Saturday Night Genealogy Fun... Delayed Until Monday!

Okay, so not only was I sick on Saturday, but I also worked a full shift at my job! So, today is the first day in many that I've even got on the computer!

Many thanks to Randy Seaver for our Saturday Night Genealogy Challenges! Here was this past Saturday night's challenge!

Hey there, genea-lovers, it's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, if you decide to accept it, is to (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) How old is your great-grandfather now, or how old would he be if he had lived? Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ahnentafel (ancestor name list). Who is that person?

3) Tell us three facts about that person with the "roulette number."

4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook or Google Plus note or comment, or as a comment on this blog post.

5) If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then spin the wheel again - pick a grandparent, a parent, a favorite aunt or cousin, or even your children!

Okay, so I chose my great-grandfather William McHarvey Bean, who was born 26 Aug 1832 in Monroe County, [West] Virginia. If alive today, he would be 179 years old!
Dividing great-grandfather's age by four, I get the number 44.75 or rounding to the nearest whole number 45.

Number 45 in my Ahnentafel is Nancy Holsapple. My gr-gr-gr-grandmother. Here is what is written:

45.

Nancy HOLSAPPLE was born 1792 in Monroe County, Virginia. She died 1868 in Mt. Pleasant,

Iowa. She was the daughter of 90. Phillip HOLSAPPLE and 91. Elizabeth CARNIFAX. She married William

 CARNEFIX in Monroe County, VA.
I know that Nancy was the mother of 11 known children. Her son George was killed in a battle in Virginia during the Civil War and left my great-grandmother fatherless as a new baby. Nancy's ancestry leads us back to German heritage.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.. The 1940 Census

Randy's offered us yet another bit of fun this Saturday evening!!!

1)  Know that the 1940 United States Census will be released for public viewing on the National Archives website on Monday, 2 April 2012 (366 days from today!).  My understanding is that, when it is first released, that there will be no indexes available - we will have to search them the "old way" - with known addresses, finding enumeration districts from maps and websites, and then go page-by-page to find our folks.  Eventually, there will be indexes available, but we don't know how long after the release that will be.

2)  Which of your ancestral family members will be in the 1940 census?  Consider not just your ancestors, but also their siblings. 

3)  Where did your ancestral family members live in 1940 on Census Day?  Have you found all of the addresses in city directories or telephone books?  Please list the ones you know the addresses of, and the ones you need to find addresses for.

4)  Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, a comment to this blog post, or on a Facebook note or comment.

1. Unfortunately for most of my rural family in 1940, there won't be street addresses, and I will have to rely upon known farming neighbors in order to locate them!

2. This will be the very first released census that will contain both of my parents!!! Dad in West Virginia and Mom in Indiana! [I thrilled when I first found my grandparents in the Census records, I can only imagine seeing my parents names!!!]

3. Since neither of my parents homes had telephones in 1940, nor did their rural communities have directories, this really won't help me alot! Both families received their mail simply marked "General Delivery".

It doesn't promise to be an easy task to look through those un-indexed census records! But it's one in which I am raring at the bit to get into!!!

SNGF - Photo Effects

Randy's at again, over at Genea-Musings. His latest challenge?

"Attention, genea-philes -- it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun ... again ... every week!

Your mission, should you gleefully decide to accept it, is to:

1)  Go to the AnyMaking website (http://anymaking.com  - it's FREE to use) and ...

2)  Doctor some of your priceless photographs using one or more of their photo effects to turn your photo into a cartoon, into a puzzle, into a wanted poster, etc.  Try it, it's fun.  You can spend hours doing this.  Think about Christmas presents for your family or friends... [Note that if you want decent size photos - or real puzzles, portraits, etc., you'll need to subscribe to their Premium service.]



3)  Show off your creations on your own blog, or on Facebook, or some other online photo location. "

So... I came up with this little number using my puppy dogs photo.

Chica is a five year old rescued Chihuahua. I suppose I have alot more patience with her than I've had with most pets in the past, simply because I know she was an abused puppy. She is highly temperamental, and is prone to snipping, snapping and vicious growls.

But ain't she cute???

SNGF - Come Sunday Afternoon!

I know... I know... I'm always "a day late and a dollar short"!

Last night Randy Seaver, over at Genea-Musings  offered us the following challenge:

"Calling all Genea-Musings readers -- it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!


Your mission, should you decide to accept it, and I hope that you do, is to:

1) Think about how you want your gravestone to look. What do you want on it as a genealogist? As a child, sibling, parent, spouse, friend? Maybe some sort of witty saying?

2) Tell us about it in text, or create your own gravestone using the online services of companies like Headstones and Memorials. Remember that you have only a limited space to work with and that the bigger they are, the more costly they are.

3) Show us your stone, or what you would put on the stone, in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook status or comment."

And so, accepting the challenge, I went to the site Randy recommended for this challenge. And yes, I had to follow Randy's lead, step by step, to preserve my inspired artistry! But nonetheless, here is mine below:

I'd like for both of us to be remembered as beloved parents of our six children, Twyla, Chris, David, Debbie, Micheal and Crystal. While all of the children are parented with another spouse [his one and my five] we dearly love our family, and hope they realize the depth of that love!

You'll also note that together

"They Have Fought The Good Fight".

This sentiment is in keeping with the quote from St. Paul

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith"

II Timothy 4:7

You will also notice that I have our death dates as June 11, 2049. That is because I am forever telling the hubby he can't die before he is 100, and he cannot die before me as I would be lost without him!

Therefore, we'll both live until then!!!

What fun, Randy!

And what inspiration for those we leave behind!!!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Come Sunday Morning!

Once again, I get about to reading the Saturday Night Genealogy Challenge on Sunday Morning!

Here's Randy's latest challenge:

"Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Feeling Lucky?
from Genea-Musings by Randy Seaver

Hey genealogy enthusiasts - it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!


Your mission tonight, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Go to http://www.google.com/ and enter a search term and click on the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button.

2) Try your name, your local society, favorite genealogy terms, whatever you want. Do at least three, and as many as you want if you have time. Be creative! Have fun!

3) What did you learn from this exercise?

4) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, as a comment to this post, or as a Note or comment on Facebook. "

So, here are my searches:

Cyndi Beane Henry: [1] http://www.thegraveyardrabbit.com/2010/04/meet-cyndi-beane-henry-author-of.html
Cynthia Beane Henry: [1] http://www.123people.com/s/cynthia+beane

Beane: [1] http://www.llbean.com/  [yeah, go figure! a way-way-way-back connection - MAYBE!]

Beane + Monroe + County+ WV: [1] http://www.worldfamilies.net/forum/index.php?topic=2580.25 [shows my own tree/ pedigree]

William Bean+WV: [1] http://local.yahoo.com/info-13017096-bean-william-h-bean-bean-moorefield [a directory listing!]

William Bean+1792: [1] http://www.onforward.net/Allans/default.htm?page=Bean-William-ind00329.htm [not the right William Bean!]

William Bean+Monroe County: [1] http://www.us-census.org/image-index/wv/monroe/1820/a-c.htm [an index of the 1820 Census, of which I have a copy]

Bean Family+ Monroe County: [1] http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/e/v/a/Tanya-J-Evans/GENE4-0005.html [a tree of Tennessee Bean family members - not related]

So, what did I learn from this exercise?
 
Well, I had never really tried the "I Feel Lucky" button before. And in 4 of the 8 queries I did find relevant material for my search request! Which pretty much amazed me!!!
 
However, with so little actual info coming up relevant to my search query, I probably won't be using the "I Feel Lucky" button frequently in the near future!
 
But I did so enjoy the exercise! Thanks Randy for another fun genealogy challenge!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Come Sunday Morning

As per my usual, I didn't read Randy Seaver's challenge at Genea-Musings until this morning! With that said, here was Randy's challenge:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (come on, don't be a party pooper...) is:


1) Open up the genealogy software program of your choice.


2) Think about two special people in your family tree (your parents? your spouse? a famous person? a distant cousin? yourself?).


3) Use the Relationship Calculator in the software to determine the relationship between the two special people. If you don't know where to find the Relationship Calculator, go to the Help button and find out. Follow the directions!


4) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this post on my blog, or in a Note or comment on Facebook.

With that in mind, I thought about all of the individuals in my family tree, and just who would I really like to see in the relationship calculator of my FTM program!
 
So, I thought about the dozens and dozens of veterans in my tree. Those who are direct ancestry, and those who are in those extensive extended family files!
 
And I thought about Frederick Honaker. I don't know why. He just simply popped into my head.
 
Frederick Honaker isn't a member of my direct ancestral tree.
 
Honaker was born 1757 in we suspect Virginia, to Hans Jacob Honnegar and Mary Goetz. He was one of at least 14 children born to the couple.
 
Frederick Honaker married Rachel Wiseman before 04 Sep 1822, probably in Monroe County, [W]VA. Rachel was the daughter of Isaac Wiseman Jr. and Elizabeth Davis. She was born 01 Mar 1769 in Berks Co., PA. She and Frederick had their first child in Monroe County on 04 Sep 1822.
 

Honaker served as a Private in the VA Militia during the Revolutionary War.
 
Honaker died in 1824 and is buried at the Old Rehobeth Church Cemetery, in Keenan, Monroe, WV.
 
There is a relationship between Honaker and I when put into the Relationship Calculator of my FTM program. So what is it?
 
Frederick Honaker was the husband of my 3rd-great aunt.
 
Yes, you see, my relationship to his wife is as follows:
 
Cynthia Ann Beane > Walter M. Beane > John Monroe Bean> William M. Bean > Rachel Wiseman > Joseph Wiseman > Isaac Wiseman Jr. [Rachel Wiseman's father]. My great-great-grandmother was actually named after her aunt, Rachel. And so by marriage, I am indeed related to this Frederick Honaker.
 
Thanks Randy, for another great SNGF challenge!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!

Randy Seaver has another great SNGF this week!

Hey genealogy buffs - it's Saturday Night again -- time for more Genealogy Fun!!




Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:



1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Note or status line on Facebook.


So, with that, here is my matrilineal line!

Cynthia Ann Beane
Lois Velleda Dreher - b.2 Aug 1938, Georgetown, Floyd, IN; m: Walter M. Beane
Irene Caroline Banet - b. 24 May 1906, IN; d. 08 Aug 1988, Gap Mills, Monroe, WV m:Henry Condar Dreher, Jr.
Adeline Josephine Eve - b. 11 Feb 1867, IN; d. 05 Nov 1958, IN; married Francis Isidore Banet
Annette Unknown - b. 12 Feb 1840, IN; d. 01 May 1870, IN; m: Joseph Eve



Thanks Randy for another great idea!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Come Sunday Morning

Okay, so I've done it yet again! Another SNGF challenge that I don't get to respond to until Sunday morning.

Here's Randy's challenge from last night:

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) Open your genealogy software or family tree program of choice and make yourself the highlighted person.

2) Find out how to create a Calendar to show birthdays and/or anniversaries of yourself and all of your ancestors (or all relatives, or all persons - your choice!). The "Help" button is your friend here!!! It can be done in all of the current software programs.

3) Create your calendar. Pretty it up if you want. Save it. Can you show us a page from your calendar - say January 2010?

4) Which of your ancestors (or relatives, or descendants - your choice!), if any, were born on 30 January?

Have fun with this. How can you use this information during the coming year?

I know that this is more work than you're normally used to on Saturday Night, but it is a great way to use your genealogy program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, here's my results from playing with this cool tool in FTM [which I didn't even know it could do!!! Thanks Randy!]

And for #4, who was born on January 30th?

Lavonna Beane Smarr; Elizabeth Carithers Saye; Gustavus Clements; and Alan D. Fairburn.

Randy, I've got to say, this has been the most fun I've had on a SNGF challenge is quite some time! And it taught me something about my program that I didn't even know about it! So, many thanks for this wonderful challenge! And keep them coming!!!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - What Did You Get

Randy's challenge for this week is:


"Your mission, if you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible music) is to:

1) What gift that you received for Christmas is your favorite for genealogy purposes? Book, magazine, hardware, software, website subscription, research time - what was it, and how will it affect your genealogy research?

2) Tell us about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook in response to this post."

Oh, this is gonna be easy! I gave my dh strict instructions.... leave Santa a note for me, because I want plenty of new clipboards and legal pads! [I go through them like crazy! And I usually have 6 or 7 clipboards holding various degrees of research at my elbows at any one given moment.]

Santa was so good to me! I got 4 new clipboards, and 6 new legal pads in my goodies!!!!

Ain't I the luckiest????

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - December 5, 2009

Randy Seaver over at GeneaMusings, issued the following SNGF [Saturday Night Genealogy Fun]:

1) Write a letter to Genea-Santa and ask for only ONE thing. It could be hardware, software, a missing family Bible, a record that you desperately want, etc.

2) Tell Genea-Santa what a good genea-girl or genea-boy you've been this past year and give examples.

3) Exhibit your posts on your own blog, in a Facebook post commenting on this note, or in a Comment to this blog post.

So, with that challenge in mind, here is my response:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Christmas 2009

Dear Genea Santa,

I have only one Christmas gift I'd like for this year. It's one I've wanted for a very, very long time! Genea Santa, could you please give me the ancestry for our elusive William McBean? I've been searching for many years to find out for sure where he came from, and I haven't had any luck at all! I don't know when or where he was born, or who his parents were!

I've been a very, very good girl this year! I have been blogging every day like a good girl should. And I have been working every day for genealogy clients! I do most of my work pro-bono [not for profit] simply because I love research and genealogy! I have even been nice to clients who make it very hard to be nice to! [Especially the ones who would rather I write a "fairy tale" than to tell the truth when something turns up in their ancestry that they don't like!]

I have incorporated the "green" thinking to our family newsletter, and we have gone digital as of November! With over half of our subscribers now receiving our newsletter digitally, it is saving us nearly $2000 a year!

I helped to raise funds to have a long-lost family cemetery fenced and the tombstones in that cemetery repaired!

I was named President of our family reunion committee!

Oh, Genea Santa, I have been very, very good! And I promise to do even more next year. Won't you please, please, pretty please, bring me ol' William's ancestry???

Your Genea Friend Always,

Texicanwife

P.S. I promise to leave you extra cookies and milk, and even some carrots for the reindeer Christmas Eve!