April, 2008
New Profile Photo for May
Last Month: January 2005 May: October 1955
April 30, 2008 Wednesday at 7:38 pm
Exam Week
It’s the first week of final exams here, so I’m quite busy with that. And we had some family things out in Missouri to attend to, which I’ll write about soon. And finally, as the footMaven‘s loyal readers know, I’m the guest blogger this Friday at Shades of the Departed. My final grades have to be turned in by Monday …
April 30, 2008 Wednesday at 3:06 am
The U.S. States of Polypotamia and Pelisipia?
Being a lover of Geography, I also am infatuated with its sibling, Cartography. Two sites I’ve visited recently will thrill genealogists, geographers, historians, and curiosity-seekers. The first is The Map Room: A Weblog about Maps. [Caution: there is another site called maproom.com--which is a tavern in Chicago--not the same!]. This is a great blog. Recent posts have described errors in …
April 24, 2008 Thursday at 3:10 am
1870 Post Office Directory
I love geography. I briefly considered being a geography major in college, before settling on political science and international affairs. Genealogy, however, has taught me a lot about geography and its important place alongside history, sociology, and geopolitics in defining who we are and where we come from. Recently, I’ve come across a few things that have served my geographical …
April 24, 2008 Thursday at 2:15 am
Carnival Time: Where’d You Get Those Eyes? Nose? Hair?
The Carnival of Genealogy is back at Creative Gene. The posts discuss inherited traits. It’s a good one! I didn’t play in the Carnival this time for various schedule related reasons, but I commend it to you. Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: A Place Called Home. It’s time for a …
April 19, 2008 Saturday at 1:13 am
An Indirect Lead to The Elusive Sarah Gilbert?
In the last post, I mention Ancestry.com’s excellent collection entitled, “Missouri Marriages 1805-2002.” As I tried it out, I may have come across an indirect lead to my elusive ancestor, Sarah Gilbert. The only matters of record that I have ever found concerning Sarah Gilbert are her 1867 marriage to Ezekiel Johnson in Clay County, Missouri, and her residence with …
April 19, 2008 Saturday at 12:49 am
Missouri Marriages 1805-2002 at Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has recently added a collection called “Missouri Marriages 1805-2002.” Frequently, Ancestry’s state collections have seemed to promise more than they deliver–being limited to just a few counties or even a few years though the title implies many more counties or years. But this collection seems to be the real deal. Easily searchable, it has many, many, actual images. And …
April 19, 2008 Saturday at 12:38 am
Texas Death Collection at FamilySearch Labs
Record Search at FamilySearch Labs has recently added a collection of Texas death records covering 1890-1976. I’ve tried this and it’s quite a good collection in terms of content and useability. Like all the indexed collections at Record Search, name variations are automatically retrieved in search results. I like the fact that there is a “Copy to Clipboard” link on …
April 16, 2008 Wednesday at 4:25 pm
How ’bout Giving a Little WikiLove?
Almost everyone who uses the Internet has heard of Wikipedia. I love it and use it quite a bit. I find that the “collaborative anarchy” keeps it up to date and accurate for the most part. But Wikipedia will exist only as long as people do find it useful and accurate. I came across a Wikipedia article about a place …
April 8, 2008 Tuesday at 4:25 pm
My FOIA Request Update
A few weeks ago, I used the State Department’s online “FOIA Request Generator” to request the passport files of my grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie (1909-1973). I received an email acknowledgment fairly promptly. Last week, I got the first actual response. Reasonably enough, the Government wants me to show that she either is dead or authorizes me to see her file. …
April 7, 2008 Monday at 4:33 pm
