Education opportunities at the NEHGS

There are a variety of free education opportunities out there for all level of genealogists.  I mean, a lot, if you look in the right places.  For instances, did you know about the online learning center on the New England Historic and Genealogical Society (NEHGS)?  If this is news to you run, don’t walk, to your computer and check this out.

Yesterday I attended a free online webinar from NEHGS on TenSteps for Writing and Publishing Your Family History presented by Penny Stratton.  I found it when I was cleaning out my mailbox a few days before (yes, I on occasion let things pile up) and thought it might be a great lecture since I keep toying with publishing my family stories.  At the end she mentioned the link to the other resources on the website. 

Yes, I am guilty of not checking out the new NEHGS website recently.  However, if you have read this blog before, you know that I was very busy over the last few months.  Boy I have missed a great resource.  Something that I will need to correct in the near future. 

You have the choice of watching recorded webinars, download templates, or read a variety of articles.  There is a newsletter you can subscribe to so you know what is coming up.  In fact, there are a series of online classes that are starting up for a relatively low fee. 

Needless to say I now have a new to-do list on my education checklist.  I will be watching, and attending, more of these in the future.  Hope to see you there!

The Book of Me Written by You: Still chugging along

I have been plugging and chugging away on this project, but not online.  A lot of the topics have called for more intimate reflection and even though I love you all, it is the internet.  So, I have taken to writing my thoughts on the weekly subjects in a word document.  One day it should make an interesting heirloom for the ancestors to read.

We are up to week 21 for those of you who were wondering.  If you want to start from the beginning you can go to the website for the creator of this prompt and check it out. Julie Goucher writes the blog Angler's Rest and she has an excellent post to get get you started.

Of course the questions and topics that she asks has just given me fodder to send on to my parents and in-laws for the books I bought them 2 years ago.  A couple of them admitted that they hadn't written in them yet when we visited last.  I told them that was okay, I don't want to push, but I did get my spirit crushed a little.  I hope they keep their promises of trying to answer my boys questions, and adding more, because 1) the boys really want them to and 2) I think this will be a great piece of history for the kids after their grandparents have passed.  Which lead me to thoughts that I need to keep up with this project.

There is not a better time for you to try a hand at journal writing if you don't already.  First, and the easiest way I think, is to turn a research journal into a more personal one.  While the research geeks in us love all the tid-bits found in a well organized research journal, think about the other things you could add that will make you family wish they knew you better in the future.  What was the drive like to the repository?  Any stories about the people you are researching that might get lost in a generation or two?  Well, why not write them down where you are adding the facts?

Alright, back to the grindstone.  Classwork, researching, and writing projects are on my to-do list for the day while my kids enjoy, another, snow day.  Sigh...

Writing Challenges and Prompts

Are you still looking for ways to write your family history?  If so, maybe you should check out the blog No Story Too Small by Amy Johnson Crow and her challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.  Amy also writes for Ancestry.com blogs and made a post about this challenge over there too.  It may be the way you can break your family history into bite size writable chunks.

The premise is you write about one ancestor each week for the entire year (or hey, maybe multiple years).  Think about what this could do for your writing, your research, and that family stories book you keep putting off.  Plus, the annual Family History Writing Challenge by Lynne Palermo starts in a couple days.  I think the stars may just be aligning for all the people out there who want to tell the world (or may perhaps just the family) about their amazing heritage!

Yes, I may need to cut back on the caffeine.

So, check out the blog. Amy has some great guides to get you started too.  If you choose to do this as a blog (and there is nothing that says you have to, paper books are A-Okay too) you can be included in her blog recap.  Just follow the directions on her site to get squared away. 

It is 4 weeks into the challenge, and I have been putting it off.  Yes, at times my brain goes to mush and I just have to step back from the computer for a while.  However, I think it is time to tell a few stories.  Yes-sir-ee, it is time to blow the dust off of some records and do some writing on my family.  In addition to all the other things I have to get done in the week of course. 

I would love to hear if you take this challenge!  Drop me a line or leave a message below.  

Little place, big archive: The Central Rappahannock Heritage Center

Last fall I went to the Central Rappahannock Heritage Center (CRHC). It was such an amazing experience that I wanted to repository with you all.  The center is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia near downtown.  They do have odd hours of operation, so make sure you check that they will be open when you go and place accordingly.  Oh, and park in the correct places so you don't get towed!  

This facility has over 120,000 pieces if ephemera from as early as 1700.  It specializes in items from the counties surrounding the City of Fredericksburg (Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania, and Stafford) as well as the city itself.  Most of the items are either documents (manuscripts, letters, and various records) or pictures which were donated to the facility since it opened its doors in 1998.

I called the center and talked with one of the volunteer archivists there and made plans for me to visit the center.  The CRHC is in the basement gymnasium of an old middle school; now a set of condominiums.  It was large, spacious, and contained several private desks to work. This was a great to see since I didn't know what to expect when I got there. Overall it was really a lovely place, just hard to find if you don’t know where it is located.  There is a small paid staff at the center, but it relies mainly on a large group of active volunteers to make the facility run.  Oh, and donations.

At our meeting we talked about the general collection. She showed me the collection of letters that started the CRHC from the Frank P. Stearns Family (who was a prominent builder and contractor in the city).  Beth explained that the letters in it were mainly written by the women of the family who were, thankfully, prolific writers and lucky for us they kept many of the letters sent to them in return.  Patrons may not retrieve the records themselves so I asked her to pull a random box from the collection so I could see what it was like.   In total it is a 56 box collection spanning from the 1840s to the 1930s.

To say you could get lost with the amount of information in that room would be an understatement.  It was absolutely amazing to see the history of the community housed here, in that tiny gym.  Even more astounding to me was that all the items were donations from people who lived in the area, or who had found papers from relatives who used to live here.  Many of their donated images are published online and you can see them here.

The CRHC has recently published book from letters they were given.  It is called "The Circle Unbroken: Civil War Letters of the Knox Family of Fredericksburg."  The story takes place through the letters from a Civil War Soldier home to his fmaly.  OVer 100 letters in all, donated to the CRHC in a bucket.  You can read a stroy about the book and the letters here from the local newspaper.

This facility was fascinating and it makes me wish I had relatives in this area so I could research there more often.  However, it was such a lovely place, and in desperate need of help, that I think I might start volunteering at the CRHC in the future.

Book of me written by you: SNOW!!

Snow storm in 2009.  Taken by me.

Snow.  It’s everywhere right now, so I guess it is time for me to post my thoughts on the fluffy stuff. Well, to be honest, as of this morning it has all melted here in my part of Virginia but it was really pretty while it lasted.  The cold now needs to go too.  Negative wind chill numbers are even keeping the malamute inside.

Growing up in Indiana we had snow most winters, usually starting after Christmas.  As a child I dreamed of white Christmases but had very, very few.  The end of January and into February was when it would really begin to dump snow on my part of the state.  There was more than one spring break that was ruined by cold, wet, snow.

However, it does make me sad that my boys have not had the experiences that I did growing up.  Sledding through deep snow drifts.  Making ramps and jumps for the course.  Snow angels.  Staying out until you were blue and having to strip naked in the hallway as you ran for the hot bath.  They have been sledding only a couple of times, have not even attempted a snow angel, and usually just tromp the slush through the house to their rooms (you want me to take a what?) as I yell at them about dressing appropriately for the weather.

I tried to find pictures of me as a kid playing in the snow, but once again I am left shaking my fist at my family.  Darn you!  Why weren't you shutters bugs like me?!  The pictures I remember of my dad snowshoeing must be at my parents’ house too. Oh well.  No family pictures for you today.

Full-length portrait a man carrying a bundle 
on his back and snowshoes under one arm, 
appearing to walk through a snowy landscape.  
From the Library of Congress.

In the last few weeks many of my friends have been reminiscing about the blizzard of ’77.  Personally, I blizzard of ’78.  Yes, 2 that hit back to back.  It was cold, wet, and as a kid absolutely glorious!  My mom was in school at Indiana University and she used snow shoes to get to class and out of her dorm room.  The drifts were so high they could not use the doors but were walking out the 3^rd floor windows.  School closed, they lived out of the main cafeteria for her dorm to stay warm, and all the girls pitched in to make sure there was enough food for everyone since the staff couldn't make it onto campus.  I, however, made snowmen and tunnels to crawl through with my dad since I was too little for school, plus drank gallons of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows. 

don’t remember that one too well, but I do remember the

Yeah, it was a lot of fun.  As an adult all I want is my mug of Earl Grey, a warm blanket, a good book, and to curl in front of the fire place.  Isn't it funny how your priorities change?

A new adventure begins

This morning on The National Institute For Genealogy's new blog it was announced I am joining them as a student blogger.  I am very honored to be apart of this project and to work with many experienced instructors in the field of genealogy.  Check out my weekly blog posts as I work to earn my PLCGS (Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies).

I hope you will join me for another adventure, as well as learn more about the Institute if you don't know about it already.  I will be working on my certificate in American Records, but I have picked out a variety of electives which I am sure will interest many people.  Make sure to drop me a line over there too.  I would love to hear from you.

Year in review

Grape-Shot: 1915 English magazine
illustration of a lady riding a champagne cork

Happy 2014!  A New Year and a new beginning in the genealogy world.  What a whirlwind trip 2013 was and I bet 2014 will be just as exciting!  Sitting at my desk a year ago I really could not phantom where I would land 365 days later.  Few of the things I accomplished were actually planned.  Most just ended up in my lap where I swallowed down my fears and went for it, shaking in my boots the whole time.

2013 started off with my new adventure as a contributor at the In-Depth Genealogist.  I had just ended my stint at the Family Tree Firsts Blogger and was looking for a way to continue to grow not only as a genealogist but as a writer.  To be frank I thought they would turn me away since I was an “unknown.”  However, they gave me a chance and I can’t believe the experience I have received in the last year by working with these amazing people. 

On the home research front there were quite a few successes.  Several walls came crumbling down, particularly for a number of my female lines. Nearly a dozen new cousin contacts were made not only through this blog but from DNA results on FTDNA.  I am not the best pen-pal, but I hope these contacts continue to grow through the years and we can share some amazing breakthroughs together in the future.  My family just keeps growing!

My biggest challenge was the Boston University course this past fall.  You remember that don’t you?  The reason I was nearly non-existent on this blog for over 15 weeks.  I have not received my official final grade in the course but looking at my five module grades (B+/A/A-/A/A) I am pretty sure that I will receive my certificate and be a graduating member of the 13^th online session (OL13).  Waiting for the official word is a bit nerve wracking but I should really just relax.  I wanted to go to Boston for the certificate ceremony, but I don’t think I can swing a trip up there in February.  The stars are just not aligning for that to happen.

Last August I went to Indiana for a family visit and attended FGS in Ft. Wayne.  As I am sure you remember it was my first national level conference for genealogy and you can read all of the posts about FGS here.  I learned so much, met some really awesome people, plus I was able to spend time with my family researching our genealogy together.  It was a mind blowing experience overall and quite a few doors for me to avenues I never dreamed possible opened up for me.

Of course how could I forget my first year giving lectures on genealogy topics?  While it was scary at first I quickly realized that I loved teaching about my passions.  There was a reason I wanted to be a science teacher since it seems I have a knack for it. I have several lectures coming up in the next few months already, and hope to do many more.  If you come to a lecture make sure to say hi! 

Then there was my adventure into social media.  I did something that I never thought I would ever do...created a Twitter account.  From there it spiraled to Pintrest, Facebook Page, and Google+.  Do I have time to keep them all up to date?  No, but I am going to do my best this year to post more (and different things) to each feed.  Wish me luck!

Looking back over the most popular posts on the blog this year I was surprised by which ones made the list.  Hope they made your list of favorites. So, with our further delay, here are the top ten for 2013:

1. Reading and Digesting Complex Terms: Making a Flow Chart For MGP
2. Heraldic Primer Part 6: Inanimate Objects
3. Free Genealogy Lecture Series
4. Observations From The Edge: Multi-Generational Needs in Genealogy
5. Creating Fun Word Cloud Graphics 
6. Taking on The Next Generation
7. WDYTYA, #genchat, and an aftershow.  What a great way to spend an evening!
8. Road Trip : Packing for FGS 2013
9. IDG Re-post: Handwriting Tools For Your iPad 
10. Are you still there?

Now it is time to get moving on 2014.  My kids are back to school so it is high time to brush off the holiday fog and buckle down again.  I have big plans and they won’t be accomplished if I sit here staring out the window.  Join me in making 2014 a great genealogy year and let me know about your goals too!  We can cheer each other on.