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December 19, 2012

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

I consider myself a pretty savvy internet user. Online scams and phishing attempts have never sucked me in. But last week I almost fell for something that could have potentially cost me a fair bit of money. Luckily for me, my spidey senses went on full alert. Let me fill you in on what happened.

Hubs and I sell antiques online. Last week I received an email from a guy, let's call him "Joe". Joe was interested in one of my vintage oil cans and wrote to say he wanted to buy it. The usual course of action is that I reply to his email, he offers a lower price than I'm asking and we begin the bartering stage of antique buying and selling.

But Joe asked me to phone him rather than reply to his email as he was "too busy to answer emails". Hmmm...  spidey sense starting to tingle! Yes I'm the suspicious type. It seemed odd to me but I mentally shrugged and made the call. It went to voicemail where a man with a thick accent provided the name of a business and the usual pleasantries about returning calls.

I left a message and gave (somewhat reluctantly) my phone number for contact. It didn't take long for Joe to respond. He had the same thick accent as the voice mail so I figured he was the business owner. he was very nice, very pleasant, very talkative. In fact, he was overly nice, overly polite... kind of an Eddie Haskell kind of thing. My spidey senses were really strong now! But I kept chastising myself for being too suspicious.

Joe then sent my spidey senses even higher by remarking that he didn't care how much it cost for the oil can, he just wanted it. That was odd. Very odd. He didn't make a lower offer as expected. And he wanted it sent courier so it would reach him before Christmas.

I informed him I would package up the handle and investigate courier costs on Monday then I'd let him know. "Okay" was his answer, "and then you give me your bank account number so I can deposit the money into your account"


Whoa!! Full alert for my spidey senses! In this day and age of Paypal and interac e-transfers why would someone choose a more cumbersome method of transferring money?

So I told Joe I prefer Paypal or interac transfer and his immediate response was "Oh no I just go to my bank and put the money straight into your account" And then in the brilliance of con men, he added "Of course I count on you sending me the oil can and not cheating me" Wow. That's brilliant because of course I should immediately defend my honesty and assure him that I'm above board.

And I did. I fell for that part. Knowing he'd sucked me in he engaged me in small talk. He used my name frequently throughout "So Lorine tell me how you got interested in oil cans" and "Lorine, do you have any other oil cans for sale" Yep, you guessed it - I began thinking of how great it would be if I could sell more of my oil cans to him and started my sales pitch. Good psychological ploy  - use the mark's first name frequently, makes them think you're their buddy.

It ended up with him saying that for sure he wanted the two for which I had photos and he wanted me to dig out all the rest and take pictures to send him as he probably would buy them all. He'd pay whatever I wanted plus courier costs, all I had to do was give him my  bank account number so he could deposit that money.  Now in case you think I'm talking 20 bucks, let's just say that these particular oil cans don't come cheap. Together the two in question would be $175.00 plus shipping

My suspicions were definitely aroused but I started to question myself. Was I suspicious because he had an accent? Maybe I was being very unfair and horror of horrors, was I doing some ethnic profiling? I was pretty sure that wasn't the case, that's not my nature, but I only had a few odd things causing me to feel so uneasy.  I started feeling very guilty about being suspicious of him!

But the thought of giving my bank account number to a complete stranger filled me with unease. And so I sat down and went over the spidey sense alerts I'd gotten since first talking to Joe. Mentally shaking myself for letting this guy suck me into doubting myself,  I wrote to him the next day with a total cost for the two oilers plus shipping expenses. I added that I could send him an invoice and he could pay via Paypal, by interac e-transfer, by cheque or by money order.

Guess what? I never heard from Joe again.

I found out later from my bank that theoretically a person should not be able to withdraw funds from your account BUT if he were charming (he was), talkative (he was), polite (yep), and believable he could possibly fool a teller into believing he'd had his ID stolen (or whatever) and withdraw funds from my account. My bank does not recommend giving your name and bank number to anyone other than family (assuming you trust them!)

I had two reasons for talking about this today. One was to urge readers to never doubt your own gut instincts! If something is making your spidey senses tingle, step back and think about the situation. And you can apply this to genealogy research too. If you find a record and you have a sudden thought or suspicion (good or bad) about it, step back, take your time and think about it. 

And if you've read this far and you're curious about an old oil can costing so much money, take a peek. They can be quite beautiful! This Kaye oiler is my favourite.  But this Lucas oiler is the creme de la creme, considered the Rolls Royce of oilers even dinted as mine is. And hey, if anyone wants to buy them, cool -- just don't ask me for my bank account number okay?

December 18, 2012

Woodville Victorian Photo Album page 3

Here is the third page of the Victorian Photo Album called "The Army and Navy Album" with illustrations by R. Caton Woodville. To view all pages of this beautiful album as they are put online, please click on R. Caton Woodville
Woodville Victorian Photo Album page 3
Woodville Victorian Photo Album page 3

















There are two Cartes de Visite and one loose photo of a baby on this page. On the back of page 3 are four Cartes de Visite. None are identified.


Front and verso of Cartes de Visite on page 3

Front and verso of Cartes de Visite on back of page 3

Front and verso of Cartes de Visite on back of page 3

December 17, 2012

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Free Shipping USA Only

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
I love my Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner and I try to bring you news of any deals they have. Well here's a great one!

Today Only-  Free Shipping on orders of $150 or more in the USA only.

Look for the Shipping button that is located on the lower left-hand side of the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner home page.

Read my reviews of this amazing scanner. I've found all kinds of uses for it from creating fancy borders for photographs to taking to an elderly relative's to scan their old family photos to sitting on the couch at night watching TV while I scan my boxes of family photos!

December 16, 2012

Lst Day For Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Christmas Specials

Today is the last day for Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Christmas Specials!

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Specials
The following specials are valid from 12:01 a.m. December 10 to 11:59 p.m. December 16, 2012 Mountain Time.

Look for the holiday buttons that will be located on the lower left-hand side of the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner home page.

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December 15, 2012

Great-Grandma's Painting Comes Home

Oil Painting by Mary Louse Facey Elgie ca 1910
Oil Painting by Mary Louse Facey Elgie ca 1910
Yesterday hubs was given a very nice oil painting done by his great-grandmother Mary Louise Facey. Mary Louise painted this a few years after her marriage to William Elgie in 1904.

Apparently Mary Louise was a prolific amateur artist, giving her paintings as gifts for weddings, birthdays and so on. She and William did not have much money and a painting was affordable.

Because her paintings were given to distant relatives and friends, they were spread around the community and surrounding areas in south-western Ontario.

Mary Louise Facey Elgie 1882-1973
Mary Louise Facey Elgie 1882-1973
Years later, Mary Louise's daughter Florence Elgie, watched for local auctions and estate sales where she knew her mother's paintings might be found. She attended every one she possibly could and bought as many of her mother's works as she could find.

Several of the rescued paintings were given to hubs' mother and aunt abuot 16 years ago. Then one was recently passed on to hubs' sister.

And now this painting has come to hubs courtesy of his mother who was Florence's niece. Today we're going to decide where this lovely painting will hang. We hung it temporarily in our sunroom while we think about it.

Hubs has a painting done by his grandmother Mary Demeulenaire Massey which has pride of place in our living room so this new painting by Mary Louise Facey Elgie is a welcome addition.

December 14, 2012

Top Ten Olive Tree Genealogy Blog Posts 2003-2012

Top Ten Olive Tree Genealogy Blog Posts 2003 to 2012
A reader asked me what the most popular Olive Tree Genealogy blog post was.  I had a look and decided to share the Top Ten Olive Tree Genealogy Blog posts since my first post in 2003! Phew!

Yes I've been blogging about genealogy for almost 10 years.

Have you read them all? If not, take a peek below and see what other genealogists found interesting.


Pinterest:Time Waster or Useful Utility? 

My Top Ten Genealogy Websites
 
What Type of Genealogist Are You?
 
What's Your Number? Don't Be Too Shocked if It's Below 30%!
 
Finding Your Roots - Two Thumbs Down
 
The Frustration Over Online Family Trees Gone Bad
 
Sharing Memories (Week 44): I Love Books! 

Think Outside the Box When Looking for a Ship's Passenger List 

Genealogy and Family Hope Chest Step 6: Treasures

Why Do We Do Genealogy? 

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

December 13, 2012

Invite an Ancestor for Christmas Dinner

My Grandmother
Yep, you heard me right. I'm challenging my readers to invite an ancestor to the table this year for Christmas.

Here's how:

1. Choose an ancestor that you find interesting or amusing or compelling. You might want to choose one from another country (I'll tell you why in a minute)

2. Look for a photograph of the ancestor you chose. If you have one, print it off and put it in a nice frame (or a cheap frame from Wal-Mart if you prefer!). No photo? Don't worry, you can print a family group sheet of a pedigree chart from you back to your ancestor. Frame whatever you print.

3. If you're lucky and you have a recipe from that ancestor you're good to go, otherwise choose a dish that represents your ancestor.

Now you're ready to invite your ancestor to dinner. All you need to do is choose a recipe that represents a dish from your ancestor's country of origin, then make it for the Christmas dinner. Put the dish on the table with your framed photograph or pedigree chart or family group sheet, and explain to family why you've made this particular dish for the meal. In other words, who are you honouring?

Spotted Dick
I'm going to invite my grandmother who was born in England in 1894. I happen to have her mother's recipe for Spotted Dick, an English favourite of years ago. So I'm going to make it for the Christmas Buffet table. I've made it before (once) so it will be fun to make again. I'm pretty sure none of my siblings or other family have ever had it.

I'm also going to put out some of the treasures my grandmother left me to round out the experience with more details. 

You can talk about your ancestor and about the dish you made. It should be a great way to introduce some genealogy to your Christmas Table!


December 12, 2012

Countdown to Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Christmas Specials

Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Specials
The following specials are valid from 12:01 a.m. December 10 to 11:59 p.m. December 16, 2012 Mountain Time.

Look for the holiday buttons that will be located on the lower left-hand side of the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner home page.

**Free Shipping on all orders of $125 or more in the USA and Canada!**
(Applies to standard ground shipping only.)


Save $10 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner!
You will need to click on the link below, place the Flip-Pal mobile scanner in your shopping cart and then use the promotion code Countdown in order to receive the $15 off discount. (This is the only offer that requires a promotion code. Regular Price: $149.99, Sale Price: $139.99)
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Save $15 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner + Deluxe Carry Case Bundle!
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This bundle includes the Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Pink Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case and a special “Pink” Lid Cover. (Regular Price: $176.99, Sale Price: $161.99)
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This bundle includes the Flip-Pal mobile scanner, a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case and an Eneloop AA 4-Pack with an AC Battery Charger. (Regular Price: $209.97, Sale Price: $189.97)
Click on Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner for more information and to order.

Save $35 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD and a Deluxe Carry Case Bundle!
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Save $40 on the Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Digital Creativity Suite 3.0 DVD and Deluxe Carry Case Bundle!
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Read reviews of this amazing scanner. 

December 11, 2012

50% Off Coupon from Lulu.com!

Starting today, Lulu.com is taking 50 percent off calendars and 40-50 percent off photo books. Just use the coupon code LUMEN at check-out.    This is the perfect time to print your photos or your Sharing Memories stories


The announcement Olive Tree Genealogy received today states:
 
At Lulu.com, You ALWAYS get what you want because imagination is NEVER out of stock. When you head to Lulu to create a calendar or photo book, you’re not hoping another shopper doesn’t get to it first. No, you’re creating something beautiful and unique. Something you KNOW will spark smiles year round. It’s easy, it’s high quality and you can be finished in less time than it takes to drive to the mall and back.

Studies tell us Americans are snapping more pictures than ever. Now’s the time to liberate them from your iPhone or hard drive.  If you can post a pic on Facebook or include an attachment in an email, you can create a Lulu calendar or photo book -- it’s that simple.

And when you’re done creating your unique calendar or photo book, remember that Lulu.com is also home to other gifts



You can also use the following coupon for  Books & eBooks from Lulu.com 20% off- Enter code DECBOOKS12 - Save up to $25

December 10, 2012

Woodville Victorian Photo Album Page 2

Victorian Photo Album page 2
Here is the second page of the Victorian Photo Album called "The Army and Navy Album" with illustrations by R. Caton Woodville. To view all pages of this beautiful album as they are put online, please click on R. Caton Woodville

Here we have a cabinet card of a man. Although it looks like he is outside this is a studio portrait. The photographer is identified on the front as L. C. Pierre, Crawley Road, Horsham. There is no identification on the verso.




The back of page 2 has one photo of a woman. It's a cabinet card but looks like Civil War period so it may be a reproduction of an earlier Carte de Visite.

The photographer is identified as S. J. Allen, Bush Street, Pembroke Dock. On the verso is stamped "Agent A. E. Ellis, 114 Winchcap Street, Canterbury" 

The printing on the verso reads

Patronized by their R & I H The Duke & Duchess of Edinburgh. S. J. Allen Photographer by Special Appointment to the Admiralty, Bush Street, Pembroke Dock.

December 8, 2012

A Genealogy Christmas Wish List

Last year I published a Christmas post called All I Want For Christmas: A Genealogist's Baker's Dozen Wish List
 
This year I'm revisiting some of my ideas from last Christmas, even though I did get many of the items on my list. My readers might be interested in the list for themselves!

Print it and leave it lying around for your spouse or children to find. Pass it on to friends and family so they know what you'd like.
Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner
1. Ancestry.com World Subscription (or any other genealogy subscription-based site you like)

2. Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner to take to Archives, Libraries and on field trips. Read my first review from November 2010 at Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner, Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

3. RootsTech Registration. Ask your loved one to register you for RootsTech 2013 coming up March 21-23, 2013

4. An original newspaper from Historic Newspapers UK. See my earlier blog post about this (they also have USA newspapers!) at Original Historic Newspapers Make Great Gifts!

5. Evernote Moleskine notebook. I don't have one and am pretty anxious to try it out! Apparently you write in the notebook and with a click of your smartphone camera, can transfer your notes to Evernote. See The New Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine

6. DNA Test Kit from Family Tree DNA (or any other DNA Testing company you prefer)
 
7.  Echo Smart Pen by Live Scribe for recording Family Stories and Memories. I love my SmartPen. I use it to record my 89 year old auntie's stories of her childhood, then I plug it into my laptop and the digital record transfers. Using the pen while auntie speaks, I make jot notes in the special notebooks. Then I can play the recorded stories by touching any word in the notebook. Very cool!

8. A Kindle Fire, Nook or other e-reader so you can purchase genealogy books and read them in airports, waiting rooms, on the beach or pretty much anywhere

My Iona Journal
9.  A subscription to the Genealogy Magazine of your choice. I'd like Family Tree Magazine, but the one you drool over could be very different

10. Jawbone JAMBOX This tiny powerful speaker allows you to connect via bluetooth to any other bluetooth enabled device (laptop, computer, iPhone, iPad etc) and play your favourite podcasts or listen to any audio with much better quality sound. I have one and I love it.

11. A beautiful journal for writing your own memoirs. I love Iona Handcrafted Books and have asked my hubby to buy me another one this Christmas as I'm on my last one. Tip: If the checkout won't accept a non-USA order, just email or phone as they do accept international orders.

12.  A Shutterfly gift certificate  I love Shutterfly for creating family photo books or calendars. It's also great for simply getting copies of your family photos so you can share them with family members

13. And in blatant self-promotion, how about asking for one of the genealogy and history books I have written and published?

And there you have it - my Genealogy Wish List for this Christmas. 


December 7, 2012

WW1 Soldiers - a Side Effect of War Often Forgotten

Olive Tree Genealogy received an email from a reader, Julie. Because Julie has explained this so well, I'm letting her words stand as is.

I visited the website Julie mentions and it is heartbreaking and poignant. It's a side of war that we tend to overlook. Please do visit but heed the warning - it is not for the squeamish. 

I just finished reading Pat Barker's "Toby's Room" (she's written quite a lot about WW1 and is a renowned novelist). The story in this book includes the recovery period during restoration of facial injuries suffered by young men in the Great War at a special hospital in Kent. In the book (and in her interviews), Barker talks about the website The Gillies Archives from Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup which has many artists' renderings of the patients. The site itself is very informative and contains some information about Canadian soldiers who were also treated there.

If you click "Pictures of the Week" on the left sidebar and then scroll down the page you will find reference to two Canadians. One is under the subheading  "A Lost Survivor" and references Norman Eric Wallace, and the other is down at the very bottom, under subheading "Tunbridge Wells and the Kent VAD" where there is a link to a small photo album compiled by another Canadian, Pte. John McBride. There may be more Canadians mentioned on the site, but I haven't searched extensively yet.


None of this is for the squeamish (as they warn on the site), but it's a brilliant piece of history as heartbreaking as it is.

December 6, 2012

Another Happy Ending!


Lost & Found WW2 American Soldier Dog Tag - Case Solved!Great news everyone. We have another happy ending story to an American WW2 soldier's dog tag.  Case #5 T. H. Stull is officially solved! It took TWO YEARS but we did it!

Thomas H. Stull's nephew James has been found and contacted. Here is part of James' email to Olive Tree Genealogy:

T. H. Stull was my mothers younger brother and died about forty five years ago as the result of being hit by a car in Glendale, CA (Los Angeles County).  He had no children.  My sisters and I would like to have the dog tags to keep with the family bible, and some other items of Stull family memorabilia.
I've sent James' contact information to Craig, the man who found the Dog Tag. And so thanks to Olive Tree Genealogy blog amazing readers and their detective genealogy skills, we have a happy ending just in time for Christmas!


December 5, 2012

Finding Photos and Yearbooks for Ancestors Schools

Tytler Public School ca 1912
Recently my 89 year old auntie was able to give me more details about my mother (her sister) and father and their parents.

It may sound strange but I was thrilled to learn that my dad went to Tytler Public School in Guelph Ontario. This school was built in 1879 and originally called St. Patrick's Ward School.

Apparently my auntie's husband also went to Tytler and so did her other sister's husband. It looks like they all lived close to each other at some point.


Victory Public School present day
My mom on the other hand attended Victory P.S. in Guelph. I haven't yet found an older photo of this school but I'm on the hunt! I also have my eye out on E-Bay for any old postcards with the images of these two schools.

After learning that my mom went to Victory Public School I emailed the current principal who invited me to come and have a look at some old photos of staff and students from the 1920s - which is the time period my mom would have been there.


G.C.V.I 1927
Both my parents went to a secondary school called  Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute (GCVI) in the 1930s. Luckily I found two old GCVI yearbooks on E-Bay and also consulted some older yearbooks at the Guelph Civic Museum where my parents were mentioned.

It's pretty exciting to see your mom or dad's name in a yearbook! I'd love it if there had been a photo or two but that's typical of a genealogist isn't it? Always wanting more!

And a small link to fame perhaps? John McCrae, the author of In Flanders Fields, also attended G.C.V. I. 




December 4, 2012

A Step by Step Genealogy Tutorial on How to Analyse Clues


Sherri sent a query to Ask Olive Tree about her grandfather's death:

I have been looking for information for about 5 years about my grandfather who is named Burrell Charles Ball first married to Doreen Roxie Morcombe (from Omemee) and then afterward I think Estelle Ball was his wife.  Burrell’s brother I know was from Emily Twp, Albert and he died a few years back and Burrell died around 1993 but I do not know when, where, how etc. 
Also Russell Charles Ball was their father and I believe he lived in Lakefield but there is little information about any of them.  I know there was a fire in Russell’s Lakefield home where he had Burrell, Albert and Barbara E. Ball (I think).  He was married to Julia Secreta Wood that I believe died when she was young.   Where can I go to find out more information?

Olive Tree Genealogy Answer:

Hello Sherri. Since you did not provide an estimated year of birth for Burell, I had to hunt on the 'net to find some mention of him.  Luckily I happened on one of your message board posts where you stated he was born circa 1920 and, best of all, that he was in WW2.

His military service is a great clue and means there are a number of steps you can now take:

Step One:
Did you know that you can send for his military file from Library and Archives Canada? This will give you lots of detail about your grandfather, and may include his death date and location.


Continue reading the steps in this tutorial at Analysing Clues to Help You Figure Out Where to Search Next

Another Rescued Victorian Photo Album

Rescued Victorian Album R. Caton Woodvile illustrations
Cover of Album
Recently a gentleman from Kent England wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy about a Victorian Photo Album he found and wanted to make available to others.

After a few emails he decided to send the album to me, free of charge, so I could scan and put the photos online on Lost Faces. I offered to pay for shipping from England to Canada but he refused! Such generousity is very much appreciated and I hope to the album justice on my blog and website.

The album arrived yesterday and I'm very excited to begin archiving and researching it! It's an unusual photo album from Victorian times full of beautiful coloured military prints with an opening on each for one photo the size of a Cabinet Card.
 
The album cover displays the words The Army and Navy Album. It was made in Germany with illustrations by R. Caton Woodville

My first step when I receive these rescued photo albums is to take photographs of each page. That is what I did this morning so I'm going to share the first inside page here today.

Rescued Victorian Album R. Caton Woodvile illustrations. Page 1
This is the first inside page. It consists of a military scene by R. Caton Woodville and a small photograph.  The title of the illustration is Royal Horse Artillery

This page is in rough shape due to being exposed to the elements. The Englishman who sent it to me found it in an old garden shed and thinks his mother may have rescued it from (as he called it) "a rubbish tip" aka a garbage dump in the 1970s.

The facing photo is a carte de visite of a man. There is no identifying information on the front or verso of the photograph.

The back of this page contains another photo of a woman. It too is a carte de visite with the photographer's name J. G. Charlton and address 14 Mercery Lane, Canterbury on the front.

Rescued Victorian Album R. Caton Woodvile illustrations. Page 1 verso
The verso of the carte de visite reads "J. G. Charlton (Late J. Bateman), Cathedral Studios, 14 Mercery Lane, Canterbury. Portraits enlaged & finished in Oil, Water Colour etc."

Tucked into the album is a hand-written note from the man who found it.

 Neither photo is identified as to the subject. I'm hoping that other photographs will have a name attached!

To view all pages of this beautiful album as they are put online, please click on R. Caton Woodville



For photos of an empty R. Caton Woodville album see Victorian Albums

December 3, 2012

Flip-Pal Mobile Christmas Specials until December 9, 2012:

Christmas Specials until December 9, 2012: Free Shipping on all orders of $150 or more in the USA and Canada! (Applies to standard ground shipping only.)

The following specials are valid from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on their respective sale dates.

December 3: Save $30 on the Genealogy Bundle!
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Using Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner with 89 year old Auntie
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Using Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner with Sketch Kit
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December 1, 2012

Christmas Gift Ideas: Outsmart Game For the Family

Recently Olive Tree Genealogy was given a free game called OUTSMART to review.

My husband and I tried it out first and it was a lot of fun. Then we had friends over and the four of us played for several hours! Marketed as a children's game, it definitely appeals to adults too.

Basically you have cards (there are hundreds of them in the game) with questions. We had such questions as "Who are the main characters in Peter Pan?" and "Name the  characters, other than the four main ones, on Seinfield" and "What were the largest grossing movies in 2010" and "What actors have played Batman?" The questions are on varied topics - there were several sports questions and other topics besides sports, movies and t.v. shows.

One question that had us all chuckling was "What are the top 10 New Year's Resolutions" Oh, and a rather easy-sounding one that turned out to be a challenge, was "What are the most-ordered dishes in a Chinese Food Restaurant"


Each question card notes how many correct answers there are.  One player each turn is the reader and that player takes a question card and inserts it into a sleeve. The sleeve reveals only the top half of the card so that only the question is displayed.

A roll of the dice indicates the maxium number of points (correct answers) each player can score.


An hourglass shaped timer starts the round and each player writes down as many answers as they can think of. When time is up, the first player reads one of his/her answers. Anyone else having that same answer crosses it off and cannot score for it if it is one of the correct answers.


Players continue in turn with their answers. Only the first player to say an answer scores IF that answer is correct.

When all players are done giving their responses to the question, the player who read the question takes it out of its sleeve and reads off the correct answers at the bottom of the card.

We surprised ourselves by doing a lot of laughing and slapping of foreheads as correct answers were read. Our ages ranged from 40 to 68 and we loved it!

I am excited to have our grandchildren play this game with us. It's going to be a lot of fun and a good bonding time. So even though this game isn't genealogy-themed I think it's a great one to give as a Christmas gift to your grandchildren or children. We are going to keep ours here for the grandkids to play with us when they visit.






Remember - any bonding fun family time with your children or grandchildren is an opportunity that we genealogists shouldn't ignore. A night of fun playing a game can lead to talk about ancestors or family or family treasures, and that's always a good thing too.

Manufacturer suggests that OutSmart is for ages 8 and up. You can find the game  at  www.outsmartgame.ca   The OutSmart game is  available at Toys R Us in Canada Ltd. and  other distributors for only $19.99 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this game in exchange for trying it out and writing a review. I was not told what to say and was not paid any money. My opinion is entirely my own.     

 

November 30, 2012

Original Historic Newspapers Make Great Gifts!

Recently I was sent two original newspapers from Historic Newspapers UK. This company sells genuine original newspapers dating back as far as the 1800’s. 

These are sourced from the world’s largest private archive of over 7 million editions from all over the world. To date UK titles have been catalogued as far back as 1900 by date and title, there are also lots of US and regional issues, as well as many from the Victorian era.  

I admit that when the company first approached me and offered to send me two (free) original newspapers, I was a bit skeptical. First, why would I want them? And were they actually originals or were they copies? 

Nevertheless I agreed and chose two specific dates and newspapers:

15 May 1912 (my father's birthday) from The Times or Daily Mirror

29 May 1913 (grandparents set sail for Canada from UK) from The Times or Daily Mirror 


The company informed me that there were very few original issues for 15 May 1912 due to it following the Titantic disaster. They offered another date or a quality reproduction of that May 15th issue. I opted for the reproduction since I wanted it to be the paper from the day my father was born.

When the box arrived at my door I was pleasantly surprised! The presentation box is lovely -  a nice blue box with "A Day to Remember" printed on the lid.

 Inside were the newspapers, carefully wrapped in tissue. Each newspaper came with a seal of authenticity including the information I submitted online to be printed on the seal. The certificate for my reproduction paper stated very clearly that it was not an original. 





Quality Reproduction Newpaper 1912
 This is the front page of the 1912 newspaper which the company reproduced for me. I'm quite happy with the quality.

 I love being able to see the headlines on the day my father was born!
Original Newspaper 1913
 This is the front page of the original newspaper I ordered for 1913 - the day my grandparents left England for Canada.

It is really interesting reading through it, and quite obviously an original. It has yellowed slightly and even has a slight "old" smell! I am quite impressed with these newspapers and think they would make wonderful gifts.

I'm planning to give mine to my sons at some point. I think they will really enjoy them.
Disclaimer: Historic Newspapers offered me two free original newspapers in exchange for a link to their site. I was not paid for this review nor was I told what to say. The opinions are entirely my own.