"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! December 7th - 9th, 2018. [closed]

+17 votes
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CHANGE TO BEST ANSWER PROCESS:  After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that all answers in the Weekend Chat are of equal importance and weight.  So we are going to discontinue the Best Answer portion as it adds points and then takes them away from posters and is causing some hurt feelings.  So in the interest of everyone is equal and valued we will delete any best answers given which will deduct those points because it has been pointed out that to give everyone best answer is also not a viable option. 

Weekend Chat is for everyone. It's a place to catch up on what people are up to and to share what you've been doing.  New members can say hello, introduce themselves, ask questions, and meet each other.  Our seasoned members can share progress or successes from their projects, give tips and advice, or chime in on hot topics.

Post as many answers and comments as you wish. It doesn't hurt anyone to post a lot and enjoy the multitude of topics.

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Enjoy yourself and spread goodwill :)  The Pipster

WikiTree profile: Pip Sheppard
closed with the note: Chat has been completed for the weekend.
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Dorothy Barry
Hahaha! You couldn’t, so the abbreviation worked! And that’s exactly how I feel sometimes.
You OK weatherwise, Pip? Heard the reports this morning.
Can't Brain today, I has the dumb!
Hi Doug! My email has been spotty all day due to power outage, but it seems to be working now. Satellite connection since WiFi is out. Our power has been out since 10 p.m. yesterday (12/08). We have a gas generator running to power our freezer and fridge. No word from Duke Energy as to when we’ll get back online. Electric water heater = no showers!

Two very large trees fell on our property from an absentee neighbor’s. Several large limbs and broken-in-half trees, too. Huge! Chainsaw time!

Thanks for asking, Doug. That truly made my day.
Thank goodness you are all safe. Get those chainsaws out later Pip. Stay warm for now!!
If they are huge, this is your chance to take up chainsaw sculpting.
“You are evil and must be destroyed.” (Shirley McLane in Steel Magnolias)

image ... glad to see you're ok Pip!!

Pip needs a 4x4 truck with a snow plow so he can get out. Fallen trees mean chainsaw time and lots of hot coffee.

Firewood!  Unless it's elm.

31 Answers

+19 votes
This was a busy week for me, mostly on the genealogy front. A couple of first cousins agreed to take DNA tests so I'm working up their mother's genealogy. Currently sorting out their Rev War era ancestors in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Found a whole bunch of badly indexed FamilySearch entries. Did you know that a Rev War battle took place in Lexington, Nebraska and another in Woburn, Illinois? No excuse from bad handwriting, these were from a typeset book about Soldiers and Sailors in Massachusetts.

Other genealogy work has been preparing my project plan to start research in Salt Lake next week. Need to finish up the list of films I need to request first thing on Monday (ones currently in the Granite Mountain Vault). I think I'm ready but will spend more time on it tonight.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (542k points)
Welcome to the Chat, Doug! I hope your trip to SLC is as fruitful as you desire! Please let us know how it all turns out.

Rev War battle in Illinois I can get on a stretch, but Nebraska?!?
I laughed pretty loudly. At the Rev War battle in Lexington, Nebraska. My last job took me through there a lot. I can honestly say that there is not a Rev War memorial there. There is a neat museum of military vehicles though.
That gave me the giggles too. Then I started thinking about it. Its entirely true that a battle could NOT have taken place there, but as a Nebraskan, born and raised, I have to point out that we apparently like to put up memorials for everything and a lot of us have revolutionary war ancestors. A quick internet search told me they renamed the town Lexington after the Revolutionary War battle site in an attempt to give the town a less "rough and tumble" reputation. That is kind of ironically funny on its own. There is also a memorial manufacturing company there. So, while no battles took place there, its not out of the realm of possibility there could be a memorial.
Sarah, what was Lexington before the name change?

It was Plum Creek. Well, apparently it was Daniel Freeman's trading post before it was known as Plum Creek. Here is a page from the University of Nebraska (an article from 1989): http://www.casde.unl.edu/history/counties/dawson/lexington/

Here is an article from 2014. The Lexington town festival (every town has one in the summer around here) is known as Plum Creek Days. https://lexch.com/news/regional/celebrating-years-plum-creek-days-kicking-off-soon/article_86bc4f80-e30b-11e3-86d7-0019bb2963f4.html 

Here is the aforementioned military vehicle museum laugh https://www.heartlandmuseum.com/

And now, I have to go add some things to the Nebraska-sources page. It is definitely a work in progress, so I have to add stuff whenever I run across it or it won't get added. 

Good luck on your research Doug!! I thought they weren't allowing people to request films are sent anymore. I used to go to a Lexington location and review microfilm.
Mindy, If you are at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City you can get films that are in the vault but you can't get them sent anywhere else. It has been a couple of years since we were here (got here about noon today).  Tomorrow we start spending a lot of time researching.
That makes sense. I have a cousin near there that makes several trips a year. I wish I could, but it's far away from Kentucky. I know the cost of microfilm stopped them from sending it out to other locations.
It wasn't so much the cost of microfilm but no one manufacturing it anymore. From Colorado, SLC isn't a very expensive trip. We've driven it but flying isn't a whole lot more expensive and sure a lot less stressful in the winter. We started doing it every other year in December since it is the least busy time. From Kentucky it is definitely more expensive. Eventually all the films will be digitized making it less necessary to visit.
+18 votes
Pip, I would say it is the 77th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Anyway, have some snow flakes in Central Pennsylvania at the moment.
by Rodney Long G2G6 Pilot (889k points)
Hi Rodney! Yes, I got corrected on that one. Don't have any idea what I was thinking. Counted it from the end of the war for some reason.

Wonder if our snow is going to move up your way. Usually, if it snows hard here, Washington and Philadelphia get it, too.
+19 votes
Hi there. Nothing major with genealogy for this week. My cousin back in NZ continues to send me wonderful photos of my maternal grandmother and her family. He has also done his DNA test and sent it off. Now I have to wait for it to get to Texas.

But otherwise nothing else related to genealogy.

I did discover a new British TV series about Art History that I am currently binge watching on You Tube. It's called Fake or Fortune and its a reality series with an art dealer and a journalist teaming up to find old lost master pieces!!

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's been running since 2011 already, but I only found it yesterday!!  LOL
by Robynne Lozier G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)

Hi Robynne! Welcome to the Chat! I, too, started a new series. Love the Brit shows. This one is Poldark (the one from 2015+). I picked this one and am absolutely positive that I see relatives in the show as I had ancestors in Cornwall. Travailors and such! laugh

I just looked out of the window and we have a light covering of SNOW on the ground here in Downtown Toronto!!!!  You can still see the grass in places, but at least, finally there is some snow!!
Robynne, We just finished watching the first episode of Fake or Fortune on Netflix. We will add that show to one we watch when we cant watch the other shows on our list but since I also added the Pandora music channel today I think it will take some time to watch them all.

Too many free Streaming channels and too little time!!!!
+16 votes

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

I am energized! Why? Well, the Avengers Endgame trailer dropped. Looking forward to seeing that as Infinity War ended on that cliffhanger. That's still a nailbiter for many fans. So, I am looking forward to April when once again Earth's mightiest heroes will rock the big screen. Oh, and Aquaman had some sort of trailer/press tour. Whatever. I don't make fun of Aquaman. But, Namor was first!!!

I am also getting the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch today. So that's good. Great game. All of gaming's greatest icons duking it out. Pac-Man, Sonic, Mario, Mega Man etc. If you told me twenty years ago that we'd be seeing a game like that, I'd swear you were on something. 

It has also been three days since I haven't heard a woodpecker pecking at the house. This small woodpecker had been pecking at the house for a month or so and I always chased it away. I even came up with a name and an elaborate story. His name was Frank and he confused the house for a large, large tree. He pecked on it to attract a mate figuring big tree=ALL THE LADIES. All the other woodpeckers laugh at Frank, calling him every name in the book. Eventually I went out there in a red Red Sox hoodie and scared the bird away. It's been a couple days since I last heard Frank. Not gonna miss him!

On the genealogy front, we often talk about rabbit holes and stuff which lead to more and more info, right? I didn't just find a rabbit hole. I found an interconnected series of tunnels that lead to Minnesota of all places. I decided on Tuesday I would check out Charles Bibeau. He's the brother of my 3x great-grandmother, Eulalie.  I check his family out and he had almost a dozen kids. And then HIS kids had almost a dozen each. All living and dying in Minnesota. The records were so easy to find. It would take months to put all these profiles on Wikitree. A couple descendants turned out to be DNA matches. I sent them a message. And that brings us toooooo......

https://members.geneticaffairs.com/login

Check out Genetic Affairs! It'll organize your DNA matches into clusters for free for the first few times. After you spend all the credits, you get charged. It's neat. I found some people on my dad's list who were waay on the back end. I recognized the last name as part of a family I already added. I know how he connects. So, it's no biggie. Just don't know where exactly because Greek families are insanely huge. You think Italian families are big? My Big Fat Greek Wedding isn't stereotypical, my friends. It's a documentary.

So, ya. This guy is Greek/Italian. He descends from a daughter of Concetta Coppola who married a Greek guy. Hmm. Hey. Can Wikitree handle a long name like Soterakopolous? Just wondering. =)

Now if you'll excuse me....*gets Switch* time to play Smash Bros!

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (778k points)

Welcome to the Chat, Chris! Long LNsAB? If the Eurearisto Project can handle all those hyphenated names, I think you won't have a problem like Sterakopolous. I notice that a lot of Greek names end in "opolous." What's it mean, I wonder.

As to large families, I've got loads of those in the county where I now live. Farm families grew their own labor forces. The good thing is that they all intermarried, so I will get a lot of matches when I finally get into them.

Avengers movies: I LOVE them. My wife indulges me by going off to work on something while I'm watching. laugh

"Opoulos" comes from the Greek word for bird, which came from the original Latin. It's basically used as a diminuative. Check this link out for details: https://www.quora.com/What-does-opoulos-mean-at-the-end-of-Greek-names

Strangely enough, my Greek friend does not have a -opolous name. It seems to stem from certain areas in Greece.

I'll work on the Soterakopolouses. =D Concetta's daughter's name was Angelina. The book Italians in Haverhill as Angelina Papatola-Soterakopolous. The census enumerators must have had a field day.

Large families are good and are common with certain ethnic groups.

The MCU movies have been great. As have things on the tv side. The Marvel Netflix series have been cancelled except for Jessica Jones but I have a feeling they'll show up on the new Disney streaming service.
The big fat Greek wedding a documentary.... LOL Thanks for my Laugh Of The Day, Chris, this was great :)
You're welcome, Jelena. =D My Greek friends swear by that movie. Who am I to argue? If you swap out Greek and Italian there's no difference. Eh...except the language.
I also really enjoyed the Captain Marvel trailer a few days ago.  (OK, so what if half the universe was actually Skrulls all this time and Thanos has been working deep undercover for the Kree?)  Now we have the long wait until the movies actually open!
Captain Marvel’s trailer was awesome, too. Carol is easily my favorite female Avenger. Check out Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run.

Can’t wait for her movie. And knowing Thanos he played both sides!
I just tried the clustering at Genetic Affairs.  Pretty cool, though I need to do some fine tuning.  Apparently it's not working with Ancestry right now so I'm just using FTDNA. Trying to tackle some brick walls... we'll see if this works.
It worked with Ancestry for my parents and my great-aunt. I couldn't get one for me. So, what I might do is this. Using my parents and my great-aunts' charts, I can extrapolate clusters by seeing who on their list match with me and what clusters they belong to.

Looking at their charts, I can tell who many of the families are. Some are a little tough to figure out as they are small. I have a few other decent sized clusters.

Good luck!!

This is pretty cool, though. I haven't used it on FTDNA. I might. Not sure. Gedmatch may be an option.
+16 votes
It is snowing here in Northeast Ohio, it has been snowing for the last couple of days now. On the personal front we are waiting for test results for the woman staying with us, we should hear about them by Thursday, she is my son's mother in law, as well as those for my one granddaughter, those should be in later today. My Aunt had double bypass surgery on Tuesday and appears to recovering fine at this time but my cousin in Florida took a turn for the worse. She has both brain and lung cancer and she also has a lung infection caused by one of the drugs they were using to fight the cancer. She has been in the ICU most of this week but that is all I know. I did make a big pot of potato soup for lunch today and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

On WikiTree I have been working on some profiles that need a lot of work, untouched since 2011 and not only do not have sources but also do not even have the proper headings in most cases, and have managed to get 1176 contributions so far this month. Some of the profiles I just add the headings and at least one source but when the mood strikes I will add a simple biography and more sources. I have even created some profiles for other family members not on WikiTree yet but I don't do that often, So many other things to do first. I have even been able to unlock some previously unlisted profiles so I think of that as a very big win.

No big plans for this weekend so who knows how many profiles I will work on over the next few days
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
Dale, I was waiting for you to sign on and tell us if you had made it to 1,000 contributions yet. You're on a roll!

I've got older profiles to work up, too. Everything for me has slowed down to a snail's pace because of writing bios. I know my wife has a Mayflower connection AND a royal one through the Dymokes of Virginia, but I just can't get to them... yet. My watch list is not growing, but the profiles I am managing are getting better, one at a time.

Sorry to hear about your family's health struggles. I hope you're hanging in there.
Pip I decided to slow down a bit and do a more detailed job on the profiles for the remainder of the month so don't expect a major increase in the contributions. One of the families I am working on has major problems, in fact I have not been able to find sources for a few of them but there is still hope because I am finding that some of the names are not exactly correct.
Another shake up in the works for our house. An older granddaughter is moving in to help with her grandmother. This means I will have to move my radios but that is minor because she will be helping with the running and other things.
Dale, you never seem to get a break!
Pip, You don't know half of it. That being said this latest change will be a blessing I believe. The Grandma ate better and seemed in a better mood since the time she moved in. I think having a blood relative living in the same house will give her a much need boost for the next several weeks. The upcomming treatment will take a lot out of her and we could use the help with dealing with the results of the treatment ourselves. They even went out together this evening so I look at this as a good thing.

 A 17 year old granddaughter announced that she is pregnant, she does not live with us, so by June we could be welcoming another generation to the family.
Thank you for those contributions Dale! We've had a little snow in Kentucky. This week was supposed to be a big 'snow' week but the storm veered south. The southeast has upgraded storm warnings and the rest of the state won't get any snow.
+19 votes

Today is....

                            

 NATIONAL COTTON CANDY DAY

Dating all the way back to the 1400’s when it was first called spun sugar, cotton candy has been a favorite treat for young and old alike at carnivals, fairs and the circus.  Now December 7th celebrates this sweet delight as it is National Cotton Candy Day.   Each year on December 7th, cotton candy lovers look forward to celebrating the day as they pull puffs of cotton candy from a stick or out of a bag and reminisce about their childhood days.

Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton are credited for the invention of machine-spun cotton candy in 1897.

Cotton candy is also called candy floss or fairy floss.

During the 18th century when cotton candy (spun sugar) was first recorded in Europe, it was very expensive and labor-intensive and generally was not available to the average person.  It was after the invention of machine-spun cotton candy that it was introduced to a wide audience at the 1904 World’s Fair as Fairy Floss.  People loved it and bought over 68,000 boxes for 25 cents a box.

Cotton candy is still popular to this day!   

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)

Hi, Dorothy! Thanks for the new edition of the XXX Day post. laugh I am trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a dentist was in on the invention of Cotton Candy. Maybe he thought it would be good for his business!

Dentists do enjoy candy. I know my dad does. =)
Ahhh, the treats of our youth. Thank you for sharing Dorothy!
+18 votes

Today is also:  

       

NATIONAL  PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY

In 2018, we recognize the 77th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is observed across the nation this day in honor of all those who lost their lives serving this nation at Pearl Harbor.  There were more than 3,500 Americans who lost their lives or were wounded on that solemn day.

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also sometimes referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day.

HOW TO OBSERVE

For the 77th anniversary, organizations across the country honored the memory of Pearl Harbor with tributes; survivors are sharing their stories and joining in reunions. Traditionally the Flag of the United States is flown at half-staff until sunset to honor those who lost their lives serving this nation at Pearl Harbor. 

Read more on National Pear Harbor day here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pearl_Harbor_Remembrance_Day

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)

Note, Thanks PIp for reminding us and for your late father's service in the Navy. We honor him and so many others who served. Please share if others have relatives as well and maybe their WikiTree profile page!!

Found this: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Pearl_Harbor_Attack

There are 18 subcategories to this category and some other names of those who served... 

+17 votes

Greetings, WikiFolk!

My tip of the week:  When the question is 'Should we make a profile for So and So, who is not on the Tree?'  the answer is always 'Yes.'  There is no ask, only do. 

It's winter here, no matter what the calendar says. The old custom of calling the solstice Midwinter always made more sense to me.  Our pattern is, snow a bit, clear up, get really cold.  When the temperature rises, snow some more.  It's pretty warm right now.

Here's something for the bleak midwinter!

Christmas Tree 2.0, Jo Nakashima

Cheers,

Herb

by Living Tardy G2G6 Pilot (769k points)

I love the snow on the top of the tree and the brown paper for the trunk!

And, yes, create the dang profile and ask questions later! "No ask, only do" sounds like it came from The Karate Kid. laugh

Thanks, Pip!  I was thinking Yoda, but Mr Miyagi will do, too.  yes

*shakes head*

"Do or do not. There is no "try"."--Yoda.

Great tree!
Thanks, Chris!
It would take Chris to set us straight! The Master!
Thanks, guys. =)
Very nice tree. So next do you add packages next to it, or are you gonna tackle the sleigh?
Thanks, Kay!  Darn, I thought I could slide on the sleigh.  Well, two more chats until Christmas.
The snow decided not to hit our part of the state, but the highs are in the 20's (F) brrr. Love the tree Herb!
Very nice tree Herbert ! Two more chats before Christmas, so that means... Santa in his sleigh and then presents under the tree :).  I do enjoy your art work.  Do you keep them all on a shelf for people to ouuuu and ahhh over them?

Thanks, Mindy and Nicole!  We were supposed to get a couple of inches of snow yesterday, but all it did was flurry a bit.  Today it's just plain cold.

Nicole, I have a plan, which may or may not include sleighs, Santas, or presents.  I won't confirm or deny.  There are many, many holiday tropes I haven't visited yet!  And yes, in my office there is a mob of paper critters that attract an occasional ooh or ahhh, and sometimes awww.  laugh

A month or so ago, Laura shared a video about 'Spread Hex Tessellation.'  Yesterday I tried out something called Herringbone Tessellation

That's very cool Herb! Was it hard?
Thanks, Mindy!  Not too hard at that size. That was my second try. I think the method in the tutorial I watched might work against achieving the necessary precision. Maybe I can work out a better way, maybe not.  It's a bit tedious, which is why I only did a half sheet.  I think mixing it into a model with some parts flat and some parts herringboned would be pretty challenging.
+16 votes

I have known about The Gazette for some time now, and have often used it to source assorted facts about various Britons whose profiles I've been working on. (I don't always get hits, but in the case of certain people -- especially those in the military -- I've sometimes been able to source their entire military careers.)

What I didn't know is that the British Columbia government has also published a gazette since colonial times. Back issues are available for the past 15 years. And the Internet Archive has a bunch of older copies.

by Greg Slade G2G6 Pilot (688k points)
Great resource. Thanks for posting, Greg!
Thank you for sharing Greg!
+17 votes

In memory of George H W Bush in holiday lights: (CVN 77 is the aircraft carrier named for him)

by Doug Lockwood G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
That is the coolest. What a memorial!
Very cool! =D
What a great photo!

Is that at the NN Shipyard? We might have to take a ride over to see it.
The light display is at NN Park. The Carrier Bush is at NN Shipyard.
+16 votes
Alright folks, here I am already on Saturday.... Oh well, I'm getting really tired now I have to admit, but it's always a pleasure to help someone on G2G.

I have a question now too, though: As you guys know I''m spamming WT with the FamilySearch-entries of my surnamesakes. There is a blog that transcribed the microfiches of that town too. Well, during this week it happened a few times that I found names differently indexed on FS than on Kevin's blog. For example FS indexed someone under "Piepekorn" but Kevin wrote "Riepekohl". Honestly said I trust Kevin and his blog more than FS and their index software. One of my problems is that I don't have an Ancestry subscription where I could check the digitized picture myself. But the biggest problem is: How are we to handle such discrepancies here on WT? How am I supposed to reflect that there is a different naming on FS? Am I supposed to reflect that at all? I really need some enlightening answers to those questions...

Have a great evening there on the other side of the Ocean, I'm visiting my bed now. Good night!
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.5m points)
Hi, Jelena! Glad you made it to the Chat.

A boon for me, as I don’t have the international access to Ancestry, it to post the need on G2G, and have someone who has access, can read the language, or send a link (or forward the image to me).  I’ve been granted such kindness many times, especially when I need a source, and especially  a 1600s or earlier German source!
Hi Jelena, discrepancies should be noted in a research section of the biography, as well as under 'other last names' if there is a spelling variation. Pip is right though, the G2G is the perfect place to get help with Ancestry records. There are many helpful WikiTree-ers that are willing to do look ups (including me, you can pm me if you want me to look something up).
+18 votes
Hello and Happy Friday,

Really nothing new to report on my work with my profiles.  I have only been doing a little bit as we have been more away from computers than at them.  I have a few brickwalls that need to be tackled but I think I will put that off, after all they have been that way for awhile, a little longer wont make a difference.  'Tis the season, I guess, and that is okay.

The ground is white with "that stuff", it really is gorgeous.  The Christmas lights are on outdoors as well as the lights on the Christmas trees in the house.  Pip, you can tease your wife about the beautiful snow we have here: Clean, white, crisp, and the colored lights against the white is absolutely beautiful.... to sigh for... make that sign a longing to see the snow kinda sigh okay :)

And PS: no more talk about lame vehicles.  I think my truck heard you and it decided it needed a new alternator.  Yikes !!!!
by Nicole Boorse G2G6 Pilot (894k points)
Snow is nice to look at but a pain to clean. We got the lights up before any snow will fall.

About the truck.....I am sorry. I am so sorry. *hides voodoo doll*
No worries Nicole, Our SUV is fixed and our sedan does not get driven much so I think we are good for a short time at least.

Howdy, Nicole! Yes, those brickwalls will always be there. Many times you get a breakthrough, you just create another brickwall, the parent of the previous one!

Hurry, snow, hurry! (It’s a great for us in the South. Not like six months of 248 feet of snow up north!)

Soooo my Italian cousin, this is your doing, did you also jinx the other vehicles prior to mine?  oh that is so cold !!

Dale - watch out for Chris's voodoo doll, your vehicle may be good for now but what about later when his italieness decides to strike again !!!!

Pip -Chris has a voodoo doll you are not safe from the 248 feet of snow.  Quick hide every one save your children !!!
@Nicole: Hahaha! Chris is a Yankee, so yes: COLD!
My truck is fine now, so I can stop jinxing everyone else!  (Chris, I read that last comment of yours in David Tennant's voice...)
@Lisa. That was my intention. =) I knew you'd get it!

Don't worry. I only use my powers for good or for awesome. Give the car the old Fonzerelli tap and you should be fine.

@Nicole: Italianness strikes again. With bear hugs and pinched cheeks. Speaking from personal experience here. Hahaha!

At least you get cookies out of the deal.

@ Pip: 248 feet? Sounds about right. You forget about the polar bears roaming the streets and the aurora borealis.  Wait. I'm not THAT far north! And Yankee? So glad you didn't add "fan" at the end of that.
Our snow didn't stick around Nicole. I hope you're wrong about the vehicle. This is the wrong time of year to break down if you're right! Remember to keep extra blankets and water in your car just in case.
Thanks for tips Mindy, yes - blankets in car and extra to drink and eat as well.  Yes wrong time of year for car to break down, but I guess it boils down to no time is a good time for a car breakdown or any major expense for that matter.  Nice you dropped in to say hi.  Hi back to you Mindy.
+15 votes

Happy weekend, everyone!  The semester is winding down... a couple more weeks of crunch time and then I can relax a bit.

I'm feeling somewhat accomplished today... I've spent most of the week cleaning up and expanding one particular line of my family and I've got it "done."  My grandfather was from Newport, Rhode Island.  Three of his grandparents were immigrants or children of immigrants (Canada, Ireland), but his father's father's line goes deep into Rhode Island colonial history.  I've got his entire lineage connected another four generations back, reasonably well sourced.  A handful of them (3 of 16) dead end there, but most of the rest connect to existing WT profiles and go back at least to the early 1600s.  Many of them are PGM, and the others arrived not long after that.  Not surprisingly, there's a fair bit of pedigree collapse.  I discovered I'm descended from Thomas Hazard (1610-1677) twice over.  Next tasks (for later):  add in siblings wherever possible, and see whether any of the profiles further back need improvement.  For now, probably back to some other line that needs more attention.

by Lisa Hazard G2G6 Pilot (265k points)

There you are, Lisa! Wondering if you got all those papers graded! laugh 

Nice work on the Rhode Island line. How cool is that? The pedigree collapse always helps, doesn’t it? So very glad for you!

Papers are done... now I have to write three exams, then grade them next week.

I have a system for organizing my genealogy work... I printed the main WikiTree tree for myself as the index (5 generations).  Then I printed the 5-gen trees for each of my 16 great great grandparents (my generations 5-9).  Stapled that packet of 17 pages together, and that's my reference tree/to-do list.  Backsides of pages are good for sketching trees and timelines and stuff as I sort things out.  The Rhode Island line is the only one where I've been able to make a whole second packet (just printed it this evening).  My great great grandfather's tree is the top page, and then I have pages for each of his 16 great great grandparents (trees show my generations 9-13).  Most of those pages are completely filled in already (by other Wonderful WikiTreers, not me; I've had to do very little pre-1700).  I noted on each one which people were immigrants/PGM, and it was almost all generations 12-14.  Even the brick walls at generation 9 have surnames that suggest ties to the older Rhode Island families.  I just need to find them...
Lisa, I've been adding Hassard profiles from Rhode Island: [[Hassard-29]] [[Hassard-32]] and [[Hassard-33]].  These days, I pull back from adding new profiles unless I can find a connection.  When I read a post like yours I just wonder whether the person researching Hazards will connect to these Hassards through the ones I posted.
The Hassard brothers appear to be my 3rd cousins 6 times removed, through Stephen Hazard (Hazard-20).  Very interesting to see how the spelling has changed in some lines.  (I've seen Hazard, Hazzard, Hasard, and now Hassard.)  Are you related/connected to them?
Not related; just added them because they're buried in the Mukilteo Pioneer Cemetery, and I have been researching the histories of all the burials there.  Samuel S. and William R. Hassard are buried at Mukilteo, and their brother James G. Hassard is buried at Snohomish.

They are sons of Ludovick Hassard.  Maybe you will be the one to find out how Ludovick Hassard died.  Online family history doesn't know.
+15 votes
Hello from Nebraska. I am not the most social person on here. So I thought I would participate. The weather isn't to bad. Just a little cold, with some snow. I don't really have much else to say at the moment. My mind has decided to quit working. It went to get a snack.
by Paul Kreutz G2G6 Pilot (130k points)

Hi Paul, welcome to the Weekend Chat! We are supposed to have a touch of snow tomorrow Saturday but it is not supposed to stick as the ground is still a bit to warm. Drop back when your mind is finished with the snack. Now off to get me a little snack. smiley

Your key words here Paul are "I went for a snack"  you will fit in quite well.
Hi Paul, glad you joined us! I hear ya on the brain thing. Sometimes I just have to do something different for a few and then go back to it.
+14 votes
I'm on very limited wifi access until April.  40 people share the camp wifi
and most times it runs out of power enough to be able to get on.  I miss my neighbor's sharing.  Her husband died last year and she had to cut her budget.   I see they had 18 inches of snow at home.  Brr.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (572k points)

Beulah!!!! So glad to hear from you! Are you enjoying your time in Florida? You don’t miss the snow? laugh

Don't need to miss it.  I had seven inches on the ground when I left Nov. 17
and usually get more than is what is on the ground when I get back in the middle of March.  If there is none on the grass it will certainly be under the
brush lines and in left over drifts.  We usually also get several more snow
falls, even into late April.  I very much enjoy Florida while I am here.
You do that, Beulah. And enjoy the warmth!
Enjoy the warmth for me too Beulah! Highs are in the 20's in Kentucky this week. Brrrrrrr
+12 votes

Good morning (here), fellow WikiChatterers! It's starting to sleet here in 36F temps. Here is comes! All the rain that fell last night will be turning into ice on the roads. I need to get over to my mom's before it all goes bad so I can "fix" her iPad. She's done something again!

On the genealogy front, I completed the Bio of a g-g-uncle who died before my time. He's one I'd never heard a story about. If my Cousin Louise were still alive, I could ask her. sad She would have been able to tell me something personal about Uncle Milford. I wasn't planning on doing the bio as I have been focusing on direct ancestors, but after reading his death certificate, I knew I had to get it done. Here's the link to his profile and a very sad story:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Galloway-3049

I hope all of you are having a good weekend. Since it's so cold and rainy, I might actually get some WikiTreeing done!

by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
36 degrees and some fool around here would be walking around in shorts. I'm so not kidding. *shakes head*

Nice profile!
That is a sad story Pip.  You honor him by writing his bio.
Chris - Our delivery guys used to walk around in shorts about this year, it was trick to get us to ask "Fool - why you walkin around in shorts ?"  so that they could collect donations for whatever charity.
@Nicole: Ha! The UPS drivers are still wearing shorts here.
Same here. But, the guys I'm talking about are the guys who go to your local Wal-Mart. I try to avoid that place and only go if I need to. And that's rare.
W-MCS: Wal-Mart Claustrophobia Syndrome. That’s me. Avoiding at all costs!
Freezing rain in NC is practically a natural disaster. I remember what it was like in Austin, TX. I just stayed home.

Chris, I used to be one of those wearing shorts that cold. Never noticed the cold until it got below freezing (grew up in southern MA). Not anymore. You wouldn't find me at a Walmart, either.
The real disaster is that people drive in it. Compound that with the same folks don’t know how to drive when the weather is fine.
Sounds like Massachusetts drivers. =)

@ Doug: I never really understood why people wore shorts in cold weather. But, good luck if ya do!
There are worse drivers than Massachusetts drivers and the Mass ones have a sub-category of Boston drivers that are even "better" at it. Here (Colorado Front Range) it doesn't snow enough for people to really learn to drive in it and we get as much ice as snow. People then assume that 4-wheel drive will make them safer and they drive like it was dry. The exception are those who see a few flakes in the air and drive really slow on the Interstate which is still dry. My own theory is "flakes in the air, flakes on the road"
We have to make 3 more trips to Wal Mart today, 2 grandkids work there.
To work retail around Christmas at a Wal-Mart is a circle of hell even Dante wouldn't have dreamed of. Good luck! Those kids are gonna need it!

Hmm. Yeah there are worse drivers than Mass ones. There's always Florida!!
Hiya Pip. I think you tempted the weather Gods - not much WikiTree for you this weekend until your power comes back on. What happened to the generator?  Stay warm and safe!!!
+16 votes
Today is my father's birthday. He lived to within 4 months of 100. He enlisted after Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific. His family all came down with the big flu epidemic.  He remembered the start of WWI. He went to the 75th reunion at his college and walked in the parade. He was at a tea given by Mrs. Roosevelt in Washington. He was among the first that worked at Social Security. He remembered his grandmother who died in the 1940s and had a brother who died in the Civil War. Both his parents were college graduates. His uncle was a professor at MIT. He was one of 9 siblings, one still alive in her 90s, the "baby".
by Sue Hall G2G6 Pilot (169k points)
What an amazing man, your father. I honor his service to our country.
How amazing Sue! I wish I could thank him for his service.
+12 votes
Got a bunch of stuff done yesterday. Christmas gifts are wrapped, packed and ready to ship today. Shipped off a couple of DNA kits yesterday and got a few more generations on my cousin's mother's line. One definite RevWar Patriot, another possible RevWar and possible 1812 and Civil War soldiers. I'll fill in a few more blanks and send them what I have.

Today will be finishing up the chores and packing for our trip plus adding more to my research plan.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (542k points)
Sounds like you are highly productive Doug. I wish I was... I keep skipping around on my branches, not settling anywhere in particular. I haven't finished Christmas shopping, which is unusual for me.  Best of luck with your research plan!
+13 votes

Today is....

                  

NATIONAL BROWNIE DAY

Each year on December 8, brownie lovers across the nation enjoy one of their favorite baked goods on National Brownie Day.

Brownies were created in the United States at the end of the 19th century.  A cross between a cookie and cake, they soon became very popular across the country.

With the chocolate brownie being the favorite, the blonde brownie runs a close second.  A blonde brownie is made with brown sugar and no chocolate and is often called a blondie.

There was a request for a dessert for a group of ladies that would be attending a fair in the late 1800s.  They wanted a small cake-like dessert that could be eaten from a boxed lunch.  A Chicago chef, working at the Palmer House Hotel, created the first brownie for the ladies, which featured an apricot glaze and walnuts.  The Palmer House Hotel still serves their original recipe for brownies on their menu.

The earliest recipes for brownies comparable to those familiar to us today are found published in regional cookbooks and newspapers around the turn of the last century. The 1904 Laconia, NH Home Cookery, the 1904 Chicago, IL Service Club Cook Book, and an April 2, 1905, edition of The Boston Globe are three early examples. In 1906, Fannie Merritt Farmer published a recipe in an edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book.  

Three myths that have gained popularity over the years, regarding the creation of the brownie:

  • A chef accidentally added melted chocolate to biscuit dough.
  • A cook forgot to add flour to the batter.
  • A housewife did not have baking powder and improvised with this new treat.  The story tells that she was baking for guests and decided she would serve them these flattened cakes.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Try one of the following brownie recipes:

Chocolate Mint Brownies
Cheesecake Brownies
Cherry Swirl Brownies
Brownies

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Thanks (or maybe not) for this. This might have to happen today (snacks for our trip).
We have some brownies on the counter that I am trying to ignore, They are on my NO list but we keep them for the grandchildren much to my agony.
They are calling out to be made and eaten. I haven't given in yet but who knows after we are packed and ready to go. Christmas gifts shipped. Books to read on the trip bought. Laundry in progress. Hmm. There will be time.
Yum! Thank you Dorothy!  Have you tried the chocolate chip cookies with brownies inside? My husband bought some last week. It's a lot of chocolate but they are soft and wonderful.
Oh yummy, yummy.... I love brownies.  Thank you Dorothy !
+14 votes
This week we honored my wife's late father who was on the cruiser USS Honolulu at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Day of Infamy: http://archive.is/RJRLa
by Bart Triesch G2G6 Pilot (272k points)
Wow - very nice Bart! I thank him for his service.

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