My mom has the week off from work, so I've drafted her to help me with my genealogy research. We'll be doing some things that I've put off - again and again. One of my personal hurdles with research is my hesitancy to do new things, especially new things on my own. So I'm taking Mom with me. Also, I'm broadcasting my plans to the world, which is further incentive to follow through. So, what am I doing?
Wednesday, I have the day off. I'll be going to the local Family History/FamilySearch Center. That's right: I still haven't been to the location three miles away. I'm the queen of procrastinating! Though it doesn't hurt that the center is open only two days a week, which doesn't often fit with my varying work schedule. I'm not sure what to expect, but I have looked up some microfilm records online that I'd like to request. (The FamilySearch Center locator on the new FamilySearch.org was broken. I sent an email about my problems using it and was told that, for now, the old Family History Center locator on the old site is the best option right now).
Friday, I've requested the day off from work. Bright and early, I plan to travel down to the Georgia Archive in Morrow. They're open from 8:30 am to 4 pm and I hope to make use of most of that time. I'm currently trying to use their website to plan my visit, though I find their Finding Aids hard to understand. The Georgia Archive is right next door to the National Archive's Southeast Branch. We plan to stop by to get information, but we'll have to visit gain to do actual research. Friday evening I'll be doing what everyone else reading this blog will be doing: Watching the first episode of season two of Who Do You Think You Are.
31 January 2011
My New MacBook
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This is my new computer: a MacBook Pro. If you read my post from earlier this week, you might remember that I planned to by a basic MacBook, feeling that a Pro was too expensive and unnecessary. And I honestly didn't plan to buy a Pro, until I got to Micro Center and realized that they were selling the Pro for the same price that the Apple store was selling the basic. A free $200 upgrade is always awesome.
So I'm now running on a MacBook Pro, Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor, 4 GB Memory, 250 GB Hard Drive. I also purchased an 640 GB External Hard Drive, which teams up with the Time Machine program to constantly back up all of the files on my computer (so pretty much every day is Data Backup Day). I was also able to purchase a warranty that covered accidental damage (not available from apple).
26 January 2011
Cherokee in the Family?
"What's your ethnicity? Where are your ancestors from?" These are questions that come up often, in idle conversations or school projects. I remember multiple times this question came up in writing assignments in elementary and middle school. When I asked my parents, they would say English, Irish, German and Cherokee. But where did this information come from? No one in my family had ever done any genealogy research.
After about eight years of research, I can say that the English, German and Irish ancestry have been confirmed. But the Cherokee? I've yet to see any evidence. Where do these stories of Cherokee heritage come from?
On my maternal side, my Aunt June says that she was told that there was Cherokee ancestry in our Dorn family. Well the Dorn family has been tentatively traced back to George Dorn, born in Germany in 1728 and likely died in the Edgefield County, SC area. If there's any Cherokee in this family, it came in via a female line - and likely a few generations back on that line.
On my paternal side, I've been told that there's Cherokee ancestry on our
Britt family line. My aunts recently told me that they believed that their grandfather, Nathan Britt, had spent some time living in Florida near Lake Okeechobee with his grandmother, who had been Cherokee. I know that Nathan's family came from Edgefield County, South Carolina, but I'm fuzzy on any of his grandparents. Also, lot of the "proof" of cherokee ancestry seems to come from photographs of the family. "Look at those cheekbones!" Um, yeah... that's not proof.
Could there be Cherokee ancestors in my family? Absolutely! The vast majority of my ancestors came over from Europe in the late 1600s and early/mid 1700s and settled in middle and west South Carolina and north east Georgia. There was plenty of opportunity for someone with Cherokee ancestry to marry into one of my European family lines. But I haven't found any proof of this. But, I can honestly say I haven't been specifically looking either.
Recently, I've come across a few resources that might help me discover any native american heritage. At the Atlanta Family History Expo, I learned that Footnote.com hosted a number of resources. Also, a few weeks ago I found a blog, Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter, that showcases Cherokee research. I think it would be awesome to find some diversity in my family and find that at least part of the family stories are true.
After about eight years of research, I can say that the English, German and Irish ancestry have been confirmed. But the Cherokee? I've yet to see any evidence. Where do these stories of Cherokee heritage come from?
On my maternal side, my Aunt June says that she was told that there was Cherokee ancestry in our Dorn family. Well the Dorn family has been tentatively traced back to George Dorn, born in Germany in 1728 and likely died in the Edgefield County, SC area. If there's any Cherokee in this family, it came in via a female line - and likely a few generations back on that line.
On my paternal side, I've been told that there's Cherokee ancestry on our
Britt family line. My aunts recently told me that they believed that their grandfather, Nathan Britt, had spent some time living in Florida near Lake Okeechobee with his grandmother, who had been Cherokee. I know that Nathan's family came from Edgefield County, South Carolina, but I'm fuzzy on any of his grandparents. Also, lot of the "proof" of cherokee ancestry seems to come from photographs of the family. "Look at those cheekbones!" Um, yeah... that's not proof.Could there be Cherokee ancestors in my family? Absolutely! The vast majority of my ancestors came over from Europe in the late 1600s and early/mid 1700s and settled in middle and west South Carolina and north east Georgia. There was plenty of opportunity for someone with Cherokee ancestry to marry into one of my European family lines. But I haven't found any proof of this. But, I can honestly say I haven't been specifically looking either.
Recently, I've come across a few resources that might help me discover any native american heritage. At the Atlanta Family History Expo, I learned that Footnote.com hosted a number of resources. Also, a few weeks ago I found a blog, Thoughts from Polly's Granddaughter, that showcases Cherokee research. I think it would be awesome to find some diversity in my family and find that at least part of the family stories are true.
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