Moments Like This Are Why I Love My Job

Today has been a very good day.  A client of mine drove all the way over from the Bay area to treat me to lunch and pick up his research report and documents. (Note to self:  this client is a keeper - lunch and he picks up his own report?  Win-Win)

Having been adopted by his maternal grandparents at a very young age, he knew nothing about his father except his name and a general idea of where his father's family might have been living at the time.

My client wanted to know about his paternal line and if perhaps he had any relatives that might still be living in the area.  As a general rule, I do not undertake projects that want me to find the living (contract work from probate attorneys is the exception to the rule).  The background story for this project however was such that I had a hunch any findings would be used for good intentions.   Read on and you'll see my hunch was correct.

Try and picture this scene - It is early 1940's and World War II is in full swing.   Men were going to war, and their sweethearts and wives didn't know if they were coming back.  The men wanted someone to write to while gone and most of all, if they were coming home, they wanted someone waiting there for them.   Over half of those couples probably only knew each other for a matter of days and some for only a few hours.

It should come as no surprise to learn that  immediately following World War II,  the nation's divorce rate was at an all time high. When returning soldiers found things rather different from how they had left them, or were themselves tremendously changed by war.

Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago when my client contacted me and asked for help in finding his father and his family.  With the background information he provided I was able to easily find the family.  The families in question had come to San Joaquin County in 1907 and had remained firmly planted to this day.

I used one of my very favorite resources - the local newspapers.  There I always seem to find the most interesting things about people and their day to day living.  In was in the obituaries of both of my clients grandfathers that I found something that changed his life.  All these years he had assumed that his father's family did not know about him or if they did, they had no interest.  His name had been changed when the adoption was final.

My client knows now  he was known to them and they never forgot him.  There were many grandchildren for each of the grandfathers but none of them were mentioned save one - my client.  His full name is given and he is referred to as beloved grandson.  

I gave the copies of the obituaries to him while we were visiting the cemetery where they are buried.  He looked up at me through tears and said, "I was missed and I was loved."  

Moments like that make me wake up every day and say, "Damn, I love my job!"

Activities To Keep You Busy, When You Should Be Working

While I was over at Big Huge Labs recently, I found that they have a couple of new additions to their List O Fun. One of these is make your own map.  You can choose the entire world or just the United States.  Maybe you'd like one of just European countries?  Consider it done.  There are alot of useful and creative ways to use this cool tool.  I made one that shows the states where my ancestors settled.

Where My Ancestors Settled
Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com




The other is Postage Stamp Yourself!  I really like this one.

But the reason I was visiting the site in the first place was because of a suggestion from a friend.  Tina Sansone, who writes a genealogy column for Bella Online and is the author of Gtownma's Genealogy blog, made a most excellent suggestion.  Bring back the genealogy blogger trading cards!

Every now and then,  I get in these moods.  When I am supposed to be working, I get an overwhelming urge to do something else.  I have very little self discipline when these moods hit me but I use what I got and try to be a little productive.

When this happened back in 2009, the end result was  Genealogy Blogger Trading Cards!

With over 1700 genealogy bloggers out there, this can be a great way to get to know each other a little better.

So head on over to Big Huge Labs and create your trading card.  Post it on your blog and let me know about it.  I have started a Genealogy Blogger Trading Card Group over at Facebook and will post all of the cards there.

SNGF - Genea-Smithing

Saturday night at Randy Seaver's place is where all the cool  genea-kids go to have fun with his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

Yes, I realize it's Sunday morning.  I'm still there,  trying to come up with something for the Geneadictionary.

Here is this week's challenge:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and, really folks, turnout has been pretty light these last two weeks) - is to:

1)  Recall that some genealogists love to make up new words to define what we do or where we are... we want to make a"Genealogisms Dictionary" so that we all understand what we're writing about.

2)  Make up one or more words that deal with some aspect of genealogy - they could start with genea- or ancest- or end with -ology (we don't care), and then define the word for us.  



Well I must have lost my Mojo or something because my brain  can't come up with anything.  I did find a few geneabloggers who played along and their creations are simply Brilliant!



Chris Staats of Staats Place came up with these gems -



ancestor:  A person from whom you descend and have been able to find and document in a number of reliable sources


bastard:  A person from whom you descend and are unable to find and document in any record whatsoever Ex. “I can’t find that bastard anywhere!”

consanguinity:  A drink served at the genea-bar

emigration:  Leaving one courthouse office to go to another that promises more opportunity






Caroline Gurney of Caro's Family Chronicles  had these offerings.  I especially like the second one - 



Samerology - copying someone else's family tree


The Evidencia - professional genealogy mafia, over concerned with the placement of commas




My roommate from Samford IGHR, Tina Sansone of Gtownma's Genealogy had a couple of the cleverest ones by far -


GeneaESM: to source everything.


Geneacertifirepetionist: someone who keeps attempting to get their genealogy certification.




Go visit all their blogs for more witticisms.  Oh and by the way, did you catch Randy's admonishment regarding the recent lack of regular participation for SNGF?  Well go and show him some genea-love and submit your contributions to the Genea-dictionary.  Either post them on your blog or in the comments sections of his.

Got Shades?

Extra! Extra!  The new issue of Shades of the Departed has been published and is ready for your viewing enjoyment.

MARCH/APRIL  2011

Photographs in Politics

Nothing Says "First Sunday of Lent" like . . .

Nothing says "First Sunday of Lent"  like . . 

an aisle full of Easter candy at your local drug store.

I remember, oh about a hundred years ago when I was a little girl walking down an aisle just like the one in the photo.  For Catholic school girls like me, it was pure torture knowing that it would be 40 long days and nights before sugar like that passed through my lips.

There wasn't a whole  lot of things back then  we could give up for Lent that would be truly devastating, um . . I mean self-sacrificing.  

In the end, the payoff was worth  it.  Easter baskets, Easter Bonnets and new Easter Dresses - the stuff little girls dream of.

And how did you celebrate Easter back in the olden days?

Look At them Now!

Way back in 2005, my classmates and I were finishing up the last semester (out of four) of Family History Studies, an online series of classes taught by Karen Clifford, AG, FUGA at Monterey Peninsula College.

We have all stayed in touch with each other over the years.  The youngest two in the class have entered the wonderful world of geneablogging with mucho gusto.

Amy  has just started her blog Hunting Dead People.  She is a real Generation X Genealogist!

Jennifer started her blog just over a year ago and what a blog it is.  Climbing My Family Tree has been named one of Family Tree Magazine's Top 40 Blogs for 2011!

To see all of the Top 40 blogs head on over to Family Tree Magazine.  Congratulations to all the Top 40!

"If You're Ever In A Jam, Here I Am . . "

Let me tell you about how great the geneablogger community is.  Anytime one of us puts out an S.O.S., another answers the call.

The caller this time was me.  Since 2007, I have been the editor for the San Joaquin Genealogical Society's newsletter.  It's nothing fancy, but it is alot of work.  I had been doing the entire thing myself - all the writing, all the copying, all the emailing and all the mailing.  With everything else I have going on, it became too much.  So in the last issue I wrote a couple of paragraphs basically saying that unless I got some help, that would be the last newsletter.

Out of all our members, one and only one stepped up to the plate -  fellow geneablogger Leah Allen.  Leah is a college student from Davis, California and the youngest member of our society.  She is the author of The Internet Genealogist and the Sacramento Valley Graveyard Rabbit.  Leah is a talented writer and has already breathed some fresh air into our publication.

Leah and I are now co-editors and if you would like to see the fruit of our labor,  head on over to the San Joaquin Genealogical Society website and click on the March 2011 link.

Thank you Leah for your gift of time and talent!

"If You're Ever In A Jam, Here I Am . . "  "Friendship"- from the Broadway musical "Anything Goes," words and music by Cole Porter, 1934.

Christine Rose - Her Video Rocks!

I just finished watching Christine Rose's video on Courthouse Research over at Family Search and I have to tell you, I am really impressed. The presentation as a whole is outstanding.

This video is way more than a power point presentation.  Christine takes you, the viewer, on a virtual trip to a courthouse where you get to visit the offices of the county clerk, probate, criminal court, civil court, assessor and recorder of deeds.

The presentation is entirely INTERACTIVE letting you make choices like what you should say to the person behind the desk, which index to look at and which office holds the record you are looking for.

The entire lesson is about 20 minutes and well worth every second!

For the very few who don't know,  Christine Rose is a Certified Genealogist, Certified Genealogical Lecturer, and Fellow, American Society of Genealogists.  In December 2010, the Dallas Genealogical Society awarded her the 2010 Lloyd deWitt Bockstruck Distinguished Service Award which recognizes an individual who has consistently and selflessly contributed to the field of genealogy.. She is also the author of oodles of genealogical books and is one of the most friendly genealogists I have ever met!

Photo - Boulder County, Colorado Courthouse by Wally Gobetz

Two Down, One To Go !

Readers of this blog will remember the previous post about using the Buddy System to get your genealogical goals accomplished this year.  The idea came from Amy Coffin of WeTree and Denise Levenick, The Family Curator.

I am very fortunate to have the best Whip Cracker in the State of California as my buddy - Cheryl Palmer who is the author of the Heritage Happens blog.  True to her word, she checked up on me with regular emails that always had words of encouragement.

To recap my 3 short term goals:

1)  To join and participate in the genealogy events at Second Life.

I managed to get myself signed up and it only took me 3 weeks to get my avatar dressed and put some hair on her head..  For someone who is severely tech-challenged like myself, the learning curve to participate in Second Life is pretty steep.  Tami Glatz is the author of  Relatively Curious About Genealogy and  is the president of the APG chapter at Second Life.  Her avatar's name is Genie Weezles and she hosts a weekly "Meet & Greet" every Monday evening 5-6 pm Pacific Time.  She is there for all the newcomers to answer questions and help you get around the Second Life World.

2)  Write an article for the Idaho State Genealogical Society Quarterly Journal about my "Problem With Pauline." 

While in the middle of writing this article I found new information about Pauline Sanford/Helen Hunt.  The people at the Idaho Genealogical Society agree with me that in light of this new information,  we may have to put this article on hold until the next issue so that further research can be done.

3)  Write an article for the California Genealogical Society's publication "California Nugget."  

The California Nugget has a regular feature called California Ancestors.  I am a first generation Californian so I do not have any ancestors that would qualify, however my sister-in-law does.  I have done quite a bit of research on her family.  They came to San Francisco in the 1850's and are still there today.  I used her family and my research for the article and submitted it to the editor just under the wire.

So . . Why the Dancing Hotdog?  Well, um . . . because my achievement is not at a full marching band level until I finish the other article.  But I felt what I did get accomplished  was worth at least a dancing hotdog.

Dancing With The One Who Brung Ya

Loyalty is what that phrase is about. And if I am nothing else in this world, I am true blue to those with whom I have established relationships. Especially in the business world.  When relationships fail, and they will from time to time, you just have to chalk it up as a learning experience.  

By now, everyone has heard about Ancestry.com's decision to shut down their service called Expert Connect. I refuse to rehash the fallout other than I was among the providers. It wasn't a perfect service for clients or providers, but for the most part it worked.  I have to say that I had "better than expected"  luck using their service.  I would say that about 30% of my business was coming from E.C. in the year and a half  I was there.  

It puzzles me why there are so many genealogist who are still whining about how devastating  the end of the service is to their business. It puzzles me why those genealogists depended on that service as their only means of obtaining clients.  I am no wizard when it comes to running a business, but it makes sense to me to have a wide and broad client base that come from many different places..  Why limit yourself to one venue when there are so many opportunities to get your name and your work out there? 

The 70% of business that did not come from E.C. came from many different places.  I leave my business cards anywhere and everywhere.  The local library has my name on a list of researchers that they give to their patrons.  The Sutro Library in San Francisco has a bulletin board in the lobby and invites researchers to attached their business cards to it.  As a public service, NARA maintains a listing of independent researchers who conduct research at any NARA facility.  My last two projects came as referrals from the local historical society.   

Even with all of those opportunities, I wanted something more.  I came across a site called Genealogy Freelancers.  At first I thought that it was a E.C. knockoff and in a "shirt-tail cousin" kind of way it is.  But there are a few major differences.  The biggest one is that Genealogy Freelancers act as a Yenta, matching clients with providers.  No more time is wasted with the daily wading through all the projects that have been posted by clients.  Gone are the days of clients inviting you to bid on a project where a provider has no experience or interest.

Having nothing to lose, I contacted them and asked for more details on how things worked and was pleasantly surprised with an almost immediate response.  Two of the principals of the site - Deborah Irwin, CEO and Elaine Bostwick bent over backwards to explain things to me and how registering with their service was a win-win for everyone concerned.

Getting set up at the site was so very easy and stress-free.  I appreciate the fact that they take the time to check a provider's credentials, education and associations.  I was asked to provide proof of all of the above.  While anyone can claim that they are a professional genealogist, I doubt that many (if any) would falsely claim experience, education or association with an organization but from a consumer's point of view not having to worry about that part of the deal is great.  If I were a potential client, I would be more apt to use a service that did this.

I got dumped by my first date to the dance.  Ok, ouch.  But I got myself another beau and hopefully I won't get my toes stepped on.  I am ready to give it a whirl.