dazed&confused

Common Scottish Surnames and Surname Organizations

2011-09-17T01:34:00.000-06:00

Old Irish-Gaelic Surnames

2011-09-17T01:31:00.000-06:00

Mac and O in Irish Surnames

2011-09-17T01:28:00.002-06:00

http://www.heraldry.ws/info/article07.html

Montana research

2011-08-08T05:45:00.001-06:00

2011-08-08T05:42:00.003-06:00

Angel HDR, a photo by cja_711 on Flickr.

Scottish Cemetery II

2011-08-08T05:31:00.004-06:00

Scottish Cemetery II, a photo by altomalto_2000 on Flickr.

Scottish Genealogy

2011-08-08T05:31:00.002-06:00

Castle Gardens

2011-08-08T05:23:00.002-06:00

Most of us have heard about Ellis Island, but do you know about Castle Gardens? Castle Garden was established when immigration affairs were left to the control of the States. The Federal Government concerned itself with immigration questions such as naturalization, sanitary conditions aboard the ships, and the number of immigrants entering the American seaports.

New York was North America’s busiest seaport. Immigrants bound for America passed through this hub of commerce. 8.2 million Immigrants passed through Castle Garden between 1855-1890. Research can be difficult for this time as records are still being indexed.

Ellis Island soon took over this areas immigration port. Castle Garden became known as the “Old Immigration” and Ellis Island as the
“New Immigration”.

Both places had medical checks and tried to set up a system to reunite families. There were places to detain immigrants that came in without papers or were ill. They both allowed missionaries and ethnic societies to aid the immigrants as they came to this new country.

Castle Garden had a staff with about 100 people. It was run by a superintendent. After more than 20 years of service, on July 9, 1876 a major fire destroyed the building. The depot was reconstructed and it was reopened November 27, 1876.

After Congress took over control of immigration, Castle Garden was closed. It still became a legendary place to a generation of immigrants.

Castlegarden.org offers a free database on over 10 million immigrants who entered America 1830-1892; after which Ellis Island took over. This site can be reached at http://www.castlegarden.org.

Good tips.......

2011-08-08T05:07:00.002-06:00

Click here!!!! fun stuff.....

2011-08-08T05:02:00.003-06:00

Interesting site.....

2011-08-08T04:55:00.003-06:00

7 Reasons The Zombie Apocalypse Would Be Good For Genealogists by Kerry Scott on 28 June 2011

2011-08-08T04:51:00.000-06:00

Here’s why I think genealogists should welcome the zombie apocalypse:

It’s full of dead people. We like dead people. Duh.
We don’t have to look for people in the census and wonder why they’re not there. They’ll be here, trying to eat our brains. It’s very mountain-comes-to-Mohammed. In fact, my plan is to put out a sign that says, “FREE BRAINS!” so they’ll come to me. I’m lazy like that.
No more stomping around huge cemeteries looking for your ancestor’s grave. You drive up to the front gate, roll down the window, yell, “Yo, Uncle Al, you there?” and the dude pops right out of the grave. I’m going to save a fortune in bug spray alone.
No need to call in sick to work when you’ve really just stayed up all night on a research binge and are too tired to go to work (and don’t even try to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about here). If you don’t show up for work, they’ll just assume that you were waylaid by zombies. No big deal.
Brains have protein. Everyone knows that protein stays with you a long time, so you can research longer. It also helps build muscles, including the ones you use to crank microfilm and lift heavy reference books. Even if the zombies DO get you, you can still do research.
We’re used to being locked indoors with computers and records and stuff, so hiding inside from the zombies is a piece of cake for us. All those obnoxious outdoorsy people who go running and biking and stuff? They’ll be the first to go. We dorky shut-ins will be the last hope of humanity. Who’s making fun of me for spending the entire afternoon looking at city directories on a perfect 72 degree day NOW, hmmmmm?
Zombies can’t bite you if you hold up your copy of Evidence Explained. It’s too thick for them to bite through. Source citations save lives, people.

Sprankle Viaduct

2011-06-29T22:49:00.001-06:00

Sprankle Viaduct, a photo by Fan-T on Flickr.

"If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are." Madeleine L'Engle

Veteran's Memorial Park

2011-06-29T22:41:00.001-06:00

Veteran's Memorial Park, a photo by crosstrippin on Flickr.

“How will our children know who they are if they don’t know where they came from?” John Steinbeck

Pennsylvania....

2011-06-29T22:38:00.001-06:00

Untitled, a photo by Angaleen on Flickr.

Pictures are worth a thousand words – but only if you know the words.

Sunset over the Hummelbaugh Farm, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

2011-06-29T22:28:00.001-06:00

Sunset over the Hummelbaugh Farm, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a photo by Runner Jenny on Flickr.

We are part of the future they died for; they are part of the past that brought the future. What they did – the lives they lived, the sacrifices they made, the stories they told, the songs they sang, and, finally, the deaths they died – make up a part of our own experience.

Standing tall on the wings of my dream

2011-06-29T22:26:00.001-06:00

Standing tall on the wings of my dream, a photo by eqqman on Flickr.

YOU
2 parents
4 grandparents
8 gr grandparents
16 gg grandparents
32 ggg grandparents
64 gggg grandparents
128 ggggg grandparents
256 gggggg grandparents
512 ggggggg grandparents
1,024 gggggggg grandparents
2,048 ggggggggg grandparents
4,096 gggggggggg grandparents
8,192 ggggggggggg grandparents
16,384 ggggggggggg grandparents
32,768 ggggggggggggg grandparents
65,536 gggggggggggggg grandparents
131,072 ggggggggggggggg grandparents
262,144 gggggggggggggggg grandparents
524,288 ggggggggggggggggg grandparents
1,048,576 gggggggggggggggggg grandparents
2,097,152 ggggggggggggggggggg grandparents
4,194,304 gggggggggggggggggggg grandparents
You have a lot of work to do.

We will never fall down

2011-06-29T22:25:00.002-06:00

We will never fall down, a photo by eqqman on Flickr.

Have several family members buried here....
"We are people to whom the past is forever speaking. We listen to it because we cannot help ourselves, for the past speaks to us with many voices."

2011-06-29T22:22:00.001-06:00

Himmels and Haystacks, a photo by eqqman on Flickr.

Far out of that dark nowhere which is the time before we were born, men and women who were flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone went through fire and storm to break a path to the future.

National Archives

2011-06-06T09:53:00.002-06:00

Resources for Genealogists

Neat site......

2011-06-06T09:51:00.001-06:00

Isn't genealogy fun? The answer to one problem leads to two more!

2011-04-22T11:45:00.001-06:00

Fun

2011-04-22T11:42:00.002-06:00

Tree tunnel, a photo by floridapfe on Flickr.

Browse this comprehensive list of genealogy blogs arranged alphabetically by contributor.

TribalPages.com

2011-04-22T11:26:00.004-06:00

Family history, a photo by mihailo.genije on Flickr.

http://tribalpages.com/tpShowcase.html

Digital Resoruces

2011-04-22T11:20:00.003-06:00

Historic Research

2011-04-22T11:18:00.004-06:00

Historic House Research Display, a photo by Birmingham Public Library (AL) on Flickr.

http://genealogy.org/

Genealogy Research

2011-04-22T10:41:00.001-06:00

Genealogy Research, a photo by Sam Performs on Flickr.

Would you believe...these are copies of actual correspondence received by the Family History Department?

Our 2nd great grandfather was found dead crossing the plains in the library. He was married 3 times in the endowment house and has 21children.

For running down the Wheelers, I will send $3.00 more.

He and his daughter are listed as not being born.

I would like to find out if I have any living relatives or dead relatives or ancestors in my family.

Will you send me a list of all the Dripps in your library?

My Grandfather died at the age of 3.

We are sending you 5 children in a separate envelope.

Documentation: Family Bible in possession of Aunt Merle until the tornado hit Topeka, Kansas, now only the Good Lord know where it is . . .

The wife of #22 could not be found. Somebody suggested that she might have been stillborn. What do you think?

I am mailing you my aunt and uncle and 3 of their children.

Enclosed please find my Grandmother. I have worked on her for 30 years without success. Now see what you can do.

I have a hard time finding myself in London. If I were there I was very small and cannot be found.

This family had 7 nephews that I am unable to find. If you know who they are please add them to the list.

We lost our Grandmother, will you please send us a copy?

Will you please send me the name of my first wife? I have forgotten her name.

A 14-year-old boy wrote: "I do not want you to do my research for me. Will you please send me all of the material on the Welch line, in the US, England and Scotland countries? I will do the research.

Further research will be necessary to eliminate one of the parents.

“He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning.” - Old English Proverb

2011-04-22T10:32:00.001-06:00

Cemetery Stairway, a photo by Star Cat on Flickr.

Mark Twain once remarked that he spent $25 to research his family tree, and then he had to spend $50 to cover it up.

2011-04-22T10:28:00.001-06:00

Emblematic Family Register, a photo by sassyarts on Flickr.

An Immigrant's Dream

2011-04-22T10:22:00.001-06:00

An Immigrant's Dream, a photo by fireflythegreat on Flickr.

"When your family set sail for the New World you came with a large quantity of livestock." "Wow! I guess that means we were wealthy gentry." "Well, no. You didn't own the livestock. You just came with it."

Genealogists are time unravelers

2011-04-22T09:45:00.001-06:00

Cemetery, a photo by Khonsus on Flickr.

Timelines

2011-01-16T05:36:00.002-07:00

DSCF7036
Originally uploaded by creativesoul in OH

A general knowledge of the historical era in which your ancestors lived is important in putting the circumstances of their life in context. This is where timelines -- chronological listings of historical events -- can offer an interesting perspective to your genealogy research. They can help to take you beyond names, dates and locations to the "big picture" - events, situations and surroundings which probably had some sort of impact on your ancestors.

Ancestor Hunt - Free Genealogy Search Engines

2011-01-16T04:57:00.002-07:00

101 Ways to Research Your Family Tree for Free

2011-01-16T04:56:00.002-07:00

Access Genealogy: A Free Genealogy Resource

2011-01-16T04:55:00.002-07:00

Storybooking teaches family values, builds self esteem

2011-01-15T09:59:00.002-07:00

Family Heritage

2011-01-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

Family Heritage Cover
Originally uploaded by emas place

In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit.
- Marge Kennedy

Document and preserve your heritage

2011-01-15T09:54:00.001-07:00

PA German Cultural Heritage Center, Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Originally uploaded by bob194156

Words are, of course, the most
powerful drug used by mankind."
- Rudyard Kipling

Why preserve family heritage?

2011-01-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

Family history
Originally uploaded by mihailo.genije

Because it’s a kind of fortune or treasure. Wikipedia suggests that heritage refers to something inherited from one’s ancestors – a legacy of physical artifacts and/or intangible attributes. Knowing your family legacy helps express identity, define values and add meaning to everyday life.

"Know from whence
you came
because if you know
from whence you came
There is no limit
to where you can go.
- James Baldwin

Scotland Cemetary

2011-01-14T02:39:00.001-07:00

Scotland Cemetary
Originally uploaded by Mohan Gumatay

“History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time;
it illumines reality,
vitalizes memory,
provides guidance in daily life,
and brings us tidings of antiquity.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero

2011-01-14T02:31:00.001-07:00

Palouse Harvest Season
Originally uploaded by kevin mcneal

The farther back you look, the farther back you see.
- Winston Churchill

Information.....

2011-01-14T02:23:00.002-07:00

StateGenSites - U.S. Genealogy Sites State by State

www.genealogytoday.com

GENEALOGY POX

2011-01-02T06:42:00.001-07:00

Family history
Originally uploaded by mihailo.genije

INCIDENCE:
Though it can strike at any age, this dread disease rarely affects children or young adults, and rarely becomes serious until after middle age.

CONTAGION:
The cause and manner of transmission of the Pox are poorly understood. It is generally only mildly contagious, requiring relatively prolonged exposure to one afflicted with it. However, some victims contract the disease after one brief exposure, while others seem to have a natural immunity, and can withstand years of close contact without ever succumbing to it.

SYMPTOMS:
Insatiable craving for names, dates and places; patient often has a blank expression and seems deaf to spouse and children; has no taste for productive work of any kind, but will spend long hours feverishly looking through books at libraries and courthouses; may become addicted to the use of microfilm and microfiche readers; may become a compulsive letter- writer or phone-caller; may tend to lie in wait for the mailman, cursing him soundly if he only leaves bills or circulars; frequents strange places such as cemeteries, attics and any place where dusty old books and photographs can be found.

These have always been the classic symptoms. But recently the virus causing this Pox seems to have mutated. The newest symptom is spending hours in front of a computer screen, sending e-mail messages and looking for more and more genealogy websites on the Internet. This can lead to dire consequences, as the victim often forgets to eat or sleep and can become emaciated, disoriented and clinically speaking, totally nuts!

TREATMENT:
There is no known cure, and fighting the disease only makes the victim withdraw from contact with those trying to help him. Humoring him, or joining in his obsessive activities seem to be the best ways for loved ones to deal with it. It is progressive, but has never been known to be fatal. The patient should attend genealogy workshops, subscribe to genealogy magazines, and be given a quiet place where he can be alone. If the patient is inattentive to those closest to him, his attention can be gotten, at least for short periods of time, by promising him a new website address, or
a new and more powerful computer. But perhaps the surest, and certainly the least expensive way of getting his attention, is to ask a question - ANY question - about his great grandmother!

REMARKS/OBSERVATIONS:
The most unusual aspect of this disease has always been that, the sicker the patient gets, the more he enjoys it!

You know you're addicted to genealogy when...

2011-01-02T06:36:00.001-07:00

Salt Lake City, UT
Originally uploaded by kummerle

You brake for libraries.
You hyperventilate at the sight of an old cemetery.
You would rather browse in a cemetery than a shopping mall.
You would rather read census schedules than a good book.
You are more interested in what happened in 1697 than 1997.
Savage, Torry, and Pope are household names, but
you cannot remember what to call the dog.
You can pinpoint Harrietsham, Hawkhurst, Kent, but
can't locate your state capitol on the map.
You think every home should have a
copier and a microfilm reader.
You know every registrar of deeds in the state
by name, but they lock the doors when they see you coming.
You store your clothes under the bed, because
your closet is full of books and papers.
All your correspondence begins "Dear Cousin".
You have traced every one of your ancestral
lines back to Adam and Eve, have it
documented, and still don't want to quit.

STRANGERS IN THE BOX

2011-01-02T06:26:00.001-07:00

stories and secrets remain
Originally uploaded by Frerieke

Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, and serene.

I wish I knew the people,
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories,
Are lost among my socks.

I wonder what their lives were like,
How did they spend their days?
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.

If only someone had taken time,
To tell, who, what, where, and when,
These faces of my heritage,
Would come to life again.

Could this become the fate,
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories,
Someday to be passed away?

Take time to save your stories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours,
Could be strangers in the box.

tree at dusk

2011-01-02T06:13:00.001-07:00

my tree at dusk
Originally uploaded by joiseyshowaa

Like branches on a tree, we grow in different directions, but our roots remain as one.

mirror mirror

2011-01-02T06:06:00.001-07:00

mirror mirror
Originally uploaded by kaylovesvintage

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

A Squirrels Family Tree

2011-01-02T06:02:00.001-07:00

A Squirrels Family Tree
Originally uploaded by ghholt

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Dear Ancestor

2010-12-05T21:05:00.002-07:00

Your tombstone stands among the rest
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished, marble stone.
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spread out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved, I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot,
And come to visit you.

2010-10-03T07:41:00.001-06:00

Little Big Horn -

2010-10-03T07:25:00.001-06:00

Little Big Horn - They Died With Their Boots On
Originally uploaded by Marc_714

Genealogists are ghost-a-holics.

Autumn in the Bitterroot Valley

2010-10-03T07:20:00.001-06:00

Autumn in the Bitterroot Valley
Originally uploaded by Roger Lynn

We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors' wisdom. Maya Angelou

Olive Tree Genealogy - good site

2010-09-17T12:24:00.000-06:00

Encyclopedia of Genealogy

2010-09-17T12:20:00.002-06:00

2010-09-17T12:18:00.001-06:00

Two comprehensive lists of free newspaper archives are at:

1. The Library of Congress
2. The University of Pennsylvania's Historical Newspapers Online.

Montana Fall

2010-07-11T03:58:00.001-06:00

Montana Fall
Originally uploaded by Chip Phillips

Some family trees have beautiful leaves, and some have just a bunch of nuts. Remember, it is the nuts that make the tree worth shaking.
~Author Unknown

If man cares not for his roots, then how can he care for his branches.

Kercock Bothy - Perthshire Scotland

2010-07-11T03:46:00.001-06:00

Kercock Bothy - Perthshire Scotland
Originally uploaded by angus clyne

People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.
Author: Edmund Burke

Gettysburg cemetery

2010-07-11T03:27:00.001-06:00

Gettysburg cemetery
Originally uploaded by Scotriani (Scott Evans Photography)

We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies. ~Shirley Abbott

Moulton Barn

2010-07-11T03:17:00.001-06:00

Moulton Barn
Originally uploaded by mstrwhew

To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain perpetually a child. For what is the worth of a human life unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 B.C.

Old Church Yard

2010-07-11T03:15:00.001-06:00

The Old Yellow Church Yard
Originally uploaded by katiealley

"In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning. No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum, an emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness." -- Alex Haley, Roots

good source-----

2010-04-15T08:35:00.001-06:00

Native American Genealogy

2010-04-15T08:11:00.002-06:00

Irish Genealogy, Heritage, and Ancestry Information

2010-04-15T08:10:00.002-06:00

2010-04-15T08:08:00.001-06:00

We Live As Long As We Are Remembered.

2010-04-15T08:06:00.002-06:00

* The genealogist, not wanting to lie about his ancestor but not wanting anyone to know the person was hanged, wrote, “Grandfather died during a public ceremony when the platform on which he was standing collapsed beneath him”.

Genealogy

2010-04-15T08:02:00.002-06:00

2010-03-29T14:11:00.001-06:00

Family is everything. It defines you--the heart of your spirit, the heritage of your smile, not only the color of your eyes but how they see the world. You are bound by kinship. You add your own link to the chain, and that is where you strengthen or weaken what you have been blessed--or burdened--with. That is where you use the indefinable quality that belongs to only you, the bit of uniqueness you pass on to your children for good or bad, the part of you that will always be separate from those who share your name, your blood, and your past.
- Deborah Smith

Winter Cabin - Night

2010-01-15T08:34:00.001-07:00

Winter Cabin - Night
Originally uploaded by anabolic.frolic

Blessed solitude!!!

2010-01-15T08:31:00.001-07:00

IRISH BLESSINGS
May you have love that never ends,
Lots of money, and lots of friends
Health be yours, whatever you do
And may God send many blessings to you!
May you always have walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire.
May God grant you always…
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

May you live long,
Die happy,
And rate a mansion in heaven.

Genealogists' Disease

2010-01-08T23:17:00.001-07:00

WARNING: This condition is very contagious to adults.

SYMPTOMS: Continual complaint as to need for names, dates and places. Patient has a blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and children. Has no taste for work of any kind except feverishly looking through records at libraries and Record Offices. Has complusion to write letters. Swears at postman when he doesn't leave mail. Frequents strange places such as cemeteries, ruins and remote, desolate country areas. Makes secret night calls, mumbles to self. Has strange faraway look in eyes.

TREATMENT: Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal, but gets progressively worse. Patient should attend Family History Workshops, subsbribe to Genealogical magazines and be given a quiet corner of the house where he, or she, can be alone.

The usual nature of the disease is - the sicker the patient gets, the more he, or she enjoys it . . . .

H.J.Tucker

Ghostly fun....

2009-09-22T23:28:00.000-06:00

Sleepy hollow

2009-09-22T23:18:00.000-06:00

“Every man dies - not every man really lives.” - William Wallace

2009-02-06T23:39:00.001-07:00

“Every man dies - not every man really lives.” - William Wallace
Originally uploaded by katiealley [moving to Argentina on 2/28!]