Genealogical Gems

I had sent away for my grandmother's birth and death certificate, my grandfather's birth certificate and his brother's birth certificate. I filled out the paperwork I had, enlcosed my check and waited. On Saturday I got a fat letter back from the Pennsylvania Dept of Vital Records. I was so excited ... til I opened it. First my forms were OLD! I had not requested anything for awhile and in my haste to send in my order never - to be honest - thought to check if the form had been updated and if the prices had changed. Boy did they! The prices were considerably higher. The form had changed. I had forgotted that I needed to send a copy of my photo id/drivers license. Then they also told me that in order to get the birth I had to send them a copy of the death - this makes sense to verify that the person in question is not still living. However it is actually illegal to photocopy a birth or death certificate. Try it sometime. Copy your certificate and the word VOID will appear ...

Week 12 Challenge: Movies. Did (or do you still) see many movies? Describe your favorites. Where did you see these films? Is the theater still there, or is there something else in its place? My husband and I still take the girls to the movies as a treat almost once a month. The cost though has really gotten out of hand. Many times we simply do the On Demand thing and watch a movie at home in the jammies with homemade popcorn. The girls - even tho they are only 12 - remember fondly a local (now closed sold and torn down) drive in movie theater. We'd go in the summer and the kids used to sit on the lawn out front. I can remember my parents taking all of us kids when I was little and it was a blast. However, now I found myself complaining of sitting in the car for 2 hours or so with all the other noise around us. I much prefer my comfy Penn Cinema with its oversized comfy chairs and its movable armrests and close clean bathrooms and it is quiet there! As for favorites movies -- ...

It seems kind of obvious I know but seriously - document everything. Not only should you document it as if you were writing a paper (/wipes away memories of college thesis papers), but also note where you found the item. Did you find it at the public library? If so was it in a collection or on the shelves? What is the call number? Did you find it in a courthouse? If so, which one? What department? Did a family member provide you the information? By adding this information, you will know where to go back to if you ever should have to do so! 

My maternal grandmother - Mary Welsh Still - was 100% Irish. My maternal grandfather - Lloyd Pierson Still - was 50% Irish. They have both passed now but each year my cousins (there are six of us grandkids) remember fondly this day. My grandmother decorated more for this holiday than she did for Christmas! She was Roman Catholic. He was raised Protestan. We wore the green but also threw in the orange! Oh how that upset my grandmother that we dared to wear orange on that special day! In tracing Irish roots, there are a few invaluable resources to mention. One is Griffith's Valuation. It is a survey of property ownership in Ireland from 1848 to 1864. It was used to tax people and can be found at http://www.failteromhat.com/griffiths.php . The site: http://www.failteromhat.com/index.php  also has links off to several invaluable FREE references. Another useful site is http://www.irishorigins.com/ . It is a resource site for Irish and British records. Another site is http://www.cen...

Aunt Alice was the daughter of Franklin and Jennie VanHorn Still. Born Alice Viola Still on 4 June 1893, she was one of six children.She grew up in East Fallowfield Township just down the road from the Doe Run Presbyterain Church. In September 1911 she lived in Gordonville, Lancaster County, PA. In November 1911 - Alice lived in Mortonville. On 25 December 1911, she married David Long. She bore him two children: Mary Ethel and Leon Long.  Leon was born in 1912. The 1930 Census shows him living with his grandfather in Mortonville. He was an apprentice carpernter at the time. He had had cancer. He had one son they called Tuck. Leon later committed suicide and is buried - along with his sister - in Doe Run Presbyterian Cemetery in Doe Run, East Fallowfield Township, Chester County, PA. After David passed, Alice remarried to Frank Rodgers. She bore him a son: Aubry (sp?) Ralph Rodgers. The 1920 Census shows Alice living with back with her parents. Her mother's obit in ...

Make most of Genealogical Society membership some great suggestions in this article in the Commerical News out of Danville IL