TV Worthy I Am Not ...

Today I opened my Inbox and read a notification wishing me a happy blogging 2nd anniversary.  Apparently I started this blog two years ago.  Time sure flies. 

I could claim being busy, and that might be so.  There were no 'ah-ha' moments, therefore nothing intriguing and worth while mentioning.  However ...

• I uncovered one Staub ancestor's Company information when he served in the Civil War.  Just this Christmas I shared this information with a great nephew (that makes me feel old!) who has an interest in  Civil War and participated in a re-enactment. I think that I opened another door and made a young historian happy. 
• Prior to Super Storm Sandy, I visited with an elderly neighbor, taking them a dish of my 4-cheese macaroni casserole.  One thing lead to another and I ended up with information about his family and embarked on a journey to help him find his roots.  I hit a brick wall, but did find some interesting stuff, AND learned the history of three counties - Baltimore, Frederick, and Carroll.  Funny how little details are too darned important.  Now I can't wait to share what I found.
• Saw the movies Lincoln and Les Miserables.  I actually understood the history from it all and enjoyed it.  Also, I developed a deepened appreciation for my ancestors who lived during those trying times.

Guess it is the small stuff that keeps me digging.  So, you won't be seeing me on TV anytime soon, right?

Happy New Year.  Blessings to all genealogists.  Happy research.

Small town with a big heart...

As a parent, I often offered words of wisdom to my kids, which sometimes generated a wrinkled face or a critical response. I would often find myself telling them, you just never know.  It got to the point where I even got tired of saying this.  But it is true.  If you don't try, how will you ever know?

I volunteer in the research library for a local historical society.  Every so often I catch myself still sharing those words of wisdom with new researchers. 'You just won't know until you at least check it out.'  So what if it leads you to a dead end...you JUST might learn something new.

While exploring Facebook recently, I stumbled on an open forum group called, If you grew up in Hanover.   The group's vision is, 'Small town with a big heart.  Post memories of growing up and share your stories.' As a researcher I am sharing this link with you because it could be of some value to you.  How so, you might be thinking?  Well ...

1. How many times have you found family photographs and the only clue was that was in or near to Hanover, PA?
2. You know of a Hanover landmark but wonder what it looked like in the 1800s when your great grandfather was settling in Hanover, PA.   

In this open forum Facebook group of 2,038 members, you can post your inquiry and hopefully get results.  It doesn't hurt to check it out.

Another resource for pictures that you may be interested in resides on the Hanover Public School District's web site.  Why, I haven't figured that out yet.  Check out this link, too, for photos of Hanover's past.

These may or may not be significant to you, but perhaps you can share these links with a fellow researcher, or link them to your blog.  These are free and credible resources that one day could solve one of your mysteries. 

Civil War Veterans Reunited

Civil War Veterans reunite in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and meet the other side in a more amicable setting.  Take a few minutes to watch this awesome video clip - it is a must see.  The Rio Norte Junior High School in Valencia, California created this video. 

Knowing the blood that was shed and families affected by the Civil War, it is touching to see the veterans coming together.

Honoring Family Who Served ...

I am a planner, and this can be good, or it could drive me crazy. 

When I started adding names to my genealogy database, I didn't have a plan.    Right now I add photos and keywords to a person's file.  Was I consistent with doing this?  Nope.

So, today, as I was clipping obituary notices from the paper for a local historical society, I noticed that the deceased who served in the military had a flag added to their obituary.  A light bulb went off.  Now, I wonder, why not add a flag image, for instance, to the photo records for those who served in the military and a cross for those who joined a religious order.  Great idea, right?  I want to start gathering these images to place them into a file. Then as I go back through my database, I can add the appropriate image to the ancestoral files. 

I am not a history buff when it comes to military history I am illiterate. I Googled this but got more and more confuse.  Sure doesn't take much to confuse me!  So, I have questions for my genealogy friends.

• Is there a specific marker for people who served in the various wars and battles?  I found ancestors who fought in the Civil War, Revolutionary War, the Battle of North Point in Maryland, WWI and WWII, Vietnam, etc. 
• For WWI and WWII I had planned on using the American flag.  Is there another image for each war that I should use?
• Are these markers of standard design no matter what state the person lived in?  I live in Pennsylvania and live close to the Maryland border where some of the ancestors may have lived at the time.

In the long run, I can visualize my pedigree chart with these impressive images.  In this day and age of information overload, scanning prefaces reading.  Having these images appear first on a pedigree chart would allow for seeing and appreciating our ancestors at a quick glance. 

Has anyone already done this to their database?  I would love hearing from you, if you did.  Thanks and have a great research day.