A Suitcase of Memories: The Start of a Journey

Last night my husband came home from visiting his parents with a small suitcase. Inside are papers, documents, school notebooks, letters and who knows what else! 

We have not done anything more than open the case. What you see on the left is the top layer.

We had a quick look in the Note Book and it is full of school essays written by Florence Elgie when she was a young girl.

Ann, Luella & Florence Elgie

Florence was the sister of my husband's grandmother. She was born in 1914 in St. Mary's Ontario and lived her entire life there, dying in 1996.  Florence married Wilbert George "Wib" Hooper (1913 - 1993). The Hooper family was fairly well known in St. Mary's as the owners of Hooper's Dairy. 

George and Florence had no children so her papers were passed down to her niece and now to my husband. 

William Elgie 1876-1946

We are excited about seeing what memories this little suitcase holds. We have been told that one of its treasures are original songs written by my husband's great-grandfather William Elgie.

Don't Miss the Rural Diary Archive

This is a very fascinating site online! From the website:

Would you like to experience daily life in the 1800s? Now you can. For several years I have used rural diaries in my research on Upper Canada (the province of Ontario). These precious old documents, often fading and brittle, are scattered in various archives. Now they have been gathered together in the Rural Diary Archive for researchers to access and enjoy online. The website showcases over 130 diarists from across Ontario from 1800-1960. The full texts of selected nineteenth-century diaries are available to read, search, and transcribe and more are continuously being added

Continue reading at Rural Diaries Online: Experience Daily Life in the Backwoods

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 54R 1-2 Sisters at The Cottage

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The Cottage

 Names written under the photo: "Sisters McViel, Johnstone, Harstone, Billyard, Cameron, Smith, Muir, Mills, Douglas"

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Five Days of Family Photo Stories: Two Little Girls in 1917

Recently Gail Dever wrote about a very cool idea on her blog. Her post is called Writing about your life — and your ancestors’ lives — in five photos

She inspired me to follow suit in a blog meme called Five Days of Family Photo Stories.

Just choose 5 photos that you love from your collection of shoeboxes and albums. Feature one each day on your blog or in your personal journal. Tell the story of the photo - where was it taken, who is in it, who took it, what year was it taken, what emotion does it invoke when you look at it, etc.

I'm going to start with this photo - one of my favourites for several reasons. It is a studio photo and was taken in Guelph Ontario in 1917.

My mother Joan sits on the left holding a large stuffed cat. Her older sister Lillian looks quite frightened and is clutching a doll in one hand and pulling at the hem of her dress in the other. It's a familiar habit isn't it? Children who are nervous or shy will often pull at their clothing when faced with something that causes that emotion in them.

I love the looks on their faces - so somber. I can just imagine my Grandmother Ruth dressing them that day. What an ordeal it must have been to iron those dresses and try to keep the girls clean until they reached the photography studio! But Grandma always dressed herself and her girls beautifully.

Joan's hair is neatly parted and slicked to the side. I can picture Grandma wetting a finger with spit and slicking that hair down.  It looks like she even managed to curl Lily's hair! I can't imagine trying to get a 3 year old to sit still long enough.

This photo makes me smile. It's also humorous in some ways because my mother was allergic to cats so seeing her hold a stuffed on strikes me as ironic. I wonder if the cat and doll were the studio's toys or Joan and Lily's favourite toys at home? I'll never know. 
 
Both my mother and aunt are gone now. I can't share this photo with them anymore. But I can share it with others in my family and perhaps they too will smile when they see it. 

A Kind World: A Story About One Man's Passion for Genealogy

"Joel Obermayer, of Arlington, has recently come to see his father in new light — and he learned that one of his father’s projects helped connect a web of people all over the world."  
[Source: Erika Lantz in a radio series called Kind World at WBUR (NPR in Boston)]

This story is about a man obsessed with genealogy named Arthur Obermayer. He created an award for German non-Jews who preserved Jewish history, which helped people from around the world learn about their ancestors and connect over a shared passion for genealogy and Jewish culture.

You can listen to it or read the transcript of the interview at Kind World #21: Not Just Some History

Arthur passed away on Sunday. He knew he didn’t have long to live when he interviewed for this story, making it all the more meaningful.

Who's Got Blacksheep Ancestors?

Blacksheep ancestors. We all love 'em. Let's be honest - there's something exciting and intriguing about having a bad boy or bad girl in our family trees. What constitutes a blacksheep ancestor though? It ranges from someone who sold booze without a licence to a murderer.

So without discussing the human tragedy aspect of an unsavory character's influence on family members, let's have some fun and list our blacksheep!

Here is my list of blacksheep ancestors

New Netherland (New York)

* 1657 & 1658: 8th great grandparents Jan and Dirckien Van Alstyne were fined on several occasions for selling beer to the Indians, and he was fined for selling brandy "after the ringing of the bell and during the sermon".
* 1657 & 1658: 8th great-grandmother Dirckje Van Alstyne taken to court several times for monies and goods owed and not paid
* 1659: 8th great-grandmother Dirckje Harmens Boertgen charged with theft of goods from a home
* 1682 : 9th Great-grandfather Albert Andriessen de Noorman aka Bradt charged with "behaving improperly before the young people" in an indecent way. Also charged that year with assaulting a neighbour with a knife
* 1685: 9th Great-grandfather Albert Andriessen de Noorman aka Bradt charged with starting fires and threatening his son. His other sons were ordered to confine Albert or "remove him from town"

Ontario Canada

* 1869. Great-grandfather Alexander McGinnis charged with assault
* 1879. Great-grandfather Alexander McGinnis sentenced to jail for selling liquor without a license.
* 1895. Great-grandfather Stephen Peer the victim of an axe attack by a neighbour and involved in a lengthy court case
* 1901: Great-grand-uncles Albert and Herman Vollick sentenced to 18 months in Kingston Penetentiary for stealing a cow
* 1916: Grand-uncle Ernest Simpson court martial for "having allowed a prisoner under his charge to escape" (found not guilty)

My daughter-in-law's interesting criminal ancestors (so far!) are:

*1672: Trois Rivieres Quebec. Her 11th great-grandmother Gillette Bonne, wife of Jacques Bertault hung for poisoning then beating her son-in-law to death

I am going to make a list of my husband's blacksheep ancestors and have him post it on his blog (AncestorsAtRest.blogspot.com) for fun! Meantime why not visit my son's website Blacksheep Ancestors.

Introducing David Pike, Canadian Genealogist

Recently I wrote a blog post called Where (and Why) Are Canadian Genealogists Hiding?

I issued a challenge to Canadian Genealogists to speak up and promote themselves better. As part of my challenge I crowdsourced a list of Canadian Genealogists which you can view at Update on Where Are the Canadian Genealogists Hiding?

Next I invited any Canadian Genealogists on that list to participate in a Guest Biography post here on Olive Tree Genealogy. I'm pleased to introduce you to David Pike. David lives in Newfoundland, and works full-time within the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

I asked David some questions about his role as a Canadian Genealogist and here are his responses.

1.    How and when did you become involved in the field of genealogy?

    I’ve had an interest in genealogy since I was a child.  I can recall being given a homework assignment in grade 5, consisting of filling out a pedigree chart that went back as far as my great grandparents.  I had the privilege of knowing two of my grandparents, and was able to ask some questions before they passed away.  If only I could now ask them the questions that I’ve since come up with though!

2.    What is your main genealogical focus? 

As I have deep roots in Newfoundland, most of my attention is on Newfoundland.  Unfortunately there is a paucity of reliable records from prior to about 1800, which makes it quite challenging to trace families into earlier times.  Still, gems that lead to breakthroughs can be found by patiently scouring old court records, wills, and various obscure records on both sides of the Atlantic.

Since 2004 I have embraced genealogical DNA testing as a means of answering questions that cannot be answered via historical records, as well as to corroborate what can be determined from traditional records.  In this regard I voluntarily coordinate a number of DNA projects (such as a project for the Pike surname, as well as autosomal and mitochondrial DNA projects for Newfoundland and Labrador).

3.     What are your website(s) and blogs? (Names and URLs)

I have a webpage at http://www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/family_history/ where I have gathered a collection of information about the Pike family and other families of personal interest to me.  At www.math.mun.ca/~dapike/FF23utils/ is a collection of web-based DIY utilities to help with the analysis of autosomal DNA results.

4.    Do you have a Social Media presence? 

I have an account on Facebook, partly so that I can reach out to various relatives whom I have no other means of contacting.  Something that I have been working on doing is locating carriers of my ancestors’ Y-DNA and mtDNA and then arranging for them to be tested at Family Tree DNA... in a few of these cases it was only via Facebook that I was able to get in touch with some of these semi-distant relatives.

5.    Do you believe a Social Media presence is important?

I’m not very active on social media.  It is great for societies, etc., to be able to get out word about their activities and such, but it correspondingly requires that somebody devote the time to maintaining the society’s presence.

6.    Are you a member of any genealogical societies or organizations?

Yes.  I’ve been a member of the Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador for many years, and have served as the society’s President since 2013.  I also serve as the webmaster for the society, the website for which is at www.fhsnl.ca

I’m also a member of various other historical and genealogical societies, including these ones:

-    Newfoundland Historical Society
-    Somerset & Dorset Family History Society
-    Guild of One-Name Studies
-    International Society of Genetic Genealogy

7.    What does genealogy mean to you? Why do you believe it is important?

It means many things, one of which is that is tells us whence we came.  Knowing who your ancestors were, where they came from, how they lived, etc., helps us to better understand who we ourselves are.  It’s also a great way to pursue a natural curiosity about our heritage.

8.    What do you believe is the most exciting development in genealogy today?

This is an easy question.  Without a doubt, the advent of genealogical DNA testing is the most significant development of our time.  Being able to confirm relationships, being able to answer questions that previously could only be hypothesised, and formulating new questions that may not have previously been pondered are among its features.  This is also an activity that is intertwined with the nature of genealogists to share with one another:  cousins who are reunited by virtue of their shared DNA know that they are related… it’s just a matter of discovering how.

9.    Do you have a prediction or hope for the field of genealogy in the future?

More and more records are finding their way online almost daily, so it is easy to predict that this trend will continue.

Likewise, databases for genealogical DNA will continue to grow.  Not only will more and more people test their DNA (especially as the costs of doing so are reduced), but the scope of the testing will itself expand (for instance, full genome sequencing, in contrast to the comparatively small number of markers that have “traditionally” been tested).

The Irish Factor on Finding Your Roots

Tonight on Finding Your Roots: explore the shared Irish ancestry of three powerful social commentators of our times. Watch The Irish Factor at 8/7 on PBS

Explore the shared Irish ancestry of Soledad O’Brien, Bill O’Reilly and Bill Maher and how they have been deeply influenced by their Irish roots.

5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Genealogist Should Set

For those who missed it, here is a link to an article I wrote for MyHeritage on December 31st. Hope you enjoy it even though we are already 11 days into the New Year!

New Year's always seems like a good time to make resolutions for doing better in our personal or business lives, or for accomplishing goals in the year ahead. But how many resolutions should we make? How many are we going to realistically keep?

Enthusiasm for change runs high in January. We are full of renewed energy. It’s a new year with the opportunity for new beginnings, and it is easy to become caught up in the fervor. But February and March often bring different emotions and our enthusiasm for the work that lies ahead can wane or drop off completely.

Continue reading at 5 New Year’s Resolutions Every Genealogist Should Set

Remember, it's never too late!

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 41 R Sister Dickinson and Dog

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

The only Sister Dickinson I find in the CEF Database online is
DICKINSON, MARGARETTE ISABELLA

Rank:NS (Nursing Sister)
Date of Birth: 10/09/1877
Place of Birth: St. Catherines ON Canada
Enlistment Date: 1915-02-24
Place of Enlistment: London England
Unit: C.A.M.C.

Her complete service file is online as a PDF file

5000 Year Old Skeletons on Bed of Flowers in Sahara Desert

This is a truly remarkable story of a recent Archaeological find. 

Representation of skeletons found

 "A tiny woman and two children were laid to rest on a bed of flowers 5,000 years ago in what is now the barren Sahara Desert. Researchers discovered the slender arms of the youngsters still extended to the woman in a perpetual embrace. 

The remarkable cemetery is providing clues to two civilisations who lived there, a thousand years apart, when the region was moist and green." Source: Daily Mail Reporter

Continue reading this story at Amazing 5,000-year-old skeletons laid on bed of flowers found in Sahara - proving desert was once green and lush

Congratulations D. Joshua Taylor, new President of NYGBS

D. Joshua Taylor, the prominent genealogist, author, and lecturer, has been appointed President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, effective February 1, 2016. He succeeds McKelden Smith, who is retiring after serving as its highly-regarded President of seven years.
           
Jeanne Sloane, chairman of the board of trustees of the NYG&B, said, “We are thrilled that Josh has accepted this position. He brings to the NYG&B dynamic energy and his well-known passion for the mission of genealogical societies in general. He has broad experience as an advanced researcher and riveting lecturer. Plus he has the expertise we require in the innovative use of technology in our field.”
            
Ms. Sloane also said that Mr. Taylor already knows the NYG&B unusually well. “Most recently,” she said, “Mr. Taylor was Director of Family History at Findmypast.com. While he was in this position he coordinated the integration of the NYG&B’s eLibrary with the Findmypast platform.

Read more about Josh and his new position at D. Joshua Taylor Appointed President of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

Image credit: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society

Exclusive Discount on Legacy Tree Research Services!

Great news! Legacy Tree is offering a special discount exclusively for Olive Tree Genealogy Blog readers! 

 Legacy Tree Genealogists provides careful and efficient family history research for clients worldwide, including help with dual citizenship, DNA testing analysis and research, brick wall research, family biographies, and more.

Just use this code 10PERCENT and this link https://legacytree.com/olivetreegenealogy  to receive 10% off your first-time order. Available for the month of January.


Last year I hired Legacy Tree for their research services. I was very impressed! The researcher assigned to my query was very speedy with her response and very professional. She showed a thorough understanding of what I knew and what I wanted to find out.

Within the week I received a detailed report which contained new information on my ancestor. The report also provided me with recommendations of more research that could be conducted. My particular search is in Germany which is an area of research unfamiliar to me and where I do not have access to the records. I will definitely use their services again to pursue this ancestor.

Learn more at https://legacytree.com/olivetreegenealogy. Remember - use the code  10PERCENT to receive your discount exclusively for Olive Tree Genealogy readers.

CSI Medieval: Fingerprints of the Past

"Historical research using forensic fingerprinting techniques on the wax seals of thousands of medieval documents will reveal new insights into 12th to 14th century British society, help determine how unique fingerprints truly are, and uncover medieval crime."

This is what a research project called Imprint will be doing. The team will carefully examine fingerprints and palm prints left behind on the wax seals of documents from the 12th to 14th Centuries. 

Any fingerprints lifted from the wax will be compared to modern fingerprints to see if there are similarities across the generations. There is much more to this unique project so please continue reading CSI Medieval: researchers to uncover forensic secrets of Britain’s historic wax seals

One Goal Met! 10K Followers on Twitter!

Yesterday, January 4th, I made my goal of reaching 10,000 followers on my Twitter page.

I'd hoped to reach it by December 31, 2015 but better late than never! This was a huge goal for me, one that I set early last year. It has not been easy. In fact it was a great deal of hard work!

Some of you may be puzzled. Why bother getting more followers on Twitter? In fact, why bother with Twitter at all? And why am I so excited about having reached that 10K number?

If you have any interest in making money from genealogy you need Twitter. In fact you need every social media channel you can join. I use Twitter for business and for my personal enjoyment. It's no secret that I earn a living from my genealogy business. But I'm an avid, obsessed genealogist and want to connect to others in the field. I want to meet new cousins. I want to learn new things. Twitter is an enabler in the sense that it enables me to do all of the above.

My Twitter persona may be quite different from yours. I talk about, and share, posts on genealogy, history, archaeology, DNA, military history, women's issues, antiques, cooking, social media, affiliate marketing and more. Twitter connects me to experts and hobbyists in all those fields.

It also allows me to promote my books and my other genealogy business ventures. The bottom line is - the more (quality) followers I have, the more people I have the potential to reach. Think of it this way - if I post (tweet) something to my 10K followers, and 20 of them repost (or retweet) it, and each of those 20 have 1K followers, I've reached another 20K people! 

I'm such a fan of Twitter and have learned so much in the past year about how to attract quality followers, how to engage them and how to keep them from leaving, and how to connect with other genealogists, that I'm actually in the process of writing an e-book about it. It's a fascinating field and I'm eager to find more followers and more interesting and influential people who I can follow. 

If you want to connect with me on Twitter just reach out and follow me on my Twitter page. As long as you have a profile picture of some kind (I do not follow "eggs", that is those who don't put up a profile photo but instead use the Twitter generic egg), and a brief description of your likes and interests,  and we share some common interest, I'll follow you. 

If you are not on Twitter, there's no time like the present. It's fun and it's educational. The only problem I have is the challenge of saying what I want to say in 140 characters or less! But I like a challenge and I am slowly improving.

Conference Keeper Re-Launches Under New Management

Conference Keeper began in October 2012, when creator Jen Baldwin went looking for a list of major U.S. genealogy conferences  for the year and couldn’t find one. Recognizing the need, she started a website with one simple objective: create and maintain a list of all genealogy and family history related conferences, workshops, sessions, summits and other special events from around the world on one site.  Conference Keeper grew quickly as the genealogy community appreciated its worth.

As Jen became more deeply involved with other genealogical work, the site went on hiatus until late in 2015, when Eowyn Langholf and Tami Osmer Mize, co-founders of the WikiChicks, felt the site beckon. With Jen’s encouragement and blessing, they have re-ignited the mission and purpose of Conference Keeper.

Tami is the owner of Relatively Curious and an active leader in the Second Life chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Eowyn is the owner of Turning Hearts Genealogy, Forest Elf at WikiTree.com and personal researcher to author A.J. Jacobs.  Both are dedicated to serving the genealogy community and thrilled to have found this avenue to do so.

WikiChicks is delighted to announce that with a new look and an expanded mission, ConferenceKeeper.org is again curating and calendaring the dates and details of genealogy and family history conferences, seminars, workshops, contests, and calls for papers. Societies and individuals within the genealogy community are encouraged to submit details of their upcoming events via the “Submissions” tab.

About Conference Keeper: Growing since 2012, ConferenceKeeper.org is a website dedicated to curating and calendaring genealogy and family history conference details. Events are posted on the Calendar tab, as well as under the specific page of their location. Along with a listing of events, those pages also include links to useful research websites specific to each location, including genealogical and historical societies, archives, and other helpful information.  See: http://www.conferencekeeper.org

Nursing Sister WW1 Photo Album: 36R Convoy

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Finding an Ancestor in Canada West

Fred wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with quite a few questions about his ancestors who were in "Canada West" between 1856 and 1863.

I have traced my Winslow family from Dublin, Ireland to the ship "Constantine" on which they sailed and landed in the Port of NY in 1856. The entire family, which consisted of John, his wife Eliza and their children William Thomas, John, Oliva and Jane, were destined for "Canada West" according to the ship's manifest. Only a few other passengers on that voyage stated their destination as Canada West. I believe I was able to trace one of those other passengers (not related to me) to Perth in 1860. 

    The elder John was a carpet cutter and upholsterer and I presume he was seeking a better job in his field.  However, there is no trace of John or any member of his family in the Canadian or US census for 1860.  Also I have reason to believe that Eliza Winslow died in Canada not too long after immigrating there but I can find no trace of her death record.   

    By 1863, the family moved to Connecticut and took up work in the spinning mills there and from that year I have been able to trace them without much difficulty.  Are there large gaps in the Canadian census that are listed on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch?  Presuming they were in Canada in 1860, why am I unable to find any trace of them?

My Answers: Fred, first things first. Hopefully you discovered that "Canada West" is present day Ontario. So you need to find early Ontario records for your family.  Before being called Canada West it was called Upper Canada.

Example of 1861 Census

CENSUS RECORDS
There is no 1860 census for Canada. Canada did not exist as a country until Confederation in 1867 and thus the first census for Canada is 1871. The census prior to 1871 was 1861 (not 1860) and consists of records for the 5 provinces that existed that year.

Unfortunately not all of the 1861 returns survived. For a  list of the missing returns, see Ontario GenWeb Census Project.  As well, many surviving records are badly faded and could not be indexed,  so a search on Ancestry.com might not find a name even though a record survived. You would have to do a page by page search of the images in hopes of spotting your ancestors' names.

In the Ontario 1851 and 1861 Census, there are agricultural returns as well as personal returns. These are listed by the name of the head-of-household.  Agricultural Census returns are often overlooked by genealogists. Agricultural returns provide information such as lot and concession number, acreage, livestock and agricultural products.

Ancestry.com has the 1861 Agricultural portion of the census online. That's the good news! You can search for an ancestor in it by including the keyword "AGRICULTURAL" in the search fields.

The bad news is that only half of each page has been scanned.

DEATH RECORDS
You say you cannot find a death record for Eliza "in Canada". Again, you are looking in Ontario and a look at the explanation for Ontario Vital Records on Ancestry.com or the Archives of Ontario or other websites (such as Olive Tree Genealogy Ontario section) will reveal that registration did not begin until 1869, well past the date your Winslow family left for USA. A search of surviving church records would be your next step provided you can narrow the location of your family. 

You could also check OCFA (Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid) in case Eliza's grave is recorded there. If you get a result you will need to read the website instructions for details on how to obtain the burial information. 



DON'T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANT DESCRIPTION OF RECORDS
This brings me to an important reminder - don't overlook the explanation or description of record sets online. This is where you will learn what the records consist of (what is missing and what is available) and what years the records cover. When you are searching for an ancestor in a place where you are not familiar with the records, you should always consult the local archives or genweb site to find out when records were kept, where they are kept, and what has survived.



SETTLEMENT OF ONTARIO
It is also important to remember that Ontario was not settled until the time of the American Revolution so these are relatively early records you are seeking. Any hope of finding a death record for Eliza rests on knowing a more precise location where they settled in Ontario. If they owned land you might find them in land records, or petitions. If you know their religion you could search church records. But there are few Ontario-wide databases to search, and that is why you must have a more precise location of a county or preferably a township where your family lived.

Did You Read the Most Popular Posts of 2015?

Well it's the last day of 2015. It's been a terrific year and I'm sure 2016 will be even better! Let's take a look at Olive Tree Genealogy's most popular blog posts for 2015 and see how many people read them. Now's your chance if you missed reading one of them! 

Most 5 Most Popular Olive Tree Genealogy Blog Posts of 2015

1. The Problem of Family Not Wanting Your Genealogy Research 6,504 reads.

Several years ago I came to the realization that no one in my immediate family wants my 40 plus years of research on our genealogy. A few are mildly interested in hearing the more exciting stories of blacksheep ancestors or famous relatives or an intriguing mystery. No one but me does actual research into our ancestors. 

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-problem-of-family-not-wanting-your.html

2. 10 Steps to Searching the Irish Catholic Parish Records When You Only Know a County of Origin 4864 reads.

By now most of us with Irish Catholic ancestors have been to the awesome new database of all Irish Catholic Parish Records published online by the National Library of Ireland. (See If You Have Irish Catholic Ancestors Today's Your Lucky Day)

The records are not indexed or transcribed and thus there is no search engine where you can simply type in a name to see results. Instead you search for your parish of interest and then scroll through the images to hopefully find the record you want. 

But what about those of us who don't know the parish our Irish ancestors were in? What about those, like me, who only know a county of origin? Well, I have developed a plan for methodically and carefully searching the records in a somewhat organized fashion. 

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/07/10-steps-to-searching-irish-catholic.html

3. FREE 170 Million Wills & Probate Records on Ancestry! 3504 reads. 

Please note that these are no longer free to view.

4. Did Your Ancestor Disappear from the Records? 3460 reads. 

Many of us have had that problem. We're searching for an ancestor and finding him or her in census records, vital records and more. 

Just when we think we're on a roll, that ancestor disappears! That's when you need to expand your search to other records such as orphanages, workhouses or almshouse (poorhouse) records.

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/did-your-ancestor-disappear-from-records.html

5. Where (and Why) Are Canadian Genealogists Hiding? 2639 reads.

In Gail Dever's blog post Some of the great Canadian genealogists we have lost she mentions that since the results of the Rock Star Genealogist contest, many of us in the Genealogy Community have been disappointed that very few Canadian Genealogists were recognized.

Why is this? Are we Canadians not good at self-promotion and getting known? Are Canadians so Americanized by our Television Shows and Movies that we automatically (and subconsciously) assume that if it's from an American Genealogist it's got to be better?

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/where-and-why-are-canadian-genealogists.html

Most Popular Pages on Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

Sharing Memories 22413 reads since the first prompt was posted in 2009. 

Sharing Memories prompts are now published in an ebook Writing Your Memoirs For Descendants: Prompts for Recording & Preserving Your Family Stories and Memories

Many new prompts have been added to this book. My weekly Sharing Memories prompts began in December 2009 and ended last week with a total of almost 200 prompts designed to jog memories of childhood experiences and stories. 

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/sharing-memories.html

Soldiers' Items Found 13073 reads since Case #1 published in 2010

One of the  missions of Olive Tree Genealogy is to reunite found items such as  Dog ID Tags, Medals, etc of soldiers with their descendants. To date my readers have worked on the following cases and been successful in reuniting soldiers' dog id tags with family members.

We still have more cases coming in and we have old cases that have not yet been solved. If you have a moment would you read through one of the open cases below (marked in green) and help find family?

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/soldiers-dog-tags-cases.html

Cemetery Walks 11869 reads

Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel has many online Cemetery Walk videos for all to view freely.

What are Cemetery Walks? They are photographs of gravestones in cemeteries, converted to a video.

Read more: http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/cemetery-walks_15.html

Easy Steps to Organizing, Scanning, Preserving & Sharing Family Photos

 In November and December of this year I wrote a 4 part series of articles for Legacy Family Tree on Organizing, Scanning, Preserving and Sharing Family Photos. They may be helpful for any of my readers wanting to create some structure and organization out of a mess of family photographs! 

I've followed my own advice and made giant leaps in my own chaos of shoeboxes of stored family photos and old photo albums tucked into corners of the attic.
 
In "10 Easy Steps to Organizing Family Photos" Part I and  Part II I will walk you step by step through easy ways to sort your family photographs and get them ready for scanning. Graphics such as the one I created below add a visual component to aid in following the steps.

 

In "10 Steps to Scanning, Preserving and Sharing Your Photos" Part 1 and Part 2 I explain resolution, file format, types of scanners and other details you need to know before you begin to scan those treasured photographs.

One of the first steps is  deciding on a file structure on your computer. Screenshots of my own directory setup should help in following my suggestions

You've probably heard of meta data but might not know what it is. That is all explained in my series and screenshots of using meta data will be helpful.

So don't wait - take a bit of time before the New Year and add organizing and scanning your family photographs to your 2016 New Year's Resolutions