Gaming and Genealogy

What is your recipe for Genealogical Success?!!  I had this book by my side as a young bride (circa 1963).  I was fresh out of High School and away from my Momma, about 2000 miles away!

I finally found the source for a concept that I first learned about at a RootsTech conference.  

I had previously located an article written by Alison Moore, who was, at one time, writing for the Deseret News, regarding whether genealogy is just for "older" people.

If your genealogy journey has become frustrating, stale, or if you feel that you've hit a really big "brick wall", you might consider a change in direction, in attitude, etc.  Respectfully, I offer you the opportunity to consider this concept, originally put forth at Rootstech by D. Joshua Taylor. 

How might you apply this attitude to your genealogical "game"?  Do you need a "new" recipe for accomplishing more than just brief encounters with the names, dates, and places in your database?  What is your end "game"?!

I Can't Stop Thinking About This

Bea and her daughter, Ann, circa 1954?

 I am preparing mentally, to teach a class for the Center for Lifelong Learning (January Session 2020).  Here are some of my thoughts:

Ten Ways to Grow Your Family Tree
12/27/2019
Way #1:
 Refresh your approach to genealogy/family history and related research habits. 
    Here are some "refreshing" tips.  Can you add to this list?      Please share!
Read a book.  When was the last time you read a good book?Access Amazon.com (many of you already have an account, there, right)? In the "search box" enter something like 'genealogy books'.  You can do the same search at Google, otherwise.  Many libraries also stock "how to" books that you can check out (do you use overdrive)?.  Does your library have inter-library loans?  What is the best (most comprehensive) guide for finding a library book?  Here are some links:
    1).  World Cat: get a free account...really...FREE.  (worldcat.org).
    2).  ReadOkaloosa.org (tap into "card catalog")
    3.).  What is overdrive?  This is a site that will let you download (borrow) digital books from your locale.  Link for Okaloosa: okaloosa.overdrive.com
Join a genealogy society, attend a genealogy conference (online or in person), take a genealogy class, seek learning resources online.
Do-Over: https://genealogydoover.com/
Buy or download a new version or a different genealogy software program
Put your database to the test: Share Online
Don't become THE WOWOG.  Genealogy standards remain sacrosanct.  The guidelines have been tested.  You can re-invent the wheel, but don't break the "rules".  Agree or Disagree?  Where does your own personal style end and monotony creeps in?

CHANGE UP YOUR STYLE:  Maybe, just maybe, you do't have to do the same old things in the same old ways.  While you don't want to re-invent the wheel, maybe you do need a fresh start in less startling ways than the "Do Over" project.  This could be accomplished by simply changing (for the better) where and when you work on your genealogy.  Thoughts?





Your question may well be: What is a WoWog?

Introducing Children to FamilySearch

This photo "talks" to me about how parents can begin early in a child's life to "teach" a concept like family.  Mother holds the baby, lovingly, and invites a young child to participate.  

Words like "soft" are said quietly.  "Gentle" is a concept that is first mimicked by the mother and then, the older child is invited to do likewise.

While the picture is of children who are probably too young to use a computer, learning the idea that families contain individuals that are are of varying size, age, personalities, etc., doesn't even require using a lot of wordy language.  Sharing photos, organizing family gatherings, the writing and sending of letters or communications to family members or even just celebrating a birthday---all are steps in the child learning that there such a thing as a family unit containing father, mother, siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins!

The first introduction that any child has to any segment of the lives that we can lead is the example of the parent(s).  Seeing your busy mother dedicate a part of her day or week to record her family tree on the computer at FamilySearch.org, may seem like a small thing, but that action becomes to the child an essential lesson: Family history is important.  Perhaps unspoken, but evident is the part that they can someday participate in preserving family stories, and other related activities.

Where would you begin to introduce your children to research, recording, and/or the organization and preservation of records?  How young is too young?   You may be surprised that you are halfway there!

Harry Holding and Family in 1920 Census

So Harry Chris Holding is in Detroit, (District 3), Michigan, for the 1920 U.S. Federal Census!  The date of enumeration is 5 January, 1920.  People went where the jobs were: Harry's occupation is butcher at the meat packing complex.  

Or sometimes, maybe, folks may have followed relatives to a location or vice versa; they moved, for example, to be closer to the wife's family?  

Harry (aka "Chris") and his wife, Blanch (no "e" in this record), now have five children!  There are also a couple of boarders in the household.  They are working as teamsters at the trucking company.

Harry, here, is reported to be age 30, Blanch(e) is age 25, "Kathrine", (misspelled), Holding is age 10; Harry, Jr. is age 8, Laura is age 7, Samuel is age 2 and there is a baby, Eugene, age 3 months.

Looking at this census page, I see a couple of familiar names--there is a Blanche Clark and an entry for a Mr. Yeager from Kentucky.  Harry's mother was a Yeager.  Blanche's maiden name was Clark!  Not sure whether these are relatives, yet.  Or related.  But chances are good that they are!

My Husband's Family: The Holding's

Edgar Lawrence Harris, Sr. with wife, Louanna, and two children.

My husband, Edgar Joseph Harris, (aka Edgar Lawrence Harris, Jr.), was related to the family of Harry and Blanche Holding on his mother's side.  In fact, Harry was his maternal grandfather.  (See Harry's profile at FamilySearch, PID  

Whether the two ever met is a question that I can't answer, (research in progress), but also due to the hardships that faced the young family in which Ed was the oldest child.

When my husband was just about six years old, his mother and father separated.  The three older children of that marriage were put into the orphanage at Vincennes, Indiana.  The youngest child was dispatched to the care and keeping of Catholic Social Services and the baby was subsequently adopted out.  Little Ronald Harris was born in 1944 in Indiana.  

Here is one account I found online, by googling "Saint Vincents Orphanage":  
I lived as an orphan at St.Vincents for 11 years, from 1937 to 1948. I held the record for the longest time there. At the time, I didn't know any better about the outside world, since I was only 2 years old at the time that I arrived. I had nothing to compare it to when I was little. I worked on the farm for about 6 or 7 years and the Robert Duffy Family ran the farm for the Catholic Church. The pries that I remember were Fr. Laughtner and Fr. Victor. The Head Nun, who I thought was very mean, was Sr. Norberta. My favorite nun was Sr. Rita Jane who ran Dormitory 1, which ad the older boys. Sr. Reginald was the Cook and was really good. All my memories now are very good. I've always wanted to go back for a visit but now I am 81 and Indiana is a long ways away from California. I can now recall St. Vincents, the buildings, the barns, the orchards, everything just as if I were there now. St. Vincents was really good for me. I received a good education, a good work habit, and a good moral compass. I was there during the WWII years when things were tough in this country. We always had a lot of food to eat, good clothes, though we did not wear shoes in the summer, and the people of Vincennes were very good to the orphanage. I think that all things considered, I was very lucky to have spent my youth at St. Vincents. 

Ancestry has a message board for this orphanage/location also:  https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties.marion/7111/mb.ashx

My husband, Ed, didn't have a great deal of positive memories about his experience at the orphanage.  He was separated from his brother and his sister, probably according to age and gender.  However, at some point there was a farm couple who came to take the boys (foster parents).  Their sister was eventually adopted out and raised by a couple.  I can perhaps provide more information at a later time.

The Holding family in 1910 (my husband's mother was a Holding):  The location, here, is Indianpolis Ward 14, Marion County, Indiana, Roll T624_367; Page 12 A.  Harry Holding is the Head of Household; he is age 21.  His wife, Blanche, is age 18, and their sole child at this time, Katharine, is age 1.  [This family would grow over the years; Harry and Blanche had 14 children!]  The source for the 1910 Census  was Ancestry.com.

Goodies from FamilySearch Online

Today, I added a record (historic document record) to the profile of Ernest Otto McCracken at FamilySearch.org.

Do I know who (in the world)he was?  How he is related to me?  No!  

Why, then have I received this opportunity from FamilySearch to add this record?

Here is the "scoop":  FamilySearch.org prompts me to do so because of computers which are programmed by real live people who work for FamilySearch.  The computer "thinks" that I am related to this individual.  Why do they think that?

They have matched Ernest to my profile via the family tree information that I uploaded to the website for FamilySearch.org, (via a process that I probably wouldn't understand even if I knew it)!  My son, Benji, is a code writer/programmer and I don't think he got that from my side of the family! 

At the profile page for Ernest, there is an option that I can click on: "View My Relationship".  When I click on that option/icon, (located at the far right hand side of the screen, across from the little circle that should have a photo or image of the person], it brings up this image:

If you can't see this image, save it and/or enlarge it?!!

So, when I see this image, I can see quickly, that Ernest is a descendant of my Dad's ancestors!  The FamilySearch computer via FamilySearch.org, is such a wonderful tool!  I can now access the family tree information for Ernest and compare it to my dad's tree.  Here is a picture of my Mom and Dad: 

I wonder if Ernest's profile has family pictures at FamilySearch?  Well, that is for another day, but it would be interesting to search his profile or even Google? to find out. If you already use FamilySearch, click on the "Memories" option for the people you have in your family tree.  Do this from their profile page! 

How can you, too, can take a ride down memory lane via FamilySearch?  Get a free membership to FamilySearch.org, upload your family tree information and your photos/Memories, or contact me for more information.

I volunteer at the local Family History Center, as do several others, and I can meet you there or come to your home!  Find me at Facebook: Margaret Marie Harris

Abstract of a Death Certificate for Malissa Kolmetz Atwell

 My Great Grandmother, Alice Malissa Kolmetz, married William Sherman Givens.  After his death, she married second, John Atwell.

 She was born 13 July, 1867 or 1868, in Washington County, Florida.  Her father was Friedrich Kolmetz who was born in Germany.  Her mother was Matilda Worley Kolmetz.

Alice died on 4 May 1946, (just 6 days before I was born).  At the time of her death, she was living in Valparaiso, Florida (Okaloosa County).  The informant for the information on the death certificate was her daughter, Mary Louise Givens Cutts of Niceville, Florida.  The cause of her death was pneumonia and flu.  The doctor, O.D. Enzor, last saw her alive on 3 May 1946.  [Dr. Enzor lived and practiced in Crestview, Florida].

She was buried in the Almarante Cemetery at Laurel Hill, Florida (Okaloosa County), as was her first husband, William Sherman Givens.  The funeral director was L. E. McLaughlin.

There is a good bit of family information at the Findagrave Website/Memorial.   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74391332/alice-malissa-givens

My grandfather, Richard L. Givens is also buried in that location as are several other family members.

 

Using the "Memories" feature at FamilySearch.org

Circa 1978 on Uncle Theo's 
farm in Pike County, Alabama

"Memories" at FamilySearch.org: 

First register for a free account at familysearch.org. To make your experience with the “Memories” feature more meaningful, search to see if your relative is already on familysearch.org or upload your family tree. 

Remember, this is a public site. I advocate not adding the photos of anyone who is still living unless you make sure that person’s information is designated as “living”. Once that happens, you are the only one that can access that photo.

Help from the Internet:

• https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/familysearch-memories-add-important-details-family-photos/ 
  
  Add important details to your photos before they are lost in the sands of time.
  • Title. This can be descriptive, or go for a laugh. A title adds a human touch and gives all who view it a common way to refer to that classic family photo.
  • People Tags. These allow you to designate who is in the photo and link them to their person page in Family Tree so other relatives can enjoy the photo as well.
  • Event Date or Place. When known, these bits of information can be extremely important. Knowing when and where a photo was taken helps those viewing it, at least metaphorically, be in their ancestor’s shoes.
  • Description. Allows a few more words than the title, so you can explain where this photo came from, who has it currently, and why it’s important to be preserved.
  • Stories. One of the best ways to immortalize a photo If you haven’t uploaded any photos to FamilySearch Memories, you should give it a try. You can use photos on your computer’s hard drive, mobile device, or on services like Facebook, Instagram, or Google Photos. You’ll be skipping down memory lane in no time.is to add a funny, or heart-warming, or informative story that adds details you can’t get any other way.
  • Comments. Add additional information about how you acquired the photo, how you feel about the photo, and respond to the comments your photo may stir up.
• If you haven’t uploaded any photos to FamilySearch Memories, you should give it a try. You can use photos on your computer’s hard drive, mobile device, or on services like Facebook, Instagram, or Google Photos. You’ll be skipping down memory lane in no time.  To utilize your phone, download the APP "Memories".  It's free.  And maybe under the heading "FamilySearch" apps?

• Please take notice of the big plus symbol at the top-center of the Gallery page.
• Drag-and-drop functionality. To add photos, stories, documents, or audio files, simply drag memories into the Gallery workspace – or choose a file from a folder if you prefer. Either way, uploading is a cinch.
• Intuitive albums. Albums now line the left side of the window. Organize memories by person, lineage, or another category in two steps

For questions or discussions, please comment at my website https://family-history-hat.blogspot.com/ 

A summation of my genealogical research on a certain family member

This person is my first cousin three times removed.  Because he is deceased, I think that I can go ahead and give his name in full, as far as I know it correctly.  This narrative helps me to see the facts of his life so that I might determine what other records to search.  It is a recommendation of genealogical educators that compiling a narrative can be a way to test the facts and information we have researched; omissions will be obvious.  For example, I have reviewed the following narrative and see that there is no marriage record listed!

Was the gentleman ever married?  If not, did he reside with family members or live alone.  What was his occupation?  A narrative must address the absence of resources as well as the existence of them.  Help me out, if you will.  Read the following and suggest to me what other life events of his did I possibly overlook?  What else needs to be included?  Perhaps, "did he go to church"?  Was he a church member, and if so, where did his membership records reside?  As I have reviewed my narrative, I see that I haven't explored all of the census information.  What will that source show?  What else do you see that I might have overlooked?

The Narrative of Augustus "Gus" Harris

• He was born 24 April,1892 and he died in 1946.

• He is my first cousin three times removed on my mother’s side.

• He registered for the draft (World War I) in 1917-18. His home address at that time was Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida. He was 40 years old at the time of his registration. He worked at Bullock- Caldwell Shipbuilding Company on the Waterfront. His nearest relative was Carolyn Harris, his mother (she lived in Crestview at this point in time). His physical description: Short in height; stout in build, and had gray eyes and brown hair. The date that this form was filled out was September 12, 1918.
  
  
• Gus had two brothers (as of the 1880 Census): Samuel and Henry.
• In 1900, Gus was living with his family in Santa Rosa County. Father, Henry and mother, Caroline now have five boys: Gus is the oldest, then Henry (Jr.?); Archie, Curtis, and Allen.
  
  
• Obituary October 8^th, 1946: "Funeral services were conducted Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Live Oak Church for Mr. Gus Harris, 69 year old pioneer of this section, who died suddenly Friday morning of a heart attack at the home of his brother on Shoal River. Services were conducted by the Rev. Luke Henderson, with interment following at the Live Oak Cemetery. McLaughlin Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Survivors include three brothers, Archie of Caryville, FL., Curtis and Dan of Crestview, Florida.

NOTE: AS I EXPLORED THE DETAILS OF THIS PERSON, THE SOURCES WERE CONTRADICTING IN THE MATTER OF HIS BIRTH. HE MAY HAVE BEEN BORN AS EARLY AS 1877. OR, PERHAPS THERE WAS A CHILD BORN THEN WHO LATER DIED AND THE NEXT CHILD WAS ALSO NAMED “AUGUSTUS” OR GUS?

 
Research notes/Citation Kind Of
Funeral services were conducted Saturday at 3:00p.m. at Live Oak Church for Mr. Gus Harris, 69 year old pioneer of this section, who died suddenly Friday morning of a heart attack at the home of his brother on Shoal River. Services were conducted by the Rev. Luke Henderson, with interment following in the Live Oak cemetery. McLaughlin Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Survivors include three brothers, Archie of Caryville, FL., Curtis and Dan of Crestview.
Detail comments:
Photocopy in possession of Margaret Hill Harris; obtained from microfilm located at Baker Block

My dad, the Genealogist

My dad, "Wily Coyote," Wiley Benjamin Hill, Jr., came to genealogy like a duck to water after a really bad dream, which took place just after his 50th birthday.

Anyway, in this dream that he had, (a nightmare for sure), a tornadic wind came along and lifted his house up into the swirling clouds and all the photos and papers that he had faithfully preserved for posterity were scattered.  Up until then, the genealogists in his family were his mom, Eunice Tucker Hill-Hall and his sister, Beatrice Meda Hunt.  

I wonder what triggered this dream.  I know that his mother was always "encouraging" him to become more involved in her family history hobby.  And even though, this was before the Internet, my dad loved to hop in the car and travel to various places and meet people.  I think Genealogy became a really good excuse for him to take to the highways and byways in search of adventure, family stories, etc.  

His natural ability as a story teller was probably also a factor in bringing him round!  And he, perhaps, sensed that he wouldn't always have his aging mother around to guide him on this journey. 

You have to realize that while not ancient, our home was one of the older remaining edifices in the area.  It had been built in 1941-ish or so.  In Florida, that is ancient!  Anyway, the "old house" is still standing as I write this, but not without a few makeovers, repairs, and general over haulings!  For whatever reason or prompting, my dad became The Family Finder!  He was to become prodigious in this journey, writing hundreds of letters, visiting libraries and archives, and interviewing perfect strangers.

One of the collections I came across after he passed away was a thick sheaf of death certificates.  They were photocopied from the records of Mississippi, his family's stomping grounds.  Photocopying back then doesn't translate well 30-40 years later.

At the age of 73, I can barely read my desktop screen; maybe after my cataract surgery...

Anyway, with the aid of a magnifying glass, I hope to be able to preserve the information that I can glean from these priceless pages.  Death Certificates are notorious for possible mistakes; the informant may not be related, for example.  The informant may be a close member of the family who is upset, grieving, and bombarded with all kinds of issues.  Or, the informant might be aged, in poor health, or whatever.  It is with a sense of adventure that I am tackling this; actually, with a sense of apprehension, also!

How will I preserve the data?  Via Familysearch memories?  Or some other vehicle?  Or, send as document to family members?  What is your suggestion?  Should I photocopy the original faded photocopy or just preserve the information?

These little communities in Alabama...

Have you ever been to the Henderson Community?  In Pike County, Alabama?  I lived thereabouts in 1970-1972.  

Now I see some of my ancestral trails found their way to that location, also!  But of course, well before that time...
 
So, on Page 33, Beat #9, on the 22nd day of June, in 1870, we will see what was going on with the 1870 Census in Henderson and why I care.  
I am accessing it via "findmypast.com", today
.
Head of Household, (Line 20; Dwelling # 266; family # 266):  HUGGENS (one of several variations for that name!)...anyway: Jas. J. HUGGENS is the head of this household.  He is 37 years old and was born in Alabama.  James is married to Lidia/Lydia, who is also age 37.  Lydia is also a native of Alabama.  Their son is John C. Huggens, age 14 and born in Alabama.  
(Note to self:  Don't forget to view this family in earlier and later censuses!)
 
James and Lidia/Lydia Huggens have a daughter, also: Elizabeth, age 13.  [Look in other census records to find out if there were other children who may have passed away previous to 1870); Betsy/Elizabeth, was born in Alabama.
 
Living with the family, in the same household is John Stagner (line 24), age 83, a farmer, born in South Carolina.  His wife, Betsy is age 73, also born in South Carolina. 
Their daughter (we have to assume that this is a daughter...if she wasn't I think there would be a notation), Sarah J. Stagner is age 34 and was born in Alabama (line26) . 
 
From this information, we can also assume that the Stagner's moved from South Carolina to Alabama about 35-37 years previous to 1870.  There is no statement saying what relationship the Stagner's are to the family of Mr. Huggens, but we can hypothesize that James Huggen's wife, Lydia,  is the daughter of John and Betsy Stagner. Nancy R. Stagner is their daughter, age 32, born in Alabama also (Line 27).

Before we go any further, where can y'all view this census page?  I gave you the page number above or you can search using the Huggens/Huggins name.  Get a free account at www.FamilySearch.org.  

Choose "SEARCH", then pick "Records".  Or to be more specific it would be "Search Historical Records", if you are prompted.  I entered "Huggens" and in addition  I specified, under Life Events, "RESIDENCE".  The place is  Pike, Alabama, United States and for the date, I entered 1870 because I want to see the Huggens family entry in the 1870 census in Pike County.  Let's see if it works!
 
And yes, it does.  When I hit the Enter button on my computer, the very first record to appear is the 1870 Census for the Huggens Family.  Click on the link(s) and join me on this page (33)!  Be sure to check the page and make sure that there aren't any other relatives.  While you have the census page up on your screen, check at least 2 pages before and after that page 33.

I know from other census records and other "other" records that this family (Huggens, Stagner) has this relationship with me:
 
John Stagner was my 4th great grandfather. 
His daughter, Rebecca Stagner, married Gray Jernigan Worley.  In the 1870 Census, she is listed with her husband, while her parents and siblings are shown living with Mr. Huggens!  She married in 1839.
 
In 1845, Rebecca Stagner Worley gives birth to my second great grandmother, Matilda Jane Worley, in, where else but Pike County, Alabama.  

Matilda married Friedrich Nicholas Kolmetz.  Mr. Kolmetz was born in Germany (Fehmarn). 
They, Matilda and "Fritz",  became the parents of my Great Grandmother, Alice Melissa Kolmetz who married William Sherman Givens.  

They were the parents of my grandfather, Richard "Ludd" Givens, who lived in Niceville. 
My mother, Opal, was his daughter!  Verified, by the way with the DNA stuff that I've done!
 
I could just go and live in Pike County, Alabama and just research my family ties from that area!  I have a feeling that it would be a long stay! 

A Study of my Winters Relatives in the 1880 Census

Cole Township Page 65; ED = 180

Enumerated 5^th and 6^th day of July1880

SebastianCounty, Arkansas

Page is stamped “608”

Line 1: Dwelling 554, Family #554

Richard H. Winters Age 30 Farmer Born in Mississippi, Father Born in Tennessee, Mother Born in South Carolina

Mattie A. Age 28 Born in Alabama Father born in Georgia as was her mother

William M. Age 10 Born in Alabama

Ida Age 7 Born in Alabama

Alexander Age 6 Born in Alabama

Margarett A. Age 2 Born in Arkansas

Line 7: Dwelling 555, Family #555

Lewis Winters Age 35 Born Mississippi: Father in Tenn.; Mother in S. Carolina

Mary J. Winters Age 32 Born in Arkansas; father in South Carolina, Mother born in Alabama

Cintha E. Winters Age 11 Born Mississippi

Jessee F. Winters Age 10 Born Alabama

Mary L. E. Winters Age 7 Born in Alabama

Jullie (?) S. Winters (F) Age 4 Born Alabama

Albert C. Winters Age 2 Born Alabama

Martha J. Winters Age 3/12 Born in Feb. 1880 Born in Alabama

Both Richard and Lewis Winters are living in Cole Township in Sebastian County, Arkansas for the 1880 Census. Little Cintha Winters is named after her grandmother, I suspect. I think of the two boys (men), Richard has been there longer than Lewis, as he has a daughter who was born in Arkansas, who is age 2. Lewis has a daughter who is just 3 months old who was born in Alabama. Both of these brothers are farmers.

____________________________________________________
What was life like for my relatives in Arkansas in 1880?

•  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Arkansas#The_New_South

 

• I thought this was a kind of cute webpage--not so much related to the history, but to the kind of weather in the winter months! 

 

• Where were my Winters family members living before they were in Arkansas?  Probably in Alabama!  This according to the 1880 Census data.

 

• The name Winters- Origins?  

2 great reasons to visit a Family History Center

Near Pensacola Bay Bridge, Gulf Breeze, Florida 2019

Are you out in the middle of the lake without a paddle?  Now, this isn't a lake and these fellows have a paddle (of sorts).  However, sometimes in doing our genealogy research, we do feel like throwing up our hands!  We've hit a brick wall and just can't seem to get over the hump and back on the trail.

Well, that is one good reason to go to a Family History Center; conversation and an exchange of ideas often lead to a place we never thought to try!  And the "staff" at the FHC aren't necessarily experts, but they will be glad to listen to you and sometimes offer a different view point will help get you out of the "mire".  

Staff members of the local Family History Center may know of web sites and resources that you hadn't thought of.  In fact, the Family History Center has access to "premium" websites.  Want to research at Ancestry.com, but don't have a membership?  Go to your Family History Center! Want to know what other "goodies" are featured in that "premium" list?  Access this article.

We got your back!

 

 

I will never get my images and/or photos organized!

Here are some examples of little jewels that I have on my hard drive that helps me to identify with my relatives and kinfolk:

• World War II Draft Registration Card for one of my Winters family lines: 
  
  He married my grand aunt, Lula Frances Winters.  They had 12 Children that I know of.  It is fairly obvious to me that he left Walker County, Alabama and traveled to the Midwest where he could earn a living!

• From my husband's Harris and Holding relatives, this unusual name (think A to Z):  a photo of a death certificate:  
  

Exciting new tools for family history are being developed at BYU

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hqNOQt-2AfeVEpDuc7sCA

Watch seminars/webinars about family history.  The Family History Labs at Brigham Young University are shining a bright light on research and those who are striving to find the key to unlocking our genealogical treasures!

Take this site, for example.  At first glance it might appear to be a parlor game kind of thing.  However, once you get past the glitz and gleam, you will see that pulling records from the dark is basic to genealogical research!  So, it isn't that you are wanting so much to make a connection with Elvis Presley, as you are interested in what types of records/documents/proofs can bring those beloved surnames to the forefront--beloved they are because they are precious to us--they are our history.

So, Pocahontas is my tenth great grandmother.  If that pops up as you work with Relative Finder, than hover over the pink (because she's a female) link, which takes you straight to FamilySearch.org.  It only works if you have previously loaded this site with what you know about your family tree.   Now, click on "View my Relationship".  My connection to Pocahontas is via the surname "Rolfe".  Sound familiar?  I see that my adoptive dad's genealogy, here, is the key.  So, maybe I'm not a "blood" relation, but because I work with my adoptive dad's family history, I will be sharing this connection with his biological relatives.

At FamilySearch, at the profile for Pocahontas, check out "Sources".  There are, not so surprisingly, 82 sources!  Who knew that history is replete with proof/evidence of associated individuals?!!

If you are interested on the types of records that lead to this conclusion, click on this link:  https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp55422/pocahontas?search=sas&sText=pocahontas

North Okaloosa County: Historic Happenings in July

Some of the historic happenings in north Okaloosa County for the month of July:
  

• 1 July1978: Touch-tone dialing becomes available to Crestview Centel customers! 
• 
  
  4th July 1964: Rhett Cadenhead hits the first ball on the new golf course at Crestview Country Club.
• 6 July 1976: Bob Sikes Library opens in Twin Hills Park in what is now the Crestview campus of Northwest Florida State College.
• 10 July 1996: North County swelters under 109 degree heat, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the area.
• 11 July 1978:  Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners votes to sell the county hospital system to Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).
• 13 July 1885: Mt. Olive School, one of the first black schools in the north county, is organized in Crestview.
• 17 July 1980: Florida Highway Patrol opens Crestview headquarters in what is now a substation of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office at U. Hwy 90 and S.R. 85.
• 18 July 1892: Post Office opens in Dorcas (closed July 15, 1918).
• 19 July 1855: Post office and stagecoach stop established in Austinville near present-day Milligan but on the east side of the Yellow River. 
• 21 July 1937: The $25,000 Crestview Town Hall and Shirt Factory (aka the "Alatex Building") built by Purl G. Adams is accepted by the City.
• 23 July 1887: Yellow River Railroad incorporated.
• 23 July 1892: Post office opens in Campton (closed 1894; reopened 1905-1910). 
• 24 July 1972: The Laurel Hill School which had replaced the school that burned down in 1931, burns down.
• 26 July 1883: Post Office opens in Holts (now spelled Holt).

 
 Thanks to the Baker Block Museum & North Okaloosa Historical Association for creating and making available this 2017 Calendar.

Twenty Questions

Family Historians need "food" to keep going! Or should I say "clues"?  Either way, it is appropriate at various times in our research and at various points in our sleuthing, to "exercise" our brains.  "Hound on the Hunt" can provide us with those prompts we need to make our brains work a bit!  And inevitably to lead us to more information and/or more questions!

Witness a small sample of my journey into this realm, using the 20 questions:

1.  Which ancestor moved the farthest from their home?
    Where did that ancestor move to?
    Which ancestor lived in the most countries?

    2.  Which ancestor couple had the most children? How many?
    This is a tough one!  How do I go through pages and pages of genealogy and discover the answer?!!  Well, here are some nominees:
    1.  Allen Bishop with Margaret "Peggy" Lewis Bishop had ten children.  They began in Spartanburg, South Carolina with the four oldest children.  Then, they moved to Lawson's Fork, Alabama, where they had four more!  Finally, I have the last two children being born in Bibb County, Alabama.
    2.  Henry Hill DuPree and his wife, Alsey Priscilla Downs Dupree also had ten children!  Most if not all were born in Alabama. 
    3.  George Washington Edge, with his wife, Melissa E. Powell, had ten children in Walton County, Florida.
    
More questions:
Which ancestor lived the longest?
    Which ancestor gives you the most researching grief?
    Which ancestor is the easiest to track down?
    Which ancestor has the most unusual name?
    Who was the first ancestor born in the country you live in? What year was that?
    Which ancestor was a “bad ass”?  What did they do?
    Do you have a famous ancestor? What were they famous for?
    If you could meet just one ancestor who would it be and why?
    What family tradition carries on from one of your ancestors?
    What heirloom do you have that has been handed down through the generations?
    Which ancestor do you admire most?
    Was your ancestor a hero? What for?
    We all have core values; name one core value that you got from an ancestor.
    What was the biggest surprise you found about an ancestor?
    Have you ever been mad at an ancestor? Why?  And finally,
    If you could have any genealogy wish what would it be?  My answer:
 To have the patience to delve below the surface of the facts and explore the how's, where's, when's, and why's of family history!

An Exercise of Curiousity

Some while back, I posted a story at Ancestry.com, my account.  I guess it wasn't really a story.  I had come across a "memorial book" from my grandmother's death.

You know, one of those that the funeral home provides for those who have either attended the "viewing" (usually at the funeral home),  or those individuals who have attended the funeral, (at the funeral home or the church).

Alice Settles giving me my first birthday party in the back of her house on the Bayou!

This particular memorial was on the occasion of my maternal grandmother's death.  Alice Settles Givens 

was born 4th of February, 1906, somewhere near Crestview, Florida (Walton County at that time).  

She died 13 January 1956, way too young, too early!  It was an automobile accident.  She passed away at the Pensacola Baptist Hospital.  She is buried at the Early Cemetery, off Hwy. 20, Niceville, Florida.  The Funeral Home was McLaughlin Funeral Home, (funeral home directors: L.E. McLaughlin, L.E. McLaughlin, Jr., Fred McLaughlin, and Maurice McLaughlin).  

The memorial booklet was light blue with an embossed cover and a picture of the "Last Supper" on the front page.  

It occurred to me to record those who signed the pages of the memorial book.  "What's in a Name"?  Each of those signatures represent a life, a person, a friend.  So here is that record.  Reading through the names is kind of like reading the history of Okaloosa County, the history of Niceville, Florida, the family histories of those who lived and loved in those locations. 

So, here is the record of names of those who visited the funeral home and/or the funeral.  Do you recognize any of these names?  If so, please contact me and tell me something about that person.

Keep in mind that some of the people who signed this registry may not have known the deceased (my grandmother).  They may have been friends of the family.

Capt. and Mrs. Forrest A. Dalton, Jr.
Mrs. Thomas Scott
Velma Kilpatrick
Tom and Louise Settles
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Mason
Miss Lillie Hodge
Mrs. George W. Wilkinson
Gloria Ann Wilkinson
Mr. and Mrs. John K. Blackwell
Benjamin F. Whitfield
Mr. and Mrs. Buz Sawyer (Aunt Hazel)
J. W. Clark
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Reddick
Jack Brewer
Mrs. J.W. Clark
W. R. Reddick
Willie V. Reddick
W. H. Holmes
Mr. and Mrs. Wiley C. Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Courtney
Mrs. Stephen H. Jones
Lavonia Brown
King Kilpatrick (ex-husband)
Mr. and Mrs. John Landingham
Mrs. Ralph R. Holleman
Mrs. Doris Padgett
Mrs. Mildred Peterson
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Helms
Mrs. Pearl Mason
Mrs. Georgia Skufea?
Mrs. Bessie Mason
Mrs Vick Nowling
Mrs. Eva Evans
Maggie Kilpatrick
Lizzie Cain
Earnestine Goodwin
Howard and Vida Nowling
Curtis Padgett
Mr. and Mrs. Quince Holmes
Mr. and Mrs._____ E. Hattaway
Mrs. Clara Spence
Mrs. J. M. Kent
Mr. and Mrs. Claud Meigs
Mrs. Jim Jeter
Mrs. James Parish, Sr.
Mrs. James Parish, Jr.
Mrs. James E. Brown
Mr. G. W. Henderson
Mrs. Reba Boone
Mrs. Burnell Johnson
Miss Estelle Brown
Mrs. Linton Peters
Linton Peters
Mrs. Jack Brewer
T/Sgt. and Mrs. Gus Domorad
Charlie and Amanda Johnson
Edgar Peters
Jose' A. Diaz (Aunt Hazel's Husband?)