Google Earth, helpful tool in genealogy research

Yesterday I downloaded Google Earth on my new laptop. I hadn’t been able to put it on my last home computer (not enough memory). I thought it would be fun to do a little cyber globe hopping, and now was my chance.

Visiting the lands of my ancestors, from the comfort of my living room, is pretty cool. Last night I hovered over the rooftop of my father’s childhood home, in Flint, Michigan. I also took a trip to my great-grandfather’s Norway hometown, and then I stopped by Henry’s Cross Roads in Tennessee. This morning I peeked in to Hilo, Hawaii, looking for my in-law’s former home. But the most exciting find, was my grandfather's farm in Michigan.

I’d like to visit all of these places one day. But even if I never get to, Google Earth is a great tool to assist in researching the footsteps of our forefathers.

Some of the areas I looked up were crystal clear, such as several neighborhoods in Tennessee. Landscape and rooftops were amazingly sharp. But, Hilo was blurry, and I couldn’t even make out the buildings. I suspect it has something to do with the cloud cover.

Even though the images are about three years or newer, this free program helps brings into perspective the terrain and proximity of the roads our forefather’s once traveled.

Changing our surnames

We have all heard the stories about how immigrants’ surnames were often changed at Ellis Island. Many people believe that to be true, yet according to Kimberly Powell, a professional genealogist who writes for about.com, it’s a myth.

Maybe we have all been falsely blaming Ellis Island for changes our own ancestors made.

My mother in-law’s father was a Talbot. We can track that line back to Maryland, 1665, when the name was spelled Talbott. About a hundred or more years later the line dropped the double t. Since they were already living in this country, and had been for over a century, I don’t think they can blame the government for the name change.

My mother-in-laws mother was a Hayman. But, her mother’s paternal grandfather was a Larson. Apparently my mother-in-law’s grandfather changed his name from Larson to Haymen, when he came to this country. Several of his brothers also changed their name, yet they choose to spell it Heyman. According to a letter from my mother-in-law’s aunt, this name came from their estate “Heyde”.

My husband’s surname is Holmes, yet according to family historians, it was once spelled Homes. Too bad they didn’t leave the name alone, since we are now REALTORS®!

Ancestry.com's Family Tree Posters

If you would like to create a family tree poster, I don’t think you can beat the deal Ancestry.com is currently offering.

Not only is it easy to create a 24” x 18” custom family tree poster, printed on photo matte paper, the price is a killer at under twenty bucks. They say it is an introductory price, so not sure when they plan to raise the price.

One of the cool things about the poster, is the ease in which you can add photographs. It is one thing to have a family tree with names and dates, but photos gives the information life. Of course, the farthest you can go back on one of their posters is 6 generations, but that is about all you can realistically fit on a page that size, and still read the information.

First, you need to be a member of ancestry.com. Not a member? Sign up for their free two week introductory offer.

Second, since you will want to include a photo for each person on the poster, gather together one good portrait shot of each parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, and so forth.

Third, log into your account and go through the steps of setting up an online family tree. If you want to keep your information private, be sure you set your account to reflect that, or else any other ancestry.com member can view your information and photos.

To set up your family tree, click on “My Ancestry” in the top menu bar, once you are in the site.

You will see a little link that says “Create a new Family Tree”, click on that and then begin following the directions. If you plan to create a family tree, with you as the starting person, start with yourself. Supply (if you have it) information on each individual you add.

After you are finished adding people, keep clicking the “next” button, it will eventually take you to the place where it asks if you want the tree to be public or private. This is also where you will name your family tree.

You can then add photos to each individual’s profile, by again clicking on “My Ancestry” in the top menu bar, and then clicking on the family tree you just created. There you will find easy instructions on adding photos. If you don’t have photos for every individual who’ll be included on your poster, don’t worry. While pictures add a lot, you can create your poster without them.

When you are ready to create a family tree, go to the “Publish” link on the top menu bar, and you will be directed to the various publishing options Ancestry.com offers.

You can create a 5 or 6 generation family tree, or a combination family tree, where you start with an individual, and it shows that person’s spouse, and goes to each of their great-grandparents.

When creating the tree, you simply insert a starting person, and Ancestry.com does all the work, placing your tree, information and photos, on the template. You have the option of changing the backgrounds or adding embellishments (clip art), to jazz up and personalize your tree.

Although it does not add photos for all the generations on the tree, you can easily add more, by using the “photos” link on the left hand side of the screen, when working on your family tree poster. You can also resize and reposition your photos, and add text.

There are more features than I have mentioned, so check it out.

After all, how often can you create a family heirloom for under twenty dollars?

Dragon Naturally Speaking

There comes a time for all wannabe genealogists, when you need to do a little typing. Maybe it’s a collection of obits, that you plan to use in a family history book, or Grandpa’s diary. Whatever the reason, if you’re like me, the chore can be a pain.

Now, I am a fairly good typist. I type about 80 words a minutes. Yet, for me, typing someone else’s work can be grueling. I’m always at a keyboard writing my own stuff. But hand me a document to type, and I start whining.

I am in the midst of a project, where I am typing up about 100 letters. And no, I didn’t write the letters. So, I decided to try Dragon Naturally Speaking, voice recognition software by Nuance.

It is fairly easy to load on your computer, and works with my word processor. I use Word 2007, but I assume it works with most word processors.

You need to “train” the program to recognize your voice. The biggest problem I have is getting it to recognize names, which can be a pain when you are transcribing obits with lots of names or place names. But, it is very good with numbers.

I am using the microphone that came with the program, and the man at the Staples (where I purchased it), advised me to toss the microphone that came with the software, and upgrade. Of course I didn’t, so perhaps that may account for some of the mistakes I get with the program.

Even if the program gets your name right, the spelling can be off. My name is spelled with an “i” at the end, yet it keeps wanting to give me a “y”.

I would rate the program a C+, and I would buy it again. Maybe after some more “training” it (and I) will improve. Or maybe, I will save up for a new microphone.

Christmas gatherings provide fact finding opportunities

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. During the next few days many families will be gathering together. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, often many who haven’t seen each other for months will come together for Christmas.

We are usually so busy during this time of year, doing all the traditional holiday activities – shopping, baking, wrapping, entertaining and sending out cards, that we fail to recognize that this can be a great genealogy fact finding opportunity.

If you will be celebrating the holidays with family, don’t miss this chance to learn as much as you can from those family members you rarely see.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more time talking to aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, and grandparents, when we were together at such events. Not only is it your chance to uncover some family information, your elder relatives may appreciate the time and interest you spend with them.

We often find it awkward to start up a conversation with an elder relative, whom we only see once every few years, and whom may seem more stranger than family member. And while I’m not suggesting going to Christmas dinner armed with a notebook full of questions, take a moment to make a mental note of some questions you’d like to ask the various family members.

You might be surprised at the interesting conversations that will emerge, and the delight your elders may find in sharing their memories.

Stones of our past

I have always been fascinated by cemeteries. They don’t scare me or make me feel uneasy. Of course, I never watch horror movies, so that reduces the scare factor associated with such a place.

For me, a cemetery is a place of reverence, history, and stories. Older cemeteries, with upright headstones, tend to be my favorite. In fact, it makes me a little sad the way newer cemeteries opt for flat headstones, which makes it easier for grounds maintenance, while sacrificing the charm of the upright stones and statues.

But what really drives me crazy are the headstones with no dates. Is the reason economics? Was the price in engraving the stone figured on a cost per letter? Did the family leave the birth and death dates off to save some money?

From a genealogy point of view, I want those dates. Yet, considering I probably won’t end up in a cemetery, when I join my ancestors, my descendants may be annoyed with me.

My father, who was cremated, did not have a headstone. Yet, the family did have a cornerstone made, with his sculptured likeness, which was affixed to his place of business. After the business was dissolved, we removed the headstone, and it has yet to find a permanent home.

Maybe my descendants won’t have luck with locating (especially those non-existing) headstones of some ancestors, they will be able to locate some, especially with the internet.

The other day I went on www.findagrave.com and came across my mother’s uncle, and most of his family. Fortunately the headstones included dates, which really helped me verify they were who I was looking for.

If you aren’t familiar with the site, check it out. It was created in 1995, by Jim Tipton. But it is the thousands of contributors that helped the site grow and thrive. For those of you, who like me, enjoy visiting cemeteries, consider becoming a contributor to the site. I know I certainly appreciate the contributor who posted my ancestor’s headstones.

Finding others who share our love of genealogy

One of these days, when I finally get the paper work together, I hope to join Daughter’s of the American Revolution. It should be a fairly easy line to prove up, the ancestor I intend to use is already listed as a DAR Patriot (grandfather of my great-great grandfather, who is pictured to the left). Now, if I were to express my desire to join DAR to many of my friends, they would probably look at me funny. You see, most of my friends aren’t into genealogy.

But a couple of years ago, while serving as docent at our local museum, I made friends with a fellow amateur genealogist. But unlike me, she is already a member of DAR, and she is an active member of the National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century.

That’s another organization that I hope to join, yet not sure if I will quality, it will take more research on my part. In spite of the fact that I may not be eligible for membership, I have been invited to a few of the workshops and luncheons of our local branch of the Colonial Dames. Which of course, is one reason to join, as it affords me the opportunity to interact with other people with similar interests.

Earlier this week I was invited to their Christmas pot luck lunch. I had only met the women once or twice, yet there didn’t seem to be any lack of conversation. After all, we all share a common obsession.

The topic of membership to ancestry.com came up, and I mentioned how addicted I was to it. I went onto say I don’t know what I’d do if when the time to renew came up, and I couldn’t afford my annual membership.

Many of the ladies nodded knowingly, and one said, in a quiet and calm voice, “it’s amazing how we will find something to cut back on, so we can afford it.”

I thought about it a moment. And then agreed. I could always have a garage sale and sell my husband’s golf clubs.

(Just kidding, dear!)

Family Diary

There is something exciting about uncovering an ancestor’s diary. It is an intimate and first person account of their daily life. My mother’s grandfather left behind such a diary, and today her cousin is busy transcribing his writings. Perhaps it isn’t a diary by today’s definition - more of a ledger, or perhaps a blog of sorts. In it he jots down the day’s financial accounts and important or noteworthy events. It’s a great way to uncover when a particular family member was born or the price of eggs during that era.

Perhaps someday, one of our decedents would enjoy uncovering our diary. And while many of us are blogging these days, I wonder if the blogs we write today will be lingering in cyberspace a hundred years from now.

If a daily diary is a little more than you are willing to commit, you might want to consider a family tradition that my husband initiated in 1991. It is one we passed on to our son, who is carrying on the tradition with his fiancé, and I’m sure our daughter will do the same.

We call it the Christmas book, or Christmas Diary. On Christmas night, each member of the family sits down and makes an entry in our family’s Christmas book. Sometimes a family member may not get to the book on Christmas day, yet as long the entry is made before the New Year, the tradition has been kept.

When our children were very young they would draw pictures or tell what they received from Santa. As years went by, they would comment on their favorite music or what they had done that year. They’d write about recent love interests, or what they felt was significant about the year ending.

My husband and I would write about what had transcribed during the year. Normally he would write in the book first, and I would read his entry, so as not to repeat what he had written.

As the book evolved over the years, we realized it was telling our family story, from the perspective of each family member.

I encourage everyone to try this with their family. We didn’t start this for our descendants, although if any have an interest in genealogy, they will appreciate it. We started it to create a family tradition. And it is one, I hope to keep for years to come.

Ancestry.com's Ancestry Press - I'm impressed!

Had to make a quick post. The last couple days I wrote posts on two different online printers.

Lulu.com and Ancestry.com. I had good and bad words for both.

In regards to Ancestry.com's Ancestry Press, the quality of paper and printing was very good, yet I was unhappy with the binding. So I sent them an email, and they have responded, offering to replace the book, at no charge. They will even pay for the shipping.

So thank you Ancestry.com, I am impressed! A quick reply and a quick fix. This is a fairly new service, and I understand it always takes a bit of time to work out potential problems. Very pleased.

:-)

LULU's hardback book a disappointment

Yesterday I finally received the family history book I had printed at lulu.com. This was the first time I used Lulu’s hardback printer, and I am very disappointed. I have been working on this book for a long time, it is over 300 pages, and filled with photographs. Last summer I printed up a proof copy, using Lulu’s paperback printer. I was happy with the photographs and color quality.

Ahhh…..but this new book is a big disappointment. I knew they have different printers for their paperback and hardback books, yet I didn’t realize the paper quality would be significantly different. The photos in the hardback book were dull, and somewhat fuzzy. I believe the fuzzy factor has something to do with the grain of the paper. It is almost as if when the ink hit the paper, it spread out a bit, causing a diffused appearance.

I was also unhappy with the binding. The spine seems loose, as the plastic coating on the cover seems to be lifting. Not such a good thing, especially considering it just arrived.

I’ve always been happy with the quality of Lulu’s paperback books, but I think it will be some time before I try to print another hardback with Lulu. I have contacted them, and they asked me to send them some digital images of the issues I’ve addressed. I hope Lulu can resolve these problems for future customers….I had been very excited to try their hardback printer.

It is also important to remember, at this time they don’t use acid free paper for their paperback or hardback books, so if you are trying to print your own family history book, and are thinking of heirloom quality, to stand the test of time, this is something to consider.

Yet, print on demand books are relatively new. It wasn’t that long ago that one would not even consider the possibility of printing out a single, full color, 300 plus page book, at an affordable price. About twelve years ago, when I published a book on local history, we had to print out several thousand copies for a single run, and even then, the cost per book wasn't much lower than the cost of printing that same book today - at one book at a time.

As more and more companies get into the market (such as Ancestry.com’s new Ancestry Press), a little competition may lead to better quality, and new possibilities for those of us who are looking for printers for our genealogy writings and research.

Christmas Ornaments tell our family's story

We put up our Christmas tree tonight. When we were first married in 1976, I began collecting Christmas ornaments. I must have over 300 - a menagerie of Hallmark, homemade, glass blown, cut glass, teddy bears, trains, Santas and a wide assortment of various brands.

They haven’t all made it to the tree, that will take us a few days to accomplish. I miss having our children here to help us with the task, yet it is not just the tree trimming help I miss. When our two children (who are now young adults) were very small, one favorite tradition was to first unwrap the ornaments, and then the kids would play with the tiny trains, sleighs, angels and other colorful miniatures.

When gathering together our family history I believe it is important to embrace our simple traditions, and pass them to our children and grandchildren, in the same way we pass on our family photographs and bits of information we’ve gathered in our genealogical research.

The ornaments on our tree are filled with many of our family traditions and history. My favorite is an ornament fashioned by my grandma Hilda (top photo). Made from an egg carton, glitter and glue, it is by far one of my most treasured ornaments. I want my children to understand that their Great-Grandma Hilda made this for us, an extraordinary feat, considering she was legally blind.

Other favorites are the corn husk dolls, a boy and girl, made by our boy and girl, when they were in grade school. The angel on the top of the tree was brought back from Europe, by my mother, when she made her one and only trip there.

Our Christmas ornaments tell a story about our family, some are from trips we took together, or gifts from family and friends. They often reflect our interests and hobbies.

The airplane ornaments belonged to my father, who passed away in 1992. The golf and fishing themed ornaments were given to my husband, and the Victorian Houses to my daughter. The Snoopy ornaments, my sons, whose nursery featured Snoopy, Woodstock and a giant rainbow. We have several porcelain ornaments, crafted in Hawaii, a style unique to the Islands. Those are from my inlaws, who lived in Hawaii.

Last year we sent some of the ornaments to our son and his fiancé - I imagine most were Snoopy themed. Eventually the ornaments will be divided between our son and daughter, to be used on their trees.

Hopefully we will someday be blessed with grandchildren, who will unwrap the collection each year, and be as fascinated by the intricate miniatures, as were their parents. And in this simple act, they will be touching a bit of their family’s past…their great-grandfather’s love of flying….their great-grandmother’s trip to Europe, their grandfather’s interest in golf and fishing, and their great-great-grandmother’s creative spirit.

Ancestry Press

I decided to give Ancestry.com’s new Ancestry Press a spin, and created a family history book. It arrived last week, a gift for my mother, who was thrilled.

It’s an impressive heirloom, at a reasonable price (under $30 plus shipping for 24 pages), yet I was somewhat disappointed in the cover, as the paper on the inside cover panel was glued sloppily, leaving behind air bubbles and lumps. I have sent an email to Ancestry.com, expressing my disappointment, yet have only received an automatic reply – which says their response is forthcoming.

Assembling the book was fairly easy. And in spite of my disappointment in the workmanship of the cover, I would give them another try.

Currently the available templates are somewhat limited, only allowing you to work with up to four generations. Yet, I understand Ancestry Press is in its infancy, and over time more options and choices will be added.

If you intend to try the Ancestry Press option, first update your online family tree – for all the family members you want to include in the book. Also add photographs for those individuals – on your online Ancestry.com tree. You can add text and photos to your project, yet having them already on the site makes the process easier.

For more complex projects, I will continue to design my own projects in Word or Publisher, and use lulu.com as my printer.

(Above image, sample of one page from the book.)