New Year Begins and Another Mystery Ends.....

Hi Folks!  Sorry it's been so long since the last update.  Winter weather and the holidays throw off all the schedules.  Good things come with the new year though.  In this case it was verifying my paternal grandfather's immigration.  I had been thrown off course by the 1930 census which showed my father's parents arriving when they were extremely young (less than a year - actually they listed their birth years in the immigration year column). Thanks to a newly transcribed record of my grandfather's enlistment for World War I, i was able to verify his arrival year, as well as where he was living at the time (in Brooklyn).  Armed with my new knowledge, i searched for the passenger list for his year of arrival.  Lo and behold, i got a hit.  My grandfather Bernard arrived on October 6, 1912 aboard the S.S. Caronia out from Queenstown, Ireland.  Another piece of the puzzle verified!

What's in a Name...

Beatrice - (Gaelic:"bringer of joy", "blesses").

November has given me two blessings named Beatrice in my lifetime, both who have brought a lot of joy into my life. The first was my mother and the second is my niece (her granddaughter and namesake).  With Beatrice not being the most common name, you'd think it would be easier to find records when looking back in the family tree.  Not quite the case when dealing with an Irish genealogy.  It was actually quite popular back in the day.

I had always heard Mom mention that she had been named after an aunt named Beatrice.  I'm still trying to find said relative, with no luck as of yet. Of course, with all the diminutives and nicknames, finding an ancestor's given name can be quite the quandry.  I can't tell you how many forms of Elizabeth i've tried  (Liza, Betty, Beth, Lizzie, just to name a few - and God only knows how they get Peggy from Margaret) in locating my grandfather's sister's records. Additionally, many folks went by their middle names rather than their first (which i'm finding to be the case with my grandmother's father). Don't let it discourage you though.  Determination wins out in the long run (from what they tell me).

Case in point is my grandfather's sister Helen.  All the census' for 1901 and 1911 the name was listed as Ellen.  When researching the census' themselves, i found that many of the census takers were from England and had a tough time understanding the Irish brogue.  Hence Helen became Ellen.  In 1911, they saw Ellen on the previous census and it continued in the census record.  It only clarified itself, when thanks to the aid of a cousin, we located a picture of sister Helen (who actually was a sister - nun that is).  Helen's archival record from the convent confirmed the date of  birth (which proved her to be the Ellen on the census).

Additionally, let's not forget naming traditions were used quite a bit more in times past.  First born sons were named after their grandfather many times (which can be quite useful when locating relatives further back in the tree).  Keep an eye out for similar names amongst the branches of the family as well.  They may lead you back to even further generations and uncover another whole set of names to look for.  And in genealogy, that's the name of the game!

Halloween Memories.....

Well, as I won't be able to sleep tonight (i should have known better than to watch  Dark Secret of Harvest Home) , I thought i might share a bit of my family Halloween memories.  Mom had a bit of a dark side when she saw the opportunity to scare the kids a bit.  She loved dark stormy nights, when the lights went out, and the wind went howling through the trees. Then every so softly she'd start reciting the poem she learned when she was just a girl... About the Gobluns coming to eat you up!

Little Orphant Annie

Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,

An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,

An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,

An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;

An' all us other children, when the supper-things is done,

We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun

A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,

An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--

An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,

His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,

An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!

An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,

An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;

But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--

An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,

An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;

An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,

She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!

An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,

They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,

An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!

An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,

An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!

An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,

An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--

You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,

An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,

An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,

Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out!

  - James Whitcomb Riley

To this day, my sister and I still cringe when we hear those words.  Needless to say, having experienced many sleepless nights over the years because of that poem,  i find it rather satisfying that i can pass it on, and scare the hell out of our next generation!  Yes, I do have my mother's twisted sense of humor!

Happy Halloween, folks!!!!  Keep an eye out for the Gobbluns!!!

 

The Gang's all here....

It's been quite a summer!  Recently, I attended a reunion of some of our old neighborhood where we grew up, as well as impromptu family get-togethers when cousins came up to the area.  It was great to see everyone again and catch up with what's been happening with them all.  I got to see the next generations (the big kids to the smallest).  Amazing how when folks collaborate, the memories come flying right back.  Things we hadn't thought of in years bounce to the front of our minds.

Now that the weather starts to chill and the holidays loom ever closer, i find myself ready to relax and get back into my research during the colder months.   I was glad to present the first hard copy of my research to my cousin Gordon (like most folks in the family - i call him Skip) , who has always been the one to keep in touch with all the family. 

Enjoy the winter folks.  A toast to our families, one and all!

Pay it Forward...

My initial objective when i first started my research was to trace my family tree back to my great grandparents.  Having accomplished that goal, with the help of great online resources, i wanted to help others with their research.   I decided to volunteer my skills to the World Archive Project through Ancestry.com., keying in data from scanned records, so they are indexed on the Ancestry website.

The World Archive project allows people to help others gain access to new records that will help them in their own research.  It also allows the data entry operators know what new records will be coming online, and if it is useful to them.  The greatest benefit to me,personally, is knowing i can provide one more clue to someone solving their family mysteries.

Give back, pay it forward, any way you say it - help others when you can.  It may not seem like much, but your efforts can mean a great deal to the people you've helped.

O' Canada....

This morning started like any other, checking my email and Facebook.  I noticed my niece posted that she had to help her daughter with a family tree assignment.  Having done a little investigating on her mom's tree before, i thought i'd do a quick search to see what else i could come up with for her.  Lo and behold, i found a trail of records, going back three generations.  Her mom's father was from Canada originally.  Amazingly, i was able to find a clear document trail back to his parents and even to his grandparent who came from Scotland.  I wish all my records could be as easy to find.

What a rush!  I still get so exciting uncovering another clue, another step into the past. My sister-in-law just celebrated her birthday, and have i got THE present for her.  I can't wait to share it with her!

A Mass of Information....

A friend recently asked where she should start looking for information to start her family tree.  She was quite surprised when i told her to check through the mass cards, floral / memorial cards and funeral guest registers from her parents.  Granted, it may seem ghoulish, but its a valuable source of information.  Check through the signatures and separate the ones you know from the ones you don't know.  Many times these names may be relatives that came to pay their respects.  Also, make note of the funeral home  and cemetery so you can update your parents internment information.

When you have your list of unidentified folks, search for them online and with other family members who may recognize the names.  Make note of any titles (Dr., Sr., Fr., etc) as these will give you extra occupational clues to search by.

When checking mass cards, make note of where the church is that the mass is being said in.  That will let your know approximately the area where this new contact lived.  If it's in the town your parent grew up in, keep a note that it may be the parish to check with for baptismal and marriage records.

My biggest set of records are all the memorial cards my parents gathered over the years.  Mom had them secreted in the bottoms of drawers, in envelopes with old greeting cards, among old letters and diaries.  It was quite a pile to work on. 

Go through each item carefully and put each type together as a group, so you can refer back to them easily.  Even the littlest items can provide the largest clues.