Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's Day is just around the corner and I thought of some unique ideas that don't take a lot of time that mom would really value.  Lucky you, since you're into genealogy, you've got the information to share.

This idea I got from my church - they requested a brief (meaning less than 500 words) bio of a special mom.  Note the word special; that mom doesn't have to be by blood.  I really liked that concept.  So remember those special moms on Mother's Day, too!  Not sure who that could be?  Think family friend, neighbor, teacher, or perhaps, an older sister. that you looked to for guidance.  If they're no longer living, create a Find-A-Grave memorial page or donate to a cause they were passionate about.

Now back to the brief bio idea...this only takes a few minutes to write, print and frame.  Add a picture and get some input from siblings or grandchildren.  A personalized gift was always valued by my mom and I wish I had thought of this while she was still living.

Last month, Ancestry.com advertised a Mother's Day promotion and even though it's too late to enter, the method, a video, is another wonderful way to honor  mom.  I think it would be awesome to highlight several moms in a line this way.  Adding music of the time period, documents with signatures and your voice over as a connection across the ages could be powerful.  Geez, you could even make copies on a thumb drive to use for stocking stuffers at Christmas.

A spin off of the Ancestry.com idea made me think of a mom in my past that had overcome adversity.  Your tree is most likely full of hard working women who have made a positive impact.  Pick one as your heroine and simply write that individuals name on a stickee to be placed near your computer.  If you have her picture, put it on your phone for another visible reminder of strength.  We can all use a little motherly love during a stressful workday!  It's a neat gift to give yourself.

Sometimes You Just Have to Pay for a Record

Not everything in life is free.  Genealogy can be expensive, however, IMHO, it has become much less expensive than at any time in the past.  Folks who don't want to spend money on a subscription can use the library edition of Ancestry.com at their local library.  Sure, it's not the same as an individual subscription but it suffices for the hobbyist.  Familysearch.org is free to anyone who create an account.  There are lots of records available for no cost online but we are far from the day when everything is available on the web.

Last weekend, my local genealogy society offered it's family help day.  Seven of us spent the afternoon assisting interested folks in overcoming their brick wall.  Maybe because it was such a beautiful spring day, our turnout was much lower than usual.  I only assisted 2 people all afternoon.

The first woman I assisted had a lengthy handwritten letter written in the 1960's that contained EXACT QUOTES purportedly said by a Revolutionary War patriot.  We talked about kernels of truth in family lore and how it was unlikely that the letter writer had firsthand knowledge of a conversation that occurred nearly 200 years earlier.  

Since the woman wanted her granddaughter to join the DAR, I went to their nifty ancestor search and lo and behold, there were several women who had joined based on the named individual.  She was delighted.  I provided her with the contact information for a local chapter that assists interested people at a nearby library.  I then explained what she would need to bring them - her granddaughter's birth certificate, her daughter's and her birth and marriage record, and back to whoever the last connection to the DAR member was.  She was reluctant to have to pay for any vitals.  Unfortunately, there just is no way around that.

The next inquirer had done extensive research and I was pleased that he had brought it with him.  He had three needed items - a probate record, a naturalization record and a marriage record.  He knew where and how to obtain the documents that were not online.  He just felt it was unfair to pay a New York City church $50.00 for the marriage record, the District of Columbia court for the probate record and the US Federal government for the naturalization record.  He inquired how he could find a back door for the records.  There isn't one.  The owner of the records sets the price based on how they value the record or the cost they believe they incur for someone to go in the archives and retrieve it.  He was not happy to hear that.  I suggested he prioritize which ones he wanted to obtain and pay based on his need.  I also recommended he ask family to give him those records for his birthday, Father's Day and other holidays.  He laughed.  Truly, family never knows what to give those interested in genealogy.  I'm sure they'd be happy to help in giving a gift that is truly meaningful. 

Both of these folks did not have a brick wall; they had a reluctance to spend money on a needed record.  Sometimes, you just have to pay to get what you need.

DNA Has Changed My Habits...and not for the good, I'm afraid!

I just came to the realization that DNA has made me a lazy genealogist.  Here's why...

I have made public several trees that are quite large.  The reason for their size is because I once did surname studies - I tried to link all of the Leiningers, Harbaughs, Duers, Kos[s]s, Landfairs and Kuhns in the U.S. from an identified gateway ancestor.  I want contact from far flung relatives as I don't know these folks personally and needing closer relatives input, I made the trees public.

Due to the many places I've placed the trees online, their size, and my weekly blog posts, I get over 500 comments weekly.  Granted, many are spam, but quite a few are serious inquiries.

Before DNA, I would go to the tree mentioned, search for the name provided in the inquiry, review what citations I had and then respond.

Since DNA, I find myself instead responding with my own query - Have you had your DNA analyzed and if so, what provider did you use and what is your profile name?

Last evening, after sending the same question repeatedly, it hit me that this is a seriously lazy response to well meaning folks who've taken the time to contact me.

My intentions were never to be rude but I'm afraid that's how it's appearing.  I'm not sure how I'd feel if I was the recipient and wasn't into DNA.  I queried colleagues in my local genealogical society and they think my response is acceptable but I'm not so sure.   What do you think, readers?!  Would you be offended if you emailed someone for more information and received a question in response? 

Genealogy Mysteries - The Unclaimed Dead

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Anyone who has spent even a short amount of time in genealogy encounters missing ancestor information.  Although women are more often found in this category due to changing surnames when they wed or a lack of surviving documents due to limited citizenship rights, men, too, often simply disappear into thin air.

Lately, after seeing the Disney movie, Coco, and spending last month traipsing through the Central American jungles in search of Mayan remains, when I get back to my tree I'm more driven then ever to discover why and where my disappearing family went. That's my current research focus - I've identify 10 individuals with missing death dates/places and I'm on the hunt to narrow down information.

Unfortunately, the missing continues even today.  If you're interested, a volunteer organization of which I've blogged about previously, Unclaimed People, assists coroners in reunited the recently deceased with extended family.  The organization's motto, Every Life is Worth Remembering, is powerful.

Recently, I came upon the following article, Trail of Ashes:  A Local Man's Work to Restore Identity to the Unclaimed Dead.  It is a must read!


1.  Photo by Lori Samuelson, a rural unnamed cemetery in Quintana Roo, Mexico, 15 March 2018.

More Nickname Identification Help

Hit a brickwall because of a family pet name?  Nicknames are sometimes the reason why we can't make progress on our family trees.  I've written previously about matching nicknames to legal names - see Knocking Down Nicknames.  

Recently, Niyi  at Findnicknames.com asked me to let you know about the site's Nickname Generator, which consists of a database of  various nicknames.  I'd like the site to create historical nicknames, such as Mary - Molly, but it is a fun place to go if you're in need of a little help in creating a new millennial moniker. Enjoy!