January Days

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

Remembering the Civil War

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.