Memorial Day - Please Remember the Combat Medics

 

Memorial Day is a time to remember.  This group of people is special to my heart.  Please remember all of those who served.

 

 

NGS Packing Ideas

I'm starting to pack for NGS in Las Vegas.  And I just read Julie Miller's blog on the NGS Conference blog about drinking water.  Drink Lots of Water.  I live in the desert so I know that water is important.  If you lips are dry or chapped, or if you are getting headaches, I suggest you start drinking more water.  Her suggestion of a glass an hour is good.  If you aren't waiting in line for the restroom, you probably aren't drinking enough water.

So, what am I packing?  I'm taking eye drops.  And chapstick.  And hand lotion.  And, of course a jacket, or sweater, or shawl, for those air-conditioned rooms. 

After those necessities, I've started getting together all of my power cords, charging devices, and electronic things that I'll need during the week.  Do I need an extension cord for length or in order to plug in more than one charger in the ONLY accessible electrical outlet in my room? 

Now, on to the conference stuff.  My syllabus pages.  My "homework" for Tuesday's class.  Business cards, printed up at home, to make it easier to share my contact info.  Pen/pencil and notepad for taking notes during sessions;  or for making notes about people I meet.  An old conference tote (that I modified) that I may or may not use.  (I like one that has handles long enough to put over my shoulder.)  Then what about a lanyard?  Do you have one with a separate pocket for your room key that you like to use?  While I appreciate the items that the conference sponsors provide, sometimes older is better.  But then, sometimes newer is better.  So, thank you conference sponsors. 

Oh, yes.  Comfortable shoes, because I'm sure I'll be walking a lot, including around the Exhibitor Hall.  And...Clothes.  Well, I can fit some in.  I don't want to be arrested for indecent exposure in Las Vegas.  Las Vegas?  Well.  Hope to see you there. 

Why Genealogy Conferences?

Tina Lyons asked this question of Ambassadors to the FGS conference that will be held in August in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

Unfortunately I'm unable to attend FGS this year but I am going to two other conferences.  I'll be at NGS (next week)  and Jamboree (next month).   So, why do I go?  I go

1)  To learn.  I consider myself an intermediate researcher, but I have numerous "brick walls."  And I'm not comfortable with some types of records.  So I go to attend sessions to help me with the "gaps" I feel I have.  And I've been know to attend 3 sessions during 2 conferences on the same or similar topic because I want to get different perspectives.

2)  To find out what's new.  The exhibit/vendor hall is an important part of my conference experience.  Where else can I learn about what's new?  And I can ask questions about what it does, how it works, what I can gain from using it, etc.  Reading blogs is another way I learn about what's new, so I look forward to reading other's blogs to see what they have learned.  Because I definitely don't always know the "right" questions to ask.

3)  To buy books, CDs, DVDs,  postcards and stuff.  I have to set a budget, but this is the place where I can touch and look through books to see if they have info that I want.  (I really have trouble buying books without touching them first.)  The CDs and DVDs are for my continuing education.  Postcards and other stuff help me add interest to my writing.  (And I really don't like to shop.  But this is different!!)

4)  To be around others who have a passion for genealogy.  I've met great people.  But I haven't been very good at getting the meeting into the start of a long-term relationship.  I'm not really a "party" person, and I don't function well staying up late.  Because I attend sessions almost every time period, I'm not networking.  This is something I really want to get better at.

5)  To return home energized.  Oh, I'm often so tired when I get home.  My mind is on overload with all of the new information.  I have these new ideas, new techniques to try, new web sites to look at, etc.  BUT, I also have so many ideas to help me with my research and my writing.  Too bad that life still interferes with genealogy once I return.

So why are you going?  Or why aren't you?  Hope to see you in a session or in the exhibit hall.  Please say Hi.

Tuesday's Tip - Backup, Backup, Backup

I know you’ve heard this before.  You’ve read this before.  Perhaps you have even written about it.  However, are we following our own advice and the advice of our friends?  (I know I haven't been as conscientious as I probably should.)

Many of our friends and neighbors have survived tornados, hurricanes, forest fires and floods.  Every day some of them have fires in their homes.  Some of them have insurance and can rebuild.  That’s the physical building.   But how do you replace the memories, heirlooms, photographs, school papers, certificates, passports, etc, etc, etc.  We never know when the natural or man-made disaster may meet our files. 

There are so many ways to backup now.  We aren’t limited to an external hard drive or making a CD copy of our files and sending it to a friend or taking it to our Safe Deposit box.  So, are we following our own advice? 

So, backup regularly and especially every time before you leave home with your computer. 

Tuesday Tips - Spring Cleaning

Taxes are finished (a day early).  This morning I cleaned out email inboxes (YES, boxes).  Then, I also cleaned out the "sent" files.  AND, then I emptied my Recycle Bin. 

I still have many files, copies of old emails, etc. that need to be tossed.  I know, or at least I've heard, that you should only handle each piece of paper once.  But I just can't seem to do that.  But I found a way that works for me.  I take a stack of papers, about 4 inches, and sort it into piles.  Your piles would probably be different than mine, but mine are quilting, tatting, knitting/crocheting, recipes, exercise/health ideas, and then my genealogy files (2 or 3, depending).  Of course, I also generally throw out at least 1/3 of the pile. 

What do I do with each stack?  Well, I put many of the papers into their own folders, just as they were meant to be.  Other papers (those that may need a little more sorting) I put into pocket file folders.  When I've worked through more papers, then I sort through each of these pocket folders and actually file these where they belong, or make new files if necessary.  This method works for me.  Perhaps it's not the most efficient, but I'm reducing the stacks; cleaning up the drawers; and I'm able to find what I want.  Even having a shorter "pile" of papers, or papers actually in a pocket folder, makes what I'm looking for easier to find.

I'm just presenting this method in case it helps you discover your own.

Good luck to you and your efforts. 

Surname Saturday - Doyle and Johnson

This is the seventh (and last) section of a booklet that I put together for my father-in-law’s 96^th birthday.  His parents were Clifford Franklin and Bertha Bryan Blackmore.  Section seven is about Bertha’s maternal grandparents.  Other postings included the other parents and grandparents of Clifford and Bertha and will include Blincow and Doyle surnames.  I have also included information about the siblings of these direct ancestors. 

John W Doyle and Rebecca E Johnson

            John William Doyle was born on 3 February 1829 in St. Clairsville, Belmont County, Ohio.  He married Rebecca Elizabeth Johnson on 27 October 1850 in Moundsville, West Virginia;  however the area was part of Virginia in 1850 because West Virginia was not a state at that time.  Rebecca was born about 1833 in Virginia (now West Virginia).  She was probably the daughter of Alexander Johnson and Sarah Almeda Root. 

            John and Rebecca had four children.  Wiley and Mary Emma were born in Virginia (now West Virginia), while William Franklin was born in Ohio and James Bruce was born in Illinois.     

            Rebecca died in 1858, probably as a complication of the birth of James Bruce Doyle.  In the 1860 census Rebecca’s mother Sarah was living with John and his children, ages 8, 5, 4 and 2.  The value of John’s property was $200.  John joined the Union forces during the Civil War and was mustered in on 11 September 1862.  He mustered out on 8 June 1865.  John was in Company A of the 110^th Illinois Infantry.  John was a farmer in Illinois until at least 1870.  All four of his children were living with him and at this time the value of John’s property was $1200.  Sometime between 1870 and 1880 he moved to Kansas.  Depending upon the route, the distance between Jefferson County, Illinois, (1870) and Rawlins County, Kansas, (1880) is around 730 miles.  What a journey!!  John had another farm in Kansas. 

Brothers and Sisters of Mary Emma Doyle

            Wiley Augustus Doyle was born on 18 August 1851 in Moundsville, Virginia (now West Virginia). He moved with father and siblings to Illinois before 1870 where he worked on a farm.  On 21 September 1873 he married Melissa Jane Adams in Mount Vernon, Illinois.  In some records she was listed as Melissa and in others she was listed as Jane.  They had two boys, James Ivan, who was born in Illinois about 1878 and Arthur Gilbert, who was born in 1884 in Kansas. 

            In the 1880 census in Kansas, Wiley and Jane were living with Wiley’s father John.  Jane was listed as step-daughter and son James was listed as nephew.                 

            Melissa (or perhaps Malissa) died on 4 March 1895 in Achilles, Kansas. Wiley continued to be a farmer in Kansas until at least 1905.  In 1910 Wiley was a widow living in Delta County, Colorado and he was still a farm operator. In the 1920 census, it showed that he was a retail merchant for a feed and hardware store.

            Wiley died on 6 December 1924 in Delta, Colorado and he was buried in the Delta Cemetery. 

            Mary Emma DOYLE married Oliver Bryan on 30 December 1880 in Achilles, Rawlins County, Kansas.   Mary was born on 16 December 1853 in Wheeling, Virginia.  At the time of her birth this area was in Virginia, but it is now in West Virginia.  More complete information about this family is found in the 5^th section of this series of blog postings.

            William Franklin Doyle was born on 21 February in St. Clairsville, Ohio.  He married Dora Cleo Speckelmire (or Specklemire) on 19 February 1887 in Achilles, Kansas.  Dora was born on 1 November 1871 in Boone County, Iowa.  She was the daughter of John Calvin and Charity Mullen Speckelmire.  (Dora’s  sister Della Ann married Frank’s brother James Bruce Doyle.)  In 1880 Charity Speckelmire and her children (her husband John died in 1880) were living on a farm near the John William Doyle family. 

            William and Dora had three children, two boys, John Wiley and Peter Edward, and one girl Amy.  John may have died during World War I.  Frank was a farmer in Kansas until at least 1900.  In the 1910 census it shows that he is a farm operator for a fruit farm and in 1920 he owned a farm but there were no specific listings. 

            Dora died on 30 August 1927 in Read.  William “Frank” died on 18 August 1928 in Read, Colorado.  Both of them were buried in Delta City Cemetery, in Delta, Colorado.

            James Bruce Doyle was born on 7 January 1858 in Chester, Illinois.  He married Della Ann Speckelmire (or Specklemire) on 3 October 1886 in Achilles, Kansas.  Della was the sister of Dora Cleo who married James’s brother William Franklin Doyle.  In 1880 Charity Speckelmire and her children, including Della and Dora, were living on a farm near the John William Doyle farm in Achilles, Kansas. 

            They had three children; two girls, Susan Ethel and Nora May, and one boy Thomas Julius.  James was a farmer in Kansas and then later in Colorado. 

            James died on 21 November 1911 in Read, Colorado.  He was buried in Cory Cemetery in Colorado.  Della then married William Ira Adams, about 1913.  Della died on 17 September 1929 in Pueblo, Colorado.  She is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, in Pueblo.  More information about William Adams is not available.

 

 

GRIP 2013 - 100 days from now

I just received a notice that said that GRIP 2013 starts in about 100 days.  I'm really excited.  So, what am I doing to get ready?  I'm playing CDs and DVDs that I have that are reminding me of some research techniques and ideas to refresh my brain.  Yes, I've heard or seen the info before, but I sometimes forget small (even large) techniques if I don't use them. 

Don't we all get in a rut and only look at a few web sites, or a few types of sources?  I sometimes need to be reminded that there is more out there.

If you aren't registered for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg, check out their web site and consider attending.  The LaRoche campus is beautiful.  But even better is the chance to meet people and REALLY talk to those who are attending. 

I hope to see you there.