Sharing

I want to preface this post by saying I don't make a living performing genealogy research for others, and I don't claim expertise in a particular area of research or technology (although I like to consider myself pretty tech-savvy).  I'm a long-time hobbyist, plain and simple, which probably colors my remarks a little.  

I've seen a lot of Facebook posts and blog entries regarding "sharing."  I'm using that term to cover a lot of scenarios:  you connected with a long-lost cousin who wants your research; you post your tree on a website such as ancestry.com; abstracts that you may have done of original records; etc.  Personally, I am willing to share any piece of information I've been fortunate enough to dig up.  Along the way, I've run into a lot of very nice people who are of the same mind-set:  pay it forward.  I've had cousins send me packets of photographs and copies of original records they dug up through research trips.  I've had perfect strangers take cemetery photographs for me.  I was in contact with the widow of a man my mother corresponded with back in the 1970's, and she graciously sent me a copy of a book he had written.  I've sent letters to small genealogy libraries and had volunteers make copies of obituaries from old newspapers.  I've tried to return the favors, in small part, by volunteering through the Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness website.

I'm not saying that people who make their living from genealogy should give away their time and fruits of their labor for free.  My point is that if you post information on one of the many websites such as ancestry.com, don't be surprised if someone lifts your research.  Also, remember when others have offered you some small act of genealogical kindness, and try to do the same by paying it forward.

Saturday Field Trip to the National Archives

I had a lovely time this past Saturday with four ladies from the DAR chapter (Prairie Rose - Overland Park, KS) I will be joining in November.  Even though I'm not formally a member, they have graciously invited me to chapter functions, including a field trip to the National Archives in Kansas City.  While there, we attended a seminar on land records research, a subject which can be confusing (at least for me it is!).  

If you live near a National Archives facility, I  highly recommend their free genealogy seminars, as there is something for everyone no matter what research level you are, or what your interests might be!  Topics in July and August included:  Navigating the National Archives Website, Researching African-American Genealogy,  Using Federal Census Records to Find Your Ancestors, Finding Your Family in Federal Court, Ship Passenger Arrival Lists, and Bureau of Indian Affairs Records, to name a few.  On October 6, they are hosting a free day-long Fall Genealogy Symposium, with an in-depth look at records available at the federal level.

At the land records seminar, I did learn that for every land transfer from the government to an individual, a "land case file" was created.  Depending on the time period and the changing government regulations, the land case file could contain a lot of useful genealogical information.  The files exist for land claims that were both approved, and those that may have been cancelled for some reason.  As my great great great grandfather John Gannan (for whom this blog is named) held a land patent in Harrison County, Missouri, in 1855, I was able to order a land case file for his patent.  I'm excited to see what the file might contain, as Grandpa John is one of my longer-term brick walls.

Thanks again to the ladies of the Prairie Rose DAR Chapter for allowing me to tag along on your field trip!

Birthdays

My birthday is coming up, which always make me nostalgic for the "good old days" when parents and grandparents made a big deal out of your birthday.  My grandmother would always bake me one of my two favorite cakes, strawberry or angel food (not from a box mix), frosted with that sugary/gritty 7 Minute Frosting which is still my favorite to this day.

I thought I'd share a few of my birthday party snaps.  Don't laugh, you know you have these same photos.

My favorite, taken with my Grandpa Robertson:

I wish I was this skinny again:

You can see the theme here:  the decorations are those crunchy sugar things you get at the store:

I think I was trying to look sweet so I would get more presents:

Same year, with my Uncle Charlie sneaking into the picture:

Birthdays don't have the same glow any more, but it's fun to pull out the old photos and remember.

Uncommon Names

I've been adding cousins to my master database, in the hope I'll make more connections through Ancestry.  One of the things I've noticed is how many uncommon names there are.  Some of my favorite ancestor first names are:

America
Missouri
Desire
Hope
Pleasant
Blondena
Prudence
Experience
Temperance
Emilie (seems like a very French spelling of Emily)

A few of the more "out there" names I ran across are Zilphi, Euphrates, and Glaphney.

I love what I'll call the old-timey names:  Atheline, Purnetta, Minerva, Opal, Lulu, Abner, Beulah, Ida, Malvina, Thursa Ann, Essie, Lida Mae, Lessarah, Flossie, Daisy, and Rosetta.

I'd love to hear what your most unusual ancestor name is!

Hello, Cousin Mike!

I received a lovely email yesterday from a long-lost cousin in California.   His mother and my grandmother were sisters.  Both have passed away, and our families unfortunately lost touch, as often happens.  Mike found me through this blog while searching for another sister of his mother and my grandmother.  Unfortunately, Aunt Helen had also passed away, but as luck would have it, I had posted a short blog entry about her on the one year anniversary of her death last year.  Mike was in town several years ago for his mother's funeral, but we didn't have time to exchange addresses and phone numbers.  I was thrilled to hear from him, and hope we can keep the connection alive!

Oh, and Mike and his family are part of the group peaking out from the top on my background picture on my main blog screen.     

I Love Volunteers!

A lovely volunteer genealogist for the Macoupin County (Illinois) Historical Society was kind enough to make a copy of an obituary I have been trying to track down for many years. Many thanks to Libby Klocke for her generosity.

The ancestor in question was Almira Baxter Allard, my husband's great-great-great grandmother. She was born in Massachusetts in 1803, a descendent of Mayflower immigrants. Below is her obituary in its entirety, transcribed here for others who might also be searching for information on Almira.

 [Obituary was published in the Carlinville (Illinois) Democrat, February 15, 1883.]

Died, at the residence of Mr. James K. Furber, her son-in-law, in this city, Sunday, Feb. 4, 1883, after a lingering illness of thirty-five days, Mrs. Almira Allard, aged 79 years, 4 months and 15 days. Mother Allard was born in Barnstable, Mass., Sept. 19, 1803, and her maiden name was Baxter. In 1821 or 1822 she was converted and united with the Baptist church at Providence, R.I., and shortly after was married to Ezekiel Wilbur, who died in 1826. She afterward married Lyman Allard, with whom she lived until his death in 1848. She was the mother of nine children, of whom four survive her - Mrs. Thomas J. VanDorn, of Bunker Hill; Mrs. William Hauck, of Red Wood, Minn., and Mrs. Henry Tappan and Mrs. J.K. Furber, of Carlinville, and the grandmother of thirty-three grandchildren, of whom, besides those of the above mentioned parents, who survive her are the children of Mrs. Charles Bellmer, of whom are Charles H., William E., Harry D. and Ida J. Bellmer, all of whom reside in this city, and Douglas Bellmer, who resides in Springfield, Ill, and Frank W. Bellmer, of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mother Allard was the great-grandmother of nine children, three of whom are the children of Frank W. Bellmer of Cincinnati, Ohio; two the children of Mrs. Tonny Cleveland (nee VanDorn), now deceased; two the children of Mrs. Ed Ellet (nee VanDorn), of Eldorado, Kan., and one the child of William Bellmer of this city. Mother Allard came to Illinois in 1838 and her home has been in this county ever since, most of the time in the southern part, where she was well and favorably known. She was a consistent and devoted member of the Baptist Church for sixty-two years, and during all these more than three score years she has been a living exampler of the power of the Gospel of Christ in her life, in her death, in her all. She realized that her salvation was a present salvation. Her devotion to the church of her choice was untiring and unwavering. So long as her physical health permitted, she attended the prayer-meeting and was able and willing to give a reason for the hope she entertained of eternal life and blessedness at the right hand of the Father. Often has the writer of this sketch heard her earnest exhortations of the membership of the church to be earnest, zealous, and faithful in the discharge of duty. Nothing grieved her so much as the, at least apparent, want of spiritual life among the members, and nothing cheered and comforted her more than to see the development of spiritual life in her brethren and sisters. Never demonstrative, but always peaceful, during her last illness the hope she had so long cherished still sustained her. By faith she realized the fact that a mansion was prepared for her, and a crown of life and unfading glory awaited her. Wearied with the aches and pains of this life, with patience she looked forward to that rest that remains for the people of God, and like the Psalmist she could say: "As for me, I shall behold Thy face in the righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Thy likeness." "Oh, happy saint, she dwells in light, And Walks with Jesus, clothed in white; Safe landed on that peaceful shore Where pilgrims meet to part no more."

Old School vs. High Tech Genealogy Research

I recently joined the Facebook group "Technology for Genealogy," partly because I love to talk about geeky technology stuff, but mostly because I am interested in how new (and existing) technology is being used by the genealogy community. There have been some very interesting discussion topics posted, including cloud computing, genealogy programs, scanners, photo editing, Google Earth, Google Fiber, capturing digital images using a camera, and pay-for-use genealogy websites. The responses have provided me with a lot of great ideas, so I highly encourage you to join the group and get in on the discussions! As genealogy research becomes more and more digital, I often think about my mom's efforts back in the late 1950's through the early 1970's, when everything was "old school." I have a suitcase full of letters she wrote to older living relatives, people she thought might be related, and countless courthouses or genealogy societies, looking for any clue or document she might uncover. She never had a computer, never had a genealogy program to track her information or create a research plan. Tracking and documenting was done on rolls of butcher paper and in spiral notebooks. Her correspondence and documentation are incredibly precious to me, especially because they reinforce for me the value of good old fashioned research. She and my grandfather were able to obtain a lot of family history information, which I've used as the basis for my own research over the past 10 years. I'm sure my mom and grandfather would be amazed at all the information now available at our fingertips, and I'm sorry they aren't here to see the advances that have been made. On a completely different topic, my DAR application has been approved! It's been a long time goal of mine to make the genealogical connection back to a Revolutionary War patriot, and with the help of Cathy Lawrenz of the Prairie Rose DAR chapter in Overland Park, KS, I was able to submit my application. I'm very excited to become part of such a great patriotic organization.