There is such an emphasis on official family - bloodlines - in genealogy that I would like to talk to you all about documenting other, important, non-official, friendship, as a part of a family history project.
Friendship is also an important part of our lives and special friends, those who have known us for years, should be part of our oral history, written history, and inclusion. When someone has lived with or partnered with another person and has considered this to be a marriage, a marriage which was not or cannot be legal, we cannot pretend this relationship did not or does not exist.
There is so much emphasis on family in genealogy and family during these holidays. Let us not forget those who never married or never had children!
27 December 2011
25 December 2011
18 December 2011
LIFE OF THE PARTY by CHRISTOPHER OGDEN
Excerpt: page 31
"The numbers were phenomenal, but huge numbers of domestics worked in houses throughout Britain. The 1931 census showed that 1.3 million women and 80,000 men were working as household servants, an increase of 100,000 over 1911. Wages rose after the war but were still remarkably low, ranging from twenty five to fifty pounds a year for parlor maids and cooks."
"The numbers were phenomenal, but huge numbers of domestics worked in houses throughout Britain. The 1931 census showed that 1.3 million women and 80,000 men were working as household servants, an increase of 100,000 over 1911. Wages rose after the war but were still remarkably low, ranging from twenty five to fifty pounds a year for parlor maids and cooks."
15 December 2011
THE BATTLE FOR CHRISTMAS : STEPHEN NISSENBAUM : BOOK REVIEW
Recommendation!
Stephen Nissenbaum takes wassailing, an English custom, to the early American colonies where Christmas was a day for reversing roles, and the gift giving was more like a Halloween trick or treat. Perhaps the idea was to let off resentment?
Christmas as we know it to be was invented by New Yorkers who leaned on a myth that the holiday was from the Dutch heritage of early residents of Dutch New York. In early new England the day was not celebrated because the festivities were not considered to be Christian behavior.
Perhaps no better a day of the year existed for slaves. A good portion of this book by Stephen Nissenbaum, a Professor of History at the University of Massachusettes, is devoted to the relations between slaves and their masters.
Genealogists will learn more about the Freedman Bureau too!
Maybe you'll want to read this one after the holidays?
Book is C 1996 by the author Stephen Nissenbaum and published by Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf.
Stephen Nissenbaum takes wassailing, an English custom, to the early American colonies where Christmas was a day for reversing roles, and the gift giving was more like a Halloween trick or treat. Perhaps the idea was to let off resentment?
Christmas as we know it to be was invented by New Yorkers who leaned on a myth that the holiday was from the Dutch heritage of early residents of Dutch New York. In early new England the day was not celebrated because the festivities were not considered to be Christian behavior.
Perhaps no better a day of the year existed for slaves. A good portion of this book by Stephen Nissenbaum, a Professor of History at the University of Massachusettes, is devoted to the relations between slaves and their masters.
Genealogists will learn more about the Freedman Bureau too!
Maybe you'll want to read this one after the holidays?
Book is C 1996 by the author Stephen Nissenbaum and published by Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf.
14 December 2011
MY REINCARNATION : 2011 NEW REINCARNATION DOCUMENTARY : AN ITALIAN- TIBETAN JOURNEY
This film looks interesting! Tibetan master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu is this young Italian man's father, and you know those Tibetans: They can locate a reincarnated master anywhere in the world based on their astrology!
12 December 2011
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SWEDEN : INFORMATION IN ENGLISH
HERE IS A LINK TO THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF SWEDEN with the basic information in English. I haven't clicked on all the links in Swedish but a translation feature to English did come up on the military records, so maybe this is in process.
Click on the title to get to the link.
Click on the title to get to the link.
11 December 2011
CIVIL WAR LINCOLN VISITING CAMP
Perhaps you can help me identify the two men in this photograph with President Abraham Lincoln!
08 December 2011
1639 BODIES BURRIED IN LOS ANGELES; THE UNCLAIMED, THE UNIDENTIFIED, THE ESTRANGED, THE POOR
Imagine if you outlived all your friends and no one was there to bury you, or you become homeless and die on the street without identification. Would anyone attend your funeral? The answe in Los Angeles is yes. Yesterday several hundred bodied which had been creamated first were buried and these are people who were kept at the cornoners for 2-3 years before put into the common grave.
"It's hard, especially when you have to cremate babies," he said. "Off the top of
my head, there are about 300 babies this year from hospitals around the county,
with families who can't afford to bury them."
Linking to the article...
"Interfaith burial rites and prayers were included, with readings from the
Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian traditions. The ceremony concluded with
the Serenity Prayer, Psalm 23 and a blessing of hands over the burial site."
"It's hard, especially when you have to cremate babies," he said. "Off the top of
my head, there are about 300 babies this year from hospitals around the county,
with families who can't afford to bury them."
Linking to the article...
"Interfaith burial rites and prayers were included, with readings from the
Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian traditions. The ceremony concluded with
the Serenity Prayer, Psalm 23 and a blessing of hands over the burial site."
05 December 2011
BRITISH CURRANCY CALCULATION FROM NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF GREAT BRITAIN
If you're reading British documents that mentions pounds in, say, 1790, you might want to find out what the amount would be in today's market. Here's the link to a currency calculator that can do the job for you quickly. This should help you imagine what money mentioned in wills and other documents means today, though be aware that back then, as now, real estate prices varied by the prestige of the neighborhood. Forensic Genealogy fans should especially find this valuable.
04 December 2011
03 December 2011
HUGUETTE CLARK'S TWO WILLS START LEGAL SKIRMISHES OVER $400 MILLION
Imagine being worth $400 Million, checking yourself into a hospital at 84 and living another 20 years, not even thinking about a will until the age of 98, and changing it one month before you die! This is the story of Huguette Clark, an heiress to a Copper Mining Fortune out of Colorado, who lived in New York City, married once - no children, divorced in 1930 and never married again. She hadn't stepped foot in her Santa Barbara estate for 50 years and now it may become a museum.
So very many articles about this controversial character reminding me how important it is to look up wills, probate actions, and other legal papers when searching for those who lived before us, not just for genealogical data, but to better understand their lives.
So very many articles about this controversial character reminding me how important it is to look up wills, probate actions, and other legal papers when searching for those who lived before us, not just for genealogical data, but to better understand their lives.
01 December 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
28 November 2011
WASHINGTON STATE DIGITAL ARCHIVES : DEATH BIRTH and MORE
The State of Washington has an on-line database that can help you locate records. Remember that you'll want to order copies of the original certificate which should have more information that shows on the database. Here's the link!
26 November 2011
AMERICAN HERITAGE MAGAZINE HAS SOME ARTICLES THAT ARE WEB EXCLUSIVES
Just reading AMERICAN HERITAGE MAGAZINE, Winter 2011 issue which has an article called "Fremont Steals California" by Sally Denton, which I found very interesting indeed!
The physical site where the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed (which made California the United States) is very close to the entrance of the Universal Studios in Studio City - North Hollywood, California. I've been meaning to go there during one of their open houses, but it's not open often. Apparently this historical site is one that is not very popular, perhaps because there are so very many Mexican - Americans in Southern California, legal and illegal aliens, who feel that this state still belongs to Mexico and they seem to lack volunteers, even though the Universal Studio tourists are so very close to a major point of American history.
The Treaty was signed January 13, 1847. And since then this has legally been the United States of America.
The title of Ms. Denton's article is in reference to the fact that Fremont was a junior Army officer who was acting on secret orders of the President of the United States to bluff that his forces were far stronger than they were. As a result Fremont waged an almost bloodless coup for the Monterrey area of California. And so it went.
Linking to the magazine's web site above: Maybe you'd love a subscription for Christmas? The magazine is excellent for Civil War buffs.
The physical site where the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed (which made California the United States) is very close to the entrance of the Universal Studios in Studio City - North Hollywood, California. I've been meaning to go there during one of their open houses, but it's not open often. Apparently this historical site is one that is not very popular, perhaps because there are so very many Mexican - Americans in Southern California, legal and illegal aliens, who feel that this state still belongs to Mexico and they seem to lack volunteers, even though the Universal Studio tourists are so very close to a major point of American history.
The Treaty was signed January 13, 1847. And since then this has legally been the United States of America.
The title of Ms. Denton's article is in reference to the fact that Fremont was a junior Army officer who was acting on secret orders of the President of the United States to bluff that his forces were far stronger than they were. As a result Fremont waged an almost bloodless coup for the Monterrey area of California. And so it went.
Linking to the magazine's web site above: Maybe you'd love a subscription for Christmas? The magazine is excellent for Civil War buffs.
22 November 2011
A THANKSGIVING FAMILY CELEBRATION : WHY NOT START A FAMILY COOK BOOK?
FAMILY RECIPES are a wonderful thing to include in a family genealogy book. Tasting foods your relations ate can bring you a little closer to understanding their lives. But I have a suggestion!Maybe Thanksgiving dinner is the best time of all to bring up starting a family cook book. Everyone can bring a copy of the recipe that gets them the most compliments to share. START YOUR OWN FAMILY HERITAGE COOK BOOK!
In my family many recipes have died along with the cook. Every time I taste Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Pigs in the Blanket) however wonderful they are, I keep hoping to taste the ones that my aunt used to make in a huge pressure cooker and bring to every family wedding, even when there was a caterer!
20 November 2011
DUCHESS OF YORK AND PRINCESS DI HAVE IN COMMON? MARY BOLEYN : by ALISON WEIR
Well of course they have all that in common, but did you know they share a common ancestor?
I am a huge fan of Alison Weir as an author, who puts in the research that would scare off a lesser writer.
The language of this book is fine genealogical historical writing. Where Weir has come to disagree with a previous author she will state that there is no evidence for prior conclusions. Weir is fine at teasing out detail within ACCURATE HISTORICAL CONTENT, using clues such as changes in fashion in portraits.
(When we run into a similar block in our own research, we must also state what the evidence is and the various conclusions we could reach, but have no evidence for.)
Although I know that the people of the British Isles have been keeping genealogy records for a long long time compared to records in some other countries, I'm actually surprised so much exists from the 15th century.
Did or did not Mary Boleyn, the older sister of Anne Boleyn, (who would marry the King and also be executed by him), become King Henry VIII's mistress first? Weir says yes, though reports that the young woman was promiscuous at the French Court years before are probably wrong. She was young though and suggestive and maybe been seduced by the French King.
Was she, compared to Anne, dull or simple? At the time of her sexual liaison with Henry, Mary was married and her family seemed to be displeased with her. But maybe this was just because they saw their daughters as a way to greater fortune if married as virgins. x
Mary left court, her husband died, and she married for love, much to her family's upset. But in the end it was Mary, not Anne, who survived.
Based on the evidence that Henry provided well for Katherine and that she resembled him, we know so much more about the intertwining families of the Boleyns, the Careys, the Spensers, and other old families, (genealogy charts provided).
Page 272 "It is often said that Henry VIII's line died out with Elizabeth. None of his legitimate children left issue, and his acknowledged bastard, Richmond, was childless. But if Katherine Carey was Henry's daughter, as seems likely,. then his direct bloodline
survives in numerous direct descendants.
"Under the Stuarts, the Carey Family remained prominent until the senior line died out in 1677. Among the illustrious descendants of Mary Boleyn are numbered Winston Churchill... Baron de la Warre, after whom the state of Delaware is named... Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Princess William of Wales, Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales (through the Earls Spencer), the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth II."
(Her list is longer than this!)
MARY BOLEYN The Mistress of Kings is C Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books.
I am a huge fan of Alison Weir as an author, who puts in the research that would scare off a lesser writer.
The language of this book is fine genealogical historical writing. Where Weir has come to disagree with a previous author she will state that there is no evidence for prior conclusions. Weir is fine at teasing out detail within ACCURATE HISTORICAL CONTENT, using clues such as changes in fashion in portraits.
(When we run into a similar block in our own research, we must also state what the evidence is and the various conclusions we could reach, but have no evidence for.)
Although I know that the people of the British Isles have been keeping genealogy records for a long long time compared to records in some other countries, I'm actually surprised so much exists from the 15th century.
Did or did not Mary Boleyn, the older sister of Anne Boleyn, (who would marry the King and also be executed by him), become King Henry VIII's mistress first? Weir says yes, though reports that the young woman was promiscuous at the French Court years before are probably wrong. She was young though and suggestive and maybe been seduced by the French King.
Was she, compared to Anne, dull or simple? At the time of her sexual liaison with Henry, Mary was married and her family seemed to be displeased with her. But maybe this was just because they saw their daughters as a way to greater fortune if married as virgins. x
Mary left court, her husband died, and she married for love, much to her family's upset. But in the end it was Mary, not Anne, who survived.
Based on the evidence that Henry provided well for Katherine and that she resembled him, we know so much more about the intertwining families of the Boleyns, the Careys, the Spensers, and other old families, (genealogy charts provided).
Page 272 "It is often said that Henry VIII's line died out with Elizabeth. None of his legitimate children left issue, and his acknowledged bastard, Richmond, was childless. But if Katherine Carey was Henry's daughter, as seems likely,. then his direct bloodline
survives in numerous direct descendants.
"Under the Stuarts, the Carey Family remained prominent until the senior line died out in 1677. Among the illustrious descendants of Mary Boleyn are numbered Winston Churchill... Baron de la Warre, after whom the state of Delaware is named... Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Princess William of Wales, Camilla Parker Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales (through the Earls Spencer), the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth II."
(Her list is longer than this!)
MARY BOLEYN The Mistress of Kings is C Alison Weir and published by Ballantine Books.
18 November 2011
17 November 2011
IS THE ANCESTOR YOU WORSHIP YOURSELF IN A PAST LIFE?
Have you ever researched and found an ancestor that reminded you of you?
Have you ever considered that that ancestor well may be you -
from another life?
Have you ever considered that that ancestor well may be you -
from another life?
15 November 2011
ANCESTRY FAMILY TREE SUBMISSIONS PROVE TO BE UNRELIABLE BUT INTERESTING
Today I spent some time on the Ancestry Genealogy databases at the Family History Center in Los Angeles, which carried this at no charge, so long as you use it on premisis.
I did something I have never done before: I checked to see if anyone had posted a family tree on some of the lines I'm working on that have lead to brick walls.
I found a LOT of information, but almost none of it was proofed. This means that people were posting what they "knew" or without a tie to a source. So people were posting what they were told or had in their memories or based on things they have at home - such as Wedding Invitations or Funeral cards, or maybe information written in the Family Bible.
I did find some interesting information which needs to be proofed. To do that, I will take a marriage date that was listed and look for a document on microfilm or from an city, state, or county, archive to see if for myself.
The best of all the family trees I found was totally based on census. This person included all the terrible mispellings from the census.
I also found several people who had posted on the same trees that were missing a lot of information, but if these people had contacted each other, they might have been able to fill in the blanks, and decide among themselves who was going to proof information and correct all the assumptions.
What was it they used to say about assumptions? They make an as* of you and me!
I did something I have never done before: I checked to see if anyone had posted a family tree on some of the lines I'm working on that have lead to brick walls.
I found a LOT of information, but almost none of it was proofed. This means that people were posting what they "knew" or without a tie to a source. So people were posting what they were told or had in their memories or based on things they have at home - such as Wedding Invitations or Funeral cards, or maybe information written in the Family Bible.
I did find some interesting information which needs to be proofed. To do that, I will take a marriage date that was listed and look for a document on microfilm or from an city, state, or county, archive to see if for myself.
The best of all the family trees I found was totally based on census. This person included all the terrible mispellings from the census.
I also found several people who had posted on the same trees that were missing a lot of information, but if these people had contacted each other, they might have been able to fill in the blanks, and decide among themselves who was going to proof information and correct all the assumptions.
What was it they used to say about assumptions? They make an as* of you and me!
13 November 2011
NATIONAL ARCHIVES GREAT BRITAIN
The National Archives of Great Britain has wonderful resources. Can you use these archives for genealogy information when you have no ancestry in Great Britain? Sure can! You may want to check to see if your ancestors are among those who were on a ship that docked, or on the merchant marine lists.
09 November 2011
NATIVE AMERICAN IMAGE : WHAT TRIBAL AFFILIATION?
07 November 2011
ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY is DEDICATED TO BUSTING SPAMMERS and CON ARTISTS
Sadly, a while back this site was compromised by someone who sent messages as though they were me to everyone in my address book.
Google is detecting spammers and con artists as quickly as Yahoo now, and we're dedicated to busting every last one of them.
ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY BLOGSPOT has no interest what-so-ever is solicitations for money, or products and services that are pornography related. As stated before we are also not interested in being attached to sites that sell things when the owners of those sites have not even contacted us to ask if it's OK in the first place.
Every year thousands of people - often those who can afford it least - are conned out of money because they responded to letters coming in e-mail asking for sympathy. Most of these originate in other countries and if you send money, you will never see it again. We do not want to be associated in any way with such people.
WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE IN OUR OWN LIVES THAT NEED HELP. GIVE TO THOSE YOU ALREADY KNOW!
Also on our minds: It's said 40 % of the Internet is occupied by porn. WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF THAT WAS 40% spirituality instead?
Google is detecting spammers and con artists as quickly as Yahoo now, and we're dedicated to busting every last one of them.
ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY BLOGSPOT has no interest what-so-ever is solicitations for money, or products and services that are pornography related. As stated before we are also not interested in being attached to sites that sell things when the owners of those sites have not even contacted us to ask if it's OK in the first place.
Every year thousands of people - often those who can afford it least - are conned out of money because they responded to letters coming in e-mail asking for sympathy. Most of these originate in other countries and if you send money, you will never see it again. We do not want to be associated in any way with such people.
WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE IN OUR OWN LIVES THAT NEED HELP. GIVE TO THOSE YOU ALREADY KNOW!
Also on our minds: It's said 40 % of the Internet is occupied by porn. WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL IF THAT WAS 40% spirituality instead?
03 November 2011
FIND A GRAVE VERSUS CEMETERIES OPPORTUNISTICALLY CHARGING FOR DOCUMENTS
FIND A GRAVE is a site that I've found useful, and I'm linking to it (again) here.
I'm concerned about the ethics of volunteers putting personal information up on the Internet without concern for the family's permission, the sense of privacy in death that a love one felt or believed in while alive, and cemeteries allowing the trampling of graves and photography of tombstones (while also asking for fees for genealogy research even when the family has paid for perpetual care!)
Perhaps the trend towards cremation and spreading the ashes on land or at sea will continue not only because it is less expensive and more ecological, but because fewer people believe in a bodily resurrection at Judgement Day.
I feel strongly that if I, as a family member, want copies of documents for my own people in a cemetery that the cemetery should not opportunistically be charging me under the guise of genealogy research. I've encountered that too, and it made me furious. What will be next? DNA evidence that I'm related and have a right to that information?
I'm concerned about the ethics of volunteers putting personal information up on the Internet without concern for the family's permission, the sense of privacy in death that a love one felt or believed in while alive, and cemeteries allowing the trampling of graves and photography of tombstones (while also asking for fees for genealogy research even when the family has paid for perpetual care!)
Perhaps the trend towards cremation and spreading the ashes on land or at sea will continue not only because it is less expensive and more ecological, but because fewer people believe in a bodily resurrection at Judgement Day.
I feel strongly that if I, as a family member, want copies of documents for my own people in a cemetery that the cemetery should not opportunistically be charging me under the guise of genealogy research. I've encountered that too, and it made me furious. What will be next? DNA evidence that I'm related and have a right to that information?
01 November 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
30 October 2011
THE THIN VEIL BETWEEN THE WORLDS - HALLOWEEN or HALLOMAS
Thin veil? That is the term I've heard used so many times in my life at this season of ancestor worship - and contact - called Halloween or Hallomas by the Pagans. (I'm linking to a non-commercial site by a Pagan that has far more explaination.) As I understand it, this is the best time of the year for psychic contact with those who have left us behind in this earthly existance.
From the site linked:
"This festival marks the Celtic New Year and the most important festival of the Year. Its usual date is 31 October. It marks the transition from the Western Quarter of the Wheel to the Northern Quarter. The time of the Ritual is dusk, or 9pm.
To the Celts, everything had its beginning in darkness. Darkness and death held the promise of new Life, like the dark of night holds the promise of a new day coming. The Celtic day started at dusk, and their New Year at the dusk of the Year. At the festival on the last evening of October, they honoured their ancestors and their beloved dead. In Catholic countries people still decorate the graves with flowers on this day, like a promise of life at the dark time of the year."
From the site linked:
"This festival marks the Celtic New Year and the most important festival of the Year. Its usual date is 31 October. It marks the transition from the Western Quarter of the Wheel to the Northern Quarter. The time of the Ritual is dusk, or 9pm.
To the Celts, everything had its beginning in darkness. Darkness and death held the promise of new Life, like the dark of night holds the promise of a new day coming. The Celtic day started at dusk, and their New Year at the dusk of the Year. At the festival on the last evening of October, they honoured their ancestors and their beloved dead. In Catholic countries people still decorate the graves with flowers on this day, like a promise of life at the dark time of the year."
27 October 2011
WORLD OLDEST PERSON - 115 - GENETIC CODE CRACKED! SHE THOUGHT LIKE A 65 YEAR OLD!
"Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper died of gastric cancer, having survived breast cancer at the age of 100. Her mother also lived to be a centenarian. At the age of 82 she agreed to donate her body to medical science -- though this was not to happen for 33 years..."
Linking to the story that came out on Fox News.
Linking to the story that came out on Fox News.
25 October 2011
CYNDI DALE on VIVAXIS (AN ENERGETIC SPHERE THAT LINKS US TO OUR PLACE OF BIRTH)
page 227
"VIVAXIS is a term coined by Judy Jacka (and her teacher, Frances Nexon) in Jacka's book The Vivaxis Connection. It is an energetic sphere that develops within us a s a fetus and then forever links us to our place of birth. Through this umbilical cord, energy continues to flow between our place of original and us throughout our life. When major shifts occurs in the land, caused by natural or human alterations, we might experience similar effects in our own bodies. The Vivaxis is therefore an ideal energy body to check for symptoms that include fatigue, chronic inflammation, sudden-onset autoimmune disorders, or severe environmental allergies."
"VIVAXIS is a term coined by Judy Jacka (and her teacher, Frances Nexon) in Jacka's book The Vivaxis Connection. It is an energetic sphere that develops within us a s a fetus and then forever links us to our place of birth. Through this umbilical cord, energy continues to flow between our place of original and us throughout our life. When major shifts occurs in the land, caused by natural or human alterations, we might experience similar effects in our own bodies. The Vivaxis is therefore an ideal energy body to check for symptoms that include fatigue, chronic inflammation, sudden-onset autoimmune disorders, or severe environmental allergies."
19 October 2011
MERRY HALLOWEEN
I've read that Jack O Lanterns began in the Celtic Countries where candles were put into TURNIPS! Pumpkins are of the New World (the America's).Personally I greatly dislike the gore and horror now attributed to Halloween and this time of year. I think these things are in the spirit of evil, rather than a wholesome spirituality.
You can celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead and All Souls at this time of the year by scrapbooking family photos, working more on your genealogy, and honoring your ancestors who are alive as well as those who wait on the other side.
18 October 2011
BLACK DEATH CRACKED BY TEAM OF GERMAN CANADIAN AND AMERICAN SCIENTISTS
Kate Kelland of Reuters news service wrote this one and I'm linking to the Chicago Tribune article about it.
"The work, which involved extracting and purifying DNA from the remains of Black death victims buried in London's "plague pits," is the first time scientists have been able to draft a reconstructed genome of any ancient pathogen... Building on previous research which showed that a specific variant of the Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) bacterium was responsible for the plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, a team of German, Canadian and American scientists went on to "capture" and sequence the entire genome of the disease... For this study Poinar's team analysed skeletal remains from Black Death victims buried in London's East Smithfield "plague pits," which are located under what is now the Royal Mint.By focusing on promising specimens from the dental pulp of five bodies, which had already been pre-screened for the presence of Y. pestis, they were able to extract, purify and enrich the disease's DNA and at the same time reduce the amount of background non-plague DNA which might interfere."
"The work, which involved extracting and purifying DNA from the remains of Black death victims buried in London's "plague pits," is the first time scientists have been able to draft a reconstructed genome of any ancient pathogen... Building on previous research which showed that a specific variant of the Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) bacterium was responsible for the plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351, a team of German, Canadian and American scientists went on to "capture" and sequence the entire genome of the disease... For this study Poinar's team analysed skeletal remains from Black Death victims buried in London's East Smithfield "plague pits," which are located under what is now the Royal Mint.By focusing on promising specimens from the dental pulp of five bodies, which had already been pre-screened for the presence of Y. pestis, they were able to extract, purify and enrich the disease's DNA and at the same time reduce the amount of background non-plague DNA which might interfere."
15 October 2011
BARBADOS and SOUTH CAROLINA LINKED BY SLAVE TRADE AND IMMIGRATION
Harriet McLeod, a Rueters journalist, wrote this article, linked above, about the historic links between the island of Barbados and South Carolina.
There were 600,000 people in Barbados by 1670, most slaves, and then people began to leave that country for life in South Carolina. Part of our American history, the New England - Barbados - South Carolina triangle trading zone may explain some of the movement your ancestors made before they become southerners.
There were 600,000 people in Barbados by 1670, most slaves, and then people began to leave that country for life in South Carolina. Part of our American history, the New England - Barbados - South Carolina triangle trading zone may explain some of the movement your ancestors made before they become southerners.
11 October 2011
GAME CHANGER : EVOLUTION : AUSTRALOPITHECUS BONES SHOW HUMAN HAND ON PRIMATE APE
Linking to this article by Randolph E Schmid that came out in several papers (this one from the Houston Chronical) last week about AUSTRALOPITHECUS. This article has some great pictures showing the tiny human hand.
"Kristian J. Carlson, also at Witwatersrand, said the brain of A. sediba is small, like that of a chimpanzee, but with a configuration more human, particularly with an expansion behind and above the eyes."
"Kristian J. Carlson, also at Witwatersrand, said the brain of A. sediba is small, like that of a chimpanzee, but with a configuration more human, particularly with an expansion behind and above the eyes."
09 October 2011
06 October 2011
SHIRLEY MACLAINE'S BEST EVER BOOK : I'M ALL OVER THAT
I've read a few of Shirley's books and I firmly believe THIS IS HER BEST BOOK YET! I liked the way the theme of GETTING OVER IT (already!) was carried throughout the book by chapter titles and the overall concept of the book. Shirley, now in her mid seventies, is clearly reviewing her life and herself, and I enjoyed getting to know her in this way. Two authors of reincarnation studies, Walter Jenkins and Walter Semkiw, have independently identified one of her past lives as Robert Morris, the patriot who financed the American Revolution. So now I'm looking for books by these authors. Her latest is book is published by Atria Books, a Division of Simon and Shuster.
03 October 2011
REINCARNATION : EDGAR CAYCE A.R.E.
Edgar Cayce was called "The Sleeping Profit." He was a devout Christian who helped people with medical diagnosis. Here is a little film from A.R.E. (Association of Research and Enlightenment) which I believe is headquartered in Virginia.
01 October 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
28 September 2011
DANIEL MENDELSOHN : BOOK EXCERPT : THE LOST (A SEARCH FOR SIX OF SIX MILLION) on JEWISH NAMING PATTERNS
page 151
"I know that Ruchele had to have been born after September 3, 1923... I know this because Eastern European Jews only name their children after their dead... I and my four siblings are named after dead relatives, just as my grandfather and his six siblings were, and because of this practice people who are interested in Jewish genealogy have a remarkably reliable method of determining certain dates if the information is otherwise lacking... '
"I know for a fact that Shmiel's daughter Ruchele Jager had to have been born after the death of her father's and my grandfather's sister; The first Rachel Jager born in 1896, the doomed bride whose tragic and unexpected death, also horribly premature, would later become, over the course of many years, my families' greatest story, a mythic narrative at whose heart, or so I believe, stands an even older legend about closeness and distance, intimacy and violence, love and death, that first of all legends, first of all myths, about how easily we come to kill those to whom we are closest. '
(Daniel Mendelshohn is referring to CAIN and ABEL here, from the Old Testament/Torah. His book is masterful and, if he does nothing else in his life, this is an accomplishment of a lifetime.)
THE LOST
A search for six of six million
C 2006
Daniel Mendelsohn HarperCollins Publishers
"I know that Ruchele had to have been born after September 3, 1923... I know this because Eastern European Jews only name their children after their dead... I and my four siblings are named after dead relatives, just as my grandfather and his six siblings were, and because of this practice people who are interested in Jewish genealogy have a remarkably reliable method of determining certain dates if the information is otherwise lacking... '
"I know for a fact that Shmiel's daughter Ruchele Jager had to have been born after the death of her father's and my grandfather's sister; The first Rachel Jager born in 1896, the doomed bride whose tragic and unexpected death, also horribly premature, would later become, over the course of many years, my families' greatest story, a mythic narrative at whose heart, or so I believe, stands an even older legend about closeness and distance, intimacy and violence, love and death, that first of all legends, first of all myths, about how easily we come to kill those to whom we are closest. '
(Daniel Mendelshohn is referring to CAIN and ABEL here, from the Old Testament/Torah. His book is masterful and, if he does nothing else in his life, this is an accomplishment of a lifetime.)
THE LOST
A search for six of six million
C 2006
Daniel Mendelsohn HarperCollins Publishers
24 September 2011
HOW THEY CROAKED - THE AWEFUL ENDS OF THE AWFULLY FAMOUS by GEORGIA BRAGG is GROSS! (BUT INTERESTING)
How They Croaked
The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
By Georgia Bragg and Illustrated by Kevin O' Malley C 2011
Walker and Company - New York
Reading about George Washington (his bad teeth finally killed him) or Marie Antoinette (she apologized for accidentally stepping on the foot of her executioner before he beheaded her), was odd fun, though mostly I thought this book was gross.
But I have to share with you a list on page 73 that made me realize how TRULY IMPORTANT IT IS TO NOT THROW THINGS YOU MAY NEED SOMEDAY OUT!
"OUT WITH THE GARBAGE"
* Mozart's widow, Constanze, threw away many of Mozart's unfinished musical compositions.
* Beethoven's secretary threw out 260 of the 400 conversation books Beethoven wrote in to communicate with people.
* George and Martha Washington threw away all their love letters to each other.
* Christopher Columbus's family sold off all his maps and charts.
20 September 2011
CHABAD.org explains about YIZKOR PRAYER and GIVING
"In addition to reciting Yizkor for one's parents, one may recite Yizkor for any Jew who has passed on, including relatives and friends. When reciting Yizkor for more than one person, repeat the Yizkor paragraph each time, and substitute the words "Aböh Mori" (my father), or " Imi Morösi" (my mother), with the appropriate title, as follows: For a Husband: "Ba-ali." Son: "B'ni." Brother: "Öchi ." Uncle: "Dodi." Grandfather: "Z'kainy" . Wife: " Ishti." Daughter: "Biti." Sister: "Achosi." Aunt: "Dodosi." Grandmother: "Z'ken-ti."
Read more by linking the site above!
Read more by linking the site above!
18 September 2011
LOCATING A BIRTH PARENT ? OHIO ADOPTION REGISTRY IS JUST ONE OF MANY
There are a number of adoption or reunion sites on the Internet.
C 2011 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot
Reuniting a birth parent and child is often a sensitive issue.
I'm not going to pick a favorite site. I'm going to say that I've used the state of OHIO which seemed very helpful (so I'm linking above) and that I ran into a legal rut in MISSOURI when the adult person's adoptive parents refused to sign papers that would allow their son to see those papers.
Every state has its own laws, and we must obey them.
Here's the thing you should consider: DO YOU WANT INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE WHO LOOKS AT A SITE TO SEE UP ON THE NET OR NOT?
Personally, I don't think you do want to post or read off the wide-open net. I think you want to have to register and sign in each time you look in a "members-only" site with restricted access.
What if you don't have the money for a Private Investigator or you are sensitive about invasions of privacy or don't have someone's Social Security Number (let's face it, the SS number IS a national ID) or there has been great bitterness?
Can you emotionally handle researching this yourself?
Genealogy research is sometimes a way around hiring a PI. Like so many other professional assignments, much depends on how much accurate information a person can give me from the start, and often adoption is surrounded by secrecy if not outright lies told to children. It also depends on where the adoption took place and the laws of that country, state, and county and the contract of adoption.
Recently. I helped a woman who was over 70 find out the truth about her birth mother. She said she was ready. She was adopted at the age of 5 and was told by blood relatives, whom she located herself as a young adult, that her mother was a skid row bum. I found evidence of a divorce and early death, but skid row? That may have been a way that her adoptive parents and family prevented her from looking for her birth mother. Maybe the mother had a drinking problem, maybe not. I suspect this mother was probably mentally ill and not understood as such in those times.
THE DEATH RECORD we sent for will tell this 70 year old woman more and allow her to visit a grave site for the first time.
Sadly, it turned out this woman was actually surrounded by relatives including grandparents much of her young life, and they knew where she was, but everyone stayed away. They wanted no contact with her as an adult either. She lived her life feeling as if she was contaminated by her mother's reputation.
So, if you have the guts and are ready yourself, try a registry or two or three.
Believe it or not, I know of a reunion that occurred no more than two weeks after registration! That was in the state of California, and it was handled by phone calls from the registry and an intermediary.
C 2011 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot
14 September 2011
RED CROSS MISSING PERSONS
THE RED CROSS: Did you know that you can STILL use their MISSING PERSON'S SERVICE to locate Holocaust and others from the World War II era?
There are now other MISSING PERSON LOCATORS available now for more recent natural disasters such as Haiti.
There are now other MISSING PERSON LOCATORS available now for more recent natural disasters such as Haiti.
11 September 2011
STATUE OF LIBERTY
Many of our ancestors came through ELLIS ISLAND or the Port of New York, though there were several other important seaports that immigrants sailed into. Today on the anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attack, I think of this great symbol of the United States of America, a statue made in France and gifted to us by the French.
07 September 2011
BOOK REVIEW of NANCY GOLDSTONE'S THE FOUR QUEENS
Browsing through the Getty Museum's Book Store, I spotted a book of interest to those of you who like the Medieval period of Europe when the Knights and Fair Damsels were - well - ruling countries.
Most of us can't trace our family history past the 1600's unless there is some provable documents of royal background, for genealogy was probably then more of an obsession of the rich. Knowing who was who was important too when you were arranging marriages.
NANCY GOLDSTONE'S THE FOUR QUEENS "The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe" is about the four daughters of the count of Provence, who made brilliant (arranged) marriages that made them the Queens of France, England, Germany, and Sisicly. Married young - and we mean consummated sex here - twelve and thirteen - these women were history making in their influence in a male dominated and battle dominated world of the 1200's in Europe, well before Countries as we know them were formed.
"Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice...were as educated and world wise as young women could be ... They were married because their fathers (and mothers) saw material advantage and power as an exchange for uniting families... Death claims children and husbands... And so does God, Crusades, and Batttles."
Of great interest in this book is the story of the first coinage of England and how persons using it snipped bits of metal, hoping to slowly collect a fortune...
LINKING HERE TO A French Royal site that shows some of the key players in this work of history, which will also get you THE ANCESTRY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
Most of us can't trace our family history past the 1600's unless there is some provable documents of royal background, for genealogy was probably then more of an obsession of the rich. Knowing who was who was important too when you were arranging marriages.
NANCY GOLDSTONE'S THE FOUR QUEENS "The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe" is about the four daughters of the count of Provence, who made brilliant (arranged) marriages that made them the Queens of France, England, Germany, and Sisicly. Married young - and we mean consummated sex here - twelve and thirteen - these women were history making in their influence in a male dominated and battle dominated world of the 1200's in Europe, well before Countries as we know them were formed.
"Marguerite, Eleanor, Sanchia, and Beatrice...were as educated and world wise as young women could be ... They were married because their fathers (and mothers) saw material advantage and power as an exchange for uniting families... Death claims children and husbands... And so does God, Crusades, and Batttles."
Of great interest in this book is the story of the first coinage of England and how persons using it snipped bits of metal, hoping to slowly collect a fortune...
LINKING HERE TO A French Royal site that shows some of the key players in this work of history, which will also get you THE ANCESTRY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
03 September 2011
WEST VIRGINIA OFFERS SOME SEARCHABLE BIRTH, MARRIAGE, and DEATH INDEXES
"The West Virginia Vital Research Records Project
is a collaborative venture between the West
Virginia State Archives and the Genealogical
Society of Utah (GSU) to place online via the
West Virginia Archives and History Web site
selected West Virginia county birth, death
and marriage records, and selected statewide
death records in a viewable, downloadable and
searchable format accessible"
is a collaborative venture between the West
Virginia State Archives and the Genealogical
Society of Utah (GSU) to place online via the
West Virginia Archives and History Web site
selected West Virginia county birth, death
and marriage records, and selected statewide
death records in a viewable, downloadable and
searchable format accessible"
01 September 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
26 August 2011
SOLDIERS PHOTOGRAPH EVERY GRAVE IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY and SEARCHABLE DATABASE MAY RESULT
More than 300,000 people buried there... 219,000 grave markers... and a few messed up burials or confused records... so the Army decided to take a photographic inventory. This project may turn into a searchable database!
As someone who has a relative in Arlington, which came up on FindAGrave, I am feeling excited about the possibility of a comprehensive database.
Attaching to a Yahoo news article by Kimberly Hefling of Associated Press!
As someone who has a relative in Arlington, which came up on FindAGrave, I am feeling excited about the possibility of a comprehensive database.
Attaching to a Yahoo news article by Kimberly Hefling of Associated Press!
24 August 2011
FROM LIFE BETWEEN LIFE by JOEL L. WHITTON and JOE FISHER
Life Between Life Scientific Explorations Into the Void Separating One Incarnation From the Next! C authors Joel L. Whitton and Joe Fisher A Dolphin Book (Doubleday)
page 65-66 "Ghandi, the great Indian philosopher and apostle of non-violence, attributed certain benevolence to the cosmic process (of forgetting past lives) when he replied "It is natures' kindness that we do not remember past births. Life would be a burden if we carried such a tremendous load of memories." Yet is is possible to break through this amnesia either with the aid of hypnosis or by activating "far memory" through practiced and purposeful meditative techniques. One of the most popular arguments against reincarnation maintains that all past-life memory is really genetic in origin, that the hereditary line accounts not only for physical resemblance and a persons strengths, weakness and predispositions but also for a recall beyond birth which is, supposedly, coded into the DNA molecules. The evidence of hypnotic regression promptly dismisses this contention. In trance, whites have described experiences as negro slaves and many subjects have talked about being incarnated during their parent's lifetimes."
18 August 2011
CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORP RECORDS : NOT IMPOSSIBLE : NATIONAL ARCHIVES IS FIRST STEP FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
I was challenged to find Civilian Conservation Corps records.
The Corps was a New Deal project to put poor youth to work. Young men could sign up for 6 months to 2 years, were paid $30 a month (while sheltered, fed, and clothed) of which $25 went to their families. The National Archives does have records, but not a searchable database that would bring up the names of those enrolled. Here is the link to information that will help you order a search for a fee, but it looks like you have to know all the details to get the information which I always find to be a bugaboo: http://www.ccclegacy.org/ CCC LEGACY. ORG
(LINK UPDATED March 2020)
I found this searchable site for PENNSYLVANIA linked above. There may be others for other states. (Unfortunately the person I was looking for was not in this database.) I would like to think that the information is organized by the state the person originated from or where they signed up, but it turns out that a person could serve in more than one camp and in various states before their service was up.
This is a truly excellent site, linked to Pennsylvania state parks, which benefited greatly from the physical labor of the CCC. You can search by name or camp. The site leans heavily on the James F. Justin CCC Museum on line, which is perhaps the best overall site for CCC research.
The Corps was a New Deal project to put poor youth to work. Young men could sign up for 6 months to 2 years, were paid $30 a month (while sheltered, fed, and clothed) of which $25 went to their families. The National Archives does have records, but not a searchable database that would bring up the names of those enrolled. Here is the link to information that will help you order a search for a fee, but it looks like you have to know all the details to get the information which I always find to be a bugaboo: http://www.ccclegacy.org/ CCC LEGACY. ORG
(LINK UPDATED March 2020)
I found this searchable site for PENNSYLVANIA linked above. There may be others for other states. (Unfortunately the person I was looking for was not in this database.) I would like to think that the information is organized by the state the person originated from or where they signed up, but it turns out that a person could serve in more than one camp and in various states before their service was up.
This is a truly excellent site, linked to Pennsylvania state parks, which benefited greatly from the physical labor of the CCC. You can search by name or camp. The site leans heavily on the James F. Justin CCC Museum on line, which is perhaps the best overall site for CCC research.
C 2011 Ancestry Worship - Genealogy BlogSpot
14 August 2011
WOMEN OF CHERNOBEL : A WORLD OF BABUSHKAS : MORE MAGAZINE
More magazine did a photo essay with interviews of the Russian women, most over 70, who returned to Chernobyl’s desolate, radioactive surroundings. Said one "when you live outside your village, you loose your soul." This is the world of the bubuskas - 80% women - tending their animals and gardens.
This article made me think about having an attraction to ancestral places.
Is it in my soul to live near mountains or with mountains in the distance as my ancestors did?
Nadezhda Tislenko, 71 "When this widow met up with more’s team—reporter, photographer, translator— she immediately called a neighbor, saying, “hurry, quick, come over. There’s interesting people here, and they’re not missionaries!”
This article made me think about having an attraction to ancestral places.
Is it in my soul to live near mountains or with mountains in the distance as my ancestors did?
Nadezhda Tislenko, 71 "When this widow met up with more’s team—reporter, photographer, translator— she immediately called a neighbor, saying, “hurry, quick, come over. There’s interesting people here, and they’re not missionaries!”
08 August 2011
THE DEAT BEAT by MARILYN JOHNSON - THE WORLD OF OBITUARY WRITERS EXPOSED! BOOK EXCERPTS
THE DEAT BEAT
Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries
You're going to love this one because it is sad, funny, and true.
Marilyn Johnson explores the world of Obituary Writers, and here is an excerpt from page 117.
"What does it take to be a good obituary writer? Reporting skills, life experience, and something I can't quite pin down - an ability to weigh someones life and accomplishments historically, in the context of the times. A good obit writer has to communicate the significance of a person, a place, an era. Sense of humor? It's a good survival skill, and it adds a lot to the pleasure we take in some writers' work, but I don't think it's essential. Neither is empathy. As for "style," that's also optional. What it takes to be a good obituary writer is an ability to write well, to capture a person with economy and grace, and work in the hurricane of emotion that swirls around the newly dead."
Examples of great obits that capture the imagination of the reader and bring the recently deceased to life one more time abound in this book. Examples come from Great Britain and the United States. More you get to meet some of the best obit writers - journalists dedicated to the research - interviewing - as well as turn of phrase. Jim Nicholson, who did plenty of newspaper work as an investigative reporter before he started writing obits says, "There aren't any boring people; there are just boring questions." He was once a broken-down journalist who learned how to get his scoops by scoping out the beat - mortuaries - neighbors.
Here's a funny one for you from page 49
"Selma Koch, a Manhattan store owner who earned a national reputation by helping women find the right bra size, mostly through a discerning glance and never with a tape measure, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She was 95 and a 34B."
And from page 159 from a writer named McKie, who ran an obit prematurely....
"I apologize unreservedly to our readers for having mislead them. More importantly, I apologize to Mrs. Ritter. I am genuinely delighted she is still with us - I came to like her a lot while preparing her obituary for the page.
She may even have the good luck to follow Cockie Hoogterp, whose premature obituary The Daily Telegraph published in 1938. After 50 years, during which she sent back all her bills with the word "Deceased" scrawled across them, it was referred to again in the newspaper. She then wrote in to say, "Mrs. Hoogsterp wishes it to be known that she has not yet been screwed into her coffin."
Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries
You're going to love this one because it is sad, funny, and true.
Marilyn Johnson explores the world of Obituary Writers, and here is an excerpt from page 117.
"What does it take to be a good obituary writer? Reporting skills, life experience, and something I can't quite pin down - an ability to weigh someones life and accomplishments historically, in the context of the times. A good obit writer has to communicate the significance of a person, a place, an era. Sense of humor? It's a good survival skill, and it adds a lot to the pleasure we take in some writers' work, but I don't think it's essential. Neither is empathy. As for "style," that's also optional. What it takes to be a good obituary writer is an ability to write well, to capture a person with economy and grace, and work in the hurricane of emotion that swirls around the newly dead."
Examples of great obits that capture the imagination of the reader and bring the recently deceased to life one more time abound in this book. Examples come from Great Britain and the United States. More you get to meet some of the best obit writers - journalists dedicated to the research - interviewing - as well as turn of phrase. Jim Nicholson, who did plenty of newspaper work as an investigative reporter before he started writing obits says, "There aren't any boring people; there are just boring questions." He was once a broken-down journalist who learned how to get his scoops by scoping out the beat - mortuaries - neighbors.
Here's a funny one for you from page 49
"Selma Koch, a Manhattan store owner who earned a national reputation by helping women find the right bra size, mostly through a discerning glance and never with a tape measure, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center. She was 95 and a 34B."
And from page 159 from a writer named McKie, who ran an obit prematurely....
"I apologize unreservedly to our readers for having mislead them. More importantly, I apologize to Mrs. Ritter. I am genuinely delighted she is still with us - I came to like her a lot while preparing her obituary for the page.
She may even have the good luck to follow Cockie Hoogterp, whose premature obituary The Daily Telegraph published in 1938. After 50 years, during which she sent back all her bills with the word "Deceased" scrawled across them, it was referred to again in the newspaper. She then wrote in to say, "Mrs. Hoogsterp wishes it to be known that she has not yet been screwed into her coffin."
02 August 2011
THE BOOK OF LIVES : THE BIBLE : AMERICAN SPIRIT MAGAZINE
Linking here to the magazine that The Daughters of the American Revolution put out, called AMERICAN SPIRIT. It's put out every other month, and the July/August Magazine has an article by Bill Hudgins called The Book of Lives.
"Plain or Fancy the Family Bible Has Long Preserved Genealogical Treasures"
The magazine doesn't have this article on line, but this is a good magazine to subscribe to if you're interested in DAR or Americana or genealogy research. And here is a wonderful excerpt from the article.
"The first Bible printed in the Colonies was a translation in a dialect of Algonquian produced 1660-1661 by John Eliot, a Presbyterian minister in Massachusetts according to A Light to the Nations: American's Earliest Bibles 1532-1864, By Diana Lupas.
The next domestic Bible was printed in German in 1743 by Christoph Saur in Germantown, Pennsylvania. His Son, also named Christoph, took over the printing business and republished the German Bible in 1763 and 1776. In 1778, the Continental Army confiscated Saur's property, including printed sheets for about 1000 Bibles. Another printer bought them at auction, then sold them to be used in making cartridges for bullets, according to A Light to Nations.
"Plain or Fancy the Family Bible Has Long Preserved Genealogical Treasures"
The magazine doesn't have this article on line, but this is a good magazine to subscribe to if you're interested in DAR or Americana or genealogy research. And here is a wonderful excerpt from the article.
"The first Bible printed in the Colonies was a translation in a dialect of Algonquian produced 1660-1661 by John Eliot, a Presbyterian minister in Massachusetts according to A Light to the Nations: American's Earliest Bibles 1532-1864, By Diana Lupas.
The next domestic Bible was printed in German in 1743 by Christoph Saur in Germantown, Pennsylvania. His Son, also named Christoph, took over the printing business and republished the German Bible in 1763 and 1776. In 1778, the Continental Army confiscated Saur's property, including printed sheets for about 1000 Bibles. Another printer bought them at auction, then sold them to be used in making cartridges for bullets, according to A Light to Nations.
01 August 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
29 July 2011
27 July 2011
NORWAY NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES
Fundamentalist Terrorism in Norway? The Knights Templer? The headlines are horrific. So many innocent people dead.
Well, today I post the NORWAY NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES!
Well, today I post the NORWAY NATIONAL DIGITAL ARCHIVES!
25 July 2011
LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY STILL HAS 1930 CENSUS ON FILM but WILL NOT PURCHASE 1940
Good and bad news here. LDS - FAMILY HISTORY CENTER REOPENED A FEW MONTHS AGO and HAS GOTTEN RID OF THEIR 1930 CENSUS MICROFILMS. BUT LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY HAS THEIRS!
So much of the research I've done could not easily (or at all) be duplicated using Ancestry or other genealogy databases, which are as good at the typos. I TRIED!
BOTH LDS and LAPL WILL RELY ON ELECTRONIC DATABASES for the 1940.
But here is the link to the NATIONAL ARCHIVES SITE WHICH TELLS US THAT "The release of the 1940 population census schedules is approaching! It will be released digitally on April 2, 2012. (That is less than one year away!) You will be able to access all 1940 census records online at any of the public computer workstations at National Archives facilities, as well as from any computer connected to the internet."
Hey! I think the whole Mayan Calander/End of the World hoopla is bogus! I plan to live through it and be researching using the 1940 !
So much of the research I've done could not easily (or at all) be duplicated using Ancestry or other genealogy databases, which are as good at the typos. I TRIED!
BOTH LDS and LAPL WILL RELY ON ELECTRONIC DATABASES for the 1940.
But here is the link to the NATIONAL ARCHIVES SITE WHICH TELLS US THAT "The release of the 1940 population census schedules is approaching! It will be released digitally on April 2, 2012. (That is less than one year away!) You will be able to access all 1940 census records online at any of the public computer workstations at National Archives facilities, as well as from any computer connected to the internet."
Hey! I think the whole Mayan Calander/End of the World hoopla is bogus! I plan to live through it and be researching using the 1940 !
23 July 2011
SEED SAVERS and DIANE OTT WHEALY
Linking here to SEED SAVERS founded by Ms. Wealy. According to an article I read recently in National Geographic, members get a copy of a phone book thick catalogue to other members seeds. Goal, preservation of varieties that are no longer sold commercially.
17 July 2011
FBI RECORDS FOR YOURSELF OR GRANDMA?
I just got a tip that FBI records are available... at no cost... so link to this site "JUST FOR FUN!"
07 July 2011
CENSUS OF THE BLACKFEET MONTANA and ELECTRONIC DATABASES
Recently someone asked me for some advice on researching their BLACKFEET Native American roots. At the Los Angeles Public Library genealogy section - downtown- I checked to see if any books were available on this subject.
I found CENSUS OF THE BLACKFEET - MONTANA 1897-1898
The book was put out by Jeff Bower C 2004 and it leans on the original census taking by
George B. McLaughlin and Thomas P Fuller who were "Indian agents" and also on NATIONAL ARCHIVES FILM COLLECTION ROLL M595-4
I learned that there were four reservations and that this census is one of them. (One of the four reservations is in Canada.) Looking over the census, I saw that the names were translated into English. There was also a great number of family groups that included two wives, which makes knowing which wife is a child's mother a question. As usual, I greatly enjoyed the names such as Morning Plume (a husband), a family group headed by husband Shoots At Another and his wife Martha Shoots at Another and their children Martha and Josephine Weather Wax, Longtime Sleeping, and so on.
I learned that the Blackfeet name comes from the look of ashes on their moccasins. (But as I understand it, there were other not-related tribes called Blackfoot or Blackfeet so be sure you want this Algonquian speaking group found in Montana!)
I decided to see if I could bring up the 1900 census with some of these names using Heritage Quest and Ancestry Genealogy Databases. After all this census was just a couple years after these special counts.
THE PROBLEM WAS, if you have a name such as "Shoots At Another", is your given name "Shoots" or "Shoots At" or is" Another" a surname or is "At Another" a surname?
I was completely unsuccessful using my short list on Heritage Quest and almost completely unsuccessful using Ancestry. But I was able to bring up SOME OF THE NAMES IN THIS AREA OF MONTANA by using the word BLACKFEET!
So here is my advice should you wish to proceed electronically! Just get to THE Enumeration District (ED) THAT CONTAINS SOME OF THE NAMES that do come up through standard given and surname searches (non-native names) so that you are in the neighborhood and then read the census page by page - just as you would if you used GOOD OLD MICROFILM!
I found CENSUS OF THE BLACKFEET - MONTANA 1897-1898
The book was put out by Jeff Bower C 2004 and it leans on the original census taking by
George B. McLaughlin and Thomas P Fuller who were "Indian agents" and also on NATIONAL ARCHIVES FILM COLLECTION ROLL M595-4
I learned that there were four reservations and that this census is one of them. (One of the four reservations is in Canada.) Looking over the census, I saw that the names were translated into English. There was also a great number of family groups that included two wives, which makes knowing which wife is a child's mother a question. As usual, I greatly enjoyed the names such as Morning Plume (a husband), a family group headed by husband Shoots At Another and his wife Martha Shoots at Another and their children Martha and Josephine Weather Wax, Longtime Sleeping, and so on.
I learned that the Blackfeet name comes from the look of ashes on their moccasins. (But as I understand it, there were other not-related tribes called Blackfoot or Blackfeet so be sure you want this Algonquian speaking group found in Montana!)
I decided to see if I could bring up the 1900 census with some of these names using Heritage Quest and Ancestry Genealogy Databases. After all this census was just a couple years after these special counts.
THE PROBLEM WAS, if you have a name such as "Shoots At Another", is your given name "Shoots" or "Shoots At" or is" Another" a surname or is "At Another" a surname?
I was completely unsuccessful using my short list on Heritage Quest and almost completely unsuccessful using Ancestry. But I was able to bring up SOME OF THE NAMES IN THIS AREA OF MONTANA by using the word BLACKFEET!
So here is my advice should you wish to proceed electronically! Just get to THE Enumeration District (ED) THAT CONTAINS SOME OF THE NAMES that do come up through standard given and surname searches (non-native names) so that you are in the neighborhood and then read the census page by page - just as you would if you used GOOD OLD MICROFILM!
04 July 2011
01 July 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
27 June 2011
TOMBSTONE PROJECTS - ARE THEY DONE WITH HONOR?
Do you remember visiting a cemetery and being careful not to step on a grave?
When I first found out that the cemetery that some of my ancestors are buried in - privacy seeking individuals one and all - had been tramped over and the personal information on tombstones put up on the Internet, I was seething. We had just recently buried a family member in this cemetery, a person who loved their privacy in life, and there was their name and location of burial for the world to see, to me too an invasion of privacy. And then I called the same cemetery where we had paid for perpetual care and asked for the burial records for other ancestors buried there and was given attitude and a demand for research fees. Now I was seething plus! How could they have lead us to believe this was a private, religious, place and then allowed these people to post all that information about burials on the net? OR HAD THEY EVEN BEEN APPROACHED FOR PERMISSION?
Of course the posters had been trampling through a lot of cemeteries and thought what they were posting was of great help to the family history and genealogy researchers. They posted that if you discovered your family member on this list and did not want them on it, to contact them and they would remove the name right away. Why not ask us first, I thought! And besides, information once put on the net has a way of being there for years - cached!
At the same time I've benefited from a couple different tombstone sites. In particular I've benefited from tombstone sites that reveal burials of the 19th century, the Civil War.
I am still torn about this subject.
C Ancestry Worship Genealogy 2011 All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.
When I first found out that the cemetery that some of my ancestors are buried in - privacy seeking individuals one and all - had been tramped over and the personal information on tombstones put up on the Internet, I was seething. We had just recently buried a family member in this cemetery, a person who loved their privacy in life, and there was their name and location of burial for the world to see, to me too an invasion of privacy. And then I called the same cemetery where we had paid for perpetual care and asked for the burial records for other ancestors buried there and was given attitude and a demand for research fees. Now I was seething plus! How could they have lead us to believe this was a private, religious, place and then allowed these people to post all that information about burials on the net? OR HAD THEY EVEN BEEN APPROACHED FOR PERMISSION?
Of course the posters had been trampling through a lot of cemeteries and thought what they were posting was of great help to the family history and genealogy researchers. They posted that if you discovered your family member on this list and did not want them on it, to contact them and they would remove the name right away. Why not ask us first, I thought! And besides, information once put on the net has a way of being there for years - cached!
At the same time I've benefited from a couple different tombstone sites. In particular I've benefited from tombstone sites that reveal burials of the 19th century, the Civil War.
I am still torn about this subject.
C Ancestry Worship Genealogy 2011 All Rights Reserved including Internet and International Rights.
24 June 2011
FROM LIFE BETWEEN LIFE by JOEL L. WHITTON and JOE FISHER
Life Between Life
Scientific Explorations Into the Void Separating One Incarnation From the Next!
C authors
A Dolphin Book (Doubleday) page 64-65
"Hemendra Banerjee, who founded the Indian Institute of Parapsychology in 1957, and has been living in the United States since 1970, became convinced of the reality of reincarnation by observing children's spontaneous emotional recognition of past-life relatives and friends. In this context, children are credible witnesses; the testimony of these youngsters - usually aged between two and five - has yet to be contaminated by cultural prejudices or overwhelmed by the pressing demands of worldly experience. ... Toddlers who remember past lives will mutter such phrases as "When I was big" and will perhaps complain about not being the same sex as before. They might yearn for the lost companionship of a relative or friend and hanker for the food, clothing, and lifestyle - even the alcohol, drugs, or tobacco - of a former existence."
20 June 2011
CIVIL WAR ON LINE EXHIBIT THROUGH NATIONAL ARCHIVES
And here is the ONLINE version of the CIVIL WAR exhibit!
16 June 2011
NATIONAL ARCHIVES TRAVELING EXHIBIT ON THE CIVIL WAR MARKS 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR THAT DIVIDED (and THEN UNITED) THE STATES
It's been 150 years since the start of the CIVIL WAR and that will be commemorated in magazines, book selections, and much else over the next year or two. The National Archives are probably our most valuable resource in genealogy research. So many of our nation's records are used by other libraries and databases.
I'm linking to the article by the National Archives about the show above...
I'm linking to the article by the National Archives about the show above...
14 June 2011
10 June 2011
CASTLE GARDEN Searchable Database has ended... BUT OTHER DATABASES HAVE THE INFORMATION NEEDED
Before there was Ellis Island there was CASTLE GARDEN and while there was Ellis there was Castle Garden too.
Ellis Island was the checking point for steerage only passengers.
A better ticket? Castle Garden, the first stop a ship made to let off passengers.
Now, a searchable database!
***
Just a note Nov 2022. My understanding is that this web site has ended but the passenger lists are searchable now via FamilySearch and Ancestry TM genealogy databases.
February 2023 .... Yes, the site is no longer.
Just a note to remember that there were other ports in operation.
04 June 2011
TWIN FRIARS DIE SAME DAY : AGE 92 : ADRIAN and JULIAN RIESTER
Talk about twins... ! Link now to the breaking Yahoo news story about Adrian and Julian Riester who were born the same day and then died the same day. Two lives given to vocation.
(Genealogy seems to sometimes ignore the never married and childless.)
Anyone in your family given over to religious vocation?
(Genealogy seems to sometimes ignore the never married and childless.)
Anyone in your family given over to religious vocation?
03 June 2011
NATIONAL ARCHIVES ON WOMEN BECOMING INSTANT CITIZENS OR NOT!
"In general, immigrant women have always had the right to become U.S. citizens, but not every court honored that right. Since the mid-nineteenth century a succession of laws worked to keep certain women out of naturalization records, either by granting them derivative citizenship or barring their naturalization altogether."
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES IS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY when it comes to using their records, and naturalization papers may be nonexistent for your female immigrant ancestor.
Link to a good read about this issue now!
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES IS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY when it comes to using their records, and naturalization papers may be nonexistent for your female immigrant ancestor.
Link to a good read about this issue now!
01 June 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound. We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
30 May 2011
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
There is always a guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier(s) and this mini documentary explains the honor.
24 May 2011
FROM LIFE BETWEEN LIFE by JOEL L. WHITTON and JOE FISHER
Life Between Life Scientific Explorations Into the Void Separating One Incarnation From the Next! C authors A Dolphin Book (Doubleday)
page 64
"Dr. Stevenson, who has more than 2,000 child cases filed on computer at the Department of Parapsychology at the University of Virginia, has said that "a rational man can, if he wants now, believe in reincarnation on the basis of evidence rather than simply on the basis of religious doctrine or cultural tradition."... (All the cases together) provide a body of evidence suggestive of reincarnation that appears to be accumulating... indicative... are the more than 200 birthmarks Stevenson has examined on children who claim to have been killed by bullets and bladed weapons that pieced the corresponding parts of their anatomies in a previous life. In seventeen such cases, he has obtained medical documents such as hospital records or autopsy reports that establish the past life individual was put to death in the way described."
21 May 2011
14 May 2011
OPINION BY ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY : PRESIDENT OBAMA'S LONG VERSION BIRTH CERTIFICATE RELEASED : ADOPTION and SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
"Questions regarding Obama's birth certificate have persisted for more than two years, as the president noted Wednesday at a press conference announcing the release of his long-form birth certificate. A vast array of evidence attests to Obama's citizenship--including a certificate of live birth, signed affidavits from people who viewed Obama's long-form birth certificate, confirmation by Hawaiian officials, and independent investigations by news outlets. Nevertheless, "this thing just keeps going" as Obama said this morning. Even after the White House released the long-form certificate of Obama's birth, birther leader Orly Taitz—who has filed unsuccessful lawsuits seeking to obtain access to Obama's birth certificate—sought to cast doubt on the document's authenticity, suggesting that in 1961, Hawaiian officials would have classified Obama as "Negro" rather than using designation "African," which suggests, in her view, a more contemporary concern for "political correctness." Link to the Yahoo article above.
ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY OPINION HERE:
What surprises me most about this controversy is that it is occurring so far along in the President's term of office and is being used as a method by his opponents and competitors, to discredit him, even impeach him. IF THERE WERE EVER A QUESTION OF HIS BIRTH LOCATION, and QUALIFICATIONS it should have happened when he applied to run for President.
When there are adoptions, a second birth certificate is usually given to the adoptive parents, and the adopted child must reach adulthood to petition (variant by location) for the ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE. But if the child grows to adulthood and is never told they are adopted, they may not have a clue (or interest) in searching for the ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE. In addition, in many cases special circumstances may apply, such as if a child is born on a military base in another country or at an American Consulate, or while on a boat or aircraft ABOVE a country in which case the birth may be considered to be the place the parents are citizens, rather than the country they are flying over or from or to!
In many locations throughout the world, and in the United States, it was not required by civil law to have a birth certificate at all, or until after 1900. For instance, many births are ONLY RECORDED IN FAMILY BIBLES or, especially if there was a mid-wife delivering the child who may or may not have filed the birth for immigrant parents, and may or may not have been able to read or write or spell!
So Let's Leave our President Obama To Concentrate on his Job! The chances are he has never had any worry or concern over the circumstances of his birth in Hawaii, his multi-racial heritage, OR that he would be disqualified for Presidency. For good reason. He's honest.
Christine
ANCESTRY WORSHIP GENEALOGY OPINION HERE:
What surprises me most about this controversy is that it is occurring so far along in the President's term of office and is being used as a method by his opponents and competitors, to discredit him, even impeach him. IF THERE WERE EVER A QUESTION OF HIS BIRTH LOCATION, and QUALIFICATIONS it should have happened when he applied to run for President.
When there are adoptions, a second birth certificate is usually given to the adoptive parents, and the adopted child must reach adulthood to petition (variant by location) for the ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE. But if the child grows to adulthood and is never told they are adopted, they may not have a clue (or interest) in searching for the ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE. In addition, in many cases special circumstances may apply, such as if a child is born on a military base in another country or at an American Consulate, or while on a boat or aircraft ABOVE a country in which case the birth may be considered to be the place the parents are citizens, rather than the country they are flying over or from or to!
In many locations throughout the world, and in the United States, it was not required by civil law to have a birth certificate at all, or until after 1900. For instance, many births are ONLY RECORDED IN FAMILY BIBLES or, especially if there was a mid-wife delivering the child who may or may not have filed the birth for immigrant parents, and may or may not have been able to read or write or spell!
So Let's Leave our President Obama To Concentrate on his Job! The chances are he has never had any worry or concern over the circumstances of his birth in Hawaii, his multi-racial heritage, OR that he would be disqualified for Presidency. For good reason. He's honest.
Christine
11 May 2011
STATE OF NEW JERSEY SEARCHABLE DATABASES : NAME CHANGES ENLIGHTENIING
If your research is PRE 1900 (or so) New Jersey, the Department of State of New Jersey offers some searchable databases on line. These focus on early colonial and 19th century records. I see a lot of availability and duplication of those records, but HERE IS A GEM! (Link above!)
Legal Name Changes, 1847-1947 may be of some help for researchers focusing on the great age of immigration. You'll find a lot of "ethnic" surnames made shorter or made easier to pronounce or gone Anglo here: Italians, Poles, and Hungarians doing major changes. Some of these however, may just be about adoption, divorce, or not wanting to be associated with bad news relatives.
https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/DOS/Admin/ArchivesDBPortal/NameChanges.aspx
I love searchable databases THAT RESPOND TO FIRST NAMES as well as surnames like this one Also consider what an ethnic name in another language may translate to in English when you search. Francis, Franko, etc became Frank.
Legal Name Changes, 1847-1947 may be of some help for researchers focusing on the great age of immigration. You'll find a lot of "ethnic" surnames made shorter or made easier to pronounce or gone Anglo here: Italians, Poles, and Hungarians doing major changes. Some of these however, may just be about adoption, divorce, or not wanting to be associated with bad news relatives.
https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/DOS/Admin/ArchivesDBPortal/NameChanges.aspx
I love searchable databases THAT RESPOND TO FIRST NAMES as well as surnames like this one Also consider what an ethnic name in another language may translate to in English when you search. Francis, Franko, etc became Frank.
07 May 2011
WAKE FOREST NORTH CAROLINA BAPTIST CHURCH RECORDS!
HELD AT WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY, the Ethel Taylor Crittenden Collection in Baptist History includes a searchable INDEX database.
The collection serves as a repository for records from North Carolina Baptist churches and institutions. The NCBHC is also the repository for the Alliance of Baptists and the Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina archives.
The collection serves as a repository for records from North Carolina Baptist churches and institutions. The NCBHC is also the repository for the Alliance of Baptists and the Woman's Missionary Union of North Carolina archives.
05 May 2011
POSTAL CLERK USES OBIT TO TRACES FAMILY TO DELIVER PICTURE OF DEAD HUSBAND 67 YEARS LATE
"Because the postal worker's father had lived in Essex, he said he was motivated to go beyond his postal-worker duty and try to deliver the long-lost package. He had found Grandpa's obituary online and eventually was able to reach my mom to arrange express delivery to her address. Mom found it quite ironic that its plastic bag explained that damage "will occur because of the great volume handled and the rapid processing methods which must be employed to assure the most expeditious distribution possible." At 67 years old, the package was actually in great shape." - Sean Surity / Yahoo News
03 May 2011
POSTING FROM IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY - BURBANK CALIFORNIA - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Rallying all troopers! (Are you doing GERMAN research?)
Marilyn over at IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY in Burbank California is a Wealth of Knowledge who is also Womanning the Fort!
I spent a few hours looking over their collection, seeing where the books they have and my research might meet. Some of the Germans I'm researching first went into other countries before they came to America meaning that I'm looking into Transylvania and Slovakia and and Hungary before I go back to Germany.
IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY is kind of a secret resource.
THE OUTSTANDING STRENGTHS OF THIS COLLECTION :
A huge collection of road maps - many from Germany - that you can fold out.
POMERANIAN special interest group: http://www.pomeranianews.com/
MECKLENBURG EMIGRANTS DATABASE by special arrangement with Rostock, Germany listing 20,000 Germans who left Germany. ONLY COPY IN THE UNITED STATES.
Several hundred German Ortsippenbooks for German towns.
(Or make Marilyn a volunteer offer she can't refuse!)
1310 West Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA, USA
(818) 848-3122 Call for hours, speakers, and more information.
Tell Marilyn that "Ancestry Worship Genealogy" sent you!
Marilyn over at IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY in Burbank California is a Wealth of Knowledge who is also Womanning the Fort!
I spent a few hours looking over their collection, seeing where the books they have and my research might meet. Some of the Germans I'm researching first went into other countries before they came to America meaning that I'm looking into Transylvania and Slovakia and and Hungary before I go back to Germany.
IMMIGRANT GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY is kind of a secret resource.
THE OUTSTANDING STRENGTHS OF THIS COLLECTION :
A huge collection of road maps - many from Germany - that you can fold out.
POMERANIAN special interest group: http://www.pomeranianews.com/
MECKLENBURG EMIGRANTS DATABASE by special arrangement with Rostock, Germany listing 20,000 Germans who left Germany. ONLY COPY IN THE UNITED STATES.
Several hundred German Ortsippenbooks for German towns.
And much more!
Become a member for one fee and come in all you like for a year or pitch in $2 minimum towards the rent each time you visit.(Or make Marilyn a volunteer offer she can't refuse!)
1310 West Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA, USA
(818) 848-3122 Call for hours, speakers, and more information.
Tell Marilyn that "Ancestry Worship Genealogy" sent you!
01 May 2011
Our genetic and spiritual ancestors help us with our research quests and, while we follow a linear research path, amazing dreams and synronicities abound.
We explore multicultural ancestry worship and the use of genealogy for past-life verification, as well as practical ways and means to achieve your research goals.
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