"Welcome to the Weekend Chat" All Members are Invited!! November 30 - December 2, 2018 [closed]

+16 votes
1.1k views

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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 yourself and spread goodwill :)

WikiTree profile: Pip Sheppard
closed with the note: Weekend chat completed
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Dorothy Barry

Hi fellow WikiChatterers! It’s 47F and cloudy with a 50% chance of rain today in Cathey’s Creek, Transylvania County, North Carolina, the Land of the Waterfalls. (And white squirrels, Herbert!)

This is Pip hosting once again. Here’s hoping all with well you each and every one of you. It’s getting into a very busy time of the year for some of us. My wife and I are expecting friends from South Carolina in a couple of weekends. And… there’s a mini Sheppard reunion coming up. It’s just my dad’s descendants and one of his brothers’ descendants (who seem to show up more), and my one remaining aunt and her husband. I need to prepare a report for one of my cousin’s daughters.

On the genealogy front: I’m still going back and writing all those bios I should have done from the beginning. It’s a lot of work, but worth it in the long run. I tend to do the “scattershot” approach for which profiles need work on. I’m too right-brained to systematize my work. No major discoveries this week, but I am REALLY looking forward to the Scan-a-thon in January!!

Greeting continues to add to my time on the computer, but not as much as the scheduled Greeters. My hat is off to all my fellow Greeters for all the hard work you do behind the scenes!

A GENTLE REMINDER: If you want to respond to a particular person’s answer or comment, for that person to see your response you MUST CLICK ON THE REPLY UNDER THEIR POST. If you just click reply further down the line, someone else will be getting the email notification for a reply, and the person you wanted to respond to may never know!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!! I'm glad for each and every one of you who participate!

Hi everybody!

These days I was digging around a bit in my surname. Like googling and looking what it spits out. I found something like a census record from Poznan when it was still German for a woman with my surname. Her birthdate and place of birth was also given. She is from "my" town! So I went into a blog that has transcriptions of the microfiches of FS and looked for her. And there she is and her parents also given. YAY... But there could be more, maybe I find something more from her time in Poznan. So let's go into FamilySearch. And what happens? I type in my surname and that place.... and it gives me more than 5k entries! Even when I check the box for exact name there are still hundreds of names.... So yes, I know what I do in the next weeks: Bring all those entries to WT and then let's see what I can combine to see where there are the cousins..
Thanks for hosting, Pip.
Thanks, my Loyalist-ancestor-helping friend!

Loyalists are my main research project next month. Then back to SLC in January to learn about using DNA in a course called Establishing Genealogical Proof Using DNA. Need to finish documenting 3 more. If time permits maybe one or two additional ones.

"Transylvania County Sounds like a place to find Dracula, vampires and a castle! :-) On the other hand "Cathey’s Creek, the Land of the Waterfalls sounds like a wonderful place. Thanks for hosting Pip!

24 Answers

+18 votes

Greetings, WikiCousins!

Pip, thanks for hosting!  I recently learned that y'all have giant squirrels in addition to the white ones.  Yikes.

It's snowing today, and it's supposed to snow all weekend.  So I decided to play hooky.  In fact, I just hit the reset button on the day, brewed up some more coffee and had another breakfast.

Nothing major on the genealogical front for me this week, but of course I turned office supplies into animals.

Reindeer by Jo Nakashima

'Tis the season!  (Holiday or hunting, your choice.)

Cheers,

Herb

by Living Tardy G2G6 Pilot (759k points)
Welcome to the Chat, Herbert! You’re #1.

Love the reindeer. Looks like you used heavier paper than usual.

We probably won’t get snow until January here, seems the North Carolina mountains catch the snow before it gets to us. Here’s already been snow alon the N.C.-Tennessee border.
Thanks, Pip!  Good eye.  The reindeer needs paper with both sides the same color, or else his front legs look weird.  That eliminated my usual cheapo Hobby Lobby origami paper.  I didn't want to use white, or yellow with lines, so I cut a square out of a manila envelope.
Makes for a very sturdy reindeer! (But harder to fold, right?)
Pros and cons.  For comparison, copier paper is usually 20 pound bond.  Higher quality office paper is 24 pound.  The envelope stock was, I think, 28 pound kraft paper.  I don't know the weight of the origami paper, but it's thinner than copier paper - more like gift-wrap paper.

The heavier paper is harder to fold, but I used a larger sheet (20cm instead of 15cm) which helped.  It's also less likely to split when you do moves that turn the paper inside out.  It stands up better to tweaking and fiddling.  The antlers were difficult in the envelope paper because of its bulk.  They were almost impossible with the light origami paper because it gets sort of mushy if you handle it too much. Not to mention the really tiny folds in the smaller paper.  On the other hand, fat paper gives you fat folds, especially in multiple layers of paper.  Life is full of tradeoffs.  :(  I have a roll of kraft paper that feels somewhere between copier paper and envelope paper.  I might cut up some squares of it and see how it works.
Nice reindeer. =D
Thanks, Chris!
Very nice reindeer. The santa and sleigh should be a real challenge!

Thanks, Kay!  I might have to make seven more reindeer first.  wink

I like the neat reindeer, Herbert! 'Tis the season!  (Holiday or hunting, your choice.) Some do both!!

Thanks, David!  smiley

Very nice Herbert, can you add a red nose and call him Rudolph?

Thanks, Nicole!  I could do that, but he's Blitzen and would probably gore me for trying.  wink

oops - don't upset him, don't want blood and gore on your hands, assuming of course that you would win the battle and Blitzen could become "crumpled" :)

LOL I think Blitzen has suffered enough at my hands already.  laugh

+19 votes

Get out your mason Jars, Today is....

              

NATIONAL MASON JAR DAY

On November 30, National Mason Jar Day commemorates an ingenious invention that’s been bringing families together for generations.

Simply by opening a jar of fruit preserves or spicy salsa, we enjoy the flavors of summer in the midst of winter. For those who love to pickle, the Mason jar makes it possible to pickle just about every fruit and vegetable in the garden. From green beans to watermelon, we can make it sweet or spicy!

While some forms of food preservation have existed for centuries, it wasn’t until John Landis Mason’s patent #22186 for an “Improvement in screwneck bottles” was issued that home canning became a safe reality. The young tinsmith from New Jersey had created a revolutionary design.

Ever since, gardeners have stocked their pantries from their victory gardens, padded their wallets with their heirloom collections, and shared their bounty as colorful gifts. Mason jars pull double duty as beautiful DIY projects in shabby chic vases or as an artfully painted desk caddy.

However, these versatile vessels are used, on National Mason Jar Day delight in their existence and their utility.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Share all your favorite ways to use Mason Jars. Whether you fill them with your favorite recipes, a miniature fairy garden or hang them from a chandelier, show your appreciation for the Mason jar and use #NationalMasonJarDay on social media.

HISTORYUbLogoLarge

Misty Campbell-Olbert, the founder of Unboxing the Bizarre, founded National Mason Jar Day to celebrate a day that should have existed a long time ago! Mason jars are synonymous with ingenuity, independence, and creativity – all things worthy of celebration!

The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Mason Jar Day to be observed annually beginning in 2017.

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Hi, Dorothy!!  Glad to see you here!

Aside from canning, mason jars are often used to drink iced tea down here in the South. I know that there was at least one restaurant where we ate that used mason jars for the drinks!
I shall sip some whiskey from one in honor of the day!
Thanks for the post, Dorothy. We have tons of Mason jars and they get used for their original purpose as well as many other things. They are great for storing all types of things. We use sizes from 4ounce (about 120ml) to half gallon (about 3.8 liters).
Ahhh, my wife would say that bourbon is better. (Prejudice: she’s from a Kentucky.)
We have replaced almost all our drinking glasses with Mason Jars
Certainly more utilitarian, right Mike? Harder to break than the nice glasses.
I use ours for canning.
You got that right Pip.  Kay, I wondered what the funny lids were for! ;)
Thank you, Dorothy, I always look forward to your interesting 'Today Is" posts. I remember when our mother canned using mason jars. :-)
We use our mason jars the way most would use canisters for flour, sugar, tea.  And we have them for nuts, raisins, coffee beans (cause we make a mix of different kinds of coffee and need to store them so they go into large mason jars).  What a wonderful invention.  Thank you Dorothy for your today post.
+18 votes

Hello WikiPeeps,

Well it has arrived. My AncestryDNA results. Much more hits however nothing real close unless you consider 2nd cousins. I look forward to seeing where this will all turn. I feeling a bit euphoric it's a nice change. My genealogy spirits have been revitalized it took exactly 25 days to get my results from Day Received to results. Not a bad turn around since they said it could take up to 8 weeks. Since the results just came in this morning perhaps I will get a few messages by Sunday evening. Perhaps saying "Who the heck are you" wink

In other news.

We had snow already this year before Thanksgiving. Is this tell tales of lots of snow? Stay tuned to Weekend Chat find out. yes

As always thanks for what you all do on wikitree and endeavoring to make Wikitree the most collaborative and appreciative source for Genealogy on the Web.

Thanks Pip for Hosting

by Anthony McCabe G2G6 Pilot (380k points)
Hi Steve, and welcome to the Chat! I love snow, but I have to hide my glee from my wife who hates it. My 91 yr old mother likes to call on a snowy morning to tell her just how beautiful it all is and ask if she (my wife) is enjoying it.

Did you see any difference between your earlier dna results from the Ancestry one?
Second cousins no close connection? Sorry, but I don't get that.... I have so many contacts to second cousins and also their children. And yes, I consider them close relatives. Once I was visiting the cousin of my father. His son had a football match and I went watching with the father. After the match a mother of a teammate asked me how we are related. "Our grandmothers are sisters." "Oh, that's close!"
Steve, second cousins are still close. It's a place to start. =) Send 'em an e-mail and see what's goin' on. I have a funny story regarding my second cousin.....

I was talking to my mom's cousin on Facebook about AncestryDNA and I showed her a few matches I was not sure of. I told her about one match in particular and she says "Chris, that's my granddaughter and your second cousin. You saw her at your grandfather's funeral last year."

I was like "WHAAT?" Well, that was kind of embarrassing. XD

Anyway, you should message 'em. See what the deal is. You never know what you'll find. And maybe you can avoid epic embarrassments. LOL!

Pip.

I call the stuff "white $h!t" I dislike it with a royal passion. Because I normally have to shovel it. On Ancestry there is a huge difference between amount of results and even the Estimate has differences.

Jelena

 Well I was hoping for closer connections. Like aunts/uncles etc.  Ancestrydna says about 8 of  them are between a 1st and 2nd cousin. The closest one I found is about 604 cM across 24 segments however it's hard to know till you work out where they belong. I'm adopted so all stuff I find is a brickwall. It appears like most of my appeared close biological relatives are all bastards while the 2nd, 3rd cousins have some order. cheeky

Northeast represent, Steve. *fistbump*

Apt term for the white sludge that falls upon our region.

Here's what the shared cM project has for 604 cMs if you are interested: https://dnapainter.com/tools/sharedcmv4/604

Using that may help fill in the gaps. As will looking at the tree. Good luck!
Wouldn’t be prettier and bearable if you’d just move South! No shoveling required, doesn’t last long, even here in the mountains.

Pip, I tried moving south. I was going to spend October thru April down in Kannapolis but my allergies said that was a bad idea. So I guess I for one am stuck with the S___ No One Wants.

Hahaha! I told my wife that one and she loved it! Well, a short visit to Kannapolis once in a while will be worth it.
It's great to get your results so quickly. You might really luck out and find someone who has been researching the family and can really help.

I know what you mean about snow (growing up in one of the top 10 snowiest larger cities in the country - Syracuse). Down here in Virginia we just get cold and damp and a mess if we do get snow because no one known how to drive in it and they only plow interstates.
Sounds exactly like here. Of course, Brevardians can’t drive even when it’s not snowing!
I dislike snakes, heat and humidity as much as I hate cold. No south for me.
North Carolina mountains: few snakes that I’ve seen, can be quite warm occasionally, very low humidity. However, they call this place Rainsylvania for a reason! (Raining right now... again!)
+18 votes
Hello everyone,

Not much has happened genealogy wise to me this week except for 2 things...

1 - The adoptee I found in the USA who has 100 cM of Shared DNA with me, (potentially a second cousin) has told me that he has no interest in obtaining his original birth certifcate nor to find his biological family. He may be waiting for his adopted parents to pass before he does any searching or he is scared of what he will find. But I have to accept his decision. Which is a bummer.

2 - the other cousin that I found in NZ is now home from his holiday and he has been sending me some lovely photographs of my maternal grandmother and her parents. Which is wonderful. Since my mother was adopted we have had NO record of what her parents look like. And with these photos comes proof that we have the right grandmother - because the photos of her as a young adult (aged in late teens, early 20s) she looks exactly like my mother did at that same age.  I am going to wait until the Scan-a-thon in January before I add these photos to Wikitree!!

And lastly we have had nothing but rain all week!!!
by Robynne Lozier G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
edited by Robynne Lozier

Hi, Robynne! I’m so glad you’re here! 

1 - sad

2 - laughlaughlaughlaughlaugh

How exciting to get those photos! Can't wait to see them in the Scan-a-thon. I know you are excited!

Just started raining (again) here in Rainsylvania County (Transylvania). Booo, hisss!

+16 votes
Hi everybody!

These days I was digging around a bit in my surname. Like googling and looking what it spits out. I found something like a census record from Poznan when it was still German for a woman with my surname. Her birthdate and place of birth was also given. She is from "my" town! So I went into a blog that has transcriptions of the microfiches of FS and looked for her. And there she is and her parents also given. YAY... But there could be more, maybe I find something more from her time in Poznan. So let's go into FamilySearch. And what happens? I type in my surname and that place.... and it gives me more than 5k entries! Even when I check the box for exact name there are still hundreds of names.... So yes, I know what I do in the next weeks: Bring all those entries to WT and then let's see what I can combine to see where there are the cousins...
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Welcome to the Chat, Jelena!!

Wow! Youve got your work cut out for you. But I know you. You won’t let this one sit! You’re a genealogy conqueror! 5k entries! I’d be overwhelmed!
No I won't. The funny thing is that all Eckstädts on WT except for one are entered by me. Currently there are 53. (Ask me on Sunday evening my time (afternoon for you) again how many are there now.) It will be interesting to see if I can get enough hints to find out if there are real cousins in there. My grandpa collected the documentts for his direct line, but only for them. So I hardly know about the siblings of my greats. So this indexed stuff helps a lot.
+14 votes
Thanks for hosting Pip,

It has been a busy week all around here in Northeast Ohio. Monday our car went back to the dealer on a flatbed, still had problems with the tire. They could not fix it so they had to order one and give us yet another loaner car. Monday was my radio club meeting, election night, I lost the election but the person who won has mostly the same goals as I do and we have already been talking. He plans on me working alongside him to make these changes reality. Monday night also brought the first big winter storm for my area. It was not as bad as the predictions but 4 inches of wet heavy snow is still a pain. Tuesday they finally fixed our car and I spent whatever time I could on WikiTree. Wednesday was my payday so it was off to the store so that we can eat for a couple of weeks along with more wikitree. I have actually made quite a few contributions this week, mostly adding sources and cleaning up some profiles that have not been touched in 5 years. The snow from Monday is melting and they are saying it should get up to the 50's tomorrow so that is good. Our "temporary" house guest will probably be staying with us until the end of February, at least while she travels to downtown Cleveland 5 days a week for treatment. Tomorrow I have a meeting to go to, I am not required to go but if I don't I might just get drafted to do something I don't want to do, so I plan to be there. I am making headway with the profiles I adopted a while back but I still have over 200 to work on just from my watchlist alone, and they all have no sources.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)

Dale, welcome to the Chat! Glad to see your weekly “check-in.”

You know the rule is that if you don’t show up for a meeting you will get drafted. (Second rule: make a suggestion, and the whole project becomes yours. Arrrgh!)

I know Pip, I suggested planning for classes further in advance and I am now on the education committee. The position for vice president is open and the president along with some other board members are looking at me in a funny way.

That “funny look” does not bode well for you! laugh

Just heard from my daughter. They bought a new car after their other one was totaled earlier this month. Also my only surviving aunt has to have bypass surgery on Tuesday in West Virginia. They are saying she will be fine but she is in her 80's so you never know.
Was this accident the one your son-in-law was injured in? How is he doing?
Yes it was Pip, and he is fine.
+16 votes

Haven't done much genealogically this week. Added a few sources and dates to some collateral relatives that were unsourced. Mostly been seeing what records I will need to look at in Salt Lake in a couple of weeks. Essentially starting to make a battle plan. A few films need to be requested when I get there due to the location is Granite Mountain Vault. Also need to go through a number of books where they are the nearest library with a copy.

Foodwise, Thanksgiving leftovers are gone and we are back to a normal diet. Still a few more things to dry and then we are done with that. Seed catalogs have been arriving so starting to plan for next year. The Whole Seed Catalog has a few beans and squash that look interesting to add to our garden. We've also been reading about a form of agri-terrorism. That's when someone sets up a seed library or seed bank to help preserve heirloom seeds and make them available to other people. At least this is happening in some places (calling it agri-terrorism, that is). Pennsylvania came down hard on a public library that was doing it and called it just that. Who knew that saving seeds could be so political.

by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (525k points)
edited by Doug McCallum
Doug, in Mexico, they are trying to preserve all the different kinds of ancient corn. One reason, the tortillas look and taste different depending on the variety of corn.

And... the same for old varieties of apples here in the USA.
In Germany they also try to resurrect old apple sorts. Actually not only apple sorts but different vegetables or fruits. This is one of the versions to increase the "biological" and regional market. Many of the people who work with those old versions try to work without chemicals and stuff like that.

Some states have passed laws making saving seeds from one year to the next illegal for any purpose. Libraries starting seed libraries is also growing which is what caused the clash in Pennsylvania. We do save our bean seed from one year to the next since beans are mostly self pollinating. The landrace corns of Mexico are also very interesting. We support a couple of organizations that are trying to preserve them in Mexico and other places (including Native American races). We live too close to farms that grow corn and I don't have enough energy to go out every morning and put bags over each new ear that forms and then hand pollinate. It makes travel difficult.

Apples, on the other hand, we are planning to do. Next Spring I start the orchard and will put in a couple of trees each year for the next few. We don't plant anything that doesn't either feed us or the wildlife (bees in particular). I'll be ordering a few trees in the next week.

I don’t understand. What’s the big deal about saving seeds?
Near ss I can tell, Monsanto and a few other companies find  it threatening and have lobbied hard for these restrictions. Some states, like Colorado, have recently removed the restrictions after a few years. A few are getting aggressive in enforcing them. I don’t think we are supposed to understand.
Kinda like, “Don’t read it, just vote for it!” as in a recent political debate here in the States. There are always experts, and we are just supposed to... aw, heck. Never mind!
That is great Doug, keep saving! It is really important - Yes Pip it is all about greed - Monsanto and the big corporations want a monopoly on that - lots of our heirloom varieties are lost already - the fancy new hybrids and genetically modified frankenfoods are not for me!  A good many of us want to eat real food with flavor and that instead of the herbicide resistant junk they want us to have!
As things were bred for better storage and shipping and for mechanical harvesting, a lot of flavor and character got lost. We'll continue saving our seed for both food and planting. We also buy as local as we can to support the efforts of others.
I totally concur! “Frankenfoods.” What a zinger!
+17 votes

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps! 

How are we all doing? I'm good and recovered from the trip down to Virginia. I got a cold from one of my nephews. But, I am getting better. I swear kids could be used as a WMD. Imagine a classroom full of kids with a billion different germs. One small classroom could incapacitate an entire city. Surprised Cobra never tried that on G.I. Joe. It seems like something they would do. 

On the genealogy front, I shared this photo of my great-grandparents: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/723373/shared-photo-ferraiolo-family-arrival-in-america 

I was going to edit it, but, eh....I don't really need to. It was tempting. I am tempted to add a layer to a copy and create a digital version. The thing is I don't know what colors to make everyone's clothes.

I also made this thread: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/724125/connecting-the-dots-to-paolo-coppola I am trying to prove a connection with Giovanni Coppola and Paolo Coppola like I did for Paolo and his parents. THAT was very easy. Best idea was to e-mail the commune office and ask for help. We'll see how that goes.

I also applied for the Wikitree Secret Santa thing. I put up one of my Italian brick walls. I dunno if it was a good idea, but, we'll see what happens, huh? Can't blame me for asking. Domenica Gullo's tree needs building!

On the non genealogy front, we're getting stuff ready for Christmas. Will need to get the nephews some presents. Not sure what. They have more than enough Legos.

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (753k points)

Hey, Chris. I always enjoy your genealogical challenges and how you go about trying to solve this or connect that. Really cool!

Just think... if you ever decided to move to the Blessed Realm (the South), you’d figure out just what those kids need for Christmas (besides some Theraflu or such). laugh

Inoculations and vaccines for all! =D

Glad you enjoy my challenges. Solving mysteries like a dark knight. Only without the following:

1. Mommy and Daddy issues.

2. Trust issues.

3. Crippling angst.

4. Loads of money.

Other than that. I AM THE NIGHT!
Hahahahaha! Zing!
Kevin Conroy will always be the best animated Batman. =)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eem4v93VOOo

Mark Hamill is best animated Joker. =D

Mark Hamill is the best Joker, period.  laugh

Yeah, he is. =D
Read this out loud to the family at dinner last night and they totally agree.  Mark Hamill is the best Joker.
I think it's universal. =) He is best Joker! Check out Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. That stuff is hardcore.
+14 votes

Happy Weekend to All!

It's a big weekend in Williamsburg, VA. Grand Illumination is Sunday.

by Doug Lockwood G2G Astronaut (2.6m points)
Hey, Doug! Cool pic! Would love to be there Sunday. Williamsburg, close as it is, is one place I haven’t visited yet. On my bucket list.
+14 votes
It's Friday!!!

Another week of truck drama, finally resolved.  Third tow, and this time I had it taken to a different mechanic, who very quickly figured out that when I got my last tuneup they used cheap after-market spark plug wires.  The insulation had cracked and the wires were shorting out onto the engine.  New wires, and it's running like a dream now.

Meanwhile, I tackled WikiTree stuff on both sides of the family.  On my mom's side, I tried to sort out a woman with 23 kids.  Turned out to be two conflated families and maybe more.  I didn't get it all figured out, but someone else has also jumped in and hopefully we'll sort it out.  I've at least definitely got my own direct relatives correct now.  Then I moved on to my dad's side and spent some time sourcing the mess I made when I first started and dumped a bunch of FamilySearch and Ancestry profiles in using WikiTree X.

Massive pile of grading and work to do this weekend, with an urgent deadline (Monday for the grading, Tuesday for the manuscript); luckily I have nothing else scheduled.  If you see me posting on here, smack me and tell me to get back to work.
by Lisa Hazard G2G6 Pilot (262k points)

Never! What’s more important than WT?!?surpriselaugh

Glad you’ve finally got the truck thing worked out, Lisa. Amazing what a second pair of eyes will do.

What's more important than WT? Ours playing World of Warcraft? Still have to deal with the same type of people, sadly. If you get right down to it. =P

Good luck with grading! 23 kids, huh? I know some of them weren't really hers but she'd have been a candidate for a show on TLC.
Two men from the same area, with similar first names and the same surname (possibly brothers but maybe not), both married women named Elizabeth.  There was only one profile for Elizabeth so she was linked to both and had all the kids attached to her.  I made a second Elizabeth profile, and I think I've got 5 kids confirmed with one and 8 or 9 with the other.  Two were born after both potential fathers had died, so they're probably completely in the wrong place, and there are a couple of stragglers that need to be figured out.  Quite a mess.  But way more fun than grading papers.
Wow. That does sound like a mess. Has FamilySearch been able to help? Maybe you can find who belonged to who that way. Meanwhile I am trying to sneak in Giovanni Coppola into my Coppolas of Haverhill. =D

I mean this guy was born in the same town as his siblings, settled in the same town as two of his siblings and years later I have a DNA match with his descendant who also matches several people who match the siblings' side.
Someone had already done a fair bit of work on Ancestry, so I piggybacked off of that.  The best source they had was a legal document (power of attorney related to probate or something like that) that named about 5-6 of the kids of one Elizabeth ("my" Elizabeth, my 5G grandmother).  Also, the two families moved to different states, so I started with the assumption that if the kid was born in KY they belonged to one family, and VA they belonged to the other.  Next up would be a FamilySearch check to see if they can be sorted out further.  The profile manager for the other father has jumped in so I'll give him some time to work on that family before I dive back in.
Sounds good. Good luck, Lisa!

Apparently a massive-grading-no-WikiTree weekend means I only make ~50 WT contributions.  blush  On the positive side, I think I finally properly sourced all the profiles I created on my dad's side this summer.  I'm hitting pre-1700 stuff now so it'll be slower going.

That’s the way some days go, Lisa, especially if you’re a teacher!
+12 votes
Just heard from a 3 or 4th cousin of my husband who matched on 23 and me. Turns out their branch has info on the history of their common ancestor! Great news since I don't have the international version of Ancestry. We are talking England.
by Sue Hall G2G6 Pilot (167k points)
Hey, Sue! Welcome to the Chat!

How exciting! I don’t have international access either, but have found some folks here who have helped me track down those elusive overseas sources. Keep us posted in your finds! Well want to hear!
+11 votes
Happy weekend and thanks for hosting Pip.

Its been a busy week. First we heard that our truck, ordered mid Sept and supposed to be in 6 to 8 weeks might go into production in January. Really bummed. So then we had the new RV, bought but still at the dealer, towed to our storage site. We have a truck but didn't want to make the 120 mile drive with it. We're now watching the weather to see if we can find 3 or 4 nice days (aka warmer) to take it to a campground just 5 miles away to check it out and load the kitchen and other stuff.

So then I decided to go shopping, and we end up with a much needed new rug for the living room, and a more comfortable guest chair. Now the drama is put up the Christmas tree or wait and see if the rug really comes in in two weeks like the saleslady said (after the truck, I don't believe anyone).

That said, not much on the genealogy front. I did finally find a whole bunch for this weeks 52 Ancestors and found a really interesting one, born in November so he counts. When I first found Collingwood Rodney Duroe, I was thinking oh, easy peasy, unique name. (Don't trust that any more than delivery dates!). There must have been a grandfather or great grandfather named Collingwood Rodney Duroe. Collingwood's brother Edwin named a son Collingwood Rodney Duroe. Collingwood (brother of Edwin) also named a son Collingwood Rodney Duroe, who named his son, you guessed it, Collingwood Rodney Duroe. Of course they all lived in the same general area. At least they married women with different names, and the only name repeated among their children was Collingwood Rodney Duroe, and they had different occupations.

I also finished up the descendants of a third great grand aunt and connected her to the tree. Her son married his first cousin, sister of my gg grandfather.
by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (590k points)
Hi Kay! So glad to see you here.

You know, I have several (loads) cousins that married cousins. Makes for fewer people to enter. What's hard is remembering who I've added and who is still waiting in the wings.

So, FIVE Duroe's with the same names?!?!
same in my family. My grandparents of my fathers side were second cousins. And grandfathers sister married grandmothers brother. They named their children after their parents so eacht family has a Henk, Piet, Jan, Lam (or Bert, both from Lambertus) Betsy and Anna. So to know whom you're talking about you have  to mention their parent too "Henk of uncle Piet" etc.
Been there, done that. In the Eckstädts there's a bunch of Johann Friedrichs. At least they all married women with different surnames at least. On my grandma's side I have two cousins who have the completely same name and also both of them are born in Sep 1855. The only way to discern them is by the women in their life.
Jelena, you know that “Johann” is the national name of Germany... and a few other places.
I know. But those two even don't have the Johann in their name. In my grandma's ancestor line I have a Johann Peter Schupp who is the father of Johann Peter Schupp who is the father of Johann Peter Schupp. Hint: Look at the birthyears to discern them. ;)
+11 votes
Things that seem obvious after three days of adding profiles with my family name on WT... it seems there weren't that many surnamesakes in that town in the 1810s and 1820s. I know my direct ancestors were there at least since 1683 (thanks grandpa for the church book entries!), but there are very few just in those two decades. Where is the rest? Where did they actually come from? Questions over questions, but not for now anymore. My brain is shutting down, it tells me: "Hey Jelena, it's Saturday already. Come on, let's go sleeping!"
Good night all!
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
+14 votes

Congratulations we Appreciate You

Pip on becoming a WikiTree Leader!

I know you might have wanted to keep this news quiet but could not resist congratulating you on this achievement. 

image

by David Selman G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
edited by David Selman
Much appreciated, Dale!
Thanks, Kay. I appreciate it!

Aww, man. Now I gotta suck up to him?

Er...I mean....

Congrats, my friend! May you be firmly fair and fairly firm. 

(And allow me to put dank memes all over your profiles.)

=)

Cheers, man. You're gonna do great!

Congratulations Pip, I believe you will do well with the "Military and War" project as their co-leader!! 

Also appreciate you staying on with us as project coordinator with the Integrator project and helping out with our weekend chats and Integrator monthly challenges. Thank you!! 

Dorothy, working with you is one of the bright spots for me on WikiTree. Thanks for the kind words. 

I wonder if this had anything to do with me stealing Cap's shield last week. lol
Congratulations Pip !!  Is this the place to say Pip Pip hooray ? ... oh heck... Pip Pip Hooray !!!!

Hahaha! Please don’t let the Greeters see that! I’ll never hear the end of it. laugh

The most unique congrats anyone could receive, and only you could do it, Chris! Thanks!
*sends message to Charlotte Shockey* =)

Well, I can safely say I am certainly unique. So, Military and War, huh? So many Full Metal Jacket references I could make right now. I don't know where to start. =)
+11 votes
Down the rabbit hole I go! I just adopted all of the orphan profiles in the line of the late George H.W. Bush. Just because he was my 17th cousin. that adds over 200 profiles to my watchlist that need work. Some of these have not been touched since they were uploaded from a GEDCOM in 2010 so I'm gonna be busy for a while.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
Rabbit holes can be so much fun to explore. Have fun whipping them into shape!
Good for you, Dale! Excellent!
Nice!  He's my 5th cousin twice removed through Lemuel Bangs; at some point I'll take a look at that line and see if it needs work.
Huh. He's my 8th cousin 4 times removed.

That's kind of cool.

Good luck, Dale!
He's my 9th cousin twice removed.
My sixth cousin.  Son George is 7th cousin to my daughter.  She shrugs.  She thinks it's more cool to be 2c1r to Spike the Vampire of Buffy fame.  George H. W. and Spike are 7th cousins.  Scary thought.
My 7th cousin once removed via Benjamin Woodworth. I see there are some profiles along the way that need work...
OH NO! some of these profiles I adopted are from the infamous DeCoursey GEDCOM upload!!!

You just received The Curse! devil

Hope they flow nicely for ya my friend Dale
+13 votes

Welcome to December, Today is.... 
Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day - December 1

"BIFOCALS AT THE MONITOR" LIBERATION DAY

Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day is observed annually on December 1.

"Bifocals at the Monitor" Liberation Day was created by Thomas & Ruth Roy who said: Quote "Our hearts fill with compassion today for co-workers stuck wearing bifocals at the PC. Shed a tear as their heads bob up and down, in and out, trying to read the monitor...  reference their site at:  Wellcat.com.

How to Observe: 

Walk away from the computer time to time. Stretch, walk the dog, get a bit to eat, play with the kids/ grandkids etc. 

Free yourself from dealing with blurry screen images by getting your eyes examined to see if bifocals can help... 

Or like me, see the doctor...you may have the onset of  cataracts, a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Oh my gosh, Dorothy! This is me! Bifocals and all.
Yep, bifocals (actually variable focus) and beginning of cataracts -- this is me.
I wear transition progressive no-line bifocals so I do not have to have two pairs of glasses as they change to darker when in very bright lights or outdoors.
How to observe: walk away from the computer from time to time ... is that do-able with some of us?  During the Source-a-Thon we had some fall asleep at the computer, hmmmm, I don't think bifocals were being worn, so I guess that doesn't count.  Thanks Dorothy.
WikiTreers, depending on the level of addiction, may or may not be able to walk away. My wife says I need therapy.
+12 votes

For those of us in the United States, today we are remembering and honoring former President George H W Bush who passed away last night. He was our 41st President of the United States. 

WikiTree does have a profile for him at: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bush-7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

George Herbert Walker Bush, the president who managed the end of the Cold War and forged a global coalition to oust Iraqi forces from Kuwait, has died at age 94.

USATODAY.COM

George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. president and father of the 43rd, has died at age 94

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Thank you, Dorothy, for posting this!
+9 votes

Good morning from Fildago Island in the northwestern corner of Washington State! Here's some weekend trivia:

Did you know that Bellingham Washington is the northernmost city of more than 50,000 residents in the 48 contiguous United States?

And did you know that Seattle Washington is the northernmost city of more than 500,000 residents in the contiguous United States?

Most people who take a quick glance at a map choose cities in Maine for these distinctions. But maps can be deceiving..

by Bart Triesch G2G6 Pilot (267k points)
A beautiful photo, Bart. On my bucket list: to see Puget Sound. My dad sailed from Washington for service in WWII.
Pip, my wife's father was a sailor on the cruiser USS Honolulu in WWII. He told a story about sailing through the Puget Sound on their way to the Bremerton shipyard and it looked like the bleakest place in the world.  If it was December I guarantee it was bleak! So make sure you plan your trip for August. ;)
Will do! Thanks! (All bucket list items on hold ‘til after the daughters’s wedding!)
Deception Pass Bridge!  We have a naturalist once a year from Rosario State Park at our Mukilteo Historical Society meetings.  We learn all we ever needed to know about native grasses and mollusks.
Margaret, here's a little story about Mukilteo that I wrote on my blog: http://archive.is/VeyCX.
Need to get back to the Northwest. My wife is from Washington (Spokane) but has a sister in Everett and another in Vancouver WA and I have cousins in Vancouver BC but we both like the San Juans and have been there a number of times as well. Beautiful area.
I was born in Everett and have lived in Vancouver. And Spokane is a hidden jewel that most Americans probably don't know anything about. But the San Juan's are in a class by themselves. Incredible.
I do like Spokane and it is definitely a hidden jewel. The San Juans are definitely a favorite place but if you get tired of there (never) then Vancouver Island BC with Victoria and Butchart Gardens aren't far away.
+11 votes
Greetings from Everett, Washington!

The highlight of the week was a Seattle Symphony Concert Thursday night, featuring Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2 ("Full Moon and Empty Arms") and Rimsky-Korsakoff's Scheherazade.  The music has been in my head ever since.  Also I am thankful once more I didn't have to drive in downtown Seattle.

Today I want to remember my grandfather, Hermon Linn Robe, born on this day in 1869.  Attended the University of Oregon 1895, playing on the U of O's first football team, taught in public schools in Lane County and in eastern Oregon, and after retirement was a curator at the U of O Natural History Museum.  He visited us once in Los Angeles but didn't care for it; he said the palm trees lining our street weren't real trees but long-handled feather dusters.  We visited him in Oregon and as a small girl I went with him to the Tiffany-Davis drug store in Eugene where he wanted to buy me a present.  He had no idea what to get me, and finally settled on a bottle of cuticle oil which maybe he thought was nail polish.  I would put it on my nails and think of him.  He was still going strong at age 101.  He died because he wouldn't let the nurses at the rest home bathe him, so he climbed over the railing of the bed and broke his hip. He had a kind word for everyone and I have missed him since he died when I was fourteen.
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (313k points)
Wonderful story Margaret.
That makes me want to make a profile for my grampa - no blood relation but still my grampa all my young life
Margaret, this is a most wonderful remembrance.

I’m also jealous you got to listen to some of the most fabulous music in the world. The pop-junk that’s played on the radio now will eventually, and with good reason, be forgotten, but Rachmaninoff and Rimsky-Korsakoff will live forever!
Bart, which cemetery were you visiting before you had your dream?
Margaret, I was at the Evergreen Cemetery in Everett. Graves of my grandparents, Lawrence and Estella Triesch: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152064054/lawrence-henry-triesch.
+11 votes
Oh such excitement! I got an ancestry email that I had a matching DNA ancestor hint to Samuel Rood. That would be on the line that connects me to Myles Standish.

Oh such disappointment! A very weak DNA match to someone with a tree that, in the few folks I looked at, has NO sources and goes back to 1200. Just ignoring....
by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (590k points)
That’s the way with dna test, isn’t it, Kay?

Great on the good news!
Congrats on the Standish link! Sucks about that other tree. Speaking of the 1200s, I haven't even built my main tree on Ancestry up that far. I know I supposedly have connections to surety barons. But, I am like unsure. I think the furthest back I have gone is the late 1590s.
I am still working sources in the 1800s and some 1700s. Once there the profiles exist but need work. So yeah I plan to start working on Woodworth which will lead to both Standish and Thomas Rood (the guy who was hanged).
Yeesh. Loads of drama in that bio. And in the son George's. Wow.

Good luck, Kay!

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