COG 63: New Year's Genealogy Resolutions

The topic for the 63rd Carnival of Genealogy is New Year's resolutions. Participants are supposed to discuss plans for genealogy research and blogging in the coming year. Easy enough.

Plans for WeTree:

I resolve to double my number of daily visitors to this blog. I also plan to double the number I currently see on Feedburner, as well as my authority number on Technorati. I wrote today's stats in the back of my 2009 calendar, so we'll see if I reach my goal.

The blog itself will stay the same in terms of style and focus (or lack thereof). I will continue to treat it like a plant, adding to it, watching it grow and waiting for the crop to pay off.

Plans for Research:

Lenertz - I'm at the end of my rope with these folks and their only children, random movements across the country, and lacking vital records. It's challenging to trace an unusual name, especially a branch for which I can find no previous research. I resolve not to give up. It's all I can promise.

Thibodeaux - I resolve to poke around in Louisiana a bit, get some vital records and start to build a case to prove my theory that Noel Thibodeaux is often being connected to the wrong Pierre Thibodeaux. I also want to explore the Bourgaux and Menou names in the Acadia and St. Landry Parishes.

Colbert - I've cleared the ground and planted a seed. Now it's time to grow a family tree for my Chickasaw Colberts. This year, my Colbert time will focus on getting information on great-grandmother Frankie's sisters.

Miscellaneous Plans:

I resolve to have two writing pieces published somewhere. That's it. I don't care about the focus or the audience. Just write two pieces and have someone print them. I was published once last year, so I'm doubling the goal to challenge myself.

I resolve to have a personal CG timeline in place by Dec. 31, 2009. I know I want to be certified. Right now, my response is "some day." By next year, I figure I'll know enough about the process to feel comfortable setting a timeline to reach that goal.

I am attending the big events for NGS, SCGS, and FGS in 2009. I plan to meet as many blog readers and Facebook friends as I can so we can share in our own brand of craziness.

Guess that's all. It's going to be a good year for me, geneaogically speaking. I can feel it.

I Got Awarded!

While I was gone for nine days, I was given an award by Sherri Fenley aka The Educated Genealogist, and Wendy Littrell of All My Branches Genealogy. How cool!

The Proximidade Award states, "These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Thank you Sheri and Wendy for considering this lil' ol' blog for such high honors.

Now here is where I'm supposed to suggest eight more blogs. I originally got this award from Sheri days ago during my no-blog vacation. Since then, just about everybody has been tagged, so the chain will die with me. But would you expect anything less from a Proximidade Award winner? We're not about prizes! :::wink, wink:::

Back from Vacation

I'm back! The holidays went well.

The rusty genealogy gears in my brain are cranking again. Programming should resume at this blog shortly.

The Obligatory Happy Holidays Post

Today is Early Christmas here, and tomorrow morning we hop on a plane. From that point I will be busy seeing everyone, wrapping presents and getting things ready.

I intend to post between now and the New Year, but I can't guarantee a staeady stream of content. There are just too many family memories to make and not enough time to cram it all in with this brief visit.

Therefore, this stolen moment is all I have to wish everyone a wonderful holdiay season. Thank you to my family and friends who read this blog. Thank you to the regular anonymous readers who visit faithfully every day. Say hi sometime! Also, thank you to all the genea-bloggers who have shared their lives, history and knowledge. You make it fun.

Family Field Trip and Map

The Saturday after Christmas, I'm taking a little family history field trip. I made a custom map of all the places of importance. I thought I'd share it here, in case someone likes the idea for their own family.

My Family Field Trip Map. Click on the blue markers if you want to read a little bit about each spot. I didn't use exact addresses because I'm sharing this with the public, but you get the idea.

I love making custom Google Maps for genealogy. I made another one to mark rural cemeteries in Arkansas. This is a great collaborative tool that can benefit everyone.

All relatives are invited to come along on this trip. Tell my dad if you want to go so he can get a head count. I have no desire to go to Downey, I just threw that one in there.

Also family, if you remember other addresses that should be on here, let me know.

[Edit: I know I'm missing the Fontana address. It's not on any records I have, so that's why it's not on the map. Let me know if you remember the street name, or general area.]

NGS2009: I'm in

I decided to go to the 2009 National Genealogical Society Annual Conference. It ain't cheap and I've cashed in all my child care credits for the year, but oh well. I know where I want to be and this will help me get there.

I'm curious to see how this event compares to a professional library/research conference, where I am an old salt. During those, about 50% of the value comes from the socializing and networking outside the programs.

My arrival date is a day early so I can go to the North Carolina State Archives. I want to check out the records on my Jones family and hopefully grow that line back a couple generations.

Anyway, if you're going, let me know.

Also, I'm using the blog tag NGS2009 for anything related to the conference. Hopefully others do the same so it will come up on my news alerts. This won't be a big deal this far out, but it will be beneficial as the day approaches and during the event.

COG 62: Three Wishes, WeTree Style

The theme for the 62nd Carnival of Genealogy is Three Wishes. The assignment is to write a letter to the non-denomenational Genea-Santa and ask for three things from our ancestors. The catch is that the items have to be material (no wishing for information), but they don't necessarily have to exist. You can wish for pretend material ancestral hand-me-downs.

Dear Genea-Santa,

I have been very good this year, except for a little bit of cemetery trespassing and that one photocopying binge that might be a copyright violation. Other than that, I provided information when I could and always said thank you when others gave to me. Here are the things I want:

1. The Civil War uniform and silver-tipped cane from the Williamson family. I have a copy of a will that says a Civil War uniform was given to my great-great grandfather and his brother as young boys by their bachelor uncle. I also have a paper that says my great-great-great-great grandfather was given a silver-tipped cane for his service in the Arkansas state legislature in the 1830's-1850's. I have talked to three other descendants and none has any idea where these items are, or had even heard they exist. I just want to see them, that's all.

2. A uniform from the Robert E. Lees baseball team, Russellville, Arkansas, circa 1874. I have a 1935 newspaper article about my great-great grandfather reminiscing about his glory days as pitcher for the Robert E. Lees baseball team. They traveled around Arkansas and played other teams, including a big trip to Little Rock to practice with the Little Rock Clippers. I'd love to see what they wore while participating in the national pastime. A quote from the article:

"The suits worn by the R. E. Lees: knee pants of blue wool, brown shirt, white cap, and white sox. Any kind of shoes were worn and some of the boys wore none when they discovered they could run faster in their stocking feet." [Russellville (Arkansas) Democrat, November 10, 1935.]

3. The death certificate for John Benjamin Lenertz
I know the form letter says no record exists, but Genea-Santa, you and I both know the state of Oklahoma is WRONG! They have a 1913 record for his wife, but not a 1919 for him? Yeah, bogus. I knew you'd agree Genea-Santa. So if you could just provide the certificate, I'd be really grateful since you know I'm just going to tear up Oklahoma looking for it anyway.

Well, I guess that's it. I can think of a million other things I want, but I know there are others out there who have wish lists, too, so you better steer that sleigh toward other blogs.

Happy Holidays!

Amy

P.S. I'll be in Raleigh in May for the 2009 National Genealogical Conference. If you could have some land records for Richard Monson Jones just sort of hop off a shelf in front of me at the state library and do a little song and dance, I'd really appreciate it.

Christmas Oddities

The Christmas Tour of Blogs will no doubt feature some lovely decorations and beautiful homes. This is not one of those entries. Due to a busy schedule and our holiday plans, our house isn't highly decorated this year. We just have a few things up, most of which isn't really exciting to write about.

Below are a few of the oddities in our traditional Christmas. There are certain decorations and ornaments which warrant some explanation. I invite you into my house and give you the stories behind these items.

One of these treasures is this candle. It used to be a colorful, round candle featuring two snowmen on opposite sides. Last year, as opposed to all the other years in storage, it melted sometime during the hot Houston summer. When we opened the box, this is what we found (and it still gets a place on the shelf):


I collect snowmen. That's my "thing." I have snowmen made from paper, socks, gourds and what not. When I saw this ornament, I knew I had to have it. I realize it's a hunting snowman, but with guns for arms it really fits my dark sense of humor:

My baloney has two names and they are displayed in one place, this gift from my sister:

In 1999, my husband bought me an ornament to commemorate our son's 3rd Christmas. The only problem was that it was really his 2nd Christmas. Oops. The ornament automatically became part of our Decoration Hall of Fame:

My parents were not tree toppers. We never had an angel or star on our Christmas tree, so I followed suit when I got married. Years ago, my husband felt the tree needed that little extra something and put this mini Seahawks helmet on top. It's been part of the holiday process ever since.

This is a decorative rooster on top of a cabinet in our kitchen. Two years ago, my husband threw Mardi Gras beads on the rooster. For year-round usefulness, we also call them Valentine beads, 4th of July beads, and Texan football beads. Last year, my husband threw a Santa hat on the rooster. I can't reach it and my husband won't get it, so the Santa rooster stands all year round now.

Thank you for visiting my home and sharing in my Christmas oddities. I assure you, we do *normal* holiday things, too, they're just not as fun to talk about as these items. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Special thanks to Denise Olson of Moultrie Creek for hosting the Christmas Tour of Blogs.

Battle of Calcasieu Pass Memorial, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Recently, I shared details about my day trip to Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Before I went on the trip, I read about the area, and that there was a war memorial at the Cameron Parish courthouse. Supposedly, the marker included the names of Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Battle of Calcasieu Pass on May 6, 1864. However, I could find no pictures or further information on the Internet about the memorial so I drove there to see for myself.

Below are some photos of the marker and a transcription of the writing on the side of the memorial facing the street. There is writing on all four sides, but the side shown discusses the Battle of Calcasieu Pass:

BATTLE OF CALCASIEU PASS

NEAR THIS SPOT CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS UNDER

THE COMMAND OF COL. W. H. GRIFFIN CAPTURED THE

UNION GUNBOATS WAVE AND GRANITE CITY IN THE

BATTLE OF CALCASIEU PASS, CAMERON, LOUISIANA, ON

MAY 6, 1864. THESE GALLANT MEN DIED FOR THEIR CAUSE:

UNION

QUARTERMASTER JOHN W. TINDALL

SEAMAN JOSEPH JOHNSON

ENGISN HENRY JACKSON

ENSIGN S. R. TYRREL

SEAMAN JOHN SCOTT

QUARTERMASTER JOHN JACOBS

ORD. SEAMAN WILLIAM HAYDEN

ENSIGN A. H. BERRY

CONFEDERATE

PVT. WILLIAM KNEIP

CPL. FERDINAND FAHRENTHOLD

PVT. JOHN LYNCH

PVT. HENRY FOESTERMAHN

PVT. AARON RUSSELL

PVT. J. D. LANCASTER

SGT. R. M. JONES

PVT. A. SCRINKLE

PVT. W. A. JACKSON

PVT. P. WHITTENBERG

PVT. M. YVARRO

PVT. JACKSON J. RISINGER

SGT. WILLIAM INGLE

PVT. WILLIAM GUHRE

I have several pictures of this memorial and close ups of the names. I also have photos of all four sides of the marker, commemorating WWI, WWII and the Korean Conflict. These sides also have the names of Cameron Parish soldiers who served and the dates they were killed in action. If you are interested in these photos, email me at the address provided in the right side of this blog page.

The R. M. JONES mentioned in this memorial is Richard Monson Jones. I also have genalogical information about him I'm willing to share.

Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 2

[Please read Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 1 here. Below is part 2.]

The courthouse survived Rita and Ike. The monument survived Rita and Ike. Would I find Sgt. Jones on the list? I walked forward to get a closer look.

He was there.



I stood there for a minute and took it all in--the battle, the death, the burial, the memorial and the fact that I had this connection to it. I went up the courthouse steps to try and get a better view of Monkey Island. It was clear the ferry that used to run to the island was long gone with the hurricane and would never be back. My chance to see the burial ground was lost forever. I felt sad for a moment, then got real. The burial site of Sgt. Jones was there, but chances were that Rita's storm surge (or Audrey's before that) had displaced the remains. Monkey Island was really just a symbol now. I could see it just steps across the water, but never reach it.

When I visit a site connected to my ancestors, I always stand there for a moment and try to visualize what their lives were like. I imagine the land as it looked in their day. However, the sights and sounds of Cameron's current devastation kept interfering. It was had to get past the isolation. It was just me out there and the creaking destruction blowing in the wind.

I walked down the courthouse steps and over to another monument. This one marked the passing of Hurricane Rita:

It's message confirmed my fear for the fate of those buried on Monkey Island:

I originally went to Cameron, Louisiana with a head full of questions in search of Sgt. Jones. I left Cameron, Louisiana with a heart full of emotions.

My great-great-great grandfather and the 21 other soldiers killed on May 8, 1864 are no longer on Monkey Island. They now envelop the wetlands of the Creole Nature Trail.

Nature creates our history, but it also takes it away.

[Update: I went back to Cameron Parish in July 2010. They have rebuilt several buildings and houses. The area is looking much better, but I still don't think I'll ever get to walk on Monkey Island. --Amy]

Looking for Sergeant Jones, part 1

This past weekend, I drove to Cameron Parish, Louisiana in search of the final resting place of my great-great-great grandfather. Sergeant Richard Monson Jones was killed during the Civil War's Battle of Calcasieu Pass on May 6, 1864. He along with the 21 other Union and Confederate soldiers who died that day were buried on Monkey Island, a wedge of land in the waterway alongside what is now Cameron, Louisiana in the bottom left corner of the state.

Before heading out in search of Sgt. Jones, I mentally prepared for what I may or may not find. Cameron, Louisiana was virtually wiped off the map during 2005's Hurricane Rita. Estimates state that up to 90% of the city's buildings vanished with the storm surge. What had been rebuilt after 2005 was subject to the wrath of Hurricane Ike in 2008. I knew the parish was down and out. It was entirely possible that after a 2.5 hour drive, I would not find Sgt. Jones. In fact, I might not find anything at all at the end of the road. Yet, I still wanted to go and see for myself and make that ancestral connection to my great-great-great grandfather.


The directions to Cameron are simple: make your way to Interstate 10 and head in to Louisiana. Once you reach Lake Charles, turn south and follow the signs to Cameron. You will soon see that you are on the Creole Nature Trail. For over 30 miles, there's nothing but a quiet 2-lane road surrounded with wetlands.

Scars of Hurricanes Rita and Ike were everywhere. A few scattered new houses now on stilts and ready again to challenge nature were evident. Slabs of concrete with stairs to nowhere marked where others used to live. Mobile homes replaced after Rita were obliterated by Ike. Many residents are now living in campers next to their destroyed homes. It's absolutely heartbreaking.

I knew I was getting closer to Cameron and the coast as the evidence of destruction increased. I was looking for the parish courthouse, because it was supposed to have a war memorial with Sgt. Jones' name on it. Would it be there, or did it get swept miles inland like everything else?

The Cameron Parish courthouse was easy to find. It was the only permanent, functioning building still standing along the highway. I turned into the driveway, and this was my view:

I got out of the car. I was completely alone. The only sounds I heard were from the docked boats bouncing with the current and twisted metal scraps from a destroyed building banging in the wind.

The courthouse survived Rita and Ike. The monument survived Rita and Ike. Would I find Sgt. Jones on the list? I walked forward to get a closer look... continue to part 2

Back to School: NGS Couse Update

I've been asked for another report on my NGS class, so here goes. I'm still on Lesson 2.

The course comes on 3 CDs. There are reading assignments for each lesson and self-grading quizzes. There are written assignments, which have to be printed out and snail-mailed to NGS (if you chose the graded option, which I did). There are sample assignments on the CDs for each lesson, which I like because I'm visual and it helps me see what is expected.

Also included with each lesson are suggested readings. Some of the books I own. Some of the books I can borrow from Harris County Public Library system. For the rest I have to go to the Clayton Library and read there. If you're considering taking this course, you may want to align youself with a large library system for inter-library loan. Otherwise, just read what you have access to and skip the rest. You don't need to read everything, but the books and articles are good.

Personally, I think the CD as a course medium is kind of dated, but that's just my opinion. The discs work fine on my computer and I'm moving along. There is a discussion list I can turn to if I have any questions. I wish there was an online message board for questions. I would love to see past discussions. I would love to know who is at my point in the course. I would love to meet others . The discussion list isn't set up for such socialization and I feel isolated.

All this may stem from my experiences getting an MLIS degree. The school stayed on top of technology to create interactive learning experiences. My first forays into the professional genealogy world feel like a step back in time. I see where they can be, what they have to potential to do and it's frustrating that they're not there yet.

Oh wait, this was a post about my NGS course right? Yeah, it's moving along fine.

Renovations at the Clayton Library

This week I needed to get some specialized reading done for my NGS course, so I took a quick trip to the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research. The Clayton is part of the Houston Public Library system, yet slightly different than the other branches. You can't get the lastest fiction here, but it's like a genealogical Disneyland.

The story of the Clayton library is best explained on the Clayton Library Friends web site (under Clayton House). Most of the collection is now in the main library building. Also on the grounds is the Clayton house, which used to house the library. For months now, this house has been under renovation. This week marked the first time I'd seen the construction fences down, so I took a few pix.


The crane in the background is for a different, unrelated construction project behind the library.

I think family histories will be housed here, but I'm not sure. The parking lot for the Clayton is to the left of this house. To the left of the parking lot is the main building of the library. It's much bigger than this house.

One of the other buildings (not sure if it's this one) will be a meeting area. The library's current meeting closet can hold about 5 1/2 people in it, so I am excited for this new area. It means better programming will be coming to the Clayton.

The 61st Carnival of Genealogy

The 61st Carnival of Genealogy is up. Go read everyone's entries.

Short Updates

1. I finished both assginments in Lesson 1 of my NGS course. I'm in the process of reading for Lesson 2. One of the assignments has to do with family traditions. What you think of as a tradition is what NGS calls a custom. Traditions are more like stories handed down. I may reference my grandfather's South Central LA feed store in my assignment.

2. Remember when I sent away for all those Lenertz death certificates from Minnesota? Well, they arrived with more questions than answers. I'll elaborate at a later date. The Lenertz line can never be easy.

3. I am building a family tree from scratch using Family Tree Maker 2009. Up to this point, I've been using a combination of PAF, Ancestry and my brain to store all the names and dates. The Family Tree Maker tree is being done the right way with proper citations. I've been collecting sources all along, I just never made the time to connect it all in the right places. In genealogyland, sources are everything. It didn't happen unless you have a source, and it's not respected unless you have it cited correctly. Also, this FTM2009 software lets me make cool charts. I also can attach pictures and documents to people. It's not much to look at now, but once it gets built up, you (and by you I mean my family) will be impressed.

4. The NGS 2009 conference info is out. I'm a little sad I can't go. I will be at FGS 2009 and the So Cal Jamboree, so I'll just look forward to those.

5. To the family: When I am out in California (Dec 20-29), I'm thinking about taking a field trip into LA. Depending on time, I may want to see the Feed Store location (now a parking lot), the 117th Street house, the 95th Street house (didn't know about that one, did ya?), the graves of Buster's grandmother and Irene's parents, and maybe a visit to Pomona for icing on the cake. Let me know if there are any takers for this excursion. It will either be a weekend or after Christmas.