Genealogical Gems

This week’s prompt is reviewing social media options, and building a research network. When I post an article, I immediately do a social media blitz.    I personally begin with Twitter, using TweetDeck so I can add a photo. TweetDeck also allows me to schedule tweets that I want to run at another time. Then I use Google+, Pinterest and Facebook. From time to time I also use LinkedIn.     My research networks can really be divided into three – often overlapping – circles. The first is other bloggers/genealogists who I follow. A full list is available on my Genealogical Gems . Click on “ Blogs I Follow .”   My Twitter network includes not just individual accounts but also the #genchat community, and the #AncestryHour community. The #genchat community , led by Jen Baldwin, meets virtually every other Friday at 10 p.m. ET. Friday, 27 March is the next session and the topic will be DNA. The # AncestryHour community , led by Susie Douglas, meets Tue...

This week’s prompt is conducting cluster research. Cluster research, as defined by Thomas MacEntee is, “ When you research the friends, associates and neighbors (aka F.A.N. club) who were part of the community of your direct line ancestors. Most times this means focusing on the geographical area where your ancestors lived or the locales from and to which they migrated.” What a great definition! I did this without even realizing it when I started researching my Hruszczak line and my parish family. Many Ukrainians in Coatesville lived in Rock Run and many of them worked at the steel mill together. In this particular case, it helped me more understand the family dynamics within my parish more so than any specific information about my family.   For example, the 1930 census shows my great grandparents and their family living next to the Zydnsky family. They lived next to the Urbans who were next to the Maskulas. I did find a nephew living with the Maskula family who I had not...

Amy Johnson Crow, of No Story Too Small , challenges fellow GeneaBloggers each week with her 52 Ancestors Challenge. This week’s prompt is:  Which ancestor is the closest to where you live? Who has a story that hits “close to home”?   The closest physically to me – there are many in Lancaster alone, let alone the County – would be Charles Eckman, his wife Rosa Kirchner and her family. Charles grew up in New Providence but moved to Lancaster City and then married Rosa in 1881. Her parents and siblings lived in Lancaster City . Her parents were both born in Germany . Charles’ family had been here for many generations when they met.   Charles was – for the longest time – very elusive. Once he moved to Lancaster , there was little to be found of him. He shows up in the 1880 census as working for the Telegraph Co. but still living with his folks in Strasburg Township . City Directories place him and Rosa on Manor Street in the City thereafter.    ...

This week’s prompt is conducting collateral research. Collateral is defined as “a person having the same descent in a family as another but by a different line.” In genealogical terms, a collateral relative may be an aunt or uncle or a cousin. Last October I discovered the maiden name of hubby’s great grandmother through collateral research!   Hubby’s grandmother was Julia Coursault Deyoe. Her death certificate shows her father as Charles Coursault from the USA and her mother as simply Apolina from England . Nowhere had I been able to find more information on Apolina until …   Last October I did a broad search for Coursaults in the Pennsylvania Death Certificate database on Ancestry.com. I already knew her siblings’ names since I had followed the family through the census records. I found the death certificate for her brother, Francis Coursault. Their sister Catherine (also spelled Kathryn), who married George Bonner, was the informant and listed their mother as A...

This week’s prompt is reviewing genealogy database software, and digitizing photos and documents. These would seem to be two non related items but they are more closely related than one would expect at first glance.   Genealogy database software I personally use Family Tree Maker. It was my first many moons ago and while no one program is perfect for everyone, this one is pretty good. That said, I am also stubborn and do not take well to change!   FTM 2014 actually lets me sync with Ancestry.com! Love this feature! This feature saves so much time and energy. With FTM, you can easily add photos and other images to specific persons. You can merge any duplicate entries, which unfortunately happens more than any of us want to admit. FTM 2014 allows you to create family stories and simplifies citations. Ancestry.com also now lets you share access to your tree. One genealogist wrote that she had numerous problems loading the software. After reading her post though I fe...

This week’s prompt is evaluating evidence, and reviewing online education options. I have not ventured into online education options, except for some selective webinars. Hence, this week I plan to focus on evaluating evidence. Birthdates are the perfect example in regards to evaluating evidence.   My great grandfather Panko Hruszczak is my immigrant. He passed away a month and a half before I was born so I never knew him personally. For the longest time the only thing I actually knew about him was the information printed on his funeral card! Then in my teenage years I started asking questions.   His funeral card listed his birthplace as Austria Galicia. His obituary listed his birth information as simply having been born 75 years prior (putting his birth year as 1893) in Galicia , Austria . His death certificate lists his birth info as 5 August 1893 in Galicia , Austira. While I do not know who actually wrote the obituary, the informant of his death certificate was m...

  This week’s prompt is building a research toolbox, and citing sources. I have to admit my toolbox looks like I just threw stuff in there, which is actually pretty much what I did. One of my “to do” items is to clean up my resources, as well as my image folders. Research toolbox My research toolbox consists of bookmarked pages. I have started to organize them, as you can see in the image. I have folders in folders! In the folder titled “PA Resources”, there is a folder for various counties.    Suggested resources: Ancestry.com – http://home.ancestry.com .   Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database - http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm .   Find My Past - http://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/world-records/full-list-of-united-kingdom-records?sourceID=13 .   Jewish Gen - http://www.jewishgen.org/ .   London Lives 1690 to 1800 - http://www.londonlives.org/ .    Polish Roots - http://poli...

This week’s prompt is managing projects and tasks, and tracking searches and until I sat down to write it, I thought I was on top of things. I plan well and I know how to use my day planner and understand its necessity. But seriously, let’s be honest.    I sit down and I start a search and one thing leads to another and pretty soon there went the entire afternoon and even worse sometimes I get so sidetracked. Like earlier today. I went to Ancestry.com to confirm some information about Aunt Jo, who I wrote about in my MatrilinealMonday . A few clicks later I was looking at her husband in the 1930 census. At age 8 then he was in the St. John’s Male Orphan Asylum in Philadelphia .   I read Anne Faulkner’s Ancestor Archeology today and she is absolutely right about slowing down and doing things right. Genealogy should be about quality and not necessarily about quantity.      So tonight I am posting this, shutting down the laptop, watching Sons of Lib...

This week’s prompt is tracking research and conducting research. I have to be honest it is – at least the first half – that I am having a hard time with this week. Over the years I have tracked things in my own sort of way and going through with this Do Over, I am trying to coordinate things and use one system.   I wish I could honestly write that I always use a form to track my research but I do not. I recognize that it would be helpful and practical. However I have my own way of tracking and keeping notes. (see image of Research Notes for John Kurenda, my great grandfather at right).   Notice the headers: Cause of Death, Health, Employment, Immigration and Marriage Note. Normally I also have a Residence Note as well. I use the same headers for everyone, as applicable.    From the beginning (like for the last 30 years), I started saving anything that had the same surname – one advantage of having unique surnames. I also now do the same with electronic fo...

Still working on my Genealogy Do Over Week 3. I have to admit I feel pressured since I missed my self-imposed deadline of Sunday posting. I had hoped to finish it up today but life got in the way! My girls and I went to the eye doctor for a schedule annual exam. I took the first appointment at 8:30 a.m. then the two of them went then he finished up with me. Mine takes a little longer since I have to get drops and get tested for glaucoma. On the good side, I do not have glaucoma and my blood vessels and my eyes in general look healthy. As a diabetic who has worn glasses since the second grade, my eye health is incredibly important to me. Anyway, my eyes were still huge at 2 p.m. They were so huge that I could have tried out for and got a role in Big Eyes, just on the basis on my eyes! So for now, goodnight. Tomorrow I expect will be a busy day. A catch up day for me since the girls will be back in school finally. I love spending the long weekends with them but I have so much to d...

This week Thomas MacEntee encourages genealogists to go back to when we were first interested in genealogy. I have to say that I can not actually recall that first moment in time. My maternal grandmother had always talked about her uncles and our Irish heritage. All four of her grandparents were immigrants from Ireland . All four were Roman Catholic, as was my grandmother. Being Irish Catholic, you can imagine how much green flowed, especially on the holiest of days – St. Paddy’s Day! My grandfather’s (yes, her husband) mother was Irish Protestant. St. Patrick’s Day was interesting there. As a child, I recall spending a week or so each summer at my paternal grandparents’ house. During the day, my grandfather worked at the Mill and my grandmother and I went visiting. We visited everyone! So, between the two of them I unconsciously gained an appreciation of family and genealogy.   This week is designed to: Set research goals Conduct self interviews Conduct ...