Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Terrific Tuesday Leads to ...

We have STELLAR weather today, meaning it is clear and warm. I don't know how long the clear weather will hold, but DH and I have a project that keeps getting postponed due to weather. Last year when the cement pump invaded our yard, leaving us with two concrete pads and a sidewalk, part of our "patio" got dug up. We weren't sure what we were going to do with it, so we opted to do nothing until this year. Well, Winter was cold, Spring has been unusually wet (flooding on the Cumberland River west of us) and we've rarely been left with more than one or two days of dry weather. So today, we are headed into the yard to take care of this. I also have some laundry to do and some spa maintenance which was put off due to last weeks torrential rains.

Maybe if I still have energy later I will look into some family research. Or deal with the pile on my desk that won't go away.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, April 29, 2013

Monday Mornin' - Projects

One of the best emails I got last week was the notice from the Missouri Archives Volunteer coordinator about the index I worked on for the Independence and Jackson county Examiners. This is a joint project with the Mid-Continent Public Library. Little did I know when I was working on that project that I would be planning a trip to Missouri. I am excited about that and excited to be going with a fellow genealogist.

That was really the highlight of my weekend as it started raining Friday night and we are still getting rain 3 days later. Enough already. The outdoor projects are calling our names and we'd really like to get these completed before it gets too hot to work outside!

Not that I don't have indoor projects. We are still waiting to hear about the cabinets we had commissioned for my craft room and our living room. We were warned that we are a filler job, and that isn't an issue, just means that I will need to have the craft room completely cleaned out before I head to Missouri and it's possible it could be completed while I am gone. Can we say trepidation?

Well, I guess it is back to work on my research, house cleaning, laundry, etc.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Sympathy Saturday - William R. Ballinger

On April 27, 1933 in Kansas City, Missouri, William Robinson Ballinger, husband of Anne Maitland, died. He was my father's great uncle. His wife, Anne Maitland was my great-grandmother's sister.

You can visit his Find-a-Grave Memorial here.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, April 26, 2013

TGIF - Temptations

The heavy outside work is almost done. My garden is in and barring any frosts, should do fine. Working on some edging around my tulips, daffodils, irises and grape hyacinths near our shed after cleaning out the flower beds of weeds and grass.

Then we're supposed to have some rain and I will be ready for some house cleaning and office work. The files on my desk are calling my name and trying to entice me into a day or two of data entry and research. I may just succumb!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Too-Too Thursday - Feline Follies

So far it has been an extremely busy but productive week. We got our garden planted and raspberries and grapes. Wednesday it rained, so the focus went back inside and back on my research.

Unfortunately, Miss Mouse the cat decided she wanted to help me type my blog post. She kept her paw on my hand, sometimes trying to pull it away from the keyboard. She's felt really lonely with us working outside so much. We discovered last week that she is a feline Houdini and can escape from her halter even when closely watched, so no more outdoor time for her. Sometimes I wish she could talk (English) and tell us what she wants. Mostly I can tell what she wants from how she acts. But I am still not fluent in feline. She is a very expressive cat, for sure.

Mostly, I have been trying to get in some research when she is otherwise occupied, or occupying someone else's desk!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Wedding Wednesday - Zimmeth & Blust

On April 24, 1906 in East Tawas, Michigan, George Zimmeth, son of August Zimmeth and Augusta Clesott married Julia Blust, daughter of  Joseph Blust and Barbara Barger.  George was my grandfather's brother.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Package

I got a package of info from a cousin of my husband's yesterday. Can we say "happy?" I can't wait to go over it and see what they have that I don't. Maybe now I can put some of these piles away!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, April 22, 2013

Monday Moanin' -- Literally

Holy Cabbage! We had two back to back super days where it started really cool and ended nicely. DH and I spent the entire weekend working outside. And I will admit, I am so tired and sore it isn't funny. But we got some things accomplished.

First, we got my raised garden bed constructed, in place and filled. We attached a fence to the back for my beans, got those planted, tomato plants, pepper plants, and marigolds in there. I have a couple spaces left for cucumbers.

We also are trying our hands at concord grapes and raspberries. Hopefully everything will be um .. fruitful!




Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Sympathy Saturday - Francis Joseph Schwartz

Francis Joseph Schwartz, known as Joseph, was married to Josephine Zimmeth, a sister of my great grandfather, August Zimmeth. Josephine pre-deceased Joseph in 1872.

Joseph Schwartz was born in Alsace February 4, 1832 and died April 20, 1896 in Lancaster, Erie, New York. He was buried from St. Mary of the Assumption parish. He was the son of Mathias Schwartz and Elizabeth Becker.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, April 19, 2013

TGIF! The Week is Almost Done

 As I write this late Thursday night, we are once again expecting storms. And then cooling temps. I don't know about you, but I really hate temps that drop 20 degrees from day to day. It's making it difficult to get things planted. I suppose I can work on more genealogical records, but I'd rather be outside putting in my garden. The Hubby has been diligently working on making raised beds for me, since kneeling is out of the question.

Ancestry.com has generously opened up their international marriage records for a few days for free. Unfortunately, I'm not finding anything in the non-USA records. I did, however, find a couple of marriage records - one in Ohio and one in Indiana. So it wasn't a total waste, but I can access the US records at any time any way.

I hate the changes at Familysearch.org. I've managed to bypass that annoying pop-up that tells us it is different. 

And, I've started to think about my next research trip, sometime in June and am trying to prepare for that.

Hope you all have a great weekend.
Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Too-Too Thursday - High Praise, Indeed!

A couple weeks ago, I blogged about sharing information with someone who wasn't interested in my sources. I still get a WTH! feeling when I think about it.

Yesterday, a fellow with whom I've been in contact about my Kibler/Zimmeth line contacted me because he had visited 14 Holy Helpers Cemetery in Gardenville, New York. He felt he didn't have ENOUGH  evidence to link Michael Kibler, Jr. to his parents. I did have the evidence and was more than happy to email the evidence to him. I'm glad he wasn't willing to just take my word on it. And he was appreciative and that's all the thanks and kudos I need.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Happy Birthday to ....

My oldest daughter who turns 33 today! I can hardly believe it. Seems like yesterday that she was turning two!



Happy Birthday!

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Horrified by Events

I am absolutely horrified by the events in Boston on Monday during the annual marathon. It puts life into perspective. Do you add events such as this to your database? Or say, 9/11? 

I was a fifth-grader when President Kennedy was assassinated, and was in school that day. I thought then that was the most horrible thing I could imagine, being only eleven years old at the time. Fortunately, I could not see ahead to the Vietnam war, the gulf wars, Columbine, the Atlanta Olympics bombing, Oklahoma city and 9/11.

My prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones. In a sense, aren't we all victims of terrorism like this?

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, April 15, 2013

It's Back - Or How I Got My Obsessive Compulsive Research Disease Back!

Yes, I do have OCRD. And I admit it. And it's been missing in action for months now, except for a brief period when I was hunting down the 1940 census.

My post for last Sympathy Saturday was in regards to William Martin Carter, DDS, a first cousin four times removed. After I wrote my post, I realized I had nothing on his two daughters, Frances and Marguerite. Frances was easy to locate in the marriage records - she married Atwell L. Bohling - and in the Missouri Death records. Marguerite? Not so much. I had to stand on my left knee hopping up and down in a circle while chanting "Find Her." Finally, she was found, I think. A marriage record for Marguerite Carter and H. Wilford McDade was found. No death records in Missouri. A search of the census finds them in Texas. Fine. A death record for Halley Wilford McDade was found in the Texas Death records on Family Search. I tried to open the image. Nope. I had to sign in first. Still nope. Family Search contacted. Still no response. Finally, Saturday evening I was able to open and save it.  The census did show the family with 3 daughters: Jane, Mary F. and Marguerite. 

A search of newspapers on Ancestry elicited a marriage announcement for their Marguerite & H. W.'s daughter. Fine and dandy, but still looking for that death certificate for Marguerite that will confirm her as William Martin Carter's daughter. And adding a generation or two would be nice also. Back to work.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Sympathy Saturday - William Martin Carter

Dr. William Martin Carter,  a nephew of my great-great-great grandfather, Edwin Harvey Carter, died on April 13, 1934 in Sedalia, Missouri, and was born October 25, 1857 in Missouri. He was married to Mary Luda or May Lula Fletcher. His parents were Jesse Woodward Carter and Margaret Campbell.

You can visit his Find-a-Grave memorial here.


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, April 12, 2013

My Own Personal Wayback Machine

I've blogged about my brick walls in my 5 generation chart before, this one I have to go back 7 generations (including me.)

I actually do pretty well until I get to this generation. My first hole here are the parents of Nathaniel Davidson, my great-great-great grandfather.

I have a copies of some paperwork regarding Nathaniel. One is a deed, one is his marriage to Ann Estes and the third is a letter from John Davidson to his father written in Claiborne, Louisiana in 1828, probably replying to a letter from his father in regards to the death of John's mother.  Nathaniel's own son was also named John and born in 1830. Was John the letter writer, Nathaniel' s father?

The 1850 census tells me,  for what it is worth, that Nathaniel was born in Kentucky in 1797.  Their daughter, Susan, the widow of John Stearns Percival, and the second wife of Thomas Holt, does indeed give both parents' birth places as Kentucky.

It's possible that Nathaniel knew his wife before he moved to Missouri. Ann Estes was the daughter of Littleberry Estes and Mary Ann "Polly" Wade. Ann was born in Madison, Kentucky in 1806.

As you can see, I have a lot of suppositions. Every so often, I dust my theories off and start searching again. Someday, I will find that paper trail.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Too-Too Thursday - Whether the Weather

First, we had the interminably long winter. Then it was spring for a few days and then it got hot. By my thermometer it was 74.5 degrees at almost midnight after a high of about 85. I just looked at the radar as we are looking at bad storms coming at us and I hope the weather holds out and we don't get the really bad stuff. 

Time to batten down the hatches and make sure all are safe and secure.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Wedding Wednesday - Mountjoy & Lashbrooke

On April 10, 1826 in Mason County, Kentucky, Thomas Mountjoy to Deborah or Debbie Lashbrooke. They were the parents of George Morton Mountjoy who married Isabella Bowman, my great grand-aunt.


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Are You GenSmart?

One of my favorite programs is a neat program called GenSmarts. I've used this program for years and years and it comes in handy when I am working in a particular area or repository, such as the Missouri State Archives, looking for deaths that may have occurred during the period of 1910 to 1962.

Today, I found a death on Find-a-Grave that occurred in 1965. It's been added to that Missouri Death Certificates To-Do list. Since Missouri is one of those states that I keep returning to, it's important to review what I need to look for from time to time.

You can find more information here. I am not paid, nor is this a solicited comment. I just find the program very, very useful.


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, April 8, 2013

It WAS a Really Nice Weekend.

Glorious weather here in mid-TN meant that on Saturday morning, DH and I emptied the spa, cleaned it and then refilled it. After that, we went to Dogapalooza at Dogwood Park. No, we don't have a dog, and now that we have Mouse the cat, probably will not get one.

Sunday, I spent getting the spa chemicals up to speed. This is an instance where soft water is not so great. I also took Mouse for a walk around the house on a leash. And yes, she loves the great outdoors. Whines to go out whenever we do. It's funny to watch her because she will walk great until she hears a noise, like the flag flapping on the flagpole, a car, a dog, a  bird. Then she will flatten herself on the ground.

Late last night I played on GenSmarts for a while, looking at Missouri Deaths trying to locate some people. Actually, while looking for the spouse of one person, I found his headstone on Find-A-Grave. His mother, Julia Bowman Weber, was my first cousin three times removed. Then I found his second wife, who died in 1962. Roy died in 1941. So I am following the paper trail once again ...

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Sympathy Saturday - Michael Martin Zalot

On April 5, 1986 in Sterling Heights, Michigan, my husband's uncle, Martin Zalot passed away. This was just 4 days after his mother had passed at the age of 91. Michael was 72.

Uncle Mike, as I knew him was a warm and generous man. When hubby and I were first married, my father-in-law found some cupboards someone had discarded and Uncle Mike and f-i-l came and installed them in our laundry room.

I remember crocheting an afghan for him. On a visit to his son's house in Phoenix some five or six years later, the afghan was displayed on the back of the sofa. It made me feel so good to tell Mike's son that I had made it.

Mike donated his body to science. He is still missed.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, April 5, 2013

Don't Tell Me Where You Got the Information ...

I have not only been working on my family history for years, but also my husband's. So from time to time, I am contacted by a researcher who wants to know if we're connected.  I can't tell you how many hours and dollars I've invested in researching his line. It's a lot. And I had help to steer me along the way, so am usually very happy to share.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a relative of my husband. I think we had corresponded before. I went to the trouble to put together a family narrative with what I've found along with the sources.  Unfortunately, I was told my sources weren't necessary. WTH? Really. And all the researcher wanted was a descendent chart.

I have to tell you that I am still dumbfounded. The researcher got what I had prepared. Sourced. Whenever I got something from someone else, I always asked for the source material too. Or at least a source citation. Tell me where to look so I can duplicate it at the very least. But I never told anyone the sources were not wanted.

This is pretty much why I do not share my info on Ancestry.com. I'm not interested in name collectors.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Too-Too Thursday - Way Behind

I have a pile of paper on my desk -- again -- that hasn't moved except for me to pick it up when I am looking for something else. I swear I am going to get to it one of these days.

Yesterday, the hubs and I had a great visit with one of my high school friends who was passing through on business. Someone who is also interested in genealogy, and also someone who is as befuddled by some of the new gadgets out as we are! It made for lively conversation.

The weather is starting to turn nice, so I better get some of these piles situated before I head outside to work on projects.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Wedding Wednesday - Bowman & Webb

On this day in 1883, in Lexington, Missouri, my great-grandparents were married. Frank Graves Bowman, son of the late John Parker Bowman and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Webb, daughter of John Garland Webb and Lizzie Carter, had a marriage that lasted almost 43 years, until Frank's death in 1930. Below, their marriage license and bottom they are pictured with their three of their four grandchildren: James Rankin, Jr., Mary Elizabeth Rogers and John S. Percival, Jr. Not picture is Frank Percival.


























Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Life Gets in the Way - Again

It's the 21st century, and the other day I got a text from a high school friend who is on his way through Tennessee and wants to meet up. Yay! This morning is it. I am excited to see him since I haven't seen him since the last reunion I went to - my 20th I think, which was a long time ago. Or maybe the time I ran into him at the mall ...

Also getting my annual checkups out of  the way. One thing about a small town is that you can call and get a same day appointment for a mammogram. Gotta love it.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

It's My Name -- It's Simple -- Get It Right Already!

I went for my blood work yesterday, like I do every three months. Doctor's appointment this morning. And the phlebotomist called me Anna. I corrected her saying it was Ann with an "e." She said, "Oh, Annie." I said no, it was Anne and that the "e" was silent.

I've never been called Anna except by my older sister who liked to rhyme Anna with banana and any other word she could. Until we moved here. I wouldn't think my spelling is uncommon at all. Sigh.

If I had to bet money on it, I would say I have a 50% chance of getting the nurse at the doctor's office who always calls me Anna. Sigh.

Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, April 1, 2013

Monday Moanin'

Holy Cow! It's Monday and April 1st all in the same day. Can't say I am sad to see soggy March go away.

We had a nice Easter Sunday, getting on the road at 10:30 a.m. for lunch at Younger Daughter's boyfriend's cousin's house. It was two hours away. They were all very nice. The food delicious and cousin's mother made the most wonderful eggs.

 Aren't they adorable? They were good too! I felt like a terrible person eating Karen's hard work, but they were great!

Obviously, nothing of a genealogical nature got done. I spent Saturday making sure we would have something for dinner when we got home. I hadn't made stuffed cabbage in a while, but this year swore I would find all the ingredients.

I did discover that some of the boy's relatives didn't like left overs. I happen to think that is the best thing about the holidays.

Now my mind is whirling with activities for today such as grocery shopping, haircut and whatever else my DH can think up. Hope I am rested up!


Copyright 2010-2013, ACK for Gene Notes