"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! February 10th - 12th, 2023 [closed]

+34 votes
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CHANGE TO BEST ANSWER PROCESS:  After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that all answers in the Weekend Chat are of equal importance and weight.  So we are going to discontinue the Best Answer portion as it adds points and then takes them away from posters and is causing some hurt feelings.  So in the interest of everyone is equal and valued we will delete any best answers given which will deduct those points because it has been pointed out that to give everyone best answer is also not a viable option. 

Weekend Chat is for everyone. It's a place to catch up on what people are up to and to share what you've been doing.  New members can say hello, introduce themselves, ask questions, and meet each other.  Our seasoned members can share progress or successes from their projects, give tips and advice, or chime in on hot topics.

Post as many answers and comments as you wish. It doesn't hurt anyone to post a lot and enjoy the multitude of topics.

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Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

WikiTree profile: Pip Sheppard
closed with the note: See y'all next weekend! Stay safe.
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.9m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard
Welcome to the Chat, Terenda! I am so glad you joined us here. I fully understand about being a little overwhelmed. WikiTree can be that way, but once you get into adding your family and making those connections, you'll feel much more comfortable.
I know the feeling, Nancy. I was fortunate to have all four of  my grandparents until I was 26. They were a blessing in my life, as I know your grandmother was, too!
Welcome, Terenda! I've only been a WikiTree member since last October. It is overwhelming at first. But I'm starting to feel comfortable. Those unexpected connections are the best!
Welcome Terenda, I have lots of roots in Indiana even though I am a Jersey Girl. We are cousins but i checked and we are more connected through marriage. Only 18 degrees apart.
Hi Terenda! We are 11th cousins 1x removed through MRCA Cicely (Penny) Chapin, who arrived during the Puritan Great Migration (PGM).(https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Penny-74) Take your time in learning the 'ropes' of WT and there are plenty here who will support you in your ancestral quest.

Welcome Cousin Terenda!
Welcome, Terenda! Yes, the plethora of details, connections, and projects can be mind-boggling. Suggest you start with 1 or 2 things that really appeal to you, and don't be afraid to ask for help. That's what we're here for!
Thanks, Cousin Pip, for hosting the chat, and hope you will now get some well-deserved rest.

Funny how we make these connections. When my cousin died last August (funeral postponed a month), I phoned the florist down in GA to make arrangements for flowers to be sent, since I couldn't attend. To arrange delivery, I ended up talking with the officiating pastor, whose last name proved to be Herndon. A name that shows up in my tree too! We're probably distant cousins...

You are certainly having nice weather. I just got off the phone with my Sister from Another Mother in Reidsville, who said it had been in the 60s. We have had 30s-40s (springlike for us), though now the snow is coming back. Hopefully the Tech kids' snow statues didn't melt!
You're right about those connections, D. When my mother died, we had to hunt up an officiant for her burial. Turns out that the one I contacted at a church near where we grew up was a third cousin, a Lawing descendant.
Pip, your great grandmother basically eloped. I bet my paternal 2nd great grandmother did the same thing! Kind of like Romeo and Juliet.

True. The story is that Tom helped Mary through the window at her home and met a minister (planned) to marry them. The documentary evidence makes it look different, but it still would have been an elopement considering Julia Kerr's attitude toward the men in the neighborhood! surprise

55 Answers

+32 votes

Good morning Pip and the weekend chatters!

Weather

  • Currently, it's 54ºF and party cloudy.
by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (2.3m points)
Good morning, Tommy! 47°F and sunny today. There's a very slight possibility that we might actually get a few snowflakes in a couple of days.

Whatcha working on?

I'm working on connecting John Vernon Welch (1906-1940) to the tree. He was a notable baseball player who died at the young age of 33. He is on the unconnected notable list.

Do you have a link to his profile?
Good morning Tommy!
+29 votes

¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 8am and 45F (7.2C) with an expected high of 70F (21.1C) and sunny skies in Tucson. We have had some frost warnings this past week, so I had to cover my plants to keep them warm.

 

This has continued to be another difficult week health-wise. I saw the pain specialist on Tuesday and my blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) is dangerously high. I am sure it is because of the severe pain in the lumbar spine, as well as the difficulty I have had with the Cigna Medicare supplement doing something other than collecting $35 with every office visit. This is not good given that I am a walking stroke risk. Thus far, they have collected $280 for office visits since January 1st. That does not include drug co-pays since that time, which have totaled $500 thus far. I have no doubt that the uncontrolled hypertension is due to stress with this insurance company and the severe pain. I will see my primary care provider next Wednesday and have an appointment with the new insurance broker next Thursday. The neurologist is re-issuing the request for an MRI of the lumbar spine, as well as a CTA of the head and neck (both done over 2 years ago). Then I will see the pain specialist again for a follow up spinal injection to control the pain. Sadly, I cannot take standard pain medication (e.g., ibuprofen) because of the other anti-stroke medications, along with other medications that I am prescribed.

 

I am keeping stimulated in a healthy way by working on the chapter on multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) for the 3rd edition of Women and Health. Keeping mentally stimulated helps to reduce my stress levels and keep my mind off the pain. I find it interesting that most of the theoretical information on MCS, including the unexplained illnesses like fibromyalgia and Gulf War Syndrome were based on research that my colleague Iris and I and our team of researchers published between 1995 and 2010! I am finding it interesting how these illnesses are being written currently relevant to industrial/occupational workers in industries that use paints, solvents, pesticides/insecticides and so forth, and are now including relationships with electromagnetic fields, as well as climate change.

 

My daughter sent a FaceBook message around yesterday announcing that she has started selling hot/cold packs filled with fresh died lavender, or rosemary, or unscented on Etsy. She is calling her business JJHealingArts. The herbs that she uses are grown in her own garden. I am so proud of her…well, I would be even if she was not doing this on Etsy. I am sure she is supplementing her income as an 8th grade teacher. Her pay is pitiful, and she spends more than the allotted $250 or so for the underserved students whose families do not even have the basic finances for pencils, paper tablets and so forth. I am looking forward to seeing Jennifer and Curtis, who are arriving next Friday for a two-day break here in Tucson.

 

Genealogy has also been a boon for taking my mind off of health issues. I am adding to and connecting the Draper and Gager families of Ontario, Canada in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Several of these families fought in the American Revolution and were given land grants in Canada. Many of the profiles lack biographies and proper sources, and I have found several with ancestors already listed on WikiTree, but not connected.In between adding to these profiles, I continue to work on the pre-1500 Baldwins of Buckinghamshire. It is taking a fair amount of time improving the profile of Sir John Baldwin, Chief Justice of Common Pleas, as several of his children are conflated with other Baldwins (my ancestors) in Buckinghamshire. I am working from my original 1881 Baldwin Genealogy text, downloads from articles about the Bucks Baldwins in the NEHGS Register from the 1800s, and Hilltop Villages of the Chilterns by David and Joan Hay, a book I purchased on Amazon. All these references suggest that Sir John and the other Baldwins are related, but it has been uncertain as to how. I think I have determined how; however, I am still putting the genealogical puzzle pieces together.

 

Speaking of puzzles, did any of you catch Finding Your Roots this past Tuesday featuring Joe Manganiello and Tony Gonzalez? Good gosh! That search for Joe Manganiello’s family on both sides was stunning! It was also an excellent exemplar for ethics in obtaining permission to further the searches…for both men. And it was nice to see CeCe Moore working on the DNA to track family. Do you all realize that it was about this time 2 years ago that several of us were working on Henry Louis Gates’ and CeCe Moore’s WikiTrees?

 

Pip, thank you as ever for wrangling the chat.smiley I miss you! And to all my cousins on the Chat have a fun and healthy second weekend of February 2023.

by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
edited by Carol Baldwin
@Carol, thanks for the clarification. Mme Laveau's was a stop on my NOLA ghost tour (gotta do the tourist thang once in a while!)...but I happened to be in a voodoo shop in St. Louis when a couple came in asking for some help for their son. Now *there* was some serious mojo!

Anyway, sending you both!
Is it inappropriate to ask; What are teachers salaries in the US?

Here in Ontario, Canada, 2018 numbers, the average elementary teacher starting salary is $ 51,263 Cdn.

It is more in some places that have a higher cost of living such as Toronto and surrounding parts of Southern Ontario, and can be slightly less in some rural areas, top end average with 10 or more years of experience is $ 94,612

hIOT HAS BEEN AWHILE    ROOMUCH SICKNESS AND DEATH IN 2023 FOR ME.  lPST A GOOD YOING MAN LAST WEEK TO DIABETES/ KIDNEY FAILURE  HE WAS COMING UP ON 60    i AM GUTTED BY THIS,    

CAROL TELL YOUR DAUGHTER TO CONTACT ilOVE sCHOOLS THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT TO TEACHERS 

I Love Schools, Inc. – Givv.org – Monthly giving made easy

HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON   SORRY MY CAPS LOCK IS STUCK     CAN YOU DO TENS UNIT ELECTROSTIMULATION?
Laura, you have really been through the wringer the past few years. Your courage in facing all of these issues with death and illness are an example to me and others. We miss you and love you!
i THINK OF DEATH AS A JOURNEY TO A NEW WORLD MUCH LIKE MANY OF OUR ANCESTORS UNDERTOOK COMING TO AMERICA YOU LEAVE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS BUT WILL BE THERE FOR THEM WHEN THEY UNDERTAKE THEIR JOURNEY.    WE TRY TO MAKE THE TIME THEY HAVE LEFT WITH US AS JOYFUL AND PAIN FREE AS POSSIBLE    BUT WE CLING TO THE KNOWLEDGE THAT LOVE TRANSCENDS TIME AND SPACE    ITRY TO HONOR THE DEAD VIA GENEALOGY BUT THE LIVING NEED TO TAKE PRECEDENCE IN MY LIFE NOW.
Well said Laura.
@Laura, thank you for your very kind thoughts and supportive information. I am so sorry to hear of your recent loss. You are in my daily healing intentions. This has been a difficult year thus far for so many across the globe. Wikitreers and this chat are an extended family for me and so many others. Sincerely, Carol
@M Ross, WOW...maybe Jennifer should move to Canada! In Wisconsin, where my daughter resides, the salary ranges from $40,000 to $86,000 for an academic year (9 months). The salary also depends on years of teaching experience.

That is about $10 to $25/hour. All elementary school teachers in Wisconsin are required to have a Bachelor's degree in elementary education. My daughter has both a Bachelor's and Masters in Education with added specialties in English as a Second Language (ESL) and learners with special needs. She has been teaching for over 10 years and she earns maybe $50,000 for an academic year.

Part of the problem is aking to nursing. What you start at is your 'base salary' and then you get raises. So, if Jennifer started at say $35,000 10 years ago, she might be up to $50,000 now; however, a new teacher would likely start at say $45,000 in 2023, which becomes his/her base salary. So the new teacher will be earning well over $50,000 in a few years and would likely match and then exceed my daughter's salary because of the base salary difference.
Carol, I will email you, regarding your various comments.

M
+33 votes

Good morning from sunny Southern California!  We have a predicted high of 75 degrees later today.  As per our usual winter weather the high temp will be just 59 on Sunday. sad

Genealogy-wise I worked on more profiles for the Frontier Nursing Service project. Yesterday found me working on a CC7 rabbit hole.  I looked at my Anniversary list for the 15 for 15 Challenge and found a big family of big families in Ritchie County, WV.  Still much work to do there to increase my CC7 score.

I hope we all have a good week ahead and positive reports for next weekend's chat!

by Karen Stewart G2G6 Pilot (136k points)
Thank you so much for heading up the Frontier Nursing Service page. I am learning so much about these brave women!

Karen, my CC7s are actually CC8s plus. All of the families I am working on right now are just out of range for my CC7. sad

Hi Karen, as a nurse and nurse educator for over 45 years, I cannot thank you enough for your work on the Frotier Nursing Service project! I seem to recall a show on NPR that included some information and old photos of Frontier Nurses in Appalachia. It might have been one of those Ken Burns documentaries. Wouldn't it be awesome to restart this program of ALL underserved and rural areas in the USA? I was fortunate to have Visiting Nurses when I was a new mom at home with a premature infant. They got me though my fears and concerns about my daughter, my ability to nurse her and so much more. I have copies the Wikipedia page on Frontier Nursing Service. Now these nurses can be Notables!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Nursing_Service

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Frontier

Good Morning Karen,

Thank you for your work on the Frontier Nursing Service Project. I am enjoying reading the quarterlies. I am glad these ladies can be notables. I worked on one, Kitty, was definitely should be notable. She was a star of the program until she died. I enjoyed watching several videos on youtube (attached to her profile) about her and her speaking.

I am going to look for the NPR series online. I would love to have a Ken Burns documentary on the Frontier Nursing Service.

It was good you had the visiting nurses with your preemies. The hospital thought because I was a nurse I didn't need Home Health with my preemie. They were definitely wrong; knew nothing about babies and had been out of college for ten years when he came along, but we made it anyway and I was able to successfully nurse him and provide his milk even in the NICU for 22 days. He's a big strong man now and other than the scars from the chest tubes, one would never know he started out at 3 pounds.

 Hope you have an awesome weekend.
Good luck on increasing your CC7 Karen. I know you can do it!
+35 votes
This week has been one of those whirlwinds that sort of blow through your life and stir everything up a bit. Keeps it interesting, I suppose! In "real life," I threw the blue and gold banquet for the cub scout pack (a birthday celebration for scouting's anniversary) so got to see the kids get awarded their rank advancements, then had swim lessons for my older daughter (last week of this session and I admit I am a bit relieved, it's a lot of shuttling back and forth!), also ran two "Valentine's Social" dances for the elementary school PTO, one for K-2 yesterday and the one for grades 3-5 is today. A lot of prep work, a lot of parents to please, a lot of contending wishes to try to reconcile...but worth it when the kids have a good time!

Genealogically busy this week, working a little bit at the OPS challenge, adding Civil War soldiers to the Battle of Shiloh/Shiloh National Cemetery, and adding my newest heroines of the Frontier Nursing Service. Have also been reading THE Frontier Nursing Founder's biography in my "spare" time, Mary Breckinridge's *Wide Neighborhoods*. Heartbreaking yet inspiring how losing her two young children and a husband all within a decade propelled her toward a life of service and saving other lives.

Definitely looking forward to some down time this weekend and a slower pace next week.Hope you all have been able to enjoy some milder weather, we actually had some warmer days this week. I love when the kids can play outside or we can go for a walk as a family. Wishing everyone warm sunshine and CC7 magic!
by Erin Robertson G2G6 Pilot (195k points)

Hi Erin, Valentine Socials...I remember those when I was in grade school, which was seventy years ago! I still recall bringing little paper Valentines for the class with the names of each student written in pencil on the little envelopes! Oh, and those awful tasting tiny candy hearts with little 'sayings' printed on them. Well done, you for making the days memorable for cub scouts and elementary school children!

I found two links, of which you and Karen are already likely familiar. If they are not on WikiTree, I think they can be uploaded to the site. I was able to upload them to the Chat. These are incredibly deserving nurses and you, Karen and all the others working the the Frontier Nursing Service are to be commended!

You sound incredibly busy, Erin. I've been there and done that with little ones. I don't know how you do it. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. ;-)

Glad to hear you get some chance to pursue some reading and time on WT.
I need some down time, too, Erin! This has been a very busy morning (and no kids), and I really want to get back to my book. Maybe I'll take some time to work on that Lawing family so I can eventually get back to Appalachia!
+29 votes
It's 17F (-8C) and sunny here in Colorado this morning. Since I don't want to go out in that I'll have time to work on my writing assignments and maybe even some time for my own research.

Still working on my DNA project to find the parents of one of my third great grandmothers. There is speculation but it needs confirmation. Have gotten a bit closer.

As an escape from weather, I have been binge watching the Classic Doctor Who streaming channel. Nostalgia time.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (576k points)
Keep us abreast of your DNA research! I'm always excited to see what people find out.

Sunny and still that cold. Seems like a cruel trick, Doug! laugh If you make that DNA connection work for you, let us know. (We WikiTreers are nosey like that.)

34 degrees C or 93 F right now here in the middle of eastern Australia for us. I personally prefer it cool but - 8 BRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slightly warmer when I got up this morning  21F/-6C. It did warm up yesterday and is getting warmer right now. Yesterday got to about 40F/4C.

The DNA is slow work. There are candidates for her parents but no proof. Grandparents are getting more solid. Need a few more test takers with the right genealogies but I'm slowly making headway.
The weather is very tricky, Pip.
+31 votes

I worked on the usual suspects: DNA matches, photos, merges, worked on a brick wall with only limited success, and increased CC7, which is now over 6,000.

While I didn't break down the brick wall, per se, the research did yield some other interesting fruit. I was trying my perpetual search to find more about Jeremiah Brown, my 3g grandfather. But instead I found out a lot more about his wife, Mary (Blackburn) Thacker (formerly Brown), my 3g grandmother. It seems there was a bit of a scandal, which I've written about on her profile. She had an affair, and a child as a result, which caused a break up of the family and remarriages, all in the mid-1800s.

At least I have some kind of answer as to why it is difficult to find out information on Jeremiah. When families break up like this, even in modern times, sometimes family contacts get lost, or family records get lost. Scandals get "brushed under the rug" and people forget what happened or why. Rifts get formed that are difficult to bridge. (And that's part of the reason why I do genealogy: to preserve what happened.)

by Eric Weddington G2G6 Pilot (557k points)
Eric, What happened as fall out may be considered very important information to descendants who have lived under the cloud of not knowing why their elders behave as they do. Generations later, the scandals just don't have the same impact as time has stretched beyond the immediate impact of family dynamics and social mores. It's taken a lifetime of research for me to understand how immigration trauma affected my mother's family.
Wow, Eric, the discoveries you make.
Oooh...

Scandals are definitely part of some of the family trees. Through DNA and research on Ancestry, I was able to find truthful information on my tree.
+30 votes
Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

On the genealogy front, I wrote a blog about social media and how we use it in genealogy: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2023/02/52-ancestors-week-6-social-media.html

While I was doing that, I was exchanging emails with a half 3rd cousin twice removed in Michigan. Just helping him clear up his tree and explaining the connections and everything.

I also helped a fellow member of the Italy Project find her 2nd great0 in the Italian town of Oriolo. For whatever reason the birth records there always have the ladies first before the men on the documents. I suppose that makes sense. I sort of tripped me up a bit because I'm used to San Pietro and Gesualdo having the guys first. Eh, it is what it is. As long as everyone's documented.

Been going through the San Pietro births and I keep finding kids for this guy: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gullo-69

Chances are good I am connected to him.

Not much going on on the non genealogy front. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for hosting, Pip!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (884k points)
A mouth-watering blog this week Chris. I hope others will read it.

If you make that connection to Smeraldo, let us know! You always seem to find the most interesting connections and discoveries.
Thanks, Pip! I hope so too!

All I need to confirm that link is to do more research and poke around some more.
I always enjoy your blogs, Chris. Makes me wish I had more family interested in Genealogy. I have met a few cousins but not kept in touch as well as you have. None on Wikitree.
That sucks, Nancy. But, you know ya got friends here and that's important. (Probably should have included the weekend chat as part of social media....)
I hope you find the connection to Smeraldo Chris! Great blog again.
Hope so too. He seems to be the most umm...profilic person I've been finding in the San Pietro births.
Nice to have relatives who can cook such great dishes!

Most of my English relatives are the overdone meat, boiled to death vegetable types, or in one case a cousin said 'Can you cook, because I can't"
M, I have yet to try English cusine. However, I do like corned beef and cabbage from Ireland. =D We have that every Saint Patrick's Day.
Some would tell you there is no such thing.

It's interesting, grew up in England, visited many times, had many meals with relatives, eaten in many restaurants over the past 30 years, and have never had such a disappointing 'food' experience as we did last summer. The only good meal was at a cousin's home.

Not the one who said he couldn't cook!
+29 votes
Good Morning Everyone!

It is in the low 40's and very windy and now cloudy here in my part of Texas. East of us might get some snow flurries tonight but, thankfully, not the Dallas area!

I have just kind of plodded along with genealogy this week but have added some extended family. I had two big accomplishments: the mtChrondrial test has been ordered that will give us my 2X great grandmothers Haplogroup to compare with a test of a descendant from another line. Now we wait.  The other  exciting event is that I got one of my daughters to join WT!! I am not sure she will be very active but she is intrigued and I have already put her on the Trusted List for some close family - especially the living ones so that if anything happens to me those profiles won't be deleted. So, all in all, a successful week.

We have a family 18th birthday party at 1pm Sunday for a grandson. Where did the time go?? Then we are making an appearance at a Super Bowl party across the street from us. By halftime I will be home in my comfy chair.

Have a good week and a Happy Valentine's Day!
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
That's great news about the DNA test! You'll have to keep us informed about the results. And congratulations on getting family on-board WT as well!
Ginny, we might actually get a few snowflakes Sunday morning, but it's wait and see. It would be the first time this year.
I hear you about those grandkids Ginny! The time seems to fly by and they keep getting older.
Yes, where does the time go? My nephew in law just turned 15. Yikes!
My grandson told me this morning that he is really excited to be an adult! I replied that at 18 he is an "adult in training". He will be an adult at 21, or 25 or 30. Since he is a quick study, I said I am sure I will be able to crown him in three years as an official adult!!
I didn't become an adult till 30. I was still learning at 18.
+31 votes
I just finished being captain for challenge #3 - One Place Studies which made me realize I need to work on my own OPS's.

I also need to go through my suggestion list and then remove profiles from my watchlist that I no longer need to be the PM.
by Kathy Nava G2G6 Pilot (419k points)
Kathy, I also need to go through my watchlist. Seems I'm always needing to do that, but I can't until I finish with these two families I'm adding.
Thanks for hosting Kathy. I enjoyed this week's challenge.
It was a great week to be involved in Kathy - you have an excellent manner as a captain/leader/coordinator. Pleasure to be a part of your team. :)
It was a great challenge to work on and you did a great job of being captain!
I've been wanting to scaledown my watchlist for a few weeks. I can't believe I have so many that aren't even relatives.
+28 votes

Pip!! I know I haven't responded to this in a while. Allow me to postpone my next words of wisdom until such a time as my brain will allow. Might be a week or two. Perhaps a new recipe or 2.wink I'm still alive, it's just...

And on we go...

by Luther Brown G2G6 Pilot (641k points)
Sure thing, Luther. Can't wait for the next recipe!
Here's a simple oatcake recipe I throw together fast:

Left over oatmeal thinned down with beaten eggs and dash of pumpkin pie spice with some honey.

Just cook them a few minutes on each side. Nice with cream cheese, apple butter, lunch meat or nut butter.

Bag the leftovers for a quick snack.
+29 votes

Bon Week-end Mes Amis!

I'm having an extended visit in Fitchburg, Massachusetts with my mother. She's been trying a new medication this week and is looking thin and exhausted. She's been restless at night. I was urging her to talk with her doctor and finally prevailed. My mother is off the new medication and I'm waiting around this weekend to see how she settles. I share in the spirit of solidarity because these things are so normal for those of us who are so lucky to have nonegenarians in our lives.

We in Northeast United States understand changeable weather, but this week has been extreme even for us. Seems we have gone from freezer to microwave! One week ago it was -12 F today, we are breaking records for high temps in the 50s. 

This visit has been exceptionally productive for genealogical research. I was able to attend the annual meeting of the Westminster Historical Society, the highlight of which was a presentation on the Doughboys from Westminster. Mark Landry is an excellent researcher of military history and the personal records of the Westminster veterans. For me, military research is one of those growing edges with which I'm far from comfortable. I've done voluminous genealogical research in the area and joined Wikitree to be able to place these veterans in their genealogical context. I'm excited to have finally made contact with Mark in person and now to be able to collaborate more easily via email. His work is exceptional! Now I have access to and permission to use additional photos and memorabilia to add to the profiles of our Westminster veterans from Civil War down to present, with a guide who will help me understand their significance.

I also spent two afternoons at the Fitchburg Historical Society, mainly focusing on the family of John F(ield) Bruce 1833-1899. He was the brother of my 2nd gr grandmother, Ruth Matilda Bruce 1837-1913. They happen to have a few items from the family, but had no context for them and no idea whether or how the people were related to each other. Now they have a family narrative connecting John F Bruce-the Civil War Veteran who grew up in Lempster, New Hampshire and settled in Fitchburg in 1863 after being discharged from service at Fort Stevens in Groton, Massachusetts- through his children and his grand daughter, Rachel Story Bruce 1899-1960 - who grew up in Fitchburg, became a teacher and served on the Fitchburg Normal School/Fitchburg State College faculty for 32 years. Women who committed to teaching careers in those days could not marry, so she deserves a nice bio for her sacrifices. I will be setting up the profiles of this family in the next few weeks. For now, here's a preview of some photos.

Thank you for hosting, Pip. 
I hope you all have some fun this week!
 

by Anonymous Reed G2G6 Pilot (203k points)
edited by Anonymous Reed
Sounds like you hit a research jackpot! Those are great photos. You'll have great satisfaction getting those photos on profiles and integrated into a Biography.
Super photos, A! And, you have made some great progress in your research, to boot.

I saw saw on the Weather Channel (which I watch to see what my fellow WikiTreers are experiencing around the US). You really really did get the extreme weather recently.
Hi Anon! These are really great photos and I know they will grace your various family profiles. I wish I could have been with you at the Fitchburg Historical Society, but would not care for the cold weather! I have no doubt that your mom very much appreciates your visit. Hugs to you and family.
+26 votes
Thank You for hosting the Chat Pip.

A little late to the party today. Diane had an eye exam and we just got home.

Musings from Northeast Ohio on Americas North Coast.

Weather,
 It warmed up this week so the snow is all gone. There is very little chance of any major snow in the forecast so that is good but the high winds have caused some power outages as I noted below.

Home Front,
Monday, Renewed the registration for one of the cars and Diane had to renew her drivers license. After that we picked up a few things at the store and I worked on the heat ducts in the master bedroom to help equalize the room temps.

Tuesday, Diane did some laundry and cleaning while I tried to figure out why my ham radio was not working in my car. I did get it working again so no problem.

Wednesday, Decided to check out several salvage stores we frequent. Didn't need anything but it was an excuse to get out of the house. I also donated a 32 inch HDTV that was just collecting dust in the office to the man who is taking over the display tables for the radio club to make things easier for him.

Thursday,It got up to the low 60's so I did a little work outside the house between rain storms. We did lose power twice, once in the morning and a second time at night, but those who know me know that is not a big problem for us. I just got out the battery lights and the butane cook stove and continued on like normal. I even did some online work with no power. I am limited by the phone data but I can still do some with that.

Genealogy,
 Just plugging away with sourcing, formatting and connecting some profiles I adopted. My goal is to get most, if not all, of the profiles on my watchlist with the correct names,  dates, and parents, and at least one source if possible soon. The biographies can follow later.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.8m points)
Dale, does Ohio allow for license renewal online? That's how I did mine recently (four months ahead of time, since they allow that).

Any news on that Burr family you are working on?
Pip, We can renew the car sticker online but Driver License is still in person only. If I renew the plates on my car I will do that online.

As for the Burr Family, no news there I have been spending most of my time on the Cooks, for now, and there are so many of those that need so much work

Bunch of Cooks/Cookes around home, Dale. You want some of them? cheeky They even have a church named after them, Cook's Memorial in Mecklenburg County, NC.

Well Pip, My daughter's husband is a Cook from Kannapolis and I took over some profiles that Larry Hayer created from that area so I have enough from NC, for now at least.
Ahhh, you are in the Hayer gedcom. Good!
I even took over some of the unlisted profiles after I was approached to do so by a leader.
I was working with Larry on some of those profiles before he passed.
+27 votes

For all you map nerds (like me), here is 2,000 years of Irish maps in 4 min, along with some Irish music   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsk51Tsq-e8

by Richard Devlin G2G6 Pilot (530k points)
WOW! Now that was cool. Did you see that population drop in the mid-1800s, Richard?!? This video was well done. Thanks for posting the link!
Richard! LOVED the maps over time and LOVED the music! Thanks much!
Thank you for sharing that
+26 votes

Hi from southern Ontario,

Chez moi/at home: what's happening here? Over the past day, all our snow has melted. Yesterday afternoon I sat on the back porch, it was 11 C in the sun, the next 10 days will all be above average temps, both day and night. Lack of snow and warmer temps do make life simpler but is also an indication that things are changing. 

Reno: The cabinets will be installed tomorrow, then we wait for the counter, we will be able to move all the kitchen related ‘stuff’ from the living room into the new cabinets, that is after we figure out where it should go. The stove and dishwasher have been moved so decisions have to be made about where the logical places are for stuff to be stored. 

Alton Cemetery Project: People named Smith! I added a Nicholas Smith born about 1800, I had thought there was at least 3 Smith families with burials at Alton. Now it seems there are only 2. Nicholas is the parent of 3 daughters and at least one son who married into other Alton families. The daughters were already connected through their husbands, now they have parents as well. 

But Nicholas may be the son or other family member of a United Empire Loyalist another Nicholas Smith who arrived in the Niagara area in 1794. All his children, that is children of Nicholas born ~ 1800 were born in the Niagara area. He arrived in Alton in 1849, I have the records for his land purchase. 

The UEL family founded what is one of Canada’s most successful wineries. The winery website has some information about the family, but only about the youngest son and nothing that could connect the 2 Nicholases. Records from that time are so few and far between it might not be possible to find any information. Though because Nicholas was not a common name at that time it could be possible.

Reading: I just started reading a book called ‘Buses are a Comin’ Memoir of a Freedom Rider, by Charles Person who was a freedom rider in 1961. 

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (965k points)
Smith, Smith, Smith.... EEK! At least it was the dozens of Johns I have to deal with. If you make that connection sure between the two Nicholases, let us know!

Bet you can't wait to have your living room back, at least in the form that you want.
Hi M, sounds like the Reno is coming along really great. I hope my new loos and office reno are as successful. I paid for the office reno in January and am waiting im/patiently now for the install.
Can I scream now?

The kitchen cabinets that were to be installed today arrived at about 5.30pm. The installation people wanted to stay and install the cabinets, they thought it could take until midnight, and they would still need to come back in the morning.

So I told them to go away and come back in the morning as they said they would need to come back for a few hours anyway.

And at least 2 cabinets are built wrong, wrong shape and wrong size.

I was told I am too picky about details.

Maybe its similar to being picky about sourcing??
Oh, no! I've never had to deal with THAT. So sorry to hear this, M. Hang in there. It'll all get done.

The business owner/cabinet maker just left, and agreed that the units were wrong and will make new ones to be delivered tomorrow.smiley

@M Ross...OMG, I just saw this! Even though he will make new ones this quickly, this should NEVER have happened and I would be screaming!angry (I can't find a Scream emoji). Hang in there!

+29 votes
Hello! from “overwhelmed but not defeated in Augusta Georgia” or “still battling the gedcom dragon “  it’s nice to chat with all of you
by Dee Spencer-Carr G2G6 Mach 3 (30.6k points)
Oh, yes, gedcoms can be challenging, Diane. Hang in there!

Augusta is such a beautiful city. It's been a long time since I have visited there.
+28 votes
Hi guys! Been on this site in 2015 since and recently just fixing my errors and adding research notes and information from several  places and added and updated some profile and planning on joining the Appalachia project as well! I am working and still love finding new information and new details about new members of my family tree ! I love being here and love helping others enjoy and love doing the research!
by Emily Ledford G2G6 Mach 1 (11.5k points)
Emily, you are going to love the Appalachian Project. A great group of folks all helping and encouraging each other. A fantastic project, if I may say so.
Emily, it's scary how fast suggestions can accumulate. I try to fix them every Monday.

Though that doesn't fix everything, I just looked at a profile I created in 2019, and I only looked at it because someone had edited it.

Now I'm thinking how did I come up with a name for a son, when I don't even have a marriage record.

If you add the Profile Completeness Category to your profile it will/ can tell you where you have information missing, it's a shock when you first add it, but most of the results are easy to fix.

Category:Suggestions_-_Include_Profile_Completeness
+28 votes
Hi Everyone!

I'm in North Texas where the weather seems to change from hour to hour. Currently, it's 44F and cloudy. But I see a 75F day coming next week. Maybe my dogs can get back to the dog park!

Not much going on this week. I did go over the 1,000 CC7 mark this morning. That was totally unexpected as one connection by marriage added 35 people.

Also wanted to share a hug with anyone here that may be from Turkey or Syria. The loss is gut wrenching...

Best Wishes,

Jody
by Jody Green G2G6 Mach 2 (21.9k points)
Congrats on breaking that 1000 CC7 barrier, Jody! Enjoy your warmer weather. It's going to be a while before I see temps that high!
Thanks, Pip!
+26 votes
Hello all!!! A beautiful 70 degrees in southern Virginia today. I get to see all 7 of my beautiful grandchildren this weekend. It's one of their 3rd birthdays, so we will have fun with that. Also excited that my uncle added me to his DNA site and has given his permission for me to upload and manage it so we can get more confirmation on our Poythress and Morris lineage. Hope you all have a wonderful wikiend!!
by Teresa Willis G2G6 Mach 5 (54.7k points)
Wonderful, Teresa. All those grandchildren. You are blessed!

Poythress. Where have I heard that name? I think my wife has Poythress ancestry. Early Virginia, right?
Yes indeed, one of the first families in Jamestown. Frances Poythress  served in the House of Burgesses in the mid to late 1600s. Two others served with Thomas Jefferson and are mentioned in the Jefferson papers several times.. If your wife has the lineage she and I are cousins.
Hmm.. Apparently, I have not entered enough of my wife's family to make that connection, but I was sure there was one. I may have been thinking of another early Virginian.
You and I are likely cousins, Teresa. There’s a handful of Poythress in my tree. They married into my Batte line.
Well hello there! The Battes were very instrumental in the first genealogy of the Poythress line
Such fun to “meet” another cousin!
Times with the grandchildren are hard to beat, enjoy.
+26 votes

Coming from Rochester, Minnesota...it's 22°F But it feels like 15°F.

I'm on my laptop computer currently. Here's my update:

School: I'll find out if I'm in nursing school on March 20th. Took a couple tests and I will say that neurophysiology is not my favorite. I still have a B in Anatomy and Physiology II which is fine and dandy. I'll find out on Monday about my Microbiology exam. 

Work: My colleagues and I lost our dear friend to lung and bone cancers. She was 48. I do work with the religious sisters and I was working last Saturday evening (4th) and we saw a Zoom cast and most of the sisters said goodbye to her. I was pretty emotional on and off. COVID is back once again at my workplace and this virus is ticking me off. Most of the activities have been postponed. I got tested again of course. The staff and friends of Tanya, the colleague who passed away, will have a socially distanced get together at a pub to celebrate her life tomorrow. 

Genealogy: I'm in the process of getting trained to be one of the WikiTree Greeters. Plus my spit has been accepted by Ancestry and now...they will do their scientific genius on my nucleic acid. Also, I'll edit some biographies on a few of my profiles. 

This was edited after I was trained by Pam, one of the greeters. We will resume next week.

by Eileen Robinson G2G6 Pilot (242k points)
edited by Eileen Robinson
Yay, Eileen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yay to the greeter training, nucleic acid arriving safely, B in A&P, and a soul going back to God???

Yay to all of that for sure.

Nay to the nasty virus. Darn COVID.
Ohm Eileen, you didn't get the dread Covid, did you?
I doubt it. My immune system is pretty strong for some reason.
Hi Eileen, I will be sending positive entrance energy for nursing, als well as for Microbiology and Neurophysiology.

I am so terribly sorry to year of the death of your friend to cancer. And so young. It was so heartening to hear that the sisters had an opportunity to say goodbye and for your friend to hear them. Those of us who work in hospice truly believe that hearing is the very last sense to go with death and feel it important to speak our love.

Congrats on the greeter training. I know this will make Pip very happy!
Hey Eillen, my condolences. I have a good friend that has been fighting bone cancer for about a year. They told him last week he is terminal. Cancer SUCKS!
Yaye!!!!!!!!! another greeter - welcome to the Greatest Group :)

Thoughts are with you and those who grieve.
Thanks everyone!

@KSmith: Prayers to your friend. Cancer is hideous indeed. Hopefully, cures are being discovered.

@Carol: All that you say is true. Palliative/hospice work is pretty amazing and rewarding.

So far, no COVID in my body systems.
Update: 74% on the first exam in Microbiology. I'll do better. I still have a B in the class!
@Eileen...hang in there , kiddo! We're with you!
+27 votes
Hallo, new to Weekend Chat! I live in Nevada, north of Reno, but was born and raised in California. I have been working lately on adding my direct line ancestors’ kids - large families!
by Shelley Monson G2G6 Mach 2 (29.9k points)
Welcome Shelley,

The weekend chat is loads of fun! I'm familar with large families. My husband comes from a large family so I get it!
Welcome to the Chat, Shelley! Glad you join ed us today. I hope you'll become a regular. We are a chatty (pun intended) bunch.
Always nice to meet new Weekend Chatters. Welcome
Shelley, glad you stopped by for a chat. I have 7 siblings but most never had families of their own. Just one of my sisters and I.  Wish someone else in the family was interested in genealogy.
Thanks, Eileen! None of my generation has a large family :-(
Thanks, Pip!
Thanks, Rosalie!
Thanks, Pat. Luckily, I have a few cousins who are interested in genealogy, and we swap photos on a family FB group.

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