Rocky mountains in the distance as seen from my living room window

I can’t go ANYWHERE without getting into a conversation about genealogy.  Case in point:  I was getting my black  ink cartridge refilled and was discussing the merits of laser printing, since I do so much black printing.  Then I mentioned why I used so much and………..and hour later I had some printed profile pages from Ancestry.com and names, dates, and places, and a business card and the kiosk dealer had my email address.

Now I have a Word document with url’s, gravesite screenshots, and ideas for further research.

Why do I DO this to myself?  The dyed-in-the-wool genealogist out there will know what I’m talking about.  There is a passion in our work.  We are 24-hour genealogists.  And we are a patient bunch.

People like to talk about their families – about their roots, their bloodline; in other words, themselves.  And mixed in with all that verbiage is a tidbit of valuable information – a clue – the one you have been waiting for with pen poised above paper.  Hurry, get it down before he goes on to something else and a new clue pops up.  Ya gotta be ready!!!!

Finally, you get to ask a question or two and off you go, forgetting all about what it was you came to the mall for besides getting your black ink cartridge filled.

INDEXING and Other Oddities

Anybody want to learn how to do indexing?  Want to index your childhood province or state?  What about the country where you grew up?  FamilySearch has batches and batches for people to index and, when they are finished, they will be available to view online.  Free!  In perpetuity!!! 

Right now there is a big hooforah about the US 1940 Census, which will be ready to index April 2.  Both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch have put out a call for indexers to help.  Ancestry's results will be available for free for one year (that's the scoop, anyway) and FamilySearch's will be available online free, as with the rest of their indexed records.

Indexing is easy, once you get the hang of it.  I talked to a woman today who did her very first batch and needed help with one button to click on.  She was very proud and, I suspect, will become just as addicted as the rest of us.  There is a satisfaction in completing a record that you know will be seen by someone looking for and ancestor that they couldn't find before.  Their "aha" moment will be thanks to you!!

While being accurate is of prime importance, don't shy away from indexing because you fear making a mistake.  A batch is indexed by two people - independent of each other - and then, if there are different entries for the same thing (the name of a place, for instance), the arbitrator will look at the original image and the project information and decide which indexer is right (Key A and Key B is used, not indexers' names) or if there is a third option that neither indexer knew about.  As soon as the batch is arbitrated, it will go with the rest in that collection and get put online.

Presently, I am arbitrating Ontario, Canada marriages in the early 1900's.  I grew up there and I'm familiar with the county and town names, as well as many last names and the popular first names of the day. No, I wasn't alive then, but grandparents hand down stories from their parents.  For instance, did you know that, in certain areas/families, a daughter-in-law was taken in and treated as a daughter; therefore, when the census-taker came around, she was listed as a daughter, not a daughter-in-law.

Besides arbitrating batches of indexed records, what am I doing these days that keeps me away from my blog?  Clicking on those little green leaves in Ancestry.com and checking out the results and documentation.  Downloading the gedcom that results from weeks of work, and putting the gedcom into Rootsmagic, where I check for duplicates (an automatic process in Rootsmagic) and merging duplicate records.  Then I check everything with my tree on FamilySearch and put it there.  Now I have a database on my computer, one on Ancestry, and one on FamilySearch.  I am also updating my wall chart for my hallway.  Makes for a good conversation piece as guests walk in the door....my hallway is long and narrow and there is room for many generations.  Oh - and I just bought the upgrade from version 4 to version 5 of Rootsmagic and am attending classes for the public at our local Family History Center.  Every day I learn more new things about programs I've been using for a few years.  Oh yes - and I've taken up stamp collecting.  It is intriguing to see how boundaries of countries have changed, which affects genealogy searches and that history is told in the stamps of those countries.

What do I do for fun?   You just read about it. 

I thought you might like to see a prairie sunset.
The Rootstech conference was incredible!  I think you can still download the syllibi from their website www.rootstech.org  Some great stuff that I need time to try - but try I will - already checking out Goggle + using Google Chrome.  Integration is a great thing.
 I have heard from the editor of Internet Genealogy magazine and he says the articles Stewart and I wrote will be in the March/april issue.  We thought it was going to be in the Jan/Feb one, but was disappointed when I didn't see it, so I emailed him and he was prompt and apologetic.  Nice man. 

I had the opportunity lately to read a "Life Book" of a young man who went through much uncertainty and pain in his younger years and everything has worked out so well for him.  That book is not for publication - for family only, but I hope they keep it for their children and on down the line.  Journals, blogs, whatever, are so important.  Birth, marriage, etc. certificates are wonderful finds, but personal stories - well, those are the real treasures in genealogy searches.  With that said, happy researching!

I have been so busy doing, that I haven't set writing as a priority.  Seems there is a rather urgent need for indexers to help with the US Census 1940.  FamilySearch has recruited those of us in the Historical Records department to call County Genealogical Societies to get them involved and, for the most part, response has been enthusiastic.  Getting indexers from the area they will be indexing will ensure more accurate transcriptions; for instance, place-names won't be misread or misspelled, not to mention people names and occupations.  Exciting times!  Some of these people are still alive - the "greatest" generation - have lived through the great Depression, the Second World War, and the rise of technology.  Those actually born in 1940 would be in their 70's today and can help in the setting down of correct records.

If you would like to get involved helping index this census, go to

https://www.familysearch.org/1940census

I have also been arbitrating indexed records - mainly from the UK and Wales  1871 census.....and the usual answering phones a couple of days a week and answering emails - maybe two per day.  I love the variation in the work...and the best part...it is all volunteer and flexible.  With the help of technology, I can attend training meetings online with many others.

That friend in my apartment building I was helping is getting along quite nicely in her genealogy and is attending free Apple computer classes AND iPad classes! - the secret to being an interesting person:  get interested!!

Thank you for your patience and waiting .

Well, I'm getting a leeetle better at posting regularly.  It's a question of habit. I spent the weekend organizing my genealogy papers.  Each family was in a folder in a 2-drawer filing cabinet.  When I took them out to organize them, I always had papers all over, so I decided to put them into separate binders so I could leaf through them without making a mess on the living room floor.  When i finished, I had little white dots all over my carpet from my one-hole punch.

I've heard from relatives in BC and Ontario and the US and gotten people in touch with each other.  I've also been helping people navigate the Ancestry and FamilySearch sites.  Got subscriptions to Internet Genealogy and Family Chronicles and Family Tree mags and order a book on 55 Best Afghans (they are gorgeous and that's my specialty). 

Seems like the articles for Internet Genealogy are put off until the Feb/Mar issue.  After that's published, I will be writing more.

The presentation on how to start a Blog is being put on the computers at our local Family History Center and I'm told there was good feedback from it.  If anyone who was in that class and is reading this and has started a blog of their own, please let me know so I can subscribe to it and, if you need help, post here and I'll get back to you.  Blogger has some great aids as well.  As I mentioned in my class, Blogger seems to be the most user-friendly of them all.

Okay - so far since putting up the McCaws Come To Life blog, Stewart has met cousins and grand nieces and nephews he didn't know he had, and I have met a few myself.  They are scattered from the east coast of Canada to the west, and from the U.S. to Australia.  Between all the ancestores I've found on both my adoptive and my birth families, and all the new ones who are living, it is a bit overwhelming.  I have felt this way before when being introduced (in person and on the web) to my siblings, but I got over ti. Eventually.  (I'm talking into the teens and maybe counting.)  However, I would never quit looking and I would never give up staying in contact because family matters.

iF YOU WANT TO HELP THE EFFORTS TO MAKE RECORDS AVAILABLE, Ancestry.com had an indexing project.  There is also the World Project, and FamilySearch needs indexers as well.  Another way to spend a bad-weather day inside.  :)

Stewart is doing book signings in England and we are waiting for our articles to be published in Internet Genealogy magazine.   It may not be until the Feb/March issue, now.  Meantime, I have put the lady who worked on the original document of the McCaw family history in touch with a sister so they could exchange information.  I'm also heavy into answering emails at www.familysearch.org from people wanting help with Historical Records.  My teachers have been wonderful and I have plenty of support.  it is a wonderful learning experience.  There are records being digitized and indexed every day.  Next I will be going on Live Chat answering questions from genealogy researchers.  A good way to spend a few hours each day when the weather is bad. 

LOOKING FOR THE LIVING

My thoughts this morning turn to searching for those who live in the present.  I have found relatives who get in touch by phone, Facebook, and Skype through ancestry.com .   There are so many of us trying to find each other and there are many branches on one tree.  Facebook has its own family tree app.   A good way to find people who may be able to give you information or you may be able to help them find where they fit into your tree.

What the Living are doing:  There are hundreds of millions - possibly more, but I can't remember the number, microfilms in the Granite Mountain Vault in Utah that are being indexed and digitized.  Voluteers for indexing can be anyone - you - me -lds members and non-members.  Th following is a quote from a Wiki article posted on https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Digitizing_the_Records_in_the_Granite_Mountain

"The Future of the Granite Mountain Records Vault

Vault conversion of microfilm to digital images will ramp up dramatically in 2010, increasing the publication of online images into the hundreds of millions. A growing international volunteer workforce will produce more indexes of non-English records, making the records even more accessible.
FamilySearch will continue to “open the vault” in the months and years to come. FamilySearch envisions “a global community actively contributing records and information in a free flow of data into an open repository of family-linked names that connect and preserve the human family.” To fulfill this vision, FamilySearch not only provides record-preservation services but also seeks to provide much greater access to online records and further enable a self-reliant genealogical community."

I know about this because I search the Wiki often in hopes of finding valuable information to help others.  Try it.  Go to the site, do a search for the country and/or specific place and see what comes up.  It can be fascinating reading.

GRADUATION!!

Well, Stewart is working hard on publicity for his book and writing, as authors usually do.  As for me, I graduated today from my 5-week training in Family History.  I will be helping people view images on www.familysearch.org and helping correct records.  I am in the Historical Records department and work from home (volunteer) on the computer.  I'm really enjoying this.  Other adventures have happened too.  Have to tell you another time.  Now that training is over, my time is a little more flexible, so I can post.  See you soon.

FH Conference and another Relative Surfaces

Today I went to the Lethbridge Family History Center's October Conference.  I gave a presentation on How to Start a Blog and I names Blogger as the most user-friendly.  Then I went to classes all day and a lovely lunch with friends supplied.     I learned about Scottish genealogy searches and German searches (important here - DON"T start with NAMES - you need to start with PLACE - as exact as possible - and that Germany changed hands, and therefore names, very, very often.  I also learned a lot about being careful to look for documentation when using family trees for sources.   One class I took was about immigration to Canadaa from different countries.  There were 47 classes available within the two-day conference, but I was only available to go for one day, as Friday I was busy in training for FamilySearch Support Services.

I received a call on thursday from another relative who lives in British Columbia who had seen the McCawsCometoLife blog and wanted to know how we connected in the tree.  I was able to help with that and she in turn shared information with me.  Isn't the internet a wonderful thing???

Local Paper and Stewart's memoirs

P.S.

An added note:  Stewart's book:  Galloping to Space is also available at http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/

Galloping to Space

Good morning one and all.  (I know who the all are, but have no idea who the "one" is.  Are you the one?)  Stewart's book is on the shelves!!  It can be bought online at amazon.com, chapters indigo.com (.ca), Towrs, and in local bookstores (not sure which wones.)  It is also available as an Ebook on those sites.

STILL LEARNING

i CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN A WHOLE WEEK ALREADY!  i'M GETTTING THE HANG OF IT, SO i WILL BE POSTING REGULARLY FROM NOW ON. Everygthing I am learning is about familysearch.or and it's offshoots.  There are many learning resources for the public as well.  There are PowerPoint presentations that clearly explaain how to start your family tree and, for more experienced researchers, how to search the Wiki.  If you want to know more, go to www.familysearch.org and click on Learn at the top.  I will share what I have learned with you, esp. if someone comments that they are hitting a brick wall.    Here is a link to the Wiki article on the vault that houses the microfilms that are being digitized. Granite Mountain and here is a link to one of the YouTube videos about how records are being digitized.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYkLKAPzCfQ

I'M BACK

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. 

FamilySearch

Boy - there is a lot to learn for being a supporson for familysearch.org but it is so much fun because it also help me in my own personal research and for people I'm helping. That's why I've been negletful of you, my faithful readers.  I've been getting acquai with Historical Records, as instructed by my mentors at familysearch in preparation for the first training classes starting in 9 days.  If you register as a public user, you can access images and documents that were previously unavailable to the general public. There are research courses, Wiki articles, and Community Forums - all free!  Take a tour and comment on this post and tell me what you think.

STILL LOOKING

Posted on September 10, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on September 8, 2011 by nsharon2

Still working on Hungarian stuff. It’s intriquing. Internet Genealogy online resources has put out 25 website for Austro-Hungarian genealogy.

 

TESTING

Posted on September 7, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on September 6, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on September 2, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on August 30, 2011 by nsharon2

hoodoos (hard stone top and eroded sandstone underneath)

Just came back from a weekend in Writing-On-Stone provincial park with some friends. What a peaceful place! I met a girl whose people come from somewhere near Bancroft, Ontario. Does anyone know the name Hitchcock from there – the town is Opa or Oopa? Gotta get out the Gazeteer or Google it. I’m going to the Family History Center tomorrow night, so should have something to report. Meantime, I hope everyone is preparing for the long weekend in Canada (Labour Day Weekend) and then back to school.

EPISODE 16: TRADING INFORMATION

Posted on August 24, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on August 21, 2011 by nsharon2

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

Posted on August 21, 2011 by nsharon2

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.

FRIENDS

Posted on August 20, 2011 by nsharon2

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.

EPISODES 14 AND 15 PLUS SOME IINTERESTING STUFFODDS N ENDS

The Ancestry Insider

A

Good Story of how I found my birth families, as well as up-to-date postings on my genealogy searches –

helping myself and others

Posted on August 19, 2011 by nsharon2

The ancestry Insider is a publication that I signed up for when I joined ancestry.com.  They have been doing write-ups lately of the new Family Search website.  www.familysearch.org is available to the public for research and access is free.  However, the www.new.familysearch.org, previuosly available only to lds members, will soon be available to the public.  According to the Rootsmagic webinars, they need to update their servers or something like that to be able to handle the huge amount of traffic they are anticipating.
Familysearch and ancestry.com have been working together so that we can have access to many records.  Without paying anything, we all have access to search for ancestors on either site.  However, one needs to join ancestry.com to be able to download actual documents.  If they have been digitized, some of the information (but not all) can be seen.

Rootsmagic, which is the genealogy software that I use, works hand in hand with familysearch as well.  There may be information on familysearch to add into the family tree.  It is good to have some form of software.  Personal Ancestral File is free and can be downloaded from www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/
Most of the genealogy software sells for around 30 dollars – one-time charge that includes updates and familysearch has a list of ones that work with their software. Whichever your choose, it is a good idea to have something on your computer – not just on ancestry.com or other online family tree sites because then it is saved if the site goes down or your computer blows a gasket from all that searching your ancestors activity. See you next time.

EPISODE 15

Posted on August 17, 2011 by nsharon2

My sister called yesterday – the one that lives here not far from me.  We will plan a visit when she gets mobile and can come to the city.  She is working on a scrapbook of the family history.  She is 20-some years younger than me (from the third “Batch”) and therefore, not as much in common as I have with the oldest sister, who is nearer my age…and Bill, who is exactly the same age.
My cousin Stewart and I are both exhausted from working on The Book and now are waiting for the rewards.  Also waiting for our articles to come out in magazines.  Stewart, however, having caught the writing bug, is working on some fictional stories and he has sent me some.  They are hilarious!!!   As for me, I am getting back to tracking my family history through ancestry.com and working on a presentation for Family History Conference in October on how to start a blog.
I’m told there are more siblings out there, but I haven’t developed relationships with all the ones I know about yet, so am not actively looking.  Of course, if someone finds me, I am open to it.
I have four sets of ancestors to work on – two branches of my adoptive family (Daniels and Peever) and my birth father’s family (McCaw) and my birth mother’s family (not named out of respect for my birth mother, who is still alive).

EPISODE 14

Posted on August 15, 2011 by nsharon2

Oops.  At the end of Episode 13, I promised you a couple of interesting stories about my mother’s side of the family.  My oldish memory is to blame and, besides, I had other stories more recent to tell you.  This story is about King Edward (Longshanks) of England [His rival was William Wallace, better known as Braveheart (or Mel Gibson for you moviegoers)].  Seems he had a mistress (just one, you say?)  She was one of his wife’s handmaidens (or so the story goes). Her name was “Corona” and she named her illegitimate daughter Lucy.  Lucy Corona married William Debaguly.  This all happened in the late 13th century.  The Debaguley name got changed in the 17th century to Bagley.  Sarah Bagley married John Mack (I’ll get back to him another time).  The Mack family line, in the 19th century, married into my mother’s family on her mother’s side.  There – it’s all charted out and up in my hallway.

Posted on August 15, 2011 by nsharon2

  Today I talk about Scottish stuff.  since my son David (the big one) was taken to Scotland at a very early age and has dual citizenship, and my grandson Jordan (the little one) was born there, it is only fitting, don’t you think?  Our ancestry is Ulster Scots and the blog  www.mccawscometolife.blogspot.com explains it all. And this is my daughter-in-law Lisa, who is a bonnie Scots lass. 
To round out my Scottish theme, I have a genealogy website for you, which begs the question:  “Who am I and What Have I Done With My Ancestors?”
http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/45_IKWIG/Mac.html

REMEMBERING

Posted on August 14, 2011 by nsharon2

Genealogy has a lot to do with memories – those of others, as well as our own.  I just read of a man whose mother’s alzheimers is progressing and he regrets not listening when she wanted to tell her stories and is trying hard to get them before it is too late.  Our own memories may seem trivial to us, but they can be precious to future generatons.  Today I am thinking of my childhood summers at “the cottage.”  Us kids (cousins) called it “Grandpa’s cottage,” because it was in Bancroft, Ontario, near where his farm was.  I remember rainy days in the big screened-in porch sitting with my cousin busily working in our coloring books while the rain pelted the lake and the brown sand.  It smelled so good and I was content to be in my cousin’s company comparing artistic renderings of ladies in fancy dresses and hats, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and lots of animals with colors that our mothers told us were not right.
On sunny days, we would make trenches, castles with moats, and pat, pat, pat the sand into shapes we wanted.  We were artists and princesses who controlled our world with itchy sand in our bathing suits and smelling like sunshine and fishy water.

Reading

Posted on August 13, 2011 by nsharon2

I’m in the middle of a book called Away  by Jane Urquhart.  It is a fiction, but includes facts about how choices were made to stay in Ireland, or go to Canada.  Most of the time, the choices were made for them by their landlords.  It also tells of superstitions and how one village copes with a young woman who has gone “away” when an unknown dead man washes ashore. The girl is found lying on the beach beside him with her arm across his chest and thereafter composes songs to him.  Historically, it includes the landing at Grosse Isle, Quebec, and the ships that went on to Picton, Ontario, and Belleville and what happened to them in the new land.

MORE ODD THAN ENDS

Posted on August 11, 2011 by nsharon2

Thought I had the final edit done on Memoirs, but formatting where to put photos is a pain. That is not my strong point. Got it sorted and up and running. Had lunch with some lady friends today and we talked about children and grandchildren. My contribution was that I was blessed to have a daughter-in-law who is thoughtful and caring (isn’t it usually the wives who send the cards and make the grandkids say hello???) They are so far away and we’re just getting to know each other. It’s a blessing they are even speaking to me after their visit to Canada when things were in turmoil. Anyway, we all concluded that we are all grateful for what we have and any more would just be icing on the cake.
I am also grateful to have met a cousin in the UK who got me started on blogging and this publishing business. What a time it has been. I think the next project (outside of this blog) will not start until the weather turns bad. I want to enjoy the sun and warmth as much as I can.
I have only given you a short form of my experiences finding my birth families. I have more stories – some sad – some hilarious – and some downright 2-hanky stories. Please comment if you have anything you would like to ask or you can email me at: nsharon2@telus.net. Don’t be shy to ask. Who knows, maybe I can help someone.
My 89-yr-old Ontario, Canada cousin is going to Ireland with her daughter!!! Can you believe it??? My other UK cousin commented: “Bless her little cotton socks.”
In genealogy news: I get The Ancestry Insider by email and they are focusing on the New Family Search. some good info in there. Such as: – the New FamilySearch Tree will soon be a part of www.familysearch.org
Have any of you tried my favorite links on the right-hand sidebar? Mary’s Genealogy Treasures is, in fact, a veritable treasure chest of links and she updates frequently.
I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of it again when I start back at the Family History Center at the end of August.
Don’t forget – if there’s something I left out of my Episodes that you would like to hear more about, don’t hesitate to ask. I may have left my readers hanging and didn’t follow through.

 

MUSIC AND MEMORIES

Posted on August 9, 2011 by nsharon2

I finally got back to the Facebook page for my son’s music.  If you would like to hear a good voice, go to that site and have a listen.
Met some sweet and wonderful ladies last night at a get-together. Heard some stories of when the railway came to Alberta only twice a day and it took all day to get anywhere because the passenger cars were coupled to the cattle cars and the train had to stop often to load and unload cattle. there were stories about one and two-room schools and homesteads in the middle of nowhere because the foreman was given the house in the middle of a 10-mile line of train track.
Family stories are important. Get them out of your elders before it’s too late. Future generations will be doing their genealogy and those are the interesting things for them. You may not think that telling a story about your microwave oven would be of interest to anyone, but, let’s face it, do our grandkids know what an 8-track tape is? The world is moving fast.
That’s all for today – have a listen to those tunes on Facebook – it will cheer you.
I can’t get the link to work, so just copy and paste the following link into your address bar.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Reece/213338682042168?sk=app_182222305144028

David

WORK AND PLAY

Posted on August 8, 2011 by nsharon2

Exciting happenings this morning. I have finished a final edit on Stewart’s Memoirs and, after photos are trimmed and properly pixeled, the submission process can begin. Yes, my cousin Stewart in the UK, with whom I have been working on our website/blog www.mccawscometolife.blogspot.com, has written a very entertaining little book. Stewart is a storyteller and I’ve enjoyed the editing process (mostly). We have been encouraging each other throughout the blog/book process and this blog is getting my own writer’s juices flowing. After all, I have read and taught literature and know a little about good writing. Just havn’t found my voice yet. But Stewart sure has. His book is
called Galloping To Space and is being published by authorHouse (that’s the way they spell it).
I will let you know when they put up a free preview on their website.
As I mentioned, I have two brothers and a sister living not too far away and another sister a little farther and a couple of other siblings living in Alberta, but I am not in touch that much anymore. They are the younger generation – from my father’s third wife – and they lead completely different lives, although we get along well when we do see each other. My brother Bill has made good connections with everyone – especially since he has travelled to New Brunswick twice now to visit for Come Home Week. One of my sisters from Alberta went down too and they are all there having a wonderful time. Bill is a very personable guy and he loves having a new family.

I took this in the Laurentian mountains, where I used to live. This photo has nothing to do with editing or my siblings, but it shows how wise I am feeling today, having finished a huge job. See you tomorrow

 

Something for Me and Something For You

Posted on August 7, 2011 by nsharon2

Guess who I found on Facebook? My son – and he accepted me as a friend! That was last year and I am SOOO happy! His wife has been so sweet to me, and they were sorry to hear my husband and I had split up (but I think they like the new me better). Last Christmas, I was able to send my 13-yr-old grandson a Christmas present and letters and postcards from time to time. (That reminds me – there is one or two owing). What a blessing!! Of course, they are living in the UK, but there is Skype and Facebook and emails and I am mobile now with cell and Acer Tablet. Sure beats lugging my laptop. I will keep the laptop, though, because I believe in always having a second computer in case. Also, I can do one thing on my pc (to which I’ve attached a 26-inch lcd tv via vga) and be on Ancestry looking up things at the same time. Saves ink because I don’t have to have to print the information to reference – I just have to look at my laptop screen. Of course, Windows 7 lets me have two windows open at the same time without losing one when I’m working on the other (just drag the top of the window to the left or right and it will “snap to” that side and stay open while you do the same with the second window on the opposite side).
There – I have received the special gift of being in contact with loved ones again, and have given some of you pointers on how to get more multitasking out of your computer. Have a great day everyone!!

EPISODES 8 - 13

EPISODE 13

Posted on August 6, 2011 by nsharon2

Now to get to how I discovered my mother’s side of the family. Again, my brother Bill managed to help me get this information – at least a last name. After doing some research, we found it could be one of four women. Again, I put out feelers on the internet and another forum turned up a reply from a daughter of a cousin. She was a lovely young lady who said she was sure her parents wouldn’t mind if I contacted them. I asked her to pave the way for me and to send them my email. I got a reply right away and my cousin told me his father kept in touch with my mother and said her name and that he would talk to his father. Emails back and forth some more and(I believe he was my uncle) got in touch and told me about my birth mother.
He put us in touch and she wrote to me and called. She and I continued to correspond for close to a year, but it was difficult for her to let anyone know about me and couldn’t talk when other people were around. I understood, but it was difficult to feel like a dirty little secret, so I regretfully wrote her and told her about these feelings and that I would respect her privacy if that’s what she wanted. I’m sure it was a strain on her too. I never heard from her again, but the others DID keep in touch. My birth mother had Alzheimer’s, they told me.
A strange fact (for me, at least) is that this family lived in the same town as I grew up in, and also my brother Bill from my birth father’s side. Musta been something in the water.
I have done the family tree for my birth mother’s side of the family. We are Dutch and go back to France, Belgium, and the Plantagenets in England. I will tell you a couple of interesting stories that resulted from that search next time.

 

EPISODE 12 REUNION AND ROSE

Posted on August 1, 2011 by nsharon2

A single artificial rose. That’s all it was, but it meant a lot to me. My sister was holding it – plus a big grin on her face. I heard her say, “There she is!!” and she came running to hug me. Then there was my brother with another hug, and a nephew, who I didn’t know was coming to meet me too. He was a tall drink of water and was smiling just as much, or more, than the other two. My chatty sister and my chatty self started walking and chatting and the two fellas helped with my large bag and then with my checked baggage. We just kind of fell into step, you know? We all piled into a truck and headed for Taber, a small town about half an hour from Lethbridge. We passed fields and farms, but I just gave them a passing glance. I don’t remember what we talked about, but we talked and talked – at least my sister and I did, while the boys in the back seat interjected once in awhile. My sister had so much to tell me and it was like she wanted to tell me everything before we got to Taber. 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.

 

EPISODE 11 FLYING HIGH

Posted on July 29, 2011 by nsharon2

They called my flight. My baggage had already been put on the plane for the second lag of my flight. I was in the Calgary airport and heading to Lethbridge. My first sight of the plane was breathtaking: that movie with Mel Gibson flying a small, dangerous plane came into my head. This was like a six-seater with a bit of rust on one wing. I was excited to be out of the terminal and on my way. It would be a short flight (about 20 minutes, as I recall) and then I would be seeing my brother and sister for the first time. As we boarded the plane, we were greeted by pilot and co-pilot and any trepidation I had vanished. These guys were handsome! Gave me a sense of being in good hands (so to speak). After we were all seated, the pilot told us that, if we wanted, after we were in the air, we could come up front and see what they do. Personally, I wasn’t moving an inch from where I sat and my seatbelt would remain firmly attached. There was a lady across the aisle from me who flew this route all the time and she had reassured me it was safe. After all that security at the Montreal and Calgary airports, this was refreshing. We could see into the cockpit and through the front window. This flight was much more exciting than the last: There were patchwork fields of all colors and wispy clouds that we could see through. Then we were descending – no – we were on the ground! Apparently we had a good tailwind, according to the pilot as he and his copilot helped us down from the plane. Then the long walk into the Lethbridge airport. Long for me because, all of a sudden, I was scared. No flight in a small aircraft could make me this scared. What if they didn’t like me?

A FORTUNATE TURN OF EVENTS

Posted on July 28, 2011 by nsharon2

Something exciting has happened! My blog partner (and cousin I found through doing genealogy on my birth family) for www.mccawscometolife.blogspot.com has found a publisher for his memoirs! We’ve been Skyping back and forth this morning ironing out details and celebrating. I guess now we can each consider ourselves writers. There is also a magazine interested in articles we have sent. (Can’t say yet until it’s published – might jinx it). You’ll be the first to know, dear readers. I promise another episode in my story tomorrow. Happy reading!

CONNECTING

Posted on July 23, 2011 by nsharon2

Another genealogy tip: if you are an ancestry.com user, don’t forget to check your messages. I keep forgetting and today I remembered. Found a message from someone who turned out to be connected to my tree 6 generations back and he has information for me and vice versa. Detective work on both sides will produce not only information, but perhaps a new friendship. That’s what happened with my co-author of www.mccawscometolife.blogspot.com and me. We are fifth cousins and, over the last year, have become friends with mutual respect. Just one more example of how doing one’s family history can lead to adventures….friends, blogs, published material, and, of course, the thrill of chasing down leads or getting past that brick wall when someone in your tree seems to have vanished into thin air. That “EUREKA _ I”VE FOUND IT” moment is priceless. Even more so when I see it in other people who I help. It’s like prospecting and the gold is knowing that someone in your bloodline will not be forgotten.

EPISODE 10 CHECKED BAGGAGE

Posted on July 22, 2011 by nsharon2

What do YOU put in your 2 allowed pieces of checked baggage? I put all my favorite books. I figured I could buy clothes at a thrift store when I got there and also furniture, so I checked my books, used a backpack as a carry-on, and a big purse (that was still allowed then and wasn’t counted as a carry-on). Why books? Because some of them I had had since university days and the characters and memories were dear to me. All I had to do to cheer myself up was look at the spines of those books on the shelf and I could remember without even reading it again. Bibliophiles will know what I mean.
Crossing Canada from Quebec to Alberta didn’t seem like a long way, because all I saw were clouds under us. Pretty boring. No sense of going from one province to another. A long wait in Calgary – also boring – because the airport,for me, was just like a big mall. I went round and round, window shopping, eating, sitting, round some more – I think it was three hours. Then the real adventure began….

EPISODE 9 Waddaya See, Waddaya Know, Waddaya Say?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by nsharon2

That old Italian (Sicilian?) saying in the title kinda sums it up for me. I came to Quebec, I knew triumphs and sorrow, and now I said to myself: “What now?” It had never occurred to me that, once free, I could do anything I wanted. I had a Master’s Degree from Concordia University in Montreal and had been teaching College English Lit. and English as a Second Language, but became redundant when the Quebec government cut funding and the English department was the first to be cut. I was very close to being full time, but since I started late in life (mid-thirties), I couldn’t possibly catch up to my colleagues. (More on that later – perhaps for another blog or “memoirs.”
So – here I was with a degree and teaching experience, a whole house-building, self-sufficiency adventure behind me, a free woman to go anywhere and do anything I pleased – within the bounds of my health caused by two heart attacks and lung problems of a past smoker. I was on government assistance to get back on my feet and finding it difficult to be committed to any full-time work, I was at a loss as to what to do with my life.
Everyone needs friends and I had the best. An educated, intelligent, wonderful woman named Monic who got me moving when I was paralyzed with indecision. Also my siblings – a sister and a brother – encouraged me to visit and meet them. I couldn’t afford that but I COULD have a garage sale and jump on a plane for parts west.

EPISODE 8 CEMETERIES AND SORROWS

Posted on July 18, 2011 by nsharon2

Hello loyal readers.  I have had a lung infection – my excuse for not posting in the last few days.  Am feeling much better now. Well enough to go through a box of physical photos. I will be uploading one on
http://www.canadianheadstones.com and on ancestry.com.
I guess you would like to hear what happened with my brother Bill and my marriage and my son. Bill and I kept in contact, my marriage fizzled, we lost the house, and we both moved on. As for my son, we lost contact. As I said, I thought I had lost him forever and that he would never speak to me again. He may have thought the same thing. Whatever – we had no contact for many years.
I moved to a small village in Quebec close to where my husband lived so we could get together with our lawyer and get things handled easily. It was awkward, but amicable. We only needed one lawyer.
During this time, Bill had been given the name of our father and I put up the name on the internet and got a hit from a geneology forum. I was so excited! I replied and then a disappointment – that person said she was not the person I was looking for. Months later I got a hit from another woman – the former one’s sister – saying “We need to talk.” Turns out that I had, indeed, connected with the right person. For the next two years we corresponded by email and finally exchanged phone numbers. When I got a call from my sister I was excited and relaxed all at the same time. (Skype wasn’t in the picture at that time). We are both chatterboxes it turns out and we talked for at least two hours long distance from Alberta (her) to Quebec (me). In the next few months, pictures were exchanged and it was agreed that Bill and I DID belong to that family. We both looked so much like our father. What followed was truly an adventure…….