Riley and I made the Houston Chronicle

Last week, I was reading a weekly column in the Sunday Houston Chronicle and saw that a reader was asking a question that needed an answer.

"Was Riley Fuzzell Road in Spring named after a real person?"

The columnist gave a wacky reply, but didn't answer the question. Well I wanted to know about Riley Fuzzell, so I went hunting. I found him easily, as a child and an adult with his own family. He was a farmer and a fine citizen of Spring, Texas. I gathered all the information I had collected in 20 minutes and sent it to the columnist, hoping he would pass it on to the curious reader.

I heard nothing and forgot about it.

Fast forward to today, when I'm eating leftover pizza for lunch and catching up on my Sunday newspaper reading. I scanned the weekly column and noticed that something looked familiar. It was my email printed out for all to see.

Actually, it was part of my email and it was chopped off at a strange place. Why the staff included the part about the attachment is beyond me.

The portion that got cut off talked about Fuzzell's World War I draft card and how it was signed by another big name in Spring (Budde, if you're wondering). Not fascinating news for a humor column, but very interesting if you're into local history, which is why I shared it with the reader. I just didn't realize it would be shared with everyone else. Had I known, I probably would have written it differently.

So I had a good laugh today at my 15 seconds of newsprint fame, and how old Riley was overshadowed by the story on bad supermarket products.

If I had the time, I'd love to give Riley Fuzzell the genealogy star treatment as well and research him properly. Next time I'm in Spring, I just may pay his road a visit.

Social Media Sessions at the California Family History Expo

Attendees at the upcoming California Family History Expo may be interested in the following mini-sessions that I am teaching there:

Friday, October 8 at 9:30am - Social Networking open house

Friday, October 8 at 4:00pm - Facebook: What is it and how do I use it?

Saturday, October 9, 10:30am - Blogging open house

Saturday, October 9, 3:30pm - Twitter open house

Hopefully these sessions help attendees better understand these online tools and how they can help with genealogy research, communication and collaboration.

If you're attending the California Family History Expo, but have a conflict with any of these session times, A.C. Ivory will be teaching the same sessions at different times. Several of these topics are also being taught in longer classroom sessions by other speakers. So really, there's no reason you can't get all caught up on these tech tools while at the Expo!

All of my sessions will be at the Beacon of Bloggers area in the exhibit hall. Do stop by and say hi to the bloggers. You'll see some familiar faces and make new friends as well.



[Note: See Disclosures for my Expos affiliation.]

Tombstone Tuesday: Unmarked Crosses Edition

Fuselier's Cemetery

Acadia Parish, Lousiana

Photo taken July 2010

On a trip to Acadia Parish, I stumbled on this little cemetery on a gravel road, far from anyone. There were several grave stones, but I was drawn to this line of unmarked crosses. Who were they for? Did the people all pass at the same time? Is this a special section of the cemetery? I sure wish I knew something about them.

Anatomy of a Military Pension File, Part 25

Previously, I reported on the acquisition of my great-great-great grandfather's military pension file. The documents contained within paint a picture of a man and his family about which I knew very little. I've decided to share this 103-page treasure with you a few pages at a time.

Page 42: Notification to Pension Commissioner of Amalia Baerecke's death

This is a copy of the letter sent to the Commissioner of Pensions notifying him of the death of Amalia Baerecke. It says the following:

Tuesday, Jan. 16th 1912.


Hon. Commissioner of Pensions.


Dear Sir:


I herewith inform you of the death of Mrs. Amalie Baerecke, widow of Max Baerecke Priv. & Sgt I 26 Wis. under certificate No. 615496.


She died on the 4th day of Jan. 1912.


Kindly send me necessary blanks & information.


Very respectfully


Mrs. C. J. Smith
670 33st Mil. Wis.

After studying the copy of the document, I think it was written on a folded notecard with good penmanship. The writer, Mrs. C. J. Smith, is Lena Baerecke Smith, daughter of Max and Amalia Baerecke. The "necessary blanks" she is asking for are the forms necessary to ensure the widow's pension pays for Amalia's funeral services. Perhaps there were forms that needed to be filled out in order to discontinue the pension process as well.

Stamps on the document confirm that is was received by the finance division of the Bureau of Pensions on 20 January 1912.

I tried to look up the address of Mrs. C. J. Smith on Google maps, but there are north and south versions of 33rd street. Based in the 1910 census, I think they lived on what is now North 33rd. In the future, when I go more into depth with the Baerecke siblings, I will determine exactly where she lived.

On to part 26.

Social Calendar

Here is my tentative genealogy social calendar for the rest of the year. Any takers?

California Family History Expo

Oct 8-9

Family History Library Research Retreat

Oct 25-30

Texas State Genealogical Society Conference

Nov. 5-6 (Not confirmed. This is a game-time decision for me)

Atlanta Family History Expo

Nov. 12-13

Drop me a note if you're going to these events--or even if you're just considering it, because I would totally talk you into it. The best part of any genealogy conference is meeting new friends.

[Disclosure: I am employed by Family History Expos, the host of events 1,2, and 4. I am a member of TSGS, but am not connected with promotion of their conference.]

Anniversaries

When I first moved to Houston, my husband and I decided to go to a fancy restaurant for our wedding anniversary, which happens to be today. We chose Brennan's, a local institution. Because we were new to town and didn't have any babysitters on speed dial, we had to take our son with us to dinner.

What could have been a risky venture fraught with tantrums turned out to be a pleasant evening. Brennan's made my son a special off-the-menu dish (a kids' portion of fried shrimp) and we had a great time. So much fun in fact that a tradition was born. My son loved Brennan's and the idea that he was part of some secret grown-up world not usually shown to children.

Each year we went to Brennan's and had a wonderful time. In 2007, my son's tastes turned expensive. He ordered the day's special, which included a flaming dish being prepared tableside. It was highly amusing to see this child being fawned over, like he was a VIP. As always, we ended the evening with dessert. "Happy Anniversary" was written in chocolate on the plate. Brennan's is good about the little things.

In 2008, we made reservations at Brennan's again for our anniversary. Dinner would be about 6:30 on Sunday, September 14. That week, Hurricane Ike made a beeline for Houston. We kept our reservations and got on with preparations.

Late at night on September 13, Hurricane Ike made landfall. Our power went out, but we were able to "borrow" someone's Internet signal. Sitting in the dark about midnight is when we heard the news: Brennan's was destroyed by fire right in the middle of the storm. It was a sad story on so many levels, especially regarding those who were injured.

Our anniversary meal in 2008 was Top Ramen (cooked on the bbq grill because we had no power) and sliced apples.

Eventually, there was buzz that Brennan's would be rebuilt. And you know what? It was. They opened again for business a few months ago.

So this weekend when we return to Brennan's for the first time post-fire, we'll be celebrating wedding anniversaries from 2008, 2009 and 2010. That's a lot of food, fun and memories crammed into one evening. We have to make up for lost time.

Anatomy of a Military Pension File, Part 24

Previously, I reported on the acquisition of my great-great-great grandfather's military pension file. The documents contained within paint a picture of a man and his family about which I knew very little. I've decided to share this 103-page treasure with you a few pages at a time.

Page 41: Mortuary Bill for Amalia Baerecke

How much did it cost to die in 1912? $153.30 according to this bill for the mortuary services for my great-great-great grandmother. 

Here is the breakdown:

Casket - $60.00

Box - $5.00

Robe - $6.00

Embalming - $10.00

Washing and Dressing - $2.50

Gloves - $2.00

Carriages (?) - $28.00 (looks like it says "carriagers.")

Hearse - $10.00

Germanic & evening (?) - $1.50

Decoration and Flowers - $13.30

Opening Grave - $12.00

Lowering Device - $3

Total - $153.30

The bill is dated 6 January 1912. The business was called Christian Ritter & Son: Funeral Directors and Embalmers. They were located at 276 Fifth Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The phone number was "Grand 1631." 

In the bill above, I guessed on the word "carriages." It really does look like "carriagers." Whatever they were, there were 7 of them. Perhaps they were rented carriages to transport the funeral procession. I'm not sure how it was handled in 1912.

Also, I couldn't read the abbreviation after "Germanic and evening." It looks like "Wis" or "Nis." Either way, it indicates that the funeral service for my great-great-great grandmother was held in German.

It seems odd to have such a document in my collection, but I guess it's par for the course in a pension file. Because it is so unusual, I am pleased I can share it with you.

[Update: Reader Carol suggested in the comments that the "Wis" or "Nis" I was questioning may actually be "Vis," short for visitation. This makes sense, as the phrase would be Germanic & evening visitation. Thanks, Carol!

Update again: Reader Chris had a great suggestion in the comments as well. Now I have a new newspaper to research. Thanks, Chris!]

Fun With Search Terms

Happy Friday! It's time for another rendition of Fun with Search Terms! People search the Internet and--based on the search terms they choose--land on my blog. The searchers are anonymous but I can see the phrases they put in the search engines. Sometimes they're funny. Sometimes I can answer the questions posed. Sometimes it's clear that the person is searching for my ancestor, yet they don't contact me. This is quite frustrating. I don't bite, man. I quit that last Thursday. So please, if you see a common link, please contact me!

Here are the searches for this week:

el toyon chapter DAR
I have no idea how this search term landed the user on my blog, but I can point you in the right direction. This chapter is in Stockton, CA. Their website is here. Their registrar is awesome, but that's a story for another day.

Gavleston Texas pre-1900 hurricane photographs
Here's a little search strategy for you. When you're looking for images online, don't just type terms blindly into Google images. If you're looking for images of a specific place, event or era, look for libraries / repositories in the area of your subject.

In the case of the 1900 hurricane, your best shot is the Rosenberg Library, which is right there on Galveston Island. Click the exhibits link and you'll see the 1900 Storm exhibit. If you're looking for images you can use, I suggest contacting the library and inquiring about permission.

describe how you feel about genealogy
Well, my blog is on the 4th page of search results, so apparently Google doesn't think I feel too highly about genealogy. My answer? Insert any adjective you want. Happy. Sad. Green. Hot. Square. Hopeful. They all fit. Genealogy is like that.

RootsTech conference
This is billed as a "new genealogy & technology conference" that will "define the future of genealogy." Someone better tell Google as the search results for this phrase are wonky.

All you need to know about the RootsTech conference can be found here.

Polly Kimmitt
...is an awesome genealogist. But don't ask me, just go to her blog.


That's it for Fun with Search Terms this week. Until we meet again, and more people access my blog using funny terms and don't contact me when it's totally obvious that we're researching the same person...

FamilySearch, Football and Arbitration

Yesterday, I shared with you a milestone I achieved as a FamilySearch indexer, due in part from the need to have busy hands when watching football. Today is part two, as promised, detailing the exciting adventures of FamilySearch arbitration.

About six months ago, I was contacted by FamilySearch and invited to become an arbitrator. It's kind of like an indexing promotion. I was surprised, because I wasn't sure of the criteria needed. Frequency? Accuracy? The tendency to watch way too much football? I guess I met the standard, whatever it was.

What exactly is arbitration? Well, remember those indexing batches I talked about yesterday? I gave the example of a U.S. census sheet being a "batch." Two separate indexers will key the same batch. One is labeled "A" and the other "B."

If there are differences in the results of the two indexers, those batches go to arbitration. When I, as an arbitrator, download a batch, I get the A and B records put in by the indexers. Also on the screen is an image of the written record in question. So what arbitrators do is compare A and B  to the record image (such as a census page) and decide which is correct.

For example, say indexer A lists a surname as HANSON and indexer B lists the same surname as HANSEN. Each indexer read the enumerator's handwriting differently. The arbitrator compares both options to the record image and makes a choice of A or B. Arbitrators can also override both A and B. If I think it looks like HANSUN, then I can make that decision. Here is the tutorial that teaches arbitration.

Arbitration is fun and it usually goes much faster than indexing, which is why I'm closing in on 23,000 arbitrated names as opposed to 11,000 indexed. However, arbitration comes with added responsibility. It is the final word. So if I think the record says HANSUN, I better be right because lots of people will be searching for that record. If I'm wrong....well I don't have to tell you what it's like to discover your ancestor was a victim of bad indexing. We all have those stories of botched last names and misspellings.

Handwriting provides a real challenge in arbitration. Lowercase i's look like e's, o's like a's. Enumerators get hurried or careless. Indexers skip a line or make a mistake. There's a lot of factors and each demands attention to detail. When I want a break from arbitration, I switch back to indexing. It's a nice balance, especially when my football team isn't doing so hot.

I feel pleased when I read of more records becoming available at FamilySearch. I like to see what's there and know I had a part of making some of the items available. I hope people know that I took the time to get the spelling right, even that one time when it was all vowel-deprived Polish surnames in shaky handwriting. I still have nightmares about that batch. But it's done and now those people are indexed, arbitrated and waiting to be found.

So what are you waiting for? GO FORTH AND FIND THEM.

Me? I'll just be here indexing and arbitrating while watching football, thankful for the distraction and satisfaction it all entails.

[Note: FamilySearch did not compensate me for this post. I’m just a chick with an affinity for data entry and mediocre football teams.]

FamilySearch, Football and Milestones

This past week, I indexed my 11,000th name at FamilySearch Indexing. Add that to the amount of names I’ve arbitrated and the total is just shy of 34,000 names. I am proud of the accomplishment despite the fact that it generates sweeping revelations about my social life.

How did I get to this milestone? Football. I watch football all weekend long. College or pro, it doesn't matter. While I am watching all this football, I download some batches and key like a fiend. This is because my favorite football teams are hard to watch. It’s better to keep my eyes on the computer. If my teams do poorly, my indexing stats go up.

Are you considering learning how to index, but not sure where to start? First you need to sign up at the FamilySearch Indexing page if you don’t already have an account with them. It is free and you do not need to be a member of the LDS church (I am not). You also have to download something, but the instructions are easy to follow.

FamilySearch produced a nice presentation that shows what you will be doing. Click here and watch the Indexing tutorial. 

Then you will download a “batch” of names. The number of names in a batch depends on the records you are indexing. I like to do U.S. census pages, so my batches are 1 census sheet, which holds 50 names. I've also done batches of 10 death certificates. There are more challenging batches too, such as records in other languages and early historical items where the handwriting is more difficult to read. If you are bilingual, you would really be an asset to FamilySearch Indexing.

The first batch I ever did took some time to figure out. But you know what? I got through it and asked for a second one. It took less time. It gets easier. If you've ever seen a spreadsheet, you'll recognize the format for indexing names.

Though the task is repetitive, I never get bored. For a time, I indexed death certificates. No two were the same and each one made me think about the person and his or her story. I wanted to get the information down correctly so these folks wouldn’t be forgotten and others could find them.

I really enjoy indexing U.S. census records. There’s a method to my madness and I can get through them in a clip. Like the death certificates, I also study the names on the records and wonder what their stories are. Only a genealogist would get emotionally attached to records, right?

One thing that surprised me about indexing is how it helped me become a better reader of handwriting. Another surprise is how much I use my high school Spanish to index certain names, especially now because I am indexing Texas records.

About six months ago, FamilySearch asked me to be an arbitrator for their indexing projects. What’s that, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you in part 2.

[Note: FamilySearch did not compensate me for this post. I’m just a chick with an affinity for data entry and mediocre football teams.]

Courthouse Field Trip

I've been busy this week, first with day job, then with other day job. When people hire me to do genealogy-related stuff, this blog goes on the back burner for lack of content. I went to the courthouse today and retrieved records for someone. That doesn't make for interesting reading, you see? Then I had an idea. Why not take all my readers with me to the courthouse? How very Mr. Rogers-like. Yes folks, it's photo blog time.

After dropping the kiddo off at school, I headed on out of the back woods. Here's what it looks like when you hit the last light before the freeway:

Nobody in Southern California will believe me, but this picture below was taken at 8:30 a.m. going inbound to downtown. Not a brake light in sight. I promise you I did not take my eyes off the road while taking this photo. I just kind of drove with one hand for a second.

Eventually the Houston skyline comes into view:

The off-ramp to downtown runs right into the home of the Astros aka Minute Maid Park, but it's maiden name was Enron Field. The roof is open today. You can tell because it's sticking out from the rest of the stadium.

That domed building is where we're going. It's the Harris County Civil Courthouse. It's also where the records I need are located.

This is the part in the story where I park my car, but the location is secret. Yes, the price is that good. Then I mosey to the courthouse, go through security, go up to the clerk's office, and get my records. Success! In minutes! But before I go back downstairs, I pause to look at the view. Here are all the folks waiting to get into the criminal court building. Crime doesn't pay, folks. Well, maybe for the lawyers.

The best part is the view to my left.

The rest of the trip involves me driving home, then scanning/delivering documents for the person who requested them. Again, not the stuff from which great genealogy blogs are made, but you get the idea.

Thanks for playing along. Should you ever need anything of genealogical value from the Houston area and surrounding counties, I am for hire. And I know the best parking spots.