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24 July 2013, at 9:24 pm
 This was the third day of lectures, and (I’m sorry to say) I’m starting to get tired of sitting still for hours on end. I’m hearing the same from others, which makes me feel better; but (and every one I’ve talked to seems to be feeling the same about this too), the stiff knees and achy backs are worth it because the material is so interesting, and there’s so much learning going on.
I’m also starting to see camaraderie developing among students in the various classes (it’s even more pronounced in our small project groups). More and more, we are walking into the cafeteria alone and finding it easy to sit down at an almost full table, feel immediately welcomed, and effortlessly jump right into a friendly conversation. Unless its a conversation about the food
The grumblings about cafeteria food are getting louder and more frequent. The cereals (…more)
24 July 2013, at 1:04 pm
 Sometimes what happens OUTSIDE the classroom hits home more than scheduled lectures. This morning I had breakfast with Michael Hait and Craig Scott, two of my favorite genealogists, who I love to hang around with because I always learn something new (and for other reasons of course!) We were talking about my land course. I LOVE it. But, one thing it hasn’t addressed is how to read between the lines of a deed or other conveyance document. Do you know what I mean? Yes, a deed, in any of its forms, is about the exchanging of property. There are books about the legal terminology and land terms. And lots of strategies about where and how to FIND records (eg. this course). But what does the document really say about the people mentioned in it? Is there anything I can infer from the document that wasn’t explicitly stated in it? (…more)
23 July 2013, at 10:36 pm
 Today, in Advanced Land Records, Pam Sayre talked “All About Deeds.” We also discussed private land claims, and spent a good amount of time walking through the Bureau of Land Management General Land Office website (BLM GLO) [by the by, when I'm typing quickly, my fingers sometimes type the M before the L; so, if I inadvertently write BML, I'm still talking about the Bureau of Land Management ]
After lunch, guest instructor Angela McGhie taught us all about Land Entry Files, and the various ways our ancestors acquired and paid for their land. That was probably my favorite part of the day.
My project group, of 6, started work on the case study that we’ll present to the class on Friday. I must admit, 6 strangers getting thrown together to solve a problem we aren’t sure we have the skills to solve yet, is a little frazzling. But, (…more)
22 July 2013, at 9:55 pm
 I am so excited to be at my first institute! It’s like a club. I swear, there really are institute junkies. How they do it mystifies me. There are four (at least) institutes held in this county each year, including this, the youngest on the block: Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. They last a full work week. They’re a financial investment. And really, no matter where one lives, at least three of them are probably going to involve air travel. Plus, and let’s be real, they’re staffed by arguably some of the best minds in genealogy today, which many may find, at least a little, intimidating.
Still, I’ve been dying to go to one, and GRIP is practically in my backyard! And who knows…maybe this week will be the start of my own addiction
So….DAY ONE NOTE: This post has two parts and the first is whiny, so feel (…more)
21 July 2013, at 9:18 pm
 I am at my first genealogy institute! I’ve been wanting to go to one since I first discovered there was such a thing, but the others (In Salt Lake City, Samford, and D.C.) conflict with family commitments. So, I was THRILLED when GRIP opened in Pittsburgh last year. Check-in was today at 3. Welcome dinner at 5. It was really nice to run into friends. The institute is held at Pittsburgh’s La Roche College. It’s fun to be in a dorm setting for the first time in eons, but I’m not liking the looks of the bed….in fact, I’m contemplating sleeping in my clothes, on top of the thread bare sheets, but that’s a bit beside the point, which is- I’m so excited to be here!!
I’m taking the Advanced Land Research course, taught by Rick and Pam Sayre. Deeds and other land records are a big part of genealogy (…more)
1 May 2013, at 11:51 pm
 Wordless Wednesday is a daily blogging prompt sponsored by Geneabloggers
Feeling a little listless, lost, and ungrounded tonight. I spend so much time with the dead…poring through the past, trying to reconstruct lives from sometimes nothing more than scraps of barely legible paper…wondering who they were and what they would have wished people could know about them now. I am so lucky to have had all four of my grandparents in my life for as long as they were. I was so loved. But, I wish I’d asked them more questions. Not about facts and dates, but rather about their thoughts and the memories of all the little moments in their lives which they would have wanted me to keep safe in my memory for them. I really want to get it right……Know what I mean? I’m not sure I’m explaining myself, but I want to post their picture before it’s Thursday. I hope (…more)
13 March 2013, at 7:52 am
Wordless Wednesday is a daily blogging prompt sponsored by Geneabloggers Share:
You might also like:Gefferie Denchfield, part 2John Denchfield, Iremonger of North MarstonWordless Wednesday: Why Didn’t People Write Names on Photos Back in the Day??
16 October 2012, at 11:49 am
 Yikes! A reader alerted me to the fact that today is my (woefully neglected) blog’s 2nd anniversary! Lots of exciting things have been happening lately in my genealogical world, but unfortunately they’ve drawn me away from my beloved Mahoganybox…
A few of the things…..
I’m nearly two thirds of the way through the NIGS Certificate in Genealogical research program for American Studies, and it’s been going really REALLY well
The processing of 11 Hollinger archival boxes of an Erie family’s personal papers is wrapping up. I’m quite proud of my 35+ page GUIDE FILE, but it’s taken up pretty much all of my time allotted for genealogical writing for the past few months.
I’m giving a talk at our genealogy society’s beginner workshop this month, and I want my Powerpoint to be perfect……
The ProGen assignment for the last two months has involved Proof Arguments….probably the most time (…more)
15 September 2012, at 10:49 am
Reprinted with permission.
I wrote about the Turners in this post, and this is an expansion of that. This is a summary of the Turner surnames found, mainly, in St. Peter’s (Caversham) parish register transcriptions.[[1]] Caversham, Emmer Green, Henley,Kidmore are situated in Oxfordshire. Other counties are indicated.
Below is my direct line from John Turner to, Henry, my 2nd great grandfather. You’ll find more details here: Henry & Charles Turner and John Turner of Emmer Green. More information about John Turner’s family can be found here: John Turner’s Children and William Turner. Most of this has been taken from published parish transcripts. Please, if you are incorporating any of this data into your own trees, check the original entries in the parish records for any transcription errors or additional information, as I will be doing also.
1-John Turner b: 23 October 1782, Caversham, d: 2 July 1856, Caversham
(…more)
11 September 2012, at 3:08 pm
 One of the things which drove me to create this blog was the desire to share my own research with others connected in some way with my British ancestors. Although I originally planned to upload static pages exported from my favorite genealogy software, Rootsmagic, I soon discovered a much more flexible and dynamic option – The Next Generation (TNG). With this software, I was able to upload my Rootsmagic gedcom file and the resulting database created a seemingly endless array of reports based on the user’s search filters.
I’ve been researching my family history for 30 years, so I had a lot of information to upload Then, I took the Boston University Online Genealogical Research course, and I learned all kinds of things that took my research to a new level: I learned there is a right way to cite; and I was introduced to good research techniques, standards, proof arguments, etc. (…more)
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