Enough already! You can turn off the snow machine!

You gave us a hint of Spring yesterday and almost a foot of snow today!

Yesterday there were birds flying happily (Cardinals) and fighting fiercely (Blue Jays). Today they are nowhere to be found. Probably hunkered down like the rest of us. 

So Cabin Fever continues! But wait something is wrong with this picture because the genealogical traveling season is approaching. Conferences. Research trips. We can't do this in the snow. This has to stop. I want Spring on my desk at 6:00am tomorrow morning! No excuses!

In a little over a month many of us will be heading to Kalahari for a water park/genealogy conference. Then to Richmond, Virginia, for the NGS Conference. And, finally to San Antonio ,Texas for the FGS Conference. 

Unfortunately this year my water heater, car, and washing machine malfunctioned, so I am looking at Kalahari/OGS being my only conference this year. But I think it is going to be a great event and I am looking forward to "blogging" you through it.

Pictures Fill In The Dash!

I posted pictures of my late husband on Facebook on his birthday. It was a great hit with lots of feedback. Everyone loved seeing the pictures. And, they all knew who everyone was. In some cases they identified people in the pictures that I didn't know. Everyone relived memories. There were sad moments and happy memories. Eventually other people started posting their own pictures and soon Facebook was alive with memories.

It reminded me of the days when my aunts would get those boxes of pictures off the top shelf of the linen closet after Thanksgiving dinner and we would all sit around the dining room table and rewind history.

I remember those boxes of pictures. Those pictures brought back so many memories and images of people we never had the chance to meet. I loved sitting there in the 1940's at the old Victorian dining room tables that my aunts had inherited.

Since then our family has divided and multiplied and all of those pictures have scattered. And I can almost guarantee that only a small portion of the people in those photos have been identified.

I have no quick solution to this problem. I have started to make some progress by eliminating the "scenery" pictures. In my case that would be all those sunset pictures we took on the beach in Florida. And all those mountain pictures from out West. Just keep the pictures with family and friends. For me, this greatly reduced the amount of pictures in the big box. (By the way, friends do not include the wet t-shirt contestants on the beach during Spring Break.)

Once you get to this point I think we are all on our own. As for photo albums, I have a neighbor who has created beautiful scrapbooks of her family. Too labor intensive for me! I prefer the "throw everything into a box" method. That way you can put the box in the middle of the table and everyone can grab a picture. Just like we used to.

My point? Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I have been told. What better way to fill in the dash than with pictures of your ancestors. But it doesn't work if you can't identify them!

City Directories. The book you just can't put down!

City directories can be a source of some fascinating information about your ancestors. First of all everybody is listed alphabetically so you can find all your family members (or possible family members) in one spot.You can see which sons and daughters got married and are still living in their parents' home with their spouses and children (much like the census). But it will also show you the children who married and moved to another address. City directories give you a little compact snapshot of where your family was in a certain year. All living together and loving life!

So you say the city directories give you much of the same information that you might find in a census. This is true. But you can find the in-between years with the city directories. You may find a more detailed description of where your ancestors worked. If they owned the company, you will find that noted. You might also be able to determine when a person died or left the area.

But more than that you will see the life style of your family in the ads that make up the first part of the directory. Next there will be a section that will give you clues about where to look for records for your ancestors. Lists of churches, cemeteries, schools, organizations/clubs, to mention just a few.

Now lets go back and take a look at a Toledo, Ohio city directory from the early 1900's to get an idea of what my family's life was like back in the good old days.

Here is a wake up call. There were 2 high schools for the whole area. I had never heard of either one of them. So does this tell me there weren't that many teenagers in the area at that time or does it tell me that only a select few went on to high school? By the way, if you are looking for teenagers in this time period, the schools were Mann High School and Mitchell High School.

The primary schools and secondary schools taught students in two languages - English and German. This tells me there were a lot of German immigrants in the area. But it also raises the question of when did this stop. Was it the first world war? 

There was a Home for Friendless Women. Missing a female ancestor? This might be a place to look. But more importantly, why friendless women?

There were several orphan homes. Another place to look for an ancestor. But, again, why so many orphan homes.

There was a Babies' Home. There is only one question here and that is -- why?

As you can see there is much to be found in a local city directory. There are so many questions and so many clues. It will be like a book you cannot put down.

We Are All Related

Ever wonder why when you attend a genealogy conference everyone is friendly. You can easily start a conversation with the person seated next to you at a lecture. You strike up a conversation in the library with total strangers. You step into an elevator and everyone treats you like a long lost relative. Well, the reason is because you probably are. Related, that is!

But are we and can we prove it? And when I say prove it, I don't mean because Aunt Emma said so.

A really great concept came into being a few years ago. It was the idea of cluster or sideways genealogy. Personally, I believe this is the only way to successfully trace your family. Yes, you have to trace your parents to parents to parents, but eventually if you are going to have to go sideways to break down those ever present brick walls. And this is when your family expands.

I have noticed lately that there are efforts to really expand our families into  one big colossal, ginormous family tree and just connect everyone. Granted, the further back you go, the less people you find. So eventually you are going to run out of ancestors and your family trees are going start overlapping. 

We all know that there is a lot of undocumented information out there online. We come across it every day. It can be as blatant as someone's 4X great grandfather who was born in 1772 and died in1775. The problem is that when this information goes into a worldwide family tree, that branch of the family is totally worthless.

Please understand I am not against this concept of the world wide family tree. I think it could be a great way to tear down brick walls. To cross the ocean back to the old country. It is just that there is such an opportunity for misinformation and we all need to be so aware of it. 

I encourage you to contribute to these worldwide family trees. But please verify the information you find on these trees. It goes back to the basic rule of an application to a lineage society. Do not enter any information that is not on the document you have in your hand.

Where Memories Are Made

The first conference I went to. . . . I packed my entire office. That was the last time I ever did that. OGS, Akron 2005.

How can I forget the OGS Conference in Cincinnati when I bought so many books in the exhibit hall that I stalled an elevator between floors on my way to check out from the hotel.

And then there was the OGS Conference in Columbus when my grandson decided to be born early. Watched that on unfold on Facebook.

And we don't talk about the time in Columbus when my Suburban was rear ended while I was in a lecture about Genealogy software programs.

You can be sure that if you attend a conference, be it your first or your tenth, there will be memories. 

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This year's conferences - OGS, NGS and FGS - are beginning to look like excellent memory-makers, especially the Ohio Genealogical Society Conference at Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. There is something for everybody including the kids. Take the whole family. Enjoy the fantastic indoor water park. Your kids and grandkids can explore the wonderful world of genealogy in the exhibit hall. On Friday you can all enjoy an honest to goodness Ohio pig roast. Perhaps your family can attend a lineage society's luncheon. (Guests are welcome to attend special events).

And, on Saturday, OGS has scheduled the Junior Safari Expedition Camp. Family history for kids ages 5-18. This will be a fun way for the youngest members of your family to find out what "this genealogy thing" is all about. 

Admission in $30 and includes a fun afternoon at the water park. 

The OGS Conference runs from 30 April - 3 May 2014.

For the discounted early registration you must have your registration in by March 30,2014. You can register online and pay with a major credit card. 

genex2014.org 

                                      

                                              * * * * * * *

This year the National Genealogical Society will hold its conference in Richmond, Virginia at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and the Marriott Hotel. With 4,000 room nights already reserved, this conference is looking like one of the most popular conferences in recent years. And, why not? The conference is surrounded by American history. The Colonies, the Revolutionary War, Civil War. Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Washington D.C. to the north. 

Unfortunately, all six downtown conference hotels are completely booked. There are hotels available in the suburbs and near the airport, but there are no shuttles available. Rental cars are available at discounted rates from Dollar Rent A Car. Parking in the convention center parking garage is $6. Other garages in the area are more expensive.

Roommate connections are available on the NGS website.

 groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/ngs-roommate-connections

March 24, 2014 is the final day for early registration. You can register online at ngsgenealogy.org 

The conference brochure is available online. There is too much going on at this event to even begin to cover here so check it out online.

                                          * * * * * * *

The Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference is in San Antonio, Texas, this year. I have never been to San Antonio, but I have spent a lot of time in Fort Worth, Texas, at horse shows and I must say Texas is one of my favorite states. Love the people! They are so friendly. Love the land, you can see forever. However it can be hot there and this conference runs from 27-30 August 2014. So my first piece of advice is hydrate. Drink lots of water.

I have been to two FGS conferences and I would highly recommend that you attend this conference if at all possible. You will not be disappointed. There is a huge variety of topics with some of the best speakers in the world of genealogy. Great door prizes and special events. 

One of the best parts of the FGS conference is Societies Day. If you are an officer or want to be active in the genealogy community, you will want to attend this part of the conference. This year, for the first time, there will be a half-day workshop designed to bring your society up to speed in the 21st century with management principles that will help promote your group. 

The schedule for this conference is still being finalized so you will have to wait a little for all the great details of this conference. Registration begins in March 2014. In the meantime you can make your online hotel reservations at the Marriott Riverwalk. .fgsconference.org/lodging

I must admit these three societies have planned some amazing events for this conference season. It will be difficult to choose. But I promise. you will make memories wherever you go. 

Masonic Research can help fill in "The Dash"

I have an 11” X 14” poster that has been in my possession for years. It is from the Arthur Allan Cunningham Class, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of Toledo, 1944.  (My father was one of the members of the class.) I never looked at it as a genealogical resource until last year when I realized that is provides a name, a small photo, and a location for each of the lodge members. Sometimes this is all we need to begin the process of tearing down a brick wall.

As with most aspects of genealogy research, it is helpful to know something about a source of information so I did a little bit of research on the Masons. Well, my dad was a Mason, my husband was a Mason, as was almost every other male member of my family so it's not like I don't know anything about the Masonic Lodge. But when I tried to explain it, it got really complicated. I guess I didn't realize how far-reaching this organization was at one time.

The Masonic Lodge is a fraternal and secret organization that dates back to the early years of  American history. (And beyond that in Europe.) George Washington and Ben Franklin were both Masons. It is not a cult, not a conspiracy, as cable TV would lead us to believe. It is simply a mens' organization. Thirty years ago, forty years ago, 100 years ago, it was a very powerful and influential fraternal organization. Unfortunately in recent years, membership has declined considerably. Most of the younger members blame this on the fact that the lodge refuses to build a bridge to the 21st century. 

But that doesn't matter! What matters is the fact that at one time many of our male ancestors were affiliated with this lodge. And there are records! Some think that these records are of no use to genealogists. I say any record is useful. There is always something there. It might not mean anything today, but a couple of months or years down the road, it might be the solution to that brick wall. This is my mantra - as most of you know!

What you find depends on how active your ancestor was in the lodge. If you have ancestors who rose to the office of Worshipful Master, you will find their names. If you have ancestors who belonged to the Shrine, check your local newspapers for parades. Those red Jeeps with the annoying horns, those little bitty red cars, those hillbilly's riding on a float — those are Shriners, and they could be related to you.

Each state has a Grand Lodge and this is where you will find the “proceedings.” Those are the records you want to research. The Grand Lodge does not see itself as being a source of genealogical  information. You can try to contact them for information but don't expect miracles. You are pretty much on your own. The Grand Lodge of Ohio  will give you an online list of Past Grand Masters and Proceedings from 1808 to the present.There is no index. This is "old tyme" genealogy!  freemason.com

One thing to remember. If your father was a Mason, your grandfather was probably a Mason too; and possibly your brothers, uncles and cousins. But on the other hand, maybe not the brothers and cousins. Lodge night has been replaced by Man Caves and Tailgating. I can remember days when we would be walking down the street in downtown Toledo and my dad would stop and say a few words to another man. It would begin with 'Hi Noble" and then go on to a  few words about the East. Then there was a handshake and they were BFF's! 

It is debatable as to whether or not these records are a primary source. They could just be a clue. However, many times the information you find in the records of a Masonic Lodge  is a piece of the puzzle that fits in the “dash” of  your ancestor’s life.

The dash is the best part.

 (It's that little line between the birth date and the death date.)

 

Another Year in the Dash

It is a new year and a new page in the dash of our lives.

If you don't know what a dash is, go to a nearby cemetery and look for the dashes on the grave markers. Those are the little horizontal lines between the date of birth and the date of death. As you walk through the cemetery, pause and reflect on the dashes etched into the grave markers. Each one of those dashes is a life filed with memories, both good and bad. 

When I walk through my family cemeteries in Clermont County, Ohio, I think about Our Town, Thornton Wilders play about a place called Grovers Corners in the early 1900's. 

There is a great video on You Tube where Paul Newman, the stage manager in Our Town, talks about the genealogists who come to the cemetery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnfACj0bvQ0