Ever since I did a research deep-dive on my mysterious ancestor George Roderic McClellan (1848-1912), I have been curious to learn more about his time spent in Denver, Colorado in the 1870s. I had discovered that he was a co-owner … Continue reading How To Determine The Age of An Antique Steamer Trunk
Last year I took a brief weekend trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and copied a wonderful selection of records – then couldn’t believe how quickly the time passed, and how many more records I still wanted to copy or locate! So this year I planned a week-long visit. After having a very successful trip, I thought I would share my top ten tips for making the most out of your research trip to the Family History Library! 1. Research, research, research. Research in order to research? YES! Novice, intermediate and advanced genealogists can greatly benefit … Continue reading Tuesday’s Tip: Top Ten Tips for Visiting the Family History Library
I was working on French genealogy today, and came across a handy site, genealogie.com (although it does require a paid subscription). In addition to having some great records indexed, I couldn’t help but laugh at their advertisement on the page, “Who are your ancestors?”:(note the same smirk on each “ancestor”! The costumes may change, but the grin and wink remain the same) Continue reading Genealogie en francais!
Googlemaps has come out with a wonderful new feature called “Street View”. It allows you to explore neighborhoods visually through photographs. You can click on a spot, then see what it looks like from 360 degrees, and “travel” along the road. Watch a demo of it here. There are only a few cities available in this mode, and unfortunately Boston has not yet been added. But I explored New York City and then took a tour over the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn. I’ve always wanted to get to Brooklyn to explore and photograph the large cemeteries in the area, and … Continue reading Exploring Brooklyn in Street View of Google Maps
I was contacted the other day by Donald Thompson, one of three Civil War researchers who run a wonderful website and related blog about the Civil War, and specifically the 18th Regiment of Massachusetts. Donald Thompson, Tom Churchill, and Stephen McManus research and collect records, memorabilia, letters, etc. about the men who served in the regiment, and have compiled great biographies of the men. One of those men from the 18th, my great-great-great uncle Erastus Everson, was recently featured on this blog as the subject of one of my genealogical biographies. He served in three regiments, and sustained head, chest, … Continue reading Welcome, readers of "Touch the Elbow"!
Yesterday my new genealogy software arrived in the mail! I have been thinking about buying new software for awhile now. I have Reunion, a wonderful program for the Mac. But I also have a subscription to Ancestry.com, which uses FamilyTreeMaker as its featured software. FamilyTreeMaker seems to be the most popular Windows program, so I decided to order a copy for our Dell laptop and see what the fuss was all about. I’ve had fun exploring its features over the past two days! Here’s some of my initial observations: Pros: – FamilyTreeMaker is directly integrated with the Ancestry.com website. That … Continue reading FamilyTreeMaker and Reunion Genealogy software
Visit Midge Frazel’s great cemetery blog Granite in my Blood. Midge is the secretary of the Plymouth County Genealogists, which is a great local genealogical non-profit society, with an informative newsletter The Genealogical Inquirer. Continue reading Midge Frazel’s Cemetery Blog, Granite in My Blood
The kids today went on a grand adventure, courtesy of Geocaching.com. The basic concept is that people take a waterproof container and place in it a logbook and a “treasure”, then post its coordinates on the website. Those with GPS technology can then search for the “caches”, sign the logbook, and take the treasure – so long as they leave behind a new treasure for the next explorers! The site has opportunities for great creativity – some of my favorites so far have been sites near cemeteries. They leave clues to find specific gravestones throughout the cemetery, then have equations … Continue reading Geocaching
Ooh exciting! Just got an email from NEHGS today with the fall lineup of lectures. Since I will be in Boston this fall, my interest is peaked! Here’s one I am especially looking forward to: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and WarNovember 8, 2006, 7 p.m. presentationJust in time for Thanksgiving, bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick will speak on the subject of his latest book, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War. Publisher’s Weekly’s starred review praised Philbrick’s “remarkable effort” in bringing the founders of Plymouth Colony “vividly to life.” Winner of the National Book Award for In the … Continue reading New England Historic Genealogical Society, Newbury Street, Boston, MA
