My Dear Readers
Since I last wrote to you, I have started my training for helping with Historical Records at familysearch.org. There is a lot of technical stuff and knowing how to get around the various sites and the attitude to take with patrons. And we have homework!!! I think it was in my Facebook profile that I put "I am a lifelong learner!" and now I have to put my money where my mouth is. Last week I also learned about doing Hungarian genealogy: It is hard! However, I'm sticking to it and also Norwegian (which is not so urgent). Because of volunteer indexers (people who transcribe documents so we can read them), there are a lot more collections becoming available. Both familysearch.org and ancestry.com have programs where people can volunteer to index.
Concerning my birth families, my brother in Ontario spoke with the Children's Aid Society there and they said there is nothing new, although their records were supposed to be opened a long time ago. You can go to the Ontario Adoption Registry site and register with them if you were adopted in Ontario or live(ed) there and put up a child for adoption.
Busy times at my desk yesterday and today. Finished a PowerPoint presentation for our Family History Center Conference and then my handout for the Syllabus. A big job, since it was done from scratch and learn-as-you-go. For example, I found out that, when my laptop is hooked up to a display screen, I can just hit the Windows symbol key and “p” and options will appear to display on both computer and screen, or on only one or the other. Who knew? Plus I have been working on a new request to find family history for a friend. And today I got a request for a sister-in-law to email some info I had. I checked on ancestry.com and discovered more little green leaves (hints) than were previously there. I couldn’t resist and started to check into some of them, but the task proved to be monumental, so I emailed and invited some family members to help. Also, I’m reorganizing my workspace and putting together odd bits of information; for instance, I have man typed and handwritten papers containing websites. They all need to be gathered into a form that I can put my hands on quickly (Irish, English, Scottish, Canadian provinces’ headstones, etc. So…that’s my exciting weekend so far and, yes, I do have a life outside doing this – a couple of girlfriends in for a visit last night.
STILL LOOKING
Still working on Hungarian stuff. It’s intriquing. Internet Genealogy online resources has put out 25 website for Austro-Hungarian genealogy.
TESTING
Got my computer memory/speed tested and me tested for proficiency in basic computer skills. I need to get a computer headset with mic – will be better for Skype, although the mic in my HP laptop is excellent (when I move away, there is a definite change in volume). Yay – I get to go shopping for geek stuff – my favorite thing to do, other than shopping for crochet yarn. Taking a break today – may I show you a pic or two of my little Billie the budgie, who is about 2 and a half months old instead?DUCKS AND HUNGARIAN ROOTS
This is a pic of ducks on the lake in Mt. Tremblant, Quebec. Well, one duck. The rest are following. My ducks are getting lined up nicely. Got all my papers signed Sunday and they will be faxed to Utah today so I can start my 5-week course the end of Sept. Some more questions to be asked and my computer to be checked for high-speed connection, Skype capability, etc. then I’m good to go. Classes are on Skype. Isn’t technology wonderful? I’m relieved I don’t have to go out in the evening anymore, which means I can either get out in the daytime more if the weather is good and I will also have more time to spend learning all this new stuff. My French abilities are in demand too, I’m told. (My accent is decidedly Quebec-Canadienne, though. What does all this have to do with Hungarian roots, you say? Nothing at all. Just thinking on the keyboard.Now to Hungary. I have run up against a brick wall researching Hungarian roots for someone. I had found some people on Ancestry.ca and saved immigration records, but hadn’t taken a look at the original image, other than to read the typewritten indexed part. I did save the image to that person, however, and thought I should take another look. I pumped the image up to 200% and had to use my magnifying glass, but I found, near the end of the line on which my person’s name was written, a handwritten memo that my person was coming to “visit” his brother in New Jersey. I looked up the brother, and he had come over 6 months earlier with his wife to visit a cousin with another name. Don’t know if the cousin is hers or his. Her maiden name isn’t given, but now I have the cousin to look up and the wife with perhaps the cousin’s last name, or it could lead to her maiden name. Records in Hungary, I’ve found are hard to find and I want to research why as well. So I have work to do – or fun play –
. Sometimes I get lazy and sometimes I just plain forget because I’m following another track, but it pays to slow down and read original documents thoroughly. I have done indexing myself, and I know that only the basic information is typed out, so please take a second look. You may find a treasure or two like I did. It’s a new learning experience every day in this genealogy quest. Is it dedication or addiction? A little (or a lot) of both, I suspect. Happy hunting out there!CLOSING DOORS AND OPENING WINDOWS
Sadness ruled my day as I realized I had to cancel evening activities because of lung problems. One of those was volunteering at the Family History Center as a Family History Consultant. I love helping others with their genealogy and I would miss it tremendously. Then, Wed. night, I saw a poster asking for people to work at home doing the same thing AND working on the familysearch.org Wikki and Facebook page and Blog – just some of the possibilities. I made the call, got the info, and was accepted and enrolled in classes for the end of September. Now the final stages: checking my computer and getting papers signed and background checks, etc. I am SOOO relieved and grateful to still be able to serve without endangering my health. I was told that there are many like me with multiple health issues who could not otherwise serve. Now we can use our skills and spend time at our computers and meet and work with some wonderful people. Staying home doesn’t have to mean isolation from the world. As a senior, I can’t stress enough the importance of staying in touch with the outside world. Computers are a way to do that – they can open a window on the world. I have to say I have contact with some ladies in the building and we get together every Monday night and I do go out in the daytime. In bad weather, a Wii Fit Plus helps get the kinks out. I am SO looking forward to this new learning experience and I will be able to share daily with all of you, having more to share. And speaking of sharing, I was able to type in some French Wed. night for a lady whose ancestor was born in France. I found some sights for her and she was able to have the pages translated automatically on Internet Explorer and take it from there. One person at a time, one ancestor at a time, we march on.
WEEKEND TRIP
hoodoos (hard stone top and eroded sandstone underneath)
EPISODE 16: TRADING INFORMATION
My older sister called from Ontario this week and told me she had found a paper in an old album with lots of information in it on people that I hadn’t seen yet. I took down all the information and will add it to ancestry.com when I get some time away from editing and weekend fun. I start back at the Family History Center next Wednesday and will be there for four hours, which will be a good time to get caught up if we don’t have patrons. If we do, I can finish it at home
Getting back to my sister, I hadn’t realized she didn’t have all the information Stewart and I had put up on the website, so I sent her the link to our Google Docs site where she could download the whole thing.
Today, the final touches were put on Stewart’s Memoirs and the price for the book and ebook has been established. Next step: publication. As Stewart’s editor, I am so pleased and excited. It has been a long process and SO rewarding for us both. I have connected with another member of the family in a meaningful way and the whole experience has enriched both our lives. Just another reason why doing family history is something to think about if you haven’t gotten started yet.
UP THE GARDEN PATH
If one is not careful, one can be led up the garden path. Remember that friend that I said had Dutch origins? Turns out she comes from a hardy Norwegian and German line. A little more digging and a little more attention to detail produced better results. The rest will come from her more detailed information.
FOUND ANOTHER RELATIVE
I got an email yesterday from a woman in Utah who used to live here in Alberta who saw my name connected with one of her relatives. She wanted to know how I was connected to her. I did a little digging (she was a distant (5th generation) relative – the wife of an uncle of, etc. Turns out that her people grew up in the same area in Ontario as my birth father’s and also my adoptive parents. We will know more as we correspond.
The galley proofs of Stewart’s Memoirs have come by email with instructions for going through them and sending in any changes. It displays just as they will print it. Also the front and back covers, and the printing on the spine. It will be paperback and will also be available as an ebook. It will be sold by and all those stores where you can buy in paperback or ebook, i.e. Amazon, etc.
The galley proofs of Stewart’s Memoirs have come by email with instructions for going through them and sending in any changes. It displays just as they will print it. Also the front and back covers, and the printing on the spine. It will be paperback and will also be available as an ebook. It will be sold by and all those stores where you can buy in paperback or ebook, i.e. Amazon, etc.
FRIENDS
This morning I got the idea of putting in a friend’s name on ancestry.com and familysearch.org. Lo and behold – my friend has Dutch ancestry – like me- only she is pure Dutch! Can’t wait to chat with her later today! I don’t think she knows, otherwise she would have mentioned it when I said my mother’s side was Dutch. How wonderful to help someone find their roots! (Of course, I may be totally off here, but the name is not common – even in the Netherlands. I will let you know.
So now I’ve met 2 brother’s (one in Ontario and one in Alberta), two sisters, (also one in Ontario and one in Alberta) and a nephew. In the next three years, while I lived in Taber, I would meet another nephew, another sister in another town in Alberta, and see some others from New Brunswick via Facebook. I think, altogether, there are 16 of us (or is it 19?). Bill came to Alberta for a week’s visit and we had the opportunity to see our father’s grave in the Field of Honor in Brooks, Alberta. Last year, I moved to Lethbridge where my specialists were located and I had access to more seniors’ programs and more interesting places to walk. Next, I will tell you how I met my birth mother’s family.