Adiós Ancestry.com

As of today, I am no longer an Ancestry.com subscriber. I've been subscribing for over three years - and will probably be a subscriber again in the future - but right now I need a break. There are a few reasons:

• Price. Does anyone have any money right now? Mine's better spent elsewhere right now.
• Versatility. Ancestry has a great selection of databases, but they don't have everything. I hope that by not being able to access ancestry.com I'll expand my research into areas that I've yet to try.
• Favoritism. Could ancestry.com ignore it's mac users a little more? Not by much!
• Bugs. There are a ton of bugs in ancestry.com's search functions. They are aware of many of these but fail to do anything about them.
• New Search. Don't like it and don't like how it was implemented or ancestry.com's "why don't you love it? You better get used to it." attitude about it.

Overall I think that ancestry.com is a great resource. I'll be back, but I need a break.

Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

The surname genealogy meme, started at GeneaBlogie

Surnames & Locals:

Albea - Georgia (Lincoln), South Carolina (Greenwood, Greenville)

Barfield - Georgia (Emanuel, Burke)

Boatright - Georgia (Emanuel, Burke)

Craft - Georgia (Elbert, Hart), South Carolina (Anderson)

Dorn - South Carolina (Edgefield, Greenwood)

Farr - Pennsylvania (Tioga), England

Hyler / Huyler / Hoyler - South Carolina (Lexington)

Leaphart - South Carolina (Lexington)

Powell - Georgia (Elbert, Hart)

Quattlebaum - South Carolina (Edgefield, Greenwood)

Waters - Georgia (Cobb, Milton, Fulton, Rockdale)

Smith - Georgia (Milton, Fulton, Rockdale)

Most Wanted Ancestor:

Parents of Leveret Wat(t)ers (b. 1881, Cobb County, GA)

Siblings on both sides

My Mom was one of six children, all born within an eight year period. My Dad was one of seven children, all born within a 22 year period. Talk about age differences! Here are pictures of them and their siblings.

(mom, bottom left)

(dad, top right)

Got my Kindle 2

I have my Kindle 2! I got it on Tuesday and have been playing with it since then. Overall, I'm very happy and it's a great device. It's very easy to use and I've only had to check with the manual twice to see how to do something. The main page lists your book and in a click you're reading!

So far, I've bought books from my computer and downloaded them to the kindle wirelessly. I've also downloaded a few samples of genealogy books to see which ones I might like to buy.

Most books come with a cover image and a full table of contents/chapter table. You can click on a chapter and be taken to that section of the book. Done reading? The kindle remembers where you left off and will take you right back to your place when you're ready to read again. The kindle also features an experimental web browser. If there is a url in your book, you can click on it and be taken right to that webpage!

There are a few easter eggs as well. Minesweeper anyone?

Tombstone Tuesday - Witt

David and Alice Witt are buried in the Bold Springs Baptist Church yard in Callison, Greenwood, SC. They are my 3x Great Grandparents.

Kreative Blogger

I've been awarded the Kreative Blogger award by Kay B and Prof Dru.  Thanks!

Here are the procedures connected with the KreativBlogger Award:

• Copy the award to your site.
  
• Link to the person from whom you received the award.
  
• Nominate other bloggers.
  
• Link to those sites on your blog.
  
• Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.
  

I have added the "KreativBlogger Award" logo to my blog and have placed links to the person who gave me this award in this posting.

Additionally, as a recipient of this award, I am required to nominate other blogs. Below, is a list of my nominations for the “KreativBlogger Award.”

•  Still Digging for Roots
  
•  Rainy Day Genealogy Readings
  
•  Genealogy Tip of the Day
  
•  Ruby Craft
  

Leila is #21

Following the Genea-Musing Saturday night blog prompt, I located my 21st ancestor on my Ahnentafel report.  Leila Frances (Craft) Evans Brown is #21.

Leila is my Great-Great-Grandmother - my paternal grandfather's mother-in-law.  She was born on 24 Apr 1881 and died on 24 Dec 1950 and lived her life in Elbert and Hart Counties, Georgia..  Her parents, according to her death certificate, were Ruebin Monroe Craft and Leila McCurley (who I think is acutally Susan Jane McCurley).  Leila is one of those ancestors who was born after the 1880 census and was married before the 1900 census.  These folks are the bane of my exhistance!

Leila married John Evans around 1897.  Their children were Janie, Sally Ruth, Luther, Ruby, Ethel and Mollie.  After John's death in 1911, Leila remarried around 1913 to John "Jim" Brown.  Their children were Fannie, James Jr. and Leonard.

Leila died in 1950 and is buried next to her first husband and some of their children in Rock Branch Baptist Cemetery in Elbert County.

Wordless Wednesday

Tombstone Tuesday - Quattlebaum

This hard to read headstone belongs to John Peter Quattlebaum (1817-1906) and is located in the Quattlebaum Family Cemetery in McCormick County, South Carolina.

The cemetery is pretty easy to find, with a sign right on Highway 67. It's a good thing this sign is here, otherwise I might not have been able to find the cemetery.

going slowly insane

I ordered my Kindle from Amazon on 4 February.  On 9 February Amazon announced the Kindle 2 and that all unfulfilled orders (like mine) were upgraded to this second generation device.  But, it won't be released until 24 February.  I've sprung for 2 day shipping and will receive my Kindle 2 on 26 February.  Until then, I'm going slowly insane.

One thing that makes it a little better: I can go ahead and buy books for my Kindle 2.  Of course, there are genealogy books that I'd like on my Kindle.  Here are some of the many offerings, many of which are cheaper than their print version.

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy - Kay Ingalls
• Genealogy Online - Elizabeth Powell Crowe
• How to Do Everything with Your Genealogy - George G. Morgan
• Genealogy Uncovered - S. Mills
• The Genealogy Sourcebook - Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
• Find Your Roots Now! - Joe Long
• Doing Oral History - Donald A. Ritchie
• The Organized Family Historian - Ann Carter Fleming
• Your Living Family Tree - Gordan Burgett
• Discover Your Roots - Paul Blake and Maggie Loughran

What to choose, what to choose...?

In the Kitchen - Cornbread (two ways)

My Dad is a great cook.  I can't get many family stories out of him, but I can always get a recipe.  Here's his cornbread recipe, followed by my maternal grandmother's recipe. 

Dad's:

Ingredients:

2 cups corn meal (three rivers)

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/s cup milk

1 or 2 tbs sugar

2 tbs veggie oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 425˚ with skillet in the oven.  After heated, add 2 tbs of veggie oil to coat the pan. Add pre-mixed ingredients.  Cook for abt 22 minutes until golden.  Let sit 5 minutes before cutting.

Grandmama's:

Ingredients:

pretty much the same, no sugar.

Directions:

Heat oven to 425˚ with skillet in the oven with 2 tbs crisco shortening in pan.  Add heated grease to ingredient mix and cook.

A Weekend Link - 18th Century Fashion

Have you ever been reading a historical book or diary in which clothing is described - and you have no idea what certain terms mean? A website that might help you figure it all out is Glossary of 18th Century Costume Terminology.

Created by Sue Felshin, this site explains terms such as kissing strings, chatelaine, round gown, stay hood, and mantle.  Explanations are provided to describe the item and how it's used. After reading through this you'll have a better understanding of the clothing that your 18th century (1700s) ancestors wore. I highly recommend checking this site out.

Squee! (aka Happy Dance)

I've been emailing with my 1st Cousin, twice removed (thank you cousin chart), Sandra.  She's been very helpful in providing me stories about our ancestors, Leveret and Louise Waters.  I don't have a lot of family stories, as my Grandmama's didn't talk about her childhood and family much.  Sandra was my Grandmama's younger cousin and has a lot of information about the family (but we'll save that for Monday Memories).

One really squee worthy thing that she has shared with me: She has Leveret's and his son LC's musical instruments!  The entire family was very musical and was related through marriage to Fiddlin' John Carson and Chris Bouchillon - both well known in their time in the country music industry.  It's great to know that their instruments survived and are being well cared for.  I must admit to being jealous. Sandra was kind enough to send me photos.

Leveret's Fiddle

Leveret's Banjo

LC's harmonica

LC's guitar 

Happy Birthday Georgia!

Today is the state of Georgia's Birthday! It's also officially Georgia Day.

Georgia is 276 years old, having been founded by James Oglethrope in Savannah on 12 Feb 1733. Today there will be a series of events by the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Events include a parade and birthday bash (on the 14th) and will honor Georgia native, Johnny Mercer.

Check out GeorgiaHistory.com for more information.

Georgia Confederacy Pension Applications and more new at Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com has made Georgia Confederacy Pension Applications viewable online.  The records date from 1879-1960 and can be searched by name, year of application, type of application and location.  Other information included in the images may include cause for pension, income, birthday, spouse's names, occupation and more.

Within minutes of searching, I found the pension application for William Anderson Craft and, after his death, his wife's application as a widow.  It seems that he suffered a stroke that kept him from making a living as the farmer he had been and was now "indigent."  

This is proving to be a very informative database and I'm glad to see it added.

Other new databases include: U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles (which is spotty to put it nicely), Confederate Applications for Presidential Pardons, 1865-1867, and U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938.

Wordless Wednesday

a favorite photo

I really love this photo.  There are so many memories that it brings back.  It was taken in my grandmother's back yard and includes most all of my cousins on my mom's side of the family.  I'm either the little girl sitting on the ground or the one being held by my brother (mom, if you read this let me know).  

When I was a little girl, we went over to my maternal grandparent's house every Sunday.  Just about everyone was there.  We would eat dinner around 3pm and stay until dusk.  My cousins and I played in one of the bedrooms or outside.  The backyard was large and there were a variety of toys to play with.  I was very close to some of my cousins and regret that we have grown apart.

Tombstone Tuesday - Craft

Bennie and Sally Ruth (Evans) Craft are my paternal Great-Grandparents. They lived their lives in Elbert and Hart Counties, Georgia. They are buried at the Rock Branch Baptist Church in Elbert County, Georgia, along with just about all of their direct ancestors.

iGene Awards, The Best of The Best!

For the Carnival of Genealogy, here are my self nominated Best of the Best blog posts of 2008.

• Best Picture - Posted in April of 2008, the post, True Love, features a photo of my Granny and Pawpaw when they were a young couple. My Pawpaw carried a copy of the photo in his wallet at all times.

• Best Screen Play - Posted in May of 2008, the post, Interviewing Mom, includes three stories from my mom.  My favorite, "The Chinaberry Tree," details a childhood adventure in which her siblings almost killed each other playing "Sheriff."

• Best Documentary - Posted in May of 2008, the post, Archival Preservation, details my initial findings on the best ways to preserve and care for documents and photos.

• Best Biography - Posted in September of 2008, the post, My Great-Aunt Ollie, is a partial biography.  Although not a complete description of her life, she wins for being unique among my ancestors.

* Best Comedy - Posted in July of 2008, the post, photo stories, contains a two series of photos that are just too cute.

Monday Memories - The Tornado

No audio this week.  This story is from my Aunt June Partain and takes place in Elbert County, Georgia, sometime between 1943 and 1947.

"Mama and Daddy [Sarah (Britt) and Thomas Craft] had been to the movies and were on their way home. They saw the bad weather and thought it was a tornado. When we got home Daddy handed me to Mama and she got under the bed. Daddy had Charlotte and did not have time to get under anything. Mama said the next thing she remembered she was outside in the rain. She felt me and I was sticky and she thought it was blood and I was dead. Then I started crying. None of us were hurt.. The house had been lifted off it's foundation and was a total loss. They started walking (I do not know where they were going) Charlotte told me that Mama told her that she was barefoot and there was glass everywhere and she did not get cut (seems God was looking out for all of us). Mama told me they were walking past a house and this woman was screaming that her baby was dead. Mama was going to stop, but Daddy said they needed to keep going, there was nothing they could do. Also, a 17 year old boy who lived in that area was paralyzed from the waist down. His name was "Punk" Seawright. As an adult he had a jewelry shop in Hartwell. Mama and Daddy and Troy and I would take our watches to be cleaned by him. That was before battery operated watches."

a Weekend Link - Atlanta Photos

I'm always on the lookout for historic images of the places where my ancestors lived and worked.  One website that I like to browse is Atlanta Time Machine.

This site features historic photos and postcards of Atlanta and often compares then to photos of the same location today.  The site is organized by type, including Downtown, House & Apartments, Commercial Buildings, and Misc.  Many photos also have links to other websites or contemporary maps to help you find information about a particular location.

The site is updated often and is a great way to see what Atlanta was like to our ancestors.

Albea Cousins

I've posted this first photo before, but the second is new to me.  The first is of the "Albea first counsins," the grandchildren of William and Nina (Sprouse) Albea.  The second photo is of their spouses.  The photos were taken at the same time.

I'm not sure who everyone is, but my Grandaddy, Roy Albea Sr., is kneeling in the first photo and my Grandmama is wearing red in the second photo.  The second photo is labeled on the back:

"left to right: Betty, Joe's wife, Alton's wife, Big Doris, Bill, Lib, Melvin, Betty ann's husband, Buddy.  front row: Betty Jean's husband, Doyle"

I should be able to identify a few folks from my family tree file, but I'm not sure about everyone.

These photos were taken at a family reunion and I have a video that actually shows these photos being taken.  I'm going to try and go through the video and find out some more names.  

building brick walls higher

It seems like I have a brick wall that is determined to grow higher.  I'm rather frustrated with my Great Great Great Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth UNKNOWN (1855 - 1928, GA).

I've posted about this particular brick wall before.  I'm trying to find the parents of Leveret Waters.  I know that his mother was named Mary and that she was married twice.  Once to John/James/? Waters and then to John B. Whitlock.  I've found her grave and three documents (1, 2, 3) that list her name.  The problem? Each document gives a different maiden name.  

I received the third document today - her death certificate - and hoped that I'd be able to name Mary.  Instead I was given yet another maiden name for her.  She's either Mary Harding, Mary Pilgrim or Mary Bascum.

Mary's death certificate lists her as born in Georgia, her father as John Bascum from Ireland and her mother as Elizabeth Pilgrim from North Carolina.  Though her maiden name is listed different from the the previous two documents, it does show promise.  Her mother's maiden name is given as Pilgrim, which matches the name that Mary's son gave as Mary's on his SS-5.  Also, this death certificate gives her father's name as Bascum.  Mary and her second husband are buried in Bascomb Methodist Church yard in Cherokee County, GA.  Coincidence? Maybe, but it's something to check out.

So, I have yet another name to investigate, but at least it ties in to some of the other names that Mary has been given.  This is a very frustrating brick wall and I want a sledge hammer.

Wordless Wednesday

thanks... i guess

Ancestry.com's blog has a new post about their site being down last Saturday from 3 - 9 a.m. eastern - three days ago.  I know that they've taken a lot of flack for their lack of communication and hard to work with tech support - and I've noticed that they've been working toward better communication via their blog in regards to this. I applaud them for their efforts and hope they continue.  

But seriously, it's been three days - does it matter at this point? Not really.  If they don't post blogs like this within 24 hours (some might say much less time) it becomes irrelevant.  It just reminds subscribers of recent technological issues that ancestry.com has been experiencing.  For example, I didn't even know the site was down at the time, but now, three days later, I know that the site was messed up again.  And, it says to me: "we didn't worry about/forgot about it until now."  On the other hand, if they'd have posted this while the site was down or just after it came up, it would appear as a note to say, "we're on top of things, you can trust us to fix it asap."

Honestly, my subscription expires on February 28th and I've already canceled.  Things like this - though very minor I admit - don't encourage me to renew. 

Tombstone Tuesday - Waters

A little then and now for today's Tombstone Tuesday. This is the grave of my Great-Great Grandparents, Leveret and Louise (Smith) Waters. They are buried in the Bethel Church Yard in Smyrna, Cobb, Georgia.

Monday Memories - The Beatles

An audio story from mom

"When I [Ruby] was prob'ly around 9 years old, um, the Beatles came to Atlanta [1965]. And your Aunt June wanted to, um, see them. And, uh - but Daddy said 'no' and aunt Marie had even said that she would, you know, buy the tickets and stuff. But, Daddy said 'no' - Daddy couldn't stand the Beatles. 

And, um, so your Aunt June came up with this idea with your Uncle Charlie that, um she would... she was gunna go see the Beatles. Oh, well they were... I don't know how old they were. So... older than me. So, anyway, um, the thing is that me and, uh, your Aunt June shared a bedroom. So she decided that she was gunna bribe me into not telling Mamma and Daddy that she wasn't in bed. 

You know, I prob'ly wouldn'ta thought to tell 'em anyway, but she decided to bribe me. So, she told me that I could have her Barbie doll if I didn't tell that, um, Aunt... that she didn't go to bed and, um, because she was sneakin' out. So I didn't tell. So, I went to bed. 

Then, the, um... what happened was they did actually go... they made it all the way to Downtown Atlanta and the police picked 'em up and, uh, ended up bringin' 'em home. And there was a big, big, big, big, row about it. 

But, um, the next day, um, whenever I went to get my new Barbie doll to play with, your aunt June said I couldn't have it. And I said, 'why?' And she said, 'well, because we didn't get to see the Beatles.' And I said, 'no, that wasn't the deal. The deal was that if I didn't tell, I got the Barbie doll.' So, I went and told Mamma because June wouldn't give me the Barbie doll. I was cryin' and she said, 'what's wrong,' and so I told her. 

And, uh, I don't remember for sure, but I think Mamma.... I guess I'm sorta lucky she didn't get mad at me for not telling, but she got mad at June for telling - you know, for telling me I could have the Barbie dolls and then not giving 'em to me. And I think I got the Barbie dolls - I'm not sure. But, maybe I didn't get the Barbie dolls, but I got Barbie dolls that year for Christmas. So, I finally got my Barbie dolls. But, uh, it was... it was somethin... but your Aunt June and your Uncle Charlie were just determined that they were gunna get to see the Beatles. I think she was gunna go see 'em off at the Airport or somethin' but they got caught. And that's the Beatles story.”

backing up and converting

I bought a new 8G flash drive today to backup my genealogy research with.  I have a 2G, but was getting close to filling it up.  I'm also working on converting my .jpg files to .tiff files.  It doesn't take long to do one image, but I have hundreds - maybe a thousand - images and document scans.  I have 1.96 GBs in my Genealogy folder and every time I convert another image to Tiff, I increase my file size.

the 6th of the 6th

As inspired by the GeneaMusing's blog post, here is the 6th photo in the 6th folder in my photo folder.

This photo is from my Great Grandmother, Ruby Waters Huyler's photo album.  The only person who's identity is known is my grandmother, Betty Huyler Albea. She's the girl on the right.  

The man is in a few other photos, but I don't know who he is.  My guess is that he is one of Ruby's Smith cousins.  Ruby's mother, Louise Smith Waters came from a large family and Ruby and Betty stayed with them in Greenville, SC sometimes.