"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! January 29th-31st, 2021 [closed]

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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.

Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

Comments

Adding 340 profiles hardly sounds like a boring week, Pip.  BTW, I am a Bernard Cromwell fan, too.  I have avoided the Sharpe series for fear of becoming as avid and addictive a reader as I am of Patrick O'Brian.

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 Pip, I do not understand how anyone with all the activities you take part in can claim they are bored, or more accurately that the life they are living filled with activity and relatives far and near, is boring.  

Your life is dynamic. Boring is static. Ain't nothing in all the multiple activities you describe that could be called static. 

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Susan, I don't think this situation we unfortunately find ourselves in has made things so boring, but more that the activities we can do are quite limited.

Here all stores are closed except grocery stores, pharmacies, and government run liquor stores, libraries and community centres are closed, indoor swimming pools are closed, the outside ones are frozen. Restaurants are closed except for take out, bars are closed, schools are closed

There are so many things I could do, sorting several thousand pieces of paper records for things other than family history research. Cleaning out every drawer, cupboard and closet in the house etc, etc.

As a friend said ' there are only so many times you can scrub the kitchen floor with a toothbrush'.

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 MRoss, you aren't the one who says "it's boring".  

I grew up in an era where if you sighed and said you didn't have anything to do, you suddenly had all sorts of things to do --- courtesy of that voluntold  mentioned (and sometimes voluntold not quite so politiely as the example offered) 

What is boredom? (various online descritions) (I picked out two, arbitrarily) 

> Aug 20, 2020 — Danckert and Eastwood argue that “boredom occurs when we are caught in a desire conundrum, wanting to do something but not wanting to do ...

> When we experience joy and excitement in a new situation, a chemical messenger or neurotransmitter, called dopamine, triggers that response in our brains. It appears that high-risk, boredom-prone people may have naturally lower levels of dopamine, meaning that they require a heightened sense of novelty to stimulate their brains [source: Schneider et al]. In this light, boredom may serve as the lackluster yin to our yang of excitement and pleasure

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You're right I didn't say life was boring, but I am bored. Life is tediously the same, one day after the next.

It's a bit like being fed the exactly same nutritious food day after day, yes my dietary needs are met, but it is not satisfactory.

I feel like the characters on one episode of MASH, when after being presented with the same food every day for weeks, sat at the tables in the mess tent, banging their cups and shouting ' We want something else'

I want something different.

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 MRoss, "Wow?" Something or anything different from all else you have done?  

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Something, or anything that will not endanger you or others.
Something or anything that is within your budgetary limits and physical skills and ability. 
Something or anything that is legal. 

I suppose you won't consider making and baking and icing and decorating a 7-tier cake? (Donated afterwards) Each layer would be some smaller than the preceding layer.

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Nope, no cakes, don't make them, seldom eat them.

Though I do eat Baskin Robbins ice cream cakes, preferably pralines and cream, but almost any sort is good, but no nuts, I don't like hard bits in my dessert.  

The something else; travel at least 100km from home, I can look after myself and 'the others' should look after themselves.

Budget; not an issue, the funds that were not spent on the 3 week Kenya-Tanzania safari we didn't go on are bored and just waiting, doing nothing and want to be spent.

Legal;  whose rules?

If you need a baking fix you could watch the Great British Baking Show.

But its a bright sunshiny day, a walk in a snowy forest will have to do for today.

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MRoss, cake was for an Art Project and subsequent donation to some worthy recipient ... 

Legal means by the laws of the land within which you perpetrate your 'something or anything' done to relieve your boredom. (Or make your life less boring.) 

No doubt you will devise some activity that will alleviate your ennui 

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I forgot to thank you, Pip when I posted, so thanks

Your life doesn't sound boring at all! You are interested in so many different things, how could it be boring? I'm glad you were able to chat with your cousin. Love that you called your brother Timmie Bell. LOL

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Diane, thank you so very much. I think my boredom is the inability to “get out” and do things.

Answer 1

Today is...

   

NATIONAL CORN CHIP DAY

On January 29th, grab the queso or salsa and celebrate National Corn Chip Day. Recognized each year across the country, the day encourages corn chip lovers to whip up their favorite dips and toppings.

The corn chip or friotes are not to be confused with the tortilla chip. Both are made from cornmeal which is baked or fried in oil.

Differing steps for processing the corn separate the tortilla from the corn chip. The corn for a tortilla chip is soaked in a lime-water solution that breaks down the hulls. This process creates a crisper, milder chip. A corn chip is sturdier with a stronger corn flavor. Both were popular snacks originating in Mexico.

HISTORY: Filler and Doolin

There are two men credited with patenting and marketing the corn chip in the United States. First, Isador J. Filler often ate a tostada (a hard corn tortilla with toppings) while traveling in San Antonio, Texas as a salesman. He struck on the idea of making them in rectangles and marketing them as a chip. In 1932 he patented his concept.

Around the same time, Elmer Doolin was also traveling in San Antonio and was enjoying friotes. According to the story, he paid $100 for the recipe. Experimenting in his home until he created the ideal chip, Doolin then started selling them from the back of his Model T Ford. When he began mass-producing them under the name of Frito Corn Chips, they were a hit.

In 1945, Doolin came to an agreement with Herman Lay (of potato chip fame) to distribute Doolin’s Fritos across the country. The two companies merged in 1959 after Doolin’s death.

HOW TO OBSERVE National Corn Chip Day:

There are so many ways to celebrate National Corn Chip Day. We offer a great list to get you started:

• Create a topping buffet with everyone’s favorite toppings. Include jalapenos, cheese, olives, queso, seasoned shredded pork, chicken or steak, onions, tomatoes, sour cream, and guac.
• Dip it! Some of you are looking for hot and spicey while others like it light and fresh. Get the cheese dipping, layers, melty, herbaceous, flavor party started.
• Pack them up! Sneak corn chips into your loved one’s lunch bags. Add cheese slices or a container of their favorite dip. Stick a corny note to it. You know. Something like this: Chip, chip, hooray! It’s National Corn Chip Day! (It even rhymes.) 

Comments

Funny, Dorothy, I just had some last night with a Mexican dish my wife created.  Addicting!  And not good for diets. 

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Love corn chips!! Like Pip, they are not on our diet these days but do cheat once in a while!

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Love corn chips, but then again I love most salty snacks.  I prefer white corn chips over yellow corn chips, for they are not as thick and hard.

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Growing up I ate a lot of frito pie whether at school at an event or at an ice cream man vending location. I hardly see people eating Fritos anymore it’s a vintage treat like caramels?

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Not exactly corn chips, been having pita chips and peach mango salsa as my snack of choice lately. pita chips are made from wheat instead of corn.

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The pita chips that come with hummus taste exactly similar to the traditional frito and bean dip. The first time I tried it I was like this is interchangable.. fair warning they are not!

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I was 3 the summer of 1949, and I was staying with my maternal grandmother. I told her that I wanted for her to buy some Fritos. She had never heard of them, so she asked me several times what I wanted. I kept saying Fritos. She told me later that she never was so mad at me, because she just thought that I needed to learn to talk better.

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I see children bringing items and dumping them in the cart and the parent allowing it to stay with no comment or restraint.  My children were not allowed to run loose in the store or add anything unless they were sent to get something like ten bananas, etc. That is a learning action to count, etc. from a teacher mom.  And they knew none of the junk on the check out corridor was allowable under pain of being handless when we got out side.

Answer 2

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

This week is a bit more positive than last week's posts. I know they were depressing. But, we press on. There's light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train coming our way!

On the genealogy front, I posted a blog about two more of my favorite pics from my collection: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2021/01/52-ancestors-week-4-favorite-photo.html
They both come from my christening in 1980. Both are great pics and I really like the one with me and my grandparents.

The first pic with the Little Old Italian ladies (TM) is a great pic too. I mean look at the size of those pocketbooks.

I was inspired by the photo to fill in more of this category:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Italians_in_Haverhill

Why? Well, we didn't have a profile for my great-uncle's sister, Leonda. So, I decided to make some for his sister and the rest of the family. They were all in the Italians in Haverhill book.

One of the ladies married a guy named Celeste Eramo. I'm hesitant about adding him since the data doctors might flag him as having a female name. I could always mark it as correct. But, we'll see.

Oh and I also signed up to work on Judy Russell's tree in February. The plan is to work on one person a month.=)

On the non genealogy front, it is cold here in NH. It snowed a couple times and while it was easy to clean off, I did get a bit of a headache cleaning it. We haven't getting any substantial snow. I dunno if that is a good thing or not.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Comments

Nice blog, Chris, and nice photos. I love your stories about your family. You all sound so close and that's a great thing in large families!

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Thanks, Pip. =) Being close is something we always try to do.

Answer 3

You are earlier than usual this week.  So am I.  We had -25*
forecast for last night but it seems to have moderated to -15*.
I didn't turn the thermostat down like I usually do when I go to bed.  I'm so thankful for my neighbor who cleans out the driveway, sidewalk and mail and newspaper boxes.  Back to the "good old days".  In the 1940-1960s our newspaper was delivered in the mail and was always one day later from the publishing date.  Some people complained it was stale but there was no way around it.  Around 2000 they established newspaper routes and delivered on the same day, after the newspaper updated the equipment and published by 4a.m. instead of by 10 a.m.  I just received a
notice from the newspaper company that they are going to
save money and, guess what, signed a contract to have the mail service deliver the newspaper!  They were not publishing on Monday and the paper is very slim but old habits die hard at my age.  They will divide the Sunday
paper into some sections published in the Saturday copy and the rest as a Monday paper.   We'll see????
I spent a half hour correcting the last name of the family in an 1850 census, edited as Ma**y.  It was very obvious to me as my name Maltby.  I corrected the familysearch version of the name individually for about ten of them. Most of them were ditto marks.   Why couldn't the whole section be corrected as one action I thought.  Tried it but no good so back to one at a time.  At least now two families are all corrected and ready for the
rest of eternity.

Comments

Beulah, we get a bi-weekly newspaper delivered to our mail box. The first one comes a day late, sometimes too late for obituaries and announcements. Grr....

I've noticed that FS doesn't let me change names often. When I do get the chance, I take it, but I wonder sometimes who in the dickens the transcriber is. The rule should be that the transcriber must be from the area and know the names. That would make it so much easier!

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This 1850 census had the edit tag for names and places.  I got very bored but did change all of them.  Most were ditto marks but had to be changed individually.

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I still get a daily national newspaper delivered to the front door by 6am, 6 days a week.

I do read online news but it is often less detailed and informative than a ' real newspaper' and has less choice.

My neighbours must think I'm very old and a luddite.

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I, too am a newspaper junkie.  I began reading the paper, every day, when I was a morning paperboy, at the age of 11.  I have done so, every day, since.  We get carrier delivery, even out here.  The paper often misses a day, when it snows, or when there are "technical issues", but we get it most days.  I also enjoy the penny saver.  I don't know how much longer the paper can continue as a locally owned and operated entity, or continue carrier delivery.  I would miss my morning ritual.

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Our newspaper is published by a local family who has owned it for about three generations.  The downfall of quality began when a law was passed that the television companies and newspaper companies could not be owned by the same families.  The newspaper has lost out as many of the others have.  Tv has flourished.

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M Ross!

I'm back from Tempe! Is there a Virtual Vacay coming our way??? Did I miss it??? I have difficulty living now without it. I'm addicted, thank you very much!

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Yes it's there, just keep scrolling, on page 1

M

Answer 4

Buenos días from Tempe Arizona. It's about 8:30 in the morning and I have no idea what the weather is. I drove up from Tucson to Tempe yesterday and I'm leaving for the university in about 15 minutes because I'm getting my first covid vaccine today! I'm quite excited about this. Apparently there are a number of senior faculty who are getting their vaccines today. I will write more when I return to Tucson later this afternoon. Have a great day!

NEW POST: Rather than starting a new chat, I'm adding on to this one. So, Buenos dias from the Old Pueblo! It's Saturday morning in Tucson and 43F (6.1C) with an expected high of 63F (17.2C).

I returned from Tempe yesterday afternoon, but did not boot up my computer until this morning. The vaccination went well! No pain at all whatsoever. I was very tired yesterday afternoon; however, driving roughly 300 miles round trip in less than 24 hours at my age is no longer a piece of cake. The university ran the vaccination program like clockwork with nursing faculty and upper division nursing students doing the vaccinating and students from other disciplines doing intake information and debriefing. We were released after 15 minutes to make sure there was no adverse reaction to the vaccine and EMTs were on hand.

I know there is much frustration across the nation as to the vaccine. I left a loooooong response below so won't repeat here. While in my hotel room Thursday night there was a news broadcast that vaccinators were stalled in a snow storm in Oregon. They has several doses that would go bad in a few hours if not used, so they went car to car offering the vaccine after getting permission from their supervisor. Apparently, one guy couldn't get his shirt off fast enough! I would have paid to see that!

I will be working on the Baldwin/Oakes line today finishing up some non-sourced/non-edited profiles. I'm just curious. Does anyone other than me get really irritated finding a profile that has been started with a name, part of a birth date, part of a location, maybe if lucky a death year the NOTHING? No hint of a biography, no proper sourcing? And some of these go back to the 1700s. I'm seeing this a lot. Perhaps instead of a 'source-a-thon' we should have a bio-a-thon and add biographies to these half-baked profiles. As I work on these, I am finding more of them. We really need to honor the existing profiles and their histories. I also find that I can connect several of these profiles to ancestors on Wikitree. Ok...that's my rant for the day.

This Wednesday, I have my first zoom course with Cyndi Ingle on Mastering Genealogical Documentation. Yes, we are using the text by Thomas W. Jones. I am really looking forward to it and looking forward to taking the follow up Mastering Genealogical Proofs. That's when I will write the refutation to Dorothy (Green) Whittemore being the daughter of Israel and Mary (Holden) Green. This has been an error perpetuated by a 66 year old NEHGS Register article and the statement didn't even have a source.

Here's hoping that EVERYONE who wants it gets there Covid vaccine sooner rather than later and that we can end this pandemic in a united versus untied manner. Have an excellent weekend!

Comments

Didn't mean to sound like I was criticizing the local hospital. Now that I reread this, I know they were trying their best. Thank God for small local hospitals. Wouldnt want to drive 45 minutes in an emergency.

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Well, consider whatever Disaster Training the hospital staff and medical personnel have had.  Maybe once a year, they drill with fake bodies and fake injuries and ER procedures and triage and all the rest including setting up a field hospital

NOTHING has happened inside the US that I know of that has reached the proportions of casualty numbers, neither rates nor physical counts -- 

Yes, hurricane and tornado and we see some clips of ER etc and yes, 15 people injured at a parade and in Miami think it was 49 people died in a nightclub from gunshot wounds and in other places you see 20, 30 or people died in a fire from the smoke or the fire itself 

But anything less than 50 or maybe 100 in more populous areas can be spread around the 2 or 3 hospitals in a County.  

You have 48, 72 hours of hell dealing with the load or a week getting it sorted out -- you don't see it day in and day out week after week, a stream of critical cases needing equipment you don't have because this county has not had to face this sort of overwhelming case load before (that I know of, since WW2) 

Spanish Flu I think was the last time there was such a massive case load 

Last time I recall a massive deployed campaign for vaccination was with the Salk polio vaccine.  We were given our dose soaked into a sugar cube. 

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Our local hospital did well treating COVID patients in the spring. I know a nurse who worked there. The normal capacity of the hospital is 170 patients. There were 40 COVID patients in April, it went down and now there are 19. They are isolated on a floor. In the spring I had to take my husband to the ER twice. It was eerie. First time was at 4 AM and it looked like the Emergency room was closed, I beeped the horn and a guard came out with a mask for him and said I was not allowed in. But, my hubby was vomiting and could not wear the mask or talk. So I had to go in for a few minutes. It was scary having him in the hospital while there was COVID on another floor. They let him go home too soon and he ended back there a week later. This time we knew the drill - mask - I was still not allowed in.

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I read a headline that shouted about a similar situation of choice of people to receive shots under nepotism claims.  When all of the facts came out they had given all of the appointments that had shown up at the allotted times and had to close down.  The left over vacant "no shows" shots were given to people who were available to avoid having to pitch them, a total of six.

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He talked about implementing, but never did fully and only to produce certain products, like masks and ventilators. He never 'mandated' mask-wearing by all and still didn't toward the end of his administration, which actually increased deaths from the virus. He inhibited the CDC and public health professionals from providing transparency regarding the need for masks, never role-modeled mask wearing, etc. Federal health workers were muzzled.

https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/821285204/trump-sends-mixed-messages-about-invoking-defense-production-act

Granted, vaccines were not made available until late 2020. It takes nearly a year to develop and test properly with clinical trials. We don't need people dying of the cure as well as the disease. Nevertheless, even the roll out of the vaccine late last year was poorly rolled out and peripatetic state by state.

Hence, with the start of the new administration, it's almost like starting over again and we have even more pandemic deniers. I'm a nurse, a public health nurse with a focus on global health. While front-line workers, doctors, nurses and other medical workers begged for assistance (some of them dying from catching the virus from the very people they tried to save), the prior president spent a great deal of time on the golf course. I've had family, friends and colleagues catch the virus since February of 2020, and family, friends and colleagues die from the virus. What really irritated me was seeing the likes of people like xxxxxx, a Covid naysayer, be one of the first to get vaccinated, while people who voted him in office, elder adults, military veterans, persons with health conditions are still waiting to hear when they will get vaccinated.

My grandmother was right. 'Life isn't fair, do your best, make the best of it, don't cheat because you only cheat yourself.'

Edited out name of living person.

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carol, dale pointed out last week, with a red flag, not to get political

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Ok. I guess I have to ask someone to point out a place where wearing masks made the incidence of coronavirus go down.

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201022/masks-block-virus-particles-but-not-entirely

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Wearing the mask and interrupting, intercepting, the stream of airborne virus and allergens seems like such a burden to so many people. I do not understand it.

Would you deliberately walk up to another person and cough in their face? Or stand there and blow your lungs' breath at them? Would you? Would you allow them to do the same thing to you? Would you?

We are to cough or sneeze into our elbow, or cover our mouth and face when we DO cough or sneeze, because we know the common cold and the usual gamut of other virus (flu) are airborne particles. Is it too much to ask for the same precautions and the same cautious behavior with the Covid?

I do not understand the rejection, the denial in this matter. I do not. But do as you please, as many millions have also been doing. And the virus continues to thrive and spread, airborne.

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And that is my point.

"And the virus continues to thrive and spread, airborne."

Wearing a mask does not stop the virus. It has been proven over and over again. The virus will encircle the Earth whether you wear a mask or close down a school or shopping center or gym or religious center. If a person is sick, they naturally avoid other people. We as a society don't cough in people's faces. We do cough into our elbows. It's common decency. And it works. Masks don't.

The detriment to children's mental health and the economy far exceed the detriment to individuals who are susceptible and know it and take care of themselves as they should. Teen suicides are up, alcoholism is up, divorces are rising, people are losing their homes and businesses and there is no reason for it. It makes me cry. Seriously.

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Glad to hear you got the vaccine too! My arm is still a bit sore - but worth it!

I like your idea of a bio-thon, and you can count me in if we have one! I adopted a few of those and don't think I've done as much justice to those and could be done!

Answer 5

Boring or not, we always enjoy hearing about your week Pip! Thanks for hosting and sharing.

Speaking of boring, my week has had no outstanding excitement. Weather has gone from moderate to a couple of freezing nights, now moderating again to the 60's in the daytime. A lot of wind predicted for tomorrow - gusts to 40 and 50mph.

On the genealogy front I worked on an Unknown last name lady who married a Fears. She has now been identified as yet another Smith who married an unknown King and had an unknown King son. But....the son's wife is Unknown Emily and I have their three children and some neat connections in Georgia.

I spent some frustrating time re-doing a section of my O'Neal line because someone does not want to believe all the connections three of us have found and added so she disconnected the entire branch even though we have sources galore. They are now back in place for however long.

On the family front, my husband got his first Covid injection and had no side effects. (Mine was last week) We both will get the second one in February. Our baby daughter will have a birthday on Sunday (42 but still our baby!). We hope to distantly see her sometime this weekend.

Have a great weekend and "see" you all next week and in the branches!

Comments

Ginny, as we are too afraid to travel, we spend a lot of time distance visiting via FaceTime. It kinda makes up for not being able to be physically present.

Unknown, unknown, unknown. What the dickens happened there? I've come across a few of those, too.

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 Virginia, you hardly need more excitement than dealing with a demented dis-believer who goes into a proven line and destroys the connections.  But the excitement of your dau's birthday and to "visit" ... that's a definite up-side

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I deal with those issues on FS a lot. The only reason I spend any time making those corrections is to try to keep my ancestors where they should be resting!!

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Pip, the unknowns are an interesting story. The brother of my 3x great grandfather was Thomas Fears who married later in life and had no children. For years his marriage record identified his wife as Elizabeth Ray or Rae. Other than the marriage and a census record, the only other record was in his nephew's Bible giving their death dates. There were one or two Ray's in the area but none fit Elizabeth as a child or a first marriage. But, I found her with some family connections in census with Kings. So, figured out she married a King (no marriage found yet and no first name for hubby). Figured out that the grandchild named in Elizabeth's will was a King and that led to solving the issue of Elizabeth being the mother of a King son who died after having three children. Then, found Elizabeth's grave as a Smith buried in the cemetery where all the Fears are buried. Whew! Not done, still need to find who she married and her son's name.

Edit - Forgot to add that there was a marriage record recorded just above Elizabeth Ray and Thomas Fears - on the same day. That bride's name was Elizabeth J. Ray. I think the county clerk made a mistake when recording and copied the bride's name from the previous record into the one for Thomas Fears.

Answer 6

Hello WikiTreers from beautiful southeastern Arizona. I was right about that dirty 4-letter s word, dagnabit! LOL Glad I had brought the hummingbird feeder inside the previous evening because my entire balcony was dusted with snow! It was melting quickly, and I put out the feeder. Wrong-o! I glanced up from my writing a bit later to see a white-out! I brought it back inside and grabbed my camera. From the image, you won't be able to see the Huachuca Mountains because they were entirely cloaked by clouds!

Reading: I forgot to mention last week that I finished Hubbard's novel about General Rufus Putnam. I was very disappointed because it was only a compilation of other works and was very pricey to boot! Nothing new, just a rehash. *sigh*

Yesterday, I read Schneider's Zane's Trace: The First Road in Ohio. This was a very small booklet, rare, and also pricey. I thought there would be more detail about the actual building of the trail. Instead, it was more about how it's changed since the inception. Colonel Zane was supposed to receive acreage inside the military-designated lands. Yet, most of his Muskingum 640-acre tract were below this line. From a letter Schneider quoted, Zane requested Rufus Putnam to resurvey because he didn't like the original result. Rufus complied. A fairly interesting read, but wasn't information that I wanted to find.

Wanting to know more about abolition, I tried to read Styron's The Confessions of Nat Turner. I'm going to give up on this one. The descriptions are overdone, and it rambles way too much for my liking. Can't believe it won a Pulitzer. Attorney Gray's original "Confession" has been termed unreliable by some historians.

WikiTree: Finally redid my grandmother's bio. Also cleared suggestions on my list. Several were for 404 link errors. Located the original database, then searched for the pertinent information. Went to save link to Archive.org (lesson learned!) - found you now need to be a member. When did this change?

Other: Been working out plans to host an Open Mic Night for Highway61. The first one will be held next weekend. I hope people will register to share a chapter from their novel, a short story, poetry, a comedy skit, or a song!

My medical office called on Wednesday and offered the covid vaccine. I have an appointment for today. Yeehaw!

Comments

Diane, my brother sent me videos of the snow outside of Tucson. Snow the desert! I loved it. He said his plants were needing it a bit, but most of his stuff can handle no moisture. He likes cacti, and has lots in pots around his house.

Glad to hear you are able to get your shot! I'm still waiting.

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Hi Diane,

Thank you much for your newsy weekend chat! I am so glad you are getting your vaccine and so close to home. I join you in the Yeehaw!

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@Pip The kids in my apartment complex loved the snow. There were several accidents near here because people don't know how to drive in these conditions! I'll pray for you and your family to get the vaccine soon.

@Carol I was so thankful to get it so close to home. Only 15 minutes into Sierra Vista - thought I'd have to an hour to Tucson! What a relief to my mind. Been so worried I'd get sick and be unable to finish writing.

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Hi Diane,

Congratulations on the vaccine! You are very lucky to get it so close to home and any of us who get it anywhere are very lucky! I only had a little arm soreness, but gone now. Would rather have that than the virus and have to be ventilated. Enjoy your writing! Hugs!

Answer 7

Hello from not so sunny California.   We have had over 7 inches of rain since Tuesday evening and it is still coming down.    Fortunately, we are below the snow for this storm.    Over 3 feet of snow just 1000' higher than our home.

On a genealogy note, I added a profile for a "Notable" back in 2019, just to organize my thoughts about a neighbor.   https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Thompson-53280   Just a week ago I was contacted by someone related to him.   Wonderful connection.

Comments

Nice work on that profile, Robin. How fascinating your connection to Leon!

With all that rain, I hope you are not in the danger zone for landslides. I heard there was a threat of that with all the denuding of the forests by fire recently.

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 Yep, Robin, rained here in Modesto, nearly a steady stream of rain from Monday night onward, until this AM, and it's predicted (love those weather witches, right or wrong) to be raining off and on for another week and some.  We can use the rain, yes.   

As long as I don't see frogs floating by on rafts in the gutter, I'm none too concerned about "too much" rain. We are not near the river nor the mountains nor the burned over areas on the hillsides, etc. 

The WIND however took out some trees around town, one house I know of about 5 blocks from ours, a venerable and majestic tree landed on their house ... and it rained some more. NOT a happy family home and won't be for awhile

Answer 8

Penwythnos hapus i bawb, gwyliau cyflym i bawb. (Happy weekend to all, and speedy vaccinations to everybody).

And thanks Pip for the advice, if the "Commander" (Ernesta Hemingway) lets me near the real computer , where her family biography is flying from her finger  tips , I'll try it.

One correction my 16th great grand aunt, she wasn't mother to King Henry  lV, she was King Edward lV and King Richard lll's mother.

Comments

James I got around needing a computer by getting two of my own. My commander sez all she needs is her laptop! 

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Lucky man, she's a keeper.

Commander and her siblings (three sisters and a brother) hadn't spoken for 20 years due to their mother's life long determination to drive and keep them apart, she died a year ago, and they came together over the news and have been telling the amazing  things done to them that the others didn't know about. She's up to 60,000 words, and it's unbelievable. To see them laughing and crying and purging their souls of the venom she poured into them.

So, I joke about it but the truth is I'd use charcoal and tree bark to write on so she could write this story.

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 Think I counted 9 vowels that were caught in a veritable torrent of consonants ... poor helpless vowels .. .first word, the one that starts with P is "weekend" or so says google ...  

Better James who can cope with this flood than I who would soon find a way to escape Wales ASAP 

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Yes Susan, in Welsh the happy comes after weekend.

James

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 Well, I take it as a Truth, that no one language can or will translate straight across word for word identical meaning, syntax and whatever else is involved, there's a longer explanation somewhere I read long ago.  

So I was not surprised to find nouns and verbs and adjectives and adverbs and participles and the like in "different" arrangements as I worked my way through what you wrote. 

And ALSO any number of languages seem to have gender built into the words they use, one for females, another for males 

I've had occasion 40 yrs ago (and a few times since) to cope with assembly instructions written in English translated by various persons along the way from one language to another till it got printed up for the inclusion in the box of parts.  A stranger more odd and peculiar document has not since passed into my hands.  But it had some pix on it, which was of some use 

There were some phone calls to the ref desk at the library, and some experimentation and a certain amount of cursing and cussing but we got the thing assembled with only 1 screw left over and some sort of phlange or plaque or something like that .... -- never did find a space or place on the object to place it -- mind you this was 40 yrs and some ago, and there's google now and google images and those ARE helpful 

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James, message says there is posted comment by you about porta potty situation in third world countries ... and there's no click and go to it .. it's a fine time, ain't it for computer glitching 

" After a career working in all the third world toilets (how come they never find oil in Monte Carlo) of the world finishing with 11 years in Nigeria, I wouldn't trade the tranquility and people who take you for who you are not what you are, for any of the other places I've been, got a green lane that runs behind the house, and hill walks in all directions. 

The work we did, you left in the morning and you might get home in the evening, here if you want to talk great if you don't that's fine too."

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That's the tranquility of being in a place where you are not pulled apart by internal or external concerns ... that's what it sounds like you are saying, James 

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Ain't modern technology great, this tablet is so old it runs on steam.

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 To paraphrase something read "O' yes, o' yes, we boarded the train of progress, happy to be aboard.  Look where it left us, stranded in the desert of dead dreams." 

Answer 9

Hi from southern Ontario;

What's happening here? It's cold, minus 10 C when I got up, going to be colder tonight. This week we have had a parade of wildlife in the garden. A peregrine falcon on the fence, hundreds of Canada geese flying overhead, not sure if they were from the ponds nearby, those ones don't usually travel in such large groups. 

There was the usual rabbits visiting in the evenings, plus a skunk, and a possum wandering around.

Possums are not native to this area, I have seen them around since the 1990s, how did they get here, definitely not swimming across the lakes! The theory is they came north on trains and trucks that were crossing the border, they were looking for somewhere to take a nap, or get out of bad weather, fell asleep and then woke up here. They have a hard time in the winter often getting frost bitten tails. 

Family history progress: I seem to have fallen into a Griffiths family rabbit hole; after researching my great aunt's brother in law Llewellyn Wyn Griffith a few weeks ago, I am now looking at his grandfather, Sion Griffith, born 1843, a shoemaker, of Penygroes, Rhiw, 

I seem to be getting a lot of messages from WT members asking for Trusted List access on Open profiles, maybe they're newbies. 

And a request from a very distant cousin of my DH offering to provide the 60,000 people he has on his family history website so that I can put them on WT! I have stayed away from using any of his information for many reasons including the number of females who had children at the age of 2, and also at age 80+. 

Other stuff: I think I am going to be voluntold or muggins into being President of my horticultural society for the third time. 

Comments

M, we haven't see our Canadian geese fly over yet. I think it's too cold here (and further north). We miss them.

We have a blacktail hawk that scares the living dickens out of the small wildlife around our bird feeders. S/he's looking for doves and chipmunks. (We've actually seen a kill or two.) One animal will get scared and then everybody takes off at lightning speed all at the same time. Funny.

"females who had children at the age of 2, and also at age 80+" I avoid these like the plague. I have a hard enough time with my own family!

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I forgot the wildlife in the kitchen, 2 mice in the trap under the sink. They're now gone permanently.

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 voluntold or muggins ?? 

Well I suppose so long as they -- whomever -- don't try to bathe you in plant grow and try to re-root your feet and don't approach you with pruning shears and forked hoes etc  ... Is it so dire for you that you need to associate with these wildmen (or wildwomen) who will do who knows what to you?? 

Answer 10

Virtual Vacation! 

This week we're going to the Rock! Otherwise known as Newfoundland, the Canadian province certainly well known for its colourful Jelly Bean houses in the provincial capital of St John's and maybe better known as the destination for thousands of people whose planes were diverted Sept 11, 2001. 

Have you seen Come From Away? The award winning musical about what happened when 7000 people arrived in Gander, Newfoundland. I think some probably not all of the production can be watched online. 

We visited Newfoundland for 3 weeks in June 2016 and brought our mittens, and yes they were needed. 

Jelly Bean houses in St John's

Signal Hill and the St John's harbour- Signal Hill has been an important part of the defence of St. John’s harbour since the 1600s. Signal men watched for ships headed for harbour and sent flag signals to the town so people would know what ships were arriving. 

It is also the place where Marconi received the world’s first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. 

Cape Spear lighthouse built in 1836-this is the place where the sun rises first, the easternmost place in North America. When you look east there is nothing but ocean until you get to Ireland. 

The Battery is a small part of St John's, it is on the steep slopes at the Narrows, the less than 600 ft across entrance to the harbour, it has very narrow roads and some can be especially difficult if you have a big vehicle. Since the late 1700s chains were strung between the sides to keep out enemy ships, and anti-submarine nets more recently. 

Cabot Tower on Signal Hill was built in the late 1890s to mark the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland. 

Quidi Vidi Village-is an old fishing village, on a small inlet, it has reinvented itself since the drop in fish stocks put most local fishers out of work. It now has a craft studio and market, and a craft brewery where you can buy beer made with water from icebergs. It also has lots of fog in this picture you can see a fog bank coming in from the ocean. 

Comments

These are such lovely photos, M. Makes me want to go on a road trip! Love the colorful homes in the first pic.

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Absolutely gorgeous as per usual. Love the pix. 

DO NOT EXHAUST YOUR SUPPLY OF PIX!!! We NEED them here at WT Chat 

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Love the pics. Never been to Newfoundland. I do remember the story that inspired Come from Away.

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YOU are a fantastic photographer !! 

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Hi M!

Love this virtual vacay AND the history! I forgot about the planes being diverted to Newfoundland on 9/11, but recall the rave reviews the people from Newfoundland got.

Beer from icebergs? I wonder if it's any colder that the beer on tap in the mid-west?!

I think my favorite photo is of the light house. I've always wanted to live in a light house.

Thank you so much, M! These vacays are a favorite part of my week.

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HBO made a documentary about what happened in Gander while the 'people from away' were there. It is really good and includes all the townspeople who were involved in looking after their visitors and some of the real people who were stranded.

Gander had less than 10,000 people in 2001, so looking after 7000 extra people was quite the accomplishment. Just finding enough food was a major problem. Almost all food is brought into Nfld by plane or boat, they have almost no arable land.

It ends with the mayor of Gander and others going to New York for the Broadway opening of Come from Away.

You Are Here: A Come from Away Story.

Answer 11

I haven't been around much. Very busy on a number of fronts. On top of WT stuff, I did finally enroll in a landscape design program and also taking two weeks of Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy courses. Two weeks ago was about meeting genealogy standards with DNA and this week's is an advanced social history. It has been a lot of fun learning about how to find information about a person other than just the birth/marriage/death/census information. Also doing a lot of volunteer work with a local social services organization.

Genealogically, I've been working on trying to find a way too identify who the father of one of my great great grandmothers was. She was baptized as illegitimate so no father listed. A number of match descendants of one couple but there isn't enough info to decide how they are related. The possible MRCA couple would be my 4G grandparents so these are small segments. Could be them or could be a sibling of one of them.

Hope all are well.

Comments

Doug, let me know when you get your landscaping certification. I've got work for you! 

I sure do enjoy hearing about all the classes you take. I really oughta get off my duff and take some myself. No time like the present, since I can't get out anyway.

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You could try this course:

https://www.rootsireland.ie/2021/01/ulster-historical-foundation-online-genealogy-course/

I don't have the time available right now, sounds interesting

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M, that course looks fascinating. I might just do that one!

Answer 12

Comments

Recently I randomly selected a hobby I guess if you will and have been struggling to stay attentive and this focus lasts about as long as I remember its existence. So in effort to keep up I limit my time online and started realizing that most of my inspirations come from something I do daily in real life! It’s so much easier to be swept away by a trend but that just takes the authenticity out of it. Since the arrival of my DNA test I have zero new matches? Turns out they had results two weeks ago and waited over one week to send out my mtDNA. I read that the mitochondrial test has autosomal as well that confused me so much. I know that’s not supposed to be said that way now I can’t unread that. None of these things matter I am trying something new.

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I’m with you, Guadalupe. I am finding other things to occupy my attention and getting away from the computer for longer periods of time.

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I was feeling so overwhelmingly unproductive this past week I went in head first into the unknown. I don’t regret picking a time consuming hobby. Breaking from my e-habitat. The thing about it is, it’s online.

Answer 13

Happy Friday from New Jersey. Cold and very windy today. Yesterday was my husband's birthday. I took him out to lunch inside a restaurant for only the second time in the last year. We were safely 6 ft from everyone. It was an interesting place called the Iron Mule. It is situated in Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River near Easton. the name is in honor of the mules that used to tow barges up the river on the canal to be loaded with iron from the mill in Bethlehem, PA and floated back down the river to Philadelphia. We had delicious American food of Pulled Pork Sliders.

On Wikitree, I worked on my Anniversary project earlier this week. It was an obscure family of the wife of my nephew. Small world. I traced her family back to an intersection with mine in Posey, Indiana!! I am in New Jersey. She grew up in Maine. My anniversary project is that I pick someone from my Wikitree anniversary list and try to flesh out their profiles or relatives for the day. Has led to some interesting finds.

Another thing I am working on is the Wikitree Challenge. this is where we have a weekly challenge to update the Wikitree presence of someone well known in the genealogy community. Starts with a weekly chat on Wednesday, reviewing the previous week and introducing the new one. It is a great opportunity to collaborate.

Stay warm, everyone. (Unless you are in the southern hemisphere, then stay cool.)

Comments

Nancy, I looked up the Iron Mule. Looks like my kind of restaurant! What a great menu!

Gonna have to work at staying warm this weekend, Nancy. 20°F this a.m. and not going to get much better. Expecting light snow tonight,

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My third great-grandfather, Dr. Increase Mathews, noted the following in his 1798 travel journal:

"Crossed the ferry to Eastown[1], which lies on the south westerly side of the river. Put up at a Dutch tavern 6 miles from Eastown, to get some washing done. Mr. Parkman's horse got injured this afternoon, so that he will probably lose him. Our landlord is a rich farmer, owns 120 acres of excellent Land for tillage, has a good house completely finished and furnished, yet sits like a lazy drone in the house and sees his wife and daughters performing all the servile labor of the farm. The Landlady informed us that she and her daughters ploughed, hoed, reaped, worked at haying &c &c, and in return were paid with swearing and hard language. We viewed a garden which she had planted and tended with her own hands containing a fine supply of vegetables. The landlord told us that our New England women were like ______. The Landlady and her daughters listened with attention to our accounts of the manner in which our women lived, and could not conceal their uneasiness in their situation."

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[1] Increase meant Easton. He correctly uses Easton on his return trip entries.

Answer 14

Definitions: Voluntold and Muggins

Voluntold is when someone says ' we need a volunteer for this, you will do this won't you'

Muggins- British or maybe more English term: as defined in the Macmillan Dictionary as “used for referring to yourself when you feel that you have allowed people to treat you in an unfair way”. It is typically used, wryly or bitterly, in contexts where one person finds themselves doing a task, often unwanted, because others get them to do it or duck out of doing it themselves. A muggins is someone easily persuaded to do things, others don't want to do.

Muggins is often used in reference to oneself-example; Bill won't do this task; Shirley is not capable of doing it so that leaves Muggins(myself) to pick up the slack.

Muggins is also used with the, a or another determiner, not necessarily to refer to yourself, in sentences such as “I’m the muggins who has to arrange everything.” or “Let’s find some other muggins to do it.”

Comments

MRoss, thank you, that expands my vocab of exotic and esoteric words ... I been a muggins my whole life, looking back on it.  Thought it was because I was female, daughter, wife, employee taking up a Responsibility and the Duties thereof

But, no, I am a Muggins, plain and simple. Probably in my DNA somewhere, a gene or two

Never actually had someone one get in my face and voluntold me .. well, not sense grammar school

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Two great words! Since my two brothers were usually AWOL, I was the one who was voluntold. And, I have been in jobs where I was the muggins, the only one who could, apparently, do the job right and in a timely fashion (Not that I like it, either!)

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As a child, and then a soldier. I was voluntold. a lot. After the army. I am not good at being voluntold. My personality does not allow me to accept it. Of course there are a lot of times I'm a muggins. Normally I discover a task. Decide some people, with no prior experience dealing with them. Just can't handle the task. Or they are going to somehow complete it in a way that I will end up having to do it myself anyway.

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Ah, so, Paul, sounds about right to me, I'm not in favor of being voluntolded once I escaped K-12.

As for being a Muggins, as I said I thought that was because I was female in whatever role assigned to a female at the time ... but now, since it is explained, I realize it is a genetic factor that is on my DNA whatsis .. not everyone has this gene (or set of genes)

And you are correct, rather than see something botched, grab it and run with it

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'Muggins here' was a phrase my grandmother used now and then - it's not one I hear any more, and I love it all the more for that. Thanks!

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For some reason the term mulligan immediately popped into my brain. Guess it would be -- "Bad enough I was the muggins but why oh why a mulligan too?" 

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Diane, I think, but will not wager on it, the idea / image purculating in your brain might have to do with repetition ... something along the line of Okay, I'm mulligans here (the one who took up the responsibility etc) but I don't want to have to do it all over again EDIT: (because your first effort could end  somewhere around FUBAR, which is not an attractive result)

The basic definition of mulligan, a term most associated with golf, is a "do-over," a second try after your first has gone awry. Every weekend golfer has taken a few mulligans in their lifetime, and there's no shame in that.Apr 1, 2020

A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. Its best-known meaning is in golf, whereby a player is informally allowed to replay a stroke, even though this is against the formal rules of golf.

Answer 15

It is the end of the last full week of January.  It has been gray skies and brown ground, and I am looking forward to the green of spring.  I am remembering Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" -- Nature's first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. We shall see what the groundhog has to say next Tuesday for when to expect spring to arrive.

I worked a bit on WikiTree this week, but will do more this weekend.  I will see what I can add to the tree of Jen Baldwin who is this week's challenge guest. She has some ancestors who lived in the Midwest and Great Plains and it will be interesting to see what can be found.  I like locating interesting newspaper articles to flesh out their lives.

Comments

Ah, spring ... when I see the dandelions a-blooming, then I KNOW spring is here

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Michelle, we start looking forward to spring in October. 

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It rained for most of last night, and this is great for the spring flowers that will be coming.  My favorite are the hyacinths for they smell wonderful.

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I love hyacinths for the very same reason.

Answer 16

On this day:

1749: King Christian VII. of Denmark is born

1857: Queen Victoria creates the Victoria Cross

1863: The Bear River Massacre takes place

Comments

Jelena, I picked the Victoria Cross for yesterday’s lesson. Fascinating history!

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I had not heard of the Bear River Massacre before.  That was some interesting and sad reading.

Answer 17

Good evening,

here in Germany the Covid numbers are on the descent, but in these decreasing numbers the infections with mutations are on the rise. There were three infections that showed a mutation also in my county, but it's not yet known which mutation there is. I hate those mutations.

On the personal front I had again a week when I was only today outside to do the grocery shopping. Usually we go in the morning to also go on the farmer's market in town, but today I didn't. And to go to the shop in the afternoon was really nice, because there were far less people in the shop.

Mum has next week a week full of appointments. 5 appointments in 4 days. She so loves it. #IronyOff

Genealogy-wise I continued to create profiles for the Frankfurt people I currently work on. I knew immediately I connected a bunch of people when I found a profile that was already created. There was in that bunch also the editor of Ludwig van Beethoven. Ok. Next day I created a profile for one of editor's greatgrandsons. In the Wikipedia-entry there was written: "His greatgrandfather was not only the editor of Ludwig van Beethoven, but also distantly related." Oooookay! After posting that find in the Ludwig van Beethoven-thread, I left that at first alone. Next day, I googled and found a tree that showed me a connection. So I checked and checked, and only after a few people I realized that the tree I used as reference was taken as source for the profiles. And so I hadn't even realized before that I really connected Ludwig van Beethoven... Yeah his connection is still very remotedly, but he is finally connected at all. That's what counts here. I'm sure there will be possibilities to connect him better.

And I continued to work on my lecture about WikiTree. Getting excited slowly but surely. Two weeks to go...

Stay safe, wear masks and don't do stupid things

Comments

Nice digging on the editor’s family, Jelena. Oh, and tell your Mum that we feel for her and at rooting for her to come through with flying colors. (If she feels about going to the doctor like I do, then...)

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It's great to shop at times when there aren't many people around.

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Hi Jelena,

I, too, am only going out for groceries. It is better to stay safe and not do anything stupid, even if people have gotten the vaccine.

Give your mum a hug for me and tell her to give you one from me! I so miss hugs. There was a story about the toll that lack of 'hugs' is taking on people during the pandemic, especially people who live alone. One of my professors in graduate school (about 1985) was a graduate student of Harry Harlow's. Dr. Harlow did the 'contact comfort' study using baby monkeys. One group got a 'wire mother' monkey with unlimited milk. The other group got a cloth covered wire mother monkey. The cloth mothered babies were more well-adjusted and better parents when they had babies. Essentially, Dr. Harlow 'proved' the importance of human contact (hugs). The story about isolation and lack of contact drew from this study.

My best to you for a great week and hope all your mum's appointments go well!

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When I was in college in the late 1950s we had a psychology
professor who had done a study about the same subject on children in orphanages in Canada.  He compared children who were held and talked to, even for a small amount, to the babies that were just left in their cribs with bottles propped up.  We all can imagine how that comparison turned out.  His name was [Donald(??)] Snygg.

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Darn, I didn't see Carol's comment about Harry Harlow when i posted

There is also the seminal work by Harry Harlow, his work was featured in my Pysch 101 textbook.

 https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/obsonline/harlows-classic-studies-revealed-the-importance-of-maternal-contact.html

And the same results were shown in some very disturbing reports about Romanian orphans after the fall of Communism. Left in cribs 24 hours a day with no human contact.

Edited to include Carol's comment

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Yes, I recall that study. It was included in my graduate psychology studies along with the Romanian orphans that M Ross describes. Sadly, these were children who grew up as social isolates and misfits primarily due to the isolation and lack of contact. Donald Snygg has a co-investigator/partner, Arthur Cobbs or Combs maybe.

This is topical because I am creating a learning module on global health regarding human subjects protections. You and M reminded me of these Canadian and Romanian studies and I will mention them. Thanks!

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I saw some documentaries on this issue in Romania, and it was heartbreaking!

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Hi M,

Please see my response to Beulah regarding the Canadian and Romanian orphan studies. Yes, Harry Harlow's graduate students was one of my professors. He was a wonderful person. This is no secret. Harry retired to Tucson. He was an alcoholic. My professor and his wife took care of Harry until his death in 1981. I started my graduate studies at the U of A in 1984. It was a rigorous program and I was well prepared when I graduated. I still keep in touch with several of my still living professors. We worked and we bonded.

We had a primate lab at our psychology department until, perhaps 1990 or so. One of my grad student colleagues worked with Capuchin monkeys on a fishing experiment and after graduation, she worked with Jane Goodall, as did my professor, who work with Harry Harlow. We always said that he communicated better with non-human primates than humans. He was sweet, smart, self-effacing and wonderful with students.

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You never know what professor you will run into, when my mum did her zoology degree at Birmingham University, England, one of her classmates was Desmond Morris author of The Naked Ape.

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OMG! That is so cool! I envy your mum! Yes, we never do know what professors we will run into. And it so enriches our lives, personally and academically!

M, do you know that when I respond to your posts, I think of Judi Dench, who I adore! She is a terrific and versatile actor and she was 'M' in a Bond film.

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According to my mum, he asked her out several times-she thought he was ' a little full of himself' and declined his invitations. They both married other people in July 1952.

Judi Dench I'll take that as a 'compliment' she is 20 years older than me!

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Such great info and history from your mum! Some of these guys can be a bit full of themselves. Plus, faculty shouldn't be asking to date students. At least, that was the way it was when I was in graduate school. Had to do with ethics.

And the Judi Dench 'M' should be totally taken as a compliment! I didn't even give age a thought. Some persons and roles are 'ageless' and 'timeless'.

Take care and stay safe!

Answer 18

Hi Folks,

Thank you, Pip, for hosting.

It's cold here, in Bramans Corners.  10 Deg. F with a brisk wind.  We bundled up and walked a half mile down to our neighbors' to borrow their truck in order to pick up our car. It was towed to the shop for a new battery, last night.  At least the sun was shining.  There was a bit of drifting snow on the road, but it wasn't too bad. Fortunately, our neighbor blew the driveway out, with his tractor, earlier in the week. The joys of winter in the Northeast!  While we were out, we picked up another 50 lb. of Sunflower seed and 20 lb of mixed seed.  The birds have been voracious.

I continue to research my Veeder/Vader ancestors and their families, In the course of doing so, I found some information on other Schenectady figures.  I am slowly adding info to some of these profiles.  It has been fascinating to find ancestors who lived where I grew up, and in other familiar areas.

We read the new Ken Follet book.  It was, as always, engaging, but not quite as satistying as the earlier ones in the series.

Thank you to all who helped with my Veeder anceators!

Comments

Mark, I might need to borrow your neighbor’s truck. I have a vehicle with a dead battery!

I stopped at the Tractor Supply store near us to get 100 lbs of birdseed. I forgot to get a bag of sunflower seeds, a favorite of our squirrels. I’m also out of unshelled peanuts for the blue jays.

My wife has just finished to Follet books and now they are sitting in the “read next” pile. Never a lack of books around here.

Stay warm, buddy!

Answer 19

Due to go for a blood iron checkup on the 15th to see whether the infusion has done its job. That result determines how soon I start an additional course of medication (the objective being that widespread inflammation is reduced however at the expense of dampening my immune system). A lot of anxiety with that as it affects everything I do.

Two surprises this week: discovered that I made a total of 18,559 contributions last year (not bad considering what I was dealing with), and also finally discovered the cause of death for a member of the family whom I had assumed had died during the Korean War (not the case, instead was one of 37/38 who disappeared when a Douglas DC-4 went missing between Alaska and Vancouver)

Comments

Richard, you find out the most interesting connections and facts in your research. Good for you! Hope you make progress with your medical issues. I know you’ve been dealing with them for a long time,

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Woke up this morning to find an email mentioning there was a facebook page with a stack of clippings on the disappearance. The only oddity that I picked up is the official crash report and the media publications vary between 37 and 38 onboard.

I'd also stumbled upon another set of brothers who were WWI casualties.

My general process when it comes to connections is to go back a random number of generations, view the descendants of whichever person I've landed on and pick a name if it feels like there is a potential for profiles to be added. That usually is how I find the unconnected/unlinked/untouched gedcom profiles. (My Connect-a-thon madness is a different process all together where that is to roam around months looking for an obscure name/family and then look for where they would connect)

Medically, it will be a long road ahead, I know from accounts from other Crohn's patients that they were able to get it under control. The famous quote that can be applied to the situation is "How long is this going to take?" As it isn't just Crohn's that I've having to deal with, as anemia was also present.

Answer 20

Good afternoon from Top of the South, New Zealand. It’s warm and sunny but blustery as I live near the coast. We’ve had everything weatherwise this week - some very hot days followed by a cold snap with snow up on the mountains behind us. This weekend is Nelson Anniversary Weekend which commemorates the arrival of the first colonist ship to Nelson in 1842 - my ancestors arrived on another ship later that week. The whole top part of the North Island also has their anniversary day too this weekend, and it’s considered nearly the end of the “summer season” as students go back to school starting on Monday or Tuesday. Next weekend is also a long weekend because of Waitangi Day so workers have two four day weeks in a row. (We did have a Covid scare this week, but once again, seem to have stifled community transmission - whew!) Because of this, my son and his fiancée came for a visit last weekend as they needed to get my mother’s engagement ring resized on a Monday when the jeweller was available. It was great to see them and celebrate.

In terms of genealogy, I’m down a “Smith” rabbit hole. Luckily I’ve has some success with a John Smith, son of James Smith, and a Mary Smith, his son-in-law’s second wife. The breakthrough has been obituaries and wills. Unfortunately John Smith re-married, and though he thoughtfully listed his children, including his daughters’ married names, he just mentioned his “wife”. Even in NZ, there are numerous marriages for John Smiths over a 20 year period! I’ve also had to deal with the ethical decision of what to do about the newspaper articles of John Smith’s daughter, who appeared to drown tragically after a seizure until someone confessed and was tried for her murder a few years later. (He was found not guilty.) In the end I just wrote “passed away tragically” and put a very general source. Anyone who wanted to find the information, could easily find it.

Comments

Fiona, I had to get some expert help from another Wikitreer to break down my Smith brickwall. Robert was the dead end, and now he’s the son of John the son of John. If it wasn’t for estate records! That Robert had a son named John for whom it was easier to work on.

So glad to hear you were able to spend some time with your son and his fiancé! Their getting a ring resized reminds me I need to do the same with some we have. One in particular is a ring my grandfather bought in Houston, Texas, about 1913. My hands have gotten thicker over the years.

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I think my dad would have bought this ring in early 1950 in Wellington at Stewart Dawson’s. The jewellers is still there and is a Wellington landmark. I must admit I had a bit of help with John Smith. A descendant emailed me and told me where he was buried. You’d be amazed at how many Smiths could be buried in a small country cemetery. John was buried with his mother who had a slightly unusual name and that was enough of a clue. I can add a couple of John Smith’s siblings, but Thomas, James and Henry are just too hard.