"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! January 12th - 14th, 2024 [closed]

Question

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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.

Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

Comments

Glad to hear that you are recovering. Great news.

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Great! You are typing with two hands again!

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Glad to read that your shoulder is doing better.

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Chris, I read that only people who don't have the badge can work through the checklist. Badge removed upon request.

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So great to hear that you are feeling better Pip! As Carol said, make sure not to overdo it. (((Gentle Hugs))) to you and Mrs Pip.

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Glad you and your wife are recovering. Please don't overdo the typing. There is nothing better on a cold day (or a hot day) than curling up with a good book. I'm grateful for all the people in my life who encouraged me to read. As a child, I had a library card at about age 5 and then I stayed with my grandparents a good bit in the Summer, so I asked my grandmother if I could get a card at her small library and thankfully, the librarian agreed.

Have a great week.

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Good morning, Pip!  Glad to hear you are feeling better with the shoulder.  This reco is a little outside your usual reading list, but you might like The Measure.

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Hi Cousin Carol, you know it's bad when Wisconsin is closed, lol. Slight exaggeration. But a bunch of people I know in my medieval society canceled their trip to the Twin Cities...roads are treacherous.

I was amazed that the plow came by this morning; our little ghost town is usually last on their list, so I wasn't expecting them until tomorrow.

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So glad the recovery is going well, Cuz! Two hands, wow...don't overdo it though.

After my shoulder surgery, I went back to work (6 weeks) and could type ok, but tired easily and had to take multiple breaks. So be easy on yourself.

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Looks like the volcano in Grindavik Iceland has come back to life . I had lunch at a small restaurant in Grindavik when we were there in June 2019.

A new fissure erupted inside the town and some houses have burnt, there are some interesting videos on YouTube.

Answer 1

¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 7:00 am and 29F (-1.7C) with an expected high of 55F (12.8C) and sunny in Tucson. All I can say about this weather is…Brrrrrrr!

First, information on the Hadley Journal! I do not recall who asked me about the bookbinder during last week’s Chat. Could you please send a message with your email, and I will introduce you to him?

I met with Marty (the bookbinder) on Tuesday at a fabric store near my home. He was greatly impressed with this journal and believes it is one of the oldest he has bound. Again, it 14 years pre-American Civil War. The book is about 1 inch thick and is FILLED with notes from top to bottom and to the very edges of each page! As we spoke about what needed to be done, several fabric customers stopped by to gawk at what we were talking about. All agreed that no students today at 15 years of age would have filled a notebook so fully for just ONE course, not to mention on a Course of Lessons in Moral Philosophy! Marty rang me up on Wednesday to tell me that the book would be rebound and ready for me to pick up at our local fabric store YESTERDAY! That is one fast turn-around. He did a beautiful job and tried to keep it as close as possible to what the original would have been. I will be taking photos and adding them to the profiles of Ellen Maria Hadley and her brother-in-law/teacher John Henry Purkitt in the next week. I am also thinking of writing a G2G post about this acquisition to thank WikiTree given that this would not have happened had it not been for Peter seeing the profile for Ellen Hadley on WikiTree! We should all share and take joy in the fact that what we do matters. I will be a ‘greedy guts’ and hold onto this notebook for a while, but then will contact the NEHGS first to see if this is something they would like for their special collections and, if not, will then check with other New England Historical Societies given that the Hadley and Purkitt families were Bostonians (and notable Bostonians at that).

We are having another WikiTreer visit the Old Pueblo in February and I am very much looking forward to it! M Ross and her spouse, Robbie will be arriving around the 20^th of February for a, roughly, 9 days stay, and they will be right down the road from me. I am so looking forward to meeting M and her husband in person. Perhaps I can get some photography tips from her during their visit. Perhaps Cindy Cooper will be available to join us for a visit! I am sure M will figure out how to work in a Wiki-Virtual-Vacay!

My daughter, Jennifer, turned 55 years old on January 10^th. I find it hard to believe that I have a child that age given that I am…ummm…only 17 years old (well in my mind…my 78.8-year-old body is shot to heck). It is like yesterday when she was an infant, and I was sitting in a rocker nursing her and wondering what she would look like and be like at age 18 years. To think that she was 18 years of age 37 years ago seems like an instant in time! The other transition was the 42^nd anniversary of my dad’s death on January 11^th. I still miss him and there are times when I ache from missing him. He was only 62 years old when he died of kidney cancer that metastasized to the brain. He died in the hospice unit in which I was working in 1982. My daughter was very concerned that he would die on her birthday and have that as a memory. He died 24 hours to the minute after her birthdate (she was born on the 10^th at 5:56pm and he died on January 11^th at 5:56pm). The family was with him when he transitioned, and his primary nurse documented the time of death. Jennifer is positive that this was his final birthday gift to her. I am a firm believer in no coincidences.

Other than the notebook, birth celebration and death memorial, I have not accomplished much else. I have had ever-increasing low back pain due to the lumbar stenosis that keeps me from doing as much as I would have liked this week. I will be seeing the neurologist on the 22^nd and the pain specialist a few days after that with hopes of a steroid injection for some pain relief. I have tried THC gummies, but they barely take the edge off the pain. I cannot take NSAIDS because of other medications that I am on, and I do not do well with narcotic analgesics (they just make me more stupid and do nothing for the pain).

As to WikiTree, separate from the notebook getting bound, I worked on Jordan family members, who are ancestors of my sister-in-law. Several of these family members had no biography, or sources, or both. Several families were not connected so I worked on connecting them as well. One of the Jordan children married a Foster from England and there was precious little information after they wed. Now they have complete profiles and a connection to Find-A-Grave in England who had the last name misspelled even though ‘Foster’ was plain as day on the memorial in the cemetery! I missed the first day of the New Mexico challenge, so will work on that this weekend to make up for the delay.

Pip, as ever, thank you for your Weekend Wiki-Chat Leaderhsip. And I am another week closer to seeing you! I hope you are recovering well and having less pain. I want to wish all my WikiTree friends and family a great second weekend of January 2024!

Comments

55 is cold? That's t-shirt weather here! Sounds like you have a lot going on. Take it one day at a time. Relax and take care of yourself. That's what matters. Have a great weekend! =D

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27°F here this morning, Carol, and won't get a whole lot warmer. Rain on the way. Hope it doesn't freeze. If you were here, you'd be bundled up like an Inuit.

I wish I could find a good bookbinder around here, one that trie3s to save the whole book instead of getting rid of the old cover. I have several old books that need rebinding.

Dang! I wish I could be there when M visits. What a great time that would be for WikiTreers in the area. That was the weekend I had planned on visiting my brother. Well, that's put off for a while. Sorry!

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@Chris F...Ciao Cousin Chris, you take care as well, and thanks!

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@Pip, I could send an introductory email to you and the bookbinder. You would need to send him photos (as do I even though we both live in Tucson) so that he can give you and estimate. You can send the books at book rate, which is quite cheap. He saved the cover of this old book and my 1881 original copy of the Baldwin Genealogy 1500-1881 when the spine died (book spinal stenosis). Let me know and I'll send an introductory email. I cannot remember if it was Beulah Cramer or WHO had asked me last week about the bookbinder. How can I access last weeks Chat?

I wish you could be here, too, when M and her husband are here! That would be quite a WikiWeek! Given your penchant for books, though, he would likely be able to retire just on binding your books!!! 

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So excited for the preservation of your treasure! Hopefully when you are done cherishing it you can find a society that will also want to learn from and be inspired by her fervor.

     Happy birthday to your baby girl. I feel like having children hits the fast forward button on life. It soaks up every moment of your time taking care of them, and suddenly you raise your head and they are 10, 30, 50...with my mom's dementia I am trying to enjoy milestones for both of us as who knows what we have left. It is sad to think she might not see (and certainly won't register if she is around to see) me turn 55. I have to wonder if my own children will resent me for being an old mom, that I may not be there to see their older milestones. Forgive my ramblings. Feeling wistful this morning. *sigh* Maybe it is having just slipped by the anniversary of my own dad passing. Sending love for you in your loss, it is different every year but ever-present.

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Hi Erin, thank you for my 55 y/o baby girl's birthday wishes. Cherish your moments (as I am sure you do) with your babies as time flies faster than...well...a Tardis or the StarShip Enterprise! As to dementia and moms, we have that in common. It was stunning see my mum in August 2019 and her still calling me 'Punkin' and ragging me about getting a tatoo (when I was 70 years old!)!. Then to see her in January 2020 (5 short months later) and she had no idea who I was or who my brother was and was tinkling in her laundry basket! It was and is devastating.

You are a great mom! No need to forgive ramblings. You have every right to ramble...because you are a Mom! It comes with the territory. Another reason to like WikiTree: we can share our sorrows as well as our joys! We had a saying in hospice, "A joy shared is doubled, a sorrow shared is halved." We can share our sorrows and you know that we care, just that I know you care. It is something to lose a parent...like being half an orphan. Now my mum is gone and I am the elder. That should scare the crap out of everyone! (We also need a sense of humor, especially in these trying times). I think your children do and will continue to always love you. Know that we can grieve together. Sending love and hugs your way as well, Erin.

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Carol, yes I did ask for the book binders address.  I probably won't follow up until spring when the weather is better and I can get to mail a package easily at the post office.  I only struggle through the ice and snow to my mailbox once or so a week if Jim hasn't blown out the driveway so it can melt down some.  The post office is 12 miles away.

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55°F? That's Fall weather in Minnesota!

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Carol, I am so happy for you about the bookbinder. He sounds like a true craftsman.

How true about the passage of time when you have children. My kids are 24-27-30. I can still remember being pregnant with them, nursing them, buying their first pair of shoes, etc. The years pass too quickly. I want them to be little again. I will be turning 60 next year. I can’t believe it!

As for your dad, I can totally relate. My dad died two days after his 42nd birthday from kidney disease (PKD). It’s a genetic disease and he was a new mutation. This July he will have been gone 47 years. I still miss him so much. My mind/body know when the date is getting close as I start to feel sad even after all these years. (((Hugs)))

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Carol, you can retrieve last weeks chat if you can remember, or look up, the specific dates.  At the top of the G2G there is a small empty triangle above the black question box.  Fill in your request and it will retrieve that date's article.  It also works for broad or specific categories.

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Hi Beulah! Thank you sooo much for this retrieval tip! I learn something new every day! This is extremely helpful, except in this instance, I now know that it is YOU who needs the bookbinder. Don't hesitate to send me your email. I can introduce you and you and Marty can go from there. He has plenty of books on his plate (so to speak) so there will be plenty of time until your snow dwindles into spring!

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@ Carol - My neighbors have had enuff and are headed your way. Please send some Arizona sunshine back with them!

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Sure, count me in for Mindy and Robbie.  I'd enjoy meeting her.  I do agree 55 is cold, though many mornings recently we've had in the low 30's.

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Dear Cousin Carol, coincidence? serendipity? I don't know anymore. That you and Peter were able to connect regarding the journal seems...well, more than that. As I get older, I have to agree with you that things happen for a reason. Anyway, what a treasure. I assume the town of Hadley, MA is named for them. My cousin Karla (whom I haven't met yet but with whom I've been carrying on a lively correspondence) and I hope to do some history stompin' in Massachusetts before too long. I miss New England; lived there for 5 years in my misspent youth!

I too have Jordans and Fo(r)sters in my tree! Those went to VA and parts south.

Happy birthday to your daughter, and I'm glad you'll get to spend some time with M and Robbie (and possibly Cindy).

Answer 2

Top of the Morning from the bottom of the thermometer here in  the Midwest. Watch for falling mercury is the sign of the day. Wind chill temp of -35 forecast foe Sunday morning. Now that is just uncalled for

Comments

Hi K, I like the way you opened your Chat...from top to bottom. Right now, it is 29F in Tucson and that is STILL too cold for me! Wear flannels and stay warm...

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Be careful out there, K. Your tauntaun won't make it past the third marker.

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EGAD, K! Now, that's cold! My guess is that you'll be staying inside Sunday?

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GEEZ! That is CHILLY! Stay warm.

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Not much better down this way.

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@ Chris, between all of the reported covid, snow and ice, temp and lack of motivation, my tauntaun will remain in my recliner for the near future. We have between 6-8 inches of snow that has overpowered my get up and go.

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Eek! Come to Rochester, Minnesota. We're warmer.

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Oh K, that’s cold! Come here to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, it’s not nearly that cold but we are in the last few hours of a snowstorm that started last night. It is our second snowstorm this week.

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Brrrrrrrr! It's official, it's cold. We've had it rather good up til now so it's hard to complain. Besides, if the only thing one has to complain about is the weather, one ought to remain quiet and count their blessings. The weather is much like life itself, it's temporary don't take it too seriously.

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Actually, Rochester is about -23. Stay where you are. I've turned the furnace on and had tilapia for an early dinner and shared some with my hubby.

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Howdy, K! Our MI weather is not quite as bad as yours...18°F today. Still and all, I stayed in all day and tried to clean and organize the house a bit. Himself ran the snowblower, which I find about as compliant as a bucking bronco. He is definitely a keeper (the husband, not the snowblower, though I hope we can keep it a *bit* longer). Stay warm!

Answer 3

This Week Enjoy a NEW Parody

All Night Thon

Sung to the tune of All Night Long (All Night)

• All Night Long (All Night) Released 1983
• Written by American singer/songwriter Lionel Richie
• Richie admitted that the "African" lyrics in the song, were gibberish
• The single reached number one on three Billboard charts
• The music video was produced by former Monkee, Michael Nesmith
• Directed by Bob Rafelson.
  • Parody by Dave Draper

Here is the Music: Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night) - YouTube

• Click on the link and the music should play, then come back here and try to sing along
  • Or, open the link in a new window

• Da Da
• Oo-o-oh-oh
• Well, Wikipeeps, the time has come
• Raise our CC7 and have some fun
• There is plenty work to be done
• Let the Thonin' go on (go on, go on, go on...)
• Everybody source. That's the goals!
• Lose yourself down rabbit holes
• We're going to: Party, Discord, Fiesta, forever
• Come on and Thon along!
• We're going to: Party, Discord, Fiesta, forever
• Come on and Thon along!
• Connect-A-Thon! All night
• All Weekend Long! All night
• All night Thon! All night
• Connect-A-Thon!
• Yeah, once you get started,
• You can't slow down
• Come join the Thon
• It's merry n' profound
• Everyone's sourcing
• Those GEDCOMS away
• Come join our Thonin'
• And see how we play!
• Music
• Wikipeeps, they say: "We love ya""!
• Yeah, Jambo Jumbo
• Way to Thonin' o we goin'
• Oh, jambali
• Wikipeeps, they say: "We love ya"!
• Yeah, Jambo, jumbo
• Oh, O, O, O, yes!
• We're going to have a party!
• Connect-A-Thon, all night
• All Weekend long, yeaz,
• All night Thon, all night
• Connect-A-Thon! Whoa!
• Everyone you meet
• They're jammin' on their keys
• All night Thon!
• Yeah! I said:
• Everyone you meet
• They're jammin' on their keys
• All night Thon!
• Feel good! Feel good!
• All night! All night!
• All night! All night!
• Repeat over and over and fade out

More Weeklend Chat Songs by Dave:  Song Parodies

Since the Connect-A-Thon approaches, enjoy these past "Thon Parodies:

3.1 Ain' Shutting Down 'till the Sun Comes Up!

2.10 The Thonler

1.2 Thon Ride

Thanks be to Cousin Pip for hosting the Weekend Chat!

Comments

Very cool, David. I might have to mis this thon, but I am going to wait for the deadline to see if I can pull it off.

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Looking forward to the thon even more after this lovely 'song' playing in my head now, thanks as always

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I love thons and now those words will be going through my brain. Another good one!

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Thanks for a great tune especially for our first thon of the year!

Answer 4

      Fully into the swing of this new year, and excited to be embarking on new genealogy missions. I joined the WT Ambassadors and am doing the link building challenge to stretch my know-how, and signed up to give one of my OPS profiles a glow-up for the WT Love January challenge. I run a OPS on Austin, Pennsylvania mostly focusing on the dam failure of 1911 but it usually gets pushed to the backburner with so many other taskers and challenges. I’m trying to dedicate some time to it this year, even if I only do one profile a month. I plan to really run down her family lines as much as I can on the connect-a-thon, then pretty up anything I can find on Ms Eva Glaspy. When I did the profile improvement voyage I instantly thought wow, I have to do this with all my profiles! But of course, it takes quite some time to get to 2K profiles individually. I’ve been trying to focus on my anniversaries list (in all my free time, lol) and trying to pretty them up as I let them go (those that don’t belong on my watchlist, that is). I suppose I should really sit down and make goals for the year. I know it’s a week and a half late but well, that’s a little on-brand for me, eh? I already have a rough outline with the 16 for 16, but there are some other things I know I’d like to dedicate myself to this year as well.

     As for real life goals, well, those I need to work on too. I’d like to keep up the momentum with clearing the house of clutter (have been trying to do one load of laundry and one bag of un-needed things a day). I know I can’t keep up that pace forever but look forward to the days where it is hard to find enough things needing rehoming to fill a bag. A few loose ends to tie up on PTO business from last year (invoicing the holiday shop, reconciling the funds) and then on to this year’s tasks, currently, preparing for Bingo for Books and the boosterthon glow run. Actually just typing that last sentence out reminded me I need to track the books order and inventory what we currently have for my favorite event of the year. The kids come play bingo and win books as prizes (everyone leaves with a book, Bingo winners just get extra books).

     I think this year is going to be all about balance. I have to work on balancing volunteer work with family time, and nagging to-do lists with “fun” activities. There are big things in the work for my little family, but the scales can’t be tipped against us with big imbalances for things to go smoothly.

     Wishing you all lots of things crossed off your to do list, and plenty of fun genealogical finds.

Comments

Hi Erin, I just responded to your sweet post after my ramblings. Ummm...balance this year! WT Ambassadors,  OPS profile for WT Love January challenge...OPS on Austin...16 for 16...WOW! I don't know how you do it! AND you are and excellent mom involved with your children and their friends giving of your time from the heart. I don't know how you do it! Erin, have a great weekend and hug those little kiddoes for me. And know that I am thinking of you, too.

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Too bad you don't live close to me.  Some school offered books to the local library for their sale.  The library expected a few books, they got thousands, most the simple 30-50 page paperbacks schools get for reading group rewards.  I'm sure they would be glad to share but postage overrides the value of the books.

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Erin, I admire your enthusiasm for helping others. I don't know how you get it all done. Your littles are so blessed with the time you spend with them on their activities and yet, you do so much for the WT Community as well!

Have a great week!

Answer 5

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

I made my rounds commenting on some peoples' posts and now it's time for my usual weekend nonsense. =D

On the genealogy front, I posted a blog about the origin of my last name. https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2024/01/52-ancestors-week-2-origins.html

I could see if I could find the origins of the other last names in my tree. I was talking to my mother before posting this and we discussed her name of "Hamel". Well, "Hamel" basically translates to village or "of the village" in French. So, there's that origin. It also comes from "Duhamel". Finding out the origins of last names are cool. But, some last names are headscratchers and frankly are not safe for WikiTree. ;)

Though, I do remember talking to some people about some "Sexy" profiles here on this site. We've got to get some mood lighting on those profiles and maybe some smooth jazz.

In other news, I found another Ferraiolo cousin on Ancestry who is a DNA match to me, my dad and my great-aunt. Turns out his line comes from my third great-grandparents, son Giovanni. I explained the connection and sent a message to his mother before talking to him. He said he was going to check everything out. I linked him to Wikitree and hopefully he'll understand everything because there's a LOT of information to go through.

I also got a message from a Carrabis second cousin who was a patient of my dad's. She wanted to know if he's still practicing. He is. Just not taking new patients. I gave her his hours and hopefully she'll visit. She grew up with my dad and his cousins and visited often. I mean Everett isn't TOO far from Haverhill.

On the non genelaogy front, we survived Snowmageddon 2024. It snowed and we took care of it. Sadly one of our snowblowers don't work. That's okay. We have one and it works quite well. We cleared up what we could and mother nature took care of the rest when it poured. We may get more snow but that's to be expected here in NH. At least it's warm inside. Right now it's 38 and sunny. But, it'll change, I am sure.

Not much else to report. I hope everyone has a great weekend! =D Thanks for hosting, Pip!

Comments

Ciao Cousin Chris...I checked my Giorgio LNAB meaning: Farmer or Land worker. Guess what? My Giorgio ancestors from Torino, Piemonte, Italia were farmers and land workers! I was hoping the definition would be something like 'assistants to Dr. Who on the Tardis' or Vulcan mind-melders on the Starship Enterprise. Oh well...where would any of us be without farmers and land workers. Probably starving.

I had to look twice (or thrice) at your chat today. I thought I read Cannabis, but is is Carrabis. Those THC gummies are taking over my mind! Thanks for the blog and the chat!

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Interesting! I have no idea about the origins of any names in my tree, I suppose I should track them down.

I'm glad you survived the snow! Is the snowblower repairable or a loss? I'd guess that's a necessary expense where you are! I'd like to get one for my mom, who has a quarter mile drive and neither her nor her partner are really up to shoveling anymore.

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Lol @Carol...don't we all wish we could trace our roots back (...forward...?) to the Enterprise!!

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You know there have been several genealogical instances throughout the Star Trek franchise starting with Kirk meeting his son. Then again he probably had a ton of kids running around the Alpha AND Beta quadrants. He had more swagger than the son of Mogh.....

@ Carol: The area in Piemonte and Torino is ripe for agriculture. So, it makes sense that a lot of names are derived from farming there. I think there's some down in the south too. Of course there's farmland there. It just seems more lush up by the Alps and the rivers.

Not the first time people have mistaken Carrabis for Cannibis. Just be careful. =D

@ Erin: I think the other snowblower can be repaired. It just leaks and that's not a good thing. We can't get it started. I think something might have gotten in there and chewed the wires. Or just age. The snow wasn't too bad. We got 6 to 12 inches in some areas. The north country got the worst of it. Stay warm!

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Continuing with the Star Trek theme, I found this interesting article on the BBC news.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240109-star-trek-the-deep-space-nine-episode-that-predicted-a-us-crisis

We gave all our Star Trek Christmas ornaments to my older daughter and her partner. None of the ones that plug into a light string work anymore because newer light strings have different watts or volts or something like that.

We do still put our Picard cardboard cutout on top of the tree, he is so festive in his red uniform!

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Nice! =D

And yeah, those episodes of DS9 are jarring to watch these days. Star Trek has predicted a great many things. Some good and some not so good.

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Erin, I saw an ad for a shovel with a mini snow blower on it.  See if you could find one on the computer.  It looks simple for several inches of snow and does not need any lifting just pushing.

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Glad you survived your snow! Get it over early and let Spring arrive with flowers and green glass.

Have a good week and I'm sure we will see you on the Thon Calls next weekend. Thanks to you and all the hosts/hostesses for the work you do to keep us entertained and motivated.

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@ Margaret: Can't wait to cohost with the crew. We always have a great time! =D

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Enjoyed your blog, Cousin Chris! I agree, the iron worker thing makes a lot of sense to me. So, did you travel time/for the future of mankind? ;)

My name allegedly means "living in/by the hermitage," and that's the way it feels some days. But being an only child and somewhat of an introvert, I'm down with it. I like people, just don't have to people all the time.

Stay warm up?/down?/over there in Yankee-land!

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@M, love Sir Patrick Stewart! When the RSC came to Ann Arbor, I was there for a work conference. The Tempest (with him as Prospero) was sold out, but I got to see Julius Caesar (John Light as Brutus *swoon*) P played Antony and Cleopatra the next day...but I was too poor to stay another day and had to drive home :(

Answer 6

Greetings WikiTree folks from Northern Colorado. As was mentioned above, we're bracing for an Arctic blast this weekend. It's going to hit a balmy 37 ºF today but tonight it will go down to -8 ºF … Yikes! The temperature forecast for the next few days, high to low:

• • Friday: 37 -8

  • Saturday: 5 -6

  • Sunday 7 -2

  • Monday 4 -13

  • Tuesday 21 14

Guess I'll be staying inside until Tuesday! I did plug in my truck's engine block heater yesterday.

Have been working on my profiles. Several years ago, and over the course of like 5-6 years, I input profiles from a Jewett book that has just over ten thousand entries. I'm now going back over those and fixing mistakes I made and adding in new sources and such … I've done about 1400 so far. One of the errors was mis-naming “state” names, like putting them into the United States prior to their actual entry … duh! I ran across a list of states with names and dates those names were used. A link was posted on G2G, that has been most useful. It's at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19msdf4uzxBiyIwCSNUBcrHt15Qp-DXpGxBYLp3YWDO0/edit#gid=1136264887

Lots of you probably already know about this … I'm just a bit slow.

I know other folks are having weather problems as well. Stay safe!

Comments

Bob, some of the drop down suggestions give a range of years of when changes were made for the state.  I won't vouch for the accuracy, I've just used them if it exists.

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I use that spreadsheet often, Bob.  There is also a tab in there for Canadian places.

Answer 7

12 January 2024

Hi from southern Ontario, 

Chez moi/at home: what's been happening here? Sunrise and sunset times are changing very slowly, sunrise today was 7.49 am and sunset will be 5.02 pm, that is, 9h 12m 43s of daylight, 1 minute and 29 seconds more than yesterday. Though it is so gloomy, cloudy, wet snow, freezing drizzle, and ordinary rain weather that it doesn’t make much difference. 

We do have a winter storm warning for tonight 10-15cm and more over the rest of the weekend. And yes, as Carol mentioned we are visiting Tucson in late February, hoping to find some sun and warmer temps. My where to go and what to do list is far too long but does give us many options. It does include these must do’s Mount Lemmon Sky Centre, Sky Island Falconry, Colossal Cave and the old movie studio. 

WikiTree and family history: I filed the UPM request I mentioned last week. I started the process on 16 Dec. I’m making a preliminary list of additions for the Connect-a-thon, they will all be for the Alton Cemetery crowd. Not much else was done, as I am still advising the new Co-presidents of the Hort society on how to file many reports for the end of the financial year paperwork. 

What else: Because I haven’t had time to go to the library or to the local Chapters bookstore to spend my gift certificate that was a Christmas present, I am reading some of the multitude of Clive Cussler books we got at the Dunnville library book sale. If the books had been published in the past 12 months, I would be quite sure they were written by AI. 

I have read many of his books previously and hadn’t noticed the repetitive word use, phrases and continual repeated descriptions of the characters’ eye colour, opaline green, dark mahogany, azure blue and others. 

There are 11 bags and boxes of donations to a local charity on my front doorstep that will be picked up at some time today. Most of the stuff came from my daughter’s house. 

Next step on the home front, try to find time to go through my dad’s slides again and sort through all the collected family history stuff in the basement again, it has been stored in a spare room since last year’s reno. And contact the museum about seeing their many records for Alton and surrounding areas.  And that is enough planning for now. 

Comments

I highly recommend Colossal Cave and also the Air and Space Museum if you haven't been.

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We have been to the Air and Space Museum back in 2011, and we do like caves, so thanks for advice.

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My dad hit his head once at the cave. I've told him to duck a few times during the visit. He was 6'2".

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Hi M, given your love of plants, if you haven't been to Tohono Chul, we could go there! It is very near where you are staying and is worth a visit. I believe you have already been to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. I think I put Oracle on your list of places to see as well.

I hope your UPM runs smoothly and taken care of BEFORE the thon.

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M, have you been to the Biosphere yet?

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Yes, the last time we were in Tucson in 2011, it is fascinating.

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Hi, Mindy, I hope to meet you while you are in Tucson.  I have lived there for almost 10 years.  If you go to Old Tucson (the movie studios) make a trip to the Sonoran Desert Museum.  That is one of the best places in Tucson.  Also eat at El Charro downtown, my kids pronounced it the best Mexican food they've ever had.

Answer 8

Checking in from Bloomington, Illinois, USA 34F cloudy/rainy/crappy day!

Home Front:  Next week I might be starting my part-time, part-time, job working for the new sign shop in town!  If you remember from last week's post, he tracked me down via WikiTree, from my profile page!  (that is scary)  Working to build up my son's window cleaning business is top priority, but it is winter time dead right now.  So, I might as well stay busy in a new adventure for a while.

Genealogy Front:  PIP Voyager training continues. We do a few things a week.  We have been reviewing the deeper corners of WikiTree to make sure I understand how things work. (I still don't understand completely, but I know where to look for help)

The Book:  I pulled the trigger and dropped the credit card for Living Writer as my book writing software. $30 a month for the program and unlimited AI editing. 

"So, spending a  dollar a day, I should really get serious now."  Since I am a first time book writer, like a Pioneer, wriing about pioneers and in the launguage of the 1820's for fun, I'll rewrite the above in AI, pioneer style: 

In the earnest spirit of a pioneer, setting forth upon the boundless prairie, I reckon the sum of a single dollar each sun's climb ought to rightly spur me into a state of substantial solemnity—compelling me indeed to rein in these myriad divers!

I have 5,149 words in Chapter 1.  1 song and still have not got my hero born yet!

Comments

David, are you still working handing our flyers for your son's business?  In other words, will you be working TWO jobs?!?

Keep us posted on your book's progress!

Answer 9

Howdy folks! Greetings from the frozen tundra formerly known as central Oklahoma. My feelings about this is as follows;

1. I hate winter. 2. The weather is going to suck until the middle of next week. 3. I hate winter. Nuff said. 

I'm really going to miss my walks for the next week. I'm not that dedicated. I have, for the most part, recovered from my fall that I took last week. The only issues are my right middle, ring and pinky fingers. Especially the pinky.  I am getting range of motion back, so I have that going for me. Which is nice. 

Not really a whole lot to talk about this week. 

Pip, I'm glad your recovery is going well, and thanks for being the host with the most! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Until next time...

John

Comments

Here in Ontario, Canada it would be a good thing to have some real winter weather, we need snow cover for plants and cold weather for our native plants.

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Hi M. A high school classmate of mine lives in the Toronto area. She is flying into Oklahoma City on Monday. She said it will be colder here than at her house.  I'm from Illinois originally, but after 40 plus years of, for the most part, mild OK winters, these arctic events are not my idea of fun. 

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John, we live about 40km NW of Toronto, Monday's forecast is high of - 11C, wind chill of -18C, -13C overnight, Tuesday is no better but with -17C overnight.

Except for Thursday when we will have a balmy -5C as the high, the rest of the week is frigid.

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When is the bite on for spawn down your way. Grand Lake or Tenkiller? I'm thinking road trip for some crappie.

Answer 10

We had high wind warnings this last week.  I got my old lamp out on the table with matches.  Luckily I did not lose power.  Over 25,000 in our 3 county area did.  The last 2,000 are predicted to be connected this afternoon after 3 days without electric power.  Many are fortunate to have gas or l.p. heat or good old wood.  And our delusional polititians  want to out law that and only allow electric heat after the 2030 date.
I am lucky I have a neighbor with a tractor and blower who cleans me out after the storms.  The mail may stay in my mailbox for two or three days but it is not worth taking a chance on falling again.  I still cannot remember falling or stumbling 12 feet across the room or falling on my back against the french doors.  I probably never will know if I lost my balance or if my femur broke and made me fall.  All I know it was a miserable 6 months getting to where I am now and take no unnecessary chances.

Comments

We have camp stoves and propane lamps, plus the BBQ and our gas fire works if the power is out, most of our power lines are underground which is a big bonus.

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Hear, hear, Beulah! It's not worth the risk...the mail will keep another day or two. We are fortunate to have electric, propane *and* wood heat. One of our representatives, a few years back, tried to introduce a bill to outlaw wood heat. It failed. Here in the UP of MI we have a number of senior citizens who depend on the gleanings left by the Forest Service along the roads to stoke their stoves... else they'd freeze.

Answer 11

Happy Weekend, Fellow WikiTreers!

The weather is horrid today--wind and rain. But not as bad as earlier in the week when so many of us in the eastern US had a bad storm come through. In my part of north Georgia we didn't get snow, but we had much rain and strong wind which blew down trees and many were without power for a while as the power companies worked round-the-clock to get everyone back online. I thought we had been spared because our power didn't go out during the storm. But a tree down the road fell the next morning and knocked our power out. My husband had a cardiologist appointment that morning so we dressed by flashlight, took a detour down the mountain, had a quick breakfast at Chick-fil-a, then went to his appointment. We ended up eating lunch out, too. When we finally came back home mid-afternoon, our power was back on. 

I haven't gotten as much genealogy done on WikiTree this week as I usually do. I have identified a few family groups I want to work on during the Connect-a-Thon. One day this week I worked with Florian Straub who has developed a bookmarklet for the FamilySearch Match Tool in response to a G2G question I had asked. You can read my question and his answer here. I am always amazed by the skill and generosity of other WikiTreers who are responsive to things I request to make my work on WikiTree easier. I had never heard of a bookmarklet, so I learned something new. Florian has other developed other bookmarklets in addition to this one. He and Greg Clark have made YouTube videos explaining their bookmarklets which I watched to help me understand how to install and use a bookmarklet. They are here and here.

I hope you each have an enjoyable weekend!

Comments

Nelda, what is a bookmarklet?

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Nelda, there's nothing like a Chick-fil-a before or after a medical appointment. As I pass one every time I have to go to Asheville for some medical thing, I always stop there, buy 20 of whatever. We freeze what we don't eat immediately for later.

Answer 12

Welcome all from a very hot Christchurch, New Zealand. It is 9 am on Saturday and I am already sweltering in the heat.

On my WikiTree front I have my watchlist at 4950 as every time I think I can remove one profile from the watchlist I find out there is a one profile connection to other profiles on the tree already. So I make the connection rough and ready but still keep the new profile on my watchlist until I am satisfied I have improved it enough.  I am also plugging away on the 16 for 16 Missions thus getting more profiles improved.

Comments

I'll take your hot weather and trade you wet snow, high winds and clouds.

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Ditto on the hot weather.

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I'm not a fan of wet and cold, and only like snow in pictures, however it was 31 C in North Canterbury on Thursday when I was in the vineyard on what was meant to be a day off, and about 24C in another vineyard yesterday, but with a cool wind.

 Today was forecast to be 31C, but probably only got to 27C, tomorrow is forecast for 29C, and wildfires are starting to be a problem.
 I'm about 30 minutes north of Christchurch. Too much heat is as bad as being too cold.

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Our temps in southern Ontario, Canada can easily be 30C in the summer and down to -25C in the winter, last night we had a snowstorm with thunder added just to make it more interesting.

Answer 13

Hi, I am new here, only 6 years so far.

We've got rayn, hale, gails, thondor, litenin, tornawdoes and hurrycanes. Just a bad spell of whether!

Comments

That's closer than our weatherman gets to splainin the weather. Although he did get the part about the well digger's core temp in Cutbank, Montana right this time.

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Dang. That's the national forecast...plus snow and subzero temps.

Answer 14

Currently, it's 5˚ C and cloudy in Fort Erie. That's an improvement from this morning, when I nearly wiped out on black ice during my morning constitutional.

If I had one of those mills to make wood pellets (well, and a pellet stove), we could probably heat the house all winter by chipping up all the branches that have been blowing off the trees. And we're supposed to have gusts to 80 km/h tomorrow night. Oh, joy, oh bliss.

This month, I've been working on Nickels, since that's one of the surnames on the light of my life and the delight of my eyes' side of the family. And then I stumbled across a cluster of Nickels who are her second-or-something cousins! They came from a GEDCOM uploaded by Eowyn back in 2015. (I'm guessing that she was just a thicket elf back then.)

Comments

I finally did the beginning-of-the-month report for Millers. (Well, part of it, anyway. Our power keeps going out because of the storm. Even with dual UPSes, it's slowing me down. [I should have my monitor and backup drives on the battery side, but I'm out of plugs.])

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Brother, that is COLD. This is going to be out week of cold weather. 15°F tomorrow night, followed by a Thursday and Friday of 14 and NINE! I don't even know what the wind chill will be for those days,. Won't matter... We're staying inside!

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Actually, 5˚ C is the same as 41˚ F. But, yes, it got cold after the storm hit. Today, it's -7˚ C (19˚ F).

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Today’s HIGH is 19? Time to move south, Greg, or TO the South. 

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Leave Canada? Are you crazy?

Answer 15

On this day:

1874: The American author and artist Laura Adams Armer is born

1964: The Zanzibar Revolution occurs

2010: In Haiti occurs a major earthquake

Comments

I'll go with artist Laura Armer, because she was a writer and photographer!  I couldn't find a WikiTree profile on her!

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I believe Freddie Mercury's family fled from the Zanzibar revolution.

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They did. The German Wikipedia-entry about Freddie says that.

Answer 16

Pip,

Glad to see you are continuing to recover from your surgery. Therapy can be almost as painful, if not more, than the surgery, but carry on. We got you.

Didn't do much this week. Just relaxing around the house. I tried out my new meat grinder and made a turkey salad out of the left-overs. It turned out pretty good.

Going to do the Saturday Source Sprint tomorrow. One of these days I'm going to figure out how Ben Couch and Anon Sharkey do it. They must never sleep.

And on we go...

Comments

Luther, I did nothing around the house this week wither. I am using my shoulder as an excuse for everything.

Answer 17

Greetings from snowy and windy Rochester, Minnesota! 

Air Temp: 14° F (-10°C)

Wind Chill: -3° F (-19°C)

Winds: 19 mph NW

Carol Baldwin mentioned the "Arctic Blast" I'm glad I don't live in the city of Duluth or the state of Iowa. 

Clinical Work: I worked today despite the crazy weather. I'll work tomorrow although they may ask me to take the full shift for double pay. Hmmm....

Health: At this point, the #1 institution is taking care of me. I'll stick around for another two years.

School: Coming soon...in August

Genealogy: I want my in laws to meet my relatives (living and deceased). At this point, I'm looking at my DNA closely. 23andMe, Genomelink and Adntro determined that I am gluten intolerant but not lactose intolerant. I'm 46. It would be nice to meet cousins who can accept my choice of being in interracial marriage. There is a possibility that my paternal 2nd great grandmother, Harriett Bellamy was in an interracial relationship back in the 1890s. We don't know for sure. I will enlisted the assistance of my friends at the USBH project which I am still part of.  It is something that Dr. Henry Louis Gates could research. I have been watching the new season of Finding Your Roots!

Now, if only I can find my mittens. I'll be in good shape. 

Comments

Quote: It would be nice to meet cousins who can accept my choice of being in interracial marriage.

I have two daughter-in-laws that fall into that catagory, (one Latino and one African American (hope I am being politically correct) and they are the best thing that has happened to our family!  The grandkids are georgeous!  The cultural benefits and diversions brought into the family are amazing!  I've learned some new dance steps at the parties! These girls can DANCE!

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Hi Eileen, I received several FB photos from my family in Wisconsin this morning. Snow several feet deep. Some snow was frozen to tree limbs and my niece sent a photo of a very large tree that was downed from the weight of the snow and ice. Fortunately, the tree did not land on people or homes. Just seeing all that snow and ice gives me the shivers.

Your comment about interracial...the niece who sent the photo of the downed tree is married to a wonderful man who was born in grew up in central Mexico. Her mother (my sister who is a year younger) still makes negative comments about non-Anglos, including her son-in-law. So painful...and small minded.

I really enjoy Finding Your Roots. I remember when he had Carly Simon as a guest. This was about the 2nd year into the show. She has strong roots in Cuba. I remember Dr. Gates saying to her, 'you are the Blackest White woman we have had on our show yet.' I still get a chuckle over that comment, as did Carly Simon.

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I need to see that episode!

Answer 18

Good evening from freezing Germany,

where the week was mostly in the freezing temperatures. Politically it got a hot week though. An investigative network revealed that some members of the far-right party in our federal parliament met with one of the "intellectual leaders" of the very far right movement. This leader presented a program to do deportations of foreigners, no matter if they are legally here or not, and especially if they are naturalized or not. I don't want to get too much into it, but I would be (according to that plan) deported as well, because I am (for them) not 100% German as my mother is an immigrant. This whole plan is unconstitutional, but the  party doesn't care one bit. Our domestic secret service considers the party as "probably unconstitutional". Oh well, I hope there will be a way to prevent they get to the power...

Genealogy-wise, I jumped around in the tree. I decided to join the 16 for 16 challenge and chose 16 things I want to complete this year. I admit I chose stuff I often already do anyway, but who cares? I join monthly challenges anyway, i am in the Weekend Chat anyway, i upload pictures anyway when I find a picture for a profile.... I also read some articles to prepare for another biography I want to write, this time in preperation for Germany's connection finder week in May.

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Comments

These are hard times. The country I live in somehow put most votes onto a political party, led by a convict, who wants to make a specific religion illegal

Yes, please stay safe.

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Hi Jelena, if we think about it very carefully, we are all 'immigrants' in some respect. Bobby Kennedy once made a comment about a Chinese curse, "May he live in interesting times." I think currently we are all living in interesting times. I like to think that these times can help us to learn new and better ways to work, interact, behave, support each other. Good for you signing up for the 16 for 16 challenge. I am doing the New Mexico challenge this week, then returning to the Buckinghamshire Baldwins (I need to take a break from them every now and then to return fresh to their biographies and sourcing). Stay warm and keep safe!

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The whole world is in a tangle and nowhere to hide! I despise liars and thieves and it is unfortunate that they the ones are who run the show.

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Carol, I am well aware that we are all foreigners, and not only everywhere in the world except our home country. But this party uses language (already for years) that led Germany in the deepest pit 85 years ago and many people seem to close their eyes and their ears.

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Thank you, Professor J. I am worried for our country (the US) and the world in general. A political scientist, Francis Fukuyama, was on PBS today, talking about the global decline in democracies, which concerns me greatly. As if these extreme folks think they could do a better job. "I am the only one who can fix it." (Yeah, right. We see what a great job he did the *last* time...)

It is the same here. I actually started looking at possible countries to emigrate to if the worst happens. As if we could afford it. But my husband wants to stay and fight. He is a 3rd generation German-American. Said that when he was stationed in Germany in the Army (1969), a local told him something to the effect of "next time, we're going to do it right."

What to do?

Answer 19

Happy Weekend, Wikitree Chatters
Redemption Rock in Princeton, Massachusetts

Oops, last week I forgot to add these photos of Redemption Rock to my Genealogical Wanderings. In the early morning of 10 Feb 1676, Metacom (King Philip) led a force of about 1500 Wampanoag, Narraganset, and Nipmuc warriors in a raid on the isolated village of Lancaster, in central Massachusetts Bay Colony. Several people were killed and dozens were taken captive and marched around the wilderness and among indigenous communities for about three months. 
It took weeks  and involvement of leaders on both sides to negotiate terms of release for the captives. The release of some captives took longer than others, but the most reknowned case is that of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, the wife of the village minister, Reverend Joseph Rowlandson.

Upon this rock, May 2nd 1676 was made the agreement for the ransom of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson of Lancaster between the Indians and John Hoar of Concord. King Philip was with the Indians but refused his consent.

Mary Rowlandson wrote down her experience of captivity; it was published in  1682. http://archive.org/details/truehistoryofcap0000mary

For the indigenous perspective, I recommend Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War, by Lisa Brooks 2019. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300244328/our-beloved-kin/ There were several Wampanoag and Narragansett who could read and write in several languages by mid 17th century-some were Harvard educated.

Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (White-155)
John Hoar of Concord (Hoar-9)
Sachem Metacom, King Philip (Wampanoag-15)
Sachem Weetamoo, Pocasset (Pocasset-1)

Lancaster, Massachusetts, first called Nashaway, was  settled by several of my ancestors in 1643. I was born and raised about 20 miles from where the wife and children of my 9th great grand uncle Rev Joseph Rowlandson were captured.

Thanks for hosting this chat, Pip. I hope you and Mrs. Pip continue to heal from your procedures.

Have a good week, Wikitree Family, Try to step away from your computers to make some history of your own.

Comments

That's a beautiful photo of the rock, Anonymous, and what a history!

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Thank you for sharing cousin!  9th cousin

 Quote: Have a good week, Wikitree Family, Try to step away from your computers to make some history of your own.

My wife slaps me everytime I try to make some new history!

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David Draper, I needed that belly laugh- thanks Cousin!

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Redemption Rock is a really nice rock!

I always wanted to live somewhere with interesting rocks and boulders on the property.

We have solid clay down to about 20 feet, then gravel then more clay.

Though we didn't need to put a liner in our garden pond.

Historically there were a lot of brickworks around here.

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Hi Cousin Anon, thank you for the photos and history! It is not uncommon for me to come across ancestors who fought during King Philip's War! Now I can relate to something visual as I work on their profiles (i.e. Redemption Rock).

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Thank you for the great photos, Cousin A (8th cousin 1R)! Another place I need to revisit.

My 9x ggrandfather John Shattuck drowned while crossing the river,  bringing news back to Watertown of  the killing of many of his unit by Metacom and his warriors.

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D Armistead, Thank you for bringing up our ancestor John Shattuck- your 9th, my 8th gg. After the raids, at least a few of the people from Groton never made it back from captivity in Canada. For one example, see Alex Trebek's ancestor Matthias Farnsworth. Groton is a pretty town, have you been?

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I may have been there, years ago when I lived in Boston. It is beautiful there; I miss New England (though not the drivers). Thanks for the link to Alex's ancestor; I'll check it out.

John's descendants in my tree moved to southern NH.

I saw Groton has a flood warning now; hope they're ok.

Answer 20

Greetings from icy Everett, Washington. Tonight it will get down to 15 degrees F. It won't get up into the 30s until Monday. We got about two inches of wet, fat, fluffy flakes on Thursday. This refroze enough to make black ice. The Historical Society meeting was cancelled. I am not driving anywhere until it thaws. Until that day arrives, we are living out of the freezer. At least I and the kids are. Husband can drive the van to work and to get groceries, come tomorrow, if need be.

An emergency PR spin meeting was called early yesterday for husband and all the tour guides at Boeing. Basically, they were told not to discuss the incident that happened a week ago, saying that "It's still under investigation." I can imagine that a person installing the door plug might have forgotten the bolts, and that the person inspecting his work might have had "confirmation bias," signing off on the inspection without making sure the bolts were there. It looks as if a third party will be overseeing both of them, at least for now.

We are taking the train for our next vacation, even if Amtrak is often delayed for freights.

Here on WikiTree, I'm still plugging away to find a connection for Mickey Rivers of the New York Yankees.

Stay warm everyone.

Comments

Stay IN! Be warm, cousin!  (19th cousin)

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Stay warm Margaret. The Pacific Northwest is getting hit with winter weather!

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Smart, Margaret. I wouldn't be driving in that kind of weather, either!