January, 2007
Dad Has A Birthday Party
A Saturday night in San Jose (the 10th largest city in America–bigger than San Francisco, Detroit, and Washington, D.C., among others–did you know that?) is not like a Saturday night in, say, Chicago or Los Angeles. A Saturday night in San Jose is more like a Saturday night in Cleveland or Milwaukee. In other words, the perfect time and place …
January 31, 2007 Wednesday at 11:17 pm
How It Began
Who were these people? Aunt Pansy, Aunt Pearl. I was always mixing up Pearl and Pansy. I couldn’t keep them straight. And how about Velma, Alta, Mrs. Dolphin . . . which were relatives and which weren’t? Who knew? My dad would say that one of these days he was going to sit down and do the family history. All …
January 30, 2007 Tuesday at 5:59 pm
A Birthday Party for Dad
A few days ago on a family conference call with my siblings, my youngest brother, now nearly 49 years old, said “Do you suppose Dad ever had a birthday party when he was a kid?” As soon as he asked the question, we all knew the answer. My dad will be 75 years old this week. He was born in …
January 24, 2007 Wednesday at 6:48 pm
Five Things
I’ve been tagged by Denise Olson of Moultrie Creek, and Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings Thanks (I think), Denise and Randy! So I have to disclose five things about myself that you might not already know, then tag five other folks. This meme goes back a bit and, of course, in many, many, directions. Worldwide Web, indeed! Okay, here we go: …
January 24, 2007 Wednesday at 10:18 am
More on ID Theft, Privacy, and Genealogy
I recently opined about the “dangers” of identity theft through genealogy. Randy Seaver has an excellent piece on this topic yesterday. Recommended reading!
January 19, 2007 Friday at 7:30 pm
Some Info On Texas Birth and Death Records
I have written occasionally about my mostly positive experience getting Texas birth and death records. I recently came across this article at Genealogymagazine.com that adds some important information about researching Texas death records. By the way, Texas (not surprisingly) has an “Heirloom Birth Certificate” available for your favorite Native Texan. It can be ordered through Texas Online. I’m getting one …
January 18, 2007 Thursday at 2:14 pm
Los Angeles: Please Contact Me
If you live in Los Angeles and have been searching recently for “Lee Chester Manson” on Google, please contact me by e-mail: craig@geneablogie.com.
January 16, 2007 Tuesday at 6:13 pm
Nana Brings Soul Food
My grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie (1909-1973), was born in San Antonio, Texas, but was raised primarily in the rural areas of Aransas and Nueces Counties along the Gulf Coast. She spent most of her life as a domestic servant for rich people in large cities. But by the late 1950′s, when I got to know her, “Nana” seemed to be …
January 16, 2007 Tuesday at 1:17 am
Finding Dr. King’s Roots in Slavery
Dr. Joel Branham (1799-1877) Eatonton, Putnam County, Georgia Did his family hold the ancestors of Martin Luther King, Jr. in slavery? [Photo from Digital Library of Georgia] (updated 1:54 pm, 1/15/2007) As is the case for many African-Americans, the ancestors of Martin Luther King, Jr., apparently included a slaveowner. We know that Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January …
January 15, 2007 Monday at 9:54 pm
The Genealogy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
One would think in the Cyber Age, it would be easy to find a rather complete genealogical study of an historic figure like Martin Luther King, Jr. Turns out, that’s not the case. There are sources that identify Dr. King’s parents and grandparents, but few go beyond that. Ancestry.com has a “Famous Family Tree” that goes back to King’s great-grandparents. …
January 14, 2007 Sunday at 1:55 am
