Saturday, February 26, 2011

Saturday Night Fun Count Your Trees

Hey genealogy buffs, it's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Open your genealogy database in the software of your choice, and use the Help function to determine if your software can count the number of separate family trees you have in that database.

2. Follow the directions if the program can do it, and Count Your Trees.

3) Tell us about how many trees you have, and who is the "root" person in the biggest tree. Tell us if you have any big surprises - did you find any disconnected trees that should not have been disconnected?


1: I could not find any way to count the number of trees I have in my Ancestral Quest database, but I am pretty sure I can count them, I have one tree in that database. Now he did not ask how many databases I have and I have several separate databases. Just four I use regularly today, but I think I have 15 or 20 others, have not counted lately.

3: I am the root person of this database, but not RIN #1. That person is my grandfather. I had added 300 or so people to this database before I read that I was supposed to be #1 in my own database, but I have never wanted to start the whole database over just to make me #1 in my own database.

52 Weeks to Personal Genealogy Sounds

Week #9 – Sounds

Week 9: Sounds. Describe any sounds that take you back to your childhood. These could be familiar songs, jingles, children playing, or something entirely different.


Well a few old songs bring back my childhood, but I will go on a sound that is completely different. My dad was a mechanic and spent a lot of time in his garage working on something. He had a grinder, an air compressor, drills, saws, and an anvil he used for bending and pounding iron.

All of those had a distinctive sound, but the one that really brings back memories was his post drill, it actually was my grandfathers post drill and while my grandfather just used the handle to turn the drill, my dad added an electric motor and that is the sound I remember. There is a cam on the shaft with the handle and each turn of the crank causes that cam to lift the arm and on the top of the post drill turn the crank that lowers the drill one or two notches. You see the big flywheel on the other side which makes it easy to drill even hard metals, and very easy to drill wood. My dad took off the handle and ran a belt from the electric motor around the flywheel and so today I just turn on the motor and begin drilling. Notice all the gears are exposed, I know OSHA would have a real fit over lack of safety guards, but neither my grandfather nor my dad ever got hurt on any of the open gears, and I am very careful using it also.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Indian Souvenir Stand

Two pictures from my great aunt Latisha Vanderpool's photo album. These are actually postcards, but only a little note on back of the one with a tepee. Went to Canada Returned to L. George July 25th. Both pictures say August 1942 0n bottom.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Happy Presidents Day



Another postcard from my dad's postcard collection.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Google Custom Search

It's Saturday Night -- time for more Genealogy Fun!! A little late - it almost didn't happen this week, considering last week's response (three that I counted), I hope that more readers want to participate in this this week.

Your mission - should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Go to genea-blogger Ramdy Majors website (http://www.randymajors.com/).

2) Add his blog to your RSS reader, if you don't have it already.

3) Read his blog post AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search - BETA. See the link at the top of the page that says "AncestorSearch using Google Custom Search - BETA?" Click on it.

4) Test out his Custom Google Search form to help you find online information about your ancestors, especially for their marriages.

5) Tell us about your results - was this useful? Did you find something new? How can Randy improve it?


Finished #1, 2 and 3.
4. and 5. Tested on a couple of projects I am working on, and did not find anything, so tried my grandparents. Got so many hits for my grandfather I switched to my grandmother, and found all the blog posts I have done, but nothing new on either of my grandparents. Looks like it will be useful, just need to have easier subjects to try.

52 Weeks to Personal Genealogy Technology

Week #8 – Technology

Week 8: Technology. What are some of the technological advances that happened during your childhood? What types of technology to you enjoy using today, and which do you avoid?

Well I think the invention of the transistor was the technological advance that is most important while I was a child. Everyone in school soon had a transistor radio, we could listen to the World Series at school. Listen to the radio on the way to and from school.
We also transformed from listening to the radio to TV, Spokane had three stations and we watched as much as possible from Howdy Doody, to Mickey Mouse, to Disneyland, and of course the westerns like Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autrey, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, Have Gun will Travel, Wagon Train. We even watched the test pattern.
Then when the Russians launched Sputnik we were in a race to get a satellite into space, and eventually put men on the moon.
I guess the technology I like the most is the computer, I started in the mid 1980s with a Sanyo computer, and by the 1990s I was online at the Prodigy genealogy bulletin boards. I even hosted chats every other Tuesday.
So far I have almost avoided cell phones, I do have one for emergencies in my car, but it is not a smart phone, just is a cell phone.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Triplets

Two pictures from my great aunt Latisha Vanderpool's photo album.
Front Anna & neighbors triplets Lake George 1942
Back: Myself the Eldiman triplets, Lillian, Lisle, and Lee at Lake George Aug 1942

Front triplets Aug 1942 Lake Geo. Back: Lake George Minn I took this picture Aug 1942

Monday, February 14, 2011

52 Weeks to Personal Genealogy Toys

While I had a lot of toys growing up, from tricycles to wagons to bicycles my favorite was my Lionel train which I wrote about in the 2009 Advent Calendar. At one time I had almost half of the basement covered with plywood and railroads.
Years later I found out my dad had worked nights and weekends fixing a car and he took the trains in trade for his work.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Cupid's Diary



Another Post Card from my dad's collection. Happy Valentine's Day.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Wordless Wednesday More Lake George pictures

Two pictures from my great aunt Latisha Vanderpool's photo album.
Me at Lake George Minn August 1942

Anna & Tish in Front of Walters at Lake George Aug 1942

Sunday, February 6, 2011

52 Weeks to Personal Genealogy TV-Radio Show

Week 6 Challenge: Radio and Television. What was your favorite radio or television show from your childhood? What was the program about and who was in it?

While I liked most all of the westerns, from Roy Rodgers and Davy Crocket to Daniel Boone and and the Lone Ranger, but my favorite was the Lone Ranger starring Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels as Tonto. I loved the Hi-yo Silver! Away and the theme song which was from the cavalry charge from the William Tell overture. Wikipedia says the Lone Ranger started on radio January 30, 1933 and the last new episode aired on TV September 3, 1954.
The Lone Ranger was always helping someone out of trouble, and with the help of Tonto they were successful each week. He also used silver bullets so everyone knew he was on the good side of the law even though he wore a mask. At the end of the show someone would always ask "who was that masked man?" And someone would say that was the Lone Ranger.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Who Do You Think You Are?

I was working last night when the first episode was on this week, but this morning Comcast added Who Do You Think You Are to their FREE On Demand list, so I got to see it this morning. It is fun to watch it that way as you can stop the program, back up for a part you missed and fast forward by the commercials they left in the program.
I really liked this episode as I have yet to find a Civil War veteran in my family. I do have one that says he was, but his state militia unit was never called up by the federal government so he never left home.
Finding pictures of her great-grandfathers was really exciting. I hope they keep this format also, I liked it a lot better than last years format.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Wordless Wednesday Lake George continued

Two pictures from my great aunt Latisha Vanderpool's photo album.
Tish-Lydia - (?) Walter in Meir back yard Lake George 194?
Walter is Walter Deubener of Lake George Minnesota

This picture says on back taken 1938 and it is a postcard.
Sincerely Good Luck Good Health Walter

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