Week 46 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 46: Large Genealogy Vendors. Which big genealogy vendor is your favorite one to see at conferences? What does this vendor offer the genealogy community? Why do you like visiting this vendor in the exhibit hall?

Once again, my lack of attendance at large conferences will be seen in this post.  That being said, I would like to comment on a couple of companies I saw at the NARA Genealogy Fair this past spring.  The only booth there selling items was the NARA shop, but I still learned a lot from the other groups, institutions, and organizations that were in attendance.  It was wonderful to interact with people from varied backgrounds; they made the day more fun and exciting. 

FamilySearch and Ancestry both had large booths.  They also had terminals set-up walking people through online searches at their sites and giving guidance on how to use them.  Ancestry also had a table set-up to discuss their DNA testing that was getting ready to go to BETA.  I, of course, talked their ear off with questions on that one.

Maybe if my plans to attend a conference next year pan out I will be able to tell you more about what vendors out there are really cool.

Let me know who you think is a good vendor so I can go and check them out too!

Next FTF Article is up: My genes

My continuing fascination with genetic genealogy was explored a bit more in this week’s post at Family Tree Firsts.  Check out the post here.

 

You may remember a few weeks back I posted about receiving my AncestryDNA test in the mail.  It was different that the FTDNA test that my dad was shipped.  For FTDNA you do a cheek swab, with Ancestry you spit in a vial.  I think, personally, I prefer the check swab.  Less chance for spit to go everywhere, and as the mother of 2 boys I have enough of that in my life already.

 

It was interesting to read their ethnicity break down on me.  Yes, I am a white girl.  Just in case there was no doubt in anyone’s mind.  There is no way to deny it as they tell me I am from… Europe.  As a visual person I liked that they gave you a graph for the percentage breakdown as well as a highlighted map of where you come from; more visuals for every learning type.  Uh-oh, the education classes are coming through.

 

If you are not familiar with the history, culture, or the basics for the regions Ancestry says you come from there is a summary page on each ethnicity that you can read.  I didn’t learn anything ground breaking because growing up with a history teacher for a father, loving museums, traveling, and reading odd books I know a little bit about a lot of subjects. 

 

Most exciting for me is connecting with cousins through their matching system.  So far a half a dozen people have contacted me after I emailed nearly twenty about our families.  Who knows that I can learn, what we can learn, by having this contact.  Of course I am secretly hoping for story and picture sharing.  I love having the images to place in the tree, making the entry a person and not just a bunch of names and dates. 

 

Now there is another test on the way.  This time it is for my husband and I am just as excited about it!  This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!

*Map image from the Library of Congress
*Ethnicity Breakdown is a screenshot from my results on Ancestry.com
 

Honoring the unknown: who was Claudius Herbert Chamberlin

I am an army brat; proud of my mama in combat boots, and proud of all my family who have served this country through military service.  When Veteran’s day comes around each year I wear my poppy and reflect on the stories that I have been told about my family and their service.  This year I found myself wondering about a mysterious man in my mother-in-law’s picture file.  A man that we know nothing about but is quite dashing in his army uniform.

This photograph was given to me last December with the request to find out all I can on him.  I am sorry to say that I have failed to find out much, and I do not know where else to look or who to turn to for help.  On the back of this postcard is the following information: 

Claudius Herbert Chamberlin

Company F. 20^th Infantry.
Ft. Douglas
Utah
Age 20

The theory is he may be the son of her grandfather’s older brother, Frank Herbert Chamberlin.  Unfortunately I have no record of Frank from the last time I found him in up-state New York in 1878, at about 15 years old, until his death in San Antonio, Texas in 1934.  Could Claudius be his son?  Yes, but I have no proof one way or the other.

From the style of the uniform I have deduced that he served in the army between the Spanish American War and World War I.  I did a bit of research on the 20^th Infantry division at Ft. Douglas.  I know they patrolled the Mexico and US border at El Paso, Texas in 1914 because of the Mexican War.  They ceased to exist in May 1917 when they were reorganized as the 42^nd Infantry Regiment.  I even read an interesting article about life at the Fort.  However, still no answers on my mysterious solider. 

One day I will have the answers.  Even if it means I have to spend an hour every time I go to NARA looking through the rolls from Fort Douglas on that darn microfilm machine.  I have made it through the first roll and I think there are about 15 to go.

Week 45 of Abundant Genealogy

Week 45: Genealogy Speakers. Which genealogy speaker has left the biggest impression on you? What is it about that speaker that you like the most? What is his or her general focus? Does this person speak at regional or national conferences? Share why other genealogists should attend this speaker’s sessions.

 

You all know by now that I don’t get out much so I have limited scope on this subject.  However, I have seen one person speak twice in person, Claire Bettag.  Last spring I heard her give a presentation on Federal Land Records at the NARA Genealogy Fair then a few weeks ago at the Fairfax County Genealogy Society Fall Fair I heard her speak again.  She is an amazing speaker, very knowledgeable, and very fun.  This time I learned a lot about the Land Bounty Records, the manuscript collection at the Library of Congress, and the Congressional Serial Set.   She speaks on a reagional as well as a national basis, and will be an instructor at Samford this coming year

 

If you have a chance to see her I highly suggest you do.  You will come away with a lot of information, leads to follow up on, and insight into things you may not have known about.  I came home from the fall fair and found several ancestors in the Congressional Serial Set.  Most amazing was the information I found about my husband’s ancestor Salathiel Nickerson.  Particularly, the private claim for a Revolutionary War Bounty on a schooner named "Nine Sisters".  Now, to learn more about that vessel and how someone could get a bounty for a ship.

 

Wonder what else I will be able to find?
 

photo credit: WilliamMarlow via photopin cc

A Heraldic Primer: part 1

A few weeks ago I posted an entry here and at Family TreeFirsts on Heraldry.  Unless you are one of my close friends, you would never guess that I have a love of heraldic display.  Heraldic display is the use of personal heraldry on banners, clothes, embroidery, wood, glass, metal, or anything that a person owned or used.  The personal display of heraldry harks back to medieval tournaments where you could look out over a field and know, on sight, who was fighting who.

 

There are some amazing uses of heraldry over the centuries, many being quite breathe taking.  My favorites are the ones in stained glass.  However, do you know what all the colors, flora, fauna, and symbols mean?   Over the next few weeks I want to take you through the world of heraldry and give you the basics to understand what you are looking at during your research.  Each culture in Europe has a different view on heraldry, from who can use it to how it was drawn, and with that in mind, these posts will concentrate on English Heraldry.

 

The basics of heraldry come down to the colors, field divisions, and the charges used.  It can be very complex, but it can also be very simple, it all depends on how it is drawn.    English heraldry had its beginnings with the Normans and because of this the language of heraldry is French.  Now, let’s start with the colors used.

 

Color is a main aspect of heraldry. All those amazing colors and textures bring the images to life in some cases, and make them unforgettable in others.  There are only 7 colors you need to know, 5 non-metal colors and 2 metals.  They are:  azure (blue), vert (green), purpure (purple), gules (red), or (yellow/gold), and argent (white/silver).  I have left off, and won’t discuss in detail, the 20^th century addition of blue-celeste (sky blue).   In addition to the colors there are stains and furs.  The 3 stains are:  tennè (orange), murrey (purple-red of the mulberry), and sanguine (deep blood red).  Ermine (white with black spots), erminois (yellow with black spots), ermines (black with white spots), pean (black with yellow spots), and vair (blue and white pelts) are the types of fur.  There are more complex fur patterns, but we will stick with the most common for now.
 

 

 

 On the other hand, what happens if you come across an image that is black and white?  Or you don’t have any markers with you to make color notes on arms that you are researching?  How would you know what all the colors are supposed to be?  Easy!  In the late 16^th century heralds developed a system of hatching to show color in black and white drawings.  This is an easy way to sketch arms while taking notes and you do not have access to something to color with. 
 

 

Now that you know the colors, tinctures, and furs used, let’s look at how they were placed on a person’s device.  There are specific rules as to what colors are allowed to touch and which are not.  For instance, you may not place a metal object on a metal background or a non-metal object on a non-metal background.  If you think about it, it should be clear as why.  Would a gold goblet show up on a gold background?  Or a red flower on a red background?  Contrasting a metal and non-metal makes the arms pop so to say.  Furs, on the other hand, are technically a neutral color, but common sense should be used.  While technically correct, a black panther on an ermines background would not be a good choice because you would not see the panther, or the charge, on the device. 

 

Next time, field divisions.

 

Sources:

Brooke-Little, J.P.  An Heraldic Alphabet.  Robinson Books, Ltd; London; 1996.

 

Fox-Davies, A.C.. The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopedia of Armory.

 

InternationalHeraldry and Heralds 

 

Parker, James. AGlossary of Terms Used in Heraldry. Oxford: James Parker & Co., 1894 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1970); see online version

 

Images:

Wikimedia Commons: Manuscript Miniature of a Joust; Hatching system of Petra Sancta and de la Colombiere; Heraldikai lexikon/Hermelin

 

 

Lessons in research

I am still plodding away on the applications for the DAR and the GSMD.  Why did I think this would be so quick and easy?  Honestly, it is not that hard, just a bit on the tedious side. I mean, all I have been doing is gathering records, calling court houses, cajoling relatives into giving me copies of things, and etc.  While it is taking months longer than I thought to gather these items, I have learned a lot along the way.

First lesson:  how to talk to irate, and at times unhelpful, court clerks on the phone.  I would never have guessed that people who work for the public could at times be rude and condescending.  Not all of them, thankfully, but a few out of the dozen I have talked with on the phone had an unpleasant attitude.   Now, please understand, I am always polite, courteous, and clear when requesting information.  Just the way I was taught; easier to attract flies with honey instead of vinegar you know.  However, one woman actually told me that she had more pressing issues that dealt with living people and didn’t have time for my nonsense.  When I explained that I lived a thousand miles away and would be happy to pay the office for the time it took to retrieve the files and copy them she hung up on me.  Thankfully she wasn’t working when I called back.

Second lesson:  keep an accurate phone and mail log.  It is embarrassing to write or call the same person twice for the same information.  Lucky for me the librarian thought it was funny.  That embarrassment drove me to making an official log, like so many researchers do.  I had been using the inside of the folder I had made to collect the documents in as a on-the-fly note keeper.  That obviously had a flaw, one that I could still repeat, because I had to remember to keep the notes up to date.  So far so good now that I keep an official correspondence log with each file.  Also, this helps me keep a trail of places that I have contacted without success when tracking down where an ancestor’s record may be.  That information can lead me to the next place I should look or contact. 

Third lesson:  cite your sources immediately.  Nothing is more embarrassing than finding an awesome online record and forgetting where you got it.  Worse, is when you have to ask your readers to help you find those lost records (thanks guys!).  In the past I would copy the information or image and attach the web site to it.  Then, when I had the time, I would go back and insert the correct source citation.  For books and paper copies this is much easier since you can just photocopy the title page or write the source on the back of the page.  Now, I make a point to take the few extra minutes to do a correct source citation immediately.

Fourth lesson:  making a spreadsheet to keep track of what you have and what you still need.  Seems like a simple thing right?  Something someone should have started at the beginning of an epic quest such as this huh?  Well… sometimes my brain makes decisions contrary to what should be done.  I printed out the application forms and started to keep track of what I had on there.  However, after about 6 months of notes, additions, deletions, and multi colored pens the chicken scratch was hard to be straight.  My solution was a check list that I stapled to the outside of my paperwork folder.  Now I have a list off what is in the file and what I still need to gather for submission.  No need to try and read the scribble or hunt through each file trying to figure out what I still need. 

There you have it, the lessons that have now been firmly planted in my head about what to do and not to do when conducting a specific research project.  Now, let’s hope that I remember it the next time I start one of these!

Election day

On this Election Day I have been wondering and reminiscing on politics in my family.  Well, that and trying not to die from a head cold.  Cough, sniffle, blow, ugh.  I am on medication so (fingers crossed) I hope this rambling makes a bit of sense.  On that note, here are some thoughts on politics in my family.

Majority of my family, on both sides, have been Republicans.  Now, when I say that I do not mean Republicans as in the circus spectacle of today’s party, what I mean is the old fashioned Republican Party.    You know, when they were the radical liberal ones.  It is amazing that in 150 years the 2 biggest parties we have in this country have almost completely swapped their ideologies.  It is no wonder that I now fall into that growing category of unaligned voters.  I no longer vote along party lines, but for whomever I feel is the best.

My paternal Grandfather, Paul Combs, was a member of the Indiana House of Legislature in the late 1950s.  I am on the quest to discover what he did while in office.  It would be fascinating to me to read what legislation he was involved in and what he did as a member of the House.  Also, my father’s great grandfather, William Brennan, was the mayor of their town and a member of the city council for many years.  On my mother’s side, she has a cousin who was the mayor of Kissimmee, Florida and several others who have been very active in the gay rights movement and other socially important issues. 

Over the years I have listened to my dad tell me stories about campaigning with his father.  They would go door to door shaking hands, kissing babies, and listening to the people.  Dad and his siblings would drive people from the country side to the polling stations in town so they could vote.  He told me that some of the older voters would not go unless dad gave them a bottle of alcohol. When he first told me that story I was astonished.  Isn’t that buying votes?  No, he said. Dad told me they wanted to make sure everyone had the chance to cast their ballot, but some of those old-timers still believed that they were to get an incentive to go and vote so the trunk of the car had beer and whiskey bottles in it for those who asked.  Grandpa didn’t like paying them $1 like some of the other candidates did, so this was his compromise.  Still, dad said he would leave a farm, on more than one occasion, because someone refused to go vote unless they were paid to do so.

The one story I have not found, yet, is if any of my female ancestors were involved with the suffrage movement.  I am really curious to know what my great grandmothers thought when they were given the right to vote.  Did they care?  Were they excited?  How did it affect their lives?  I just don’t know.

Well, my nose isn’t running any more so I need to pack my boys up and get to the polling station. 

Wish me luck! 

photo credit: Alan Cleaver via photopin cc