The Top 10 Genealogy Influencers You Should Follow on Twitter

To my great surprise (and delight!) I found myself ranked as #5 of 2,573 in the Top Genealogy Influencers! 

I'm in good company, just check out the names of those in the top 10:

Here's the top 10 and their Twitter Handle in case you aren't following them yet: 

1. Ancestry.com @ancestry

2. Geneabloggers @geneabloggers
3. National Archives UK @uknatarchives

4. Family Tree Magazine @familytreemag

5. Yours truly! Lorine McGinnis Schulze of Olive Tree Genealogy @Lorinems

6. Kirsty Wilkinson @genealogygirl

7. Library of Congress @librarycongress

8. British Newspaper Archives @bnarchive
9. Genealogy Bank @genealogybank

10. Megan Smolenyak @megansmolenyak

Women's History Month: A Challenge to Geneabloggers!

DIL Plant Ajax Ontario where my Mom & Grandmother worked in WW2

In honour of Women's History Month (March 2014) I want to issue a challenge to all geneabloggers to write a  minimum of 10 blog posts this month about women who have made a difference.

I'm going to tackle this challenge too. I plan to write about 10 women who made a difference somehow. Perhaps they made a difference in my life, or to the world. But I want to recognize women this month - women who suffered hardships but endured, women who were the first to challenge what had been a man's world, women who made important discoveries, and women who were pioneers.

Ten ideas that might help you to join me in honouring women this month are

1.   Which of your female ancestors were alive when women achieved the right to vote.  How do you think they reacted to the ongoing suffragette movement? Different countries extended the right of voting for women in different years and even within one country, different areas sometimes had different rights. For example in Ontario Canada women who owned property could vote for school trustees as early as 1850. In 1917 women in Canada gained the right to vote in all elections. It was 1920 before women in the USA were given the right to vote. In the UK women over the age of 30 who met certain property qualifications could vote but it was not until 1928 that all women over the age of 21 achieved that right.


2. Do you have a  female relative (direct ancestor or collateral lineage) who played an active role in women's issues? Perhaps one who was a Suffragette or was a pioneer in a male-dominated role or occupation?  Perhaps she sailed to the New World to start a new life in the 1600s or was a refugee from a war-torn or religious-intolerant location. Tell her story in a blog post or comment here on this blog.


3. Choose one female ancestor and the historical context during her life. Pick one historical event that would have impacted on her life. Perhaps she lived through the Spanish influenza in the early 1900s or she was widowed during the Civil War, or lived through the Depression.


4. Write a biography of your favourite female Ancestor. Be sure to tell us why she's your favourite


5. Make a list of your direct line maternal ancestors beginning with your mother. So you will list your mom, her mom, her mom's mom and so on, back as far as you can. Now figure out how many children each female ancestor had. Did the females in your direct maternal line tend to have the same numbers of children each generation? Did they have more? Less? Were they prolific or are there few children born to each woman? Is there a pattern emerging?


6. Write about your mtDNA findings. If you haven't been tested yet, order an mtDNA kit!  There are several companies offering DNA tests - Family Tree DNA, Ancestry DNA, 23andMe.com


7. Did any of your female ancestors participate in some kind of war-related activity? My mother and grandmother both worked in a Munitions Factory in WW2.  Perhaps your ancestor rolled bandages or knitted socks for the troops. Write about one ancestor who was active in some way during a war or skirmish.


8.  Which female ancestor do you most identify with? Tell us what she did or what she was like and why you identify with her


9. Was there a female (teacher, minister, friend, relative) who impacted on your life?  Tell us about her


10. Did any of your female ancestors or relatives follow a non-traditional female role either in their relationships, occupations or in society? 

I hope you'll join me in recognizing some fascinating and inspiring women this month.

Grave Marker Found - Who Does it Belong To?

Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers, has a puzzle for all genealogists. You can read the details at 
Help us find the owner of this gravemarker

A gravemarker was found in Portland Oregon with the following names inscribed:
Francis Day Manin
1909 – 1974
Susan Manin Smith
1937 -
Teddy Templeton Jr.
1955 – 1975

Thomas would like help finding family so the gravemarker can be returned. If you want to help, leave your findings on Thomas' blog or here on Olive Tree Genealogy. 

Here's a bit of research I did:

Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008
Name: Frances Day Manin
Age: 65
Birth Date: Jul 1909
Death Date: 22 Dec 1974
Death Place: Multnomah
Spouse: James
Certificate: 74-19821

In 1930 James and Francis Manin were living in North Kelly Butte, Multnomah, Oregon with 2 children - Susan Manin age 6 and Margaret Manin age 4

A New Website Hack Genealogy

My good friend (and cousin through our shared Van Slyke ancestors) Thomas MacEntee, creator of GeneaBloggers and High-Definition Genealogy has a new website up and running!  

Thomas tells me that 

Hack Genealogy is a new resource for the genealogy industry and the growing community of genealogy and family history enthusiasts. Hack Genealogy is about “repurposing today's technology for tomorrow's genealogy” and a little bit more. Hack Genealogy is more than just a list of resources: It provides information on emerging technology inside and outside the genealogy industry.

Hack Genealogy is not merely about surviving the overwhelming presence of new and emerging technologies . . . Hack Genealogy is about genealogy and technology success in its many facets.

What Will You Find at Hack Genealogy?

Here are the features to be offered at Hack Genealogy over the coming months:

·      Cool GenStuff: Each day we’ll provide a curated list of the latest information about genealogy that deserve your attention.

·      Discussions and Issues: We’ll discuss issues important to the genealogy community including education, self-publishing, sharing research and more.

·      Education and E-Guides: Through the use of webinars, e-guides, Google+ hangouts and other innovative educational technologies, Hack Genealogy seeks to educate genealogists on the latest technologies.

·      GenBiz Buzz: Learn how others have succeeded with their genealogy and family history-related business and the tools they used to succeed.

·      Interviews: We’ll ask a variety of players in the genealogy landscape this question: How Do You Hack Genealogy? to learn more about how technology is being repurposed to expand the family history experience.

·      Product Reviews: Reviews of the latest products and services including software, mobile apps and more.

·      Resources: A listing of the best tools for every aspect of genealogy from research to sharing photos to writing and publishing your family history.

You can follow Hack Genealogy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/HackGenealogy), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/hackgenealogy) and at http://hackgenealogy.com. 

Credits: "New Stamp" by Stuart Miles on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Finding a Genealogy Blog to Follow

How do you find genealogy blogs you want to read? There are so many out there that it's impossible to read them all.

Here are two ways of finding a blog or two that you enjoy:

1. The Genealogy News service was launched in July 2010 - available in a daily or weekly edition - which gets delivered right to your email inbox. Over 30,000 genealogists have signed up to receive this FREE service that highlights items published at Genealogy Today, along with news stories from top genealogy bloggers and publishers. Signup at http://www.TheGenealogyNews.com/

2. If you want to choose from thousands of genealogy focused blogs, here's a list of over 2500. You'll have to take a quick look at each one to decide which appeal to you http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-blogs/

I subscribe to most of my chosen genealogy blogs in Google Reader. That allows me to go to one site and read all my chosen blogs there.  And I'm signed up to get a daily email of The Genealogy News which gives me the top genealogy blog stories of the day.