Hayden Records from Mercer County Kentucky: Part 3

As promised here is the time line I have written out thus far for my confusing who-belongs-to-who puzzle concerning the Hayden family.  To fill in the gaps refer back to part 1, part 2, or any Hayden tags on this blog.  Also, unless otherwise noted, all these events took place in Mercer County, Kentucky

1.       Noah Hayden Born 1755 Shrewsbury, Monmouth County, New Jersey to his parents William Hayden and Lydia Kierstede

2.       Noah Hayden and Mary (Elliott?) married about 1780 (possibly Randolph County, VA)

3.       John Elliott Haden possible son of Noah and Mary born and possibly died in childhood, most likely in the 1780-1790 time frame (oblique references to him but I can’t find firm records)

4.       Nancy Hayden born to Noah and Mary about 1783

5.       24 May 1787 Enoch Hayden, Noah’s twin brother, gives him part of his bounty lands which he then gives on the same day to Elizabeth Gilpin

6.       16 June 1788 Noah hires Elizabeth Gilpin to care for his 2 children and house

7.       Mary’s death dates range from 1788-1804, no clear evidence yet on when she died

8.       Permelia Hayden born to Noah and (?) about 1795

9.       Elizabeth Hayden born to Noah and (?) about 1796

10.   Noah Gilpin Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth between 1798-1801

11.   15 April 1803 Receipt of land, property, and £237, 5 shillings from Noah to Elizabeth

12.   15 April 1803 Description of land and property given by Noah to Elizabeth for her work

13.   2 May 1803 receipt of £25 cash from Noah to Elizabeth

14.   12 Dec 1803 “article of agreement with the assignment” acknowledged by Noah

15.   12 Dec 1803 acknowledgement of a bond and receipts from Noah to Elizabeth

16.   Sarah Ann (Sally) Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth 1804

17.   Noah Hayden and Elizabeth Gilpin married in Mercer County, Kentucky 23 May 1804

18.   James Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth 1806

19.   John W. Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth 1806

20.   Lemuel Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth 1808

21.   Melinda Hayden born to Noah and Elizabeth 1809

22.   18 May 1824 Elizabeth deeds land to Noah G. Hayden

23.   Noah Hayden Died about 1825 Mercer County, Kentucky

24.   18 (?) 1829 Elizabeth deeds land to Noah G. Hayden

25.   Elizabeth Gilpin Hayden probate recorded for her death February 1835

From this I see I need to nail down a firmer death date for Mary, Noah’s first wife.  While it may not help with paternity (they could each have had children with Noah at the same time) it will help make the waters a bit less murky.  I would also like to find out more about the possible son John Elliott.

Of course, we may never really know what in the world was going on here, but my-oh-my do I love a good scandal!  Have any ideas for other things that I should look into?  Let me know.

Hayden Records from Mercer County Kentucky: Part 2

This is the continuation of my post about the records I received from Mercer County, Kentucky.  You can read part 1 here.  The next deed books had one record each in them.  Thankfully book 19 had what I was looking for, Elizabeth naming Noah as her son.

In the transcriptions below I placed question marks where I could not read the letters.  If you think you may know the word that would fit there, or what they were trying to say, leave a reply.  My husband and I have not been able to figure it out.

Mercer County Deed book 13 Pages 109-110 

This Indenture made this 18^th day of March in the year of our lord 1824 Between Elizabeth Hayden of the state of Kentucky and County of Mercer of the one part and Noah Hayden of the County and State afforsaid  of the other part witnesseth that the said Elizabeth Harden For and inconsideration of Love and affection and of the just and full sum of thirty five dollars to her in hand paid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged hath this day Bargained and sold and by these property doth Bargain and sell to the said Noah Hayden and his Heirs a certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in the County of Mercer aforesaid on Hayden Creek at the forks above the lick containing fifty seven and 2/3 acres be the same more or less and Bounded as follows (viz) Beginning at the hickory one of the original corners of the survey Hune(?) with the old line N.?.W. 153 poles to a white oak and Hickory 15 poles short of the original comes thense south 13 W 104 poles to a Hone(?) in the Field west of the forks of the oak Hence S31 E90 poles to two white oaks in the original line Hune(?) N59 E76 poles to the Beginning To have and teola(?) said tract of Land with its appurtenances to the said Noah Hayden and his heirs forever and the said Elizabeth Hayden covenants with the said Noah Hayden and his Heirs or herself and his heirs that she will forever warrant and defend said tract of land with its appurtenances to the said Noah Hayden and his heirs From the claim of his and his heirs as well as against the claim or claims of all and every others person whatever. In Testimony whereof she has (?) set her hand and affixed her seal this day and year above written.Elizabeth Haden (her mark and seal) Mercer County Sct. March 17^th 1824The foregiving Indenture was this day before me in my office acknowledged by Elizabeth Hayden a party thereto be her act and deed wherefore I have made the same record. AttestTho. Allin

Mercer County Deed Book 19 Pg 21-22 

This Indenture made this 18^th day of 1829 between Elizabeth Hayden of Mercer County State of Kentucky of the one part and Noah Hayden of the same County and State of the other part.  Witnesseth that for and in consideration of the Natural Love and affection which she hath and bears to the said Noah her Son and for the first her consideration of the sum of one Dollar current money by the said Noah to her in hand paid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged she the said Elizabeth hath bargained and sold and by these presents doth give grant bargain sell and convey to the said Noah Hayden and his heirs and assigns forever two certain tracts or parcels of land situate lying and being in the county and state a foresaid and on the waters of Hayden Creek and the first containing about four acres and is bounded as follows the to wit, Beginning at the white oak and hickory the most Northward corner of Enoch Haydens original Survey at a Siut Hole thence with a line of said survey S 58 ½ W31 ½ poles to a stake in said line on the bank of a small drain on the SW side thereof thence down the drain on the southside thereof a straight line to a stake in said Noahs line thence with his line barly North 26 poles to a white oak said Noahs corner in the original line of said Enochs survey thence with said original line 12 ½ poles to the Beginning the other Tract contains by estimation about one hundred and fifty five acres be the same more or les and is bounded as follows with to wit, Beginning at a white oaks and hickory begin corner on Haydens SE line of his original survey thense with said Hayden line about 30 poles to a white oak in said line and in a small Drain whence down the said Drain as it meanders to Haydens creek and crossing the creek to two walnut trees on the south side there of thence up the creek keeping two poles from the south bank thereof to a hickory and sycamore in Boyces line thence with said line south and passing his corner and containing south until that course shall strike Henrys line at a stake thence with said line as the course and distance thereof shall be to said Henrys corner a white oak in a small drain thence with said Henrys line about a north course to his original corner in cleared ground thence with another of said Henrys original lines about a west course to a stake where said Henrys line crosses Boyses line thence Boyses line to the Beginning with the appurtenances belonging to each of the said tracts to the and to hold the said two tract or parcels of land with the appurtences until the said Noah Hayden and his Heirs and assigns forever to his and their only proper use and behoof and his heirs and assigns forever to his and their only proper use and behoof and the said Elizabeth Hayden for herself her heirs executors and administrators the said two tracts or parcels of land with their appurtenacnes unto the said Noah Hayden and his heirs and assigns forever against the claims or claims of her the said Elizabeth her heirs executors or assigns and against the claim or claims of all and every other person and persons whatsoever claiming by though or under her she will arrant and forever defend but not against the claim or claims of any other person or persons whatsoever. In testimony whereof the said Elizabeth Hayden hath hereinto set her hand and affixed her seal the day and year first written.Elisabeth Hayden (her mark and seal)Executed in presence of Nancy CareyDanl Carey Mercer County Scts Jany 16^th 1830The fore going indenture was this day produced to me in my office and proved to be the act and deed of Elizabeth Hayden a party thereto by the oath of Nancy Carey and Subscribing witness thereto and on yhr 18^th of the same month and year the same was fully proven by the oath of Danl Carey another Subscribing witness thereto whereupon I have made the same record.Att Tho. Allin

Having the description of the land laid out like this makes me want to go and find it.   It also made me jump for joy with the acknowledgement of Noah as her son.  In addition, Nancy Carey was her husbands daughter from his first marriage.  She and her sister Permelia both married men named Carey.  Nancy first married James Campbell and then Daniel Carey (signature on deed above).  Permelia married Ebeneezer Carey.

In the next post I will have a timeline showing the actual order the documents were made and other information that I have about the family group.  I hope this will help make sense of the documents as well as give me ideas of what holes I still need to fill in.

Hayden Records from Mercer County Kentucky

At the beginning of May I received an envelope in the mail with documents from the Mercer County, Kentucky Court House concerning my Hayden Family line.  I had as many appendages crossed as possible as I read and transcribed these records.  Boy, there were some surprising things in there that I was not expecting.

As a recap, the Hayden family line is the one I am using to apply for the DAR and the GSMD.   However, the registrar from my local DAR chapter ran into a snag.  It was my intent to try and dovetail into a line already approved by the organization, but unfortunately that member had her file sealed so I was unable to do that.  It was then on me to find more concrete links between two to the generations proving, beyond a reasonable doubt, that this was the correct family.

In March I wrote to the Harrodsburg Historical Society, in Mercer County, to do some research for me at the local courthouse.  I had references to the fact that my ancestor had given his second wife large tracts of land before their marriage.  In my letter I asked them to send me any deeds, probate, marriage, or other records they could find related to this family group.  I knew that there had to be something in there somewhere!

Very quickly the direct line in question is:

Noah Hayden who married first Mary (Elliott?) and second Elizabeth Gilpin         

Noah Hayden, son of Noah and Elizabeth, who married Unity Patterson

Mary Jane Hayden who married James Combs

My weak link was in the definitive proof that Noah Hayden had a son by Elizabeth named Noah.  Until these records I did not have really good proof, just inference, that there was a relation.

The records sent to me were records from the Mercer County deed books 5, 13, and 19.  They even sent me a handwritten family group sheet from their files.  While this is not firm evidence it did confirm a lot of the information I had, and gave me leads for information that I did not have. 

Over the next several posts I will go through the documents, post my transcriptions, and see if anyone out there has any thoughts on them.  The first one is deed book 5.  It contained documents concerning Noah’s hiring of Elizabeth, receipts of payments made to her, Noah giving her land, and their marriage bond.  All of which left me scratching my head.  It seems that she had Noah make a prenuptial agreement guaranteeing that if he died she and her children would not be left destitute. 

I would love to know if anyone else has seen anything like this before.  Of course, a more nefarious thought, would be 1) he was hiding his wealth from his family or 2) she was a manipulating woman who was gold digging.  Personally, I am okay with any theory as people are people and we haven’t changed in millennia, and I just want to know what could have been going on to have this chain of events happen.

Pg 183-184

Hayden to Gilpin Know all men by this that I Noah Hayden of the state of Virginia hath this day June the sixteenth day and year one thousand Sevenhundred and Eighty Eight hiard Elizabeth Gillpin to ceap my house and to Kook and wash and mend and ceap the house clean and deasant and to ceap my too children clean and to due by them as if they ware hur one and for During what is Mentioned Above I do Agree too give her twenty five pounds Current Money of Virginia for Everry Year or each Year So long as she seas cause to Stay or I see cause to ceap hur self all spare time and to have the privelig of ceaping of gees and duke on My Place and to fead them out of My corne and to find hur flax or hemp and wool to make clothing for hur Beds and hur self and for the ceaping of the geaz or Ducke or Boh and for flax and wool she is to due as much spinning for meaz will clothe me and my too children and to my true performance I do bind myself My Ears Executors Adminestrators in the Just and full sum of one thousand pounds good and lawfull Money of Virginia Pennillty to be paid whereunto I set My hand fix My seal the above date Ritton witness presentNoah Hayden (seal)Jeams McbrideSary Mcbride (hur mark)

This seems like a pretty straightforward employment contract.  Noah is hiring Elizabeth to care for his two children.  He had three children with his wife Mary: James Elliot, Nancy/Mary, and Permelia.  This record was from 1788, and I have sources that state Permelia was not born until the mid-1790s.  Also, there are no records for James Elliot as an adult so I am assuming that he died as a child. I am also unclear on when Mary died as I have a range in dates from the 1795 to 1801.

Pg 184

Received April 15^th 1803Inland and property and notsTwo hundred and thirty seven pounds and five shillingsFrom Noah Hayden by me Elizabeth Gilpin (hur mark)testeWilliam HungateMajor faris Pg 184Received May 2^nd day 1803 in cash the some of twenty five pounds currant money of Cantucky from Noah Hayden by me Elizabeth Gilpin (hur mark)teste Nancy Hayden (hur mark)Rebecky Hayden (hur mark)  

Pg 185

April 15^th day 1803 this day I say Elizabeth Gilpin is out of My carvis Noah Hayden and likewise I have paid hur a part of hur wages in Lands which I due not warrant and likewise all my goods and chattles that ware on the said land where she Now lives which I warrant and defend to hur from all persons whatsoever bodies Pollitic or corporate to which I set My hand and fix my sealNoah Hayden (seal)TesteMaj. Faris (his mark)

Pg 185

Mercer Sctn(?) December 12^th 1803This bond was this day before me acknowledged by Noah Hayden a party thereto to be his act and Deed and the Riceipts thereon Endorsed was proved to have been acknowledged by Elizabeth Gilpin and at the request of the said Noah I have recorded the said bond and Recipts in My office.Teste Tho. Allin Clk.

These seem to be receipts of payment for her wages as caretaker of the children and house.

Pg 185-186

May the twenty forth one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven On Articles of an agreement made and concluded between Enoch Hayden of Louden County Virginia the first part and Noah Hayden his brother of the other part witnesseth that that both of them hath bin at the truble of gitting a treasuary warrant for fore hundred acres of land and have entered it on the waters of Salt River Marser County Virginia on a branch caled Hayden Crick Running in Chalpin fork and as it was entred in the name of the above Mentioned Enoch Hayden and Not in the name of them both the said Enoch for the safety of the said Noah to make him an Equil Part of the above Mentioned Land doth bind himself his hars Executors and Admminestrators or assizns or Either of them to pay and make good unto the said Noah Haden him hi ars or assigns one hald of the Land above mentioned or an Equil part according to the quillity of it with a deed for the same a soon as its in the power of the said Enoch to perform if fails them to pay and make good all Dammage the said Noah should substance by it Provide that the said Noah doth pay half the cost that shall arise here after in secureing and defending the above Mentioned Land from all others that should contend for the same whare by we bind our selves in the penal sum of one thousand Pounds to preform to each other the Year and day above mentioned where by we set our hands and sealEnoch Hayden (seal)Noah Hayden (seal)Witness preasentBenjamin ThomasJoseph Thomas I sell my right of the in bond to Elizabeth Gilpin and she to run all chansezNoah HaydenTesteWilliam HungateMaj. Faris

Portion of a map from the National Geodetic Survey

Noah's twin brother Enoch was able to secure land bounty for them. I do not know why, but Noah tried for many years to receive bounty for his Revolutionary War service and was unable to.  Why then, after he gets land, does he sign it over to Elizabeth Gilpin?

Pg 186

Mercer Set December 12^th 1803 These Articles of agreement with the Assignment thereon was acknowledged before me the Noah Hayden a party thereto to be his act and deed at his Request I have recorded the same in my office Teste Tho. Allin Clk.

 Must be referring to a previous transaction.

Pg 272-273

An agreement made this day between the subcribers Noah Hayden and Elizabeth Gilpin both of the County of Mercer in the state of Kentucky Witnesseth That the aforesaid parties have agreed to unite themselves in the bonds of matrimony on the following conditions namely that the said Elizabeth before he marriage with the said Noah being possessed of considerable property in lands houses cattle household furniture te te te a correct schedule of which property is anneseed(?) to this agreement reserves to herself after her marriage with the said Noah Hayden the full entire and complete possession and disposal of the property mentioned and describes in the said anneseed(?) schedule.  The schedule of Elizabeth Gilpins property refered to above 200 acres of land known by the name of Haydens Creek and lick also house barns our houses te te te 2 mares and 2 geldings 12 head of cattle 100 hogs more or less 20 geese and 20 ducks 2 plows 2 hoes 1 mattock 3 asces and 1 iron wedge 1 stone sledge 4 chessels 1 hand saw 2 goudges 1 drawing knife 4 augers 1 plase iron small wheel 1 woollen wheel with 2 bar cards 3 scythes 5 feather beds and bedsteads complete with 5 chaph underbeds their Bolsters pillows te te te 2 chests 1 large cupboard 2 large pewter basons 4 small pewter basons 2 large dishes and 24 plates 2 sets of knives and forks a 17 gallon kettle an 8 gallon kettle 1 pot and Dutch oven 2 smothing irons 3 traumels(?) cooker wares sufficient for the house a set of Smiths tools bellows Anvil Vice and other nessasary tools 1 good loom with 4 reeds and gears 2 large basons Also all notes bonds Debts dues and demands to be considered as concluded in the above schedules.  And the said Noah Hayden hereby engages to all intents and purposes to garuntee to the said Elizabeth Gilpin the full possession and disposal of the above described property after marriage to her and her Heirs forever and also to protect her and her Heirs from any claims made upon the said property by him and his Heris forever. In witness whereof we have hereunto affixed our hands and seal this 23 day of May in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and four.Noah Hayden (seal)Elizabeth Gilpin (her mark)In the presence of us Jno Hale William Stukher (?)UD (?) Ferrego

 Do you notice that she gets everything, and that everything is inventoried in great detail.  This is the document that blew my mind away.  Any thoughts on why this would have happened?  Also, their son Noah, was born before they were married.  In fact, I think that perhaps 2-3 of their children were born before they were married.  It all depends on which date of death you use for Mary, and which of the birth dates you use for those children.  Fuzzy dates, I have to fix the fuzzy dates.

Oh no, I have given in to Pintrest

My kids have been home sick this week, and they, the wonderful sharing creatures they are, decided to give that blessing to me as well.  So besides sitting on the couch all day flipping though the channels I perused the internet.  Then it happened... I gave into the urge to sign up for a Pintrest account.  What have I done?

For months now I have been watching as everyone around me has been sucked into the vacuum of clicking. Laughing to myself about how I was going to stand firm and not join in.  Well, obviously I am weak willed.  It's not that I haven't thought about it before, read blog posts on its usefulness, visited other sites that were pretty cool, it's that I really need a lot of time to warm up to something. You have seen me write it before: I am slow to change.  Rarely, very rarely, do I ever jump into anything until after most people have beaten it to death and got all the bugs worked out.  With that in mind, I will stand behind the defense that I wanted my friends to jump in first and tell me if the water was fine or not.

I did get scared off for a while when last fall there were reports about users running into copyright issues. Or confusion over its terms of use. Then the Legal Genealogist made it all a bit clearer for me in her February 2013 post on the issue.

After I made the fever induced leap yesterday to create my Pintrest account, I had to go learn what in the world I was doing.  Really, why am I doing this and who am I trying to reach?  Good questions huh?  I found a For Dummies article about it with a lot of really good links.  Of course Google and other geneabloggers have come to the rescue as well.  It helped that I had my latest issue of Family Tree Magazine sitting next to me yesterday and I saw the blurb for Thomas MacEntee's article on using pintrest.  Seems you all are talking about this a lot.

My biggest hurddle was what types of boards to create.  I looked through many boards other genealogists have put out there and eventually decided that mine should reflect me and my interests in genealogy.  Hopefully that is what I have put together.  I am sure it will be a work in progress for a bit, so excuse my mess, but I would love to hear if you have any tips/tricks/advice for me.

Come visit me over there!

Observations from the edge: multi-generational needs in genealogy

Starting with RootsTech a few months back I have seen more and more traffic among genealogy blogs and forums about the need for outreach to younger genealogists.  To me, a border line Gen X / Gen Y (now a Gen C?) person, this is a wonderful and amazing thing.    Just in the last month there has been an upswing in the chatter on this subject culminating in the formation of a new society with its focus on promoting the next generation of genealogists.  

If you have read this blog for any amount of time you already know that I had a late start to the game.  Or at least in my mind.  In fact, I had not even heard of the word genealogy until I started to do research.  Maybe I had, but I was much younger and didn’t understand what exactly it meant.  However, I think if I had known what it was, that you could make a career out of it, or had been encouraged more as a child and young adult it would not have taken me until my mid-30s to come to where I am today.  Lost years, too many lost years, and lost family members along the way.

I obviously didn’t look hard enough for this field, I know, but I was focused on becoming a scientist.  Many of you probably understand. When you are in school trying to survive and get a degree, then get married, start a family, plus everything that comes with being young you sometimes don’t know which way is up.  I had the stories my family told me.  At that time in my life I thought that was enough.  Yes, I had Cousin Charlie who talked to everyone about my mother’s family and my dad’s mom also.  When they died I didn’t even think immediately about what happened to their stuff, and while I missed the updates I didn’t know what to do but go on with my life. 

Granted, I knew what a family tree was.  I had to do the time honored family tree in elementary school.  In college I filled out pedigree charts in biology class. Later I filled out family medical history charts with doctors.  Even then, I didn't stop and think to myself things like "wonder if I could follow a paper trail" or "how did they know what the line back was."  I had this notion in my head that all that was to be found had been and if I wanted to know more I just had to get a book. You know, because stuff back then wasn't kept like it is today.  Well, at least in my family that was the way of the world.

There was a veil in front of my eyes so to speak. A mystery that obviously only a few knew and only those in the know could pull back.  Or, at least that is what it felt like.  There had to be a way to find out more, but I did not have the tools or the education to do it.   Remember… biologist here…I knew all about that type of stuff not much about anything else.

Over the last several years a whole new world has opened up to me.  I have come to realize that it is easier now than it would have been a decade or more ago because of the internet.  Fast and easy accessibility was the key to get me started and hooked.  How else would a stay at home mom with 2 kids be able to carve out time to do research?  It would have been nearly impossible for me to do what I am doing now in the pre-computer/internet age.

It seems that those who get into genealogy as children or young adults had a family member help them at the start.  Those lucky few have more experience under their belt in their 20s than many of us late starters.  They are leading the next wave of genealogists and I don’t want anyone with a passion for family history, no matter how young, to be left out.  Mentoring the younger generations and giving them the opportunity to start on their own journey should be a concern to us all.

How many of you wish you parents/grandparents/siblings/cousins/etc. were still alive so you could ask those nagging questions?

Imagine what would happen if we encourage those already in university studying history, library science, sociology  or other related disciplines to look into genealogy as an aspect to their field.  How could we enrich them with what we know?  Even better, think about the ways they could enrich us with their knowledge of today.  

On the even younger scale, I don’t know how many of you have tweens in your life who watch the Disney Channel.  If you do you may have caught their segments My Family Tree.  These short pieces follow kids (I would guess middle school aged) as they discover aspects of their family history with their parents. They originally aired in 2010-11, but they are still being shown.  If you haven't seen them, some of the segments are on YouTube.  After my kids have watched an episode they always have questions about the show, if we have common themes in our family, and so many more questions.  If a 2 minute program can get kids attention…imagine what could happen to the future of our community if we harnessed this innate curiosity.

Granted, not all people will be interested in genealogy.  Just like I had neighbors at one point who didn’t understand why anyone would ever want to leave the tri-county area and a trip to the “City” 2 hours away was a huge deal.  We all have different interests, we all have different needs, and we all need someone to pick up where we leave off.  Wouldn't it be great if that someone was in the family?

Why should we wait until people are older to join in on the hunt? 

Coming together at the genealogy table will not happen overnight. Walls, age prejudice, thought patterns, and teaching will have to be addressed.  I have high hopes for our future with a multi-generational community that can learn and grow together.

However, to end on a funny note, add in a cat meme and I think this comic has it.

Review: Family Tree by HBO

I have been anxiously waiting for the release of the new HBO series Family Tree.  Well, it was, interesting.  First, if you don’t like British comedy in the vein of Spinal Tap you will not like this show.  It was quirky, full of dry humor, and plenty of awkward situations that make you cock your head sideways.  Below is my honest review of the first episode.  

If you have not heard about its release Family Tree is a 30 minute comedy that premiered last Sunday evening on HBO.  Created by Christopher Guest (director of A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, and For Your Consideration) and  Jim Piddock this eight part series follows the main character Tom Chadwick (played by Chris O'Dowd) through his first foray into genealogy.  

The show starts with Tom and his sister Bea (played by Nina Conti) on their way to their father's house (Keith Chadwick, played by Micheal McKean) for dinner.  It is there that he informs them of a distant relatives passing and that they each have been left with something.  Tom receives an old steamer trunk and is initially less than thrilled with it.  However, it is what he finds in the trunk after he gets home that had me smiling and will have the fellow genealogists out there nodding along too.  With one item he is bit by the bug and he starts off on his first family tree adventure.

It is described a a mockumentary, but I didn't think it lived up to that description.  As a mockumentary I expected to see more of the documentary filming style interspersed with interviews and clips.  This, however, was a regular show with the occasional interview thrown in making it seemed disjointed and no flow.  At one point I was thinking what in the world was going on.  One second they are having a nice family conversation and without warning they have cut away and are getting background information from Tom   Who is there interviewing him and why?  It just cut back and forth between the 2 genres and I wanted to yell at the screen to stick with one of the other already.  Of course it has been compared to The Office... neither version of which I could stand. So maybe it is just me.

Overall, I am curious to see where it goes.  With only 8 episodes I will probably last the whole season, but the next season will be iffy unless it gets a lot better.  Now, it just may be that I prefer British comedy in the vein of Black Adder, Coupling, or Four Weddings and a Funeral and that I just don't "get" this type.  I am sure they can say the same thing about some of our shows too.

Want another opinion, and not from a genealogy perspective?  Check out a few of these:

'Family Tree' series premiere: HBO's newest mockumentary charms in spite of its meandering nature from Zap2it

Recap: Christopher Guest's 'Family Tree' Gets Off To A Promising Start & Shows He Hasn't Lost His Touch from Indiewire

Seitz: Christopher Guest's Family Tree is a Less Mocking Mockumentary from Matt Zoller Seitz at Vulture

What a week... I can't wait for what's coming!

It has been a while since I have been able to sit down and just write about genealogy stuff going on in my life.  So, take this as your warning, this is my blog catch up post for my goal progress and tell all on what is happening in my genealogy life.  There will be information on stuff done, stuff coming up, and stuff I want to do.  You know general things that run around the inside of my head.  Maybe this way my head can settle down and I can get to work.

 

First off I did my 2 presentations last Saturday and I didn’t faint from fear.  Seriously, this was the second time I have been up in front of genealogy people so it is still knew for me.  Once again my take home message to myslef was: I am much more comfortable teaching in front of large groups than I am simply speaking or performing.  I call that a win.  Also, I am sure other presenters can relate, but after giving the lecture to a flesh and blood crowd I did see where I need to do modifications on both for the future.  I loved the feedback I got, and I am very happy that most walked away with something useful from the two sessions. 

Last week I signed up for an online course through Coursera on genetics.  It has been 14 years since I have had a class in genetics and reading articles just doesn't really keep you up to date on all the new advances.  Plus, it was free.  How can you pass up free? Well, I should say that while it is free there is an option called Signature track which is a paid version and they will verify your results for employers and other institutions.  For this course it was about $40. 

The course is geared to people who want to learn the basics of genetics as well as how it can be useful in the world around us.  They do assume you have basic biology principles under your belt, which I think several of the students were surprised by during the first sets of lectures and practice problems.  Today I find out my first grade… I am a bit anxious to see what I got because if I have an overall course grade of 85% or more I get a certificate of completion through the University offering the course.  In this case the University of British Columbia.

If you have not checked out Coursera classes I would recommend it.  There are several class offerings out there that I think many of you may get something out of.  Today there is a course starting on being an effective writer for instance.

My other new life development is that I am getting ready to be employed again.  I have called for information to become a substitute teacher in my local school district.  Yes, my genealogy habit has grown so large that my husband suggested I get a job.  Okay, it didn’t quite go down like that, but there was a suggestion that if I really wanted to do the Boston University session this fall I should look at bringing in some extra income.  Can’t say I blame him.  Up to now it has been a few dollars here or a book there. Not a couple thousand dollars at one go.  This truly shows my dedication.  After 13 years of being a stay at home mom I am looking at being, at least part time, employed.  Sigh…this will be an adventure.

In other news, my DAR paperwork has gone in.  Whew, one goal on my yearly check list taken care off.  Two weeks ago I received a package with deeds and marriage contracts (I can’t really call them certificates) from Mercer County, Kentucky.  They hopefully, fingers crossed, will help with that final proof hurdle since I can’t access the only other file in their collection for this specific line.  There should be a couple posts coming up talking about those.  I know there are some cousins out there who are also interested in the Hayden Line.

Alright, I think that is all I needed to catch-up on.  Back to writing my next blog and column articles for the IDG (you are reading the magazine right?) and getting my act together for other projects.  Need another research goal…finish the GSMD now?

Two presentations this Saturday in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Advertisment from the CRRL Newsletter
Library Point, May 2013, page 3

This Saturday 11 May 2013 I will be making two presentations to the public in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  The first is an introduction to genetic genealogy and the second is on lineage societies.  If you are in the neighborhood, I hope to see you there!

From the Central Rappahannock Regional Library Website:

Introductory Genealogy and Beyond 

Branch:  Moved to the Free-Lance Star Building

Age Level:  Adults

Description: CRRL and the Fredericksburg Regional Genealogical Society invite you to meet with the experts and learn everything you need to know about doing the family tree! Free! Sign up required. Call or email Kris Jankovits of FRGS 540-226-9280 or findkaj@hotmail.com 

May 11: DNA in Genealogy and Lineage Societies--Shannon Bennett, Fredericksburg Regional Genealogy Society

Time:  Saturday, May 11, 2013 - 9:00am - 11:00am

Synopsis of presentation on Genetic Genealogy:

This is a general overview of genetics and how it relates to genealogy.  Topics discussed will include basic terminology, the types of testing offered, and how to use it in conjunction with your genealogy research. A knowledge of genetics is not required to attend.

Synopsis of presentation on Lineage Societies:

This presentation will focus on what individuals can do with their research.  Lineage Societies are numerous and not only are a way to honor your heritage but also to connect with other people who share the same history and passions as you.  Participants will be guided through how to select and find a society to what are the best types of documents to submit.

New Book: Mastering Genealogical Proof

As always I am on the lookout for ways to continue my genealogy education and advance my knowledge in the field.  Recently I have seen all the commotion around the upcoming release of Mastering Genealogical Proof by Thomas W. Jones.  Of course, I have ordered a copy.

If you are not familiar with the title it is a new NGS publication (shipping date estimated as May 20th) aimed at being an essential research guide for those in the field of genealogy.  It is designed as a text book with problems at the end of each chapter for the readers to answer by applying what they learned in that section.  Best of all, I understand that the answers are in the book. 

Study groups have popped up too so that people can learn these new concepts together.  There may be more, but as of right now I am aware of two such groups that you can sign up to be apart of.  If you do know of more, I would love to hear about them.

First is Dear Myrtle’s study group.  She is hosting a 10 part series meeting on Sunday evenings using a Google Hangout system.  People can listen and watch the live, or the recorded version, with a panel of experts talking about the chapters.  Participants may ask questions on her G+ community page which will then be answered by the panel. 

Second, is a more structured learning group called Gen Proof and is spearheaded by Angela McGhie. It too has a G+ community page where you can sign up to interact with other participants; however those who wish to join a study group need to sign up on a wait-list for a group assignment.  These groups will consist of 10 students lead by a mentor who will go through the text and exercises with them.  These sessions are estimated to go for either 8 or 16 weeks depending on the group mentor and needs.  

My book is on its way and I am excited see what is in store.  Personally I am seriously looking at the Gen Proof sessions as I think I will get a lot more out small, close knit, working groups.  If I am left to my own devices in a loose framework I tend to go off task and get lost. 

So… anyone going to join me???