fewer have been kept!

Nominal censuses of 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851 were accidentally destroyed.
Nominal censuses of 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 were intentionally destroyed.
Nominal censuses of 1901 and 1911 are available to researchers .
Later censuses are currently closed to the public.

Fragments and, in some instances, transcriptions exist for some of the "destroyed" censuses.
Ouimette suggested that we keep in mind that historians and researchers at the time did the same things we do today ~ review documents and abstract, transcribe and/or copy them. Sometimes these abstracts and transcriptions are found in estate records, libraries and archives.
When censuses are unavailable (due to destruction) researchers need to work with census substitutes. In this instance, Ireland has a number of census substitutes, including:

Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1828
Griffith's Valuation 1848-1864
Cancelled Land Books 1850s-mid 1900s

I had not heard of cancelled land books before and it is worth you while to check out the FamilySearch wiki on this topic to learn more about them.

Local Censuses and Name Lists
Directories
School Registers

Ouimette commented that it is necessary to take a "big picture approach" to finding out about our ancestors ~ if they did not own land, they oftentimes worked land as tenants and records exist; children attended school; individuals and businesses appeared in directories; local and church censuses were conducted ~ keep an open mind about the types of records available during your ancestor's time.
The FHL microfilmed the 1901 and 1911 censuses. They are also online at the National Archives of Ireland.
Be sure to check out the books mentioned in the Day 1 blog entry as they provide excellent background information to the censuses and census substitutes.
Additionally the Tracing Your (County) Ancestors series by Flyleaf Press (one for each County) offer suggestions for census substitutes available by locality.

Methodology for Interpreting and Evaluating Name Lists

Rencher explained the use of Name Lists in genealogical research. Name lists include things like voting lists, tax rolls, school registers, church records, militia records ~ just think of the types of lists we are all on today and you will get the idea. Rencher discussed in detail the important points to keep in mind when searching these lists:

What was the purpose of the list;
Who prepared the list;
What type of information was taken; and
What does the list (or record) tell us

Rencher reminded us that oftentimes what we find in our research is an index to or a transcript of a Name List. We need to use the index or transcript as a finding aid and take the next step to locate the original.
Finally we need to evaluate the Name Lists ~ we need to follow these lists through time and perhaps we will be able to link individuals and/or families.
While it is important to find records, Rencher reminded us that it is more important to analyze what we have found and see if it helps us solve our genealogy puzzles.
The class got to put into practice what we learned by working with a couple of name lists and answering questions ~ it was a great way to apply our new found knowledge and I learned a little something about Hearth Money Rolls and Householders Lists!
Rencher provided us with a one page sheet entitled "Ireland Checklist of Census Substitutes." Rencher told me that he plans to add this to the FamilySearch wiki for Irish research and mentioned that I could post it to my blog (coming soon). Be sure to check it out ~ there are several classes of records I had not heard of before!

Land Valuation Records

Since one of the most important classes of records in Irish research is land records, Ouimette devoted the next hour to a detailed discussion of the four main records:

Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1838
Townland and Tenement Valuation Manuscripts 1830-1864
Griffith's Valuation 1848-1864
Cancelled Land Books 1850s-mid 1900s

The importance of the Tithe Applotment Books is that these records list rural families in the years before the diaspora and serve as a substitute for the early censuses. Be sure to read about the purpose and execution of these records.
In order to prepare Griffith's Valuation, preliminary surveying and valuating work was done (and recorded) on each property in Ireland. These Valuation Manuscripts provide a wealth of information. Ouimette discussed the records in detail and identified where the records are maintained. Added bonus ~ GSU microfilmed thousands of these books and they are at the FHL!
Griffith's Valuation is a listing of all householders and landholders in Ireland at a particular point in time. Supplements and updates to Griffith's have been published. Keep in mind that this information is a snapshot which should be viewed in conjunction with the other land records information discussed.
Cancelled Land Books are basically the records since Griffith's Valuation (if you do any Norwegian research, it is a bit similar in idea to the farmbooks in that the original information was taken down and updated over time on the basis of the property rather than the person). This is a great and often overlooked source of information.

When did a family move into an area?
When did a family move out of an area?
When did a family emigrate?
Who are the surrounding (cluster) families in the area?
Who is the major landowner in the area? ~ Perhaps there are estate papers somewhere!

Yet again the FHL has microfilms for most localities . The originals are located at the Valuation Office in Dublin or at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast ~ is there a research trip in your future?
Ouimette reminded us to make use of the Ordnance Survey maps. The historical maps are quite detailed, correlate with the time frame of the land records discussed in the lecture, and best of all ~ are available online.

Estate, Land, and Property Records

I did not think I would get much out of this lecture as my ancestors were most probably tenant farmers in Ireland (or the children of tenant farmers). Rencher surprised me at the start of his lecture by stating that "estate records are among the best sources for documenting the poorer classes in Ireland." Then he proceeded to walk us through the key points:

Various types of estates existed in Ireland

landed estates
crown estate
encumbered estates (the effect of foreclosure (it's not new!) due to various depressions)

The types of records maintained and relating to the estate

by the landowner
by the governing and taxing bodies
leases on the property
identification of landowners

Availability of records - Rencher told us that the best way to determine if records existed for our locality was to check out the Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation. He mentioned that these records can be researched by locality.
Rencher gave us tips and additional resources for finding estate, land and property records.
He mentioned that only ten percent of the population is represented in the Registry of the Deeds. This is one area of land records research that is quite different from American research. It pays to spend some time learning the terminology and history of land records research in Ireland.

Four days down and one to go ~ we had learned so much but I felt I was reaching that tipping point! Time for some fresh air, a long walk, and some caffeine.

Digital Photo by Simon Howden

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 3

2011-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Taking a look at the schedule for Wednesday I knew I was going to get some religion ~ Irish Church records were front and center for three of the four lectures!

(Digital Photo by Simon Howden)

Some general notes ~ An important point to be aware of is that there is a difference between civil and religious parishes in Ireland and that the Catholic parishes/dioceses and Church of Ireland parishes/dioceses are separate and do not overlap.

Be sure to check the FamilySearch wiki for your ancestor's County in Ireland to learn more about these jurisdictions and their particular locations in detail.
Be sure to take a look at local County research guides (published as a series) as they provide an interesting and informative overview of the history and culture for your particular area.

Catholic Church Records

Ouimette provided an excellent overview of the Roman Catholic Church in Irish history and culture. We had an abbreviated history lesson starting with St. Patrick and moving in greater detail from 1541 through the 1870s.
The Roman Catholic Church has flourished in Ireland even in the face of (and perhaps in direct contravention to) English rule and religious persecution. It is imperative to understand the political and cultural history of Ireland to truly understand our ancestors.
Roman Catholic records were maintained on the parish level and registers were regularly kept for births/baptisms and marriages. It was less common to have death/burial registers. The Catholic parishes did not consider their records "public records" and did not forward them to Dublin and/or they only sent copies while maintaining the originals.
Ouimette laid out the types of records to be found and how to identify your ancestor's Catholic parish.
Keep in mind that Latin was the "lingua franca" of the Church and oftentimes records will contain some written Latin. Ouimette provided us with several of the standard terms and the FamilySearch wiki has an excellent table laying out words and terms that may be found in various registers.
Original parish registers continue to be held on the parish level and microfilm copies of certain of the registers are available at the National Library of Ireland in Dublin.
Approximately one-third of the NLI microfilms are available at the FHL.
Ouimette also suggested that County Heritage Centres (some better than others) have indexes available online.

Church of Ireland Records

Rencher took over at this point to give us an overview of the Church of Ireland's place in Irish history and the status of its records.
Rencher provided a timeline of important historical dates as well as a summary of the records maintained by the Church of Ireland (COI).

Although many of the COI's registers were destroyed in the Public Records Office explosion and fire of 1922, substitutes as well as some indexes to these records are available and Rencher provided suggestions on additional avenues of research.

Rencher provided two great charts (I like color!) laying out the schematic history of the COI diocesan organization both historically and today. These charts were quite helpful in understanding the administrative strucure of the COI.
In addition to birth, marriage and burial records, other COI records exist and were summarized as follows:

Vestry Minutes
Bastardy Bonds
Pew Schedules/Assignments
Parish Deeds

Be sure to search out published Parish histories and registers.
A key point Rencher made was that oftentimes pre-1922 records had been extracted and/or indexed and this is another avenue of records to be researched.
He provided an excellent bibliography and an appendix showing a map of COI dioceses.
Finally, it is important to remember that due to persecution of Catholics and the fact that COI was the established State church, no matter your ancestor's religion, you should always check COI records.

Presbyterian Church Records

Dean Hunter returned to provide an overview of the Presbyterian Church records in Ireland.
The Presbyterian Church was the dominant church in Ulster as its adherents were the Scottish who arrived in the North of Ireland under the English plantation scheme.
Hunter provided a background of the types of records to be found as well as their locations in Belfast.
He suggested that preliminary research be conducted online through the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).
Additionally he provided a lengthy bibliography to assist researchers looking into Presbyterian records.

Irish Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths

Ouimette was back to outline the standard vital records research as it applies to Ireland. He provided a history of civil registration in Ireland and put it an the timeframe that it may be applicable to our ancestors.
He outlined the types of records available:

Original manuscripts
Published indexes
Microfilm copies maintained at the FHL
Digitized images and searchable indexes
Birth Registers
Marriage Registers
Death Registers

Ouimette explained how to acquire copies of entries from the various registers and how to use the registers as a "springboard" to other records.
He advised that you should always learn why a record was created ~ it is important to gain an understanding of what things you should be looking for in a record, who might have copies of it, and how it was used.
We have to know the jurisdiction(s) we should be looking in for the record (as well as surrounding jurisdictions).
Always use a year range and surname variants in your research ~ keep an open mind as far as dates and spelling go because it was not important to our ancestors and it was only more recently standardized.
Keep in mind that indexes and registers are not perfect and sometimes very good reasons existed for "errors" in dates.

As an example after registration was mandated by law, penalties were levied for late registration. People often used dates that complied with their later reporting dates and did not trigger a fine.

Be sure to look not only in national registers but also local registers.
Indexes for many Irish civil registrations are now online at FamilySearch.org.

I had always heard that there is a dearth of Irish records for the genealogist but after today's sessions I came away more aware of the wealth of records that are out there. It does seem to be a more involved process to find them and acquire the birth, marriage and death information of my ancestors. Since I enjoy puzzles and like the thrill of the hunt, today's sessions gave me some ideas on where to start my search.

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 2

2011-01-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday's classes began even earlier (at 8:30 am) and since David Rencher was giving the first lecture I made sure I had plenty of Starbucks in my system so I could keep up with him!

Something I enjoyed (although I am not sure about some of the other attendees) is that neither Rencher or Ouimette lectured directly from their written materials. We have all been to conferences where the lecturer simply reads his written materials or his PowerPoint presentation ~ not fun (and I always wonder if they think we can't read, they are uncomfortable in front of groups, or they just didn't prepare)!
Neither Rencher nor Ouimette read their materials to us and in fact, while their written materials provided the "bones of the lecture," they were both quite fluid and their PowerPoint presentations added to and expanded upon their written materials. For some attendees this was disconcerting at first, but both Rencher and Ouimette were good sports and provided copies of any "new" materials and certain charts or lists they used in their presentations.

Tools for Irish Reference

Rencher discussed the importance of understanding the basic jurisdictions in Ireland through the years.
Since recordkeeping is based on jurisdiction, this is a key concept.
Rencher also discussed the breakdown between records kept in the Republic of Ireland (Dublin) and those kept in the Northern Ireland (Belfast).
He mentioned that one important research tool is Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilization. This multi-volume index is a listing of known manuscript sources by surname, county, issue, and other keywords. Definitely a resource to check out at FHL!
Other key reference materials were outlined and discussed in detail:

Published Family Histories/Pedigree Indexes
Maps & Gazetteers - especially Ordinance Survey Office maps (in this regard check out these maps online - fascinating!)
Church Records
Censuses and Census Substitutes
Householders' Index
Register of Griffiths' Valuation and the Tithe Applotment

Rencher reiterated that it is imperative that you conduct all your American research and acquire records of any information that will assist you in finding your ancestors' place (down to the townland if possible)
He provided and discussed in detail an extensive bibliography of reference materials to assist the researcher with both the substantive information as well as the methodology required to successfully conduct Irish records' research.
He reminded us that oftentimes Irish records may be in England ~ specifically as they relate to military records and records regarding the "Irish question."
Since so much of our research effort will be spent trying to determine if the record we are interested in existed in the first place (and where an index or summary of it may have been maintained if the original no longer exists) and what efforts we undertake to find the records, maintaining accurate research logs is important.

(I saw this coming when he mentioned that much of our results would be "negative" ~ drat, another reason we need to be organized and methodical!)

(A screen capture from Ordnance Survey Maps online ~ St. Mullin's, County Carlow, Ireland)

Identifying Irish Locations

We got two lessons for the price of one (geography and Gaelic) as this lecture covered in detail the system and sources of place names as well as land jurisdictions in Ireland.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the same townland can be spelled a multitude of ways. Ouimette provided an example from his own research of a townland in parish registers for Killury with eight different spellings ~ none of which was the "official" or present day spelling of the townland.
Oftentimes it helps to sound out phonetically the townland name your ancestor either said or wrote on his documents if you are having a hard time determining the townland and its possible variants.
Ouimette laid out the various jurisdictions in great detail working from largest entity to smallest:

Nation ~ actually two; the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (although my ancestors considered it the North of Ireland or the occupied counties!)
Province ~ four
Diocese ~ we need to keep in mind that there are both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland dioceses and they are not the same and they do not usually overlap (just another wrinkle!)
County ~ thirty-two
Barony
Poor Law Union
Superintendent Registrar's Districts
Parish ~ of course this can't be simple as there are three distinct types

civil parishes
Church of Ireland parishes
Roman Catholic parishes

City and Town
Electoral Division
Townland

Ouimette discussed how to find the various jurisdictions for your ancestors by using a variety of resources including townland indexes (some of which are online), maps of Ireland, and Samuel Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland.
Ouimette gave an interesting piece of advice ~ "Treat places like family" and learn about the surrounding jurisdictions to your place.

It is important to understand the physical layout of the townland, including the layout of estates, buildings, and natural features (lakes, waterways, railroads, paths, etc.). Of course this is true in all place research but sometimes we forget ~ try to get a feel for the place or get the big picture in your mind.
Check out the Ordinance Survey maps online as they will be of utmost assistance to your research.

Once again we were provided with an excellent bibliography for further reading ~ two of the many resources to check out are:

General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland: Based on the Census of Ireland for the Year 1851. 1861. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2000.
Mitchell, Brian. A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland. 2d edition. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2002.

The Irish Collection in the Family History Library

Evva Housley, an FHL librarian, gave us an overview of the Irish collection at the FHL. She laid out the physical location of the materials and the types of records. The records break down by the following groups:

Civil Registration of births, marriages and deaths ~ this did not begin until 1864 (although non-Catholic marriage registration began in 1845). Many indexes and registers are available on microfilm (and some on now online at FamilySearch.org).
Census records
Church records - broken down by denomination (including Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Quaker and others)
Registry of Deeds
Irish Wills
Census substitutes
Periodicals and Indexes ~ Housley pointed out that this is a very underutilized resource
Old Age Pension Claims ~ Housely discussed the importance of this resource and how to search them
Encumbered Estates

This lecture was basically to help us understand both the breadth and depth of the FHL Irish collection as well as understand the cataloguing system employed by the FHL.

Irish Records and Resources on the Internet

We finished out the day with a virtual trip to Ireland and all things Irish research to learn what is available online for Irish researchers.
Ouimette started out by discussing how the Internet has altered both the content (what is available) and the process (how to find it) of genealogy research.
Ouimette outlined three main portals for the Internet ~ these are basically the directories or finding aids to help the researcher locate what is out there on the Internet.

Ouimette was quite complementary of several of the major collections for Irish records. His written materials listed and described many of the well-known sites (Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org) as well as several lesser known (at least to me) sites. A few of those that I checked out after class stand out:

Historical Mapping Archive ~ I love maps and this site does not disappoint with its historical maps, so check out where you ancestor lived and what his world looked like (the example above is from County Carlow, Ireland).
Public Records Office of Northern Ireland ~ an excellent example of "genealogy done right" as it is user-friendly, has excellent articles and a wealth of materials and indexes (as well as some digital images) for the Irish researcher.
Waterford County Library ~ this is an example of a great county library, see if your ancestor's county has something similar.
IreAtlas ~ Another great finding aid for finding places in Ireland.

Ouimette mentioned that several Irish counties have a "web presence." Be sure to check out what local researchers have placed online for their communities (similar to our rootsweb community projects).
The 1901 and 1911 Censuses are online through the National Archives of Ireland ~ this is a great resource for searching out surnames ~ perhaps not all of your family came over and this is a great "jumping off point" for further research. Check out the whole of the Archives for lots of tremendous historical and genealogical records.
Ouimette's final thought on online research was to remember that although there has been an explosion of indexes, registers and actual scanned documents placed online, Internet research is only the tip of the iceberg. After you scratch the surface online, remember that the largest share of Irish records research is still found in libraries and archives or in the personal possession of individuals and communities.

On that note, we finished up for the day and had the option to check out the FHL on our own and get started with our research. Since we finished up by 3:00 pm and the FHL didn't close until 9:00 pm, we had six hours to get hopelessly lost on level B2 of the FHL ~ let the games begin!

SLIG 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research ~ Day 1

2011-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

In the better late than never department, I have finally had a chance to process the Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy 2011 ~ Irish Family History Research Course ~ that I attended the week of January 10th. In my defense, I stayed on in Salt Lake City through January 19th and on my return had to get back to real life. That said, I continue to have the utmost respect for those blogging gurus who post daily while at a conference. But now, let me share with you the highlights of SLIG 2011.

Bright and early (8:00 am) found all the SLIG attendees at a breakfast to kick off the week of genealogy education! There were general introductions of the Course coordinators and several of the instructors as well as some general information about the Institute as a whole ~ vendors, administrative and logistical matters, and lunchtime and evening lectures (only for true genealogy warriors). After breakfast and with binder in hand I searched for my "classroom."

Promptly at 9:00 am our coordinator for the week, David Ouimette, had us introduce ourselves and share our family surnames, county/regions of Irish ancestry, religious affiliations, locations in the Canada and/or the USA where our immigrant ancestors settled, and amount of previous research/current status of our research. It was a great way to "break the ice" as well as give us a sense of each other's research interests.

The remainder of the day consisted of the following lectures:

Introduction to the Course/Week

The good news is that there are records both in the USA and Ireland that can help you find your Irish ancestors (not everything went up in smoke in 1922 or otherwise got destroyed through the years).
Before you even think about crossing the pond to perform research in Ireland you need to do your homework here in the USA and find out everything you can about your ancestor who came over from Ireland with the records right here!
The later your ancestor came over from Ireland the luckier you are because the records are better (on both sides of the Atlantic).
There are several excellent resources, including FamilySearch.org and some other great websites, that continue to post information on a regular basis ~ be sure to check them out regularly!
At some point in order to answer your research questions, you will "get to go to Ireland" (rather than "have to go to Ireland") ~ and there are a number of quality research facilities in Ireland.
At the outset, he suggested several books that provide a road map for the beginner, intermediate and advanced Irish records' researcher.

Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2006.
Mitchell, Brian. Finding Your Irish Ancestors: Unique Aspects of Irish Genealogy. Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield, 2007.
Ouimette, David. Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide. Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2005
Ryan, James G. Irish Records: Sources for Family & Local History. Dublin, Ireland: Flyleaf Press/Ancestry, 1999.
Ryan, James G. Sources for Irish Family History: A Listing of Books and Articles on the History of Irish Families. Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Ireland: Flyleaf Press, 2001.

Irish Immigration - North American Sources and Methodology

We were all in for a history lesson as the first part of the lecture covered the Irish immigration experience ~ the time frames, the reasons, and the experience once the immigrant arrived in America. For those without a historical context this lecture was extremely useful. The concept of chain migration was explained and discussed ~ another great reason why it is so important to perform cluster research!
Ouimette discussed in detail several excellent resources to check out to find evidence of Irish ancestral origins in American records (the list below is only a sampling):

Naturalization papers
Land records
Probate records
Church records
Census records
Tombstone inscriptions
Birth, Marriage & Death records
Newspapers
Military records
Family records
Railroad Retirement records
School records
Published histories
Ship passenger lists
Church and civil records in Canada
Employment records
Social Security applications

Irish Emigration - Irish Sources and Methodology

This lecture took us across the Atlantic to find learn about the Irish emigration experience. If you have not had an opportunity to hear David Rencher speak there are two things you need to know ~ he talks at lightening speed and he packs two hours of information into a one hour lecture!
Rencher discussed the principle ports from which the Irish emigrated, the costs involved and the effect that the Poor Law Act may have had on the emigration experience. I was not familiar with the history of the Poor Law Act and workhouses in Ireland ~ definitely something to research in greater detail.
One of the interesting and oftentimes overlooked research areas (especially during the famine years' emigration) is the use of the following records:

Land records
Church baptisms
Poor Law documents
Estate papers
Directories
Ordinance Survey lists
School records
Church records ~ we need to keep in mind that no matter our ancestors' "professed religion" the Church of Ireland was the State church for a significant period of time and our ancestors (no matter their religion) may be recorded there

The Scotch-Irish in America

This lecture focused on the available records in Ireland and Scotland to assist the researcher in locating his/her American Scots-Irish families. Dean Hunter laid out the records as well as the indexes that are available and provided a list of the surname records maintained by the Family History Library.
Since none of my "people" were Scottish and/or from the North of Ireland, this lecture held less interest for me than the other lectures.

Irish Surnames and Given Names

In this lecture Ouimette provided us with the history of Irish surnames and how to determine the possible source of an Irish surname.
Some things to keep in mind when researching your surname or given name:

Many surnames are identifiable with certain locations or regions in Ireland
Spelling is not particularly important (as there was no fixed spelling until the 20th century). As a result, researchers will want to conduct their research using all known variants!
The use of O or Mac in surnames ~ view these are simply a variant.
When searching records realize that given names could be in English, Gaelic, Latin, abbreviated or a nickname and be prepared to research using all known variants!

By way of example:

English = Patrick
Gaelic = Padraig
Latin = Patricius
Abbreviated = Pat, Patt, Patk, Patrk
Nickname = Paddy, Padric, Pat, Patty, Paudrick

Another example ~ sometimes an Irish given name has (to our mind) unusual variants:

Bridget = Delia
Jeremiah = Darby

As in several cultures, there may be "naming patterns" and the Irish, in particular, used traditional naming patterns (although there are always exceptions to the "rule").

By the end of the day on Monday, I was glad the Family History Library closed at 5:00 pm so I didn't feel guilty about not racing over to get in any research time!

SLIG 2011 ~ Where To Lay Your Head

2011-01-22T10:00:00.001-08:00

Wow! I have been to the Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy (SLIG) before and thought lessons previously learned would help me during the week. Some things I got right, others I got wrong ~ but, all in all, it was a great week with lots of learning going on. Although I originally planned to blog each day while at SLIG, I found that the time got away from me and that I needed a bit of time to process it all (and catch up on my sleep). So a little late, here are my "day by day recap" posts of my 2011 SLIG Adventure.

~ Some Thoughts on Accommodations~

Always give some thought to whether you should stay at the "conference" hotel (in this case the Radisson Hotel) or somewhere else. In Salt Lake City and certainly around the Temple area there are a number of other places to stay, many of them are within walking distance and/or TRAX stops away from the conference. Realize that you may be able to getter the same amenities for less somewhere else and choose your accommodations based on what works for you.

The SLIG classes are held at the Radisson and it serves as the "conference" hotel. It is a beautiful hotel, the rooms are lovely, and there is something to be said for staying at the same hotel at which the classes are held.
The downside to staying at the Radisson is that it is an extremely large hotel with a diverse clientele (business people, skiers, weekend tourists, event/concert stayers, and airline employees, as well as all those genealogists). As a result I found the hotel "standard American business-oriented," a bit impersonal and unnecessarily spendy.

The gift shop and restaurant are nice but cater to tourists and expense accounts.
Room service is great but pricey.
The four elevators are always slow and, since most of the SLIG classes take place on the second floor at similar times, always crowded.

The first year I attended SLIG, the Radisson offered take away coffee or tea from their restaurant for $1 per cup, available on an honor system from large pump carafes ~ great for those of us who indulge in the caffeine habit and easy to get between classes. Once they revamped their gift shop (to include a coffee bar) drip coffee is almost $4 a cup and the one employee is so busy making speciality drinks that waiting on line for a simple cup of coffee is torture.
On both occasions I stayed at the Radisson I found that the airport shuttle service offered is simply a shuttle service that books through the Radisson. The shuttle service return trip (booked and paid for in advance) to the airport was quite late and neither the front desk nor I could light a fire under them to get them to show up anywhere near the scheduled time.

Last year, I decided to check out the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel as an alternative to the Radisson. The Plaza is located approximately 100 steps from the Family History Library and is one block from the Radisson.

I noticed that a number of conference attendees and instructors stay at the Plaza.
The rates are usually $10-$15 less per night that the conference Radisson rate.
The Plaza is going through a process of upgrades (with more to come in the next year). The rooms are large, well-maintained and have all the standard amenities.

The rooms have coffee makers, refrigerators and microwaves ~ a real plus if like me, you like to make/have coffee or tea in the morning or evening and like to have some of your meals or snacks available when you want them.
The rooms now have ergonomic desk chairs ~ another plus if you are doing any work from your room.

A complementary shuttle service (with Plaza employees who could not be more helpful) is available to pick you up from the airport (use the call phone at the airport) and can be scheduled from the front desk for return trips to the airport. I like the fact that the luggage lockup is a simple procedure and the driver will always help with your luggage.
My driver mentioned that the shuttle service will take you to the restaurants, shops and grocery stores in the area if you call the front desk and set it up. I had a great guy take me to the grocery store and wait for me while I picked up essentials like VIA (Starbucks) instant coffee, half n half, fizzy water, Crystal Lite Lemonade, yogurt, fruit, cheese, deli meat, crackers, Egg Beaters, and Zone bars (yum!). I like being able to have snacks and meals on my clock.
The gift shop has a variety of pretty fairly priced snacks.
The restaurant has great breakfasts, a good salad and soup bar, and an excellent tuna melt! The restaurant is pretty speedy, always welcoming, and inexpensive.
If you need anything ~ the front desk is always happy to help and quick to respond.
I like walking to the Radisson each day for SLIG ~ it is a short walk and I get some fresh air. It also makes me be more organized as I put my stuff together the night before so I am ready to roll in the AM.
On those days when it rains or snows (and in January it sometimes does) you are no farther than 100 steps from the FHL, close enough to make a run for it (in rain). No matter with snow as the street crew in SLC has the roads and sidewalks cleared almost as soon as the snow falls!
The TRAX stops right outside the door and one stop later you are at Gateway Mall with a numbers of shops and restaurants. Additionally, numerous restaurants are close at hand in the Temple area.

(A place to lay my head ~ and plenty of space)

My room at the Salt Lake Plaza

Setting up my work area (computer & printer)

The Utah Genealogical Association (who put on the SLIG) gave all attendees a handy map of the area as well as a list of services all within walking distance of both hotels in our course packet. In summary, it pays to check out a variety of accommodations and find the one that best suits your needs and your budget ~ don't feel you have to stay at the conference hotel!

SLIG 2011 ~ Is There A Genealogy Conference In Your Future?

2011-01-20T10:00:00.001-08:00

So is 2011 the year you plan to attend a genealogy conference ~ good for you!

What are your next steps?

The first step is to give some serious thought and do a bit of reading and/or online research to decide where to travel. One of the main reasons I enjoy attending Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) is that the Family History Library (FHL) is nearby and has a wealth of research materials and personnel to assist you in your research. Salt Lake City hosts a number of research conferences and seminars throughout the year (or you can make the trip to the FHL on your own).

Perhaps you want to start out closer to home or closer to local research facilities that are key to your family's history. Throughout the year, there are conferences and seminars in a number of places ~ select one that is near research facilities that will be of use to you. Check out Genealogy Conferences and Expos (a Google Calendar from GeneaBloggers) to find out about upcoming conferences and seminars. While you are there, why not also check out GeneaBloggers' Events and Daily Blogging Themes calendars.

The second step is spending some serious time thinking about what you want to accomplish with your trip.

If You Fail to Plan ~ Plan to Fail!

What do you want to accomplish? What is/are your research question(s)? Write out your Research Plan(s)!
How do you intend to accomplish your goals? Find out what resources are necessary to help you answer your research questions. Use your Research Plan to help you accomplish your goals. Oftentimes the process of putting it down on paper shows the strengths and weaknesses of your current research and points you in the right direction to break down those brick walls. If you spend a bit of time and effort now you will save a great deal of time and effort later.

The third step is spending some quality time planning your trip. Whether you use pen and paper or your computer, you need to focus on the following areas and keep copies (either on your computer, mobile device, or printed out on paper) of all reservations, receipts, outlines, course materials, packing lists, travel information, as well as any legal and medical information.

Budget

Do you plan to attend a seminar? If so, how many days is the seminar and what are the costs associated with it (course fees, travel arrangements, accommodations, meals) as well as research costs (photocopies, local travel, other purchases)?
How many days do you plan to research on-site and what are the costs associated with the trip (any additional travel, accommodations, meals, or research costs)?
There are simple template budgets in Microsoft Word and on Google Docs - draft and revise your budget throughout the planning stages and there will be fewer surprises during your trip!

Pre-Trip Planning

Make use of AAA services, go online at Trip Advisor, contact the local genealogical societies, archives, libraries, etc., to check out the logistics of your trip. Find out the hours of operation, what is going on in the community, possible places to stay, interesting sites to visit, restaurants to try, how to get from one facility to the next (the nuts and bolts of the physical part of your trip).
Give yourself plenty of time to check out a variety of websites and follow up with telephone calls and/or emails to staff (the nuts and bolts of the research part of your trip).

You don't want to plan your trip when the facility is closed or on shortened hours.
You want to make sure you have checked out any online research catalogs in advance (a real time saver)
You want to get as much done in advance to make the best use of your time once you are on site.

Save your web page searches using Microsoft OneNote (a truly great program), EverNote, copying and pasting the web pages into your word processing program, or printing out the applicable information.
Whether you save the information to your computer or print it out, make sure to update the information as your trip nears.

Course/Seminar Sign up

Check out the early bird deadlines (usually a big cost savings) and make sure you are on any mailing list or blog that the sponsoring organization has set up to keep attendees apprised of news and events.
Google the coordinators and instructors so you have some idea of their areas of expertise and see if they have any materials online, at the library (or bookstore) to get a feel for their teaching style.

Travel Arrangements

Make use of any of the travel services online (AAA, Trip Advisor, Priceline, Kayak, specific airline portals) to get an idea of travel costs (keep in mind you may be driving, taking the train, or flying to your destination). Use a mapping program to check out the area (Google is great for this). Watch prices and determine the best days for travel to save costs.

Accommodations

Whether there is a conference hotel or not, always determine what housing arrangements best suit your needs.
Keep in mind that distance will make a difference with all day conferences (especially if you need to make local travel arrangements). Keep an open mind and be sure to check out bed & breakfasts, inns, hotels, university summer housing, and staying with friends and/or family.

Packing Lists

Start making your packing list both as it relates to the standard travel items as well as your genealogy related travel items.

What will the weather be like? Why not put the weather gadget for the city in question on your iGoogle page to start getting a feel for your trip.
What is the dress standard for your conference or research trip?
Think comfort and keep in mind that at conferences, rooms can be drafty, too cool or too warm ~ think layers!
Make sure you know what the research facility will allow you to bring in - notebooks, binders, pens & pencils, computers, cameras, scanners, etc.
Make sure you know how much copies cost ~ most facilities require cash and prefer small bills.

What about your Virtual Research Toolbox? Why not register to listen to some expert advice from Thomas MacEntee when he gives a Legacy Webinar on "Building a Research Toolbox" (scheduled for April 6, 2011).

Research Plan

What do you hope to accomplish? Repeat after me ~

I won't get it all in one trip
I will not be at the research facility from dawn to dusk (trust me you will burn out!)
I will focus my research in advance of my trip so I make the best use of my time

Spend some time writing up your Research Plan(s) and have a plan of attack!

Travel Research Binder

What do you need/want in paper format to make your research trip organized, timely, helpful and useful?

Pedigree Chart(s)
Family Group Sheet(s)
Copies of any applicable records (vital records, religious records, censuses, emigration/immigration records, land records, tax records, city directories, and military records) used in your Research Plan(s)
Master Location List
Master Source List
Full citations for sources already used in your Research Plan(s)
Pages from Maps and Gazetteers of the areas in your Research Plan(s)

There are a couple of great webinars that do an amazingly in-depth job of explaining research plans, travel research binders, Research Logs Part 1 and Part 2, and taking a genealogy research trip ~ all found at FamilySearch.org. Be sure to check out all their research courses as well as their research wiki. Don't forget to check out Wikipedia for Country and region information.

Additionally Professional Genealogy has two excellent chapters dealing with research plans and analysis (Mills, Elizabeth S. Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co, 2001. Print.) Be sure to check out Chapter 14 - Problem Analyses and Research Plans and Chapter 15 - Research Procedures for some excellent tips. (More on Research Plans in a separate post!)

You can watch the webinars in the comfort of your own home and check Professional Genealogy out of your local (or genealogy) library. Find the closest library at Worldcat.org.

Have you recently taken a genealogy research trip? Do you have any tips, tricks or suggestions to add? Please share!

SLIG 2011/Tech Tuesday ~ Microsoft's OneNote For Research Trips

2011-01-18T10:00:00.001-08:00

I have mentioned before that I really love Microsoft's OneNote program which comes with all of the iterations of Microsoft Office. I don't know why Microsoft doesn't market this program more because I think it is tremendous. I especially like it for research trips, gathering research citations and lookups, and keeping track of my ancestry.com shoebox.

Today I thought I would focus on how I used OneNote for my most recent research trip to Salt Lake City for SLIG 2011.

I have set up a Travel Notebook with sections for all types of trips ~ for our purposes the section for Salt Lake City Seminars is shown. The tabs at the top of this Notebook Section show the following:

SLC Seminars
Journal 2009
Journal 2010
Journal 2011
Research

I have enlarged the tab section (at the right) so you can see the titles of the various pages - in this instance "Packing List for 2011 Trip." You can add pages yourself, link a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet, or grab a page from a website and "print" it to your Notebook (which is what I did with my airline reservation/confirmation, hotel reservation, and SLIG Course outline). I also sent emails from my ProGen Study Group to my Notebook. Anything from the Internet is easily sent from Windows Internet Explorer with a one click "send to OneNote button" and can also be done from other Internet browsers with a "print to OneNote button."

In any event, this is a great place to keep all kinds of information about the "nuts and bolts" of my trip all in one place. In the top right-hand corner you will notice that there is a Search function - just put in the word or phrase you are looking for and OneNote will search a particular Notebook or all Notebooks and provide you with a list of pages to help you find what you may have "misfiled." You can keep your Notebook private, email it (either by page, section or Notebook) or share it online. It has lots of bells and whistles, but even using just the "send to OneNote button" and keeping articles, web pages, etc., is a real boon.

The above screenshot shows the outline for the course I signed up for at SLIG 2011. Note that the page goes into OneNote with the hyperlinks so you can always go click on the hyperlink and go directly to the website for updated information (really great when you have done research and did not keep track of where you got it from for your research log!).

In the first section for all SLC Seminars, I keep general information like the TRAX (trolley) information, restaurants that have been suggested to me, and various articles.

Finally (and perhaps most importantly) is the Research Section. This is the place where I keep FHL catalog entries that I want to check out during my research trip. I send them directly to OneNote so I have the film or book numbers as well as any specific information that may be of use. I might note the family surnames I'm looking for, the time frames in question, and the priority of the research.

If you have Microsoft Office on your computer and have never checked out OneNote, why not give it a try before your next research trip. Microsoft has some excellent tutorials on using OneNote (either version 2007 or 2010 ) ~ there is also a free version "in the cloud." Microsoft recently published an iPhone app for OneNote which can be used with your iPhone or iTouch ~ I haven't gone there yet but I am on my way ~ oh yeah!

If you already use OneNote and have any tips or tricks to share ~ please leave a comment. (I know I have only scratched the surface so feel free to share with the rest of us). Thanks.

SLIG 2011 ~ Top Ten Reasons To Attend SLIG

2011-01-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

Well the 2011 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy has come and gone. It was a very busy week and it was really intense ~ there was lots to learn and enough free time to get some serious research time in at the Family History Library. What's not to like?

~ So now, my Top Ten List of Reasons I Like To Attend SLIG ~

The focus is on education ~ on the first day there were approximately 15 vendors but it was terribly low-key and pretty much for informational purposes only
The classes are coordinated by course ~ all of your classes revolve around a theme, have a coordinator and instructors, each class tends to build on the last one, and instructors are usually available after class to answer questions or point you in the right direction
UGA and the instructors put together very useful presentations and materials ~ maps of the Salt Lake City area and available services are included, as are the course materials broken out by day and lecture
The class size is limited ~ the Irish Family History Research course had 19 attendees and our coordinator asked some questions the first day to gauge our prior knowledge, areas of interest, and family surnames ~ during the course of the lectures he made a point to address special areas of interest
After your classes finish up for the day ~ you are steps away from the Family History Library (FHL) and usually have the late afternoon and evening to research
Area hotels have very good rates prior to and immediately following SLIG so if you have the time you can fit in some extra research days at the FHL (to put all that new found knowledge to use)
UGA personnel seem genuinely interested in making the SLIG better each year and work hard to answer questions and solve problems
It's January and snowy ~ what better time to be in Salt Lake City, curled up a wealth of research materials
SLIG seems to be get a number of return researcher/attendees as well as newbies, and attracts people from all over the United States
Being away from home gives you the opportunity to really focus on your research to the exclusion of pretty much everything else (at least all those everyday things back home)

So, check out the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy's 2012 Schedule (and the preliminary schedules for 2013 and 2014). Why not give some thought to planning a trip to learn something new and get in some research time in Salt Lake City.

In the Clover ~ Irish Family History Research at SLIG

2011-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

(Digital Art provided by FreeDigitalPhotos.net ~ thanks)

Next week at this time I will be midway through Course 3 ~ Irish Family History Research with David Ouimette, CG ~ at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). January a great time to go to Salt Lake City and settle in for genealogy courses and research at the Family History Library (FHL). The FHL is not very crowded and the cold weather really makes me want to stay warm and dry at the library.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been to the SLIG before (I attended and highly recommend American Records with Paula Stuart-Warren and Internet Tools & Techniques with Barbara Renick and Debby Horton; additionally if you get the chance to attend any lecture given by D. Joshua Taylor ~ do it, he is a great speaker and is quite tech savvy).

I am looking forward to this year's course because it is focused on Irish family history research, a subject near and dear to my genealogy heart as my father's ancestry is Irish by way of Counties Carlow, Cork and Kerry. As an added bonus, the FHL is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm (on Mondays it closes at 5:00 pm) for research. I plan go to the FHL during my "free time" and put all that theory into practice with the FHL's Irish collection.

The course outline is as follows:

Irish Immigration - North American Sources and Methodology

Irish Emigration - Irish Sources and Methodology

Scotch-Irish in America

Irish Surnames and Given Names

Irish Records and Resources on the Internet

Identifying Irish Localities

The Irish Collection in the Family History

Tools for Irish Reference

Catholic Church Records

Church of Ireland Records

Presbyterian Church Records

Irish Civil Registration of Births, Marriages, and Deaths

Irish Census and Census Substitutes

Methodology for Interpreting and Evaluating Name Lists

Land Valuation Records

Estate, Land and Property Records

Irish Poor Law System

Methodology for Reconstructing Lineages from Irish Record Fragments

Irish Probate Records and Genealogical Collections

Preparing for a Family History Experience in Ireland

Twenty lectures over the course of the week works out to four lectures each day ~ quite the schedule. Mr. Ouimette is the author of Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide and is also a director at large of the National Genealogical Society (a more complete bio is here ).

Since one of my New Year's resolutions is to be a more consistent blogger, I plan to post about my experiences at the 2011 SLIG. If you will be in Salt Lake City attending the SLIG (especially if you are attending the Irish Family History Research course) perhaps we can meet up. If you are not attending the SLIG in person, check back here next week to attend via my blog.

Slainte