RootsTech 2024 --Day 3 Online

Day 3--My Virtual Attendee Session Schedule

• 9:00 AM You Can Do the DNA #4–See What DNA Success Looks Like: Real Case Studies--Diahan Southard

This was Part 4 of the "You can do the DNA series".  I love case studies and have attended a number of Diahan's lectures online.  She always has a wonderful syllabus.  Loved that she used DNAPainter's WATO + in the case study.  I love working with DNA matches at MyHeritage because you can see their relationship or how much DNA they share with your shared matches.

• 10:30 AM Diseases our Ancestors Faced and How Those Illness Changed Our World--Gregory C. Gardner

This was an excellent and informative presentation.  Lots of statistics and he mentioned Wolfbane's International Classification of Diseases which is a site I use frequently when working to determine the cause of death listed on a death certificate.  

• 2:30 PM Unexpected Treasures: Family History in the American State Papers--Judy G. Russell

As always a great presentation by Judy Russell.  Need to know the time period covered or type of records?  Where to find them?  That and more were covered in detail in the presentation and in the accompanying syllabus.

Favorite things from RootsTech 2024:

All the Great Presentations  (🠈Link to Full Library)

MyHeritage DNA Upload Promotion

FamilySearch Full Text Search  

RootsTech 2024 --Day 2 Online

Day 2 Highlights:  

RootsMagic 9 is on sale for $20 thru March 4th 2024.

MyHeritage highlights

New Profile Page with Hints

• OldNews newspaper website(available as standalone subscription or as part of MyHeritage Omni subscription package.
• Upcoming Features:  Ethnicity update and the ability to share results(which will get around the 2FA issue) 
• Upload DNA thru March 4th and gain access to MyHeritage's DNA tools

American Ancestors Highlights

The 10 Million Name Project  

My Virtual Attendee Session Schedule

 

• 9:00 AM  Did My Family Get Skipped? Mining Census Records for Missing Ancestors-Nicole Gilkison LaRue

There were some technical difficulties at RootsTech across the board for the virtual attendees but this class was great.  What is not to love about using timelines and city directories to locate those hard to find folks in census records.  Also the Steve Morse site was mentioned and it is a must.   Great syllabus with additional resources!

• 10:30 AM  The Homestead Act and Southern Black Homesteaders--Jessica Korgie Bernice Alexander Bennett

Wonderful overview of Homestead Act of 1862 along with a resource list and break down of documents which are created during the entire process of obtaining the land.  

https://www.nps.gov/home/write-your-homestead-story.htm

49 Stories in 5 States are written about in the Black Homesteaders 

of the South covering the following states

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Florida
• Louisiana
• Mississippi

If you missed this one and have an interest in Homestead records you really need to check it out. The syllabus does an excellent job of detailing the documents that might be found for your homesteader.

• 2:30 PM Where in the World? Tackling a New Research Location--Cheri Hudson Passey

Excellent Resource list and advice on creating a Locality Guide for an area you are researching.  Be sure to get the syllabus for this session. 

• 4:00 PM  Recover, Restore, Remember: The 10 Million Names Project--Lindsay Fulton

10 Million Names Project

American Ancestors  

The goals of the project

• Establish a document-based research repository
• Amplify the voices of people who have been telling their family stories for centuries
• Connect people and resources

RootsTech 2024 --Day 1 Online

Day 1 Highlights:  

FamilySearch Tech Forum

100 Million Records Searchable with Full Text Search

This is so exciting for me.  I had the opportunity to use the AI search prototype they had available in 2023.  In the few days I had it, it was mind-blowing how many new records I found.

US Land & Probate Records and Mexico Notary Records are currently the only available collections to browse.

Plantation Records records were also mentioned 

See Family Search Labs page for 

https://www.familysearch.org/labs/

Early Release of Family Group Trees

Check FamilySearch Labs for new products under development

MyHeritage has redesigned their profile page.  See their blog post about it at the following link.

https://blog.myheritage.com/2024/02/introducing-all-new-profile-pages-with-hints/

Also don't forget they are offering Access to All DNA Features with DNA uploaded thru March 4th, 2024.  This is the perfect time for those who have tested at AncestryDNA or other sites to upload and get tools for dna analysis for free.

My Virtual Attendee Session Schedule

• 9:00 AM Fixing Sticky Problems in FamilySearch Family Tree--Kathryn Grant  

            This was a great presentation and was very helpful in simplifying the process of making corrections that are due to bad merges and  incorrect relationships.  

Fixing Process

1. Fix Incorrect Merges
2. Fix Incorrect relationships
3. Fix incorrect info and sources.

Half the battle for me has always been trying to figure out the best procedure for correcting.  I've about got my pedigree corrected thru my 2nd Great Grandparents.

Check out the templates that Kathryn has on her website.  

Timeline Grid Information and Templates

Other Templates

• 10:30 AM Who is My Ancestor? Tracing Individuals with Similar Names--D. Joshua Taylor

Joshua's discussion of the 5 step strategy for identifying & tracing individuals with similar names is one we all as family history researchers can use.  

"The best way to know who your ancestor IS, is to know who your ancestor ISN'T"

He talked about using Timelines ,which is one of my favorite strategies for same name research.  The importance of writing and sharing your findings about those same named ancestors can not be stressed enough.

• 1:15 PM Genetic Genealogy Turns 25: DNA Experts Tell Their Stories--Diahan Southard

Happy Birthday, Genetic Genealogy!!  It was great to hear all the experts talk about their start in genetic genealogy research.

• 2:30 PM What’s New at Ancestry® in 2024 Crista Cowan
• Family Groups
• Memories--upload stories, audio, photos(you can organize in albums)
• Life and Times in the US Stories & Events --Newspapers.com   https://www.ancestry.com/c/newspapers
• Sideview Traits and Communities by parent
• DNA--Communities Updated.  We should expect an update about every 3-4 months for the communities although you can be added to a community at any time if there are enough testers with DNA in common showing they all belong to that specific community
• Pro Tools

• 4:00 PM Innovation and Tech Forum 2024 RootsTech

There were presentations by each of the following companies
about their latest projects and how they are harnessing the power of AI to use
in order to bring family history to life.

• Microsoft Copilot
• LivingHistory.AI 
• Storied
• EmulateMe

To be honest, this afterlife and dead relative talk kind of creeped me out.  I love AI as it pertains to indexing and gathering information.

These were just the classes that I viewed.  There are many more available.  For more in depth information on the days events check out any of the classes or online expo hall at

RootsTech website

19 Things You Can Do to Enhance Your Family Research

Well, it's official.  I've been blogging about people, places, and things I've found helpful in my research for 19 years.  Whew!  In celebration of the blogiversary, I've compiled a list of 19 ways to enhance your family research(listed in no particular order.)

1. DNA Testing--Testing using autosomal and YDNA can bring about research avenues that you might not have ever discovered using only traditional genealogy research.  It can help to focus on our blood ancestors path while broadening our family.  Many times those cousins you discover thru DNA will have pictures, family memorabilia or stories about our ancestors that weren't passed down in our own line from the shared ancestor.  DNA testing mtDNA can also be helpful if you have a specific question about a matrilineal line.
2. Read books about social situations--It was helpful for me to learn more about the Tuberculosis outbreak and hospitals when writing about my Cook(e) family.  My paternal grandfather's oldest sister's family was almost wiped out during the outbreak in Rutherford County Tennessee.  There are also many great books about slavery, women's history, and just about any other social situation you can imagine.
3. Explore the Unindexed records at FamilySearch--These are a goldmine.  I have bookmarked the Place Catalog Search Results for areas I'm researching so that I can see what is available online at FamilySearch.   It makes it feel as if I am at the courthouse browsing thru through the record books.  The best part is, no travel, no need to worry about your attire, and no dust.
4. Genealogy Education--There is so much out there in the way of education for genealogist.  Webinars, Seminars, Books and How To Videos.  Many of the libraries and genealogical societies offer free help.  I personally love Legacy FamilyTreeWebinars. ConferenceKeeper.org is also great for keeping up with all of the educational opportunities out there.
5. Order Document retrieval--There are a good number of document retrieval services offerings.  When you think about how much it would cost to travel to a library and/or archives to get copies of the files you need, it's no wonder that there is a market for retrieval.  I've discovered so much wonderful information in pension files and copies of other records and often wish I had started taking advantage of these services sooner.
6. Network--We really need to interact with other researchers who are studying the same areas or surnames.  They may have specialties that we don't. I've found it helpful to ask a friend about research problems to see if it is my approach that is limiting my results. 
7. Talk to Family--Even siblings have different memories of events that happened in a family due to their own unique perspective.  Talk to cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. They may have stories you don't and may have just assumed you knew the stories.  
8. Cluster Research-- If you aren't researching the friends, associates, and neighbors of your ancestors, you are just getting a partial picture.  Their story is so much deeper than what you see if you merely scratch the surface.
9. Visit areas where your ancestors lived.  If nothing else, it makes you feel closer to them.  It might also put you more "in tune" for researching the area.  For me it's a deep personal experience to walk on the same ground where my ancestors walked.
10. Create a Family Archive of important documents--I have made several of these for my family.  I have one with the papers of my paternal grandparents and another starting at the marriage of my parents.  Often time you don't realize how much information you have until you start assembling the notebook/binder.
11. Plan what becomes of your research--Not to be morbid, but if you don't want your research to end up at the landfill, you need to make plans for what happens to it once you have passed.  State Archives, local libraries or if you have historically significant items such as ledgers or family papers you might consider area museums. 
12. Place Name or One Name Studies--This is a given really.  The more you know about an area in which your ancestor lived, the easier it is to know and understand what was going on in their life.  Also if you familiarize yourself with the different families who carry the same surname, you will be able to differentiate between your Cook family and the other Cook families.
13. Organize Photos and Exchange--Organize your photos and try to identify the subjects and dates of each photo.  Many people do not like to share their photos of ancestors.  I share freely.  They have other descendants who might want copies.  Also if(heaven forbid) something should happen to your photo there will still be a digital version out there. That should be incentive enough to share right there.
14. Use a Notebook(or notebooks) for Brainstorming--Always keep a notebook devoted exclusively to brainstorming on your research.  When you get an idea for an avenue of research, write it down otherwise you are likely to forget.  I keep a notebook on my nightstand.
15. Revisit old Documents and Research periodically--This is especially helpful when you feel you are at a brick wall for a particular ancestors.  Many times what didn't look like helpful information when we first viewed the document is found to be helpful given what we know presently.
16. Write about your research(blog or article submissions)--Writing or blogging is so helpful.  It helps you think thru research issues. Too writing about your ancestors gets your research out there.  This can be scary but it's also scary to have done years of research and no one is aware because it's never been put out there in a publication.  It doesn't matter whether it's a submission to a local or national genealogical publication or your own blog.  Please write.
17. Join at least one Historical or Genealogical society--There are many types of historical and/or genealogical societies:  State, county, area, surname or association.   All of these serve a purpose you will just need to find one that suits your needs.  This can also help with networking and publishing.
18. Email or Call County Clerks or Librarians with Specific Questions--Emailing or calling can save you time.  If you are planning on visiting the library or archives, you can be better prepared and increase the likelihood of a successful and productive research day(or week.)  Also, sometimes they can email you a document.  
19. Mentor or be mentored--if you are an experienced researcher consider mentoring a new researcher. I began researching in 1990. I can't tell you the number of times I've wished I could tell my 1990 self DO THIS or DON'T DO THIS.  Regardless of whether you are mentoring or being mentored you will learn new things.

I hope you have found this list helpful and thanks for visiting! 

My RootsTech 2023 Take-Away

I was one of many people(#NotAtRootsTech) who attended virtually.  It can be overwhelming because there are so many classes, talks and demos going on at the same time.  I concentrated on the live streams and chose the ones which were pertinent to my research.  There are still many more in the on demand portion of the classes which I plan to watch.

These were my favorites among the live-streamed classes(In no particular order) You can find these and more in the On Demand section at RootsTech.

• Antebellum Emancipations & Free People of Color-LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson & Deborah A. Abbott
• Using Manuscript Collections-Deborah A. Abbott
• 10 Things a Genealogist Should Do Before Leaving a Library or Archives-Melissa Barker
• How Do I Know That’s My Ancestor?-Amy Johnson Crow
• DO GENEALOGY Step-By-Step-Janet Hovorka, Diahan Southard, & Crista Cowan
• Getting Organized Using Technology and a Research Report-Kelli Jo Bergheimer
• How third-party DNA tools can help with your family history research-Jonny Perl
• Endogamy in DNA research-Tanner Blair Tolman
• Follow the Money! Records of the Record Makers-Judy G. Russell
• Shared DNA Matches - the only DNA Tool You will Ever Need-Diahan Southard

I did look thru the virtual Expo Hall some and watched the high lights of the sponsors presentations. There was a lot of focus on AI technology. The Sponsoring companies had some announcements of new tools and features.  

MyHeritage has added color coding in Family Trees, a new DNA tool--the cM Explainer™ and announced their 3rd Installment of DNA Quest Initiative.

To find out what all is happening at FamilyTreeDNA check out their blog and look for their recorded livestream session from RootsTech2023.

Ancestry.com introduced Storymaker Studio and DNA Compare which allows you to compare matches Ethnicity Estimates and DNA Communities. 

The above screenshot is the Ethnicity Estimate Comparison of two of my siblings and myself.

In the above screenshot I have compared 2 of my siblings, myself and our paternal 2nd cousin once removed.  He is one generation closer to our ICW Cook and Putman couple.  I think it's pretty cool that they can get within a range of the counties.  My Mom's is more specific as well so if that's not an incentive to get the older generations in your family DNA tested I don't know what is.

I took advantage of the RootsTech special and purchased the new RootsMagic9.  I have been using RootsMagic since version 7 and prior to that I used FamilyTreeMaker.  There are some great color-coding features in  RM.  In the new version of RootsMagic there is an Association option which allows you to add other relationships outside of family which will be very helpful in Cluster research.

If you haven't already registered Your DNA Guide has a free webinar coming up 

on  March 23, 2023 2pm Eastern    "Your DNA Matches:  Filter, Don't File"

You can register at YourDNAGuide  

Take some time to look thru the classes at RootsTech.  There is something for everyone!

What I've been doing during the Covid-19's social distancing

As a visually challenged introvert not a lot has changed in my daily life except the inability to get ordered goods in a timely manner.  Initially I was worried that the social distancing(to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19) might postpone my chemotherapy treatments I'm receiving in my fight with stage 3 breast cancer but have been reassured by my healthcare specialist that will most likely not happen.

So what have I been doing? 

• Today I made what we always used to call goulash when I was a child. Most times it was made using canned stewed tomatoes or sauce, some green peppers and onions if we had them and adding any available spices that might make that taste better and then what ever noodle we had on hand along with Worcestershire sauce.
• I went thru my file folder container and started pulling contents to add to my family archives binder.  I've blogged about the one I made which contains my paternal grandparents documents and some ephemera.  The blog post can be found here.  I'm now working on one that will contain documents from the years after my parents married(1963) on up to present day.  I've kept school programs, graduation invitations and a number of other things.  As I did with my other archive binder(and this one will likely "spill over" to several binders) I've started putting the contents in sleeves and getting them in chronological order so that I can do a listing of contents.  This is fun to do and I'm going to ask my siblings to find any items which they would like preserved to add to this project.  You could also include a page of memories or anything else of family significance.  After all, it's your project to design.
• There is no better time to have a physical copy of these two books by Ancestry:  Red book : American state, county & town sources and The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy.  The Internet is bogged down from all the people who are online and there is just something more convenient(in my opinion) about just turning to the page you want without having to worry about a browser or system update, load speed or battery needing charged.  I'm studying county histories and the parent and surrounding counties to see if there might be other records available to research which I've been missing.
• You might also want to think about the disease and virus outbreaks that occurred during your ancestors' lifetimes.  You can find sites dedicated to just that by Googling.  Once you have the dates you might also want to do a search at Newspapers.com or any other newspaper site which you have access to that might cover the time period and the area in which you are interested.  
• I'm catching up on a few things I've been meaning to do which is always a good thing.  I hope you are taking the time to get to know your family even more, especially the older generation.  Communicate!  Whether by phone or video.  You'll be glad you did.  

I'd love to hear what others are doing. 

2019 Opportunities--My wishes for the New Year

In the 1990s, I had a boss who was fond of saying, "We don't have problems.  We have opportunities."  As we approach 2019, I've made a list of opportunities for myself and other areas in my genealogy life where I'd like to see improvements.   This is just me "blue-skying"

Improvements I'd like to make for myself in 2019

• I'd like to try and improve my focus on my research.  Why is it so easy to get sidetracked?
• Identify the unknowns in my old family pictures.
• Stay in contact with cousins and share more info about our families.  I'd like to make sure that my cousins have copies of the family photos and I hope they will share with me.

Improvements I'd like to see elsewhere in 2019

• More researchers blogging about their ancestors.
• Local Genealogy Societies having ScanFest to preserve local pics.
• County Genealogy Societies having membership drives & making more of an effort with an online presence which is what it is going to take to interest the younger generation and survive.
• More Genealogy Webinars from State Societies for both members and nonmembers.
• An increase in the number of documents available for ordering from State archives via index and online purchases.
• The above would also be great at the Federal level and a decrease in the price would increase the demand.
• A new messaging system and username directory at Ancestry that actually works.    
• Better communication for all.  Family Stories within our families(so much oral history has been lost), DNA match communication, and communication between fellow surname & locality researchers.

May we all have a BLESSED new year full of all the answers we seek.

How I Survived #NotAtRootsTech

My takeaway from RootsTech 2018:   An end of day review from a #NotAtRootsTech perspective.

Wednesday
Living DNA's Live Stream session was one of my favorite parts of Wednesday's RootTech.  I'm excited to see their One Family One World regional projects.  You can find a listing of them here, about halfway down the page.   The page also contains information about what those who upload tests receive as well as a link for those who wish to apply to be a part of the other regional projects.  I'm particularly excited about 4 of the regional projects--Ireland, Germany, Nordics & Baltics, and Scotland and plan on spending some time checking out the project maps.  They offered up a great sale for attendees and made the test available for $49.  Those of us #NotAtRootsTech were given the opportunity to purchase their test which is currently on sale for $99(+ delivery) and use a coupon code for an additional $10 off of the regular price of $159. 

My most favorite part of Wednesday was the Innovation Showcase where Jonny Perl won with DNA Painter.  This is a new easy-to-use chromosome painting tool which I find EXTREMELY valuable.  If you are into genetic genealogy and haven't tried it out, you should.  If you are on Facebook, you should also join his DNA Painter User group as well as Blaine Bettinger's Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques Group.

Thursday
Was a bit under the weather Thursday so my main goal for the day was to watch the General Session with Brandon Stanton.  Brandon's photography and storytelling blog, Humans of New York is awesome!  In other news,  the MyHeritage Chromosome Browser should be rolled out Friday!  Yippee!

Friday
Friday began with internet connectivity issues popping up that were just enough to keep me from being too productive.  Fridays are generally my grocery day too so I'm going to have to rewatch the Scott Hamilton session & Robert Kehrer's Finding Elusive Records at FamilySearch.  Had a chance to check out the MyHeritage Chromosome Browser and I went digging around in the matches from Finland, Norway, and Sweden that are matching several on my paternal side of Chromosome 2.  I need more hours in the day to dig thru this.  An alert from the RootsTech App about Heredis Software gave me another item to add to my To-Look-Into list.

Saturday
Started off Saturday with an appointment for Xfinity tech to check my net connectivity issues.  They are going to have to rewire so have that scheduled later this month. Not the best news but having it fixed will be as it is hard to be productive when you lose the internet about 4 times a day.  A Thank You note from a researcher I helped start out on the search for her Dad also helped make the day better.  She found him & 2 half siblings!!  Excited for her! 

Watched Anna Swayne's Advancing your Genealogy Research with DNA.  She always does a great job and gave away some AncestryDNA kits to attendees.  Curt Witcher's Pain in the Access:  More Web for Your Genealogy session might have been the last live stream session, but I hope that folks stuck around.  It was full of info about how to search libraries, state archives, historical & genealogical societies and much more.

If you missed the live stream sessions, check them out at the following link.
Videos from RootsTech 2018

In case you are wondering, RootsTech 2019 will run February 27th thru March 2nd. 

It's a Blogiversary!! MarieB's Genealogy Blog turns 13!!

It is hard to believe that it has been 13 years since I started blogging about my genealogy. There have been times when I rarely posted and others in which I posted a great deal.  I am thankful I have an outlet to share my excitement about my family history research and things that I've found that have been helpful and maybe at times--things to avoid.  Thanks to my readers past, present and future for being part of the journey.  I love my research and I love sharing tips and genealogy "happy dance" moments with you.  In celebration of the Blogiversary I thought it might be a good idea to review the top 13 most popular posts of the 13 years!  Hope you enjoy and I look forward to sharing many more posts with you!

13 Most Popular Posts

at MarieB's Genealogy Blog

1. Arrival in America of my Putman/Putnam and Shropshire Ancestors--Oct 3, 2009
2. Elisha Miller Robinson(1825-1896)--Jul 10, 2009
3. How the houses my Grandparents lived in look today(Part 1 Part 2)--Oct 26, 2013
4. My Grandmother's Post Cards--Tennessee Buildings--Oct 9, 2009
5. My 32 Great Great Great Grandparents( 30 known, 2 unknown)--Sep 5, 2009
6. Skill builders from the Board for Certification of Genealogists--Jul 19, 2004
7. Examining a Maternal DNA Circle--Mason Combs(1746-1802) --Mar 21, 2017
8. Dear Cousins: If you have taken an atDNA test--Nov 18, 2016
9. Researching Confederate Records of the Civil War.--Aug 30, 2016
10. 1840 Williamson Co. TN Census Head of Households Dist 25--Apr  19, 2016
11. AncestryDNA Circles Spreadsheet strategy--Aug 9, 2016
12. March 21, 1891--Birthday of Pearl Gray Jakes Cooke--Mar 31, 2017
13. A plan for helping to identify my 3rd and 4th cousins DNA matches--Aug 27, 2016

Those tricky DNA circles

I have began working thru the probate records of my Paternal Grandfather's Ogilvie and Harris lines which come together at my 5th Great Grandparents. My tree is at Ancestry where I have tested along with my sister and my Mom.  All of our DNA results are at GEDmatch as well.  As I work and look thru hints I like to check the profiles of others who have linked to or uploaded information.  When I visit their profile it also lets me check to see if there is a DNA match between me and that person.   I can also select other tests I admin to see if any of them match.  One of the good things about this is that if that person manages any other test and they match the test you have selected they will also appear beneath that profile, even if you don't match the profile but do have a match with one or more test which they admin.

Clicking on the word "your" lets you select other tests you admin to check against their profile

It's unclear to me when you don't find a match if it means they don't match you or if perhaps they haven't tested.  At this point I only give weight to the matches...and not any additional when they don't because I don't know if they have tested.

In this particular case my sister has the larger matches(17-20 cM segment) with both of these persons who tested and my Moderate match with the D.E. kit is only 6.6 cMs.  Ancestry has put us all in the Ann Knox circle together.  At this point there is not a Ogilvie or Harris Circle even though I do see descendants from at least 4 lines that descend from them working on trees.  Likely not enough of them have tested or the ones that have tested do not have DNA in common.  I contacted the main profile person and heard back from them within an hour(almost a record).  Now here is where it gets tricky.  The researcher has several tests at Ancestry(self, parent, sibling and maternal uncle) Along with the being included in the Ann Knox Circle for the testers profile, Shared Ancestor Hints for  Jacob Sutton and wife Ann Knox are shown as well as William Ogilvie and Mary Harris.   Since the Sutton/Knox and Ogilvie/Harris are on different sides of the main testers family we were able to determine that the match my sister has with  her is likely Ogilvie/Harris.  Looking at others who match at smaller amounts along the same segment and knowing the likely line, I have been able to find several others who appear to all have lineage back to this Ogilvie/Harris couple though I am still working on it.  To add too this.  The particular segment along which my sister(we are full siblings) matches is one which I and my sister do not have in common.  For that segment I have matches which come from our Paternal Grandmother's side of the family  This helps to know because it tells me if I match my PGM and my sister doesn't match me along that segment, that she got the only other segment that Dad could have given her....the one he got from his Dad, our PGF.

This is why it is important to look at the matching segments rather than rely on the DNA circles.  I cannot stress that enough.  I feel like the best approach to the DNA circles is to work them looking over the matches and trying to get as many as possible that match you at large amounts to GEDmatch where you can examine them more closely and prove or disprove each of the matches for that circle.

Who are you and how do you know my Grandmother? --Part 2

Questions about Flora's letter and her connection to my family

What year was the letter written?
Flora's daughter was married  to her first husband in 1943.  The daughter would have been divorced some time prior to 1956 as that is when her ex husband marries again.  This leads me to believe that the letter was written some time between 1943-1956.  I searched for a source for divorce records for area of Akron, Summit Co Ohio, USA but didn't find one available on-line.  So I did what I would have done if I were "on the ground" in that area.  I went to their library by way of the website.  As it happens the Akron-Summit Co. Library has done a wonderful job of getting many of the City Directories on-line.  One of the most impressive ones I have seen.  I now totally get the importance of City Directories and how they contain a vast amount of information.

By checking the Directories for the years from 1940 to 1956 I was able to get an idea of the time period in which it was written.  The 1956-57 Directory shows Flora's Son-In-Law and her Daughter living apart from each other.  They were together in the 1954-1955 listing so I think it's safe to say that the letter was written some time in the period from the publication of the 1954 and the 1956.  Flora's son-in-law marries again in June of 1956 so it may be closer to 1954 when they separated and divorced.


Where is their oldest son in 1940 was he already in the Navy?  If so he should be enumerated at the location which he is stationed.

 326. Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines.-Enumerate soldiers, sailors, and marines in the Army or Navy of the United States as residents of the place where they usually sleep in the area where they are stationed. If, therefore, any household in your district reports that one of its members is a soldier, sailor, or marine stationed elsewhere, do not report him as a member of that household. 

Full instructions for 1940 Census are located HERE  (pdf file)


I'm continuing to search for the oldest son in the 1940 Census.  I was able to request a copy of his obit and found that he was living with his sister in 1974 when he passed away.   Oddly it didn't mention the younger brother who I had found through public records and marriage records living in Dade Co FL.  He would pass 6 years after his brother's passing.

As I was searching the directory I also came across some of my Dad's paternal cousins who had moved north from Tennessee to Akron Ohio for work.  Because they had lived in Indiana a good bit of time when I knew them,  I'd forgotten about their Akron Ohio connection.  So I've sent a message to see if any of them know who Flora might be and her connection.

At this point I still kind of think the connection is a chance meeting when my Grandmother went to see her son who was at the naval hospital in the Washington DC area.  Add to this too that I also noticed that Flora's Social Security Application was completed in Washington DC. The years 1952-1954 are listed in parenthesis in the place where the application year is usually located.  These years differ from the time period that my Grandmother would have been there.  I wonder if the older son was living in Washington from 1940-1954.  By the time she wrote the letter in the card he would have been in the hospital in Chillicothe Ohio.

Much more information and research is needed.  A lot of clues but no clear answers yet.

3 History/Genealogy books for which I'm thankful

3  History or Genealogy related books for which I'm thankful....

Morgan, Ted. Wilderness at Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Print.

Egan, E. W. Kings, Rulers, and Statesmen. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1976. Print. 

Wright, Louis B. The Atlantic Frontier: Colonial American Civilization. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1964. Print. 

We're Related....Maybe...

I've had the We're Related app installed on my phone and hooked to my tree at Ancestry and my Facebook account for a few weeks.  As of today, I've had about 42 suggestions.   Some of them I know up to the point of the Most Recent Common Ancestor.  My favorite suggestions are those who are Facebook friends.  I will actually look into their side of the tree up to the MRCA or have them check it out.  I think when you get to the 7th cousin point, if your family has been in the country(USA)  since the early 1700s, then you are going to be kin to almost every other famous person with colonial lines.

Are any of them correct....who knows. I am way more interested in the Facebook Friends because those are(for the most part) real people.  I did get a bit excited about Jimi Hendrix, Stephen King, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The Miley Cyrus connection...not so much.  I would say..take them with a grain of salt....or a block.  If they help you to make a break thru in your research, that's great.  However, I feel they are more for entertainment and a way of advertising.

Person	Cousin	Side	MRCA	Surname Connection	Notes
Zachary Taylor	3C5R	PGF	William Strother III	Elizabeth Putman
Rachel Reeves	4C3R	PGM	Reuban Manley	Reuban Manley	FB Friend
Benjamin Franklin	4C9R	MGM	Sir Wm. Jones	James P Hitchcock
Abraham Lincoln	5C4R	PGF	Hancock Lee	Nancy Tyler
Henry David Thoreau	5C5R	PGM	Richard Church	James Morrow
Ralph Waldo Emerson	5C5R	PGM	Giles Hopkins	James Morrow
Blake Sheldon	6C	MGM	Cain Acuff	Jonathan Acuff
Theodore Roosevelt	6C1R	PGF	Thomas Carter	Nancy Tyler
Christinia Aguilera	6C2R	PGF	John Carter	Elizabeth Putman
Jimmy Hendrix	6C2R	MGM	Elizabeth Ingo	Jonathan Acuff
Helen Keller	6C3R	PGF	Thomas Todd	Elizabeth Putman
Mark Twain	6C3R	MGF	Owen Griffith	Keziah Rigsby
Bill Clinton	7C	MGF	Beatrice Spier	Mary Pitman
Brad Pitt	7C1R	MGF	Elizabeth Blair	Frances Bolling
Luke Bryan	7C2R	MGF	John Bolling	Frances Bolling
Kate Upton	7C2R	PGM	Hannah Hopkins	James Morrow
Jessica Simpson	7C2R	MGF	Mary Crawford	Keziah Rigsby
Barack Obama	7C2R	MGF	David Lewis	Keziah Rigsby
Jeannie S.	7C2R	PGF	Frances Armistead	Nancy Tyler	FB Friend
Ann Coulter	8C	MGF	Robert Bolling	Frances Bolling
Carol W.	8C	MGF	John Redford	John Redford	FB Friend
Whitney Houston	8C	MGF	Patience Cotton	Mary Pittman
Kristen Stewart	8C	MGM	Thomas Nelson	Mason Combs
Carrie Fisher	8C1R	PGF	William Strother	Elizabeth Putman
Miley Cyrus	8C1R	PGF	Thomas Carter	Elizabeth Putman
Marilyn Monroe	8C1R	MGF	Anne Stith	Frances Bolling
Melinda B.	8C1R	MGF	Elizabeth Smith Crawford	Keziah Rigsby	FB Friend
Kurt Cobain	8C1R	MGF	John Lewis	Keziah Rigsby
W.C. Fields	8C1R	MGF	Jane Crawford	Keziah Rigsby
Britney Spears	8C1R	MGF	John Lewis	Keziah Rigsby
Winston Churchill	8C1R	MGF	Kathrine Kennedy	Margaret Lauderdale
Lady Gaga	8C1R	PGM	Edward Richards	Nancy Harger
Eminem	8C1R	PGM	John Merryman	Nancy Harger
Stephen King	8C1R	PGM	Elizabeth Spring	Nathan Frizzell
Matt Damon	8C1R	PGM	John Gale	Nathan Frizzell
Blake Lively	8C2R	MGF	Robert Bolling	Frances Bolling
Demi Lovato	8C2R	MGF	Anne Bette	Frances Bowles
Walt Disney	8C2R	MGF	John Crawford	Keziah Rigsby
Megan Z	9C	PGF	Thomas Todd	Elizabeth Putman	FB Friend
Johnny Depp	9C	MGF	William Randolph	Frances Bolling
John F. Kennedy	9C	MGF	John Randolph	Frances Bolling
Sharlene Woodley	9C	MGF	Julian Jarrell	Mary Pittman Luna