The Educated Rabbit

OK , OK, so perhaps threatening to pull people out of hats wasn't the best way to draw attention to the Graveyard Rabbits. After some quiet time to reflect on this dilemma, I am ready to try a different approach:

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That's right I'm over at the Graveyard Rabbit Association. I write a column (disguised as rabbit, of course) for the Graveyard Rabbit Journal where I educate you - in, uhmm , well, graveyardy- cemetery things.

Like for instance, I'll bet that you never, ever in your wildest dreams thought a headstone could be cleaned like THIS .

Oh yeah, I have you hooked now, don't I!

A Nice Thing or Two - SNGF

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun came and went but I still want to play. This week Randy asks us to share something nice a fellow genealogist has done for us in the past week or the most recent we can recall.


There are two people that I am long overdue in thanking for going above and beyond the wild blue yonder.

Gary Deen in Des Moines County, Iowa is a shirttail relative of mine who has on numerous occasions gone to the State Library and obtained family records for me. He never asks for anything in return (although I have begged him to let me return the favors). Gary is the webmaster of the Des Moines County Genealogy Society website and has done a top notch job of redesigning the site recently.

Ginger Smith in Raleigh, North Carolina went way, way, far away out of her way to obtain estate files and wills for me at the North Carolina State Archives not too long ago. Knowing that I was practically salivating, waiting to see one in particular - she scanned and emailed it to me so I wouldn't have to wait for the mailman to deliver it with the rest of the papers. Ginger is the author of Genealogy By Ginger blog , GenealogybyGinger Weblog and The Smith and Fox Family Blog.

Don't Make Me Have To Pull You Out Of A Hat!

That's my new line I give to people when I find out they aren't Graveyard Rabbits yet. I am truly surprised that some people still haven't heard about the Graveyard Rabbit Association. Are you one of them?

From the GYR website:

"The Graveyard Rabbit Association is an association dedicated to the academic promotion of the historical importance of cemeteries, grave markers, and the family history to be learned from a study of burial customs, burying grounds, and tombstones; and the social promotion of the study of cemeteries, the preservation of cemeteries, and the transcription of genealogical/historical information written in cemeteries. There are no dues or fees for becoming a member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits. "

In plain English a rabbit is someone who has a blog devoted entirely to cemeteries, tombstones, burial customs, etc. Some Rabbits go out and take photos and upload them to their blogs, others do transcriptions of headstones. Some adopt one cemetery in particular while others cover an entire county or state. Bottom line - it's all about preserving and learning.

GYRabbit Membership Requirements

A. You must start a blog devoted exclusively to articles about cemeteries, grave markers, burial customs, the study of cemeteries, transcriptions of tombstones, or the preservation of cemeteries.

B. Your membership blog must include a statement in your banner that you are a member of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits and display the association's logo.

C. The articles you post at your Graveyard Rabbit blog should be about cemeteries, grave markers, burial customs, and information relating to burying grounds or specific gravestones.

To join, simply click here and follow the directions - tell them that I sent you.

Once you are an official Rabbit, then I can feature you in the "Meet A Rabbit" column that spotlights new Rabbits as a way to introduce you to the world.

Do You Know What Time It Is?

That's right it is time once again to take a walk on the wild side. Time to let your hair down and get your groove on. Time to. . . er, wait a minute. What day is today? Friday you say?

Well put your groove back in the box and save it for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

TODAY is a very special day! Follow me back in time to when "The Year Was 1867". HOWEVER get your shades on because when you see what we've done, you're going to be blinded by our BRILLIANCE!

SHADES - Our future looks bright!

Hint - My column begins on page 21

The Grandmother I Never Knew

Myrtle Mae Borgstadter Beffort 1918 - 2009

I had some news a couple of days ago. My Grandmother, Myrtle Mae Borgstadter Beffort passed away in Salina, Kansas. She was 91 years old. She was the only grandparent on either side that was still living. Well , not really living - I was told that she had been in a nursing home for the last 10 years suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

I never knew my Grandmother. She is my father's mother. Growing up, I know that we made a trip to Kansas to see them because I have photos. My mother says the last time we made the trip I was 6 years old.

My father and grandmother

My father never talked about his family, not really. I can only recall one thing that my dad said about his mother . After he had a few cocktails I remember him saying that he used to call her "Myrtle the Turtle." I do not remember why he called her that. I only remember him saying that he NEVER called her that to her face. My father died in 1988 at the age of 52. I was 19 years old. An age where I thought the world revolved around me and only me. I never got the chance to even get to really know my Daddy. At that time, it also never occurred to me that my Grandmother had lost her oldest son. Two weeks later, my grandfather dies. First her oldest child and then her husband. If she made any contact with my family during this time, I was not aware of it. I was in my own little world of shock and unbelievable sadness that my father had died. It was my first experience with death up close and personal. Here it is twenty years later and I still miss him. My grief is not over him dying. Not anymore. I grieve because I feel like a part of me is still missing. Not knowing about my father's life makes me feel like a part of me is missing.

As the years went by I began my journey researching my family history. I had always intended to make a trip to Kansas , knock on my grandmother's door and see if she would talk to me. Ask her if she could tell me why or what happened in the past that prevented us from having a relationship. Another couple of years came and went and I told myself "Next year, yes next year I will make the trip to Kansas."

My dad has 3 younger brothers. If any of them will talk with me, I still have a chance to begin to fill in the huge void. If I make that trip out to Kansas. I have, through my research, the basic vitals and information about my grandparents. I have some photographs of them. Through a couple of shirt tail cousins who found me a year or so ago I learned some basic biographical information. I was able to get a copy of my grandmother's obituary and it told me some things about her life that I can now add to her story.

I will find a way to honor my grandmother and her life. I need to straighten out my thoughts and feelings about this. I am feeling guilty for not having a meltdown when I heard she died. I have no memories of ever knowing her. I am saddened by the thought that I will never have an opportunity again to try and get to know her. Which in turn makes me mad because that is a very selfish thing to be thinking about.

Family Tree Magazine's Top 40

The polls over at Family Tree Magazine are open 4 more days to vote for your favorite genealogy blogs. Your participation gives all genealogy blogs the recognition they deserve.

So take a few minutes and VOTE today, tomorrow - as many times as you want until November 5th .

Halloween Memories or Just Evil and Wicked Thoughts?

While I was at Samford attending the Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research in June, my instructor, Lloyd Bockstruck revealed to the class that "he had evil thoughts" [note - this quote is taken way, way, far away out of context, but I needed an opening for this article and it's all I got right now] Well, I have to tell you that I was certainly relieved to hear that I wasn't the only one.

Over at Genea-Musings, Randy Seaver is hosting the Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -the Halloween edition. He challenges us to think about our most memorable Hallowe'en - was it when you were a child (candy, games, carnivals), a teenager (tricks and treats), or an adult (perhaps a party)?

Reading Mr. Saturday Night's memory of tricking the pastor of his church tells me that (along with Mr. Bockstruck) I am in good company when it comes to wickedness.

I have only a few memorable Halloween moments that remain near and dear to me. Like the time my ex-husband decided to attend his company Halloween party dressed as a Urine Sample. However, being the generous and giving kind of person that I am, instead of boring you with my life I present some of the most amusing costumes I have seen this year.

And people ask me where my head is

A little deviled egg

This one is for Sista Donner

This is why your parents tell you the Tooth Fairy isn't real

Online Land Records In North Carolina - I Found A Goldmine!

I have just spent the last couple of hours in Land Record Heaven. Surry County and Yadkin County, both in North Carolina have Grantor/Grantee indexes online. Once I had a book and page number, I emailed the clerk in the office of the Register of Deeds for each county and ordered copies of the deeds. The cost? 25 cents per page plus postage. Hip hip hooray for me and if you have ancestors in either of these counties, then hip hip hooray for you too!

The Surry County Register of Deeds has digital images of the deed books - both the Grantor and the Grantee books and you can access them here. It covers the years 1771 to the present.

The Yadkin County, North Carolina Register of Deeds Remote Access Website has the Grantor and the Grantee books covering 1850 to present.

These sites have been a goldmine for me. I am now able to make a solid connection between 20 families that I have been researching. Some of the surnames are: HARRIS, NAYLOR, WELBORN/WILBORN, VESTAL, MESSICK, BROWN, WALLACE, HAWKINS, DAVIS and FOOTE. These families all lived in Surry, Yadkin and Wilkes counties, North Carolina from at least 1800 and from 1869 to 1875 migrated to Poweshiek and Greene counties, Iowa in groups.

Bits and pieces of information have identified most all of these families as Methodist Episcopalians who lived in the same communities in North Carolina and stayed together when they arrived in Iowa. I have marriage records and census records. I have cemetery records and probate records. But now I have the records that I feel truly and most certainly prove kinship - Land Records!

My Musical Family - 83rd COG

The 83rd COG is all about "Musical Instruments."  Do you play a musical instrument or did one of your family members?  Which instrument was it?

The photo below shows my grandmother Maryellen Harris and her parents Hillary T. Harris and Hazel Berry Harris in front of their home in Allen County, Kansas about 1921.  I was able to ask my grandmother about this photo before she passed away.  She told me that her parents were the funniest people she knew.  They just loved to act silly and that is what they were doing in this photo. 

As far as I know, neither my paternal nor my maternal side of the family produced any musicians.  This photo is as close as I can get for a submission to this COG!

Hazel Berry Harris, Maryellen Harris and Hillary T. Harris in front of their home in Osage Township, Allen County, Kansas (c) 1921

Millionaire's Row - Tombstone Tuesday

"Millionaire's Row" - Stockton Rural Cemetery, Stockton, California

Some of the "Residents":