Desperately Seeking Surnames

GHLL's Branching Out has a Guest - Jennifer Holik-Urban

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-06:00

Be sure to visit the newsletter section of the GHLL website to read the February edition of Branching Out. This newsletter is the first in a series of newsletters authored by a guest, Jennifer from Generations.

Musings on a Munday Rootstech

2012-01-30T13:00:00.000-06:00

Two more days until I leave for Salt Lake City and Rootstech 2012. Wow, it seems like this has been a long time in coming and now that we are close I see how unprepared I am. That's ok though. Usually I'm on the other side of the equation at a conference with three inch think binders full of organizational goodness. This time I am an attendee...hear me roar!! :)

The excitement leading up to Rootstech has been at a fever pitch at times. You all know why (if you don't, it's a long story I'm not getting into). But you know what they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity. The social media and blogging world have been inundated with #Rootstech this and #Rootstech that. If my non-gena followers and friends don't know exactly what #Rootstech is by now, they certainly know it has a hashtag!

I may be tweeting from the conference (understatement). I may be posting on Facebook and Google + as well. And who knows I may even possibly get a blog post out (don't hold your breath). I have a full schedule of sessions selected and entered into my Rootstech app. Attending sessions along with the browsing through the exhibit hall, bumping, tweet-ups and networking with the over 80 Geneabloggers expected to be in attendance will keep me busy. At some point I may even make it over to the Family History Library and spend some time on the book floor.

I am looking forward to meeting new people, catching up with others and hanging with my roomie Caroline from For Your Family Story. If you will be attending (is ANYONE else from Missouri going?)be sure to look me up!

Updates at GHLL

2012-01-29T21:00:00.000-06:00

Genealogy and History Data Updates January 30 - February 5, 2012.

Updates in Domestic Resources include: Florida, Georgia, Idaho and Illinois. Visit the State Pages to see more.

Musings On A Munday Land Grant

2012-01-23T08:30:00.000-06:00

I found the blog post Determining the No. of Acres of a Land Grant in the State Land States on Genealogy By Ginger's Blog to be very informative and well written. Be sure to take a look.

Thank you Ginger!

2012 Genealogy Events

2012-01-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

2012 Genealogy Events

Surnames I Seek

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-06:00

I have had a surnames page on this blog since shortly after I created it. Originally I added few of my direct line names without any detail. Little by little I added a few more bits of information not knowing how useful it would be to my blog or to my blog visitors.

Recently while viewing my stats I realized something pretty interesting. When selecting to view my stats for "All Time", the Surnames I Seek page has the largest number of page views by a significant amount. So my creative writing and witty repartee hasn't been the most interesting piece to this blog? Apparently not.

Realizing that I am looking at a missed opportunity, I will now begin to add more names and details to this page. I shouldn't have assumed visitors would scroll through all my blog posts looking for a common surname. I can't rely on my labels to be a direct link to the information visitors may be searching for.

This time next year it will be interesting to see if I have moved from a missed opportunity to a window of opportunity.

Updates at GHLL

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-06:00

Genealogy and History Data Updates January 16 - January 22, 2012.

Updates in Domestic Resources include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona and Arkansas. Visit the State Pages to see more.

Blogger Spotlight for 2012

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-06:00

Blogging serves different purposes for different people. Some blog because they enjoy writing and some blog to share their families stories. Others blog to share tips and provide a level of education to their readers. Regardless of the reason behind the generation of the blog you can't deny that blogging has become much more mainstream and bloggers are achieving a new level of respect. There are some phenomenal bloggers out there, so many in fact that my Google Reader is always at 500+ unread!

In order to spotlight some of these great blogs the Genealogy and History Links Library site will be announcing a Blogger of the Month during 2012. I have been a contributor to GHLL for the past 10 years and am responsible for the Web Site of The Week feature. As I came to rely on blogs in addition to websites in my genealogy research I thought it would be a good idea to shine the light on them as well. Additionally, some of these bloggers will be guest posting for the newsletter Branching Out.

Of course since this was my idea...I get to be the first Blogger of the Month!! :) It's only fair right? While I don't claim to be in the same caliber as the bloggers that will follow me, I do enjoy their blogs and appreciate the research tips and expertise they bring to the table. I reached out to a group of my favorites, asking if they would like to participate. Being the wonderful group of people they are, I had a great positive response.

While you take some time to check out the featured bloggers please also browse the GHLL site to see vast array of information that is available.

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Genealogy and History Data Updates January 9 - January 15, 2011.

What If Henry Vogt Was Your Man

2012-01-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

I began watching the Genealogy How-To Videos on NARA's YouTube channel after several geneabloggers pointed them out this week. While watching the video on immigration records the presenter discussed a record for Henry Vogt. This got me wondering, what would I do if Henry Vogt was my man? What if Henry was my Great Great Grandfather I had been tirelessly searching for over the past five years? Of course I would be doing the happy dance! But who has that happened to? Surely it's happened to someone? Listen later in the video and she will mention that somebody did recognize another individual they were discussing at a NARA workshop. THAT would be exciting!

Finding Your Roots

2012-01-05T19:36:00.001-06:00

The following article is from Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author. Information about the newsletter is available at http://www.eogn.com. Originally published on January 4, 2012.

"Finding Your Roots" a 10-part Series on PBS

Another genealogy series is about to be launched on television in the U.S. "Finding Your Roots" with historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. will launch on March 25. That will be the first episode of a 10-part series on PBS stations.

The new series will feature two people in each one-hour episode, including husband-and-wife actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, who jokes she's afraid they might turn out to be cousins. "They are indeed distant cousins," revealed Gates. "Talk about six degrees of separation, right?"

Check your local listings for the exact time and channel in your area.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Wishing all my followers the happiest and healthiest of New Years!

While you may have been expecting a New Year's graphic, I have chosen not to create one. Instead I will let my new blog header be my graphic. New year, new look!

Happy New Year!

Jenna

2011 Goal is Reviewed and Plans for 2012 Underway

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000-06:00

No that is not a typo, I had one goal (singular) for 2011 as posted here, about the search for my Great Grandmother Mary, I followed up on the search in these subsequent posts:

First of all, let me say that knowing myself I am very impressed that I wrote a total of six blog posts around a single topic. That's just not the way I work. :)

Did I accomplish and finish my goal? Technically no, BUT I'm am thissssssssssss close! The documents I've accumulated in researching Mary this year have the elements I need. I am now at the point of needing to formally construct a research plan (yes Kathleen I WILL do that) in order to prove the relationship. I am doing that a little backwards and after-the-fact, and we all know the "genealogy police" would scold me severely for doing so but c'est la vie it is what it is.

In thinking about my 2012 genealogy research goals, I obviously had to include the completion of my search for Mary/Martha. I did however decide to include two more goals related to genealogy. I think lists of three look developed without being overwhelming.

Create a research plan and prove my relationship to Mary Smith Evingham
Attend one local genealogy society or event each quarter in 2012
Post more comments to other bloggers on their blog itself not on Twitter, Facebook or Google+

I feel comfortable with these goals as well as excited. Being able to complete the story of Mary and move onto another family line will be welcome. As for item number two, my county does not have a genealogy society, they do have a historical society and while I'm a member I don't attend their meetings (it would take another series of 6 blog posts to cover the reasons). Also, two neighboring counties have very active societies and I am looking forward to attending their events.

Finally, I plan to make a concerted effort (I actually started this yesterday) to post my comments on the blog comment section of the post. I have been terribly lazy in only making a short comment here and there when I see the blog post on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Somewhat in my defense I'm usually reading the blog posts on my phone and it is easier to forward, like and plus something with a quick note. I find it difficult to comment from my phone on many blogs that have word verification requirements. Still, those are excuses not reasons and I hope to increase my comments on the actual blog by 50% in 2012.

The year 2011 has been exciting for genealogy! So many new record sets are now online and we have techo gadgets galore. Blogging continues to be something I have a love-hate relationship with. I do not consider myself a writer but I do love this world-wide communication method. Without Desperately Seeking Surnames, my cousin Betty in North Carolina would never have found me! Hi Betty!! :) Without Desperately Seeking Surnames I would not have all the great genealogy friends I have now, nor would I appreciate what bloggers have to provide to the world of genealogy.

Wishing all my readers a happy and healthy 2012! Cheers!

Jenna

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Weekly Genealogy Data Updates from GHLL

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-06:00

Genealogy and History Data Updates December 19 - December 25, 2011.

Rootstech 2012 No Publicity is Bad Publicity

2011-12-11T18:41:00.001-06:00

If anyone in the genealogy community, or any non-genea friend or follower on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, had never heard of Rootstech...they have now!

Wow, the posts and tweets were blowing up the feeds these last 48 hours. One thing is for sure...WE LOVE BOOKS!! As genealogists we can't imagine a world without a heavy, thick, musty smelling book to guide us to our ancestors. We love turning the pages and anticipating what gem we are going to find on the next page.

I will be disappointed if there are no book vendors at Rootstech 2012. By the last day of the conference I will have talked myself into and out of buying another book on finding my German ancestors at least a dozen times. I will have called my husband and told him just how cool this book is over and over until he finally says "just buy the damn book!"

My disappointment will grow when I see there are no craft vendors in the exhibit hall. I love using scrapbook pages to tell my family stories and I enjoy seeing how other crafters tell their family stories through their chosen design medium. I gain new ideas from them and usually find some little trinket that I can't live without.

The absence of these vendors will be noticed and they will be missed. Will their absence ruin the entire conference experience? No. From last year's reviews this conference will be amazing with fantastic speakers and a great learning and networking environment. Will the absence of these vendors move me to cancel my plans to attend? Absolutely not.

The exhibit management for Rootstech made a decision to limit the exhibit hall vendors to "technology related products and services" and have chosen to "purposefully not accept applications from book publishers or arts and craft dealers". These statements are published here: Rootstech 2012 Exhibitor. While I find this decision to be a poor one, it is stated on the exhibitor application, the application that every potential exhibitor must complete.

Entering into a contract to exhibit at a trade show is like any other contract. You don't do the work until the contract is signed. Why did vendors proceed as if they had a contract, when in fact they didn't especially when there were very specific statements stating their particular type of product or service was not going to be accepted?

The word that has been tossed around these last 48 hours is "courted". Rootstech is said to have "courted" these very vendors that their exhibitor application says they are not going to accept. Who was doing the courting? Apparently somebody that was out of the loop on what management had planned for the exhibit hall. Was that all a misunderstanding? Did the vendors misinterpret the overtures from exhibit management?

Sadly all of this "hullabaloo" (love that word) leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many. The "shiny" Rootstech conference is a little duller these days. Rootstech has made a brief statement that they will "revisit" the issue...however that statement was a bit tardy in this day and age...especially for a technology conference.

As with any issue people are passionate about things are often said in the heat of the moment. I understand peoples desire to voice their opinion...that's why we blog right? It is disconcerting though when people feel they must attack people or beliefs. Let's stick to the issues.

I hope event management and the vendors in question are able to work something out. If not, those vendors need to jump into this spotlight quickly and make the most of it. People love to rally round the underdog. Have a "We've Been Banned From Rootstech" sale! Design "WE LOVE BOOKS" t-shirts we can all buy and wear to the conference. We can #occupyrootstech peacefully, yet still get our message across clearly.

Take those lemons and make some lemonade folks!! See ya in Salt Lake!

Genealogy and History Data Updates from GHLL

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Genealogy and History Data Updates December 5 - December 11, 2011.

Family History Scrapbook Sunday - Marriages

2011-12-04T13:55:00.001-06:00

The next set of pages for the family history album are marriage pages. Our class instructions from Jessica Sprague were to create four pages. I wish I was lucky enough to have marriage photos for my grandparents and great grandparents but I"m not. I created a page for myself and my parents.

Be sure to check The Scrappy Genealogist for all the details of the Family History Scrapbook Sunday blogging prompts.

Musings On A Munday Some People are Just Really Nice

2011-11-28T19:22:00.001-06:00

While working on my Evingham/Smith/Gilpin lines in Buffalo County Nebraska I've spent a lot of time on the USGenWeb Project for Buffalo County, Nebraska. The county coordinator for the site is Mona Houser and she has been amazingly helpful to me. The site contains a wealth of information and Mona always responds to me quickly. You can tell she truly enjoys participating in the GenWeb Project and goes above and beyond to help! She not only looks up what I ask for, she looked in other books index to see if there was anything else I might want and there was. Thank you Mona I really appreciate all of your help!

On this same site was a link to the Fort Kearney Genealogical Society. I knew they had access to marriage books for the 1800's in Buffalo County, that were indexed on the Buffalo County site. I sent an email to the address listed on the site and requested two marriage records, one from 1885 and one from 1887. When I hadn't received any type of reply after three weeks I thought that this must be one of those small societies that only check their email once a month, so I settled into wait. Then about four weeks after I sent the email I received an envelope from June (I won't use her last name as it's not published on their site) with copies of both of the marriage records I requested! Of course I was very excited but what had me dancing was one of the marriage records showed the mother's maiden name and we all know how valuable that little tidbit is!

I printed a copy of my original email and wrote a note on the back thanking June and letting her know how much I appreciated her help. The next week I received a thank you note in the mail from June. SHE was thanking ME for my note. She said that she was glad to know that something she had done as a volunteer had helped someone else and that made her feel like she was doing something worthwhile.

How cute is that?? How nice is that? How many times does that happen?

Some people are just really nice.

I Am Thankful For

2011-11-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

New Genealogy and History Data from GHLL

2011-11-21T06:30:00.000-06:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of November 21 - November 27, 2011.

Family History Scrapbook Sunday

2011-11-20T21:08:00.001-06:00

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!

I'm a week late in posting my pedigree pages for the Family History Album Class! I should be posting the assignment for week 3, but life and my JOB got in the way :). Maybe, hopefully I will catch up but I'm not making any promises because the holidays and more out-of-town travel is in the near future.

Jennifer at The Scrappy Genealogist organized a group of Geneabloggers who want to incorporate digital scrapbooking into telling their family story. Jessica Sprague offers self-paced, online classes in various topics surrounding digital scrapbooking. It is her Family History Album Class that is our guide for this project. And here are my pedigree pages for Week 2 of the class.

Be sure to visit the sites of the others taking this class and see how they apply what they have learned to their Family History Album.

Jackie's Genealogical Journey

Jen-Gen's Family History

The Scrappy Genealogist

Corn and Cotton: My Family's Story
Family Cherished

NGS Video Becoming a Genealogist

2011-11-15T15:59:00.001-06:00

Don't read the title of the video and make the assumption that this is a "how to" video. It's not that at all. It is a wonderful story and you will be glad you watched.

Genealogy and History Data Update from GHLL

2011-11-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of November 14 - November 20, 2011.

Some Gave All

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Image background contains a letter from David Emery to his father and step-mother (my grandmother) shortly less than one year before he was killed in action during WW II.

David is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium.

Thank A Veteran

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Billy Joe Mills

United States Air Force

Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Brothers In Arms

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Carol Vanderman

Howard Vanderman

Lionel Vanderman

WW I Doughboys

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Frank S. Allen

Family History Album Class Title Page

2011-11-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

Jennifer at The Scrappy Genealogist organized a group of Geneabloggers who want to incorporate digital scrapbooking into telling their family story. Jessica Sprague offers self-paced, online classes in various topics surrounding digital scrapbooking. It is her Family History Album Class that is our guide for this project.

Week 1 of the class covered gathering and organizing the documents and photos that we would like to feature in our album. Our first assignment was to complete the Title Page which I am sharing below.

Included in our class fee were digital downloads of background papers and embellishments. Jessica provided a title page template for our use, then we were instructed to use the the papers and embellishments provided to make the page our own.

The biggest challenge in this assignment for me was working with a layered template in Photoshop Elements. I've been using MyMemories for my digital scrapbooking and truly appreciate how easy it is to use after working with Elements on this page. I am hopeful that by the end of this class I will know my way around Elements and feel comfortable using it regularly.

Be sure to visit the sites of the others taking this class and see how they apply what they have learned to their Family History Album.

Jackie's Genealogical Journey

Jen-Gen's Family History

The Scrappy Genealogist

Corn and Cotton: My Family's Story

Weekly Updates from GHLL

2011-11-06T15:39:00.000-06:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of November 7 - November 13, 2011.

Events in Genealogy

2011-11-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for November 2011

(We encourage you to submit your event)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Image created with My Memories digital scrapbooking software. It was easy and fun! Save $10 on the My Memories Suite by using my discount code: STMMMS53057 at check out.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-10-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of October 31, 2011 - November 30, 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday BAUDERMANN

2011-10-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana. Taken at Calvary Cemetery Chicago, Illionis.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-10-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of October 24, 2011 - October 30, 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday Calvary Cemetery Chicago

2011-10-18T09:18:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-10-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of October 17, 2011 - October 23, 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday BAUDERMANN

2011-10-11T09:12:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana. Taken at Calvary Cemetery Chicago, Illinois.

We Have A Winner

2011-10-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

My Memories Digital Software Suite v2 is a winner in my book. I was hesitant at first about hosting a contest but now, I am so glad I did! The software is everything they say it is and more. Can you create scrapbook layouts in a snap? Yes! Can you download FREE templates and embellishments to jazz up your designs? Yes! Can you create t-shirt transfers? Yes! The limit is your imagination.

I spent time looking through their site (I've added a lot of their kits to my wish list), and watching the tutorials. I also joined their My Memories Community and have been reading the forum posts. There are some VERY creative people out there that love to share with others what they have done. If you think of My Memories as only a digital scrapbooking tool...you will be missing out on all of the possibilities.

So, who was the lucky winner of my contest? Who is the lucky person that gets to explore and expand their digital scrapbooking horizons? Who is the going to be able to design their own blog header to fit their personality exactly? Did I mention you can design your blog header with My Memories? No? Well you can! So, Terri O'Connell what awesomeness are you going to create with the free download of My Memories Suite v2 that you just WON?!? :) Terri I hope you enjoy getting to know My Memories as much as I have, Congratulations!

For those who did not win, do not despair, I have something for you too...if you use my code STMMMS53057 during check out on the My Memories site, you will save $10 off the price of the software. That means you can purchase the software for $29.95, regularly $39.95. That's not all, you will also get a $10 gift certificate to use towards any purchases you make from their online store!

Thank you to everyone that participated in my contest, and thank you My Memories for allowing me to demo your amazing digital scrapbooking software! I love it!

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-10-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of October 10, 2011 - October 16, 2011.

Saving Memories of the Little Gobblins is Easy

2011-10-08T10:19:00.000-05:00

Do you have little Gobblins around your house this year? Adorable grand kids, nieces or nephews that will be trick or treating you? My Memories makes it easy, fun and affordable to capture those fun times and share them.

I created this page in less than 10 minutes and that includes editing and cropping the photo which you can do right in the My Memories software. It was also free! The background was a free download being offered for Halloween and the spiders I added were also from a free download. My Memories is very generous with their customers and offer multiple free layouts with the software plus free downloads throughout the year from their Facebook page and email newsletter.

I told you about the contest I am hosting here. The contest ends on October 10th, 2011. If you would like a chance to win the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Suite just leave a comment on my original contest post and you will be entered. If you don't win the My Memories software, you can use my discount code (STMMMS53057) to receive $10 off your purchase on their site.

Good luck and have fun.

Tombstone Tuesday Calvary Cemetery Chicago

2011-10-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana. Thank you so much Laura, what an awesome photo!

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-10-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of October 3, 2011 - October 9, 2011.

Events in Genealogy

2011-10-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for October 2011

(We encourage you to submit your event)

October is Family History Month

2011-10-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's Family History month and I plan on spending it trying to make sense of all this!

In previous posts and for my 2011 Genealogy Goal I told the story of Una/Viola and Mary/Martha, my grandmother and great-grandmother who were proving to be very elusive to me. When I set my ONE goal for the year, to find Mary, I felt that I was being a little lazy. I don't feel lazy about this any more.

I finally have some promising evidence that is pulling the pieces together and a family is starting to form. Actually, at this point I'm in information overload mode! I have 28 pages of probate records, from Illinois, including documents from two of the heirs contesting the will. The best part...the papers list the daughter's married names! I also have two sets of marriage registers, from Nebraska, that list the father and the mother with a maiden name. All of these pieces are allowing me to tie two generations together. I am waiting on additional documents before I feel comfortable enough to unveil my family, but I'm certain I have them.

This journey to find these women and their family has brought several points home for me. We get fixated on what we THINK we know and where we THINK a person should be based on one piece of information we have or one story we were told. That doesn't help and we need to keep an open mind:

Families did move around, but seldom was it random and seldom was it solo. There was a reason, a person or a thing that motivated them.
Just because a person was born in Ohio then married and died in Illinois doesn't mean she didn't live in Nebraska at some point in her life.
If you find someone that fits your person, in every way, don't automatically dismiss them because you think they couldn't have possibly lived in California. Check it out further.
Sometimes you have to eliminate families from the picture before you can move on.
And most of all...you intuition knows more than you think it does!

I am looking forward to the month of October and discovering more of my family history, particularly on this line. Stay tuned, if the remaining documents I am waiting for confirm what I've found I will have Una/Viola Mary/Martha's story ready for the holidays.

Tombstone Tuesday Calvary Cemetery Chicago

2011-09-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of Laura Cosgrove Lorenzana.

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Giveaway

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED

A representative with My Memories, the company that offers My Memories Suite v2 Digital Scrapbooking software, recently contacted me about their product. I have been asked to review My Memories, blog my review of the software and host a giveaway of the newest version of their product. In addition to the giveaway I can also offer a discount to anyone who uses my promotion code.

Scrapbooking software...a giveaway, and a discount?? I love it and I love the software! I began traditional scrapbooking about 12 years ago and I do like the look and feel of the paper and textures in that method. However, there are times when I need something quick, different and easy to share. My Memories does just that with their ready made templates and slick user interface. You select a template, select a folder of photos from your computer and the software will drop your photos into place and you are done...it really is that simple.

For those of you who are more "particular" about your scrapbooking pages (I am one of you) do not worry, My Memories has something (actually hundreds of somethings) for you as well. There are options to add embellishments, shapes, text and backgrounds. The software comes with dozens of templates and design options pre-loaded. With so many choices of colors, brads, ribbons and texture the possibilities are endless.

If you can't find what you are looking for with the free templates provided, there are a multitude of digital scrapbooking kits available for purchase (Use Code STMMMS53057 to save $10 on your software order) on the My Memories site, as well as additional free downloads.

For my trial run of the software I chose to work with the kits and design options provided with the software. I love the look of photobooks to document vacations so I selected that option when I began my design. I have selected one page to illustrate for you the various options in designing your pages. You can see in the slideshow below the progression from a blank template to using the basic design option to adding a few embellishments and keepsake items. The only limit is your imagination (and your time). Once I finish all my pages and order my book, I will be sure to post a picture of the final product!

Do you think this is something you would like to try? I know you will like it and I want you to be able to try it for free! In addition to the $10 off your software purchase at My Memories (don't forget to use my promo code STMMMS530570) you have a chance to win a copy of the software...FREE! It's simple, here's how:

Giveaway Rules: visit www.MyMemories.com and have a look around. There are beautiful scrapbook kits, tutorials, a blog and a gallery full of inspiring ideas. Then just jump back here and leave a comment on this post letting me know which scrapbook kit you liked the most. It's that easy! The contest ends October 10, 2011, so get your comment in by then. Be sure I have your email address or some method to contact you, should you be the lucky winner!

If you share my contest post on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ you will receive additional entries into the contest. Make sure you include me on any posts so I can track your entries. @seekingsurnames on Twitter and Jenna Mills on Facebook and Google+.

BUT WAIT...there's more!! (Yes, I've watched too many infomercials!)

My Memories are a great group of people and they love giving away cool stuff..FREE! For more chances to win great items all you have to do is:
Follow their blog: http://www.mymemoriesblog.com/
Like on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593
Follow on Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/MyMemoriesSuite

Good luck to everyone in the contest and I hope you enjoy using your discount with my promo code!

Disclaimer: I was contacted by My Memories to review and post my opinions of their product on my blog. I was given two digital downloads of their My Memories Suite, one to use in my review and one to giveaway in this contest. I will receive a small commission each time my promo code is used for a purchase on mymemories.com.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-09-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of September 26, 2011 - October 2, 2011.

Musings on a Munday A Very Techy Conference

2011-09-19T07:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the special offered during the FGS 2011 conference, I was able to register for RootsTech 2012 at a very discounted rate. I have my hotel room and my roomies all set. Looking forward to a very "techy" genealogy conference!

UPDATE

Sorry folks I deleted the video is was Auto Play only! This coming from a "tech" conference??

If you want to see the video, with lots of our Geneafriends go to the Rootstech site.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-09-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of September 19, 2011 - September 25, 2011.

Blog Your Family History via Genealogy Gems

2011-09-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Lisa Louise Cooke is a favorite of mine in many categories. Podcasts! I'm an avid listener of all three of Lisa's podcasts. Lectures! I was fortunate enough to attend four of Lisa's lectures at the Midwest Family History Expo this summer. Author! I purchased The Genealogist's Google Toolbox and am looking forward to her next book. Videos! I knew Lisa had a YouTube channel as well, but had not watched any of the videos. I am correcting that situation starting now. The videos are informative and full of great tips for the newbie and great reminders for those more advanced users. Enjoy!

Events in Genealogy

2011-09-15T08:25:00.000-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for September 2011

(List is a work in progress, please submit your event)

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-09-12T08:23:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of September 12, 2011 - September 17, 2011.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-09-05T20:39:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of September 5, 2011 - September 11, 2011.

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census - Video 4

2011-09-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

The National Archives has made available a series of videos for the 1940 census. This is video 4 Census of Agriculture.

Watch Video 3 here.

Events in Genealogy

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for September 2011

(List is a work in progress, please submit your event)

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-08-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of August 29, 2011 - September 4, 2011.

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census - Video 3

2011-08-25T20:02:00.000-05:00

The National Archives has made available a series of videos for the 1940 Census. This is Video 3 Census of Housing.

Watch Video 2 here.

GHLL Updates

2011-08-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of August 22, 2011 - August 28, 2011.

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census - Video 2

2011-08-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

The National Archives has made available a series of videos for the 1940 census. This is Video 2 Census of Population.

Watch Video 1 here.

Events in Genealogy

2011-08-16T19:34:00.003-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for August 2011

(List is a work in progress, please submit your event)

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-08-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of August 15, 2011 - August 21, 2011.

Getting Ready for the 1940 Census - Video 1

2011-08-11T19:55:00.000-05:00

The National Archives has made available a series of videos relating to the 1940 census. This is video 1 Introduction to the 1940 Census

GHLL Updates

2011-08-07T19:32:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of August 8, 2011 - August 14, 2011.

Color Pictures of London Under Siege

2011-08-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

Most photographs from World War II have only been seen in grainy black and white. But now, new colour images have emerged that show the full horror of the destruction inflicted by Nazi bombings across London. The powerful images were released to mark the 70th anniversary of the launch of Winston Churchill's 'V for Victory' campaign on July 19, 1941.

The pictures vividly show the horrors of war. You can view several of the colour pictures in the Daily Mail.

Events in Genealogy

2011-08-02T17:30:00.001-05:00

Genealogy Calendar of Events for August 2011

(List is a work in progress, please submit your event)

Musings On A Munday Midwest Family History Expo

2011-08-01T07:07:00.001-05:00

Once again I attended the Midwest Family History Expo and truly enjoyed myself. This conference did not disappoint when it came to engaging and educational workshop sessions. I left with a 266 page syllabus, pages and pages of notes and am excited to put what I learned into practice. I liked the conference theme "Where Ol' Dogs Learn New Tricks!" We can all fall into that category no matter where we are in the leaning process. No matter how long we've been researching, you don't know what you don't know. That's the beauty of the Family History Expo, we can learn from the speakers as well as from the other attendees and move our research along while feeding off each others energy and passion for genealogy.

As with most genealogy conferences, simply deciding which session to attend is challenging. I attended a total of eight sessions over the two days of the expo as well as the keynote address given by Lisa Louise Cooke, the Friday night dinner presentation with M. Bridget Cook (no relation) and made several passes through a busy exhibit hall.

The highlight of the expo for me was meeting and learning from Lisa Louise Cooke. I've been a faithful listener of the Genealogy Gems Podcast for several years and was looking forward to soaking up all the gems in person. She did not disappoint. From the Google search strategies, to map searches to creating a family history tour in Google Earth I was hooked. I am looking forward to getting started on recording my own family history tour and sharing it with the non-genealogists in my family. I do need to brush up on some of the techniques she shared with us and I think I have just the reference guide to help me! (it's even signed by the author!)

I hope there is a Family History Expo in your area that you will be able to attend in the near future. The value is hard to beat and the Expos truly are created by wonderful people who love genealogy. I also hope that the Midwest Expo is here to stay!

2011-07-31T16:44:00.001-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of August 1, 2011 - August 7, 2011.

Tombstone Tuesday Ketron

2011-07-26T07:48:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday Dad's Truck 1966

2011-07-20T08:14:00.000-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday Beckham

2011-07-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

Musings on a Munday Midwest Family History Expo

2011-07-18T07:29:00.002-05:00

I am looking forward to the Midwest Family History Expo in just a couple of weeks. I am particularly excited to listen to and meet this years Keynote Speaker, Lisa Louise Cooke. Of course I am also looking forward to seeing my Geneablogger Buddies Susan Peterson and Diana Ritchie and catching up face-to-face.

Looking through the agenda, it appears that Holly Hansen and her team have once again lined up a terrific group of speakers.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T05:46:00.001-05:00

Mount Rushmore - July 4, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday Woolsey

2011-07-12T09:28:00.000-05:00

Abagail Woolsey

2011-07-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

Google+: Millions Of Users & Growing

I don't know if the world needs one more social network or not, but Google has created one. It is obviously designed to compete with Facebook, although it is quite different. Google Plus reportedly does not share Facebook's many security problems. That alone should make it attractive. However, I've been using Google+ for a couple of days now but must say that I cannot get too enthused about it.

Google is planning heavy investments in Google+ and will eventually use Plus as the infrastructure behind all of the company’s products.

You can find dozens of articles that describe Google+ in detail if you start athttp://goo.gl/fDynS and the service itself is available athttps://plus.google.com/.

Access to Google+ is being controlled in order to limit growth to manageable numbers and make sure the new service doesn't become overwhelmed with new users. In order to access Google+, you must be invited by a present user of the service. If you are a reader of this newsletter and would like an invitation, please send an email message toinvite@eogn.com and I will send you an invitation as long as Google allows. I don't know how many invitations I have so there is only one way to find out.

I'd like to start a Google+ "hangout" where users can chat together live with voice and video. Perhaps this Monday evening at 9 PM Eastern U.S. time/6 PM Pacific?

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

On Vacation!!

2011-07-02T08:42:00.003-05:00

Be back next week! :)

The Great Missouri Treasure Hunt

2011-07-01T08:07:00.000-05:00

The Great Missouri Treasure Hunt is a statewide contest open until August 31, 2011. Watch the video below and visit the official site for all of the details.

Welcome to The Great Missouri Treasure Hunt from mosecofstate on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T08:40:00.002-05:00

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-06-28T20:12:00.002-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of June 2, 2011 - July 3, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday Winchester, Kentucky

2011-06-22T09:43:00.001-05:00

Grandmother possibilities: Martha Ecton or Susan Hart

Aunt possibilities: Cassandra, Alice, Liota or Lizzie Scott. or Lillie, Sophia, Jessie or Lidia Allen.

Tombstone Tuesday Woolsey

2011-06-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-06-19T09:15:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of June 20, 2011 - June 26, 2011.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-06-12T08:51:00.002-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of June 13, 2011 - June 19, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday Got Blooms?

2011-06-08T08:03:00.000-05:00

This is the Face of Genealogy

2011-06-05T12:11:00.003-05:00

This is the face of my genealogy and they are beautiful!

Anna Pearl Scott born 1878 in Kentucky
Ora Gaines Allen born 1897 in Kentucky
Charles Scott Allen born 1900 in Kentucky

This post is in response to the very offensive image posted in the LA Weekly with an article regarding the upcoming SCGS Jamboree. You can read about the article here.

Whether the author or the editor selected the photo matters little, it was published. The photo depicts a very uneducated and outdated stereotype of genealogy. Boring! Come up with something new and original, then you can call yourself a journalist.

p.s. If you've ever wondered how large the genealogy market is, call the LA Weekly tomorrow they should have the figures for you!

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-06-05T11:10:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of June 6, 2011 - June 12, 2011.

Amherst Nebraska 1907 via Google Earth

2011-06-04T14:06:00.000-05:00

I recently spent some time watching the updated Google Earth videos, offered from Lisa Louise Cook at Genealogy Gems as part of the premium membership. What is particularly exciting about the updated videos is they are iPad compatible! Lisa updated them in QuickTime or some format other than Flash. Thank you so much Lisa, I hope others with webinars and videos quickly follow your lead!

In Video #6 we see how to use and create historic overlays in Google Earth. I've had a 1907 Plat Map for Amherst, Nebraska for some time and in the upper right corner, you see the name Mary Evingham. That is my great grandmother who I know next to nothing about. In addition to this plat map, I also have the Warranty Deed showing her purchasing the land in 1906 and the Warranty Deed showing her selling the land in 1919. I've found Mary and daughter Una on the 1910 census living in Amherst and as there are no other Evinghams listed in Amherst, I'm confident this is my Mary Evingham.

I used the historic overlay option in Google Earth to add the 1907 map to today's view of Amherst. What was once three undivided acres in 1907 now has five homes on it. I can also see that the Union Pacific Railroad ran through Amherst at one time, but no longer does. I did some searching on the Buffalo County Nebraska GenWeb site and found this photo of the train depot.

Mary and her daughter Una lived in Fairbury, Illinois in 1900. A 1897 map of Fairbury shows a railroad line. They may have arrived in Amherst from Fairbury at this very depot. The railroad line also shortens the distance to Newark, New Jersey. Una married my grandfather who was born, raised and died in Newark. I've pondered how they could possibly have have met in 1915 living so far apart. After my grandfather graduated from college, did he take a trip west by train and make a stop in Amherst?

I'm going to spend more time with Google Earth and map overlays, it's very interesting to note the changes that take place over the years. I will also spend more time with the Fairbury, Illinois map, something on that map caught my eye that warrants further research.

Wordless Wednesday Veteran's Memorial 2011

2011-06-01T09:01:00.002-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday Kline

2011-05-31T08:51:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T08:19:00.000-05:00

Thank you to those who serve!

Resources and Timelines in the Hunt for Martha/Mary

2011-05-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

As I continue to spin my wheels while trying to find my Great Grandmother, Martha/Mary Evingham/Smith (this family line picked up and discarded names at will), my frustration level inches ever higher. Once I received my Grandmother's (Una/Viola) death certificate listing her mother and father's names I thought for sure that was the break through I needed. No, the brick wall is now another generation taller.

I added Martha and Joseph to my online tree at Ancestry and waited for the "shaking leaves" to appear. That's how it happens on the commercials, right? I am still waiting. Not one, single hint has appeared. My searches are to no avail, my queries posted on message boards remained unanswered. Time to go back to the drawing board.

I began listing the resources available to me. Some I had already contacted using my Grandmother's name, but now that I have Martha/Mary and Joseph I need to revisit. I also need to revisit the Genweb site for Livingston County, Illinois and, well, I actually need to revisit every source and/or website that I visited looking for Una/Viola. This is the point where I realize just how important a research log is...I don't have one, so I really have no idea what sites/resources I did visit/review when looking for Una/Viola. Take note budding genealogists, that is a lesson in what not to do! Illinois will be my starting point as that is where Una was born, Nebraska and New Jersey will follow.

I started going through the images of documents and photos I have for this family and started asking myself "what is it I really know about them?". I was struggling with the "big picture" and making sense of the Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey maze. A timeline came to mind as a tool to help me visualize the information I had. I was hopeful that getting my information into the proper sequence would shed some light on where and when I needed to focus my research.

The timeline showed me I had documents and details for my grandfather, Joseph, a few details about Una/Viola, very little on Martha/Mary and nothing on great grandfather Joseph. I will not let this deter me, I feel better having the information written down. My next step will be to add these timeline items to a digital timeline that will show me the current events at the time. This might also be a good time to bring Google Earth into the picture. Illinois, Nebraska and New Jersey are not right next door to each other and moving from one to another seems so random to me. If I'm missing a significan clue, perhaps seeing that migration route will bring clarity to my search.

Now that I have a defined direction I feel much better, no more stumbling around. Famous last words! :)

Musings On A Munday Lack of Courtesy or Lack of Common Sense?

2011-05-16T08:14:00.000-05:00

Is lifting/borrowing/coping documents and photos from one Ancestry.com tree to add to your own without contacting the tree owner a lack of courtesy or a lack of common sense? Those "lifters" do realize that the documents and photos were added by another individual. They don't think that Ancestry.com put them there do they? Like maybe the shaking leaf appeared and so did a document?

I added a handful of photos and documents to my Ancestry.com tree last year. My thought was that surely somebody would contact me once they see this great information. That didn't happen. Don't they wonder if there is more where that came from? Don't they wonder how we are related?

One person lifted a German church record from my tree and added it to theirs. This church record is from 1788 in Klepsau, Baden, Germany. It took me a long, long time to find this record (scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through microfilm) and took me a long time to eventually get it translated. The devil in me wants to email this person, that placed in on their tree, and ask "do you even have a clue as to what that document is or says???" Well, I did email them...twice but have received no response. I let them know that my Ancestry.com tree is what I use as a sort of "working" tree and that I have so much more than what is online.

At this point I'm wondering if they are really that rude as to not answer after I've reach out to them twice. I also wonder if maybe they are embarrassed to have been "caught" lifting. After reviewing their tree I can see I have a lot to offer them but if they don't have the comment sense to reply to my emails there is nothing I can do about it.

It's not the borrowing of the documents I have a problem with. I do that myself. But I never borrow without contacting the owner and letting them know we have a common ancestor and I am happy to share what information I have.

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-05-15T09:57:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of May 16, 2011 - May 22, 2011.

Wordless Wednesday Emery

2011-05-11T07:13:00.000-05:00

Tombstone Tuesday Crockett

2011-05-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

Musings on a Munday My Response to Genealogy Conferences - Selling the Goods

2011-05-09T07:16:00.001-05:00

My response to Genealogy Conferences - Selling the Goods.

Exhibit Booths are a Gamble: Gamble is Thomas' word, that I don't like at all, but I'll go with it. Trade show exhibiting is like anything else...you must research, prepare and practice. Exhibiting is a discipline (Certified Trade Show Marketer) unto itself and must be approached as any other marketing channel by setting objectives and planning out your strategy. It's only a gamble if you don't do your research and take the time to educate yourself.

Why are you exhibiting? Are you only looking for sales? Do you need to perform product demos? What about client relationships? Face-to-face marketing at a trade show allows you to see 10, 20 or more current clients in one place. There is real value in developing and maintaining client relationships. You need to calculate that into your return on investment for the trade show.
Inventory. I am still surprised when I enter an exhibit hall at a genealogy conference and see how much "stuff" is in the vendors booths. In this day and age of "going green", shipping boxes and boxes of pamphlets, books and do-dads is, and should be, a thing of the past. Put your products on a slide show and have it running on your laptop or iPad in the booth. If you feel you must have samples in your booth, limit them to what is absolutely necessary. Run a special on shipping if an attendee orders from you ten days before, during and ten days after the show. That should help to alleviate any resistance to not having the product in their hands at the show.
You should be advertising that you are exhibiting at a conference in the months leading up to it and the conference management should be assisting you with this. Look at their media kit and sponsorship opportunities. Ask for an email template that you can use to send out to your current customer base. Use social media channels to promote your attendance, LinkedIn is a good avenue for pre-show marketing. If you don't feel you can't afford to advertise or purchase a sponsorship, see if you can co-op with another vendor that is not in direct competition with you.
Staffing...you can not exhibit if you are not in the booth. I realize many exhibitors go it solo. Have you calculated the potential to make more sales if you have a second person with you? You could be missing out on sales when you are away from the booth, but also while you are at the booth and helping others. Attendees have a limited amount of time and may not wait around for you to finish talking to another customer. If you truly can't afford a second person, have you asked the conference management for assistance? Do they have volunteers that could, at a very minimum, keep your booth "open" while you go to get lunch? Ask!
Booth appearance is critical! As an exhibitor, you want to put the same effort into looking professional as you do in any other aspect of your work life. Too much information is not helpful, it is harmful. Project a clear, concise message as to what your product is and what it can do for the customer. This can be done very economically with some thought and pre-planning. Booth appearance guidelines should apply to the staff also. Make sure everyone in the booth is clear about what their attire should be.
Booth layout is important and should be planned out. Exhibitors have a tendency to place that 6 foot, draped table right at the very edge of the isle. Exhibiting is full of barriers and obstacles why place another one in front of you? Why barricade yourself in your booth? Place the table in the back or to the side of your space. This will give you room to welcome attendees INTO your booth. Get them out of the isle where they are more apt to just keep on moving.
This is where I will vent on my largest pet peeve against exhibitors. Do not be sitting in a chair in the booth. Just don't do it. If you have customers that are in need of a chair, by all means provide them one but they are for customers only. I know it's a long day (I've done it), I know your feet hurt (I bring a change of shoes to switch into during the day and that helps). When that exhibit hall is open you should be standing up front and center ready to draw the customers into your booth.

Welcome to the Land of Nickel and Dime: The heading says it all. Nothing is "included" you will pay for it. However, you can minimize costs by making sure you place orders before the discount deadlines expire.

Education Included: If you plan to hold a mini-class in your booth, educate yourself on the other vendors. Work with conference management to make sure your booth is not near several other vendors that will also be hosting classes. There will be less confusion and you won't have to try to talk over them.

New Models: Educate yourself and think out side of what you know (you thought I was going to say box, didn't you!:) Don't worry about what you have "always" done or what the other vendors are doing. You must tailor your exhibit experience to what you know, your product and your personality. I've listed a few resources (there are many more) that can jump start your ideas. Theses are NOT just for the large 20x30 booths and don't make the mistake of thinking your are not big enough to implement some affordable and effective exhibit strategies into your program.

The Booth Mom

Trade show Teacher

Trade Show Exhibitors Association

Exhibitor

Conclusion: The exhibit hall is probably the most popular area at any genealogy conference. I agree! Exhibitors and conference management need to work together to provide a trade show experience that is interesting, informative and engaging. Good luck to all the current exhibitors who are working on refining their strategy and to the newbies that are giving it their first go!

GHLL Weekly Updates

2011-05-08T18:33:00.000-05:00

New Genealogy and History Data posted for week of May 9, 2011 - May 15, 2011.

Click tree to view updates to:
    Surnames
    International Resources
    Domestic Resources
    Book Review
    Web Site of the Week
    Calendar

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T06:11:00.003-05:00

My mother loved flowers and gardening. I inherited that love from her.