It's time to hibernate -- and sort -- and WRITE...

Through the years I have made and have MANY pages of research findings in the cupboard and computer - and also lots of info on my shelves and resting in my brain from the incredible courses taken before and during covid time. 

so...  now to actively assimilate and incorporate all, rather than suppose it will enter my brain by proximity. (which would be nice but come now.... really...)

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the running tally... so far in 2022 - (not a bad list)

--- for this time around I was lead on CAGGNI's bi-ennial conference, GeneaQuest 2022, held on 17 September, and now tucking in the ends. Doing lead on a gen. conference brought to mind the Japanese proverb about climbing Mt. Fuji, "not climbing Mt. Fuji is the action of a fool, climbing Mt. Fuji more than one time is the action of a fool." 

--- published a piece in Chicago Gen Quarterly "naming the stillborn" which added two non-acknowledged births to the family tree on my mother's side, at her generation. 

--- did an ISGS SIG this year on Discovering Documents, a short (30 min) teaching/exploration/expansion talk about one of the basic documents found/used in genealogy - birth certificate, death, marriage, ww registration, square land, metes & bounds, city directories, newspapers. It was good to do, but I'll not be continuing in 2023 -- as mentioned at the top of this post, there is lots (one hesitates to say too much) in my cabinets to address. 

--- finishing up the writing: Proving a father for Patrick Ross...

--- finishing up the writing: Manerva & CW pensions...

--- lectures out and about

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dealing with a new phone (apple 10) and discovering that pictures taken on the phone will not transfer via cable to my computer (pc). thanks a lot apple for improving how the phone works (NOT). if anyone out there wants to tell me i'm mistaken, please write here, or message liz london on facebook. 

and yes, I'm signed up for rootstech --- 

and am through the interview process to be a 'helper' at the Wilmette Family History Center. 

 

O is for Oh Wow!!!

We've all had them. 

The deed which describes the piece of land bought by your ancestor that fits the space in the map,

The German church book entry which bridges the Atlantic to your great-grandparents and lists 3 more generations

The discovery of stillbirths and suicides and divorces which illuminates family dynamics, and on and on and on. 

Everyone who has done genealogy for more than three minutes knows the joy and the satisfaction of these finds.

(N.B. -- and… so you don't end up having to relive that "oh, wow!" moment way more often than you would wish, strive to develop -- even as that OhWowMoment develops -- a way of recording where the OW was found.  What you record may or may not be ESM, but it should be enough that you can find the OWM document again, even if the "citation" is not enough to write an formal citation without looking at the document a second time.)

O is also for "Oh My…,"  learning/knowing a bit more about the actions of your ancestors.  For good or ill, these people 100+ years ago were people.  Someone comparing philosophy said that the major difference between then and now was electricity.  True enough, but electricity alone had many spin-offs, including how far one could travel in a day, how homes were heated and lit, and how shoes were made…, and where shoes were made.

And so…. I am circled back to one of my beloved themes… Genealogy/history as time travel. 

Till next time

Liz

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published on most Tuesdays and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on.  

© 2018, SE Ross

M is for Mitochondrial DNA

Could have tackled this topic right off the bat during "D" as in DNA, but didn't. 

DNA is the new kid on the block in genealogy.  It's even more exciting than the next census.  Ancestry.com started DNA in 1983, according to Google.

I say at the outset that while I understand how the three tests work - autosomal, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome - I have yet to get excited about DNA, though I know lots of people who are very excited, and spending lots of time learning how to construct the science, especially that of autosomal DNA comparisons.

I will say that in the last 2 months I have heard info that leads me to be a bit more interested in autosomal, and I join those who are glad there may be another avenue for cold cases, but so far, the DNA tests that truly intrigue me are mitochondrial and Y-chromosome.

Quick review:

Mitochondrial DNA, the 'x' chromosome,  is passed mother to daughter to daughter to daughter… etc., though the last generation can be either daughter or son.

The incredible thing about the 'x' chromosome is that unlike most of DNA, it does not combine and divide with each child and generation.  It remains, being passed from generation and eon to eon as it is.  Rarely, very very rarely, there is a mutation, and then that mutation stays for the next several eons.

The same is true for the Y-chromosome, the male chromosome, which is passed father to son to son…etc., and ONLY to sons, so even the last generation must be male. 

Repeat:  The incredible thing about the 'x' chromosome is that unlike most of DNA, it does not combine and divide with each child and generation.  It remains, being passed from generation and eon to eon as it is.  Rarely, very very rarely, there is a mutation, and then that mutation stays for the next several eons.

We talk about lines "daughtering out" with reference to the disappearance of the last name, but the Y-chromosome can just as easily daughter out.   Likewise, a family line of all sons ends that line for the X-chromosome.

Looking ahead:  What intrigues me is the vast reaches of time that these two DNA tests,  Mitochondrial and Y-chromosome, have the capability of bridging.  My "Ross" is presumed to come from Scotland, either directly, or by way of Ireland.  The earliest fixed date in the US is 1824/25 figured from the age Patrick Ross gave on his enlistment in 1861 for the Civil War.  Given that he was born in Knox, Tenn, I hold small hope of finding paper to carry him back.  I hold small hope that the Y-chromosome test taken by my brother will link with someone in UK, but after years of searching for paper and finding nothing, my small hope of a DNA link to UK is slightly bigger than my small hope of finding paper.

Three companies do autosomal tests; one does X & Y.  Have a look and save your pennies.

Till next time,

Liz

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published on most Tuesdays and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on.  

© 2018, SE Ross

N is for Names

We live in the 21st century.  We were named by our parents, with the name usually carefully chosen before we were born.  For today's babies, the SS# follows rapidly, I hear that some hospitals arrange for it to be issued while the baby is still in hospital. Our name and that number become our handle, our label, at school, at work, and on into the grave.  It seems that in this computer driven century there is much less use of nicknames, either w/in the family, and little in school or other formal settings.  William may be called Bill, but only if William permits.  And calling William "4-eyes" or "short stuff" wouldn't even be considered.  (Hydra head of slurs?)  

My mother was the youngest of three children: junior (boy named after his father), brother (as in "that's my brother"), and sister (as in "that's my sister").  While they were called by their "real" names in school, when playing on their street, or called by their mother or neighbors, they were junior, brother, and sister.  Their parents ran a store, where customers and friends were also graced with nicknames.  One was "Junkie";  she went weekly to Maxwell St. and dealt in antiques.  Her real name was Gertrude, and I never heard her last name. Another customer was "2 lb. of coffee with the ticket ground," her standard order.  The ticket?  Ala Green Stamps.  But back to nicknames... Would it be possible to broadcast a sitcom using the names used in "Lil' Rascals"?   And even the early Bill Cosby monologues sound dated with "Fat Albert." 

On the other hand, for us genealogists, we need to be very aware that for most of history, even into the early 20th century, you were who you said you were.  Want to REALLY lose a past?  Move far away, and take a menial job, or talk your way into entry level in shop or office, and build from there.  Sort of witness protection without the federal support.

I am continually "charmed" by genealogists with less than 100 weeks under their belts saying, "That couldn’t possibly be my ancestor; their name is spelled with an 'a' not an 'e'"  or "His mother is Tabitha, not Polly.  I have to keep looking."

For this week, consider your favorite ancestor, and think of all the things you know about him or her outside of their name, and how, when the going gets tough and brick walls threaten, that the chink in the wall is undoubtedly found in all the information that is not their name.  

Till next time,

Liz

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published on Tuesday and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on.  

© 2018, SE Ross

L is for Lineage Societies

The premise of lineage societies is that an ancestral line can be tracked back to 'x' (a category of people, or someone famous…or someone infamous) through direct ancestors (read blood line).

This is a situation where it is "just the facts m'am," though you may well have to go far (or very far) afield to get the proofs required for the linkage.  For each generation it must be proved that person 'x' was born to parents 'a' & 'b,'  and usually that a & b were married to each other.  All those other things that make interesting tales around the campfire - occupation, migration, other children -- are not necessary for the lineage, though they may be called upon to prove the lineage.

And when one parent child triangle is proved, take the parent who is headed the right direction, treat the parent as the child and form another triangle with parents.  In other words…rinse and repeat.

DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) & Mayflower Society (descendants of the colonists who arrived on the Mayflower) are venerable US lineage societies.  These two, and many others celebrate the history and settling of the US. 

My paternal grandmother was DAR, and I may follow her lead.

I am also aware that many states have a "First Families" designation.  New England goes one step further, offering a First Families of New England designation to all who can prove first family in each New England state.  It's tough. 

Family friends belong to a society that is open to descendants of President's wives.  This society allows collateral connections -- so the potential pool of members is HUGE. 

At the same time, against the serious are a whole raft of "tongue-in-cheek" lineage societies, for which one has to prove descendancy from a pirate, a witch, or a black sheep, to name a few.  I must admit I have a soft spot in my heart for these who honor the diversity of our heritage in this manner … and note my personal favorite, encountered at a Scottish Highland games some years ago.  This is the "Venerable Order of the Flamingo." To join you are required to wear a flamingo hat, and while standing on one leg and flapping one's arms, repeat the oath of the order, vowing to protect and value flamingos forever and always, whether of flesh and blood and feathers or of plastic and wire and paint.   It was a moving ceremony; obviously I have not forgotten it, though I have no idea what happened to my membership parchment.

Till next time,

Liz

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published usually on Tuesday and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on.  

© 2018, SE Ross

C is also for Courage

When you start out on your great tree-building adventure, consider that you are doing the H.G. Wells thing in your mind.  You are really doing time travel, through what you find in documents, plus your historically informed imagination, and… you really don’t know what you will find.

Everyone goes back to Charlemagne -- right??

Everyone has royalty - right??

Or, heading the other direction … many researchers are hoping to find their own small flock of black sheep -- the witch, the pirate, the thief -- right??

Last Christmas a friend of mine gave her mother membership in a very unique lineage society, "The Descendants of the Illegitimate Sons and Daughters of the Kings of Britain" aka the "Royal Bastards."   Solid research, and totally delightful -- at this remove.

They are still looking for a witch in the lineage.  They have come up with some Salem residents, but so far, no witch connection. 

So far in my own research, no Royal Bastards, but then, I'm still headed toward the pond crossing on most of my lines.

But I have found the names/voices of two stillborn cousins of my mother.  For her entire life, she believed the family had one child; she didn't know about these births.  It's nice to have that entire nuclear family tracked. 

Even tracking names can get interesting.  My mother didn't know the first name of this cousin's grandmother, a woman who was at every joint family celebration for years.   "We called her Grandma."   Her name was Malwina….  Again, lovely to fill in the space on the tree. 

No great amount of courage required here, but family situations get strange and twisty, and the genealogist is called upon to research rigorously and report truthfully.  One does not prune the family tree, for either kindness or timidity on the part of the researcher or the client. 

You want to know your ancestors?

Ancient Chinese proverb: "Be careful what you wish for."

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published on Tuesday and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on. 

© 2018, SE Ross

A is also for Ancestors - Living

We are genealogists.  We collect ancestors -- and hopefully we collect them responsibly.

We start with ourselves and our parents, grandparents, sibs, spouses, cousins and children of all.

Most of these people are living, which, in today's world means that they, and their information, require special attention and consideration.  For me, and those I speak with, the translation is that in the current climate of identity theft, and all else, that you, the conscientious genealogist, must take great care that you do not open the door and roll out the red carpet of private information. 

Have a quick look at the Ancestry online trees.  The "good ones" do not specify gender on the un-named silhouettes.  The "better ones" do not even indicate how many offspring there are in the generations which could be living.

I certainly do recommend collecting as much information as possible from and about the people who are living.  They will have the documents that otherwise you may have to wait 50-100 years to get from public sources. They will have the pictures of themselves and family growing, celebrating.  They know "the really good stories."  … and you take all this lovely information and put it away --

Enjoy the week --

It's a wonderful new year.

?? Questions ??? Give a write.
...2018...ABC-darium
(apologies for the Wednesday post of Tuesday blog... technology & MY COMPUTER still offering "learning opportunities")

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2018 begins with an "ABC-darium," a walk through the alphabet expanding into short comments on matters genealogical.  Published on Tuesday and some Fridays, a letter may be visited more than once before moving on.  

Copyright 2018, SERoss