Elyse's Genealogy Blog

Kerry Scott of Clue Wagon wrote a quick blog post about the one family heirloom she would save if her house was on fire.  She then asked her readers what they would save if their house was on fire, their loved ones were out of the house, and they only had time to grab one thing – What would that one thing be and why?

If you had asked me this question in 2009, I would have easily told you that it would have been this big metal eagle that my Grandpa Max Doerflinger made.  I’ve always felt a connection to my Grandpa Max, even though he passed away when I was only four months old.  Mom often told me stories about Grandpa Max and it was clear that she loved him deeply.  She even made sure that I was given the last name “Doerflinger” because she wanted me to have his name.  The way she told the stories, the way her voice was filled with happy memories, and the way the look in her eyes changed that made me love the stories.  She always said “Daddy always made each of his children feel like they were his favorite”.  I wish I could remember him.

But since I can’t, all I have left to learn about who he was are the stories other people tell me and his artwork.  I have many pieces of his metal art collection – stuff from when he was first learning and stuff from when he was a master at his craft.  When I was little, the giant eagle used to terrify me – especially in the middle of the night.  But as I became older, I began to appreciate the details on the eagle.

While I still love this piece, I would now pick a different heirloom to take with me as my house is consumed in flames:  My scrapbook full of pictures of my Mom.

After my Mom passed away and I was left to plan a Celebration of Life, I quickly realized that I had very few photos of her.  In fact, I didn’t really have more than a handful.  I was full of grief and now full of guilt because I didn’t even have any proper pictures of her.  I had plenty from her childhood, but I have very few from her adult years.  Mom hated cameras and avoided them like they were the plague.  When people would try to get photos of her, she would reply “You can’t take my picture!  I’m wanted by the FBI and you wouldn’t want them to find me would you?”.

So my family set out on a mission to find pictures of my mom.  And they found way more than I ever could have imagined.  Then my cousin put all of the pictures into a beautiful album for me and gave it to me at my Mom’s Celebration of Life.  It is beautiful and documents so much of her life.  I look at the album whenever I feel lost or lonely or overwhelmed or when I think about something I’d love to tell her.  Something that I know would make her laugh or say something quick witted or have her tease me.

So if my house was on fire, I’d grab that album and bolt for the door.

I’m currently in the process of changing the theme of my blog and cleaning up the widgets in the sidebar in hopes of making everything cleaner and streamlined.  So if things look a little out of whack for a day or two, I apologize.  The blog will be back soon – promise.

My main research goal this summer has been to work on my Colonial lines.  As I’ve been researching, I’ve noticed that I was having trouble organizing all of the information.  My typical organizational system of dividing everything by surname and then subdividing chronologically by family, just was not working.  So after some brain storming, I think I’ve finally come up with a system for my New Englanders.

With these lines, I’ve noticed that many of the families live within a small geographical area and they generally interacted with each other often: selling land to one another, serving in militias together, going to the same church, and marrying each other.  So I really wanted to  make sure that all of my colonial ancestors were together.

So I created a binder just for my Colonial New England ancestors.

Then I created my tabbed dividers for each surname, and they are filed alphabetically.  I also created dividers for maps/boundaries and research guides.  I find it helpful to have the basics of the area (like when the area was settled, what records are available and where to find them, etc) at my fingertips.

Within each surname section, I have a pedigree chart to show me how the surname line fits into my overall family tree.  Directly behind the pedigree chart comes any general notes about the family.  Then I have a family group sheet for the most recent family of that line.  I then use a highlighter to highlight the child in that family that I am directly descended from.  Then I place all of my notes and documents that pertain to that family.  Then I have the next family group sheet, and behind that I place all of the notes and documents for that family.  Then I just repeat until I run out of families for that surname.

Having all of the families together helps me understand how they all fit together.  I can now see the “big picture” without having to switch binders or cross reference everything.  It is all in one folder.  Plus, one folder is a lot easier to carry to the Family History Center than the three binders I was carrying before.

Do you have Colonial New England ancestors?  If so, how do you organize them?

Further Reading:

• Researching Your Colonial New England Ancestors by Patricia Law Hatcher
• New England Court Records: A Research Guide for Genealogists and Historians by Diane Rapaport
• The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen

*Disclosure: This blog post and this blog contain affiliate links to Amazon and other websites.  I make a small referral fee for every sale that is made through my blog.

In honor of Memorial Day today, I want to take a moment to remember my ancestors that served in the military.

1. World War II and Korean War:

*Herbert Hoover Dugger (1927 – 2003, my grandfather)

2. World War I:

*George M. Rogers (1882 – 1956, my great-grandfather).  George is one of my biggest brick walls.  He served in the Army before the start of World War I, and when American entered World War I, he became an Army officer.  My dad and aunt remember seeing his military medals and remember being told that he was an Army officer.  However,I haven’t been able to find him in World War I (I have his military records of him prior to World War I).  I also have not yet been able to find his burial-place, which I believe is somewhere in Washington State.

3. Civil War

*Benjamin Smith Dugger (1835-1885)  Benjamin is not my biological ancestor, but he was married to my great-great-grandmother, Charlotte Asher prior to the Civil War.  He originally enlisted with the Confederate side, but then switched to the Union side.  As far as I can tell, he never returned home to Charlotte in Tennessee, but instead started a whole new family in West Virginia.  His wife Charlotte had him declared dead.  Charlotte was incredibly poor and had four children after her Benjamin was declared dead.  It is generally unclear who the father of these children, including my great-grandfather, Monroe Dugger, was.  I have a guess who some of the fathers could be, but only a DNA test will give me an answer.  Perhaps one day a DNA test will fall from the sky so I can finally afford it.

*James L. Clawson, Sr.  (1837 – about 1910, my great-great-great-grandfather) served for the Union in Company E, Regiment 13, Tennessee Cavalry.

*William Wilbourne Vines (1835 – 1864, my great-great-great-grandfather) served for the Union in the 13th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry.  He died in the General Hospital of Nashville, Tennessee on February 19, 1864 of Rubella.

4. Revolutionary War:

* Zacheus Downer (1756-1851) of Coventry, Connecticut; Sharon, Vermont; Springfield, New York; and New Lisbon, New York

I am grateful for the sacrifice my military ancestors and their families made, and it makes me very proud to be their descendants.  I continue to be thankful to the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform and their families.  I pray for wisdom in the leaders of the world and for peace between all of the nations.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope you have a wonderful three-day weekend full of good food and fabulous company!

The Southern California Genealogy Society’s Jamboree is officially 15 days away (I’ll be there a day early to help out with Kid’s Camp – so it is really only 14 days away for me)!  If I was any more excited, I might just explode into a trillion piece of confetti.  I guarantee you that I won’t be able to sleep on Wednesday night, or Thursday night, or Friday night, and by Saturday, I’ll only be sleeping because my body is exhausted.  By Sunday night, I’ll be completely incoherent and exhausted – but because I will have so much fun, I’ll be chatting away incoherently to anyone who will listen.

Sharing My Jamboree Excitement With Dad

I was chatting with my Dad in the car a few days ago and I mentioned Jamboree.  I started telling him all about the awesomely cool Geneabloggers Blogger Swag Bags and the cool stuff that companies donate to be in them.  I even talked about how last year there was a bottle of water and a granola bar donated – and it was so cool because “when you’re having that much fun, you don’t want to stop to eat.  Your mind is so full of information and you have a smile so permanently plastered on your face that you just forget to eat”.  Dad instantly broke out into hysterics.

“What?  What’s so funny?” I asked.

“You.  You said that so genuinely!” He replied.

“But it’s true!  You have so much fun that you will often skip lunch or breakfast just to stay with all of the action”

He broke out into more laughter.

“What?!” I asked.  But the more I asked the more he laughed.

He knows I’m not a typical 20-something and he has known that for a long time.  I wear the titles of “Geek” and “Nerd” very proudly and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Being a Genealogy Geek is what I do best – it is just in my DNA.

Packing List

Whenever I go anywhere, I pack like I’m preparing for the end of the world.  A lot of clothes, a lot of snacks (hit me up if you’re hungry at Jamboree – I’ll never be able to finish all of it!), lots of techie stuff, and just when you think I couldn’t possibly have more stuff with me – I have more.  I always over pack.  But this year, I’m trying to cut down on that by creating a packing list.  Here is my plan:

• 3 pairs of Jeans, my nice black pants, and a skirt
• 3 shirts, 2 tank tops, and a cardigan.
• 5 packs of oatmeal for breakfast on the cheap
• Water bottles (as many as I can fit in my suitcase and carry-on)
• My thermos and a ton of tea bags  (I drink tea obsessively)
• Hair straightener
• The typical toiletries – toothbrush, deodorant, mini shampoo and conditioner, lotion, razor, etc
• My make-up bag.
• Laptop and charger
• Cell phone and charger
• Camera and USB charger
• Webcam and headset
• Green Backpack on Wheels (probably the best $30 I’ve ever spent – no more back pain from carrying my laptop everywhere!)
• Digital Voice Recorder
• Business Cards

At long last, another semester is over.   With no more projects, exams, and papers on my mind, I am finally free to focus my attention on genealogy.  And that is exactly what I plan to do.  Here are my major summer genealogy plans:

1.) Get Focus and Organized: One of my major plans for this summer is to work on my Downer line.  Since this is my first colonial line and my first line in New England, it has been a learning process.  This is a big project and it definitely cannot be done in small little bursts with long breaks between research – I forget too much and by the time I review everything again, I don’t have time to research.  I’ve gathered so much on my Downer line that it now has its own binder (Don’t worry, I plan on posting pictures of the binder once I finish putting it together).  The bottom line is that I need to take a long hard look at the information I have and find a way to get it displayed better so I’ll have an easier time analyzing it.

2.) Go to Jamboree! Every year I look forward to Jamboree and this year is no different.  Jamboree is like a family reunion for me because I get to see all of my genealogy family and friends.   Genealogy, tons of technology, blogging buddies, and more genealogy. If you want my opinion, this is the best genealogy conference on the planet!*

*Disclosure: I am a bit biased because the only conference I’ve ever been to is Jamboree.  I also think co-chair Paula Hinkle is about the coolest Genea-Gal there is and Leo Meyers takes my pick for top Genea-Guy.

3.) Add more information to WikiTree: WikiTree is a free wiki family tree building website with unique privacy controls that allow the user to collaborate while also keeping the private stuff private.  WikiTree gets better every single week because of an amazingly dedicated and active community and the awesome webmaster/creator, Chris Whitten.

*Disclosure: I work for WikiTree as the WikiTree Evangelist so my job is to share my love for WikiTree with other genealogists.  I do this by managing the Facebook and Twitter pages and interacting with the users.  My boss (and the creator of WikiTree), Chris Whitten, is about the coolest boss anyone could ever ask for.  He treats WikiTree as his baby and truly listens to the genealogy community to make the website better.  He is truly one of the most creative and innovative webmasters I know.  Don’t believe me?  Try WikiTree for yourself.

So what are YOUR summer genealogy goals?  Do you have any major plans?

The brilliant Thomas MacEntee of Geneabloggers has encouraged us to write a blog post about genealogy conferences and seminars.

Here is the topic of discussion for today:

How do you decide which ones to attend? How far in advance do you start making plans? What do you look for when you take in a conference? Again, not only can you post about what you’d love to see at a genealogy conference, but let us know your frustrations and what needs to change.

How do you decide which ones to attend? If I had millions of dollars and an entirely free calendar, I would go to every genealogy conference and seminar that I could find.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality.  I can only afford to go to Southern California Genealogy Society’s Jamboree, since it is so close to home.  Since I went for the first time in 2009, I’ve been hooked.

How far in advance do you start making plans? I’ve decided I will go to Jamboree every year just because it is that awesome of a conference.  So generally, I start making plans for how I’m going to afford the registration, a place to stay, and food money months in advance.  This year, I have saved enough to stay in the Marriott and I am so excited to be staying in the center of the excitement.

What do you look for when you take in a conference?  I’m all about the people at the conference.  To me, Jamboree isn’t just a learning event, but it is like a family reunion.  I love seeing and meeting all the people I’ve been talking to online.  These are my people.  These people are my family.

Secondly, I look to the classes.  This year, I think I’m going to focus on classes about immigrant ancestors (I will get over my fear!), The Genealogical Proof Standard, and creatively breaking down brick walls.  I tend to get a lot of inspiration and “light bulb moments” at conferences or seminars.

What would you love to see at a genealogy conference: While I was not at RootsTech this year, I did see the pictures of the exhibit hall.  It looked amazing.  So many new tech toys to play around with.  I think massages would also be much-loved at conferences (particularly foot massages – by the third day you’re exhausted!).

Ok – honestly, I would just like to see more technology at these conferences.  Jamboree does a great job of this by including lots of classes on technology.

What are your frustrations and what needs to change? My biggest frustration is the high hotel fees.  I always grew up staying in cheap Motel 6s and once in a while, a Best Western.  The Burbank Marriott, where Jamboree is held, is beautiful.  But $159/night for the conference price is way high for my preferences.  Will I pay it?  Of course!  The Marriott is the most convenient and it is the center of the fun.  To me, the price is definitely worth it.

I live on my laptop and the internet.  A good Wi-Fi connection and plenty of electrical outlets are a must.

Since I am in the middle of studying for finals, I am desperately waiting for the fun of Jamboree.  Only 35 more days until it starts…!  Don’t forget to stay tuned for the news about a pajama party… did you honestly think I forgot about that suggestion I made last year?

Disclosures: First off, I think Paula Hinkle and Leo Myers, the conference planners for Jamboree, are the most awesome people on the planet.  They work HARD to make Jamboree as awesome as it is.  Secondly, I was a speaker for Jamboree last year and I will be on the Blogger’s panel again this year.  Thirdly, I’ve spoken at the Southern California Genealogy Society’s Lunch ‘n Learn program (for which I was paid for) and I had a blast.  The attendees were attentive, asked great questions, made fantastic comments, and Charlotte Bocage (the education coordinator) is the biggest sweetheart who gave me a “speaker’s goodie bag” with tissues and water.  She takes care of her speakers and attendees.  She is awesome.  Everyone at the Southern California Genealogy Society is awesome.  Attend Jamboree for yourself and you’ll understand why.

In honor of Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, I’ve decided to have an Un-Mother’s Day Weekend.  What is an Un-Mother’s Day Weekend you ask?

Over the last month or so, I’ve been tortured by all the commercials and advertising about Mother’s Day.  It has really made me cranky (above my typical crankiness towards the end of the semester) and it has really been a constant reminder that my mom isn’t around.  I’ve had the “Oh yes – thanks for the reminder.  You know, just in case I forgot!”.  And that isn’t a positive attitude to have.  So I’ve decided to change that – and have an Un-Mother’s Day Weekend.

Mom wasn’t a fan of Mother’s Day weekend.  She wasn’t interested in jewelry, make-up, perfume, flowers – or all the other girly stuff.  The only gift fitting for Mom was a book since she loved to read.  But gift buying got complicated because it was difficult to find a book Mom hadn’t read yet.  Mom would read everything she could get her hands on.  Since she often had sleeping problems, she would stay up reading into the wee morning hours.  Her constant reading gained her a lot of knowledge.  She could talk about politics, history, religion, philosophy, and art for hours.  She won people’s hearts over with her smarts.

But since Mom hated Mother’s Day, we never really did anything “special”.  We just treated it like a normal day.  We never went out because of the crowds and if we watched TV, it was always on something like the History Channel, A&E, or PBS.  Once in a while, we would enjoy an episode or two of Frasier or Will and Grace.  Our shows either made us laugh or they made us think – and we always had some sort of calorie-filled snack like candy or ice cream.

So my Un-Mother’s Day weekend will consist of just remembering my mom – for everything that she was.  Yes, my mom is gone.  But why do I have to sit here and feel sorry for myself?  It won’t do me any good.

And I can just hear Mom’s voice in the back of my head, “When one adventure ends, another one begins – so stop complaining before I give you something to complain about!”.  And we were Intrepid Explorers.

Mom would be fine with my Un-Mother’s Day Weekend.  She was a natural rebel and hated to follow the “beaten path”.  She pushed me to explore outside of my comfort zone, to stand up for what is right even when it isn’t easy to do so, to always ask questions and then ask some more questions, and to never be afraid of the next adventure on the horizon.

This year started off with me finally finding my spiritual home – a new church and a new religion. (Don’t worry, this post isn’t about my religious beliefs, promise).

But this got me wondering about what role church played in my ancestors’ life. Church records can contain a wealth of knowledge. Church records, especially in colonial America, are vital to tracking your ancestors. Church records provide information about births, baptisms and christenings, marriages, deaths and funerals – but they also can provide information about new membership or about someone leaving the church because they are migrating. These can document a person from birth all the way to the person’s funeral.

In some areas and time periods, churches were the center of communities. Churches provided spiritual homes and guidance, social activities like picnics and dances, and sometimes even provided services like loans to immigrants just arriving in the U.S or helped pay for food and housing.

For example, my Doerflinger line from Germany are Catholics. It is rumored (although unproven) that my great-great grandfather, Adolph Doerflinger, settled in St. Louis and found a boarding home to stay in after meeting the boarding house owner at church. It also rumored that he was able to find steady work because people from church would give him jobs. He eventually began running a boarding house – and it all (supposedly) started because of the connections he earned at church.

The first step to finding church records is to identify 1.) what religion and/or denomination your ancestor was 2.) where those records are now.

Based on where your ancestors lived and what time period they lived there, you can generally make a guess as to which denomination your ancestor was. For example, during the American colonial period in New England, the Congregational Church dominated. You can generally find this information by reading county histories or from some good Google searches.

Finding where the records are now can be a lot more tricky. Churches that were once around may not still be around – and if they are still around, the site may have changed. Records may be lost or destroyed or were just simply not cared for. In some parts of New England, the baptisms and marriage records were the property of the minister or reverend who conducted the event – therefore, if the minister or reverend left the church to migrate away, the records could be anywhere.

But if it is so complicated, then where should you begin your search?

1. Your home and the home of your family members. After my mom passed away, my aunt and cousin came to California to visit.  Since my mom and I have stuff stored up there from when we moved back to California (we had every intention of getting the stuff eventually – but we never actually did).  My aunt and cousin brought a few things from storage to me – one of which was a green metal box that was duct taped shut.  I couldn’t help but think ‘What in the world could be in this box that is important enough to keep but not important enough to see for 10 years?”.  Once I opened it, I realized I was opening a treasure chest.  I found my grandparents’ baptism records and marriage records, and papers from when my mom settled my grandparents’ estate.   It was a wonderful look into the lives of my ancestors.  And I couldn’t believe my mom had NEVER mentioned these papers to me before.
2. LDS Microfilm. There is no doubt that the LDS church has collected massive amounts of genealogical information and documents from around the world.  You can search for the available microfilm at FamilySearch and you can order them to your local Family History Center.  Keep in mind that not everything is on microfilm.
3. Ask local genealogy and historical societies where the records might be. Local genealogy and historical societies will generally be able to point you in the right direction of where to find the records.