Chocolate Chip Cookies and Genealogy

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 Ancestry.com is great for searching "Historical Documents", but there's a lot more you need to do.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  This will enhance and enlarge your research possibilities beyond just searching "Historical Documents."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

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

Aren't We Cute!

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?

Ah......DREAMS OF SUMMER!

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

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

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

My Favorite Things

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

Resting In Forested Beauty...part1

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

Expo Photo Collection

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

Wishing We Were Going...

The You Go Genealogy Girls, as "Bloggers of Honor", have been invited to the upcoming Family History Expo in Salt Lake City on March the 18th. This Expo will be concentrated on the field of "Immigration" and should be a great one to attend. How we wish that we would be able to go. Jealousy doesn't usually come around in our usual postings but this time it has. We envy anyone who is going to attend this Expo! We will still be recuperating and organizing for the upcoming summer travels, but you can bet we will be on the road soon and we will be heading to the Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado the weekend of June 25-26th.

If you never have attended a Family History Expo, check out their new web site and make your plans to attend the upcoming special Expo on "Immigration" or one of the other great learning weekends that are coming up this year. The You Go Genealogy Girls attended the Expo last year in Sheridan, Wyoming and had a blast. As "Bloggers of Honor", we got to participate in some fun extra curricular offerings but the learning classes of the Expo were definitely the highlight. If you would like to read of our fun trip to the Expo in Sheridan, Wyoming last summer, you can review those blogs here, here, here and here! Whew...we were busy grannies!

Everyone from the beginner to the seasoned researcher can find lectures that they will love and best of all, will learn from. The Expos offer great chances to meet new genealogy friends, enjoy good food, shop great genealogy vendors and attend excellent lectures. We are lucky that Holly Hansen and her group have worked to bring some of these Expos to areas of the country that are centralized so that many people have the chance to benefit from their awesome genealogy learning lectures.

We surely hope that you will be one of the lucky ones to attend the "Immigration Expo" on March 18th in Salt Lake City. We will be thinking of you all with envy!

Taking Genealogy to the Hospital

On February 1st, I had knee replacement surgery. Finally! I am sure that by spring I'll be out chasing ancestors once again.

The surgery went well, except for my allergies to pain killing meds. It was quickly decided that I would just take a combination of tylenol and bite the bullet. The second day I asked for my old knee back and was told that it had been cremated. Maybe they thought I was going to bury it and place a marker on the grave!

The following three days were filled with physical therapy which I thought was grueling, but knew it was necessary. When I wasn't exercising or biting the bullet, I was using my iPod Touch in my hospital bed ... looking at genealogy files. Unfortunately the hospital does not have WIFI. Feeling rather punk one night, I received a phone call from Girl #2. At the end of our conversation she said, "I love you #1." I replied "I love you #2." Strange! Sister-in-laws who are so opposite and yet are joined at the hip in our love of genealogy.

Now it has been almost three weeks since my surgery. I am walking off and on without a cane and realizing it is a good thing they cremated my knee. This one is strong and I know it will take me to cemeteries, courthouses and libraries.

In the meantime I am navigating between my laptop computer in the living room by my recliner and the main computer in my genealogy room. It is a stand-off at times with the main computer as my granddaughter is often using it. The iPod Touch is still wonderful for the e-mails and browsing my genealogy files. At night when I am biting that bullet, it is great for soothing me with good music.

I have filled my time locating information on Internet, particularly digital images. What fun to settle back, watch it snow (yes, again!) and find genealogy information at my finger tips. That's when I stretch the knee and pretend I'm getting ready to visit a cemetery. Spring will eventually come and spring will be back in my step.

As you can see, genealogy goes with me anywhere, even to the hospital. I am never without it. Now I'm anxious for better weather, better walking so #2 and I can be back together to enjoy our companionship and love of genealogy.

Why Is It?

Why is it that genealogy, as fun as it is, can sometimes be challenging and at the same time enlightening?

1. Why is it that all the women in a family married brothers and named their children some of the same names? There are three boys named Noah, all born in the same place within a few months of each other. Couldn't they be more creative with the names? They should have realized how difficult this makes genealogical research!

2. Why is it that the death certificate indicates an ancestor died in 1922 and the tombstone is carved as 1923? Couldn't somebody read or remember?

3. Why is it that when I call ahead, the courthouse is still closed? Do they do these things on purpose? Surely the furnace won't break down or the basement flood the day I drive 500 miles to get there!

4. Why is it that genealogists have to buy different genealogical software to get one that seems to be perfect only to learn that something else has been released that is even better?

5. Why is it that on the 1880 US Census a 75 year old man is shown with no occupation and yet his wife who is age 73 is shown as a housekeeper? I know that answer ... a woman's work is never done!

6. Why is it that when you get to the library to do research, you discover that the notes you need are still at home? Solution: take your laptop or iPod Touch or iPhone!

7. Why is it that the web page you really need is no longer there? Refer to my latest blog at Genealogy Lines.

8. Why is it that the cemetery you have never visited and are now in is covered with poison ivy, most of the tombstones are broken and you have to walk through fifty years of fallen leaves to find them?

9. Why is it that the person who has the family records you need has died and the records have been thrown into the dumpster by their relatives.

10. Why is it that you can't get your great grandmother's death certificate because you don't know her maiden name? Duh ... that's why you need the certificate.

Why is it that I'm so addicted to this frustrating "stuff?"

You Go Genealogy Girls #1 .... Ruby

It Pays To Clean House!

How many are like me and would rather be doing genealogy than cleaning house? Who cares if the wash gets done, the dishes get done or the toilet gets cleaned? My ancestors are waiting. The older I get, my priorities have changed in that I try to spend more time doing what I want to do. Occasionally though I have to bite the bullet and go after the "dust bunnies" when they get so deep that I have to walk around them or company is coming. Such was the case in December past. While YGGG#1 was off in Virginia visiting her son and having fun, I was slaving away in my basement and cleaning out one of our spare bedrooms for company which was coming for the holidays.

That cleaning job was one that had needed to be done for nearly 10 years (can you imagine that--10 years of junk and "bunnies" taking up residence?) Since the passing of my parents and the subsequent sale of their home and property, I have had nearly 30 boxes of stuff stored in that bedroom along with assorted junk and left overs from when my boys still lived at home. When Mom and Dad passed away there were just things I could not go through due to time and some I just didn't want to go through and make decisions on at that time. My brothers helped, took what they wanted and the rest was left to me to deal with. I dealt with it by stuffing it all in my spare room! Believe it or not, the room was piled to the ceiling. YGGG#1 will attest, she couldn't even stay in that room when she came to visit and was relegated to the upstairs family room.

For that nearly 10 years, I had lived under the misconception that all the important , relevant, keepsakes and momentos had already been found, sorted and distributed within the family. BOY, was I wrong!!!!! What treasures I found living with all those huge "dust bunnies". I found enough old photos, cabinet cards and documents to fill two boxes the size of orange shipping boxes and that isn't all. Many pictures from my Coleman family were in boxes that Dad had stored and I had never seen those pictures before. My grandparents large, nicely framed 1905 wedding parchment and a large framed 16 x 20 photo of Grandma Moore when she was only about 15 years old. How does one miss things so large? Surely those "bunnies" are to blame.
Mom had kept greeting cards from the early years of her marriage. Beautiful little cards with notes, many are nearly 75 years old and best of all--the original handwriting and name signatures on them from so many of my early ancestors. Dad had also stored a large box of my mother's grade school papers and art work. These will supply a treasure trove of wonderful scrap booking momentos for my children and grandchildren. Mom's 1934 high school graduation dress and her baby bonnet were two more treasures and my Dad was a volunteer fireman for years and I unearthed his fireman's belt buckle and convention badges. Flower show ribbons and cards from all the years that Mom entered and judged shows. Of course the pictures that rounded out this great spare bedroom discovery were an awesome discovery.

You will surely understand why the moral of this story is the old cliche: Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today! Just imagine what you might find in that old room or even in just that one box that may be lurking in a corner and slyly being hidden by your resident "dust bunnies".

From Soup To Nuts!

This last month has certainly been a busy one for this You Go Genealogy Girl. It seems that I am busy all the time with one project or another but not sure whether I have really accomplished much at all. I seem to flit from one thing to another. It is all great fun and of course all the additional tidbits have added to our rich family history.

In the pursuit for more information on my husbands Swedish ancestors I have worked through Genlines and found lots of great new information. One noted surprise was finding the information on the parents of his GGGrandmother. She was born in Loftahammar, Sweden in 1839 and along with her twin sister and other siblings was orphaned at the age 3 1/2 when both her parents drowned on the same day in 1842. Another mystery to be solved and I will be following the eventual journeys of the children. It should be exciting!

Next was another trip to Cheyenne, Wy., planning to house/dog sit for several days while my son was out of town. The poor dogs were kinda lonely by evening as this Go Girl took advantage of the time to do some research there. The Laramie County Library, which is very new, has a wonderful genealogy room for research. Mom and I spent one afternoon there perusing records.
Our next stop was the Wyoming state archives to order a divorce record. Once accomplished, we hurried home to her house to work on the computer and upload some photos to her tree on Ancestry. The next day brought a lunch date with a cousin who is a professional genealogist of note. We had a great visit, she gave me some useful tips on my Legacy program and then took us over to the archives. She showed us all around there and told us just how to use the facilities and records. It was great and she was so kind to take time to teach us! We stayed there all afternoon.

We have been working on a distant line connected to my husband and one of his cousins. The cousin requested some work from Mom and she has been diligently working on this for some time. We found lots of goodies in the archives of Wyoming. John "Posey" Ryan had murdered his second wife and grown step daughter in 1909. He had an extremely interesting history: Irish immigrant, civil war vet, teamster with the US Infantry into Indian country, part of the Carrington Expediton to establish forts along the Bozeman Trail and into the Dakotas, and was a well documented figure in Wyoming history. His first wife was a Native American with whom he had several children. These are the connections to our family. All of them went on to lead prominent lives within Wyoming and the Dakotas. "Posey" had been a fairly well to do man, having just purchased one of the first "new" autos in Platte Co., Wyoming at the time of the murders. His victims had some questionable dealings and backgrounds themselves before they supposedly cheated the old man out of his wealth and relocated to Cheyenne. We followed his life, trial in 1909, life conviction, governor's pardon after having served 10 years, and his death in 1929. He was really quite an interesting find and despite the murders, we couldn't help but have sympathy for the old man. He lived out his life in a nursing home in Buffalo, Wyoming and died while holding & caring for a baby while sitting in his car downtown. Despite the murders in his past, "Posey" Ryan had many friends and was actually quite well thought of by all accounts of his life.

Returning home, I have spent several days working in collaboration with Mom on some of our Hopkins lines that settled in Tippah Co., Mississippi. New discoveries there and many more mysteries yet to be solved. Silas Travis Hopkins and his wife Jane Salinas Buchanan were just some of the early family there. We discovered that present day Walnut, Miss., was first named "Hopkins", and another settlement very nearby went by" Hopkinsville". Roads are also named for the family in the area. A mix up in the delivery of and order of whiskey to a store owned by Silas Hopkins brought on the decision to change the name of Hopkins to "Walnut". Silas Hopkins and his wife were buried in the Mitchell Cemetery in Walnut, Mississippi in the late 1800's and during the 1920's or 30's this cemetery was plowed over to build a house and the graves were not known to have been moved. The stones were thought to have been thrown in a gully very near and some used in the construction of the home. There seems to be a project to try and recover this history so maybe we can get involved in that as it progresses. As a thought: How many of us would like to build our new home on top of a known cemetery?

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 is teaching a day long genealogy seminar in North Platte, Nebraska on Oct 10th, so I will hopefully be on the go again soon. I hope to attend the seminar to learn more and "the girls" have many more projects to tackle while I visit her home. We always have fun, learn a lot, laugh often, and of course eat a few of those lovely jelly beans that keep us fueled up and going!

It may be a long winter so we need to gear up soon with our projects. By the way, we have already planned our next 2 week long research trip for Salt Lake and the Family History Library for in the Spring.. We can't wait!

The You Go Genealogy Girl #2, Cheri

I Survived Vacation and The Bears !

I arrived back home in Nebraska on Monday after 11 days of wilderness camping in the beautiful state of Wyoming. Bears? Well this year, there were none to be found around our camp. How lucky can I be? Maybe they just didn't like the smell of this granny genealogist!

Our vacation was awesome. The weather was mostly nice and sunny with a couple afternoon rain showers and about 75-80 degrees each day. It did get down to 30 one night in the high Medicine Bows, telling us that winter would soon show its face. YGGG #2 never left the camp site for the whole time except for our daily wildlife drives and exploring of the countryside. My time was spent preparing food, cooking, feeding the campfire or reading. For some unknown reason, I did not get in as much reading and study as I had hoped, but I did spend some quality time with my Swedish books and documents. The quiet time to study was nice-- no phone, tv, computer, knocking at the door or other such intrusions! We were 50 miles from the nearest town and 40 miles just to get cell service. Go Hubby did make the town trip a couple times for ice, adult beverages, checking on work and to check in with and report to YGGG #1. The latter was recovering from her knee surgery while I was out vacationing. We had to keep tabs on her health and, she, being a "town" girl would not have survived the 11 days of no internet anyway! She did say she missed me and our several a day communications while I was gone. Getting back home and to my computer, I had some juicy tidbits of genealogy information from her and others while I was gone. I must have missed that computer more than I thought!

We saw several moose and other wildlife on our daily jaunts into the back country. The highlight of our days were our back country drives and hikes. One of the other neat discoveries was several very old hand hewn log cabins that were scattered throughout many stream bottoms and valleys. I took lots of photos of these and of course we scouted around them all. Most were built in the late 1800's and some into the early 1900's. We assume that most were early claims along the creeks seeking gold and probably many were used for trapping also, as there were and still are lots of beaver etc., in the area. There are old trash piles around nearly every cabin. We turned up broken pieces of pottery, glass, cans, square nails, an old copper boiler and even the front off of a cast iron stove. We couldn't help but to ponder the lives of those early settlers and what they must have gone through to survive in such wilderness. It is still remote and wild and one can only imagine what it was like to try and survive there well over a hundred years ago. Several of the sites are still fairly undisturbed which is amazing. Were there many women, and what about children? I found a tiny "blue willow" lid from a childs dishes set in one remote cabin spot and it was unbroken in the dump area. It is so hard to envision a child in what must have been harsh living conditions.(This area gets way below zero much of the winter, with up to 8 feet of snow at times.) Did these people even winter in the mountains? They must have in order to make a living. I have a new mystery to solve now, as I intend to dig into some records and find more information about the people who once settled this remote area. A genealogist's dream-- as if I didn't already have enough of my own family to find !!!!

The trip overall was great, the guys played horseshoes, we all had fun, ate like kings, read books for a week, and relaxed.

One small glitch in the whole trip--. We have a large sharpei/chow mix dog, Misty, which made the trip this year with us for the first time. She did pretty well as a traveler, and had a good time with us. She is ,however, afraid of the dark and shook each night when the coyotes started to howl. Go Hubby had to use the "Coleman lantern" for her before bed outings as she was afraid of the shadows that the ordinary flashlite made. Our last night there was unsettled as she had a diarrhea problem and on the way home we had to make a stop along the interstate to again get her outside. I am sure we were a funny site to the passers-by. I had to clean her up with the baby wipes as vehicles whizzed by before she could get back in the car. She adores YGGG#1 and should have stayed in North Platte with her and helped her on her way to recovery. They could have "babysat" one another. She for one was glad to be home and has slept the day away today!

The You Go Genealogy Girls now have a whole year of travel and fun together before YGGG #2 returns again to the wilderness.....with the bears!

You Go Genealogy Girls #2, Cheri

I'll Be Dreaming Genealogy ..If The Bears Don't Get Me !

Tomorrow is the day that Go Hubby and Go Genealogy Girl #2 are leaving for our annual vacation to the mountains. Yippee! We travel to the high mountains of Wyoming just for camping, resting, reading, hiking, picture taking and fun with our son, Daniel who lives in Cheyenne, Wy., and his girl friend, Jamie. It is a tradition for us to take a long camping trip together each year. Up until 2 years ago we always camped with a large tent and loved it (still miss it), but alas as we have gotten older; the easier, dryer, camper trailer with a nice bed seems to rest our bones better. Son still tents and we do all our cooking outdoors so we get plenty of the back to nature "feel".

No computer, no cell phone service where we go so maybe I can get caught up on some reading and study of records. All week long I have been busy going through records on Genline and looking for those lost ancestors. What a thrilling find! I have one set of my husbands 5th Great Grandparents back to the late 1700s. Those along with my work from the Family History Library will be my study materials this week. I have packed a large box of materials to take along. A lawn chair in the sun, an adult beverage, my sweet guard dog by my side and dreams of those Swedish ancestors! What more could a soul want? The country where we go is gorgeous, we see elk and moose on a daily basis. The moose are even a little too close on occasion and have to be watched carefully as they can be mean and nasty! Bears also frequent our area so I must not set to daydreaming too much---there are still lots of relatives to be found when I get back home. I wouldn't want my future family genealogists to find me in the records as "bear bait".

You Go Genealogy Girl #2-- Cheri

Have Bike, Will Travel !

The long blacktop road rolled through the beautiful Wildcat Hills of Western Nebraska, leading "Biker Grannie" (AKA You Go Girl #2) and "Go Hubby" to the peaceful Hillcrest cemetery in Lagrange, Goshen Co., Wyoming.

When new information comes to light, it usually signals the plans for a research trip by the two You Go Genealogy Girls. As you know we usually travel via Li'l Red to the next site at hand. This day was unusual, however, as" You Go Genealogy Girl #2" was on a day trip with "Go Hubby". Camera in hand, we were headed by motorcycle to investigate the Hillcrest cemetery in Lagrange. YGGG#1 is temporarily out of commission awaiting some knee surgery so Girl#2 managed to talk Hubby into being chauffeur for the day. After all, these are all "his" relatives so it is only fair that he is put to work occasionally. He usually just stays home , working hard at his job so that the two You Go Girls can go play.

Last week it came to light that we had several relatives in the Hillcrest Cemetery at Lagrange, Wyoming. I could hardly wait to get over there to investigate. We have passed this small cemetery many times as we have been on our way to Cheyenne, Wyoming. I have always admired the pretty whitewashed wood fence that adorns the main entry by the highway. My husband and I have remarked often that we should take time to at least drive through as the cemetery has seemed to have had a strange pull on us. It seems that we have always been in a hurry, coming and going. In May The Go Girls even whizzed on by in a rush to get to Salt Lake City, again remarking that it would be a place that we should stop and visit.

To my wonder, we found that several of our Troyer and McComsey relatives were buried there when we recently acquired some information from newly found relatives. Willis Troyer, who was my husband's great-great uncle is one of those that we found there along with his wife, Ida and many of his extended family. Willis was the brother of my husband's great-great Grandmother "Lizzie" Troyer Smith. He was an early settler, blacksmith, and cowboy around Lagrange and the Goshen Hole area of Wyoming. You can read my story of this early settler, Willis Troyer, on my personal blog, THOSE OLD MEMORIES, " Willis Troyer, Cowboy and early Settler"

The Hillcrest cemetery is a gorgeous, peaceful little cemetery. It has a low canopy of cedars and pine trees which were planted many years ago and lovingly reared and cared for which shades the many grave sites within. Two long, pew style benches adorn a central area and provide a place for reflection, prayer and quiet thoughts. The picture above, although not one of our relatives, shows the serene atmosphere of peace in this little community cemetery.

I know that You Go Genealogy Girl #1 must really be jealous that this trip was made without her. She would have loved it, but alas, a "Biker Babe"--oops, "Biker Grannie", she ain't! Do not fear...the You Go Genealogy Girls will definitely be back on the road together real soon, heading to another great research destination........perhaps we will even visit Willis Troyer again!

You Go Genealogy Girl #2 -Cheri AKA "Biker Grannie"

Genealogy Humor

The other day Girl #2 said she had lost her humor.  I'm so glad that she found it again! 

In a few days I'm going to visit her, stay a few nights, dirty up the bathroom and come home covered with dog hair from her chic sofa.  But who cares!  We will do and talk non-stop genealogy.  

As for the bedroom (guest) and clean bedding ... I have always had clean bedding.  I think! However, a few months ago Girl #2 was visiting me when her hubby became mentally unbalanced for the day.  He decided that Girl #2 had her little cubby of genealogy goodies, computers, files, scanner and printers.  He wanted HIS cubby in the house.  Geoffrey dismantled "my" bed and carried it up three flights of stairs to the family room.  They have a split level house which means several twists and turns.  Was this a project to gain a cubby of his own?  Or was it an attack against Girl #1 and Girl #2?  

When Girl #2 returned home, there was the bed smack dab in the middle of the family room. And there it remains to this day.  That's right folks, I sleep in the family room.  Look on the bright side.  I have a fireplace and a television and should I decide to curl up in a chair and read, there's plenty of those.  And Geoffrey has his cubby.

Girl #2 is a good cook, when she cooks.  I know it's better than she gets here.  She is forced to eat popcorn, tuna casseroles and toast when she visits me.  Who has time for gourmet meals when genealogy is at the top of the list?  She keeps coming back, so I assume she enjoys the entertainment.  

I'm getting Li'l Red ready so I can go sleep in the family room and share the chic sofa with the dogs.  What fun!  

You Go Girl #1 ... Ruby  

GENEALOGY AND HOUSEWORK or "SHOULD OPPOSITES CO-EXIST" ?

Should genealogy and housework co-exist? This is not for me to answer but you may be better informed by the end of this article. Working on my genealogy and researching are the most important things for me but that pesky housework keeps rearing its ugly face. A few days ago, I got a great email that was the surprise answer to both of my dilemmas. Research or clean? Usually these silly emails just come and go but this one made me laugh and was so great that I had to pass it along.

All of us who love our genealogy just wish we had more time to spend on it. We all tend to feel guilty when we pursue the fun things in our life and end up letting everything else around us seemingly "go to pot".

As I have gotten older, the cooking and chores don't get done as often but I don't care as much either!


Dog hair on the sofa stays put longer but it just makes it look like we got some new "chic" upholstery!

The kids can't come home very often to visit, so I don't work to the bones cleaning before the onslaught of the family of ten!

Company only comes occasionally and usually unexpectedly so they should not expect great food and clean bedding!

Hubby and I have not eaten a meal at our dining table for 3 weeks now. I am sorting papers and getting my research notebook in order on the top of it. The YGGG #1 and I will soon be on the road again, heading to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. The table has become my second "office". The first one is full up and piled high!

Great home cooked meals have been few and far in between. Carry out and TV dinners are pretty tasty these days! We have been eating our meals on old metal TV trays that belonged to my parents in the 1950's and 60's. Does anybody else remember those great little "trays"? Incidentally, they make great extra tables by your chair to hold even more books and papers.

I figure we can always turn the under ware inside out and get another day if the wash gets too far behind!

Compute, write, read and research - these are the words to live by.

I hope you did not think that I got off subject and forgot about that awesome little email I got. A good friend sent "MAXINE" to me and completely made my day. This has to be one of the cutest and most useful tips I have seen.

You never have to feel guilty again because you spent more time looking for those elusive ancestors than you did doing your chores, cooking, or cleaning the garage. Now you can go right ahead and enjoy being a Genea-Bum. "MAXINE" would surely agree that life should only be fun! Be sure to read her cartoon in this post and then run out and get a few gorgeous "get well" cards for yourself.

Wishing you happy and guilt free Genealogy play time, and I almost forgot: " GET WELL " soon...



P.S. I look more like "MAXINE" every day and because my house is less than pristine, I have to thank my own Geoffrey as he complains very little about my Genealogy paper messes and lack of homemade meals. I think those great little "get well" cards that I- RECEIVED- even have him fooled!


Thanks to Arthur for making me laugh with "MAXINE".