Names.
Eleven Children:
Eva
Elmer
Ernest
Edwin
Erma
Esther
Ethel
Evelyn
Elsie
Emory
Eleanor
And the parents:
Elwood and Emma
:)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
How Much Tragedy Can One Mother Take?
An obituary from 1926 led me to update the branch of a family in Pennsylvania. The obituary all by itself causes my heart to ache for the family of the young man. He was 23, married, father of one, and died from burns on his body from an accident at work.
The mother of the young man, Ellen, lost her first son when he was six years old for reasons unknown to me. Her second child, a daughter, lived to be an adult and the mother of two children. Her third child, a daughter, died at the age of three months. Her fourth child is the above mentioned young man who died at the age of 23 in the horrific accident.
Child five lived to the ripe old age of 78. Ellen lost four babies at birth. I know one was the youngest of the brood, but I don't have years for the other three.
To sum it all up, Ellen was the mother of nine children. She lost six of them before they reached the age of seven. Then the 23 year old son....
Four years after losing her son, Ellen lost her husband.
I can only imagine the pain in her life.
The mother of the young man, Ellen, lost her first son when he was six years old for reasons unknown to me. Her second child, a daughter, lived to be an adult and the mother of two children. Her third child, a daughter, died at the age of three months. Her fourth child is the above mentioned young man who died at the age of 23 in the horrific accident.
Child five lived to the ripe old age of 78. Ellen lost four babies at birth. I know one was the youngest of the brood, but I don't have years for the other three.
To sum it all up, Ellen was the mother of nine children. She lost six of them before they reached the age of seven. Then the 23 year old son....
Four years after losing her son, Ellen lost her husband.
I can only imagine the pain in her life.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Genealogy and Technology
As I sort through my stacks of genealogy materials (why did I feel the need to print EVERYTHING) to convert them to digital and selectively shred, I am reminded of all the different ways I've stored my data.
When I first started, I worked for a company with a word processing machine. My boss allowed me to learn how to use the machine (it wasn't a part of my job duties) and on my lunch hour I would enter my family information. I created a number system. I have been reminded of that number system as the old documents have the number(s) written on them.
This was cumbersome and not handy at all as I only had access to the machine during lunch hour at work and only if the person assigned to the machine was not working over her lunch hour.
The Commodore64 came out and we bought one. I bought a genealogy program for it. I don't remember the name, but I remember not being that happy with it. I re-entered all the data into the program. Something happened and I lost it all and got to do it again. I learned a big lesson about backing up. The program was not as effective as I would have liked, but it was better than doing it by hand.
At work I was learning to use a relational database called RBase. I loved that database. I purchased RBase for use at home. I used it to store my genealogy and once again, I re-entered all my data. My very most favorite thing about using the database was I could create whatever report I wanted and make it look exactly the way I wanted.
That worked until new technology came out and RBase was no longer supported. By this time I had thousands of names and was not thrilled about moving the data again. And I hated the idea of losing my control over reports.
I decided to use Family Tree Maker for my next venture into storing and sorting data. I've stuck with it although at times it frustrates me too. Even though at times I'm tempted to move to a different program, I am sticking with FTM. I get tired of the updates and haven't been thrilled with their 'improvements' as I still can't create reports the way I did before although I'm getting better at understanding the program and can get close to what I want. There are a few things I've not figured out yet, but I really don't need those particular features either...at the moment...so I'm letting it go. I do like the capability of storing digital copies of documents and photos and linking them to people.
Now that we are deep into the digital age, I look back at how long it took me to get information versus how fast I can get the information and have a copy of the document stored and linked to the person.
When I first started, I worked for a company with a word processing machine. My boss allowed me to learn how to use the machine (it wasn't a part of my job duties) and on my lunch hour I would enter my family information. I created a number system. I have been reminded of that number system as the old documents have the number(s) written on them.
This was cumbersome and not handy at all as I only had access to the machine during lunch hour at work and only if the person assigned to the machine was not working over her lunch hour.
The Commodore64 came out and we bought one. I bought a genealogy program for it. I don't remember the name, but I remember not being that happy with it. I re-entered all the data into the program. Something happened and I lost it all and got to do it again. I learned a big lesson about backing up. The program was not as effective as I would have liked, but it was better than doing it by hand.
At work I was learning to use a relational database called RBase. I loved that database. I purchased RBase for use at home. I used it to store my genealogy and once again, I re-entered all my data. My very most favorite thing about using the database was I could create whatever report I wanted and make it look exactly the way I wanted.
That worked until new technology came out and RBase was no longer supported. By this time I had thousands of names and was not thrilled about moving the data again. And I hated the idea of losing my control over reports.
I decided to use Family Tree Maker for my next venture into storing and sorting data. I've stuck with it although at times it frustrates me too. Even though at times I'm tempted to move to a different program, I am sticking with FTM. I get tired of the updates and haven't been thrilled with their 'improvements' as I still can't create reports the way I did before although I'm getting better at understanding the program and can get close to what I want. There are a few things I've not figured out yet, but I really don't need those particular features either...at the moment...so I'm letting it go. I do like the capability of storing digital copies of documents and photos and linking them to people.
Now that we are deep into the digital age, I look back at how long it took me to get information versus how fast I can get the information and have a copy of the document stored and linked to the person.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Attaching Documents
I scanned all of the obits from the last couple research trips. I like to type the source on the jpg file. My photo editing software has some great features, but it's not very user friendly. Adding text is frustrating. I figure it out and then don't use it for a long time and back to square one.
My solution to that is to pull the jpg files (I scan the files as jpg because I like them as jpgs.) into PowerPoint. I used that program all the time with my students for picture editing. I crop and add a text box with the source information and save the PowerPoint as a jpeg file.
I then pull it into the expensive program and do a final crop. I could make the file fit the PowerPoint page and not do the last step, but it doesn't take that long to crop in the other program.
Now I'm ready to attach the jpg files to the genealogy program. Next is to figure out how to get the pictures to automatically print in the reports.
My solution to that is to pull the jpg files (I scan the files as jpg because I like them as jpgs.) into PowerPoint. I used that program all the time with my students for picture editing. I crop and add a text box with the source information and save the PowerPoint as a jpeg file.
I then pull it into the expensive program and do a final crop. I could make the file fit the PowerPoint page and not do the last step, but it doesn't take that long to crop in the other program.
Now I'm ready to attach the jpg files to the genealogy program. Next is to figure out how to get the pictures to automatically print in the reports.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Ummm, today I want to be called....
I have never understood the desire to change a name. My childhood best friends decided we should change our names and they picked out new names. I couldn't think of something else I wanted to be called and it wasn't because I was so in love with my given name, I just didn't have any desire to change it. I think I frustrated them.
All of the name changing frustrates me. My latest example is Thad. Thad was William on the 1920 census, Thaddeus in 1930, and Houston on the 1940. Yes, William, Thaddeus and Houston are the same person as I have other documents tying the names to one person, thankfully. (Except for William...that name never shows up again. The 'child' is a junior and I've never found the name William associated with the father either.)
So, when I first met Thad in 1920, I thought he was William. I never dreamed he was a junior.
Knowing what I know about Thad, it makes me wonder about some of his siblings such as Ellen. She shows up on the 1915 Kansas census with a birth year of 1888 between brothers Frank and Chester. Why isn't she listed on the 1900 or 1910 census or the Kansas 1905 census? Is she the E in Margaret E? Margaret E was born in 1896. She is listed on the 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1920 censuses. Margaret is between brothers Frank and Chester. Makes sense doesn't it? Seems like Ellen must be Margaret Ellen with the age off in the census which isn't all that unusual.
Hold on.
Walter is between Frank and Chester, too. He was born in 1891. He is on the 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1920 census. Where was he in 1915?
I made a graphic to help me keep all of this straight.
Better get back to searching.
All of the name changing frustrates me. My latest example is Thad. Thad was William on the 1920 census, Thaddeus in 1930, and Houston on the 1940. Yes, William, Thaddeus and Houston are the same person as I have other documents tying the names to one person, thankfully. (Except for William...that name never shows up again. The 'child' is a junior and I've never found the name William associated with the father either.)
So, when I first met Thad in 1920, I thought he was William. I never dreamed he was a junior.
Knowing what I know about Thad, it makes me wonder about some of his siblings such as Ellen. She shows up on the 1915 Kansas census with a birth year of 1888 between brothers Frank and Chester. Why isn't she listed on the 1900 or 1910 census or the Kansas 1905 census? Is she the E in Margaret E? Margaret E was born in 1896. She is listed on the 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1920 censuses. Margaret is between brothers Frank and Chester. Makes sense doesn't it? Seems like Ellen must be Margaret Ellen with the age off in the census which isn't all that unusual.
Hold on.
Walter is between Frank and Chester, too. He was born in 1891. He is on the 1900, 1905, 1910 and 1920 census. Where was he in 1915?
I made a graphic to help me keep all of this straight.
Better get back to searching.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Marvin and Mervin
My imagination is working overtime. Marvin and Mervin are twins. Mervin died in California and is buried there according to every source I can find. However, his gravestone has Marvin on it.
Marvin died several years after Mervin in another state.
Why does Mervin's headstone say Marvin? Is just a simple mistake or did Marvin die in California and Mervin take over his identity?
Marvin died several years after Mervin in another state.
Why does Mervin's headstone say Marvin? Is just a simple mistake or did Marvin die in California and Mervin take over his identity?
And when do you think the child will have a name?
It's the eighth of October in 1850. Your baby was born in July of 1849. The census said he is unnamed. Really? ( I have found babies a month or maybe four months old without names, but never one this old. I wonder why he went so long without a name.)
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