Graveyard Tacky...

We've all seen them. We've even admired some of them.

Those tombstones that are becoming ever more popular with the crowds today, that contain portraiture of the deceased, or of their favorite hobbies, or their pets.

I've seen everything from a portrait of a new born baby to a RV etched in stone. And one lone sad stone that gave me the willies! A mother and obviously stillborn child in death's repose lying together in the coffin.

Philly.com ran a great article on this very thing on Wednesday.

I, personally, prefer a more "quiet" stone. The simpler the best, is my belief. I find nothing wrong with the others, it's just my personal preference.

My parents [aged 72 and 71] are planning on purchasing their stone now and having it placed now, so that when the time comes that will be one less item their loved ones have to think about. All those who are left behind will have to do is fill in the death date. They are adamant about only one thing. That it be a joint stone, and that their wedding date be included.

I even go for that.

I was impressed with this week's Tombstone Tuesday stone that I found! That particular stone was a family researchers holy grail! But it is still a bit ostentatious for my humble taste.

I've decided when I die, I'd be content with a simple flat stone with just my name and years of my birth and death engraved on it. I plan to be cremated anyway, so a simple marker for my ashes will be most appropriate.

What do you think of the current trend in tombstones?

We'd love to hear from you! You can email your responses to: mountaingenealogists@consultant.com

David Ferriero Appointed as Archivist

It is reported that Mr. Obama has picked David S. Ferriero to be the Archivist of the United States. Mr. Ferriero is currently chief executive of the research library's at the New York Public Library.

Ferrerio's selection was reported yesterday by the National Coalition for History's newsletter, and the New York Times.

Ferriero succeeds Allen Weintstein who resigned in December for health problems.

Tombstone Tuesday

I don't know where this tombstone is located. I originally located this stone here. But that particular post had borrowed it from the Chicago Tribune's slideshow of 22 awkward tombstones, shown here.

Margaret Elizabeth Faulk Faverty's birth date is listed here as Oct. 7, 1932 in Ft. Worth, TX. What is extraordinary is that below her date of birth is listed her ancestry! "Daughter of Stone D. Faulk; Grand-Daughter of Everett Faulk, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Stone; Great-Grand-Daughter of George Washington Faulk and Delta Elizabeth Guy".

Below this wonderful wealth of information is listed the dates of death for all of these ancestors! And surrounding the edges of the stone are actual portraits of each of these ancestors!

The bottom half of the stone lists Margaret's biographical sketch.

This has to be one of the "wealthiest" stones I have ever seen, in regards to genealogical information! Wow!

Madness Monday - July 27, 2009

My "Madness Monday" doesn't consist of an ancestor who is driving me "mad" this Monday. But of an upcoming event!

The biennial Bean Family Reunion will be occurring on August 8th this year. I have been planning and working toward this reunion for the past two years!

This week I have been working on business announcements that must be made during the event. As well as preparing for our new committee election [we have a President, Vice-President and Secretary/ Treasurer].

As I have been typing up my notes [I have to use a cheat sheet, or I will surely forget something when making announcements!], I have been constantly interrupted! My telephone has gone on the blink, service has been sporadic, and completely disappearing at times! My scanner function on my all-in-one [printer, fax, scanner, copier] went out, and I had to search for a patch from HP for that. [Couldn't find one, so I ended up making a shortcut on my already crowded desktop to allow me to keep utilizing the scanner!] My doggie, Chica, has had little doggie diarrhea, and I have had to run to the door with her every little bit today! I received a phone call just as I thought I had made a breakthrough, and got side-tracked [but I was so happy to learn my cousin's new baby is going to be alright! The little fellow was just born on July 3rd, and had been very, very sick!] And the list goes on!!!

Whew!

So, that's my "Madness Monday"! More like "whirlwind"!

And now, I must prepare to take a 2-1/2 hour drive to Lynchburg, VA to the airport there to pick up my sister and brother-in-law who are returning from vacation. They're flying in on a red-eye.

Who said life slows down to a crawl after the kids leave home???

Aw, well, you all know, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Till next time, take care!

Genealogy Networking Tools

There are several genealogy social networking tools available these days for the family researcher/ genealogist. Here are just a few that I utilize.

My all time favorite site for networking with other researchers remains the message boards on Rootsweb and Ancestry. On both of these "sister" sites, I have received numerous tips for my own family research, as well as for that of clients. I love to also look through the archives of these boards. You'll be surprised at just how often a past post will relate to your current search needs!

Of the newest tools available, I have become a fan of Genealogy Wise. Not a huge fan of Twitter and Facebook, I didn't really see how I would relate to this "social" site. But somehow, I became hooked! I joined a few groups, and receive their posts directly to my email. These are groups who have the same interests and areas of research that I have. I find the commraderie, and unique helpfulness of its members to be like nothing I have ever participated in before!

My favorite groups on Genealogy Wise are GeneaBloggers [yep, the folks who give us these great blog ideas!], footnote users, West Virginia Genealogy [where most of my personal research is performed and where I live], and Texas Cemeteries [where I perform most of my husbands research]. The uniqueness of Genealogy Wise also allows us the opportunity to be free to make up our own groups if we choose!

These make up my favorite networking sites. When positively stumped, I return to these sites, and my fellow researchers have always graciously offered their help!

Black Sheep Sunday

Allan wasn't a quiet boy. He was a hell-raiser from the moment he could walk and talk.

He stayed in and out of trouble his entire life! He drank, he smoked, and he played as hard as he lived. At one point he even left his home state just to stay out of prison, knowing full-well that if he stayed he'd be in trouble one more time. And there was the "Three-Strikes" law. He'd be gone for good.

But everyone loved him. Irregardless of the things he did, and his wild ways, there wasn't a soul who didn't love him.

Eventually his wild ways caught up with him. And Allan was diagnosed with "The Big C", cancer.

Allan went home to spend the remainder of his days at his sister's house in Texas. Where he could be near those who loved him most. And best.

Allan was my husband's only full-brother. Their mother had 7 children. John and Allan were born with her first husband, Joe. Gary and JoAnn to her second husband, Ray. And David, Sandy and Richard were to her third husband, Eddie.

The whole family gathered in the summer after Allan was diagnosed. It was a reunion to celebrate life.

At this point, Allan was undergoing chemo therapy. His head was covered by a cowboy hat (as most are in the southern part of Texas). When Allan took off his hat, his baldness was hidden by a tatoo where his hair had once been. Wild boy to the end, a big "F. . . . You" [expletive omitted] was tatooed there.

It was a bittersweet reunion. While Allan was so full of life at the time, and the reunion was upbeat, those of us who lived a great distance away knew that it was also the last time we would ever see him.

In a quiet moment that week, Allan told me he'd found Jesus. He said there were so many things he was sorry about in his life, but he knew where he was headed. It was a comfort.

Several months later the call came one evening that Allan was gone. It was so hard to think of losing him. And so we have chosen to recall the funny, vibrant man that spent that week with us at the family reunion!

A couple of years later, when the family matriarch died, Allan's ashes were retrieved, and buried at her foot. A small stone lists his name and dates. When we visit the cemetery, it still seems so unreal, and we are approaching the 10th anniversary of losing him!

But, Allan was the black sheep. And as such, the perpetual joke stands, whenever someone gets into trouble that they are "pulling an Allan".

And the old Allan quote that will last for many years yet to come within the family stands as: "It's only wrong if you get caught!"

. Allan Ray Henry [1950-2001]

The Footlocker Treasures

Randy Seaver from over at Genea Musings issued his Saturday Night Challenge last night. As usual for me, I don't see the challenge until Sunday Morning! But I always love to try to meet the challenges Randy sets forth, and this one was no different!

Randy challenges us to tell about when we've had a "dose of good genealogy luck". So, Randy, and all who meet his challenges, here is my post regarding my luck!

A few years ago, my cousin called my Dad, who has helped me in a HUGE way with our Bean family genealogy, and told him that she had a trunk that used to belong to her father. She said it was full of "junk" that Dad might want to look through.

Dad went over to her home and brought the retrieved trunk back with him.

The "trunk" was actually an old military footlocker. For anyone who was in the service pre-Korean War, you will remember those old wooden footlockers that once sat at the foot of your bunk and contained everything you owned in them!

When Dad opened the footlocker, we were met with such a treasure trove of items!

The greatest find in the old locker was probabbly 150-200 old negatives. Living on a fixed income, Dad wanted to know if there was some way I could develop those negatives cheap. So I did a little research, and we were looking at a pretty big expense. Then my dear hubby said he'd read "something" about scanning negatives. So, I began to play around with my photo program at the time, and my scanner. And, low and behold, I was able to scan the negative, reverse the images, and come out with a decent set of photographs.

John Monroe Bean, Sr.
About 1950

Above is one of the pictures we recovered from those negatives. This is of my grandfather, John Bean, Sr. This photo was taken about 1950, as he was standing at the road in front of his home, near Waiteville,WV. That house has since burned down. The woodshed is in the background of this photo.

Also in the locker were numerous receipts and bank records from both my grandfather, John Bean, Sr., and my uncle, John Beane, Jr.

Here is a promisory note signed by my grandfather, John Bean, and my grandmother, Mary.

And here is a WWII fuel ration card for my Uncle John.

The footlocker also contained funeral notices, memorial books and cards, and obituaries. For the family historian, it was like a HUGE Christmas present! We spent weeks (literally!) cataloging, scanning and copying, and filing all of the documents and mementos.

That old footlocker was the single largest dose of "luck" I have ever had in researching my family's genealogy. I have often since wished it could all be so easy! Or even that I would have a client who would show up with such wonderful treasures!

Ahhhh, but alas, finds of this magnitude are once in a lifetime!