B J 's Ark – Genealogy

Preparing from the past through the present for the future.  That is my definition of what genealogy or family history is all about.  Genealogy, the first term is really the gathering together of the statistics of people – both the living and the dead.  These statistics get gathered together on family tree / or pedigree charts, and expounded on family group records.   Family History is  genealogy plus all the stories, events, experiences that made the people who and what they were.  Charts for gathering information on what their lifestyle or experiences included sometimes get filled out.   How their lives impacted our lives, our history, our beings becomes our quest as we discover who our ancestors were.  A very exciting endeavor learning about our own backgrounds.

Has the knowledge of our roots been of value?  I believe it is or the royal lines would never have been so diligent in maintaining their pedigrees.  Cultures would not have had different classes of people if our roots did not matter to each of us as we learn of ourselves.  Did we descend from seafaring people or people who worked the land.  It does not mean that everything that we learn will make us feel very important or will let us know we are descended from royalty.  There will be all kinds of skeletons in our history – it is fun to find out what they are.

Tools of the research include forms to help us organize our interviews with family members and friends who know about our relatives, library sources where equipment and resources can be used, internet experiences which can give help in ideas for research plus be able to access resources such as census, databases, printed materials, and pictures – a virtual treasure trove of information.  I believe we need to make sure that we have fun in our quest to learn our traditions. 

As I was expecting our first grandchild to come along I thought about the things that were passed down to us through my ancestors and I realized that one of the favorite stories my mom used to tell me was:

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“ ‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral:
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

My mother made sure we learned about this story – especially the moral part.  She wanted us to learn to always learn all the sides of the situation before we took action or sides of questions.  My mom told us the story in story fashion.  When our grandchild was on the way I happened to see this rendition of the story on the internet and liked it so much decided to keep it in this form to share with my grandchildren.  This poem was written by:

American poet John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887) , based on “The Blind Men and the Elephant”, a fable that was told in India many years ago (also other lands have the story also).

This story belongs in my family history as it impacted my life many times as I was trying to make decisions in life and I hope having it readily available to my family it will continue to help build what I consider good values.

I hope you have fun and can enjoy family history also.  BJ

 Wikitree Family Tree  has free templates and software to download for interesting family tree display.  Be sure to check out the sample family tree link they have at the bottom.  It has a nice example of a good looking pictorial family tree showing 3 generations of pictures plus 2  additional generations.  Also at the bottom is a place to start building a family tree online.  The service is free and there are provisions for joining a worldwide family tree — there are some controls you have on what people see on your family tree.  There is also very interesting information available if you access the site from the main page.

The Tree Maker  has a free downloadable family tree chart  that you can fill in and print in the information.  The trees are suitable for many occasions — including wedding, birthday, and Christmas gifts.  The Tree Maker Company has many other services they provide.  They will print customizable family trees on paper, has discounts, has information on surname and family crest searches.  You can incorporate results of the searches on different charts and other gift type items — creating  gifts and home decor of your family  from the information from your unique family.  The companyh works with ProGenealogist to help with research (pricing will be listed on their pages which are activated from the TreeMaker site.

Here are some samples of different family trees — some of which can be printed.  

Birdhouse Family Tree

Medical Family TreeFamily Tree with Descendants

Tigger Family Tree

Forest Friends Family Tree

Winter Family Tree

Rose Fan Family Tree

Donald Duck Family Tree

Donald Duck Family Tree (US) author   duckman.pettho.com/tree/s_us.jpg
Title:	Donald Duck Family Tree (US)
Year:	1995
Code:	D 11221 (XNC VG930703)
Published:	Walt Disney’s Comics (and Stories) 600 (without sidebar) (1995) The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (softcover) 210-211 (with sidebar) (2005)

All appearances:

Huey Duck, Dewey Duck, Louie Duck, ? Duck, Della Duck, Donald Duck, Gladstone Gander, Fethry Duck, Abner “Whitewater” Duck, Gus Goose, Matilda McDuck, Scrooge McDuck, Hortense McDuck, Quackmore Duck, Goostave gander, Daphne Duck, Lullubelle Loon, Eider Duck, Fanny Coot, Luke Goose, Cuthbert Coot, Downy O’Drake, Fergus McDuck, Jake McDuck, Angus “Pothole” McDuck, Humperdink Duck, Elvira “Grandma” Coot, Casey Coot, Gretchen Grebe, Quackmire McDuck, “Dirty” Dingus McDuck, Molly Mallard, Gertrude Gadwall, Clinton Coot, Sir Roast McDuck, Sir Swamphole McDuck, Hugh “Seafoam” McDuck, Malcolm McDuck, Sir Quackly McDuck, Sir Stuft McDuck, Sir Eider McDuck, Pintail Duck, Cornelius Coot.

Sidebar (Friends of the family):
Daisy Duck, April, May, June, Gyro Gearloose.

The signs:
The Clan McDuck, The Duck Family, Coot Kin

Hope you enjoy seeing some of the ideas for family tree charts or forms.  We will explore other ways of creating Family Tree Charts in the future but for now — Let your creative ideas help your family produce an appropriate design to display and track your family.  ENJOY!! — BJ

I have talked a little about pedigree charts in the past.  I believe a pedigree chart is a good indicator of areas more research is needed to “fill in the blanks” of our knowledge of your family.  These charts are many and varied just as people are all unique.  No one chart will serve everyone.  So I would like to talk about some of the parts of a pedigree chart.

First I think a pedigree chart will start with yourself, add each of your parents, and then their parents in some kind of form that will allow you to see the parental relationships or the “line” of your ancestry or dependency.       

Lines joining relationships is common to see also.  Some may want to use pictures above the names – usually joined by lines.  Many pedigree charts will add a little more information under each individual which usually will consist of :

Birth date (B)
Birth Place (P)
Marriage Date (M)– usually appears only on the male – involves both
Marriage Place (P) – this usually appears only on the male – involves both
Death Date (D)
Death Place (P)

Numbers are sometimes listed at each place so that the chart can show more than 4-5 generations on a sheet.  A place usually near the top will show how to continue the chart in a form such as

Chart _____
Number _1_ on this chart is the same as number _?_ of chart number __. (the chart number is usually in the upper right corner of the page )

Often a section isincluded  identifying who created the pedigree chart – I like this adding ownership of the work – questions can then be directed toward someone who knows how the information was found.  This area might include:

Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Some may include the date it was created

Sample Pedigree Chart

If you are preparing to start working on your ancestral lines you may want to start out writing things down in a note fashion that will facilitate you being able to input information without a lot of random papers around — kind of like scratch paper for notes for a report.  You may just want to jot information down from a book or library and take it home to digest and inspect to see if it belongs in your own pedigree.  Here is an example of just such a kind of form:

Writing Pedigree Chart

If you should find more information about someone you want to note you can always turn the pedigree over and jot those notes.  I think it also important when doing research you keep track of where you found the information — what kind of record it came from and how to find a copy of it again in the future.  Turning over the paper will help to do this documenting will help in future research.

If you are interested in where missing areas are located in your pedigree you might consider a fan chart — it just has names but lots of generations in a small print area such as:

Very Simple Fan – Kids    or  Pedigree Fan Chart  

Pictures in a pedigree chart also adds interest and the forms are so individualistic which allows a lot of creativity.  This becomes an excellent source of ideas for gifts.

5 Generation Picture Pedigree Chart

Happy Research of Your Ancestors!  BJ

I always like getting email with special news and events about family history.  “Who do you think you are?” is just such a show coming to NBC this year for about a month.  I have copied the information I received about this particular event in the hopes someone may be able to take advantage of the opportunity and maybe discover something new about family history researching.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” premieres Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and gives viewers an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities. Among the celebrities featured are Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. Ancestry.com is NBC’s official partner on the series. From executive producer Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback”) – in conjunction with her production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment and the U.K.’s Wall to Wall productions – “Who Do You Think You Are?” is an adaptation of the hit BBC television documentary series created and executive-produced by Alex Graham.

“Who Do You Think You Are?” is produced by Wall to Wall productions (a Shed Media Company) in association with Is or Isn’t Entertainment. Alex Graham and Lucy Carter from Wall to Wall and Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos from Is or Isn’t Entertainment are the executive producers. Bryn Freedman is the co-executive producer.

Thank you for your time and please mark your calendars for March 5  (8-9 PM Eastern Time Zone) — BJ

During the Christmas Season it seems we become more thoughtful of those we know and love.  We try to find just the right gift or service to let people know they are loved and cared for.  During this time of economic uncertainty the season may have stressed many people out,  making them despondent or depressed.  Joy may be lurking but it often does not show itself enough of the time.  I ran across a statement from the Doc Childre & Deborah Rozman, Ph D in association with the Heart Math Institute. 

A recipe from the Institute of HeartMath to rekindle your spirit for the holidays:–

Into your heart,
pour generous quantities of love and care.
Stir gently and sincerely.
If the mixture is lumpy,
add compassion and forgiveness
and continue stirring ’till the lumps are dissolved.
You may find bubbles of hope rising to the surface.
Taste-testing at this point is encouraged.
Although you will find the mixture already flavorful,
you can enhance it by adding appreciation.
Appreciation for the qualities of your heart,
for friends and family,
or for this special time of year
are all excellent flavor choices.

 How does this recipe help us as family history searchers?  I believe that one of the nicest things a person can do is develop better relationships with family and friends and friends to be.  At the holiday season we have many people just seeking that kind of fulfillment.  Gifts are bought and exchanged.  Gifts are planned and distributed.  Music is heard enlightening the souls of people.   Holiday cards and letters are written, addressed, and distributed.  Thoughtful acts abound.  We are focusing on family and friends.  The world is a better place as we do this.

How can we continue making the world better after the season is over?  Create memories of people and events that came about at the time or remembered through the year.  A  few ideas to maybe consider are:

• Collect any family newsletters that may come your way.  They can be full of information like who was born, who graduated during the year, special events, awards, achievements, etc.
• May want to make a special book with all the newsletters by inserting the letters in page protectors and putting in a notebook.
• Check out the beautiful holiday cards people have written brief notes about their lives in, incorporate information into your family records, save the cards to enjoy and view in the future.
•  Pictures of families are often incorporated into the cards — these can be framed, or displayed to enjoy.  ** special note —  is to consider dating and naming the people and or event before memories get clouded or forgotten.
• Just pretty cards can  be inserted into plastic bags — sealed shut — attatched together — and create a book for a young child to look at.  If a picture of a relative is there they get to know a little more about that person either by the picture or what the card is about (you can start learning what type of character they may be by the type of card they choose to give.
• Be sure and record any special recipes or directions for creating yourself a person may include when they give a gift — you never know what the new traditions may become in your life.
• Consider paying attention to any handwriting samples — sometimes it helps to remember their age and abilities.  It will be the little things that mean so much to me  in the future memories.

Christmas Family Newsletter with Family Pictures

These are just a few ideas that might be enjoyed, let your imagination run with you and incorporate the little things into your family records — either present or past because in the future they will mean even more to those who are going to take our place.  Enjoy and have a great time.

This is the month to think about the past and how it has shaped todays generation.  Seeking out our ancestors , their heritage or genealogy helps us to discover who and where we come from.  Some of the traditions we have in our families help us find out more about ourselves for example were our parents from the city, work in a factory, work in a mine, work in stores, run a farm or serve in a government job such as the military, politics, police / fire department.  Did our ancestors move a lot, explore and settle new areas, take part in a war?  Were they musical, an inventor. builder — did they have health challenges, athletic, what did they look like?  What kind of stories can they tell us to help us understand who we are and remind us what we are leaving our descendants?

Some of the places we can find some of these answers are easy to find and are a joy to explore.  If I were to offer a suggestion it would be to start as soon as possible to ask family members and friends what they can remember.  Sitting around in a room after a loved one dies and discussing all the great times and experiences you shared can be a help in discovering some of your special traditions and help with closure but talking about and remembering before the last day would be so much more fulfilling as all could participate in the joys, sorrows and emotional ties that bind family feelings when alive.  So where can we do this before death — I might suggest family get togethers such as Thanksgiving. 

The history of Thanksgiving probably came about as an expression of cooperation, gratitude for a good harvest,  and much needed rain at a time of trial.  The first Thanksgiving in the United States combined the efforts of Indians and colonists  in a harvest feast during the early 1600’s around Massachusetts.  It had food contributed by both groups and probably consisted of fish, game, vegetables like pumpkins, beans, carrots, onions, herbs, nuts like walnuts growing in the area, whole grains like wheat and corn, and fruit maybe like plums and grapes.  They probably did not have pumpkin pie, probably not a lot of eggs or milk, cranberries probably were not there at the time.

The First Thanksgiving in America

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner today MIGHT  include :

Roasted Turkey with Dressing and Cranberry Sauce
Mashed Potatoes, Candied Yams, Corn on the Cob
Rolls with butter, and  maybe honey
Deviled Eggs and  Relish Platter– maybe a dip on the side
Green Bean or  Steamed Vegetables
Possibly a fruit or vegetable salad
Pumpkin Pie / Apple Pie / Berry Pie
Beverages like milk, coffee, tea, alcholic

Representation of Food in a Thanksgiving Dinner Today

We even have a holiday that  has ssort of come down to a time of remembering and reacquaining ourselves with our family.  Thinking of that special Thanksgiving dinner and preparing those special dishes to share with your family is a great way to focus our love. Maybe we can incorporate knowledge about our ancestors and their traditions more this year to help make this holiday time more special.  I would like to share a recipe for a reminder of our blessings.

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix – author unknown

2 cups Bugles
2 Cups pretzels
1 cup candy corn
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seed

Mix together well in a large bowl thinking about the meaning of the symbols
Bugles = Horn of Plenty
Pretzels = Arms Folded in Prayer and Thanksgiving
Candy Corn = Represents Food we Have
Raisins = Celebration of the Harvest
Sunflower Seeds = Growth and Provision

Enjoy Eating and Remembering!!!

2009 Halloween Pumpkn from Tanya & Berret

We carved two eyes, a nose, and a toothy grin.
Then we put a lighted flashlight in.
And the pumpkin looked as bright and gay.
As if it had something to say.
We thought we heard, “Here’s what to do.
Be always honest, kind and true.
Be unselfish, be polite.
Then you will let your light shine bright.”

Author Mabel Jones Gabbot

When I became a mother I wanted to have ways my children would remember and have good times as they grew up.  One of the holidays that children seem to like is Halloween but I was not crazy about all the scary things associated with the holiday which I did not really honor as a holiday.  It was just a time to have fun when other people we knew were also having fun.  To that end I wanted to find something that was a positive influence on my children.  I ran across this little rhyme and loved it.  I felt it showed how good a not so funny custom could be made positive.  My children learned how to decorate pumpkins first with paint as I was nervous letting them cut them up and later they did cut them up.  I really prefer the paint as it lasted longer but the kids enjoyed making the toasted pumpkin seeds and eating pumpkin pie out of our pumpkins.  Also,  music is so much a part of Holidays the Internet has a copy of  two songs I grew up with and have lots of fun hoping my children can continue to appreciate them.Please do not forget to document your memories as you make them either in text or pictures or movies or whatever.  Happy Halloween!

Tanya Painting Pumpkin

Family pictures have always been an important element in my life.  My parents had photography as a hobby and we children loved to look at pictures.  Today we have the special opportunity to have digital pictures becoming very affordable.  Years past you had to select the good shots, take just a few because it was so expensive to process into pictures and usually miss the very best picture moments.  Now there are cameras that will take lots of pictures, be able to instantly check to see if you got a good shot, keep or delete it, and take another picture until you get what you want.  You can take literally hundreds of pictures now before you change your memory or batteries.  Point and Shoot, not have to line everyone up for what seemed like an eternity, have cameras help focus, reduce red eye, not wiggle,  and date stamp your pictures.

When you get the digital pictures you can crop the pictures for a special purpose, choose the very best picture, and size the picture for multiple applications.  There is software to help you create all kinds of projects with your very own pictures such as collages, greeting cards, special wrapping paper, preparing the picture for cloth and other crafts like mugs, glasses, T-shirts, fabric creations, blankets whatever the creative mind can come up with. 

Scrapbooking and creating memory books, collages and other projects are helping families to remember the “good times” and preserve what our days are really like when we become the ones talking about the “good old days.”  We can document an event with a camera and not wonder who remembered what correctly.  A person can bring great joy to loved ones not living in the same area by sending pictures of activities to parents, grandparents, and friends.  Eventually the pictures will be around for us to share with our descendants preserving memories of us.

Besides being able to send cards and other pictures to people you can try using some of the social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and other Blog sites to let people see your activities and growth.  It is so much fun to see what happened last week when the snow was over the rooftop or the first swimming strokes of a youngster. 

Taking several pictures in succession can give a nice story board for communicating events such as a grandchild learning about crawling and interacting with other children or at this time the Holiday activities of Halloween dress up, parties, and special gatherings.  What kind of traditions does Halloween have for you and your family?  Pictures can help you enjoy those special times in the future.

Documenting Halloween is  a great time to start practicing for the special picture opportunities for Thanksgiving and then Christmas when the world is full of excitement, love and giving.  The memories created can lend themselves for sharing with others in your life.  Be happy and happy picture taking.

(1) Thou shalt name your male children: James, John, Joseph, Josiah, Abel, Richard, Thomas, William.
(2) Thou shalt name your female children: Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Maria, Sarah, Ida, Virginia, May.
(3) Thou shalt leave NO trace of your female children.
(4) Thou shalt, after naming your children from the above lists, call them by strange nicknames such as: Ike, Eli, Polly, Dolly, Sukey.—making them difficult to trace.
(5) Thou shalt NOT use any middle names on any legal documents or census reports, and only where necessary, you may use only initials on legal documents.
(6)Thou shalt learn to sign all documents illegibly so that your surname can be spelled, or misspelled, in various ways: Hicks, Hicks, Hix, Hixe, Hucks, Kicks.
(7) Thou shalt, after no more then 3 generations, make sure that all family records are lost, misplaced, burned in a court house fire, or buried so that NO future trace of them can be found.
(8) Thou shalt propagate misleading legends, rumors, & vague innuendo regarding your place origination.
     (A) you may have come from : England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales….or Iran.
     (B) you may have American Indian ancestry of the______tribe.
     (C) You may have descended from one of three brothers that came over from______
(9) Thou shalt leave NO cemetery records, or headstones with legible names.
(10) Thou shalt leave NO family Bible with records of birth, marriages, or deaths.
(11) Thou shalt ALWAYS flip thy name around. If born James Albert, thou must make all the rest of thy records in the names of Albert, AJ, JA, AL, Bert, Bart, or Alfred.
(12) Thou must also flip thy parent’s names when making reference to them, although “Unknown” or a blank line is an acceptable alternative.
(13) Thou shalt name at least 5 generations of males, and dozens of their cousins with identical names in order to totally confuse researchers.             
                                   found on The Genealogy Funnies website author unknown.