Category: Genealogy

Genealogy

Facebook Groups for Genealogy

Becky

Last weekend I learned just how helpful Facebook groups can be for your genealogical journey.

As I was “fleshing” out a branch of my tree (it’s my great-great aunt on my dad’s paternal side) I was hoping I could find more information about her father and in turn his father (as they are my direct line).

While searching on Find a Grave, I stumbled upon a grave listed in Hopewell Cemetery (Hopewell, Bedford County, Pennsylvania) where Phoebe Blair Edmonson is buried (she’s the great-great aunt in question), and the girl’s name was Phoebe Thelma Edmonson. I clicked on her name and it said she was the daughter of my great-great aunt and her husband, James Edmonson. It turns out she was born in 1905 and passed away in 1906.  Immediately I went to Ancestry and found her death certificate stating she died from broncho-pneumonia.

As I clicked on other names I came across a 3-year old boy, Marshall James Edmonson that once again stated he was the son of James and Phoebe Edmonson.

I was lucky with Phoebe Thelma as 1906 is the first year Pennsylvania required birth and death certificates. But Marshall was born in 1896 and passed away in 1899 – was there any record of his death?

I decided to go to a Facebook group I’d joined last Fall to find out.

The group is called “Old Bedford County PA Genealogy (Includes Huntingdon, Fulton, & Blair Co)”.  Here was the question I asked:

FB Post 17Mar2019

I was super lucky – within an hour I received various suggestions where to look. Someone asked for more information which is when I gave Marshall’s name, birth and death dates, and his parent’s names.  Turns out Marshall was found in a register that the county kept.  It wasn’t mandatory to report the deaths, but Marshall’s was.  The book was called “Register of Deaths 1894-1906 Vol 2, D-G by James Boor” and it had the following information listed:

Marshall

I was so thankful for this man having this book on hand and answering this question.  Within 12 hours of my post, I had received an answer.

I have found that many of the genealogy groups on Facebook have some of the kindest people in it.  They stop what they are doing and go out of their way to help you find what you are looking for and to me, it’s one of the greatest parts of genealogy.

So if you are a member of Facebook, fill in the search box with “genealogy” and see what you can find. I’m sure there is a group for the area of the world your ancestor lived or just an overall group that will help you with your search.

Good luck searching!

Genealogy

Scrapbooking

Becky

“Scrapbooking is a method of preserving, presenting, and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box or card” – Wikipedia.

 

For a few years, I was really into scrapbooking. My aunt introduced me to it one weekend when she set up a bunch of tables in her attic and had several friends and family over for a “crop”.

Never having done this before I grabbed the set my mom had ordered me off QVC and headed over with some photos (not really sure why we had these on hand, I am guessing it was something that had crossed our minds – and my mom could not resist a “Today’s Special Value”  to save her soul).

I was hooked after one time. I got up the next morning and went to the store to purchase key tools that I would need and convinced my husband it was going to be a good investment (I still have and use these items). The photos I chose were my honeymoon pictures. I figured a week’s worth of memories from Busch Gardens (Williamsburg), Myrtle Beach, and Savannah would be enough to keep me occupied for an evening,.

I had so much fun creating the pages, bringing those moments to life in a fun, whimsical way – including journaling – that allows my kids to know what was happening the first week of June in 2003 with their crazy parents.

On the next crop, I convinced my mom to go and she did the same as I did, she chose photos from a specific event (I think it was the 30th-anniversary party I threw for her and my dad) and used her set to begin her own creative journey.

My mom ended up taking her scrapbooking to a much higher level than me. She learned new techniques by taking classes from a variety of experts in the field that she discovered online. She also tried her hand at digi-scrapping which is when everything is done on the computer. She loved all sorts of concepts and took different challenges about herself, the past, everything (though her favorite topics were my kids, her only grandchildren).

My mother completed a number of layouts that pertained to genealogy/family history.  A few are posted below but more of her work can be seen on her website at Gramma’s Happy Place (she passed in late May 2018 so I have no idea how long it will stay up).

Scrapbooks have been around for a long time, not so much as their modern renditions,  but often included with photos were mementos that went along with an event – ticket stubs, hair, flowers, booklets, brochures, coins – all sorts of ephemera. These keepsakes are wonderful ways for us to learn more about our ancestors, assuming we are lucky enough to find such treasures.

My goal as I go along on my genealogical journey is to begin scrapbooking again (I’ve been blessed with all my mom’s supplies, I technically shouldn’t have to purchase anything other than glue/adhesive for years).

Do you scrapbook? Share some of your favorite pages below, it’s always a treat to see what people at their creative best.

Genealogy

A Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy: FamilySearch

Becky

If I were to begin my genealogy search again I would hope to start exactly how I did 2.5 years ago, by signing up for FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Screen Shot

Why FamilySearch?

First and foremost, it’s free!  When you have no idea how committed you are going to be for a project, free is one of the best words you can hear. And though the one huge all-encompassing tree on FamilySearch can be both pro and con, the millions of records it provides is outstanding.

One Tree: The Positives

When you are new and you put in a name and find it already on the FamilySearch tree, it’s exciting. You attach it and sometimes a whole new world is open up for you.  Even if you are unable to verify all the people right away when you are starting out, it’s EXCITING to see names that could be your relatives.

Another plus of one big tree is that if you’re stuck, it can give you a clue about who to look for in your next tier of ancestors.  We all hit that brick wall in our research, but it’s nice to get a hint of who to look for next.

Other perks of the one big tree include research that isn’t duplicated, and that a person’s research lives on after they pass.

One Tree: The Negatives

I have had my own negative experience with the “one tree”.  Someone put their relative in the middle of my family tree and I was amazed at how upset I became.  Every day when I logged into FamilySearch, there he would be, staring back at me, Andrew Sloan Blair (he really did as someone posted a photo of him that would come up on my homepage).  But Andrew wasn’t my relative, my relative is Andrew Jackson Blair who was born about 2 years before or after him (funny how this part I’ve forgotten), and I seriously doubted that my Great-Great-Grandmother, Susan Jane Foster named two of her sons Andrew in two years time.  So I was nice, I contacted the person who had inserted him onto my branch of the family tree, I even did a little research and told them who his father and mother were so the appropriate changes could be made.  They were thankful and told me it would be corrected.  A year later he was still there, so finally I deleted him from my portion of the big tree and attached him to who I had recommended the previous year.

So in not so many words, sometimes the one big tree is not the most reliable when it comes to information.  For every person who spends a great deal of time getting all their I’s dotted and T’s crossed to make sure they have the facts and nothing but the facts, you have someone who just attaches their person to whomever.

Another drawback is that people can change your correct information and replace it with something incorrect. One way to keep up with this is to put a watch on your people so that whenever anyone makes a change you are notified (there is a little star on each person to implement this feature).

Why I Like FamilySearch

No online software is going to be perfect.  Whether you use FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Ancestry, or FindMyPast (I’m sure there are some I am unaware of at this time), each of them has flaws.

FamilySearch is a non-profit organization sponsored by the Church of Latter Day Saints because they believe that family can be together in the after-life, so completing one’s genealogy is very important to the Mormons (more people to meet with when you pass on), which is why censuses, birth, and death records are posted on FamilySearch for free.

If you’re a beginner and you are just looking for basic information on a specific relative, like your grandparent, go to the search page.  By filling in the blanks with the first and last name, a state, a year (I love how with FamilySearch you can control the years you search between instead of +/- on so many of the others) and you are more than likely to get a hit (assuming the person is deceased, FamilySearch does not provide information for those who are still alive).

FamilySearch Search Screen Shot

Once you get more proficient you can start using the bottom right where it states “Find a Collection” and browse all their published collections.  Many files have not been indexed yet, so you can still find the information that has been digitized, but you have a dig a little more to find what you are looking for.

I have used most of the online genealogy sites at one time or another because I will often go to my library and utilize them for free.  If you are seeking a specific record, go to the FamilySearch Wiki and it will tell you where to find the information – even if the best place is a different site.

FamilySearch Screen Shot of Wiki

FamilySearch Wiki Screen Shot

For beginning your genealogical journey, FamilySearch is a great place to start.  You do have to sign up for a free account but it’s well worth it.  I don’t receive very many emails, and when I do it’s “here’s what’s new” which is nice if something added is what you are researching.

Some files (I don’t think I’ve come across any yet) can’t be opened unless you are at a Family History Center or a satellite location (often your library would be a branch).

The website also has a Help Center that can provide you with free tutorials to aid you in your genealogical adventure.

FamilySearch Help Center Screen Shot

I hope my brief overview of FamilySearch has helped you (I’m sure I could do a specific part of FamilySearch once a week for weeks).  It’s just one of many valuable tools you can use to find your ancestors. Genealogy is such a great and rewarding hobby, and with each discovered ancestor a piece of your own personal puzzle is found.