THE YOU GO GENEALOGY GIRLS

2012 Begins

2012-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Even though the You Go Genealogy Girls were not together to ring in the new year, we were together on the phone, by e-mails and in our thoughts. As we begin this new year, we wish all of our readers the best in the months ahead. We also think about what we are going to be doing in 2012.

As of today, I think YGGG #2 is installing a new computer. The old one is being moved to a different location. I have not received any phone calls or e-mails, but look forward to her telling me all is okay and the new computer works great.

Since I received an iPad for Christmas, we have been comparing our settings, how to do things and what they can be used for in genealogical research. Mine is the iPad 2 so a bit different, and lighter, but an iPad is still an iPad. For my databases, I have installed Bento which works on my main computer and syncs to the iPad. Of course, my Reunion genealogy files are on the iPad and they are much better for viewing than on the iPod Touch. Using iCloud I have a lot of syncing going on between computers. I have placed my Keynote presentations on the iPad (some) and can remotely control them by using my iPod Touch.

I am waiting on a new carrying case for the iPad and friends (cords, iPod Touch, cell phone ...). It should arrive this week and hopefully I can stuff everything into it. I don't have issues with the keyboard on my iPad, but I do have a wireless keyboard that works great with it.

Another Christmas present was a Smart Pen (LifeScribe). It seems unusual to write something or take notes with audio through the pen and then have it show up on my computer. I am anxious to try it out while watching webinars. What a great way to learn!!

Just in time to start a new year, I discovered the reason I was going no where in particular with one of my Massachusetts lines was because I had the wrong surname. Only the first letter of "B" was the same. Broadening my research in the area, I was able to locate the correct sources and information to give Elizabeth the correct name. Sorry about that Elizabeth! Now the fun begins as I start reading and researching new surnames.

The You Go Genealogy Girls wish you the very best in 2012. May our paths cross somewhere in the future and if not ... keep reading about us and sending us e-mails.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby

Merry Christmas from the You Go Genealogy Girls

2011-12-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

North Platte (NE) Semi-Weekly Tribune,
3 December 1920, page 7

Christmas will soon be here. We are both caught up in the season. You Go Genealogy Girl #2 is making preparations to travel to Topeka, Kansas to spend Christmas with her son and family who live there. My family will be here, including my son who lives in Virginia. This is the first Christmas for my great grandson and I cannot wait to see his face as presents are opened.

This time of year I tend to think of how my ancestors spent Christmas. According to our standards of spending and the types of gifts we buy, it was probably meager. But they were happy and just like us, the spirit came through in the love and joy of being together. There were no electronic gadgets, such as tablets, iPads, flat screen TVs ... there were simple gifts such as hair bows, rag dolls, wooden toys, pencils, handkerchiefs and mittens. In 1921 perfume for the lady sold for 10 cents to $1.00. I wonder if it smelled good! Teddy bears for the babies sold for 50 cents, 75 cents and $1.00. The jumbo bear probably sold for the $1.00. Newspapers for the same year advertised that it was a year for "practical gifts."

North Platte (NE) Semi-Weekly Tribune,
22 December 1916, page 4

Just for a few hours, I would like to have a time machine and travel back to my ancestors' Christmases. I would like to celebrate in a simple way, then be able to return to my computer with digital images, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Fortunately, I can read newspapers on Internet that give me a glimpse into the past. I can read stories that were left by family members. The true meaning of Christmas is not lost. It's still in our hearts to be rekindled.

You Go Genealogy Girls --- Ruby #1 and Cheri #2 --- wish you a Merry Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

The You Go Genealogy Girls Wish You a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Even if you don't have Mayflower ancestry, go ahead and celebrate the holiday.

Ruby - YGGG #1
Cheri - YGGG #2

A Week in THE Library

2011-11-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

Temple at Temple Square

My one week in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library went quickly, but with good research results. I had estimated the time it would take to complete my to-do list for the book I have been writing and fortunately I was right on target. That left me with a couple days for personal research.

When I arrived at the local airport, the shocking news was that my luggage was 5 1/2 pounds overweight. I was not willing to pay $100 one way to travel overweight. With it on the scale, I began putting things into my purse and carry on luggage until it was of legal weight. However, that meant that I could not shop in Salt Lake City and I could not bring home an abundance of paper copies.

There were several groups of researchers in the library. They came from all parts of the United States. Even so, there was never any lack of tables or film readers. The only problem came on Thursday morning of that week when at about 8:30 a.m. there was an announcement over the loud speakers that the photocopy machines were not working. As the day went on with no machines and signs were posted OUT OF ORDER, some people were disgruntled and others resorted to old-fashioned research ... taking notes by hand. Fortunately I had brought my hand-held scanner for making copies. Microfilm could be copied only by scanning to a flash drive. By evening the photocopy machines were back in business.

Before leaving on the trip, I ordered vault film through the FamilySearch web page form. Once there I learned that some had been put in the proper drawers on the second floor and others were in overflow drawers. If you are needing vault film during your visit, order it in advance and inquire about it when you arrive.

Since I was there in May and June of this year, I was curious about any changes that have been made. There is a large machine on the third floor that will copy pages from oversized books, two pages at once. Having found a map in the map cabinet on that floor, I asked if it could be copied. They did it for me in three sections on the machine and YGGG #2 has promised to piece it together for me.

Three times at the library over the last three years, I have tried to locate a certain land record in the 1790s Washington County, Tennessee microfilm. It is indexed, but the records were not entered in any type of chronological order and the person microfilming them had cut off the page numbers at the top. Once again, I was unable to find the deed. Once home I contacted the courthouse at Jonesborough and they mailed me a copy of it. I thought after the third time and no charm, it was time to ask for help.

Turning leaves in Temple Square

The weather was perfect the entire week. Leaves were turning and falling and the temperatures were splendid. After arriving on Sunday afternoon, October 16th, I had a late lunch with some people I met on the shuttle coming in from the airport. Then I unpacked and went for a long walk around Temple Square. The flowers were gone that had been so colorful in the spring and strings of Christmas lights were being strung on the trees. The next few days bulbs were planted for spring blooms in 2012.

Fall splendor at Temple Square

My last day of research was spent on the British Isles floor, the second floor in the basement. I attended a class on Wales research which proved to be enlightening and helpful. Then I progressed to actual research in the records of Wales. Seeing names on those old parish registers is so much fun! While you are researching at the library, check out the class schedules. They are free and informative, plus a good diversion from constant research.

I met old friends and made new friends at the library. It is fun to chat and get caught up on what we are doing with our research and about our families. I enjoyed flying to Salt Lake City, but it meant a different type of packing than when I drive. Even with the body scans and pat downs in airport security (because of my two steel knees), it was a quick and easy way to get there and back home.

The last two weeks have been spent working diligently on my new book. The electronic manuscript is being mailed to the publicist in the morning. Do I have withdrawal? Not yet. I have gotten behind with my own research and cleaning up genealogy files. As usual though, I find my mind wandering to the next trip to Salt Lake City and ideas for research.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby

Doing Honor to Family

2011-10-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

There are many different ways that we as genealogists and family historians find to honor the memories of our ancestors. Many of us write stories taken from the bits of information we glean from research, others of us love the joy of making beautiful scrap book pages, and still others are content to gather all available information in our software programs and make printed family trees to hand down. All are worthy endeavors to keep the memories of the past alive.

The two of us, The You Go Genealogy Girls, find many different ways to honor our loved ones. Girl #1 has made purses and bags with photos on them and Christmas tree ornaments. I love to do scrapbooking pages and wall art of various types, all with photos and trinkets of our ancestors added. I am running out of wall space to display everything and have even helped Number 1 fill up her wall space too.

We are lucky to be the proud owners of a beautiful family photo of our Great Great Grandparents and their family, The George Albert Copsey family which was taken in Custer County, Nebraska in about 1886-87. Not only do we have this treasured photo of their family and their sod house but it is also an important photo in the collection taken by the famous early photographer, Solomon D. Butcher. He made many early glass plate negative prints of the Plains, mostly in Nebraska during the later part of the 1800's and often centering around Custer County, Nebraska. This collection of glass plate negatives is at the Nebraska State Historical Society. Ours is a photograph and the original glass plate negative from the Butcher collection can be seen HERE and the plate details are available HERE. We invite you to take a look at the original glass plate, it is quite interesting and has a somewhat different look from our photo.

Many of the Solomon D. Butcher photographs can be seen on the Library of Congress American Memory website. If you are a student of history and especially that of the early Plains and American west those photos offer very poignant views of sod houses and the families who lived during those early years.

Cropped closeup taken from our original photograph of the George Albert Copsey family.

As many of you may already know, Ruby recently wrote a helpful new book about doing "Genealogy Research in Nebraska". Of course she had many hundreds of family photos that she could have chosen from to use on her book cover but our Copsey family is the one she wanted to use and when she suggested that to me in the pre-production stages, I was in total agreement that she had chosen well. What better way of doing honor to one of our dearest families? We are both so proud and so thankful that the Copsey's chose so many years ago to have their photo taken for posterity. Little did they know that thanks to Mr. Butcher, their Great Great Granddaughters would "make them famous" 130 years later! To us they were already a great family in our knowledge of their history and accomplishments...and were it not for them just where would we be? It is they who deserve our love and we honor them each time we look at those faces.

One of my other postings on my photo blog Taken Somewhere in Time has more early photos and information about Effie Mae Copsey, our G Grandma, the little girl with the doll in the sod house picture. "Great Grandma Gardner's Photo Timeline"

Ruby's book cover!

Ruby's book can be ordered from Roots Family Publishing: HERE.

Thanks for stopping by our blog! ~Cheri, You Go Genealogy Girl #2

YGGG #1 is in Salt Lake City

2011-10-17T06:43:00.000-07:00

A view from my room.

That's right folks!! I flew into Salt Lake City yesterday from Nebraska, arriving about 12:46 Mountain time. After walking about five plus miles in the Denver airport to reach my gate, I didn't mind being squeezed into my United flight for at least ten minutes of the flight.

Where are the flowers I saw here in June?

While YGGG #2 is home still harvesting the garden, I am going to enjoy a week here in the Family History Library. The Plaza Hotel shuttle was full coming in from the airport yesterday afternoon. Everybody was a buzz introducing themselves. They were like bees buzzing with words such as census, tombstones and ancestors. Well, what did I expect when I boarded the Plaza shuttle?

Once settled in my room, I took a walk around Temple Square. It was late afternoon and the colors of trees were magnificent. My walk was refreshing after being cooped up on planes for half a day. Oh well, I might as well admit it. I am so used to driving here so YGGG #2 and I can bring everything but the kitchen sink. My luggage was overweight. I had to unzip it and put shoes and other items into my carry-on bag. What does it matter if it's in one suitcase or another? It all gets on the plane. The only thing I kept hearing from the boarding attendant was that I was going to pay $100 if I didn't do something. That was one way!!

Where do I start. My main purpose in coming here is to finish research on a book that I am writing. I also hope to have a couple days this week for personal research that did not get finished in May/June when I was here.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 .... Ruby

Where are the Girls?

2011-09-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

The You Go Genealogy Girls are both still on the planet and alive! Life doesn't seem to slow down for either one of us. Until #2 slows down more, I'll be handling this blog ... hope you all don't mind!

YGGG #2 has been freezing garden produce Go-Hubby tended to all summer. It seems never ending and now she is about out of freezer space. But, it will taste good this winter. Just think of the pots of soup and chili with those frozen tomatoes and home--made salsa for the tacos. I think she should share some with me since I'm tending to our blog.

She is also still fighting the computers with various types of malfunctions. After months of her printer speaking to her in a foreign language, she finally figured out how to make it return to English. It was so foreign that she didn't have a clue about what things meant. So far she hasn't put her main computer in the dumpster or in the middle of the street or even on the sidewalk with a sign, "Take me!" I think she's getting close to that point though. Last week her mother-in-law blessed her with a couple of large albums from a genealogy aunt, all needing to be scanned. What a nice gift, especially with malfunctioning equipment and a garden that needs to be picked.

As I am preparing to go on a research trip before too long, I decided it was time to bid adieu to my old, red wheely computer bag. It has been on many trips in the US and overseas, thrown into the overhead bins of airplanes, crammed into the trunk of the car or smashed between boxes in the back seat of the car as the YGGGs head out for Salt Lake City. It has traveled around airports, up and down stairs, escalators and elevators, never complaining, but wearing out. The wheels are down to nothing and there is a hole appearing in the bottom of it. Even though wheely bag is a good friend, I am retiring it for a while to the closet and maybe eventually to the dumpster.

Today I purchased a new wheely bag. It has bigger wheels and lots of compartments. Now I am faced with the problem of knowing exactly where to put things in it. I'll be flying so need to have it light enough to lift into the overhead bins. It's black. Red wheely bag was easy to spot among all the others that are usually black. I hope that my new wheely bag doesn't elude me ... ancestors are enough.

Fall is that great time of year that the kids go back to school and life is supposed to slow down. The other day I realized that Lil' Red has taken on a new name ... Grandma's Taxi. I thought those days were over when my own children learned to drive and obtained wheels (many years ago). The rewards for this service are the smiles, hugs and togetherness I experience with my granddaughter and her friends. But sometimes I need a perk or two along the way.

Do you need a perk? How about a genealogy perk? I have been enjoying the courses at the FamilySearch Learning Center. The best part is that I don't have to be at school at a certain time, don't need to drive Lil' Red somewhere ... just allocate some time at the computer to study and learn. The courses range from one hour to 12 minutes. Even those of us who think we know everything can learn something.

Grandma's Taxi is parked in the garage today. My only garden is my basil plant which is about at the end of its 2011 summer life. I have nothing to freeze or can, so it's either learning online or learning how to pack my new wheely bag ... or both.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Genealogy

2011-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today feels like I think September should feel. It is cloudy, a few sprinkles of rain and a very cool breeze. What a change from 99 degrees that greeted us on September 1st (yesterday). It's a pleasant change. It makes me think about a different kind of genealogical research, such as roaming a cemetery, looking at interesting tombstones, finding stones for relatives and just absorbing the change of season.

Since my last post I am still not organized. I have decided it might make a good winter project. Maybe I won't be able to put it off until the snow flies. Today I'm taking a needed break from my book so I can blog (also needed), write an article, go for a walk and maybe stopping by a cemetery. Several years ago I had a boss who referred to these days as "chocolate chip days." He would try to talk me into taking the day off to bake cookies with pay. I'm going to call days like this "the enjoy genealogy days."

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 has been doing catch up from her trips this summer, plus resting and reading. She is still doing research even though she has an aching, failing computer. Occasionally I can hear her all the way to my house (more than 100 miles) telling the computer that it has to go, possibly by putting a give away sign on it and placing it on her sidewalk.

In my busy days of non-stop writing, I have discovered some interesting things that I'll share. I know many of you, myself included, are not fond of the library catalog on the new web site for Family Search. One way to overcome some of the frustration is to use both catalogs, the new site and old site. The more frequently you use the new site for the library catalog, the more adept you will become.

Another tip ... Ancestry.com is great for searching "Historical Documents", but there's a lot more you need to do. From the pull down menu of Search, select "Search All Records." Up pops a listing of databases by category such as census, military, newspapers and more. If you are specifically interested in one of those categories, browse through the collections available. Should your research be in a specific area, such as the state of Kansas, click on the state in the US map or the link below to see what is available in all collections for that state. This will enhance and enlarge your research possibilities beyond just searching "Historical Documents."

Time to decide if I'm going to write the article, go for a walk or bake chocolate chip cookies. Those cookies sound really good!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby

What To Do ... a test of organizational skills

2011-08-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

The mess begins here!

This is not a "what to do" day. It's an "I need motivation day." Actually I'm not lacking for motivation, but after traveling all summer, it seems strange to be home with nothing on the agenda for a few weeks. I returned Sunday from another jaunt here in Nebraska. Looking at my luggage, I don't want to think about traveling any too soon. I can pack it with my eyes closed ... well almost. Since early May my various pieces of luggage have been kept in waiting in the extra bedroom. It has been a fun-filled summer of lecturing, book signings and travels.

YGGG #2 just returned from her vacation in the Wyoming mountains. She was there without cell phone reception and obviously no Internet. Locked out from the real world, I hope she got caught up on her genealogy reading. While I was wrestling luggage in and out of hotels and going through the packing and unpacking routine, she was peacefully watching the sun go down over the mountains and then counting stars in the sky.

To make the best of today, my granddaughter will be here this afternoon after an early-out at school. She will be helping with chores around the house, like those little things I have not done all summer. Also on the list is my computer/genealogy room. It has been organizationally neglected all summer. Books are askew on the shelves, the closet is piled with carrying bags and supplies. It's like open door and throw something in. I am behind on reading genealogy periodicals. Eventually I may get caught up, but in the meantime I need some order. They seem to be here, there and beyond, such as in the living room, dining room and kitchen. Some were packed in my luggage and never made it back to the genealogy/computer room.

This brings up the question as to how to keep track of my genealogy periodicals. I cannot part with them because I continually browse through them looking for ideas and references. Perhaps I should start by determining the spaces available in this room. There aren't any. I have filled up almost every corner and cranny. Isn't that the life of a genealogist? We are hoarders. Not only do we collect ancestors (not just names, dates and places), but we collect everything that goes with collecting ancestors. I can't resist books, I can't eliminate any of the my genealogy subscriptions and periodicals, and I can't find room for any more. Because I know there are organizational aids, such as storage boxes, bins and containers, maybe I should start by visiting my local office supply store. I definitely need a plan.

The last two days have been spent non-stop writing on my latest book. That means there are books and documents and papers piled all around the desk, on the floor and elsewhere. I think I am about two-thirds done and then I change something and I am back to half done. I need to stay home and finish it before the snow flies. Of course, I'm still thinking about genealogy-day-trips when the weather cools. I need to explore cemeteries, go to libraries and courthouses and collect more "stuff" for my genealogy/computer room. Maybe I shouldn't put the luggage back in the closet.

Today is the day I am going to make organizational plans for my genealogy/computer room. It's the day I will not think of traveling and packing luggage. It is the day I'll will put my genealogy life in order ... I hope. While I'm doing this, YGGG #2 is putting things away, doing mounds of laundry and avoiding genealogy, the computer and Internet. She knows what awaits her ... hundreds of e-mails. The genealogy world can change in one week. Maybe that is why I am so unorganized. At least I can blame it on a changing genealogy world!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby

The Girls Stay Home, The Girls Travel

2011-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

After being home exactly one week from attending the Family History Expo in Overland Park, Kansas, I am enjoying the comforts of home, but also longing to get Lil' Red back on the highway. YGGG #2 has been home most of the summer and she is anxious to get under some wheels and travel. Unfortunately we are going different places at different times. She and her husband are going on a much needed camping vacation and I am leaving in less than two weeks for my high school class reunion. Notice I didn't precede it with a year!

Summer is far from over even though school bells will be ringing here in a couple of weeks. They can just ring because I am not going back to school. At least I'm not going back to school in a building with regimental classes. I can select my classes. Genealogists are not exempt from the learning process. There is always something new to learn. That is why this year's theme for the Family History Expos is appropriately titled, "Where Ol' Dogs Learn New Tricks!"

This summer I purchased books at the various Family History Expos. Many were from Family Roots Publishing's booth in the exhibit halls. As my genealogy grows and develops, I have to stay informed of techniques, records and resources. Internet does a great job of supplying information, but some of the best is still found in genealogy books. Christine Rose's new book, Military Bounty Land 1776-1855 was one of my first summer purchases. An older publication I purchased is Inheritance in America From Colonial Times to the Present by Carole Shammas, Marylynn Salmon, and Michel Dahlin. I am not anxious for cold weather and particularly not for snow, but a stay-at-home day with my books would be welcome.

After those school bells ring my plans are to continue traveling. I have long accumulated research needs in eastern Nebraska. A trip to the east coast to visit family and relatives, as well as do genealogical research, is also anticipated. Fall is a great time to travel and see the country in different colors, at a slower pace and with renewed vigor for research tasks. I will stuff the books in my bag and read as time permits. There are always evenings to learn new genealogy tricks, or while on airplanes, or even when camping. Both of the You Go Genealogy Girls hope you never stop learning.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

Attending a Family History Expo

2011-08-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Not many of the attendees of a Family History Expo or any genealogy conference know what goes into getting everything ready for the event. A year or more ahead of time plans are made for where, when and how the next year's Expos are going to be held. It just doesn't happen. The staff and vendors arrive ahead of time to set up and coordinate. Many people get involved, hours tick by and even though tired, they are dedicated to presenting a top notch event for genealogists.

I just returned home from the Family History Expo in Overland Park, Kansas. As you can see by the photos, there is a good deal of thought that goes into setting up. Some of the vendors have their props and signs shipped and others bring trailers, some fly from one location to another and others drive. It's like old home week when finally get together.

Once things are in place, the rush and sometimes confusion begins the next day. If you are attending an event, keep in mind that we are all human and errors happen. Even computers are not perfect. Smile and be patient! People register and are given their packets or hand out bags. They ask questions and we try to answer them. Then the classes begin. Unfortunately attendees can not take in every class and hear every speaker. They must choose between several tracts. However, they can use their syllabus to read what they missed.

As a speaker I enjoy seeing genealogists, meeting them and learning from them. Yes, I learn also! If they attend my class and go away learning just one thing, I'm happy. That's my goal as a speaker! There has not been one Family History Expo this summer where I have not met a relative or somebody that I have met through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or blogging. The world tends to be small and getting smaller.

One of the exhibitors brings his children. They are polite, cute kids. If you meet them, you won't forget them. Rachel is a young artist. She draws what she sees or what she imagines. I commissioned her to do a painting of me in one of my classes. Rachel doesn't go into the presentation rooms. She stays in the vending area, so she drew what she imagined it would look like, including the escalator which was beside the exhibit hall. Rachel did a good job and I will treasure her drawing. She drew a good likeness of me. Notice the blonde hair.

A friend of mine has attended three Family History Expos this summer, as well as the Civil War Conference here in Nebraska. She said she thought she was becoming a Family History Expo Groupie. Even if you are not a joiner, you can attend one of many enlightening genealogy conferences this summer, fall and next year. Be sure to put the Family History Expo on your calendar!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby

KANSAS ... I'm here

2011-07-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

After a very enjoyable trip across Nebraska and south into Kansas, the Family History Expo gals and one guy arrived at Overland Park, KS close to midnight last night. Opening the vehicle door we were greeted by a heat wave and wind. What did we excpect? It's July. As we drove through Seneca, KS I noticed a bank temperature sign reporting a whopping 104 degrees.

For the most part we will be inside for a while. No worry about what's going on outside. Today is set up day to make sure everybody enjoys their Family History Expo experience. Tomorrow morning we will early greeted by the words and wisdom of Lisa Louise Cooke. She is that amazing gal who hosts Genealogy Gems podcast and has all those great Google tools for genealogists. Then everybody scatters to their appropriate classes. The chatter begins as people exchange ideas as well as surnames. Never know where you will find a relative or at least somebody who will share their genealogical frustrations as well as success stories.

Stay tuned with the You Go Genealogy Girls and I'll keep you posted on the latest and best of the Expo. As a lecturer I do know genealogists like to learn. If they come away with just one idea from my classes, I have succeeded.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

This and That with the Girls

2011-07-23T09:14:00.000-07:00

The You Go Genealogy Girls are busy filling summer hours with genealogy, traveling and family commitments. One thing for sure, we are having fun. We e-mail each other and chat on the phone, sharing our experiences and plans. Sometimes our schedules change, but we still focus on genealogy and history and try to put hours into the day for personal time.

Since returning from the YGGG's trip to Salt Lake City in June, I have been traveling with the Family History Expo. It has been a fantastic summer of meeting people who have a desire to learn about their ancestry. I have met relatives along the way, enjoyed visiting and sharing tidbits of family information. The Civil War Conference in YGGG #2's hometown of Alliance, Nebraska was a great experience.

Here it is July 23rd and I leave on the 27th for Overland Park, Kansas. The Family History Expo there will be another adventure. Wonder who I'll meet there? If you are planning to attend, you will have a great genealogy experience. We are like one big family and all of us, whether beginning or advanced in our research knowledge, are learning.

The weather in west-central Nebraska has been extremely hot and humid for several weeks. That has necessitated that I spend more time inside going through genealogy files, preparing future lectures, writing a book and also reading books. I have also enjoyed spending time with my family. My granddaughter reminded me yesterday that school starts in less than a month. What? How did that happen. Guess the days and weeks of summer are going fast.

Cooler days of September and October will not slow me down. I am already calculating where I will be going in search of ancestors. I can always stay inside later and watch it snow.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 .... Ruby

"Shades" of Fame and Fortune!

2011-07-18T01:37:00.000-07:00

The newest issue of Shades of the Departed Magazine has hit the internet and You Go Genealogy Girl #2 has a couple pages of featured scrapbooking designs in the new issue. I am thrilled to have my work included by the footnoteMaven in this issue which is all about "OCCUPATIONS". Most of my scrapbook pages are three dimensional and many end up framed as wall art. They are one of the ways that I like to honor my ancestors and loved ones. fM has included one of my designs that features the Railroaders in my family and another that honors my Great Grandmother. Grandma Effie Gardner had the full time occupation of being Mom to 15 children, raising 12 to adulthood!

I am a regular reader of all of the Shades issues and anxiously await each new issue. I especially enjoyed the article on Barbers in this latest issue and the photos of firemen as I have several ancestors including my Dad who were volunteer firemen. I love old photos, collect them and cherish them all...even the ones in which I will never know the people; my orphan photos! Every issue of Shades of the Departed Magazine offers great insights into the world of antique photographs. If you have not seen the magazines, you can click here and read to your hearts content. Every issue also contains great live links for additional learning and entertainment.

I offer a lecture/presentation about identifying, dating, caring for old photos and learning about vintage fashions in your own collections and the Shades magazines often offer inspiration! My lecture covers the years of 1850 through 1940 and I just gave that program at the recent Civil War Conference in Alliance, Nebraska. I will continue to add to that presentation for future use and will always suggest the Shades Magazines as very helpful for those wanting to learn more about old photos, especially in a very entertaining format.

John and Mary Copsey come to America

I have included a photo in this post of another framed page that both You Go Genealogy Girl #1 and myself worked on to celebrate the lives of our Copsey ancestors who immigrated to America in 1834. It hangs in a place of honor in her home.You can also see my two entries in the Shades of the Departed Magazine on pages 54 and 55.

Thanks again to the fM for giving me fame and fortune!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri

Behind the Conference Scene

2011-07-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for any conference is no easy task. There is a lot of work for many months to a year before the conference begins. The planning takes time and a good deal of volunteer help to pull it off.

On July 6th I arrived in Alliance, Nebraska to get things ready for the Civil War Conference to be held on July 8th and 9th. Instead of going to YGGG #2's house, I went directly to the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center where I found #2 hard at work with staff members and volunteers. I pitched in stuffing hand-out bags and figuring out door prizes.

The next day we returned to the museum to assist in decorating, setting up displays and vendor tables. YGGG #2 decided she needed some photographs to display. We went to the acquisition room in the basement of the museum. Actually that is more fun than touring the museum. Don't you often wonder what lies beneath a museum? While she looked at many shelves of old photographs, I discovered old hats. Feeling somewhat silly, I decided to start trying on old hats. I encouraged #2 to lighten up and do the same. Eventually we each had an appropriate hat.

One of the staff members wanted the horse "Newberry" in the museum entrance lobby to be decorated for the Civil War. We found an American flag plus an old tattered quilt. The flag was draped around the saddle horn and the quilt was rolled up behind the saddle. I must say "Newberry" looked like a typical Civil War horse.

The You Go Genealogy Girls did not look like Civil War matrons, but we had fun pretending. Putting on our hats, we posed for pictures, pretending that our husbands or lovers had just gone off to war. As you can see by the photo, I was very sad, but #2 looks like she may have had mixed emotions. Maybe she's thinking good riddance. I have not had that much fun since I was a little girl playing dress-up.

Eventually we returned to the serious job of decorating the museum in Union and Confederate flags and displaying old photographs. By late that afternoon everything was in order for the conference to begin the following morning. "Newberry" looked grand and the hats were back in the acquisition room. The show was on the road!

Civil War Conference - Alliance, Nebraska - July 8-9, 2011

2011-06-28T00:45:00.000-07:00

If you love genealogy and history, this is one conference you won't want to miss! The Heritage Seekers Society and the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska are hosting a two day Civil War Conference on July 8th and 9th. Coming up soon!

Both of the You Go Genealogy Girls will be attending this one and we both will be presenting programs and classes! This should be an awesome conference and we hope to see all our friends there. We are excited to be part of this great Civil War Conference as we support our home town and it's great new museum. Come join us!!!

Titled "Remembering the Civil War...150 Years Later", this will be a premium offer for anyone interested in this part of history. We have been planning this conference for many months and it will be a first for our brand new museum facility. We have one of the finest new museums in the midwest and again, we invite all to join in our conference as we honor the Civil War Sesquicentennial and the memories of those who fought.

We are offering seventeen (17) educational, genealogical and historical presentations over the two days (lunch included both days) and you can attend all classes and presentations, no need to choose only a few. We will have many great prize drawings for attendees throughout the conference as well as huge bags of "goodies" for those attending. (Our first bag has filled all the way up with great giveaways and we are now filling bag two for each attendee--so it's an added free bonus! ) Everyone attending will get great handouts of the classes from several of our speakers so they can study again at home...as the learning never ends with a genealogist or historian! Our 11 speakers are all professionals and well qualified in their field of study and will offer classes on genealogy researching as well as historical presentations for your enjoyment. This is a top quality conference and we invite everyone to contact us for more information.

To our local residents, your new museum is hosting this awesome event and we encourage you to support the facility and come see what is new!

Here is a sample of what we are offering along with even more...

Civil War research classes

History of the Kansas/Missouri Border Wars

Historical programs on Civil War quilts, along with a quilt show and a local quilt shop will display their wares.

Civil War character portrayals

Classes on the GAR and Lincoln's war time rule

Program featuring firearms of the Civil War........

plus much more!

We hope to see you all there on July 8th and 9th for a great learning experience.
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For a 4 page copy of our brochure in PDF format, click on the word Brochure below. You can save and print it if you like. It takes a minute to load so be patient!

If the link fails, email me!
Brochure

Email me: clchopkins@gmail.com I will email you a copy of the brochure in PDF

Contact for more info:
Knight Museum and Sandhills Center
Alliance, Nebraska
308-762-2384
museum@cityofalliance.net

Are We There Yet?

2011-06-24T06:41:00.001-07:00

Imagine trying to get to Greeley, CO on a frontage road. With YGGG #1 it happens. Yes, my granddaughter and I were traveling down I-76 at 75 mph when I saw a Highway 34 exit sign and did just that. After about a mile my granddaughter said, "Granny, you are heading back east again." No, not me!! Finding another point to turn around and go back where I had made my exit, I ended up on a country road at a farm house. It happens!

Finally, I found the road that should have taken me back to I-76 in order to locate Hwy. 34 WEST. Instead I ended up on a frontage road. We traveled the frontage road along side I-76 for miles. The only thing I knew was that I was heading WEST in the same direction as everybody going to Denver.

After a while I began to panic. Pulling into a horse trailer place, I asked directions. Go a bit further. Whew ... at last we were on our way to Greeley. After a quick lunch we headed toward the Embassy Suites where we are attending the Family History Expo. Missing the road we needed to the hotel, we found another road. Yes, we were there!!

Last night we decided to go to the Cracker Barrel to eat. After winding through rotary circles and one way roads, we managed to locate FOOD. Leaving there posed a problem as I took a road that took me back to the Cracker Barrel. If there is a way in, there has to be a way out. Right? Eventually.

Are we really here? I think so! Reminder list ... purchase a GPS!

YGGG #1 Ruby

On the Road Again

2011-06-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

On the Road Again is my theme song. While YGGG #2 is home working on the Civil War Conference details, I am off in Lil' Red lecturing at Family History Expos.

A great time was had by all at the Family History Expo in Rapid City, SD on Saturday the 16th. I drove home Sunday in non-stop rain from the Black Hills to south of Alliance where YGGG #2 lives. Once home, tired and wanting to go to bed early, the sirens announced a possible tornado near North Platte. My shelter is my walk in closet. I sat down and read while the sirens roared. Everything was south of town, but eventually the rain began to pour buckets here. It's been raining off and on since. If any of you have kept up with news reports, North Platte's bulging North Platte River does not need rain added to it.

I unpack, do laundry and pack again. Day after tomorrow my granddaughter and I will set out for Loveland, CO to attend the Family History Expo. I will present two classes on Saturday. It is exciting to be with genealogists. I listen to their frustrations and stories and try to offer suggestions. My hope is that they do not procrastinate, but go home and put their new ideas to work.

Once home I can unpack for a longer amount of time until I leave on July 6th for the Civil War Conference in Alliance, NE. I will be presenting three lectures at the two day event on July 8th and 9th. It will be a great learning experience ... conferences allow genealogists to learn and share.

There is still time to register for a Family History Expo. Check out their schedule. You can still register for the Civil War Conference in Alliance, NE. Don't miss out on the fun.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 ... Ruby

We are home and planning a busy summer...of conferences

2011-06-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

The girls finally arrived back in Nebraska this week after a tiring but fairly successful trip to the Family History Library. Both of us have mounds of papers and digital scans to work at getting organized, some of which will wait until fall when life slows down a bit. We should consider our trip at another time of year when we can come home and hibernate for the winter with all our precious finds, but we will get through it all and organize our treasures as soon as possible. Girl #1 has started going through hers and I simply organized mine so that when I get time to work on my papers I won't be lost as to what is what and goes to whom!

I acquired a wonderful little "bug" while in Salt Lake, so as we made our way home the trip was slightly longer with extra stops but we made it and even managed a couple shopping stops with purchases to add to all our baggage and junk. Both of us came with several new books for our libraries! Now that we are home we can turn our thoughts to the busy schedule of travel, vacations and conferences coming over the summer.

Civil War Conference, July 8-9- Alliance, Nebraska

Number 1 will be speaking at several of the Family History Expos during June and July and she will travel with Holly Hansen and Arlene Eakle to those venues. Family History Expos offer educational genealogy classes at reasonable prices and many are planned in various communities allowing for easy access to them. I will vacation with Go Hubby, help with the planning for our local conference and work on my lectures that are upcoming. Both of The You Go Genealogy Girls will be among the presenters for the two day Genealogical and Historical Civil War Conference that will be held at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska on July 8-9. "Remembering the Civil War...150 Years Later " has been in the planning for many months, with noted academic speakers and genealogy specialists as our featured speakers. We are offering 23 programs and classes over the two days with attendees able to take in every class if they choose. This will be a very special conference for Nebraskans and visitors from surrounding states. The girls are looking forward to a wonderful time during this outstanding conference which will be sponsored by our genealogy/history Society, The Heritage Seekers, and our beautiful new Knight Museum and Sandhills Center.

Join us if you can for any of our conferences, we would love to have you!

For information on the Family History Expos, click here.

For information and a downloadable 4 page brochure on the Civil War Conference in Alliance, Nebraska on July 8-9, click here.

You Go Girl #2--Cheri

Goodbye, Farewell, Adios

2011-06-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

It seems we arrived yesterday, but our two weeks are up and so we say goodbye to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library. YGGG #2 and I have had a marvelous time, not just in the library but walking and exploring the city. It is a beautiful time to visit Salt Lake City. The days have been slightly cooler than normal, but comfortable. The flowers are showing off their colors and our breaks from the cranking of microfilm or reading books have been enjoyable.

We have learned about ancestors and learned about the living. People from all walks of life come here to do research. That is best understood when you visit floor B-1, the International floor, at the library. There the Spanish, Swedes, Norwegians, French, Germans and others are all in a cluster and chatter. The mission? Discover and learn about our roots and beginnings.

I have had several people ask me if I'm having good luck. Of course! I consider negative searches as good luck ... I won't go there again so I'll move on to another source or possibility.

One question comes to mind. When doing your research, do you stop and think about what you are seeing? As I cranked microfilm yesterday in German records, my thoughts were on the people going to the church to get married or having their infant baptized, then returning to their homes. They were living, breathing people at the time. As ancestors we tend to isolate them and think of them as something special. To us they are special, but when they were alive, they were among many others just as ordinary people. Spend a little time thinking about your ancestors. You'll learn more than what is on the printed page.

Adios Salt Lake City ... turning Lil' Red east this morning. See you again sometime.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby

Visiting Ancestors

2011-06-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Kimball family monument

Heber Chase Kimball 1801-1868

part of the Kimball monument

Wednesday we took our daily break and went for a walk a few blocks north of the Family History Library to try and locate the grave site of Heber Chase Kimball. I am related to him on my Mother's side of the family, of course back a few generations! We were wondering if he was to be found by the directions we had but when we came across the Heber condominiums we figured we had to be close. There was a narrow brick walkway between two buildings that went back behind them all to an old family burial plot of the family. It was really quite a picturesque little place with the look and feel of a small park. Very beautifully kept as are all the church grounds.

What an unusual place it was to find right in the middle of a City, surrounded by homes and renovated condo buildings. That was the final resting place of Heber Kimball and several of his wives and family members, marked by one large monument to honor them all. Heber Chase Kimball was an early part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints and one of the early Presidents of the Church. The town of Heber, Utah is named for him. He was born in 1801 and died in the Salt Lake City area of the early Utah Territory after an illustrious career and life with his church. The museum which is next door to the Family History Center has several personal items of Heber on display too so it was quite interesting to see those as well as to visit his burial site.

While I am not of the Mormon faith, the Latter day Saints have an extremely interesting and honored history and "The You Go Girls" really enjoyed our little day outing when we learned more about our family and payed respects to our ancestors!

more pretty Poppy flowers!

We topped off our little adventure with a nice lunch at the Nauvoo cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial building and soon were back at the library hard at work as there are many more ancestors yet to be found.

Today we are joining our friends Becky and Carol, fellow GeneaBloggers for lunch.....so watch for reports soon!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri

The Girls' Day in the Cemetery

2011-05-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

view of the city from the cemetery

When the library is closed, there is nothing left to do but shop and then go to the cemetery. We restocked snacks, bought jewelry and office supplies. From the shopping center we drove north and east to the Salt Lake City Cemetery which overlooks the city. The views are spectacular!

YGGG #2 commented about so many people being in the cemetery on a Sunday. At that point I had to remind her that this is Memorial weekend. Oh yeah!! There are various parts and sections to the cemetery. We tried to drive around and through as much as possible.

Baby Zula Kimball

Thomas Tanner, blacksmith

Not far from where we entered the cemetery are the graves of Solomon Farnham Kimball and his wife, Zula Pomeroy. Solomon, the son of Heber Chase Kimball and his first wife, Vilate Murray. Lined up in a row are the stones for Solomon and Zula's infant and small children. It is sad to see graves of small children who did not survive the rigors of pioneer life.

Cunnabell Prentice Stevens

We quickly spotted the impressive stone of Thomas Tanner who was born in 1804 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England and died in Great Salt Lake City in 1855 while the foreman of the public blacksmith shop. The many sided, large stone of Dr. E.S. Barney contains extensive information on the lineages of the Stevens and Prentice families. On one side is carved, "Cunnabell Prentice Stevens Genealogical Books for reference can be found at the L.D.S. Historian office S.L. City."

Honoring military heroes

The day was well spent and now we are going through our notes and ideas for continuing research in the library tomorrow. Yes ... they are open on Memorial Day. We couldn't be at the cemeteries where our parents, grandparents and my husband are buried, but the next best thing was to visit the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

Saturday Update: Genealogy, Bulls... and Bad Dogs

2011-05-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

Garden flowers....

and pretty pansies!

Today was the first day since we arrived that we saw the sun so we took a break from the research isles and walked around the temple grounds. The flowers, many of which are newly planted are maturing by the day and very beautiful. We are sharing several more photos with our friends and hope you enjoy the sights.

In other exciting news of the day:

1) We had a very nice lunch at the Lion House Pantry Restaurant which was very enjoyable and toured the building which was finished in 1856 as a residence of Brigham Young. It had beautiful original windows and rock walls with some historic items displayed within such as quilts and glassware. The meal was great too.

2) Touring the temple grounds we ended up among at least four brides and their parties who were all taking pictures today as part of their wedding day festivities. We were slightly under dressed for the happy occasions but they did not seem to notice the Genealogy Girls anyway! You will notice one of the pretty brides in a photo here in the blog.

3) As we returned to the library for more arduous work, Ruby got a call that her granddaughter was going to take part in a bull riding contest for young ladies in North Platte so we waited for news of that venture as her granddaughter was excited to let Grandma know all about it. She had fun, stayed on for a short ride and did not end up in the ER... so the bull ride was successful and Grandma finally quit worrying.

4) Go Hubby called to tell me that my loving and gorgeous border collie who is staying home with her "sister" had been a BAD DOG while he was out of town working for two days. Our Babe ate part of the sofa and part of Hubby's chair. Guess she is tired of being alone for almost a week and there is one more week to go. BAD DOG!!! The price I pay for a trip to Salt Lake.

Temple Gardens

Brigham Young's Home ( Lion House Restaurant)

A bride among the flowers!

5) Last evening we were serenaded by a bagpiper down on the street below our hotel for a couple hours. He was quite good and it was fun to hear the "pipes" in the evening and view the mountains at dusk from our window.

6) We both managed to find some good information today to add to our growing pile of ancestor research papers that will add to many more weeks of work once we get home. The days are long but with short walks, we get re-invigorated and go back for more! Sunday will be a day of rest and hopefully sleeping in a bit, and then off to scout out the local cemeteries.

Enjoy a few pics from today's walk, hopefully we will have some great cemetery photos to share after tomorrow.

Cheri and Ruby, The You Go Genealogy Girls

The Four "Belles" of GeneaBloggers...in Salt Lake City!

2011-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

GeneaBloggers: Cheri Hopkins, Ruby Coleman, Carol Stevens and Becky Wiseman

Today was day four of our trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake and to our surprise we met two other gals in the library today who are also bloggers,"GeneaBloggers", to be exact! Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions and Carol Stevens of Reflections From The Fence. The four of us took a short break to visit and compare finds and funny stories, it was fun to meet new friends who immediately seemed like "old friends". Carol and Becky were really nice and another researcher kindly took our photos for posterity. Surely everyone in the library must have thought we were all very special as we posed for the cameras. You never know who you might meet here, yesterday we ran into Michael John Neill of RootDig.com and today we made new genealogy friends.....this has been a good week so far! Who will we meet tomorrow?

The girls had a nice lunch out on the town and both did well with locating many great family records today, the sun even came out for awhile so we are making progress. We are still looking for warm weather here though, glad I brought along my Nebraska cold weather clothes. Even many of the flowers are late here in Salt Lake City this year but those that are out are bright and colorful as usual.

Enjoy one pretty picture of the beautiful white iris here and especially the one of the four gorgeous genealogy "Belles" above!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri


white iris in Salt Lake City

Where Did I Put It?

2011-05-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

It's always so much fun packing for a trip. However, trying to find things after you have arrived can be a problem. I need a road map to my luggage.

Cheri #2 and I are in Cheyenne, Wyoming at her son's house. We have been here long enough to experience snow on Thursday morning and a couple days of overcast skies and rain. Snow in May happens in this country.

In the morning we will finish loading up Lil' Red and head for Salt Lake City. We were successful in our packing, except I can't find anything. I've juggled things around and that doesn't help. Cheri thinks she may have left her cell phone charger at home ... not good.

Once again Lil' Red has been packed with all our luggage and genealogy items, including computer bags, bags of computer cables and Cheri even decided to bring an extra table again this year. The photographs on this blog were taken before she finished loading the car. I am not exaggerating when I say that most of what you see is hers. Somehow we have to repack in two weeks and bring back more "stuff" from Salt Lake City. I'll worry about that when it happens and hopefully by then I'll know exactly where I put things.

Ruby .... YGGG #1

Going Prepared to Learn a Lot

2011-05-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

The time has almost arrived for our annual trip to Salt Lake City. The You Go Genealogy Girls have been preparing for the trip for months. This has entailed updating genealogy files, preparing a research notebook, aka "big to-do list in a binder." It would take me a year to get through my research notebook to-dos, but I am going prepared. We will be there two weeks. Even with pacing ourselves, there should be time to locate some ancestors.

I also have to-do lists all over the house. A friend recently told me to "get crackin'" so I would get everything done. I have been keeping pace all week. Here's my list of items to pack for trip:

2 pieces of medium sized luggage for clothing

1 bag for 7 pair of shoes

1 bag for cosmetics, hair supplies and good smelly stuff

1 bag for laundry detergent and miscellaneous items

1 bag for the over-sized research notebook, maps and reading material

1 carton-on-wheels for food supplies, such as snacks, cereal and cookies

1 bag on wheels for laptop computer and library supplies

1 fold up mini-bike for exercising in the room

3 pillows

With all these bags, I feel like a pioneer forging the trail. Nobody ... and I mean nobody ... will force me to throw items overboard.

The purpose of the trip is genealogy. How well are you prepared when you take a genealogy trip? That is where our over-siezed research notebooks come in handy. This is no spontaneous trip. It has required hours of reviewing and studying our lineages, looking for research problems and missing information. Notice I did NOT say brick walls! I can work around and through research problems. Identifying them, I analyze what information is need, the best sources and the information they possibly contain and then where they can be found. Will the information produce itself in a marriage record, a will, a land record or death certificate? What is available in the Family History Library? We use the Family History Library Catalog while working on our research notebooks and will continue to use it at the Family History Library.

Let's not get paranoid with "what ifs." Those are the culprits in research. You can talk yourself out of about any phase of research by telling yourself there may not be information in a certain record. Keep in mind your ancestor's records can be found in the most obvious as well as the most obscure of records. If one document does not produce the information, move on to something else. Keep trying. One of the most valuable documents I ever found was a court record for the contesting of a will about 1870 in New York state. The person I wanted and needed to find in the will was not named, but when it was contested, all of the heirs, including that person, were named along with their reasons for contesting the will.

Think while you are researching. What does the document tell you? Does the information pertain directly to your research problem? That doesn't mean it has to answer all of your questions, but perhaps contain substantial information, or information that may prove helpful at a later time. Does the information in the document pertain to your ancestor, but has no direct bearing on your research problem? There may be clues, so do not discount the document. It may be what you need to jump start your research. There is no perfect record and thus you will need to use more than one ... over and over and over. This is why the YGGGirls stay two weeks in Salt Lake City and wish for a year.

Almost forgot the documentation. Silly me. While you are doing all of this research on your dream trip to Salt Lake City, be sure to do it right and document what you copied or used. That includes things such as titles of books, copyright, author, where it is located, case numbers, file numbers, page numbers, column numbers, film numbers. Don't weep later. I told you to do it while you are there.

If you happen to be in Salt Lake City at the library while we are there, stop and say hello. We will be doing research on all five floors at various times. YGGG #2 has dark brown hair and I am the blonde. The color and style of my shoes will change every day. I anticipate that #2 will wear the same shoes each day. Why change a good thing is what she tells me. On the other hand, I only have to wear the same pair of shoes twice in the two weeks I am there. Regardless of how we look or what we wear, the ancestors are waiting for us. We'd better "get crackin'."

YGGG #1 -- Ruby (the one with all the shoes)

Genealogy Overdrive

2011-05-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

I never did understand the shifting of a car into overdrive. Google searching tells me that it is a term describing a mechanism that allows an automobile to cruise at sustained speed with reduced engine speed, leading to better fuel consumption. I can certainly relate to "better fuel consumption." Does that sustained speed have something to do with cruise control?

This can also apply to genealogy ... cruising right along at a sustained speed until you hit a bump or detour. Then you crash or make other plans. Maybe the reduced engine speed means knowledge being applied to allow the brain to rest between episodes of sustained speed. I think my brain is working overtime in overdrive which is known to happen during the month of May.

Girl #2, Cheri, is working her brain overtime in preparation for our trip to Salt Lake City. Daily I seem to find something or think of something to add to my suitcase or to my research notebook, which is already bulging. We each pack differently, with #2 taking many bags. I try to consolidate, but this year I'm taking one extra suitcase instead of a large one nobody can lift into the car. My middle bedroom has been turned into temporary storage for suitcases and piles of things to take on the trip. Hope I don't get unexpected company.

My nights are cruisin' with intermittent wake ups when the brain signals something needs to be done before I leave or I need to research a long forgotten ancestor. Get up, write it down, then try to go back to sleep, which often doesn't happen. Girl #2 stays up most of the night and is now trying to reduce the hours she is up past midnight. Eventually she'll return to something more normal so when the alarm sounds at 6 a.m. in Salt Lake City she will wake up without being a grump! We will soon acclimate to the dryness of Salt Lake City, the altitude and time change. After long days of research, our brains will hopefully not remain in overdrive or make a sudden detour.

In between adding items to the middle bedroom, I am finishing a very intense month of physical therapy in order to walk like a normal person. I have matching knee scars that most people don't want to see. No shorts for me! Rigidly sticking with my calendar and with lists all over the house, how can I not be ready for the trip to Utah? I have to pre-pay my bills for late May and early June, have to plant flowers, pay car taxes, write a column and preview my lectures for June and July. Help! I'm running out of days and hours. Where is that overdrive?

This is the price we pay for spending two wonderful weeks laboring in a library full of books, microfilm and microfiche. We won't know if it's raining or if the sun is shining until we poke our noses out the door. Nothing will stop us short of a detour in making our annual pilgrimage to Salt Lake City.

Ruby --- YGGG #1

Genealogy Research is Hard Work...Need Chocolate?

2011-04-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Need Chocolate?

Two things have come to mind over and over this week as I have been working diligently on my Family History Notebook in anticipation of our upcoming annual trip to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library.

One is that I always seem to crave something good to eat late at night when I am working away, not just anything... but, chocolate! Chocolate anything is great; candy, hot cocoa, chocolate cold ovaltine, chocolate milkshakes, dark Dove chocolate and Brownies. Those late night hours of 1 am to 3 am just keep on demanding chocolate.

Hunting the frig or the cupboard for something tasty to replenish the lost brain power of organizing all those ancestors sometimes is so challenging. It even adds to the drained brain power when I have to look so hard for that chocolate around here. (Reminder to me: next year to stock up on chocolate Easter bunnies! No children around here any more so no Easter baskets to raid either.) Too bad they don't make chocolate flavored doggie treats or Babe and Misty would be looking the house over for their devoured treats too.

The second thing which has been around this week and showing up repeatedly was the advertising which shows chocolate "stuff". Was that also due to Easter or did they all just know that I am easily drawn in by them? Everybody has been in the act. Yesterday I received my newsletter from the Custer County Historical Society in Broken Bow, Nebraska. They have a really nice little newsletter which includes the happenings with the society and the museum there. The editor included the minutes from the last meeting which were interesting on their own but at the end of nearly every paragraph of the minutes were these words: passed around a heaping plateful of homemade chocolate chip cookies, started the chocolate chip cookies around again, cookies were passed around again. Well, OK, not all the way around this time, cleaned up the last of the cookie crumbs and we adjourned at 9:07. I must ask you all, how does one concentrate on the finer points of the newsletter when they are passing the plate of cookies around all the time and you are not there to get one? I must confess that their newsletter is a joy to read and a welcome break from the usual mundane society meeting minutes. Maybe all societies could operate more efficiently and with less conflicts within if they all served cookies or candy at their monthly meetings!

Genealogy research is hard work most of the time and taxes the brain so give yourself a break occasionally. Even if you only indulge by eating just one chocolate chip. You will get your "chocolate fix" and probably will have had to get up and move around just to find the little treasures. The energy exerted to walk into the kitchen will more than make up for that one little chip and your bones and joints will be stretched, ready for more work time. Don't mess up the plan by stashing a bowl of chips or M&M's near the computer. Remember too that your ancestors aren't there to see you and everyone else in the house is probably sleeping in the early am hours so you can even have two chocolate chips if you want to!

One of my favorite scrap booking sites, Scrap Girls, has even been in the act this week of luring me in with chocolate. Their daily newsletter has been featuring very cute and free brownie recipe cards all week. If you love to scrapbook your family and ancestors, check out the Scrap Girls newsletter here and you can sign up. They also have cute FREE daily digital scrapbook items if you get the newsletter.

When the You Go Genealogy Girls head out for Salt Lake in May, my bag will also include this little recipe for an easy nightly chocolate fix while in the room. Fresh and hot! It is so nice that we have a small frig and microwave at the Plaza Hotel. ( Note to girl #1--bring your own treats, I don't share brownies!!!)

This is taken from the Scrap Girls site this week with a little tweek from me. These are like those expensive little designer microwave brownies in the grocery store but cost much less.

Hot Brownie in a Mug

Microwavable ceramic coffee mug or ramekin

2 T. vegetable oil

2 T. water

1/4 tsp. vanilla

dash of salt (optional)

2 T. cocoa powder

4 T. granulated sugar

4 T. flour

Whisk water, oil and vanilla. Add cocoa and whisk. Add sugar and then flour mixing well each time. Microwave for approx. 90 seconds for a 1000 watt microwave. Center should be slightly molten , just to set. Remember it will continue to "cook" slightly when removed from microwave oven so do not overcook. (I use my overcooked first one as a paperweight on my desk so maybe that is why I crave chocolate all the time).

For fun if you are near the regular oven, plop a few mini marshmallows on under the broiler for a few seconds after you microwave or add a dollop of ice cream and caramel with pecans on top. Three white chocolate chips will melt nicely on top after you microwave the treat, just in case you want more calories.

Next time you crave a late night chocolate treat, try one! Just be sure to lay in a supply of ingredients ahead of time. Two o'clock in the morning is only for you and your ancestors, a time to reflect and yes, even to indulge a little. Happy researching!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Genealogy Memories

2011-04-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

Write it down, keep track of it are reminding words that accompany genealogical research. I wish I had written down all of my genealogy experiences and not just all of the information gleaned from my research. Perhaps I can retrace my steps and share two experiences with my readers.

I can still remember crying. I was about ten years old and had just received a school assignment to produce a paper showing my family history. Walking home the seven blocks from school, I began to have fears and the tears began to flow. In between sobs and wiping my eyes, I told my mother about the assignment. I had the weekend to prepare and produce something probably for the ridicule of the teacher and entire class. Her words were, "Don't worry." Such motherly advice! After I had settled my emotions, she took me to a chest of drawers where she pulled out some yellowed pieces of paper. They were from the Lewis Family Reunion in Ashe Co., North Carolina. The beginning words were "Some time about the beginning of the eighteenth century a Lewis man came across the Blue Ridge Mountains ..."

My tears turned to smiles and enthusiasm. This is not exactly the document that genealogists today care to build their entire "assignment" on, but at age ten it was worth a million dollars to me. I didn't even know the name Lewis, let alone that I had an ancestor who had gone over the Blue Ridge Mountains. I had grown up in isolation from family. All of my relatives, including my maternal grandparents, lived in northeastern Tennessee and I lived in South Dakota. Unlike my school pals, I had grown to age ten without knowing my relatives.

The assignment was completed with the help of the folks involved in the Lewis Family Reunion. I received a good grade and praises from the classmates. And I was hooked. There had to be more besides those papers. In a short period of time my parents took me to northeast Tennessee for that long awaited visit. I met my grandparents and a host of other relatives, some in North Carolina. Fortunately my Granny was a story teller, usually following them up with documents and photographs. Grandpa Steve was quiet, but occasionally I could get him to talk, particularly about his father who had served in the Confederate Army. History was coming alive compliments of my ancestors.

For me genealogical research began the moment I looked at those Lewis Family Reunion papers. In some respects it also ended there. Many years later I still cannot find good proof as to the parents of the man who came across the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are theories and ideas, some far fetched and some a possibility. I haven't stopped looking and searching, but have also moved on to researching thousands of other ancestors. My research experiences have taken me north, south, east and west. Each is diverse and provides a world of knowledge, not only of ancestors, but geography, history and culture. They are all part of my inheritance.

Many times I have experienced genealogy close to home and once in my backyard. In December of 1998 my husband and I moved from northwest Iowa to a community near Des Moines. As we prepared for the move, I began looking at my genealogy files to see if perhaps there were relatives, living or dead, in that area of Iowa. I made a list that I wanted to eventually investigate. One person leaped out on that list. She was my husband's third great aunt, Cynthia Gettis Hopson Brown. I knew very little about her other than she died 11 March 1921 in Van Meter, Dallas Co., Iowa, not far from our new home.

Once unpacked and through Christmas, I couldn't wait to investigate the records in Dallas County where she died. The courthouse in Adel proved to be a gold mine for the genealogist. I pulled a huge death record book for 1921 off the shelf, hoping to find her name in it. There she was .... Cynthia Brown, followed across two pages with vital information. The place of burial was Stuart, Iowa, my new home town. I rushed to my car and tried not to get a speeding ticket on the way back to Stuart. Screeching into a parking place in front of City Hall, I ran inside, out of breath and said "cemetery records." The clerk smiled and pulled a book off the shelf. She told me how to locate Aunt Cynthia's grave. She is buried beside her second husband and two children by her first husband.

Spring arrived and we had settled into the condo we had purchased. When we purchased the condo we were told we were also half owners of the empty lot beside it. The neighbors who lived on the other side were also half owners. They were more than willing to let us clean up the overgrown lot since it was beside our condo.

We discovered there had been a house on the lot. After removing brambles and liter that had blown in, we could see a decaying foundation. There appeared to be a stone path from the foundation out to the street. Closer to the street was an odd shaped, old pump. As the weather warmed and Iowa humidity set in, we were entertained by a show of flowers on the lot ... tulips, roses, lilies, phlox. A little stream of water flowed along the lot line, producing green hues of water cress and creeping vines. At night from our deck we watched the fire flies among the bushes and trees on "our lot."

Eventually I learned that Aunt Cynthia's husband, James Brown, had owned numerous parcels of land in Stuart. He was a contractor and carpenter, building houses, speculating and selling them. Their son owned a house down the street from our condo. It was a little cottage, now run down, abandoned and boarded over.

We were no more settled into our condo, enjoying life in central Iowa, when we decided to move back to Nebraska. Just before our move, I wrote to one of Aunt Cynthia's granddaughters who lived east of Des Moines. She mailed me a large envelope of clippings photographs and old letters. In the stack of photographs was one of Uncle James and Aunt Cynthia taken late in life. They were standing beside an odd looking pump. The background matched what I was seeing from my deck.

Life and research had gone full circle. We owned their property. Aunt Cynthia had probably planted those flowers. Had she also watched fireflies at night and admired the little stream flowing beside her house?

We moved back to Nebraska. There are many times I dream about that adjoining lot ... the flowers, the old pump, the decaying foundation, the rock path, the little stream and the fire flies. I think of Aunt Cynthia and Uncle James. I would give anything for one more evening in Iowa to watch the setting sun bounce rays off the old pump and envision her picking flowers. This is genealogy as fine as it gets!

I love those genealogy memories.

Ruby .... You Go Genealogy Girl #1

Going to Salt Lake City

2011-04-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

The GIRLS are going to Salt Lake City to the Family History Library! We arrive at the Plaza Hotel on May 22nd and will be there two weeks. We hope to have a productive two weeks, meet old friends and new friends and come home with a lot of genealogy treasures.

In order to do this, we need a plan. We each have large research notebooks. These contain to-do sheets which begin as print-outs from the Family History Library Catalog. In case you haven't noticed the FamilySearch web page does allow you to go back to the "old" catalog, which we prefer. Just click on "Go to the previous site" which is in a blue box. We print out the library catalog entries of interest for film, fiche and books. I label mine according to the floors of the library, such as the 3rd floor being the US and Canada book floor. Then I add notes regarding why I am using that book, fiche or film. Each year my research notebook seems to grow. I never get through everything while there, but I definitely make progress, all because I have a plan.

I also want to get as much research done at home before leaving for Salt Lake City. That means making sure I have documents that are needed, such as death certificates and obituaries. The original documents stay at home. If necessary, I place pdfs and jpgs on my laptop for reference. The research papers in the notebook are either in order of preference or by family group all under each floor of the library. Sometimes they don't stay in any specific order. As I study the various individuals or families in need of research, I make a list of goals or objectives. Those dead end lines will be first on my list.

While in the library it is a good idea to not just copy or scan. Be sure you read and evaluate. Our late evenings are usually spend doing that and deciding if we need to look at film or books that were not on our list. We also rearrange our bag on wheels in preparation for the next day, then fall asleep with sweet dreams of finding our ancestors.

As many of you know, I have a little car known as Lil' Red. It is overloaded by the time we reach our destination. Last year it took three carts and three hotel employees to help us to our room. We hope to have a lighter trip this year. Last year we took scanners and a printer along with an extra table. Those will all stay home this year.

Our arrival night will be spent unpacking, arranging and rearranging. The library is not open so we won't be tempted to drop everything in the floor and rush over there. I don't take my large research notebook to the library each day, but sort through the papers that I want for the day. Those go with me in a smaller notebook. Because we stay at the Plaza Hotel next door to the library, I can always go back for more papers. Before setting out for the library each morning, I remind myself that I need to pace the day, take some breaks, walk around or go back to the room and relax. Otherwise I will not be healthy enough to finish two weeks at the library.

It is interesting to see how people go prepared to the library. Many have bags on wheels which contain their research work, perhaps a laptop computer and accessories. Others have tote bags or just carry in a notebook. We go to stay and park our "stuff" so we have the bags on wheels. A necessity is a lock and cable for the laptops. I also take my iPod Touch which I do not leave unattended. I suspect YGGG #2 (Cheri) will be taking her iPad.

We both have hand held scanners that take up limited space. They are great for making scans of pages in oversized books. There are also scanners available for public use on each floor. Our hand held scanners are VuPoint Magic Wands. Even though we will scan there will be plenty of photocopies made from books and microfilm.

All too soon our time will be over and we will say goodbye to Salt Lake City. It will be time to head Lil' Red east and head back to Nebraska. We will talk all the way home about what we found and didn't find. It will also be those hours that we can decide what we needed that wasn't brought and what we brought we didn't need. Unfortunately we will forget and not write it down. Next year we'll start all over trying to decide what to take or leave at home. Some of that lack of organization may be blamed on age!

If you are in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library during our visit, look us up. We're the You Go Genealogy Girls, Cheri and Ruby. You will find us all day long and evening on one of the five floors of the library.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 Ruby

Obsessed with Genealogy

2011-04-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

Genealogy is not a foreign word today. If not interested people are at least well acquainted with the term, which sometimes mispronounced, means tracing your family history ... or something like that. The first question out of the mouths of non-genealogists is "How far have you traced your genealogy?" Which family, which line, and how far is far? What do they want to hear? That I have traced my genealogy back to 1000 B.C.? Or should I tell them that I have never gotten further back than one of my great, great grandmothers?

Why do people recognize the term "genealogy?" Turn on the TV and there you have it. Advertisements by Ancestry.com about the shaking leaf and success as well as the series Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC all add to the possibility that people know about the strange word that also entertains and delights us.

It's an obsession. I am obsessed with genealogy. I have no personal life. I don't leave home without my ancestors. Three weeks ago I had my second knee replacement surgery and I took my ancestors with me. Soon after the surgery and before the spinal wore off, I was checking e-mails and family trees on my iPod Touch. I had a stack of genealogy magazines which entertained me between vital checks and physical therapy work-outs.

It doesn't matter how far back I have traced some and not other. Unlike the popular series Who Do You Think You Are?, research doesn't happen in one hour or less, allowing time for commercials. It doesn't happen in one click of the mouse and bingo you have a hit. I have never counted my hits and misses of research, but I am most certain the misses would outnumber the hits. Genealogical research requires patience. I patiently wait for the release of records, such as the 1940 U.S. Census. Records are being indexed and digitized then appearing on FamilySearch.org. The subscription databases are growing with new additions.

Is there some sort of unknown secret to genealogical success? I would have to say yes and no. Genealogists like to share their secrets ... flaunt their "finds." They checked here and they checked there what resources are the best and now to get from 1 to 2. The big secret that I have is to walk in your ancestor's shoes. Go to their level, their time period and then start reasoning. Put yourself in their place. Don't forget to do the unusual. They were humans and just like you and me, they did strange things. That's it! They were human beings. They were not names on a piece of paper or in a computer database.

It's time for my physical therapy to begin. Before long I'll be walking in my ancestor's shoes to the cemetery, to the courthouse and library. I will be an observer in the present with my eyes to the past.

Ruby .... You Go Genealogy Girl #1 ... obsessed and in love with my ancestors!

Aren't We Cute!

2011-03-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

We thought you all might enjoy seeing our new trading card! Sheri Beffort Fenley over at her Face Book page, who is also The Educated Genealogist, created this fun page for genealogists to post their own trading cards or you can go and make one at Big Huge Labs. There are already a bunch of fun cards that have been created and uploaded on the FB group page.

If you haven't been there yet, stop over and check out the group Genealogy Blogger Trading Cards. Thanks Sheri, this is fun project for all of us and something we can print out and share if we choose to. I stayed up until the early morning hours a couple nights ago, just playing around with card designs and looking at the others that have been added on the site. Some are serious, some will bring a smile. Join in for some fun...!

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Thanks again to all our great readers and for the kind awards they have recently bestowed on us. Thanks to all these ladies and we urge you to check out their great genealogy blogs!

One Lovely Blog award from:
Cindy Harriss, Generations of Germans
Shelly Bishop, A Sense of Family
Mary Hellman, Mary Jane's Genes

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri
I see that I am still #2, can't I be #1 just for a day?

Are You a Genealogist?

2011-03-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

For some time now I have pondered the use of the word or title of "genealogist." The dictionary gives the meaning as someone who studies, traces or records the descent of a person or family from an ancestor generation by generation. Does that term apply to all of us who spend our time looking for our ancestors and studying that family history?

Surely in this profession there are those who consider many of us only to be amateurs, not yet worthy to wear the title of genealogist and indeed many of us are just that...amateurs, but calling oneself a genealogist does not come lightly to most of us who seek those family connections of the past. It is my personal belief that anyone who strives to pursue his goals or trade can carry the title of that trade. Being an apprentice shoemaker or a young chemist in the lab still makes that person deserved of his title of cobbler or scientist. A "rock-hound" can hold his title whether he seeks that precious gemstone once a week or digs in the dirt for it everyday. Of course there are exceptions i.e. the medical Doctor and many other titles reserved for those who have attained a degree of higher learning and those of professional standing.

I recently had an older gentleman in my circle of friends from our fledgling genealogy society ask if I was a genealogist. My answer to that question was "yes...while I am not a professional genealogist, I am one just the same and so are you. You are here every week, working hard to bring your family history to light so don't be afraid to call yourself a genealogist."He was excited at the aspect of being part of the family of genealogists. If you love family history and care enough to find and honor your ancestors--you too are a genealogist!

No matter if you are a newbie to the group, wear your title proudly as you strive to ascend the ladder to perfection with your research goals. Two great people in my life also wear the title of Genealogist. One is the You Go Genealogy Girl #1, Ruby...she is an official Professional Genealogist; the other is my mother-in-law, Kathleen, while not a professional in title she has been doing genealogy research for over 50 years and I value equally the knowledge and help that both have given me. You can learn from those around you, both the professionals and those who are not. Value all the genealogists that you become acquainted with as new and different ideas are what keeps us all moving forward. Stuck in a rut? I bet that asking anyone you know who is a "genealogist" will help to get the answer. I've never met a more caring and sharing group of people than those who proudly admit that they are a genealogist whether they are just beginners or seasoned veterans in the field.

One of the best speeches that I have heard in a long time was given recently by Curt Witcher at the RootsTech Conference. Most of us did not get to attend but his wonderful presentation is offered online and should not be missed by any "genealogist." You can find his video here and I highly recommend that if you have not seen it, take an hour, grab a refreshing drink and listen in. One important area (among several others) was when he eluded to the fact that the often overlooked aspects of the genealogy profession today is to have fun while finding your family roots. The operable idea here is to have fun and ultimately to be able to leave a legacy for our own family to share and enjoy.

That brings us back to the title of "genealogist"....be proud of adding that title to your own name. Don't worry about getting everything just perfect when it comes to researching and record keeping. Perfection usually only comes along to a select few in real life, no matter the profession, but that should not keep anyone from trying. Research your family history, strive to do it correctly, but most of all you should love the hunt and the rewards that come along the way. If we show our children and grandchildren what fun it can be to search for our ancestors, even if it isn't the perceived perfect way then maybe they too will want to take up where we leave off and become the next generation, the next genealogist in our family.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri

Lady and boy element in the scrap page is from the designs of "Idgie's Heartsong" of Heritage Scrap

Trying to Remember

2011-03-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am not sure that I remember when the "I can't remember" phase hit. Maybe it was between 50 and 60, but I think it was more like between 63 and 67. However, YGGG #2, Cheri, has the same problem and she is still in her 50s. I think ... can't remember for sure. However, I can tell you that my Great, Great Grandmother Jennie was born 1 April 1847 and died 2 March 1920. She was married on 20 February 1868. I can remember my social security number, home address, but sometimes revert to my old phone number I had from 1976 to 1996. I get a little mixed up with my cell phone number and still have not totally mastered the art of texting.

Sometimes I find the cereal in the refrigerator and the milk in the pantry. Ever done that? Yesterday I lost my cleaning supplies which in a way pleased me. It was becoming a good excuse not to clean house, when I discovered them on a box of tissues in the hallway closet. It was actually YGGG #2's idea to look there.

In anticipation of having my income tax filed, I began looking for last year's income tax papers. After two hours of combing the house, even the garage, I gave up. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain there was a spark and I realized I was looking for 2009 and not 2010 which is what I'm preparing this year. Blondes may have more fun, but they also have some challenges along the way.

YGGG #2 has a sign that says "You Put It Where Stupid?" She leaves herself messages taped to the doors, the windows, the counter tops, the cupboards, the computers, the chairs, tables and mirrors. Her monthly bill for tape is excessive. I am not sure what works or why I remember the ancients and all their vital information and can't remember where I left my cell phone.

I have applications on my computer to help me remember and then I forget to use them. I use Evernote for making notes and to-do lists. Their banner is "Remember Everything." I have a list on there to remind me of what to pack for our annual two-week trip to Salt Lake City. That's okay if I don't forget that I put it on Evernote. If you haven't used Evernote, give it a try. You may remember where you put it on your computer. YGGG #2 and I use Dropbox personally and together to exchange information. If you are limited in attachment size on e-mails, this is a great way to exchange information. However, sometimes I have to call to remind her that information is in the Dropbox.

Brushing my teeth I remember the need to check out an elusive ancestor on Internet. If I wait until the teeth are clean, I will forget. I hurry to the computer with a mouth drooling of toothpaste and spit and quickly get on Internet. An hour later, I still haven't brushed my hair or put on my socks. Then I have to remember to put myself together for the day ... maybe in another five minutes.

Hobbling around for the second year with another knee failure, I have sometimes discovered my cane in one of the closets. I have notes around the house that Wednesday is knee replacement surgery day. I don't want to forget and hope the surgeon remembers. Of course, he hasn't hit that remarkable age of "I'm entitled to forget." With me it's like wearing red and purple, saying what I want and forgetting what I want to forget. The later comes easy.

YGGG #2 says she will blog while I'm moaning and groaning, gritting my teeth and wondering why I had another knee replaced. I hope she doesn't forget. Add to my list ... remind YGGG #2 to blog!

YGGG #1 --- Ruby

Getting Musty and Dirty

2011-03-01T07:02:00.000-08:00

Do you have brickwalls in your research? I don't. If I had brickwalls, I would need a sledge hammer, maybe dynamite and a lot of muscle just to get a hole in that wall. Sorry, but I'm not up to that. However, I do have RESEARCH PROBLEMS. I can tackle those with wisdom, time and patience.

You have those so-called brickwalls because you keep banging your head against the bricks. Och! That hurts! On the other hand I can use my head (aka brain) on the research problem with minimal agony. First I need to analyze why I am having problems with the RESEARCH PROBLEM. Take out "problem" and I might have better luck. Ah ... research!

To get further with your research you need to understand the people in the "problem." Does the information you have make sense? Look at the locations and dates. As far as location, our forbearers did not stand still, so think about migrations. Think about others in the family and include friends and people outside their circle. Where did everybody go? Did your ancestor follow or lead?

Now let's see what else we need to learn. How about history? When I was a child I was disappointed when I didn't see my ancestor's name in a school history book. I penned his name in it ... not with pencil, but with ink. It was there for the life of the book. Are you in a rut of picking up a genealogy book, flipping to the index, frowning, then muttering "nothing there?"

Don't do that. Study, study and study just like you were back in school. Do you buy genealogy books that gather dust on the shelf? Pull them out and start reading and learning. Those wonderful books, such as Red Book and The Handy Book for Genealogists have information on state research, county formations, where to locate records and more. How can you possibly do research wearing blindfolds?

Have you gotten musty and dirty lately? I know it is difficult when you set at the computer day and night typing in surnames, searching for everything that might allow you to break through that confounded brickwall. Oops ... research problem. If you haven't had dirt on your hands, you haven't done research. Internet is wonderful and has spoiled all of us. Don't fret, I'm not advocating that you unplug the computer.

My granddaughter told me that cemeteries are the most peaceful place on earth. She's right. Have you ever done research in a cemetery and taken time to be still and listen? If peace has a sound, it is there. Now that's a place you can get dirty and not make mud pies.

Even if the record is on microfilm at the Family History Library or abstracted in a book, you need to look at it for yourself. I will never forget opening a large probate file in a courthouse to find personal letters among the papers. One was the last letter the testator received from a son. That was not found in the abstract or on microfilm. If I had written to the courthouse asking for information from the file, they most likely would not have photocopied all those letters. It would have been just the pertinent stuff with no frills.

Maybe you can't get to every courthouse, library or cemetery. There's always a volunteer or genealogist to help out. While many genealogy societies are diminishing in size, there are most likely people in that area who will give you some advise or maybe even look thoroughly through records for you. Just ask! They will be ones with dirt on their hands.

You need to develop a research plan. Notice I did not say brickwall plan. Have a goal. It is easier to have a simple goal. Like any true goal it should be a challenge, with an end. If it never ends, you will be prone to procrastination. I bet you have never procrastinated! Write out the goal and look at the holes in your pedigree or family group sheet. What is missing? How are you going to proceed to research to the end of your goal? What types of records will most likely contain the information you need? Will they be in a courthouse or on microfilm or in a cemetery? Can you get musty and dirty?

In genealogy (at least mine), there are no negative results ... only positive. I can hear you saying "in your dreams." Turn those negative results into something positive. You now know that by all indications an ancestor was not in a certain state or county at a given time, or did not leave a will in that county. Smile. It's positive because you have researched and don't need to check those records again. However, you need to keep a record of those results and where you looked for the information. Keep in mind, through the generosity of genealogists just like you, some long lost box of records may be found in a dirty courthouse basement a few years from now and your ancestor's records may be in it. That's why you need to keep an open and check and recheck. It's never ending!

You must enjoy what you are doing. Can you laugh at your own mistakes? Can you talk to your ancestors? Can you walk a mile or two in their shoes? Then you are enjoying genealogy. Research is starting over and not because you ran into a brickwall, but because you are in a learning process to solve your research problem.

Ruby -- You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- who has no brickwalls!

Ah......DREAMS OF SUMMER!

2011-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Snow and cold go away...The You Go Genealogy Girls are more than ready to go out and play!

The Dukes of Hazzard...and "Boss Hogg" too!

2011-02-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Not the HOGG lineage of Virginia, South Carolina and Texas!

Screaming down the road, bustin’ through the fences, flying over the hills…The General Lee is trying to save the court house treasures, and of course "Roscoe" and "Boss Hogg" are in full chase!

There is nothing like a late night re-run to kick start two days of fun genealogy research. Do you remember the great old popular television series: The Dukes of Hazzard? I am sure most of you do and who could forget all those lovable characters? My now adult sons were crazy about “Dukes” and of course the “General Lee”. We owned all the associated toys and never missed an episode some 30 plus years ago but little did I know that as I was channel surfing a couple evenings ago in the late hours of the night time that the old re-run of the kid’s favorite program would draw me into my next fun genealogy search.

The “Duke boys” and “Boss Hogg” were at it again and after all these past years, they were still adversaries. “Boss Hogg”—well, the old guy who I had not thought about for years, got me to thinking that HOGG is an old name in my husband’s lineage that I have all but ignored. Somehow the names of Hogg, Horsey, Buck and Bull have seemed to be happy living in the file cabinet and back pages of my books. Good old “Boss Hogg”, he was just begging me the other night to go ancestor hunting for our HOGG relatives and ancestors and I was sure that my family would just love to claim him as their very own relative! I have been very busy finding names, war records, marriages and even following all these new found ancestors as they traveled south out of Virginia. I thought for sure they would end up in good ol’ Hazzard County, Georgia with “Boss Hogg” standing at the county line to greet them.

Not so, however, as our HOGG families made the journey from old Virginny to South Carolina and some then went on to Texas. Hubby can be proud of his HOGG ancestors as all of his direct line men served in the military in one capacity or another. Starting with Lewis Hogg in the early 1700’s who served in the French and Indian Wars, others in the Revolutionary War and later generations who served in the Civil War. Many of the HOGG men attained officer status and his cousin ties lead to James Stephen Hogg who was the nineteenth Governor of Texas.

Poor old “Boss Hogg” just doesn’t seem to fit into our family tree so for now he will just have to keep his residence in Hazzard County late night TV land being ornery and deceiving but he should be proud and happy that at least some who have managed to elevate the proud HOGG name have now found a new home.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri (Why am I always number 2?)

What Kids Don't Say and Do

2011-02-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

A little bit ago, YGGG #2 (Cheri) called with a computing question. I didn't have the answer, but told her I would have to ask my twelve year old granddaughter. She's actually twelve going on sixteen and somewhat of a whiz at the computer. That seems to fit most of today's children. If I can't remember how to change the ringtone on my cell phone, I hand it to her. she usually will tell me to do it with her prompts, which I seem to forget a few weeks later. In fact, I have had long-distance genealogy friends who e-mail me asking for the twelve year old's assistance.

She's also a whiz at witching in graveyards. Holding those coat hanger rods, she finds graves where there are no markers, smiles and moves on to another part of the cemetery. Last fall she tried to instruct four of my genealogy pals on how to witch graves. Relax and clear your mind seems to work, but maybe youth plays a part also. Need to locate a grave? I'll loan her to you!

The other day she was patiently waiting to use my computer while I entered some genealogical information. Question granny! Do you ever finish a genealogy? She knew the answer and just grinned when I firmly said NO. So get your own computer kid, I'm busy with mine.

Yesterday she asked how many people were in her genealogy file. Fortunately I could find the answer as my software has that information. There were so many people and so many families listed for each file. She was somewhat shocked at my answer and probably that she would have thousands of relatives. Then she asked what I was entering into her genealogy file. My response was John Brown, the abolitionist. Obviously John Brown is for another history lesson in school, with a follow up at Granny's house.

My great grandson is nine days old. I am a typical grandparent ... he's so cute! His grandparents and I spent an afternoon last week admiring him, handing him back and forth to each other and examining him all over. I think he looks like his father, maybe has his mother's eyes, his aunt's nose and somewhere down the line on his mother's side has pinky fingers that belonged to some ancestor who may have lived in Ireland. Bless those genes! They are so special, but I think he should have his own identity.

Do you ever wonder why you look the way you do? Maybe I should ask the twelve year old. She may have an answer!

YGGG #1 --- Ruby

Not Worthy of a Title

2011-02-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

It was Saturday morning and a beautiful winter day in western Nebraska, Hubby was home and we made plans to just relax, watch a little TV, read a bit and maybe even get some much needed time to work on the computer. I had been doing some work for our local museum so have not had much time just to myself for several days. Yesterday was the day-Yeh!

Three o’clock rolled around and it was time to open up Legacy and get to work, I’d be adding some more information which I had found and maybe a few new photos. I even have a little table by my easy chair in the living room with all the comforts that any genealogist would want at my finger tips. Computing and researching is so much fun.

Where is that “John” that I had been working on? He isn’t there, is he hiding with his wife possibly? Oops, his wife is gone too and all their kids. Can a family just disappear or were they kidnapped? The dilemma of the day had started. So far, the situation had been calm but panic had started to set in. Losing a whole family is not fun and soon I discovered that not only was the family gone but also many of their friends and other relatives had also jumped ship. Those darn ancestors just didn’t want to live at my house any more. I was so sad, the tears almost started to flow, then the real anger set in...I even tried to blame poor hubby for my family running away. Supper wasn’t to be had at my house until they were returned. Hubby was mad at me and said he was going to leave too and didn’t blame “the relatives” for leaving. Him I could send out the door with his luggage but those other relatives didn’t even bother to take some of their baggage, a little of it had been left behind i.e. a few photos and miscellaneous papers. What was the deal, did they just come to get acquainted, visit for awhile, waste my precious time and then have the nerve to just get up and leave while only leaving behind a few photos to make me think that they loved me? I was just so sad.

For over two months I had been gathering all those great new ancestors, inviting them into my life and even let them bring all their records and luggage along with them. January 29^th seemed to be the day that they had chosen to begin to leave even though I had given them a new place to live that was called Legacy “7.5”. Since I was busy with other things in life for awhile, they just got up and left and when I decided to spend some time with them yesterday on Feb 5^th, nearly half of them who had resided in ONE family file had all vanished. My Legacy program which has always been so good to me, even to the point of me loving it, had failed to make those darned relatives stay. The latest and greatest upgrade that was supposed to make their life easier and mine too coincidentally, well it had failed miserably. It just told my relatives and many ancestors to get out as they were no longer welcome or loved. I cried.

Hubby finally took pity on me and said he’d try to help IF I would please fix supper. I love sharing! He thought those relatives just had to be somewhere as when they live in a computer, they just don’t disappear. He insisted they were just playing a cruel game of hide and seek. I thought he was trying to make me feel better but maybe he was just lying, after all he had not wanted to go hungry. "People and files just don’t disappear", he said, and being a man I had trouble explaining to him that a Legacy file isn’t your plain old standard file that just any program could find and read. He asked "have you tried the Legacy help area"? Well yes, I had been there many times and nothing was there to help find my loved ones. Now I was stupid.

One last thing I thought of, check out the Legacy Home tab in my software and where sometimes a new update will appear. There was an off chance that my loved ones may be hiding there anyway. No relatives, just a small update and “bug” fix, I was excited so I downloaded that and had the latest and greatest. Our new address was now “7.5.0.55”. A pretty impressive address, surely those great people would want to come back to live with me now. YEH, WOW, GLORY!...up they popped at the door, showed their faces and wanted back in. I loved my ancestors. Supper would be served.

Hubby and I felt some better after our meal and I even told him that he could stay too since the family appeared to be moving back in. He wasn’t sure that HE wanted to stay as supper wasn’t up to its usual standards. Those damn relatives had spoiled it all.

Now it was time to get busy and introduce all my relatives who had come back to some new friends and loved ones. I opened the door to let them in again so they could unpack and lo and behold those same “damn” relatives had left again, hats in hand and baggage in tow. You just can’t trust anyone these days.

Sadly, their clones had been living on my external hard drive and on my desktop computer too. The external died a couple weeks ago and the new one isn’t due here until this coming Wednesday. I figured the clones on my desktop loved it here but discovered that they also had flown the coop. I forgot to mention that ALL my backup files from the last two years had been packed up by those relatives and had been taken along with them. The file for restoration purposes was empty. Now... just who needs two years worth of backup files? I guess that Legacy 7.5.0.55 had lured those files along with the clones away too. I am also slow, my iPad had not yet been updated with my latest files as there is so little time and so much to do. I wrote a nasty letter of disgust and will contact Legacy on Monday. I really want the rest of my ancestors and relatives back, I just hope I don’t have to wait until fall and go looking for them again all by myself. Today I am not sure I love them enough to go find them all again. Life was good here—once.

The day was nearly over anyway so why not get on the desktop and do a little work before bedtime as that was always fun and relaxing. I adjusted the font size that my printer was using as my poor old eyes aren’t what they used to be. Hubby went to take a nap and my favorite Chelada drink was settling my nerves from the trying day of fighting with relatives and Legacy 7.5. My partner and loving relative, You Go Girl #1, had tried to console me over my family’s defection and she sent me an email about some classes she is giving. That email looked interesting so I decided to print it and see my new larger font on paper. It was awesome when the HP printed it out- only one problem: now the printer language on the display of the printer itself showed up in “Pig Latin” or “ChinoJapaRus”! I can’t read anything the printer is showing me and can’t change a thing. It now prints gorgeous “school” lined paper too—who knew? I downloaded the HP printer manual and found the solution as follows:

To set your language and country/region

1. Press Setup.

2. Press to highlight Preferences, and then press OK.

3. Press to highlight Set Language, and then press OK.

4. Press to scroll through the languages. When the language you want to use

appears, press OK.

5. When prompted, press to highlight Yes or No, and then press OK.

6. Press to highlight Set Country/Region, and then press OK.

7. Press to scroll through the countries/regions. When the country/region you want

to use appears, press OK.

8. When prompted, press to highlight Yes or No, and then press OK.

Well, wasn’t that just great and simple! Does anybody know what the word for setup or preferences is in “Pig-ChinoJapanRus” so I can change the language on my printer? Oh my! You Go Genealogy Girl #1 has just emailed me, she is asking if I know how to swear in computer language as “Quicken” deleted all her tax information for seven years. YES I DO!!!!!!! If in question, use the “Pig-ChinoJapanRus” dictionary. It is a wonderful tool.

What a great Saturday yesterday was. The perfect day in the life of a genealogist. Now it is Sunday---what shall I do today? I wonder if my Kitchen Aid mixer still works? Hubby gave up and left me last night, work sounded more like fun even at 10 O'clock pm. Maybe a grand chocolate cake would be good peace offering. I might need his advice again someday and I certainly will need some sweetening before I tackle Legacy and HP tomorrow!

A Day in the Life of a Genealogist!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

P.S. Ruby and I, The Girls, laughed until we were silly over all this "stuff" last night. What else can two silly old Grandma's do? We are getting to old to organize a protest or to hit the nightspots and drown our sorrows....even if we did, we'd be the ones to get arrested on the way home!

January Days

2011-01-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

While YGGG #2 (Cheri) has been learning about her iPad, I have been rearranging my genealogy/computer room, putting things in order (at least for a while) and also getting used to very high speed Internet. What a change after years of poking along! The former server wasn't dial up, but somewhat close to it. Now images, such as on Ancestry.com, appear so fast I can hardly blink between the request the result. I hope my brain keeps up with everything.

Winter days are also great for planning genealogical research, outlining what needs to be done. Yes, making those To-Do Lists! It's a good time to clean up genealogy files, especially on the computer. We are planning our annual trip to Salt Lake City in May and June. That means reviewing our genealogy files, determining what research needs to be done and then developing a plan to accomplish that research.

Cold, snowy days are meant for reading or baking chocolate chip cookies. My genealogy magazines pile up so I try to catch up on the reading. I also try to allocate time for scanning documents and photographs.

If you have left messages or queries on places such as Ancestry Message Board or GenForum, winter is a good time to update your information or leave new messages. You can also join mailing lists and explore social networking at places such as Genealogy Wise.

I am working on Civil War lectures which will be presented at a conference in July. The Sesquicentennial of the Civil War begins this year. I am not only working on my lectures, but also weaving information together about ancestors and their lives during the Civil War. The amount of literature available pertaining to the war, both fiction and non-fiction, is phenomenal. There are also many web pages, some old and many new, that are informative. If you love blogs, check out The Civil War Interactive Guide to Civil War Blogs.

Hope you will fill your winter days with productive genealogical research and planning.

You Go Genealogy Girl # 1 --- Ruby

I-PAD Observations for Genealogists: The Good and The Bad

2011-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Apple I-Pad is proving to be an awesome tool and I want to share what I hope are a few useful tips and observations about its use. I am a new user but have been learning a lot, mostly by trial and error.

THE BAD

Having already been a user of the I-Touch, I figured it would be a snap to get the bigger I-Pad up and running but it was not quite that easy! Like any good student, I spent several days reading and learning before attempting to cable up to I-Tunes and get started. Back in December, while waiting for mine to arrive, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio one day. He was telling of a problem that he had trying to sync two new I-Pads while also using a new MacBook Air. It seems that when he plugged into the computer to set up the I-Pad everything was wiped off of the I-Pad. It went blank, no OS, no nothing. He told of spending hours on the phone with Apple before getting everything to work. I was concerned but didn’t think much about it at the time since I would not be using a new MacBook Air but my windows PC to do the initial setup and already had I-Tunes set up for my I-Touch. Fast forward to Jan 4^th of 2011 as I was about to set my new I-Pad up: reading through my “News” on Facebook, I came across a then new post from Pat Richley Erickson of Dear MYRTLE’S Genealogy Blog fame. She also had problems when she first tried to connect and sync her new I-Pad. Several people added comments and offered advice and thankfully she got hers up and running without having to spend hours on the phone with Apple techs. I started looking at forums and tech blog posts for some more advice before start up. In the final analysis, it seems that most of the problems with new setup originate from not having the I-Tunes fully updated with the latest version. I personally suspect that I-Tunes may have or had a glitch somewhere that may have caused some people problems. Occasionally people do not allow their computers to automatically bring in new updates or they ignore update prompts because they are busy working on something and don’t want to take time at the moment to let I-Tunes update and then restart the computer, then may forget to go back and update it later. My advice is to be sure to update your I-Tunes BEFORE you begin. My next step was to set up the installation and I-Tunes installed all my apps, and music that I had checked with many being the ones I had used on the I-Touch. After all that was done I removed the I-Pad and then plugged into I-Tunes for the second time, it backed everything up and I upgraded to the new 4.2 OS. It worked great and not one glitch. If you have a new I-Pad and have not started using it yet or are waiting for delivery of a new one, do take the time to read the instructions and update I-Tunes, you will be glad you did. There are some nice video tutorials here and you can download the PDF or print a full manual for the I-Pad here. I always print manuals when I can for reference as I am just a paper person when it comes to those.

Most all the apps that are made for the I-Phone/Touch work on the I-Pad, however I find the 2x feature to enlarge those smaller screen apps leaving a lot to be desired in clarity. It is a typical feature of any picture which is enlarged more than originally intended—it goes slightly out of focus as in pixilation. It is very hard to use those apps if you intend to do a lot of reading but they do work. They can still be used in their original smaller format on the I-Pad, however I hope many will soon offer I-Pad only versions and especially the ones for our Genealogy. Reunion already offers and I-Pad version-kudos to them! Surely there will be more to come soon.

The other one thing that I believe is missing from the I-Pad is some kind of locking capability such as the Kensington lock slot that is found on most laptop computers. Even though we will usually carry this pad computer with us, the occasion might arise when I would like to be able to lock it to peruse a bookshelf or map drawer.

THE GOOD

Now that it is up and running, I love it! The larger internal keyboard is quite easy to use even with fingers only. A gamer I am not but Solitaire is awesome as I used to play the old style and original real card type on occasion. Anybody else remember paper cards? If I am deep into researching and just need a short break, Solitaire gives me a bit of relaxation and then I can go back to the records with a fresh thought. Everybody needs some fun once in a while! There are several different apps for Solitaire, most are free.

As I mentioned before, the larger format of Reunion and others really is an improvement over the I-Touch/Phone apps. They include more features and it is so much easier on the eyes too. The I-Pad is a great ebook reader too and there are lots of apps for that such as Nook and Kindle and then with the new Google ebook app all those older and wonderful downloadable genealogy books that are available on Google can be in your purse or shoulder bag anytime.

If you are interested in genealogy and the I-Pad both, you might like to follow along with Dear MYRTLE on her blog as she reports from the Salt Lake Institute this week with remarks on the gathering there and about using her new I-Pad while in attendance.

Are you an artist or digital scrap booker? ArtStudio for the I-Pad is so much fun. In two nights I have drawn and designed several elements for use in my scrap booking. You can design and draw on a transparent png background if you like and then save or email it to yourself. I have included original “beauties” and even a hand drawn portrait of one of our dogs into my digital scrap library. Draw one- of- a- kind bits of artwork and include them on your own scrapbook pages for the Grandchildren. What is more personal than an original work of art or even a line drawing from Grandma? A hundred years from now, the picture will live on in that scrap page. You can be a creative artist or just a kid again and have fun while leaving a legacy too. The cost is reasonable at $4.99 for this awesome app. Flickr even has an ArtStudio gallery if you want to check out what can be done with this nifty app. Brvsh makes a brush stylus that is just perfect for ArtStudio and the Ten1 POGO sketch is one of the best stylus tools for everyday touch use on the I-Pad or I-Touch and also works well with ArtStudio. I find that your finger does a good job of drawing too with a bit of practice.

I have pictured a clip here on our blog of the apps which are available for GENEALOGY use and are made for the I-Pad specifically. Many more are available for the I-Touch/Phone which will also work. Some are better than others so be sure to read the entire description and all the reviews which I-Tunes offers for each one. Several are free and some cost a few dollars but most are reasonably priced. Families for Legacy has worked great for me so far and will be better when they upgrade to an I-Pad only app. Reunion works great in either type app although I did buy it separately again for the I-Pad in order to have a beautiful and clear picture and it does offer more functionality. (You can use your Reunion if you had it for the I-Pod/Touch but see the comments above under “The Bad” about using that.)

Family photos are awesome on the I-Pad. I had fun last night just flipping through several folders which I uploaded and viewed photos that I had not seen in some time. It is so easy and the pictures are beautiful on the I-Pad. Want another great way to take a break, relax and bring on a smile? Flip through an old picture album while curled up in your easy chair. Take just the ones you may want with you to the library for researching: no big album, no laptop to lug around- just you, your purse and your I-Pad. You even will have room left to sneak in a sandwich. There are apps for easy note taking so you don’t even need a paper tablet unless you want one!

Here are a couple cases for the I-Pad that I think you might like. I looked at several and choose the one from ZooGue and it works so nice and adjusts to ANY angle making it easy to view while sitting or laying down... and it is easy to use the internal keyboard with this case set at a slight angle or flat. I love it! ZAGG makes a really nice hard type case that you can check out here.

I put a simple scrapbook page on this post that I did of my Granddaughter and the bright flower within it is one that I drew with ArtStudio in a couple minutes. The dog is my portrait of my Babee while napping, also done with ArtStudio.

I hope all of you who have an I-Pad are loving it as much as I do. If you don’t have one yet…well, Valentine’s Day is soon! ♥♥♥
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*Thank you so much to Ann's Scraps of Time for honoring us with the Ancestor Approved award! It is our third time and we appreciate all of our friends who follow along with The Grannies. We are truly honored...thank you, Ann.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

LEGACY FAMILY TREE IS MORE THAN GREAT SOFTWARE

2011-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

As many of you already know, Legacy Family Tree is very good software for keeping track of your precious family files. I use Legacy exclusively and love their product. I’ve tried almost all the genealogy products on the market, mostly because I do a comparison lecture on them but Legacy is definitely my favorite and the one I use full time and you can find a free trial of Legacy here and can use it as long as you wish. The surprise is: did you know that Legacy Family Tree is now offering some really good and informative webinars too?

Legacy very recently in 2010 began to offer several free webinars a month which are hosted by Go To Meeting and the best part is that they are totally FREE! Having attended a few of these now, I have to rate them as an A plus offering. I’ve tried some of the webinars which have been offered by some of the genealogy competitors and find these by Legacy to be among the best and in fact presented in a much better format than some others with bigger names! I have yet to have a failed start up with their programming and never a glitch during the presentations which I have attended. Their classes have been given by a variety of well known genealogists and the best part is that their presenters know how to speak! Today was another very nice instructional class featuring Thomas MacEntee, on “Google for Genealogists”. Thomas is a very knowledgeable presenter and Geoff Rasmussen representing Legacy did the moderation. Most of us read and try to learn new research tips and methods every day and each new piece of knowledge helps us along the road on our family trails. Today's lecture was full of great new tips for using many of Googles’ products that are of benefit to the family genealogist. I for one can’t wait to try out some features of Google Docs which Thomas featured (being a Word person, I never realized some of the great uses and templates within Google Docs). He also highlighted using Google Groups to post queries, I never would have thought of that either!

In short, be sure to check out the classes that are offered by Legacy on their website at Legacy Family Tree. You can sign up on their site to attend the webinar classes in person or you can view them after the presentation on the Legacy website where they are usually listed for viewing for 2-4 weeks after the live presentation. Today they announced that some of the webinars will now become available to purchase on CD for your home use also. The cost is quite reasonable. During the live webinar, guests have the opportunity to ask questions or submit questions live and they have gift drawings after the program for those in attendance. Some of the future classes include two different ones on the use of “New Family Search”; and ”Newspapers, Critical Resource to Complete Your Family Tree”; and Chasing Women-Finding Your Female Ancestors” with Leland Meitzler. The live classes are limited so be sure to check them out and sign up early. Remember they are FREE so there is no excuse for not exercising your brains and learning something new!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2-- Cheri

Our Brand New Year ... 2011

2011-01-01T09:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everybody!

The YGGGs have twelve months of research, traveling and fun ahead of us. With several inches of snow on the ground, we are communicating by e-mail and telephone. Eventually we will be able to get together and plan our research. January will be eventful for me. I am having the scope on my left knee in a few days. I'm trying to be optimistic that it will work and I'll be able to spend quality travel time in 2011. This month I will also become a great grandmother to a baby boy. I have been researching his mother's genealogy and discovered that his parents share 11th great grandparents.

We are planning our annual trip to Salt Lake City, arriving there on May 22nd and staying for two weeks. That means we have approximately four months to get our research notebooks prepared, update our files and decide how to best spend our time in the library. We feel that we get the best bang for our bucks by going there to do research, instead of ordering microfilm at a Family History Center. Of course, we no more get back home and want to go again.

In 1999 the FamilySearch.org web site was introduced. I can remember that it was continually busy. Logging in at times was next to impossible. Through the years it has become an old friend. In case you haven't noticed, when you type in http://www.familysearch.org in your web browser, things look different. You go directly to the new FamilySearch web site. It has a different look than the old one, but you can still get to the old one by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on "Go to the previous site." A good way to learn about the new web site is to watch the FamilySearch Bloginar Presentation of December 2010. It is about an hour long, but you can pause and take a break.

YGGG#2 and I don't particularly care for the library catalog on the new web site. It will take some time to adapt to it. However, when previewing books on it, you can immediately see what has been digitized. In the meantime, I go back and forth between the new and old. There are tutorials and links for questions and answers. I have plenty of questions.

We spend a good deal of time printing out items from the Family History Library Catalog and placing them in a research notebook. They are categorized by floors in the library and families. As my notebook is huge, I normally take out what I want each day and put it in a smaller notebook.

In early May we will seriously be thinking about packing clothes, computer items and food. YGGG #2 has informed me I need to take two smaller suitcases instead of the one big suitcase. Better add that to my list right away!

We both wish you all great expectations, great research moments and whole lot of genealogy fun in 2011.

YGGG #1 -- Ruby

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

The year of 2010 has been a great and fun year for The You Go Genealogy Girls. During this past year we have been able to pursue our love of genealogy in many different ways and were privileged to get to meet so many new friends along our well traveled roads. We got to meet and make lots of new friends this year while we attended some great Family History Expos and during our annual research trip to Salt Lake. Every museum, library and even some of the cemeteries we visited brought wonderful new discoveries and we even made new friends in each of these places too! Thanks to everyone who helped make our year such great fun and for adding to our list of "new best friends". We love you one and all and thank you for being our friends and faithful readers. We hope to see you all again soon and to have the opportunity to meet many new friends too.

The Lord willing, us sisters-in-law (also known as the You Go Genealogy Girls) will be on the road again in 2011 to pursue finding even more treasures and knowledge. We feel so lucky to be able to do what we really love and being able to do it as a team surely does make it even more enjoyable. Those newly discovered ancestors should appreciate the excitement and love that two of us at a time exhibit when we manage to bring them into the light. Two silly old Grannies jumping for joy in the dark recesses of a court house or library must be quite a site as we have been known to celebrate and exhibit unruly behavior. We may have to tone it down a bit in 2011 and act more our age......or maybe not!

Our wishes are that each and every one of you will have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year with your loved ones. This is such a special time to make new memories and also to remember those awesome people who went before us and provided us all with the opportunities we have in this world.

We will resume writing in 2011 and see you all very soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The You Go Genealogy Girls; Ruby and Cheri

You Go Girl #2- Cheri

My Favorite Things

2010-12-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

The lyrics to the song "My Favorite Things" are so fitting for a genealogist. We could rewrite it and end each stanza with "These are a few of my favorite things."

Do you have favorite things in your genealogy or your research? Having started my genealogy before computers, aka B.C., I can honestly say my computers hit the top of the list of my favorite things. Years ago I was at a library conference where a young man told us how every book would be cataloged centrally and available universally. He also stated we would be able to search home computers for information about anything in the world. What a vision he had! There were some laughs and exclamations of doubt. But, I believed him and kept waiting. Here we are with home computers, mobile computers and Internet, which is at the top of my list also.

For various period of time I have my favorite ancestors. They are all very special to research and I enjoy spending time investigating them. Because they can't talk to me, I talk to them and try to discover where and how they lived. When I discover photographs of them, I am taken on a journey back in time. We are so different and yet so alike.

I still marvel at how my scanner copies photographs. I can make changes to them, adjust the colors, saturation and density, plus print them out or attach them to my genealogy software. One of my favorite scanners is the hand held one I can put in my purse or computer carrying case. I'm telling my age, but I can remember the delight of owning a Brownie camera. Now I use a digital camera and see the photographs in an instant. I prefer this day and age, so I would have to say my scanners and digital camera ranks high on the list of my favorite things.

The other day some genealogy friends were engaged in a conversation about books ... genealogy books, historical fiction and non-fiction. One of my favorites is Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. We all know the Mayflower story, but he takes it deeper and a step beyond. Another New England story is told in Killed Strangely the Death of Rebecca Cornell by Elaine Forman Crane. Rebecca was supposedly killed by her son, Thomas Cornell. It makes for entertaining reading and is also a good example of the court system in New England.

While in Virginia for Christmas two years ago I read The Lee Girls by Mary P. Coulling. It was a perfect book for a perfect setting, about the daughters of General Robert E. Lee. I was staying north of Lexington, Virginia and could imagine the Lee family, the pre-Civil War era and during the war. This book is definitely one of my favorites.

A year ago at Christmas time I read Someone's Daughter by Sylvia Pettem. This is an account of the search to identify a missing woman. She was found murdered in 1954 near Boulder, Colorado. The author takes the reader on a twist and turn narration of a fifty year search. It is poignant and heart breaking, but also brings to mind that we all have relatives who have disappeared.

Each time I purchase a genealogy book, it becomes my favorite. Some I refer to more often than ours, such as Ancestry's Redbook and The Source. They definitely top the list of favorites, but occasionally another book will sneak into the list.

I'm thankful for the genealogists who care, share and help others. There are so many of you who have become my favorite genealogy people. Let's all start singing ... "These are a few of my favorite things."

YGGG #1 .... Ruby

Among the Nominations

2010-12-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

You Go Genealogy Girls Blog has been nominated again for 2011 for Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs, aka Family Tree 40. There are 8 categories and 117 nominations.It is an honor to be nominated again this year. We wish to thank our readers for the nomination and their votes.

If you like our blog, please click here to vote for it. You can also click on the Top 40 badge in the sidebar to place your vote. Please encourage your friends to vote for our blog. You can vote for five blogs in each of the categories and vote more than once. We encourage you to visit often and vote often! We are listed in the EVERYTHING category.

We are in good company. There are excellent blogs among the nominees. Be sure to visit all of the blogs. All the genealogy bloggers work hard to support our community so take the time to visit each one. Each has great information and stories to share, you will surely learn something new from each one.

We appreciate your support and vote! And we aren't even politicians!

YGGG #1 -- Ruby

YGGG #2 -- Cheri

Lazy Day...a December Sunday

2010-12-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those weekend days when you have so much to do and no ambition to do it? I will bet that every genealogist has gone through one of those such days. Your desk is piled with papers waiting to be filed, files already on the computer need to be organized, newly arrived photos need to be scanned, Christmas gifts for early shipping need to be wrapped, wash could stand to be done (even though it is Sunday), Hubby is home from work and wonders what will be for dinner ...and so do I! Oh my, the list just goes on and on.

Today the sun is actually out and it is warmer outside without the darn wind blowing. I should go out and finish a bit of Holiday shopping this afternoon as I have conveniently put that off citing windy conditions that have kept me from it all week. I hate shopping in the wind: car doors fly open often jarring the hinges, something always manages to blow out of the car, the automatic door of the store never opens and I am just plain grouchy when it is windy. Maybe shopping would cure the Sunday lazies. Maybe not.

Let's get busy and cook a great seven course meal as it has been while, even for that. Sounds really good, doesn't it? Mom's homemade chicken and noodles with fresh mashed potatoes, baked squash and maybe even a pie. Yum, wish I had a cook....and a maid!

It would be awesome to see those 1830's family Bible pages all scanned and printed out on beautiful paper. Great, great, great Grandmother probably spent a Sunday just like this all those years ago just getting all those names added to that Bible. A thoughtful scrapbook page would surely show them off beautifully. You Go Girl #1 is also anxiously awaiting the appearance of those treasured scanned pages. They seem so content in their little box all packed among photos of their family, this is not the day to disturb them.

Those nasty dirty clothes....well I am sure we can find something clean to wear tomorrow. We might be sporting summer shorts, tank tops, and inside-out underware but since it is winter anyway and the furnace is already running we can just turn it up a few degrees and be wonderfully comfortable!

Speaking of comfortable- I have decided, this will definitely finish out as a lazy day Sunday.
I'm on the way to the kitchen to tackle the arduous chore of throwing some things together in the crock pot for "supper" and the ice cream cake is already waiting in the freezer for dessert. The maid can at least serve it when it is ready!

A grand cup of hot, white chocolate in hand and my cozy soft blanket wrap are all I need this lazy afternoon in December. I will settle in my easy chair with my four new genealogy magazines that have been beckoning to me. Actually they have been calling to me for several days now so it is only proper that I should answer that call. They might just decide to disappear in the shuffle, never to be seen again if I do not pay them some homage this day. I will also dream on that Christmas List from the last posting, that will come when I lay down my new Internet Genealogy magazine right in the middle of an article just to catch a few winks. ;) What of all that "other important stuff"? I bet it will still be around on Monday and maybe I will even get that shopping done...tomorrow.

Thank you to Susan Peterson from "Long Lost Relatives.Net" for awarding us with the ANCESTOR APPROVED award, our second one! We are blessed with good friends and loyal readers.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri
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image of lady and Santa from :"Two Dog Pond" blog. She makes beautiful glass art jewelry. Check it out for unique handmade gifts from Nebraska!

All We Want For Christmas ...

2010-12-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

This is what the You Go Genealogy Girls want for Christmas. We hope you will visit us on Christmas Eve. Please ... no coal in our stockings! We will put out cookies and milk.

YGGG #1 - Ruby wants:

1. Ink, ink, ink and more ink for the printer ... always out.

2. Paper for the printer.

3. Days of non-stop genealogy planning and research.

4. Time to read all the genealogy periodicals that are piling up.

5. Success in Salt Lake City in the Family History Library in May and June.

6. An iPad would be nice.

YGGG #2 - Cheri wants:

1. An iPad.

2. More hours in the day. Make those uninterrupted hours!

3. Time for organization and planning.

4. A large printer to work on oversized old photographs.

5. Success in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library in May.

6. New genealogy books.

We both look forward to a new year and new challenges in our genealogical research. Life will be interesting for both of us as we from month to month in 2011. In January, YGGG #1 (Ruby) will add a new bud to the family tree. She will become a great grandmother to a baby boy. The girls are planning a trip to Salt Lake City the end of May into June. Our annual trek always promises great experiences and new "finds." The Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado will round out June for us. In September we plan to attend the FGS Conference in Springfield, Illinois. Before we know, our wish list for Santa will be on our minds again.

As we wrap gifts, bake goodies and decorate the tree, we are thinking about our ancestors. They are on a tree that in places remains undecorated ... lacking full names, dates and places of events. It is somewhat bare, but we hope to decorate it in 2011.

Best wishes to all this December,

YGGG #1 --- Ruby

Thanksgiving...for "The Genealogist"

2010-11-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

T.....is for Thanksgiving and remembering our ancestors, those in who's footsteps we follow from so long ago.
H.....is for Home, the place where our families gather to remember loved ones, have fun together, and where our memories linger.
E.....is for Eating, of course, as what would the day be without that grand old turkey bird, good food from recipes handed down through generations, and loving family?

G.....is for the Genealogists, the family researchers and historians who work so tirelessly to keep their proud legacies alive.
E.....is for the Energy to keep going even when that brick wall seems to get higher and higher before us.
N.....is for Nature: the land and her bounties that moved our ancestors onward and continue to sustain us this Thanksgiving Day.
E.....is for Evidence as it is the precious "gold" treasure that proves we exist. Where did we come from and to where are we heading?
A.....is for Anniversaries. The markers in our journey through time which we all celebrate and cherish.
L.....is for Love; that which is felt by family and is given as a true gift from God.
O.....is for the Optimism in us all for the journey ahead. Our ancestors are calling, we must answer and be thankful for the rewards.
G.....is for our Grandmothers. They are the far reaching roots in all our lives. Ties from the past and keys to the future.
I......is for "I", myself and me. I am the keeper of my family history and I will continue to see to it's future!
S.....is for Sitting quietly, lost in our thoughts of those gone before us and dreaming of the future generations to come.
T.....is for Thankful as this is our day to give thanks for family, fortune, happiness and yes, even times of despair as those are the pages of life. Thankful you are here and we are all together this Thanksgiving day!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU! From Ruby and Cheri, "The You Go Genealogy Girls"

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 -Cheri

More of Our Celebrating Families Day

2010-11-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

After nearly a week of lousy weather and very high winds, we were lucky to get a beautiful fall day recently for our day of "Celebrating Families" in honor of Family History Month. We worked hard all month to put the day together and also celebrated the special month with additional offerings at the museum. Our local museum, The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center hosted the month long celebration which culminated in a day for everyone to show off their family histories and stories. For more information on the wonderful facilities for family research at the museum, please check out the official website for the museum and also the postings here and here on the blog, Nebraska Roots and Ramblings. The You Go Genealogy Girls do try to spend some time at the Heritage Room in the museum doing research each time we are together in Alliance. Our day long celebration was a first for the museum and the nearly 70 people who took part in setting up their displays and attending the evening program, presented by Girl #1, seemed to really enjoy the special day. Showing off collections and talking genealogy or history were the days topics in anticipation of the evening program.

Girl #1, Ruby offered up an interesting evening program that centered on writing about the people we research and often call "family". Her lecture, "Writing About Ancestors, Neighbors, Friends and Murderers" drew nice comments and good questions from the audience. Attendees went away with new ideas about writing family stories and learned the importance of honoring our ancestors.

Through out the afternoon, nearly 16 tables of family memorabilia and genealogy based scrapbooks and researched trees were on display for the public to stop in and see as well as for those who brought their items. Everyone had a great time and it is always fun to see what other historians and genealogists come up with in unique ways to honor their family. Simple book displays, beautiful antique clothing, fancy framed wall charts, heritage quilts, old jewelry, Christmas ornaments, scrapbooks, and even a swimsuit from 1900 rounded out all the awesome and beautiful displays.

We hope you enjoy seeing a few of our pictures from the day, we wish everyone could have been there with us. There are also a few more pictures on our earlier posting at "Celebrating Families".

What a great day we had and what a wonderful way for everyone to share their family with others. Genealogists love to gather and share anyway but when it all comes together in a family honoring celebration it is even better. Learning and sharing should never end and next year will be even bigger and better!

You Go Girl #2-- Cheri

It's Official, We Are Now Famous!

2010-11-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

The "Girls" are now officially famous in the world of genealogy. Today, our blog was quoted by Arlene Eakle in her Virginia Blog! Arlene will soon be teaching classes again when she will be a presenter at the upcoming Atlanta Family History Expo. I recently told about Arlene and some of her classes at the Expos. Thanks to Arlene for shining the spotlight on The You Go Genealogy Girls but her lectures brought about our entire blog post. The knowledge that she holds and imparts to those taking her classes is truly a labor of love. Many genealogists share but not many with her busy schedule and demands on their time spend so much time helping others to learn. She calls it Vanity Runs Amouk, hardly so, as she deserves the accolades!

The Atlanta Family Expo will soon be in full swing so if you are even close to the area and love genealogy you should plan to attend. All the classes presented are very good and the fun of the conference and meeting new friends is a wonderful experience. Arlene will again give her lectures on Southern Research, some of her best! Lisa Bratton will present a class geared toward researching a historic slave family and Leland Meitzler will offer "Finding Your Civil War Era Ancestors". Many others will be presenters for this Expo and several of the classes will center on the Southern area. Wish I was going again just take Arlene's classes and to brush up again and to pick up some new guidance as she delves a bit deeper into Southern Research.

My recipe for learning includes some suggestions for everyone now that Winter is upon us and today it really feels like it is here with snow in the forecast. Brrrr....The time has changed and with more dark and quiet evenings we can surely find more of that time for quietly sitting and reading; to study the important historical aspects that certainly affected our ancestors. I do look forward to winter only for the slowed time that comes with it and the additional time to learn more about genealogy!

Get in the car or on a plane and visit an Expo in your area. If you can not do that then at least set aside some personal learning time for yourself on these cold evenings. Sit back with a hot cup of tea, a good book, or a class syllabus, this is the perfect time of year to relax and energize your genealogical batteries with knowledge. Order "Genealogical Resources of the Civil War" by Dollarhide through Leland Meitzler's Family Roots Publishing Co., or Arlene Eakle's "Tennessee and Kentucky, Twin Gateways to the South" from The Genealogical Institute, Inc. They are the next best thing to attending a Family History Expo in person. How lucky we are to be experiencing this wonderful place and time in history when knowledge surrounds us within many venues. Your computer, a book, a museum, or even a conference: pick one or all and never stop the learning -maybe you too will become famous!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Celebrating Families

2010-11-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 28th, I was delighted to take part in a celebration of family ... mine and others. It was sponsored by the Heritage Seekers, a Box Butte Co., Nebraska genealogy/history group. The celebration was held in the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska. By late afternoon sixteen tables had been set up to accommodate the displays people were creating in celebration of their ancestry.

There was everything from quilts to ornate family trees. Photographs of loved ones lined the walls and tables and reminded me that they are never forgotten. People proudly stood back admiring their displays and those of others, while cameras flashed to preserve the moment. By early evening people were filing into the museum and the chatter began. One lady found a relative on another's big pedigree chart. Others had fond memories of somebody in a photograph and stories were exchanged.

Do you remember the Blizzard of 1949? If you were alive and living in Nebraska in 1949, you undoubtedly remember the blizzard. Traffic by rail and vehicle stopped, lives were lost and cattle suffocated in the huge snow drifts. There were photographs of the blizzard, some showing children building igloos in the storm's aftermath.

Several genealogists brought scrapbooks of family photographs and memorabilia. They are talented individuals who artistically create colorful pages, making it easy to read and learn about their ancestors. Others brought reunion books, family albums and family recipe books. There was limited time to study and read everything.

As people visited, munched on cookies and drank coffee, the sun went down. The floor to ceiling bank of windows across the back of the room provided a view of the night sky and stars. I was pensive in thought, hoping our loved ones knew we were celebrating them, honoring them ... not just that night but always.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

The Spirits Are After Us!

2010-10-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

How eerily appropriate that the "Girls" are together again for a few days. The spirits have been in the air and have seemed to be all around us as we have had a very busy past week. You Go Girl #1 has been visiting in Alliance for some much needed research time and we have been planning and then presenting Family History Month programs which we will report about very soon! Halloween has certainly blown in on the wind the last few days here with howling winds that have been gusting to 50 miles an hour. Outside my office window which is above the spare bedroom where Girl #1 stays, our huge flags have snapped, whipped and clanged as the metal flag buckles have banged against the flag pole both day and night bringing the eerie sounds of screams, pains, balls and chains! Sleep has been elusive as the sounds of the night winds have brought uneasy dreams.The one lone huge limb that hangs over the corrugated metal roof of our back deck has constantly scrapped the metal for three days making creepy sounds like a monster's fingernails scrapping over a blackboard. Spiders have moved indoors for the upcoming winter. The dirt and grit has been in our teeth and hair as we have ventured out to darken the doorways of the local museum to investigate records and our once "gorgeous" faces have been plastered with that same dirt mixed with snow and leaves. We have looked like a haunting pair indeed! Braving all the evil forces of nature, we even managed to make our fall pilgrimage to a couple local cemeteries to visit our dear departed love ones, thanking the Gods that they couldn't see what homely creatures had blown in with the wind to pay them homage. Our hair was standing on end as if we had been struck by lightening which complimented our overall looks. Sorry, there are no photos...we love our readers and didn't want to scare you all away!

"The final nail in the coffin", as they say, was our trip today back to the museum for more records today, ah but first a stop at the grocery store for sustenance. Nice warm buttermilk leaking from the store carton and all down the front of that You Go Girl #1 sure did leave her with the lovely odor of the rotting and decaying soil and flesh of the season. She was ripe! Finally we made it to the Heritage Room at the museum and found just what we thought was needed for records, pulled out the hand held scanner and went to work. It is so great when things go wonderfully in the world of finding elusive family of the past, however today was not the case. This operator of the scanner had ghosts looking over her shoulder, and it was turning into one Halloween that our ancestor just did not want to be disturbed. Even our usually loving ancestors did not take pity on The You Go Genealogy Girls this day, you see they were practicing for the upcoming special night, thus our ancestor's complete records are still hidden for a visit again on another day. All we got was an eerie warning from that possessed scanner, we would surely all meet again.....some day!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2-- Cheri

My Obsession With Cemeteries

2010-10-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

What do you call a person obsessed with cemeteries or graveyards? That's easy ... a GENEALOGIST. I can spot cemeteries a mile away and sometimes think chopped down tree trunks are gravestones and imagine fallen tree trunks will lead to a mysterious graveyard in the woods. Yes, the imagination takes over.

On the constant lookout for cemeteries, I have been known to go out of the way to locate them, altering my schedule to the point I have to speed to arrive to my destination on time. After spending hours looking for an old, nearly abandoned cemetery, I was startled to see that it was under lock and key. A few graves within the site were old and I was not about to leave without getting closer to them. Tossing my camera gently over the fence, I discovered a spot near the gate that was low and I began crawling into the cemetery. It had rained the night before. The first push I gave through the mud I remember that I was wearing white slacks. Fortunately they came clean. I got my "high" for the day and took photographs of the stones. All in a day's work!

Have you ever been stalked in a cemetery? It can happen and especially if somebody wonders what you are doing or if you are alone in a cemetery. A few years ago I was enjoying my lunch in a cemetery when I realized there was a Nebraska, dirt-spitting, rip-roaring truck going up and down a road along the perimeter of the cemetery. Same truck, over and over, back and forth. Two young men in it kept watching me. Just as I got out to deposit my lunch remains in the dumpster, they were heading pell-mell through the cemetery at me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Holding it in front of me and pointing to it, I drew it to my ear while watching them. They abruptly stopped and backed out of the cemetery, never to return again unless perhaps to bury one of their friends. Incidentally there was no cell phone signal in the cemetery!

Genealogists never stop when it comes to cemeteries. Three years ago, two of my friends and I decided to spend a crisp November day in search of abandoned, hard to locate cemeteries in this area. We packed our lunches and could hardly wait to set out in exploration of what was bound to reveal interesting tombstones in strange places. We discovered the tombstone of a young child in a flat field of corn rows. The current farmer and those before him have plowed and planted around the stone, leaving it standing in isolation for over one hundred years.

Next we discovered a few stones on top of a hill ... yes we have hills here in the Platte River Valley. Once at the top of the hill, we were not only short of breath, but breathless from the view of the valley below. For miles we could see the meandering South Platte River and could envision pioneers in their wagons, riding horses and walking thousands of miles westward. Many never made it and from that vantage point I mused on the many unmarked graves along the route.

As the sun was going down we decided, with some speedy maneuvering, we could visit one more cemetery. It was surrounded with a fence and the farmer had recently picked the corn around it. There were several graves and some were rather unusual. It was getting dark and soon even darker. One of my friends produced a small flashlight. A dim light, but better than nothing! While they struggled with the gate, I managed to return to our vehicle. About that time a corn picker in a truck came along, stopped and offered to help. That's sort of a Nebraska thing ... they either stalk you or they help you!

The other day my granddaughter and I gave a demonstration to friends on how to witch for graves. She makes it look like child's play and often grabs people's attention while witching. Some people just don't get the hang of it. Maybe they have blocked, non-believing minds. That's okay as we witch enough for everybody. Imagine walking two-thirds of a sandy, prairie-dog infested pasture before finding the place of a child's burial. We aren't nuts, just close to it!

My granddaughter says that cemeteries are peaceful and not spooky. When you visit a cemetery it has a different appearance. The stones brushed by snow, covered by red and gold leaves, surrounded by wild flowers and dripping in the summer rain, all add to the comfort and serenity of death. They rest there, but their souls are with the ageless.

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 .... Ruby (look for me in the graveyard!)

Celebrating Family History, Nebraska Style!

2010-10-13T01:17:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy last few days as our museum, The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center in Alliance, Nebraska has been getting ready for Family History Month -now in full swing. At the center of our planning, museum employees and myself have been designing displays and getting set up for our month long celebration. We are in our brand new building this year and are excited to celebrate our families!

The centerpiece of our display is an eleven foot long pedigree chart which hangs from ceiling to floor. It contains the history of the Newberry family, one of Alliance's pioneer families and covers a span of 200 years. What a beautiful chart it is and will certainly get our visitors in the mood to begin their own genealogy research. The Heritage Room is always open and volunteers are there on Tuesdays to help visitors find their records or start their family research. Nebraska Roots and Ramblings has a nice blog all about our ongoing museum celebration and special day on Oct 28th, so be sure to check it out. You Go Girl #1 has showcased our program in fine style.

As an added bonus for us, The You Go Genealogy Girls will be together again later this month as we host local family history displays and present the program for the Heritage Seekers, our museum genealogy and historical group. We will spend a few days together again doing research, presenting our program and working on our new project: learning the wonderful aspects of "Google Earth" for genealogists. We don't seem to have enough to do already so will attempt to become proficient with maps! Lisa Louise Cooke's DVD series, "Google Earth for Genealogy", will hopefully teach these old grannies some new tricks!

If you are in the western Nebraska neighborhood, stop by and join in our Family History celebration at the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center. You just might see The You Go Genealogy Girls lurking in the halls or haunting the old sod house which is showcased in the museum. After all, Halloween will be just around the corner after our big night of Family History fun!

Celebrating Family History Month

2010-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

October is Family History Month. It's time to show off your ancestors and best of all, do more research! Before the snow flies here in Nebraska I hope to get out and about this month and visit cemeteries and libraries, maybe even a courthouse or two.

The North Platte Genealogical Society is celebrating with an Open House on Saturday afternoon, October 16th. Members will have displays of their ancestral items, charts, photographs and anything that means genealogy. One of our members allowed me to use her large family tree for the display in the lobby of our local library. The lighting in the library doesn't do justice to the framed tree. It is a beautiful family tree and makes me think I need to consider making something of my own lineage.

Later this month I'll travel to the panhandle of Nebraska where I'll stay with You Go Genealogy Girl #2 and speak at her local genealogy/historical society meeting. They will also have an Open House on October 28th where people will display their ancestral artifacts and treasures. My speech is titled "Writing About Ancestors, Neighbors, Friends and Murderers."

At both open houses I plan on displaying my Ancestral Christmas Tree. It will also be on display in my living room for Christmas. I've added some new ancestors to it this year and never cease to enjoy looking at all of them.

My ancestors bring me joy and entertainment. I have pride in them and the legacy they have given me. This doesn't stop with October, but it's fun to celebrate them this month!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 .... Ruby

Remembering the Civil War

2010-09-26T13:35:00.001-07:00

A few months ago I purchased yardage of some Civil War commemorative fabric. Next year is the 150th anniversary of the war. There will be celebrations and festivities, programs and also a time for remembering. I have both Union and Confederate ancestors so my allegiance is split.

This weekend I decided it was time to do something special with the fabric. Using three different fabrics, plus the muslin for the lining, I started cutting fabric, batting and interfacing in anticipation of making a tote bag. Very seldom do I sew with a pattern, so this was just measure, cut with the rotary cutter and sew. My mother used to tell me that sewing is not done right if you don't have to rip. I ripped four times on my tote bag. Part of that was because I was thinking of Cherokee ancestry while I was sewing and just not paying attention. Somehow those Cherokees kept getting in the way!

On the front of the tote bag is a fabric photograph I made of my late husband's first cousin, three times removed, Richard Edmond Weathers (1836-1870). He was the son of Squire Beauchamp Weathers and Ruth Sharpe. Richard served in the Union Army, enlisting as a Quartermaster Sergeant on 13 August 1863 in Lamb's Independent Cavalry Regiment in Indiana. Less than a year later he was promoted to Captain in Co. H, 131st Regiment, 13th Cavalry, Indiana Volunteers. He was married to Elizabeth Shaw in 1859 and had two children when he enlisted. The 131st Regiment, 13th Cavalry was the last regiment from the state to be mustered out of the U.S. Army on 10 November 1865. The five oldest sons of Squire and Ruth Weathers served in the Union Army in the Civil War and fortunately all five came back to Indiana alive.

The background fabric behind the photograph is of a cannon and tiny labels saying "Remember Me." No genealogist will ever forget a Civil War ancestor or relative.

Mt. Rushmore Guards Their Souls...part 2

2010-09-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our recent trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota took us on a side trip to find some old cemeteries that still exist today but were a large part of the early frontier days of the Black Hills. The second one we visited on this trip was the Mt. View Cemetery located in the active mining and now tourist town of Keystone, S. D. This cemetery, while quite small for the amount of years it has existed is probably one of the most unique that we have visited. The varied history of the community it serves gives this scenic little cemetery a proud and unique character, one which also by it's serene location seems to command one to view the final resting place of it's inhabitants with silence and reverence. Established long before the construction of nearby Mt. Rushmore, it is, none the less, protected by night and day as the granite stone "faces" of Mt. Rushmore stand guard over all the souls who are resting there. It is the only cemetery in the world with a view of Mt. Rushmore.

To imagine what the lives were like for many who are buried here, one must learn about the history of this unique area of the Black Hills. Mining in the area dates back to around 1876 with the discovery of placer gold along nearby Battle Creek. Several small settlements sprung up in the area until 1883 when the Harney Peak Hydraulic Gold Mining Company was organized to mine the area which was later to become known as Keystone. Also in 1883, the Etta Mine which was rich in mica was opened and soon the area began to produce tin oxide which was in great demand. The town was officially platted in 1891 and named after the Keystone Mine. In 1894 a rich ledge of gold producing quartz was discovered and named The Holy Terror mine after one of the miners wives! The Holy Terror mine became one of the richest gold producers in the country. Gold, mica, feldspar, tin oxide, quartz, many other minerals and even arsenic played rolls in the success and even the later failure of the economy. Early in 1900, the narrow guage railroad reached Keystone which encouraged further development of many of the mines and later was used to haul goods and equipment into Keystone to aid in the carving of Mt. Rushmore which was started in 1927. Many local men and miners were often employed in the construction of Mt. Rushmore as the wages were good in a time that mining had started to decline. During WWII, minerals from the mines near Keystone were in great demand and used in production of war goods.

Keystone had a varied and checkered past during the years of miners and saloons and the small community has seen many ups and downs since the turn of the twentieth century. Clashes over claims, serious mining accidents, several early fires which destroyed the town, and floods have claimed many lives in the area of Keystone. The devastating flood of 1972 destroyed again a large part of the business district which had been resurrected over the years to become a premier tourist area and also took out most of the original railroad tracks into the community. Loss of life in the Black Hills area was substantial and Keystone was hit hard..again.

Many times over the last century, the Keystone town and community has rebuilt- each time it has gotten bigger and better. The lumber industry, some mining, and most of all the tourists have kept this little city alive. As a kid who frequented Keystone in the 1950's and has visited many times over the years, I have watched the old town grow. Once it was a sleepy, small tourist town with wonderful little shops and now has grown all the way through the valley in all directions. Top name hotels now scavenge for land to build on, spreading into the small fingers of the valley. Beautiful eateries, shops and museums line the once again busy streets. The whistle of the 1880 Train can be heard through the valley as it stops close to the town of Keystone. The ever present Mt. Rushmore watches over the daily life.

All the while that the town of Keystone has lain beneath her, the Mountain view cemetery has taken in the inhabitants of this proud little town. An infant girl which was relocated from an old cemetery downstream was the first burial here in 1900. The older Harney Cemetery was abandoned and reclaimed by "Mother Nature".
Mountain View cemetery also is one which has seemed to reflect the history of the area with its often stylish old headstones... and beautiful handmade monuments. Several well known historical figures are interred there. Many more photos that we took in the cemetery can found here and they are as varied and unique as is the area's history.

The day we visited, we stood and marveled at the stone of Zeke Valdez, which is pictured above, it showed us that he was a worker on the construction of Mt. Rushmore. A week after our trip to Keystone was my 40th class reunion in Alliance, Nebraska. One of my classmates and friend who happens to live in Hill City, S. D. was attending with her husband. Oddly, we happened to start talking to them about our recent trip to the Hills and about visiting the old cemeteries. The stone of Zeke Valdez came up when I mentioned the unique engraving on it and it turns out that Zeke was the uncle of my friend's husband. His family has been in the Black Hills for generations and several of his relatives (including the Grover and Valdez names) are buried in the small cemetery at Keystone. How truly small this old world is! His family's pride will mark his uncle's resting place for eternity.

The little Mountain View cemetery high above Keystone is certainly a beautiful little known gem in the otherwise hurried and bustling tourist community in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

(photo link: Keystone, S. D. cemetery pics)
(photo link: Hill City, S.D. cemetery pics)
(link to part 1 of this set: "Resting in Forested Beauty")

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 --Cheri

Resting In Forested Beauty...part1

2010-09-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Camping in the wonderful outdoors usually conjures up thoughts of fun, relaxation, fireside cookouts and wild life. My family is no different than most others as we love all those things and spend as much time as possible in the summer seeking the solace of those beautiful forest settings. During part of our recent vacation, my husband and I had been perfectly content to lounge around camp and get caught up on our reading which had gotten too far behind. The afternoon of the fifth day was very quiet, as the camp had nearly been vacated of the last of the before school travelers. We were discussing taking a short drive and a picnic, but where to go? We had frequented our favorite camp site in the Black Hills of South Dakota for many years, knew nearly every back road and were not in any mood to visit Deadwood or other tourist filled streets in the Hills. There were only a few places which we had not yet visited over the years. At the same time as I was thinking of suggesting it, "Go Hubby" asked if I would like to visit a cemetery. Boy, did I! We could think of two which were very near where we were camping and we could have our picnic while out for the drive.

We headed down the road towards Hill City, just 13 miles away. Hill City is the oldest existing city in the Pennington County area of the Black Hills. It is part of the original lands of the Lakota Sioux. In 1874 when then Major General George Armstrong Custer led his famous expedition to the Black Hills area, gold was discovered along French Creek which lies just south of Hill City. By 1876 the Hill City area (called Hillyo) was being settled by miners who came first for gold and then to mine tin. During the early years of the Harney Peak Tin Mining, Milling, and Manufacturing Company, Hill City was quite the rowdy town with many saloons lining the streets. Over the first few decades the city had many ups and downs mostly due to fluctuations in the mining business. Population counts varied from year to year.

As a child during the 1950's, my family spent nearly every summer around the Hill City area and the town itself seemed like a second home to me. Mom and I would wander the little two block long main street looking in the few souvenir store windows. It was a fairly quiet little city during those years.We bought our groceries at the corner grocery store which in later years closed and became a biking and climbing shop and I spent countless hours watching chipmunks run in their little wheel at a corner gas station which has been replaced by a new modern tourist stop. Time has certainly changed Hill City as it has blossomed into a first class "artist's" center and tourist stop. It has now expanded its business district to cover many more blocks and the famous Black Hills Central Railroad 1880 train has helped the city to thrive since the late 1950's. Through the years of early settlement, mining, the timber industry and tourism, the Hill City Cemetery has overlooked the little community from far atop a hill to the NW of the town. Many times we had passed the cemetery as we headed to Deerfield Lake for a day of fishing but the cemetery was one place we had never stopped to see.

As my husband and I located and strolled the cemetery a couple weeks ago, I was at first surprised to see the wide variety of tombstones and markers, but in retrospect, they seem to mirror the history of the town. There are simple stones, elaborate memorials that reflect the one time residents who may have had made money in the mining business, and unusual homemade headstones. Many babies are buried there, telling the story of the hardships and difficult living of the early settlers to the area. I believe the cemetery is a perfect reflection of the community that it serves. The Hill City cemetery is certainly a place of solitude and seems to be filled with the voices of those from the distant past. Those that rest on the hill are surrounded by the forested beauty of the Black Hills.

I have added a few interesting photos of the Hill City cemetery here .

Photos of our visit to the well hidden Mountain View Cemetery in the historic mining town of Keystone, South Dakota can be found here. The follow up article about Keystone and the Mountain View cemetery,"Mt Rushmore Guards Their Souls" can be found here.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

A Link to a Link to a Link

2010-08-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like you do nothing but click and then click again to get to where you want to go on Internet? If so, you are not alone. Sometimes it can be fun and then sometimes downright annoying.

Now that my Salt Lake City stash is a thing of the past, I am working with what I discovered on my 2010 sojourn to Utah's genealogy mecca. I have more time to explore what I've missed this summer on Internet.

Sometimes I go directly to GoogleBooks to find a title that interests me or to WorldCat or to Historical Books on Family Search. That's not too many clicks of the mouse. But what if there's more on Internet that I'm missing? Then I begin a search on Google (not GoogleBooks) to look for a family surname or a family genealogy or a county history. That's when you begin clicking and clicking until your mind becomes a bit foggy and you are dizzy.

With more clicking I discovered a web page that I did not know excited until now. I am sure it will be a constant referral in my search for online data. In my daily blog reading, I like to read Harold Henderson's Midwest Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog. That's when I found a link to Genealogy Book Links.

The original information came from the Pro Genealogists' blog. I had to click there to find out more about Genealogy Book Links. Turns out a retired librarian who loved genealogy (Don't you just love a librarian who loves genealogy?) developed a searchable website for free online books. She did this three years ago. So, what was I doing three years ago besides moving? Now her 5,000 links consists of approximately 20,000 links with 7,500 in biography and family genealogies. Each week this wonderful librarian adds 300-500 new titles.

The Genealogy Book Links web page is easy to navigate. It's arranged by surname, locality, material type and also by topic. Just click on where you want to begin and you will see what books or periodicals are available FREE to be downloaded off Internet. Some are at GoogleBooks and some are located on other web sites. They are all downloadable in PDF format.

Keep in mind that in order to be downloadable they are older books, no longer under copyright. But some of the information is still interesting and good ... waiting for genealogists to explore. This is a great way to search at one site and eliminate some of the clicking to get what you want. What genealogist doesn't want a new adventure in old books?

Oh ... by the way you might want to click through blogs and see what you can find. Including the two above mentioned, some of my favorites are Genealogy Tip of the Day, Genealogy's Star, Granite Genealogy and Genealogy Roots Blog.

YGGG #1 --- Ruby

Celebrating a Finished Project

2010-08-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had that wonderful experience of finding a new ancestor or information about somebody on your family tree? You want to jump for joy, do the happy dance and better yet tell somebody. Unless that person you tell is a genealogist, they usually are not interested in your good fortune.

So, genealogists, celebrate with me that today, August 22nd at 3 p.m. I had the wonderful experience of completing my stash of research papers brought home from Salt Lake City in June. It has taken me about ten weeks to navigate through the three foot tall stack, read them, evaluate the information and enter information into my family tree databases on the computer. I have scanned the pertinent papers, which actually was almost everything.

Last year when YGGG #2 and I went to the Family History Library I scanned microfilm to a flash drive. It was a new flash drive. Once home I was able to retrieve almost everything. Suddenly the flash drive crashed only producing error messages that it could not be opened. There was confirmed data there that I no longer could access. Not wanting two weeks of research ending up on a crashed flash drive, this year I decided to make copies which I could read, transcribe, evaluate and scan myself.

While it appears that nothing is left of my three foot stack of papers, I still have plenty of research to do. I am proud to say that I did good research, came home with a multitude of information and extended some of the pedigrees back three or four generations. I have enough leads to keep me busy for months. Well, at least until YGGG #2 and I head back to Salt Lake City in the spring of next year.

Throughout my research I have learned to never say never. You will invariably find an ancestor who did the unusual. Think out of the box and hope to discover that person. You should also review your own research and keep it current. New resources are being located, some digitized or somebody has written a book or article that will interest you. By today's research standards those books or articles are usually documented better than what we used twenty to thirty years ago.

A genealogist's work is never done. There will always be some mystery ancestor teasing and tormenting you to find them. It's like the old childhood game of hide and seek. I am always seeking and you better know that plenty of them are hiding. The challenge of genealogy is what keeps me going.

And going .... And going ... YGGG #1 -- Ruby

Expo Photo Collection

2010-08-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

The last of my photos to share from the Kansas City Family History Expo that was recently held the end of July. The next Expo is coming up soon in Salt Lake City. You can read more about it here.

"Go Hubby" and I are heading down the road on a bike trip soon. I look forward to sharing some sights from our trip and hopefully we will locate an interesting historical site or library to share!

Burnin' up the pavement again.....want to come along You Go Girl #1? Nothing like the wind in your hair, rain in your face and bugs in your teeth! I will take along a few of those ancestors to keep me busy in the evenings around the fire. Maybe they will share some tales of their own.

You Go Genealogy Girl #2--Cheri

Arlene Eakle's Southern Research Classes

2010-08-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Arlene Eakle was one of the premier speakers at the Kansas City Family History Expo recently. This lady is such a joy to know and any time that you can sit and visit with her, you go away feeling as though your knowledge base has just widened, even if "learning" was not the original subject of the conversation! She is more than willing to answer direct questions to help anyone further your quest for more records or ancestors.

At Kansas City, she offered a fantastic array of classes which centered around researching in the Southern States including:

"What is the South?..and Why is it Different"
"Birth, Marriage and Death Records in the Southern States"
"Migrations of the Southern Church Groups to the Midwest: Routes and Sources"
"Want Land, Will Travel. Southern Land Records: State by State".

I was particularly interested in all her classes as I do research in NC, MS, TN and VA; her areas of expertise. Even someone who does not research those areas could have gleaned at the very least- a good history lesson! The Family History Expos always have a great selection of speakers including Gina Philibert Ortega, Leland Meitzler, Ron Arons, Lisa Alzo and many others but if you are lucky enough to attend one which features Arlene as a speaker, you will not go home without new ideas and great directions to further your research.

She always has a booth on site too and offers a very good selection of her own published books as well as some good books by other authors in the genealogy field. Some of her newest titles are "Genealogy in Land Records" and "Tennessee Research" and I was lucky to have purchased several of her titles as well as other great books at the Expo.Winter needs to hurry and come so I have more of those quiet evenings of reading!

Look for Arlene Eakle at the California Family History Expo in October where she will again present some very informative classes. Dr. Eakle also writes several blogs and started the Genealogical Institute Inc., in Tremonton, Utah.You can reach her or get links to her blogs HERE. The Family History Expo Channel offers several interviews with Dr. Eakle as well as with several of their other presenters.

by: You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Arlene talks about Virginia research:

Kansas City Family History Expo-A Blast!

2010-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been nearly two weeks since the awesome Family History Expo in Kansas City and they are already gearing up for the next one in Salt Lake City! Son, Jason , accompanied me to KC and attended the Expo with me. (I actually "invited him" to be my chauffeur). He was in for a surprise when he arrived at the Family History Expo as he expected a small conference and a few meetings! As usual, Holly and her group put on an exceptional Expo and we both had a wonderful time there. The class offerings were excellent and Jason who is a History major was more than pleased with what he learned. We also met some really great new friends from the world of genealogy, one of whom was Thomas MacEntee of Genea-Bloggers fame.

Thomas hosted several lectures which centered around the use of social networking sites to aid the genealogist. I attended his fine presentation on Facebook and went away with several new things to try out and some great tips on how to properly use Facebook: making it work for us as genealogists and how to "safely" set up a new account. I use Facebook daily but gleaned many tips for its productive use that I had never considered before. Thomas also presented a class on Social Networking: "New Horizons For Genealogists" and another on Twitter: It's Not Just "What I Had For Breakfast" Anymore. It was great to finally meet Mr. MacEntee! He welcomed us warmly to the Bloggers of Honor area and even passed out some of his famous badge ribbons to add to our name badges. Along with his Genea-Bloggers ribbon, I now proudly sport one that names me as QUEEN. (You Go Genealogy Girl #1 has one from the Loveland Co., Expo that says she is a DIVA...) Surely the Queen must rule!!!

Everyone there was super nice but Thomas made my son and I feel welcome right away! Thanks to him for adding to our fun Expo experience.

Thomas MacEntee also has a new book out this week called "Approaching the Lectern: How To Become A Genealogy Speaker". It is available as an e-book, epub for the Kindle, and in printed form. For a nice review of his book, click here to see the article by Susan Peterson on her Long Lost Relatives blog. For more information you can check out either of Thomas MacEntee's sites: Destination: Austin Family or The Connected Genealogist. I have the printed form on order and am anxious to see it. I know it will have great information to aid us with our genealogy presentations!

Tomorrow I will share some other personalities from the Expo...

You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri

Vacation Is Over--For Now!

2010-08-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

What a busy last two weeks! I have been on the road again but this trip was not with the company of You Go Genealogy Girl #1 in the drivers seat. On July 25th I headed east towards the Family History Expo in Kansas City. First stop was an overnight at the home of Girl #1 in North Platte, Nebraska. We shared some notes, updated our I-Touch family apps and visited about the upcoming Expo. Tuesday morning I headed to Hastings, Nebraska to visit with my cousin, Joy, for a day. She and I do not get many chances to be together so it was a really fun visit for me. We went out to eat, toured Hastings and took some photos of the old historical buildings in downtown. She showed me the way to the highway that I would leave on the next day before we returned to her house. We played on her new piece of body inversion equipment and then had some wonderful berry pie. Hanging upside down definitely gives one a new look at the world. We thankfully saved the pie until after play time! The evening went by fast while we played on the computer, looking up some of her ancestors on various sites. She wants to start doing some genealogy and she enjoyed finding some of her unknown great grandparents--a good start for her future research. She has a large garden which can be seen from her kitchen table window and the morning I left there we had pie for breakfast(acting like we were kids again!) I loved watching the birds and seeing her beautiful garden flowers. Wish we lived closer as our short visit brought back many of the fun times we had growing up together.

Wednesday, July 28th I arrived in Topeka, Kansas at the home of our son and his family. There I got to spend time with the grandchildren and do a little research at the small library of the Topeka Genealogy Society. It was a really nice facility and jammed full of good books and held a large variety of genealogy periodicals. I was quite surprised at their holdings given a fairly small building that houses the collection. My son accompanied me there and we even found some good family info which I did not have! On Thursday, son Jason, and I packed up and left for Kansas City to attend the Family History Expo on the 30th and 31st.

Bright and early on Friday, we checked in and prepared for the full day at the Expo. Our first stop was setting up in the Blogger area. I was an "honor blogger" for the expo and we handed out bags of jelly beans and business cards for the You Go Genealogy Girls while we blogged and twittered during the day. It was a very busy day indeed. Meeting all the other wonderful bloggers, attending classes, buying books, and getting acquainted with many of the people from the world of genealogy. It was such a fun day and the lectures were packed with awesome research aids and helpful information. Saturday brought another busy day too. We both attended some different lectures and a couple classes together. We came home with pages of notes to be organized and put in our syllabus for future reference. Jason is a history major and really enjoyed the two days. He was surprised at what Mom really did with my researching as he thought it was just gathering names and vital records. Genealogy took on a whole new aspect with him and he picked up some very useful information for his field of study. With respect to the study of history, he was thrilled to have a different perspective on researching other than the common college classes offer. He is ready to attend another Family History Expo. We had a wonderful time together, the first real Mother and son outing for the past several years!

As the Expo ended we again packed and headed back to Topeka, Kansas. I spent a couple more days with family there. We did a bit of shopping but mostly stayed in where it was cool with temps of 106° and heat index of 115°. I had planned on some time at the public library but stayed home with the kids due to the devastating heat! Tuesday, Aug 3rd was the day that all the family packed up to head to my home in Alliance, Nebraska. Everyone was meeting again at my house to gather up some of their kids who had been visiting family in Wyoming and Alliance. My grand daughter, Katelynn who is 10 rode back home with me. We drove 7 hours back to North Platte, Ne., where we spent the night again with You Go Girl #1. She was anxious to see all my new books and get copies of my notes from all the Expo lectures. She and I spent a fun evening discussing genealogy while Katelynn played with her cousin, Tyrah who was staying over with her Grandma. The girls had great fun and it was nice because they do not get to see each other very often either. (The You Go girls really are "grannies"!)

Wednesday when Katelynn and I got home, the rest of the family was already there and packed-ready to leave for several days of camping. We got out of one vehicle, hugged the dogs, changed luggage, unloaded most of the books, and piled into another vehicle for the trip to the lake. Are you tired yet?--I was! Off to the lake we went, boat and camper in tow. Son, daughter-in-law, seven grandchildren, two Grandfathers, other in-laws and more kids! Needless to say, the few new books that I took along to read while I was relaxing never saw the light of day. Fun in the lake for the kids, cooking out, fishing for the guys and sitting around camp took up the last four days of my vacation. It was fun having family here as we do not get together very often. However--

This You Go Girl missed having a constant internet connection while traveling. At my son's house where there was a 3G connection, I had to share with others and sometimes could not get online and I had no internet while at the lake. I was having serious genealogy withdrawal, new books were waiting at home, and the heat was not helping my mood.

Today, life is getting back to normal, family all headed home to Topeka yesterday and we got the camper home and stowed until next time. All my great Expo notes need to be organized and pictures need to scanned for Girl #1 who is working on an exciting new project. Salt Lake FHL findings are ready to be entered in Legacy, books need to be read, and papers need to be sorted--again. Starting tomorrow I will share some pics and findings from the Kansas City Family History Expo. Thankfully, vacation is over--for now!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2- Cheri

Weekly Genealogy Activities

2010-08-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

It was Murphy's Law at the Family History Center Wednesday afternoon. The first reel of film had plenty of those "other people" in the proper time frame, just none of mine. Back to the drawing board to rethink what I need to do. The second reel of film had the will I needed. Plunked it on the reader-printer and the machine wouldn't work. I will have to find another copier or do it the old-fashioned way by hand. Grrr!

It was Murphy's Law Friday when I went to make copies and my printer produced the message "Ink System Failure." How dare it do that! I have tried everything in the manual and online troubleshooting but nothing works. Tomorrow will be devoted to trying to get assistance by telephone. Once I get through all the routine messages of push this for that and do I want it in English, I may get to the root of the problem.

Do you use Skype? Late yesterday afternoon my computer produced strange sounds from my Skype account. Sure enough, it was my nephew calling from their camp site. I got to see YGGG #2 and Go Hubby and their gang and visit with them. Looked like they were having fun. One of the twins and the five year old were hogging the web cam ... so cute. They related all their boating experiences. I would say that's Makin' Memories. When you can't be there, Skype's the way to go!

We can look forward to a hot week here in mid-Nebraska. It will be a great time to stay put at the computer, work on genealogy and hope nothing breaks down. Wherever you are ... have a genealogy fun week and a great day all day today!

Genealogy Multi-tasking

2010-08-04T05:57:00.000-07:00

Hold yer horses! YGGG #2 is alive and well, just occupied. Aren't we all occupied? She doesn't multi-task too good when it comes to genealogy, family get togethers, vacations, packing, unpacking and cleaning house. While most of the Midwest Family History Expo attendees are home, she's hasn't quite gotten there.

YGGG #2 and her granddaughter, Katelynn, spent last night with me and just headed out the door for home base in Alliance, Nebraska. Some of her grandchildren, her son and daughter-in-law are already there. Once home she will unpack and start packing the camper and boat for a lake outing. Once the gang leaves in a few days to head home to Topeka, YGGG #2 will repack everything for vacation time with Go Hubby.

Now where does that leave time for genealogy? My condolences are extended to her as we all know she'd rather be doing genealogical research. Lucky me I'm heading to the Family History Center today to read microfilm.

In the meantime, YGGG #2 has asked me to tell you all that she'll return in due time to fill you in on her many genealogy adventures. Aren't you the least bit curious about mine?

YGGG #1 -- Ruby