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".

The Wayside Inn

New Years 2010 was welcomed by spending time with family in northern Virginia. A few days into the new year, my son and I drove to Frederick Co., Virginia (not too far) and had lunch in an ancestral abode.

We stopped at the Wayside Inn in Middletown to have lunch and walk through the building that ancestors lived in shortly after the Civil War. I was actually hoping to meet one of them! It was easy to feel their presence among the various rooms that have old fireplaces and tables for diners. Upstairs are rooms that are available for lodging, all decorated with Americana artifacts. I was able to go into all of their dining rooms, each with fireplaces. The slave kitchen was the most interesting. I tried to picture slaves preparing the meals on the open hearth for those who were guests or passing by in search of a warm meal. Unfortunately the employees had no identification of the many paintings of people that line the walls.

My son and I enjoyed a lunch of Colonial Peanut Soup and homemade, original family recipe Chicken Pot Pie. The waitress was attired in a colonial costume which added to the experience.

The Wayside Inn is the oldest continuously operating Inn in America. It is at 7783 Main Street in Middletown. You can't miss it because it is a small town. Travelers started coming to the Inn in 1797 as they journeyed through the Shenandoah Valley. Then it was known as Wilkerson's Tavern. Into the early 1800s it became a relay station for stagecoaches.

It was a common ground during the Civil War as soldiers from both sides sought refuge there. This actually spared the Inn from the ravages of the Civil War. It was after the war that relative, Jacob Larrick purchased the Inn and changed it's name to Larrick's Hotel. In the early 1900s another relative, Samuel Rhodes, purchased the Inn. Samuel added a third floor, wings on each side and renamed it the Wayside Inn. In the 1950s Leo Bernstein bought the Inn and restored and refurbished it. The current owners are doing a great job of maintaining the ambiance of the original Inn.

I would like to return to Middletown in the summer when I can relax in a rocking chair on the Inn's veranda and maybe glimpse a Civil War soldier approaching. Oh well, it's fun to dream. Where's my time machine?

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 -- Ruby

'Tis the Season

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 and You Go Genealogy Girl #2 wish you and yours best wishes for whatever holiday season you celebrate. As we normally say ... Merry Christmas!!

Thanks for reading our column, sharing your comments and bestowing awards upon us in 2009. We look forward to a brand new year of exciting genealogical togetherness, traveling and research. Bring it on!!!

YGGG #1 -- Ruby

YGGG #2 -- Cheri

The Ancestor Tree

My ancestors and relatives mean a lot to me. I wouldn't be here without my ancestors! Christmas is a perfect time to focus on Christmas-past and our ancestors. A year ago my granddaughter suggested I needed to make ornaments for my tree with photographs of ancestors. She said, "After all, Grandma, you have oodles of old photographs." Indeed I do and I discovered I probably have enough for more than one large tree.

This year I occasionally thought about her request for ancestor ornaments. How was I going to create them? I found ideas and suggestions on Internet, but nothing seemed to be what I wanted. In October, You Go Girl #2 came for a visit. I told her she could not return home until we had solved the problem of putting ancestors on the tree.

She is artistic and talented in crafts, so it didn't take her long to figure how to do the ornaments. We found some thin, wood pieces of small circles and tear drops at the craft store. Later when they were out, my daughter brought me some light weight cardboard from work. That works, too! Raiding my quilting stash, I found odds and ends of fabric and scraps that looked old-fashioned. We purchased glue, ribbon, glitter and a tiny strand of garland with red berries on it. Covering one side of the wood piece, we then added a small loop of ribbons to the other side before gluing on the fabric. The ribbon serves as a hanger for the ornament. After all dried, they were trimmed.

The fun part was going through my collection of photographs that I scanned to my genealogy program. I manipulated each to get the proper size and then adjusted the color to sepia. After printing them, we either burned the edges or trimmed them. #2 is good at burning the edges. I would probably burn the house down! Those were glued to the fabric covered wood piece. Once dried, a small piece of greenery (garland) and bow was added. On the back side I glued a small name tag with the ancestor's name and dates. The final touch was putting glue around the edges and adding glitter.

I had no idea how many ornaments I would need, but made about 24 of them. They deserved a tree of their own (Ancestor Tree), so I purchased a four foot artificial tree with lights already on it. Once the ornaments were placed on it, I created a garland of twine and old-fashioned ribbon bows. Just the touch it needed. A small ornament was placed on the tree which reads, "Generations of Our Ancestors." The last photograph my husband and I had taken together was turned into sepia tones and placed on a small wooden tree which serves at the tree top ornament.

The best part of the tree is that I can look at it every time I am in the living room, study the photographs and remember who they are. I like to ponder about their lives and in particular their Christmases. I am sure they were quite different than mine.

The tree could easily handle more ornaments. I have plenty of ancestors who want to adorn it. But I also have months to work on them before Christmas 2010!

You Go Genealogy Girl #1 --- Ruby

Thanksgiving Bounty

Turkey, turkey,and more turkey! Assuredly we all had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. Ours was a nice small gathering of family in Cheyenne, Wyoming which was hosted by my husband's sister and her husband. Over the years we have not been able to spend very many Holidays with his side of the family so this was one of the few that we were able to and we had a great time and wonderful meal. The occasion this year also included a Wednesday evening at Chilis with the family. My husbands brother from Montana was there, our son, Mom and other family members, best of all was we didn't even have to do the cooking! After a great Thanksgiving with family we got to bring home an added bounty which made the trip even more special.

For some months, Mom has been trying to acquire the genealogy records that her sister Hazel had started work on years ago. Over the decades, she and Hazel had worked on the family research together when they could and often each worked on their own and collaborated over the miles between them. Hazel is no longer able to do research and she and her family agreed to send us all her records pertaining to our side of the family. She spent many years doing research before the computer age came along, perusing libraries and record repositories. Mom and I now try to work together as much as possible. At present we are the lucky caretakers of Aunt Hazel's records. Last week there arrived a dozen large family binders full of genealogy documents and research plus a huge box full of files and papers. Treasures which we will compare and then will incorporate the information into our own research archives. Mom also borrowed a large 4 inch thick photo album from one of her cousins who lives near Lingle, Wyoming. This is an awesome album of family photos, most of which we did not have. We are looking forward to becoming acquainted with these past family members.

Am I thankful? Yes, indeed! We brought home to Nebraska all this collection of research materials and photos. A project to keep me busy for the winter (along with all my other unfinished ones--). Reading, adding into records and of course a lot of scanning to do. It is a blessing for sure when family is willing to share and our Thanksgiving Bounty this special year was truly a Family Treasure. We are thankful for many things this year: our children and grandchildren, love of family, relatively good health and discovery of even more ancestors.

The You Go Girl #1 is awaiting her new IPOD Touch and I have a new NetBook to play with. We just can't get enough tech gadgets to take up our time with. Next to the "old" ancestors, our "new" toys keep us pretty busy. We have plans to meet next week in Ogallala, Nebraska ( about half way between us) for a day of play, shopping and gadget comparison. We must soon take time away from the toys and get back to the serious business of genealogy. The Grannies are getting older by the day and the To Do list is getting longer by the day! After all, I MUST get busy on all those albums and photos....

You Go Genealogy Girl#2, Cheri

Genealogy Hibernation

Yes, you can hibernate and still do genealogical research. It's not as much fun as putting Lil' Red in drive and heading to exciting places, but almost as much fun. My plans to visit YGG #2 in the panhandle of Nebraska have not materialized for a variety of reasons.

First the weather, while nice now, has not been cooperative all fall. We have gone 2 1/2 weeks without snow and everybody is tense wondering when the next blast will hit Nebraska. After three major snowfalls in October, it seems likely that we might get blasted yet this month and into December. Second reason for not taking my excursion ... my knee is still not reliable. I'm pampering and babying it until in January when I will discuss knee replacement with my doctor.

Years ago a lot of people referred to Internet as the "Information Highway." It still is and more so. Have you thought about that? You don't have to pack a suitcase, remember to turn off the coffee maker and fill the car up with gas. The only difference is that Internet doesn't produce all those great "genealogy scents." I still love the smell of the musty, dusty old courthouse basement, lined with volumes of records. I love the smell of spring lilacs in the cemetery. The smell of library books turns me on completely and I can't imagine reading books online in the future and not enjoying the smell of paper and the thrill of turning the pages of a book.

When I was in high school (too many years ago to calculate) I discovered the genealogy section at my local library. It had been relegated to the basement. With plenty of lighting and long tables, who cared where it was located. There were plenty of books, mostly very old and seldom used. The basement had a strong smell of creosote. I never investigated where it was and why, but I still, after all these years, associate creosote with genealogy.

The other half of this team has been doing her usual Swedish research in hibernation and on Internet. The other day I came up with a plan. I was going to tackle some missing names and dates from relatives who lived on Nantucket Island. As some of it was taking shape, I began looking for grave information on FindAGrave, hoping that somebody had taken a photograph of family tombstones. Suddenly a surname looked familiar and brought memories of days of study in high school and college .... MOTT. Yes indeed, after more study and reading and piecing information together, I was able to add Lucretia Coffin Mott, the famous Quaker preacher and abolitionist, into my genealogy program. Welcome Lucretia!

Tonight I will put Lil' Red in drive and head to the library for the genealogy society meeting. All of about three miles there, but won't that be fun? I don't have to go far or look far for genealogy fun. Last night I dreamed about a bear who was watching me from behind a bush. I have never understood the meaning of dreams, but maybe he was trying to tell me that I have hibernated too long!

Ruby .... You Go Genealogy Girl #1

Can You Say--Global Warming?

Well, this has been and interesting last 10 days or so. As you may recall, the Go Girls had plans to get together two times in the last couple of weeks. Mother Nature put a serious cramp in our plans and kept us home, both lamenting about the projects that we weren't working on together. Plans to visit out local cemetery and pay respects to loved ones, including Go Girl's husband, those got buried under 12-15 inches of heavy wet snow here in Nebraska. Our storm lasted for several days and it was not fit for man nor beast outside. My "beasts" slept on the sofa for 3 days.

For several days,the You Go Girls emailed each other many times a day, usually complaining of the weather, the cold, the wind, and anything else that came to mind. Our daily routine--what was for supper? Big decisions to make while watching the blizzard outside. Pots of chili and potato soup, helped to sustain us and our families. You Go Girl's daughter was trying to get moved in the midst of it all so naturally the storm settled in good. All this brings to question: what do genealogists find to do when they are snowed in before winter even gets here?

We always manage to find the silver lining when rough times encroach on our plans. I discovered a great site on the UsGenWeb for Tippah Co., Mississippi research. What an awesome collection for those of us with ties to that area. I spent two whole days perusing the site and copying great information. Hot tea, cookies, my puppies, and my ancestors all kept me warm and entertained while I watched it blowing outside. Eventually I would have gotten there, but the snow storm hurried up the research and boy am I glad! Who ever wants to wait for tomorrow if they can find something great today? (My poor Go Hubby was out working in the blizzard to support my genealogy spending habits...) My next task was to find my husband's Great Grandmother who had emmigrated from Sweden in 1888. She has been elusive to say the least for a variety of reasons. Much of our other Swedish family has been located but she remained hidden. More snow and wind, what should I do? Try out some Swedish chat boards on GenealogyWise. Sure enough, I got some immediate clues from my postings and got busy looking for our "Minnie". Finally she was found in Vilske Kleva, Skaraborgs, Sweden. What an great feeling to finally "meet" her. She had made it difficult for some reason, even after The You Go Genealogy Girls had visited her cemetery in Wheatland, Wyoming earlier this year. I had thought she might come to light soon after that, but it was not to be! Had it not been for the blizzard, she may have stayed elusive for some time to come. My third project was getting ready to have my husband submit a DNA test for his Hopkins Surname. That is now in the works, hopefully that will bring us closer to some other relatives AND ancestors.

Girl #1 sat out the storm with her computer and kept busy too. She was answering my questions, doing her research, baby-sitting a cat, and watching for the mail lady to come- with hope that the blizzard did not slow up the delivery of her new "Snow Leopard" update. How could it dare to storm with such an important item awaiting delivery? Trips to the window to look out and finally it arrived. She disappeared into seclusion for a day while she got that and her added RAM installed to her computer. Now she is ZOOMMing....faster than ever. She is also complaining less these days!

Fall has finally come to western Nebraska now. We have had nothing but winter so far and these few better days are welcome. Do we dare to plan a visit with each other soon? Sure would be great to be able to work on some projects together, but I shudder to think of what will come if we even think of planning a trip . Maybe we really need another winter blast, we really do get a lot done when we are house-bound and determined. What better could The Girls find to do than make homemade hot soup and take comfort and solace with their ancestors!!!!!!!!!!

Go girl #2, Cheri

Girls on the Go and at Home

Where can you do genealogical research when it snows and rains most of October? We are not looking forward to a predicted third snowfall of the month that will finish out the month. These snow episodes change our travel plans, keep us out of cemeteries and mostly at home.

Go Girl #2 managed to get to my place in North Platte, Nebraska last Wednesday afternoon. She arrived just in time to unload her vehicle and load Lil' Red up for the Genealogy Night sponsored by the North Platte Genealogical Society. We both had displays and handouts, plus door prizes to set up. Other genealogists brought interesting displays and it was a fun filled evening of visiting and meeting some guests who were interested in the society and what we had for "show and tell."

The day before #2 arrived I received an injection in my knee which is an attempt to stall off knee replacement surgery. Within ten minutes the knee and leg had doubled in size and became as hard as wood, very painful and scary. By evening, while still in pain, I was able to walk. Now, a week later, it is much better, so I may be able to make it a few months longer. If the snow will hold off just for a few weeks in November, I may be able to travel and do some research.

In the meantime, nursing our colds and watching the weather reports, Go Girl #2 is doing intense Swedish research. I am sure she will be reporting about her excellent skills at finding missing Swedes. As for me, #1, I'm making ornaments for my Ancestor Tree. A year ago my granddaughter suggested that I make some kind of ornaments with the photos I have of ancestors. Staying inside because of snow, tender knee and a cold, I am now making them. Of course, I am not using original photos, but making copies in sepia tone and labeling them on the back with their names and dates. Rest assured that I will share this tree in photos on another blog. And I must give credit to #2 and her artistic skills in getting me started on the project.

Neither one of us is exactly burnin' up the pavement. Regardless of how we feel or what the weather dumps on us, we love our ancestors.

You Go Girl #1 --- Ruby

Burnin' Up The Pavement !

It's finally here. Time for the Go Girls to get together again! This has been a long dry spell for the two of us, separated by 180 miles and only our computers for company. Go Girl #2 will leave early Wednesday morning for the three hour drive to North Platte, Nebraska. Here, the girls will meet up at Go Girl #1's house (uhmmmm, Grannie #1) for some serious genealogy time. This is Family History month and we have some great plans which include our monthly meeting of the North Platte Genealogy Society and it's open house to be held at the North Platte Public Library on Wednesday. We are looking forward to a fun evening with old friends and hopefully to make some new friends. The public has been invited to come for a tour of the Genealogy Center there and bring along any family history questions they may have. Our wonderful group of volunteers will be there for several hours to help newcomers learn about genealogy research. Several of us have designed great visual displays and research aids for the occasion. Looking forward to a fun time!

Thursday will be an equally full day for us. I have a full list of photos that I hope to get Girl #1 to share from her family files--just for starters! She is always generous in sharing her research with me. She shares old photos with me and I restore the badly damaged ones so we can both enjoy them. She has also promised a short lesson on advanced use of the "search" feature on Ancestry.com, that should be fun and maybe I will be able to get lots more found! We will snack, talk genealogy, snack some more, play on the computer, eat lunch, do some research, compare notes, discuss books and then eat supper. Our big routine as you can tell: eating and doing our genealogy, at least when we can stop laughing and being silly together long enough to actually accomplish other things. Girl #1 has asked for my help on a Christmas project she has in mind so we will also make time for a little crafting. It will be a nice break, but with a genealogy/family theme, we won't be far away from our true passion of research. Is there anything more exciting than that for two Grannies to do! A trip to the office supply store and visiting with my niece and great niece will round out the trip. It will be a fast trip of three days but we can cram a lot of precious work into that short time. It is so great to have a research partner and sister-in-law to have fun with. (She has a birthday next week too so I will have a small gift in tow, maybe it will be a surprise-new car,a trip, or new puppy?).

No sooner than when I get back home and Go Hubby and I will be having company here in Alliance. Can you guess who? You Go Genealogy Girl #1 will be headed to my house for this visit. We will then finish up all the projects that we do not manage to complete while I visit her house. While she is here with me, we will also make a jaunt to the cemetery to pay respects to our loved ones, visit her sister who lives in Gering, Nebraska in a nursing home, and hopefully even squeeze in a short trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming to do some research there. Winter is setting in, so the "Girls" are ending the season in style. Busy, Busy...and on the go as we surely do burn up the pavement whenever we get the chance!

You Go Girl #2, Cheri