• 1 October 2011, 1:00pm EDT, Remembering the Ladies: Researching Your Female Ancestors (FREE)
• 1 October 2011, 11:00am CDT, Determining Your Own Migration Trail ($17 for 4 webinars)
• 2 October 2011, 3:00pm CDT, Barbara’s Beaus and Gesche’s Girls ($17 for 4 webinars)
• 3 October 2011, 9:00pm EDT, Type it ONCE DearMYRTLE Workshop Webinar (FREE)
• 4 October 2011, 7:00pm EDT, Creating a Shareable CD with RootsMagic (FREE)
• 10 October 2011, 7:00pm EDT, The Five Civilized Tribes
• 13 October 2011, 1:00pm EDT, Start Writing Your Life Stories (FREE)
• 15 October 2011, 4:00pm EDT, FamilyInsight: Overview (FREE)
• 16 October 2011, 5:00pm CDT, An Introduction to Land Records: Federal Land States ($17 for 4 webinars)
• 19 October 2011, 9:00pm EDT, “Yes You Can! Do Genealogy in Spite of a Learning Disability” (FREE)
• 19 October 2011, 9:00pm EDT, Obituaries (FREE)
• 19 October 2011, 2:00pm EDT, “Ah hold your whisht and tell me the true story”: Uncovering your Irish Family History (FREE)
• 21 October 2011, 1:00pm CDT, Pig Blood in the Snow—Court Records ($17 for 4 webinars)
• 26 October 2011, 2:00pm EDT, Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation (FREE)
• 26 October 2011, 1:00pm EDT, Be a Family History Detective: Secrets to Starting Your Genealogy (FREE)

To get the most up-to-date listing on genealogy webinars, subscribe to DearMYRTLE’s google calendar: GeneaWebinars

I ran across this meme on Tonia’s Roots.  This version originated from Valerie Elkins at Family Cherished.  I thought that it would be a good light-hearted way to begin blogging again after my incredibly long hiatus.

Things you have already done or found – bold type
Things you would like to do or find – italics
Things you have not done or found /don’t care to – (or that I know hasn’t happened in my family).

1. Belong to a genealogical society
2. Joined a group on Genealogy Wise.
3. Transcribed records.
4. Uploaded headstone pictures to Find-A-Grave or a similar site (Flickr).
5. Documented ancestors for four generations (self, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents)
6. Joined Facebook.
7. Cleaned up a run-down cemetery.
8. Joined the Genea-Bloggers Group.
9. Attended a genealogy conference.
10. Lectured at a genealogy conference.
11. Spoke on a genealogy topic at a local genealogy society/local library’s family history group.
12. Joined the National Genealogical Society.
13. Contributed to a genealogy society publication.
14. Served on the board or as an officer of a genealogy society.
15. Got lost on the way to a cemetery. (Doesn’t everyone?!)
16. Talked to dead ancestors. (Specifically Mr. O.C. McAfee, you dirty scoundrel you!)
17. Researched outside the state in which I live.
18. Knocked on the door of an ancestral home and visited with the current occupants. (OK, I didn’t… but my DH did.  Does that count? I was in the car!)
19. Cold called a distant relative.
20. Posted messages on a surname message board.
21. Uploaded a gedcom file to the internet.
22. Googled my name.
23. Performed a random act of genealogical kindness.
24. Researched a non-related family, just for the fun of it.
25. Have been paid to do genealogical research.
26. Earn a living (majority of income) from genealogical research.
27. Wrote a letter (or email) to a previously unknown relative.
28. Contributed to one of the genealogy carnivals.
29. Responded to messages on a message board.
30. Was injured while on a genealogy excursion.
31. Participated in a genealogy meme.
32. Created family history gift items.
33. Performed a record lookup.
34. Took a genealogy seminar cruise. (Cruises just simply aren’t on ANY of my bucket lists.)
35. Am convinced that a relative must have arrived here from outer space.
36. Found a disturbing family secret. (Hoping that I never uncover one…)
37. Told others about a disturbing family secret. (Mr. O.C. McAfee… many are more disturbed about your antics than I am.)
38. Combined genealogy with crafts (family picture quilt, scrapbooking). (Me = NOT crafty)
39. Think genealogy is a passion obsession not a hobby.
40. Assisted finding next of kin for a deceased person.
41. Taught someone else how to find their roots.
42. Lost valuable genealogy data due to a computer crash or hard drive failure. (Knock on wood!!)
43. Been overwhelmed by available genealogy technology.
44. Know a cousin of the 4th degree or higher. (Maybe I already do………)
45. Disproved a family myth through research.
46. Got a family member to let you copy photos.
47. Used a digital camera to “copy” photos or records.
48. Translated a record from a foreign language.
49. Found an immigrant ancestor’s passenger arrival record.
50. Looked at census records on microfilm, not on the computer. (This is how I started with genealogy… long long ago.)
51. Used microfiche.
52. Visited the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
53. Used Google+ for genealogy. (I think I’m using it…. haven’t really gotten into it much)
54. Visited a church or place of worship of one of your ancestors.
55. Taught a class in genealogy.
56. Traced ancestors back to the 18th Century.
57. Traced ancestors back to the 17th Century.
58. Traced ancestors back to the 16th Century.
59. Can name all of your great-great-grandparents.
60. Know how to determine a soundex code without the help of a computer. (It’s safe to say that this is one of those skills like Calculus.  I used to know how to do it, but because stuff does it for me, I’ve filed that away in a useless knowledge bin so I could save more room for Mr. O.C. McAfee’s antics.)
61. Have found many relevant and unexpected articles on internet to “put flesh on the bones”. (I don’t exactly know what this means……..)
62. Own a copy of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills.
63. Helped someone find an ancestor using records you had never used for your own research.
64. Visited the main National Archives building in Washington, DC.
65. Have an ancestor who came to America as an indentured servant. (I don’t know this for sure, but I’d say it’s likely.)
66. Have an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812 or Civil War.
67. Taken a photograph of an ancestor’s tombstone.
68. Can “read” a church record in Latin.
69. Have an ancestor who changed his/her name. (Oh, O.C. McAfee… or A.C.  Which one are you today?)
70. Joined a Rootsweb mailing list.
71. Created a family website.
72. Have a genealogy blog.
73. Was overwhelmed by the amount of family information received from someone. (Does the North Carolina State Archives count as “someone”?)
74. Have broken through at least one brick wall.
75. Done genealogy research at a court house. (Ooo. My favorite!)
76. Borrowed microfilm from the Family History Library through a local Family History Center(s).
77. Found an ancestor in an online newspaper archive.
78. Have visited a NARA branch.
79. Have an ancestor who served in WWI or WWII.
80. Use maps in my genealogy research.
81. Have a blacksheep ancestor. (O.C. McAfee…. have you any wool?)
82. Found a bigamist amongst my ancestors. (Maybe I should just write this post about O.C. McAfee……..)
83. Attended a genealogical institute.
84. Taken online genealogy (and local history) courses.
85. Consistently (document) and cite my sources.
86. Visited a foreign country (i.e. one I don’t live in) in search of ancestors.
87. Can locate any document in my research files within a few minutes. (Probably….)
88. Have an ancestor who was married four times. (Maybe???)
89. Made a rubbing of an ancestor’s gravestone.
90. Followed genealogists on Twitter. Follow me @MyNeChimKiGS
91. Published a family history book.
92. Learned of a death of a fairly close family relative through research.
93. Offended a family member with my research. (Not yet…..)
94. Reunited someone with precious family photos or artifacts.
95. Have a paid subscription to a genealogy database.
96. Submitted articles for FamilySearch Wiki.
97. Organized a family reunion. (Don’t know that I want that responsibility….)
98. Used Archives in countries where my ancestors originated.
99. Converted someone new to the love of all things genealogy.

If you’re a RootsMagic user or fan here are some great webinars that they’re offering for the month of April.  They’re FREE to anyone, no need to be a registered user of their product!  Check these out:

• April 13, 4:00pm to 5:30pm EDT – Places and Mapping in RootsMagic
  Wherever you go, there you are!  Places and geography are an integral part of our lives and the lives of our ancestors.  Join us for a look at the many tools in RootsMagic which help you accurately record the places in your family history, clean and standardize names, and even view them on a map!

• April 19, 7:00pm – 8:30pm EDT – Ask the RootsMagician!
  This is your chance to ask your questions and get the answers straight from the source!  Bruce Buzbee, the author of RootsMagic will be answering your questions about the software in this special, open-topic webinar.

• April 28, 8:00pm – 9:30pm EDT – Google Search Tips and Tricks
  Frustrated by thousands of irrelevant search results in your recent Google searches for your family history? Do you want to achieve better results in a shorter amount of time?  Learn the art of online search with Google expert and genealogy podcaster Lisa Louise Cooke, author of the new book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox. In this webinar you will expand your Google search repertoire and learn techniques, tricks and tips to achieve better genealogical search results.

This month has some great topics, including a whole series on “genetology” (or genetic genealogy).  Also, the Jamboree Extension Series is continuing and offering some great free topics to those who are unable to attend live Jamborees!

• April 2, 2011, 2:30pm EDT – Jamboree Extension Series: “Looking After the Poor: Finding Your Ancestors in New England Poverty Records” (FREE)
• April 3, 2011 – Genetic Genealogy for Beginners: DNA is the “Gene” in Genealogy! 1:00pm EDT or 8:00pm EDT (FREE)
• April 5, 2011, 8:00pm EDT – Newspapers: Bring Your Ancestors to Life (FREE)
• April 5, 2011 – Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results Part 1: Y-DNA($10.00)
• April 6, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – Building a Research Toolbox (FREE)
• April 6, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – Life in Civil War America (FREE)
• April 13, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – DearMYRTLE’s Labeling Digital Photos Workshop Webinar (FREE)
• April 19, 2011, 9:00pm EDT - FamilyInsight for Beginners (FREE)
• April 20, 2011, 9:00pm EDT – Jamboree Extension Series: “Get the Scoop on your Ancestors from Old Newspapers” (FREE)
• April 20, 2011, 7:00pm EDT - South Carolina Genealogy Crash Course: Find Your Palmetto State Ancestors Live Webinar
• April 21, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – Dropbox for Genealogists (FREE)
• April 26, 2011 – Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results Part 2: mtDNA ($10.00)
• April 27, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – DearMYRTLE’s Ancestry Trees Workshop Webinar (FREE)
• April 28, 2011 – Genetic Genealogy Demystified: Reading and Understanding Your Family Tree DNA Results Part 3: Family Finder ($10.00)

To get the most up-to-date listing on genealogy webinars, subscribe to DearMYRTLE’s google calendar: GeneaWebinars

Webinars are being more and more popular among genealogists!  Technology is certainly catching up with our profession.  Check out these webinars for the month of March:

• March 9, 2011, 1:00pm EST – First Steps #3: Now What?  How to Use Your Discoveries to Make Your Next Big Find given by Ancestry.com (FREE)
• March 16, 2011, 1:00pm EDT – Adding and Editing Information in RootsMagic given by RootsMagic (FREE)
• March 16, 2011, 7:00pm EDT – Ohio Genealogy Crash Course: Find Your Buckeye State Ancestors given by Family Tree University ($39.99)
• March 16, 2011, 8:00pm EDT – Finding Your Irish Ancestors in America … and Ireland given by Ancestry.com (FREE)
• March 23, 2011, 2:00pm EDT – Backing Up Your Genealogy Data given by Legacy Family Tree Webinars (FREE)
• March 24, 2011, 7:00pm EDT – Lists and Reports in RootsMagic given by RootsMagic (FREE)
• March 30, 2011, 4:00pm EDT – Writing Your Personal History (and Living to Tell About it) given by RootsMagic (FREE)

It’s a new year, a new decade and time for new resolutions!  Last year I didn’t fare very well in achieving them, however, I think that it is important to have goals so I’m going to test the waters again this year!  Perhaps some of my readers will check in on me and help keep me honest throughout the year.

Personal Family History

1. Until very recently my personal family history has been driven primarily by application to lineage societies.  While this has taught me a great deal about research, proofs, citation, and some about my family, I think it’s high time I start doing some “real” research just for the sake of knowing more about my family.  No longer should it matter if the lineage terminates in a Revolutionary War Patriot, a Jamestown ancestor, or a Colonial era land-holder.  Nope… I’m going back to doing research just for the sake of doing research!
2. I desperately need to get all of my “To Dos” in one place.  Right now there are a smattering of them in just about every genealogical program I use, in every productivity software I use, and on Post-Its, napkins, and scraps.  The terminus of this information will be my RootsMagic database, as I believe that it is the cleanest database I currently use and I really like the “To Do” functionality and reports that it is able to generate.

Professional / Educational Advancement

1. Modeled after Tonia’s Roots, I’d like to start featuring a montly Genealogical “to do” list.  I think that this will help keep me on task and honest with some of my more lofty goals.  If I’m able to break them down into smaller bites it might not look so bleak when I review my list.  These to-dos will also get integrated into my personal productivity system so that I’m better able to keep up with them.
2. I would like to begin taking on a light client load starting in early 2011.  Some of this is dependent on factors that I can not yet predict, so I will leave it open to actually taking on clients or preparing the business further to take on clients at the earliest possible date.
3. Complete my ProGen Study Group in March 2011.  I’m to what I like to think of as the “point of no return.”  Because at the end of December I’ll be more than 15 months into the 18 month program there’s quite a lot of guilt to hang over my head if I want to quit.  I anticipate if there is one thing that I do in 2011 it will be finish ProGen.
4. Once ProGen is complete I would like to start some other classes to keep going with continuing education.  It remains to be seen whether or not those classes will be the NGS Home Study Course that I’ve failed to start ever since I ordered CD #1, some classes through Family Tree University, or the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.
5. I have said for 3 years running that I will actually go to NIGR.  This has got to be my year!  I’m hoping that nothing gets in my way this year.  I almost feel like there’s no excuse because it’s so close and it’s so easy to just ride the MARC train into Washington, DC from my house.  This year… me & NIGR have a date.  I promise.
6. Join the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.  From glancing at their website they have amazing resources on conservation of family heirlooms and other genealogical goodies.  Consultation and possibly light conservation work is something that I would like to offer my clients in the future.

Last year I posted my 2010 Genealogical Resolutions as part of the 87th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

Geneabloggers.com and Amy at WeTree have done it again! This year they’re bringing us 52 weeks of genealogy challenges to blog about. As Amy said in her kick-off post, this year is meant to stretch our brains, work our skills, and build us into top notch researchers! She goes on to say:

The goal is to get genealogists to stretch their brains a bit. Beginning researchers will discover some new resources. You are encouraged to push buttons, click links and study all corners of the web sites. Some of you will be familiar with all of the tools used in the challenges. If that’s the case, approach them from a different angle. Don’t use them to search your ancestors, experiment with other ideas and explore the different ways the tool can be used.

This week’s challenge: Your Personal Genealogy Library. Examine different online tools for cataloging your personal genealogy library and keeping track of the books you read. LibraryThing is a site where you can catalog and tag the books in your own personal library. It is a great tool for keeping track of the genealogy books you have. You can ever create tags for books you want to purchase. Good Reads and Shelfari are web sites that help you keep track of books you have read. All three of these sites have social networking components. Your challenge this week is to browse these sites and see how genealogists use them. Bloggers, do you use any of these tools? How do you organize your own personal genealogy library?

Apologies for this edition of 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy for coming out late.  I was much more concerned about finishing my research and post on Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories: Christmas Tree Ornaments

Library on the Social Web

Like many things that have gone viral, sites for readers to social network have been popping up everywhere!  I have a profile on both GoodReads and Shelfari, and I keep a running list of the books that I need to review for research on WorldCat.  I find that I keep up fairly regularly with GoodReads, but I haven’t imported the new books that I’ve acquired.  I use it more for tracking what I’ve read throughout the year.  I’ve completely let my Shelfari account go; I should really just delete it all together.  WorldCat is my only tool that I use to keep track of what books I still need to research; I use this one fairly regularly and I like how it integrates into their search system.  But I must confess that my main library tool isn’t an online site.

Bookpedia

Bookpedia by Bruji is a fantastic, robust library cataloging program for the Mac.  I’ve been using it for several years now, and I like how easy that they’ve made it to import new books into your catalog.  With an internet connection and at least an iSight camera, you can import books into the catalog by scanning the ISBN number.  This fail-safe way ensures that you’re selecting the exact edition that you’ve purchased!  You can add on to your system by purchasing a small hand held barcode scanner, but it’s not necessary.

In addition to being able to import books there are a number of features that make it incredibly useful:

• Customizable HTML exports (and exports in a variety of different formats, even exporting to some of the online lists mentioned above)
• Tracking for book loaning that’s integrated with your address book, complete with due dates!
• Create customized folders for better organization
• Smart collections for creating “shelves” automatically based on the specifications that you design

In my catalog I’ve created a separate folder to quickly identify all of my genealogical titles, and further designated different shelves for future purchases, Books, and Magazines & Periodicals.  I’ve been terrible about exporting my collection to keep up with GoodReads, but I have successfully done it in the past and it was a breeze.  The details window for each book allows for further customization.  It would be possible to tag each book with key surnames or other important research notes to be able to find them at a moment’s notice!

What’s better is that by storing the Bookpedia repository in my DropBox I’m able to share the same catalog on all my computers!  It’s not necessary for me to worry about whether the catalogs are synced properly or if they’re missing information.

Welcome to MyNeChimKi’s Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories! Thanks to Geneabloggers for developing these fantastic prompts for some holiday spirited blogging. Over the next month we’ll be blogging about some of our fondest Christmas memories.

Today’s topic: Christmas Tree Ornaments: The Pickle

Some time after we moved to Leesburg, my mother and I stumbled across a tiny little German glass ornament of a pickle.  It likely measurs somewhere around an inch and a half.  It originally caught our eye because our family tree is filled with crazy ornaments like vultures, bunches of grapes, scandelous Adam and Eve and other oddities.  However, along with the tiny little pickle ornament came an little card that told the story of the Christmas pickle.

A very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.^[1]

My father’s family has German heritage so we decided that we would pick up this “tradition” and make it our own.  Each Christmas Eve we would take turns hiding the pickle inside our tree and the finder would receive a special “pickle gift.”  Friends, family, and neighbors alike all played our little game and have enjoyed this special little adventure each year.

However, it wasn’t until several years ago that I began doing some more research into the origins of the pickle tradition.  As it turns out, the ornament’s legend is shrouded in mystery and likely more of a myth than a legend.  Many have looked into the origins of the pickle tradition in Germany and have always come up empty handed.  It appears that no one is familiar with this tradition in the Old World!  This has lead to the hypothesis that the tradition is something of a German-American tradition.

Some claim that the tradition was formed around the time of the Civil War, originating from a young private born in Bavaria by the name of John Lower (sometimes seen as Hans/John Lauer) who had been captured at Plymouth, North Carolina in April of 1864.  He was later taken to Andersonville, Georgia as a POW.  This legend recounts that Lower was in poor health and starving at Andersonville.  He felt sure that he was soon to die and begged a guard for a single pickle to satisfy his hunger before he died.  The guard took pity on him and granted his request.  Lower told his family that the single pickle must have been graced by God because it gave him the mental and physical strength to stay alive.  After being released and reunited with his family he began the tradition of hiding a pickle in the family Christmas tree, the finder being blessed with good fortune and health for the coming year.^[2]

It’s unlikely that anyone will ever be able to prove this family lore.  However, there certainly was a John Lower who was a Private in Company H of the 103rd Pennsylvania Volunteers.^[3] He was captured at Plymouth, North Carolina and transferred to Andersonville, Georgia and later to Charleston, South Carolina to be released on 10 December 1864.^[4] Company H of the 103rd Pennsylvania Volunteers was recruited from Clarion County, Pennsylvania.  In the 1860 U. S. Census from Clarion County we find a young 18-year-old John Lowery from Bavaria.^[5]  He’s living with his parents George and Othella Lowery and five other siblings (the last three are indicated as being born in Pennsylvania).  Based on the ages of the three youngest children, it is likely that the family immigrated the United States some time between 1848 and 1852.

We find John Lowers, 29, enumerated in the 1870 U. S. Census in Knox Township, Clarion County, Pennsylvania married to Frances with two young children and a man named, George Bindospher (his occupation is blank).^[6] One household above John and Frances is the household of George Lowers (55). George’s wife is listed as Priscilla (55) and they have two children Mary (15) and William (13).^[7]  Mary and William’s ages correlate to the two youngest children found on the 1860 census and help to corroborate that this is indeed the same family despite the difference in name of George’s wife.

Continuing to follow John Lauer through the census records reveals that he continues to live in Knox Township, Clarion County in 1880, 1900, and 1910.^{[8] [9] [10]}  The 1900 Census gives quite a few more clues about John Lauer and his life events.  The census indicates that he and Frances have been married for 34 years, putting their marriage date somewhere around 1866, just two years after John was released from military prison at the close of the Civil War.^[11]  Additionally, in the citizenship information, the census indicates that he and his mother immigrated in 1846, his wife in 1854.  There is no information given in response to the question on naturalization, however, other individuals listed on the same page have indicate a “no” in some cases.  There could be additional information on John Lauer and his family in naturalization/citizenship records.

In John Woolf Jordan’s Genealogical and personal history of the Allegheny Valley, biographical sketches of both John and his father George Lauer can be found.  John Lauer died in Clarion county on 28 April 1911. His biography indicates that he began farming his land after returning from war and remained on the same farm for the duration of his life.  He married Frnaces Loll in Clarion County in November of 1848 and was reported as a “Republican in politics, and a Roman Catholic in religion.”^[12]

Despite there being no mention of a blessed gherkin in Allegheny Valley, it is apparent that John Lauer is a real man with obvious German heritage.  Whether an old family oral tradition from John Lauer or someone like him, or just a fictional legend, our family will continue to pass on the tradition of the Christmas pickle.

1. ^[1] “German Myth 11 – The German Christmas Pickle – Weihnachtsgurke,” About.com German Language, web page (http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth11.htm : accessed 3 December 2010) ↩
2. ^[2] Staff Reports. “The Andersonville Christmas Pickle.” Americus Times-Recorder (19 December 2007), Web edition (http://americustimesrecorder.com/local/x489050166/The-Andersonville-Christmas-Pickle : accessed 3 December 2010) ↩
3. ^[3] “103d Pennsylvnia Volunteers, Company H Muster Roll.” Transcript by Alice J. Gayley, at PA-Roots (http://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/infantry/103rd/103dcoh.html : accessed 3 December 2010); citing Bates, Samuel P. History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, Harrisburg, 1867-1871. ↩
4. ^[4] “Military: Civil War: Regimental Roster for the 103rd Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry: A-L,” database, USGenWebArchives: Pennsylvania (http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/military/cwar/103a-l.txt : accessed 3 December 2010), alphabetically arranged, entry for LOWER, JOHN, Private, Company H. ↩
5. ^[5] 1860 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Knox Township, Snydersburg P.O., pg 8 (handwritten), 198 (stamped), dwelling 49, family 49, George Lowery household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 1095. ↩
6. ^[6] 1870 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Knox Township, Lucinda P.O., pg 3 (handwritten), dwelling 18, family 18, John Lowers household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication 593, roll 1326. ↩
7. ^[7] 1870 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Knox Township, Lucinda P.O., pg 3 (handwritten), dwelling 17, family 18, George Lowers household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication 593, roll 1326. ↩
8. ^[8] 1880 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 85, pg 13 (penned), dwelling 98, family 112, John Sower household; digital image Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm T9, roll 1118. ↩
9. ^[9] 1900 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Knox Township, enumeration district (ED) 13, 167 (stamped), dwelling 100, family 110, John Lauer household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1329. ↩
10. ^[10] 1910 U.S. Census, Clarion County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 11, pg 5B (penned), dwelling 78, family 80, John Lauer household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1329. ↩
11. ^[11] 1900 U.S. Census, Clarion Co., Pennsylvania, pop. sch., Knox Twp, ED 13, 167 (stamped), dwell. 110, fam. 110, John Lauer household. ↩
12. ^[12] Jordan, John Woolf, Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valle, Pennsylvania, 3 vols. (Harvard University, Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1912), Google Books edition (http://books.google.com/ : accessed 3 December 2010), 3: 798. ↩

It’s back again this year!  Once again, Geneabloggers will be hosting their ever popular Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.  Many of the topics are the same as last year, but here at MyNeChimKi’s Genealogical Services we are going to be striving to write new Christmas memories!  My mother, Jean, will be joining us as a guest blogger again during this holiday season.

Below is our (partial) proposed schedule for posts:

• December 1 – The Christmas Tree (Whitney or Jean – we’re duking it out for the first post!)
• December 2 – Holiday Foods (Jean)
• December 3 – Christmas Tree Ornaments: The Tradition of the Pickle (Whitney)
• December 5 – Outdoor Decorations (Jean)
• December 6 – Santa Claus: Childhood Correspondence (Whitney)
• December 10 – Christmas Gifts: Mr. Beadie Eyes, the Christmas Armadillo (Whitney)

Hopefully we’ll add more, but we’ve been so focused on readying ourselves for the Holiday season that we haven’t had time to discuss our plans!

As part of the 87th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, I posted my 2010 Genealogical Resolutions on the last day of December last year.  I think it’s time to assess how I fared this year.  I have been inspired Tonia’s Roots to begin compiling a list of monthly to do’s to help break up these resolutions in the future.

Personal Family History – 2010

I think that this area is where I failed miserably.  I can offer the same lame excuses that everyone does when they can’t keep their resolutions – “I was too ambitious..”, “Life got in the way…”, “My dog ate it…” but really, the fault is only my own.

1.  Travel to Isle of Wight County, Virginia and glean more information on my COPELAND ancestors.

Well, I certainly didn’t do this one and I will likely not be able to get any research done on location before the end of the year is out.  This is certainly still a goal and an objective (since the COPELANDs might just be my mother’s key to joining the Colonial Dames of the 17th Century) but it’s not a pressing concern.  They’re dead and they’ll still be there.  Instead of “on location” resesarch I might be better off trying to first order some films from our local family history center and see where that takes me.

2.  Complete my Eleanor CRAIG and John CRAIG DAR supplementals.

These are essentially complete.  There was some additional research that I think I wanted to locate, but unfortunately I didn’t take meticulous enough notes and I have forgotten what it was.  The real thing holding me back was paying the fees for the supplemental paperwork to be processed.  I’m going to keep this one on the list for next year and hope that I can save my pennies.

3.  McAfee, McAfee, McAfee… Continue to trace down the antics of very bad ole Oliver Cromwell McAfee (wherever that might take me).

I am in love with Oliver Cromwell McAfee… but luckily not the way that my ancestor was.  Sadly, I have little to report on the McAfee front.  I did do a little research this year, but not nearly the volume that I was hoping for.  It’s also not looking good for me to explore Union Parish, Louisiana this Christmas for more evidence of his 2nd life down there.  As I mentioned in my Week #47, 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge post, I would love, love, love to take a trip to North Carolina and get to the root of some of his misadventures.  But is it realistic to put it on my list for next year?  I don’t know… it remains to be seen.

4.  Clean up the sources in my Reunion 9 database and get that thing back up on the internet — proven lines ONLY!

Well this is kind of hard to determine if I failed miserably or just went in a different direction entirely.  Despite the fact that I run a Mac platform, I found a very workable hack to run RootsMagic on my laptop and I’ve been happily inputting information ever since.  Only proven information is going into RootsMagic, but I’m still using Reunion 9 for my hypothetical lines because it’s easier to take them with me on my iPhone at the moment.

Professional/Educational Endeavors – 2010

My goals for professional/educational endeavors in 2010 were quite lofty.  And unfortunately for the most part unattainable for reaons partially outside of my control.  They sounded reasonable when I made them!

1.  Renew my subscription to the BCG’s On Board publication.

Check!  I think.  I did renew my subscription, but I feel like I’ve only gotten these in the mail very intermittently.  So I need to check on the status of my subscription.  Despite the fact that I renewed my subscription I was not terribly diligent about actually reading them once they were mailed to me.  I did keep them so I can go back and review them whenever I get around to having some spare time.

2.  Join and participate in the NGSQ monthly chats. (Note: This is sort of cheating as a resolution because I already signed up for the Thursday, 9pm chat session… starting this month!)

Despite the fact that I said it was cheating, I actually made the decision to sit out one the NGSQ monthly chats.  Mainly because of #3 below.  I hope that after March 2011 when my ProGen group is scheduled to be finished I can actually start to participate in these chats.

3.  Put my heart and soul into my ProGen Study Group.

Despite wanting to quit several times, I have actually really put my heart and soul into my ProGen Study group.  I wish I had a lot more time to devote to it, but I’m happy to say that I’m all caught up with my assignments and I’m learning tons of stuff.  The people in my group are amazing and know so much.  I love the way that this study group is structured and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s thinking about becoming a professional in the field or who just wants to take their genealogy to the next level.  I think I’ll be very sad that it’s over in March.

4.  Attend at least one major, national genealogical conference or seminar.

Nope, not even close.  I did, however, attend a hands-on seminar by Dr. Thomas W. Jones.  It was incredibly instructional (and difficult).  That might count for something, though it was not a major national conference.

5.  Start the NGS Home Study Course (I’ve already got CD #1, but I can’t seem to get going on it… always something else to do).

Also a big nope.  Like the NGSQ chats, I decided that the Home Study Course was better left for next year after I’ve completed ProGen.  One step at a time.

6.  Attend more montly meetings of the Fairfax Genealogical Society and both of their major conferences (spring & fall).

I managed to make it to two of the monthly meetings, no educational meetings, and the spring conference.  Dr. Jones had a special session on evidence orientation during the spring conference that I attended.  I also snuck into one session of the land records session learning about the division of land.  All-in-all the Fairfax Genealogical Society has some great speakers and great topics.  I feel lucky that this is my home society.

I went ahead and rated myself on the completion of my resolutions, giving each item a numerical value between 1 and 5 (1 = did not complete, bailed, failed, etc. and 5 = finished with flying colors).  Sadly I have to report that for 2010 I only scored an average score of 2.6.  That’s like a D+ or a C-.  I clearly have quite a few improvements to make, both on creating realistic goals and following through with those that I make for myself.  I’m hoping that 2011 will be a better year than 2010!