"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! December 29th - 31st, 2023 [closed]

Question

New Members Saying Hello (our favorite!)

Research and Tips 

"On this day..." 

Movies & Music

Where in the World?  Share your photos!

Members Checking in via "All About the Weekend Chat"

Click here if Interested in Hosting the Weekend Chat and earning a Guest Host Sticker? 

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

It’s a New Years’ weekend Chat, my fellow WikiChatterboxes! And greetings from Cathey’s Creek where rain earlier this week (Christmas Day) closed temporarily the entrance to our neighborhood. With rain that heavy, the French Broad River crests above flood stage. I’m posting early today because I have an 8:30 appointment!

On the Home Front: You know you are getting old(er) when you are thrilled to get socks for Christmas, six pair of soft wool socks! I also got a nice gift certificate for my kiltmaker. I think I’ll apply it to the new Appalachian Folklore tartan. One cannot have enough kilts in the closet.

All our kids were here (two daughters and their husbands and our one grandson). Lots of laughter, lots of food, lots of presents. Great fun except when the two girls argued over whose dog was the better one and which one was my favorite. I just watched the reoccurring spat with some disinterestedness. It was a very busy weekend!

While it was great to have all of us together, my wife and I were ready when they left the day after Christmas. One couple lives only a little over four hours away and it took them seven hours to get home due to traffic and rain. The other lives about five hours away and it took them about seven and a half.

On the Genealogy Front: SUPERLY GREAT NEWS!!!

1) I got an email yesterday morning from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. I asked for my dad’s records for his service in the United States Navy during WW II over two years ago. The email had an attachment with ALL OF HIS RECORDS, 62 pages! Schools he attended, stations, units, one medical record, and his citation for the Air Medal. Once I get them all in order, I’ll be able to trace his service chronologically.

2) A dear first cousin contacted me a few days ago about some postcards in her possession. I received a packet of those postcards in the mail yesterday afternoon. These were written in a period from about 1908 (on one I cannot read the postmark) to about 1916. Most were to my grandfather from various people.

One postcard was written from Memphis, Tennessee. It was from my great-grandfather, Jacob Sidney Underwood, to my great-grandmother. He was attending a reunion of the United Confederate Veterans there in 1909. Aside from his signature on a few documents, this is the only record I now have of his handwriting. Without corrections to punctuation or spelling:

June the 7

H C Underwood [his wife]

Helow wee landed this marning at 8 o clock John [his son] is not at home Mats [Mattie, John’s wife] health is bad yours JSU

The postcard had a one cent stamp on it. Imagine that. Several postcards had no writing on them.

My dad’s Naval records and these postcards were a wonderful addition to my Christmas.

I hope all of you were well (as can be) as we enter 2024. Next week I will write up my Chat message early as I will have lost the use of my right arm after surgery on the 3^rd coming. I wish each of you a Happy New Year with many discoveries ahead.

Enjoy the Chat!

---

Hi Pip, What a wonderful Holiday gift you received...actually TWO holiday gifts between your dad's materials and the post cards! I am so glad you family from nearer and farer were able to join you at Christmas. That's what it's all about.

I am holding you in healing intention for surgery next week and know that you will feel better (less pain) in no time.

Pip, I am sending sincere Best Wishes to you and your family for a Happy and Health New Year 2024. Hugs, too!

---

Sweet haul from the records center! All that's missing is his shoe-size and favorite color. =D I think we have all that stuff for my grandfathers. I'll have to look.

Memphis, TN, huh? My great-aunt Nicole lived there. I know the chances of them knowing each other is slim to none but ya never know. Congrats on the loot and thanks for hosting!!

---

Pip, it is wonderful that you are receiving your dad's entire file!  Once you have sorted them, perhaps you can make a list to show what one can find in these records.

I love that you have a postcard written by your g-grandfather!

---

Carol, I am ready for this operation. The more time has passed, the more I need it. Pain is up and range of motion is down. 

I'm thrilled over the records and the postcards. I'll have to make a free space page for both and connect them to the appropriate profiles.

---

Been through Memphis only once in my life, Chris, passing through at night on a straight drive from Boulder, Colorado to home. Dad used to fly out there every so often as a cotton agent for a thread mill. I wonder if he ever stopped by some of the places he might have remembered.

---

I'll do that, Michelle! Maybe a synopsis for his bio, and a free space page for more detailed info.

---

Pip, I know we will all be thinking of you and will stay turned to hear from you sometime after the surgery! I hope all goes well and the pain vanishes.

---

Hi Pip, Glad to hear you got to visit with your family. Sorry about all that flood we are kid of lucky that we live on top of the hill but the water does go halfway up the driveway from time to time. I took pictures once showed them to township hall to prove my point that my ditch needed fixed. They finally fixed when I had a picture of ducks swimming in it. I still think they cringe at me when they see me at townhall meetings. 

Great find on your dad's military records, I am so jealous of you when I asked for my dad's records they sent me 5 pages. 

I will be praying for you on the 3rd for surgery. I hope it goes well for you.  My surgery is the following week. We can do this and get through it to.

OH PIP What did you say about Alabama at the Season?  

Roll Tide Roll

Sorry Michigan Fans I just love Alabama So.

Chris Wine

---

Oh boy I could really spend some serious time on old postcards if anyone had saved something of that nature. I suspect I will find something interesting should my mom ever decide to move, like I know she collected and saved the WWII ration cards from cleaning out her grandfather's garage.

---

Wow! What a fabulous Christmas with your family and then to receive your dad's military records and the 1909 postcard! I should order my dad's military records. I was blessed that a man who went through Bootcamp to the end of World War II typed me up a timeline. I knew he had participated in seven of the eight major European Battles and the timeline gave me an even better grasp of his history.  I could even find the newspaper article when he arrived back in New York, and then his name was mentioned in the Little Rock newspaper as arriving back in Arkansas. Timelines are so helpful.

I don't know if you have a subscription to newspapers.com. Still, if so, the Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee. has numerous articles about this reunion, from the official programs, parties, marches, and elections related to the SCV; just one interesting article after another.

Prayers for your upcoming surgery! May you recover as quickly as possible. May 2024 bring more genealogy delights and I can't wait to see your Appalachian folklore kilt.

Happy New Year! Hope 2024 brings health and many more great genealogy records!

---

Chris, I am with you. My blood is as crimson as it comes. RTR!

---

Pip typed:

"I got an email yesterday morning from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. I asked for my dad’s records for his service in the United States Navy during WW II over two years ago. The email had an attachment with ALL OF HIS RECORDS, 62 pages! Schools he attended, stations, units, one medical record, and his citation for the Air Medal. Once I get them all in order, I’ll be able to trace his service chronologically."

I remember when I got my dad's records from St. Louis (from being in the Air Force). He was very modest about his time in the service but apparently he was a good leader, hard worker and very detail oriented as a mechanical engineer for airplanes. I need to also get his records in order and document in my dad's Wikitree profile. 

We got their work ethic from our dads, Pip. Have a blessed beginning to the New Year!

---

Happy 2024 from the other half of the world that is hours and a day ahead.

---

Happy New Year to you, a day late and a dollar $hort.

Answer 1

I'm glad your Christmas was so delightful.  Good luck on the coming procedure on your other shoulder.  The time off will give you time to peruse all of the new material.  Nice for you.

I did make the right decision last week to avoid my grandson's early family Christmas gathering.  He was diagnosed the day after. His girlfriend had been diagnosed three days before.  His mother and stepfather attended a Christmas Day gathering at my daughter's, which I also attended.  The next day they were both diagnosed with Covid, although they each took a test before coming into the house that day and were not infected.  I guess I dodged a bullet.

Comments

Hi Beaulah, I am still very careful of going to family gatherings. I had Covid in mid-August that I caught on a flight (and I was wearing a mask) to visit family. I was really sick and do not want that ever again. You dodged more that a bullet by staying home given that large gathering and their all having Covid. I am sorry, though, for that crimp in Christmas.

My sincere Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year. Hugs!

---

Beulah, our pastor caught Covid at the grocery store last week. He'll be out this Sunday, so I'll be leading the service. I think we all will be wearing masks, just in case.

---

I've dodged a bullet as well from COVID and norovirus.

---

I'm sorry to hear of so many cases in your family, I hope they all recover quickly. Happy New Year Beulah

Answer 2

¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 7:00 am and 42F (5.6C) with an expected high of 68F (20C) with mostly sunny skies in Tucson.

It was the best of weeks; it was the worst of weeks. First the worst. I spent the morning of Christas Eve day in Urgent Care for 2.5 hours. I was diagnosed with my 5^th urinary tract infection (UTI) this year! I am going to end up becoming antibiotic resistant…this is so frustrating. It is clearly related to the atrophy of the exopancreas. I have never had a UTI in my life until this year. I drink cranberry juice, take AZO cranberry capsules, enjoy cranberry sauce with low fat cottage cheese, and now take AZO D-mannoes ever since I saw the urology physician’s assistant (PA) about 3 weeks ago. Maybe I should just stop taking all of this (rather expensive) over-the-counter stuff and hope that the UTIs stop as well! I completed my course of antibiotics last night and will take the Urgent Care information along with the results of the urinalysis to the urology PA’s office on Tuesday after New Years. I will ask to be tested again to make sure that all the bad bugs in my pee have been murdered.

The other bad news is that my ‘not that old’ (about 1.5 years) Dell desktop that I use for my academic activities might be dying. I have had the Geek Squad out several times over this past year, but they really find nothing. For the past several weeks when I ‘boot up’, I have been hearing a brief ‘screechy’ sound now. I mentioned this to friends at Christmas dinner (computer wonks) and they said this does not sound good. I have no idea what I would do if I needed a new desktop. I have shelled out $2500 for two new wall-mounted toilets in March, went from $1900 last year to $2500 this year for auto/home insurance in June, and had to replace a wall-mounted tankless water heater to the tune of $5000 in October…all on a fixed income.

The pain from the lumbar stenosis is becoming very difficult to deal with and I am not eligible for a steroid injection until the end of January. I found a ‘dispensary’ that sells THC-laced gummies (pineapple flavor) in Tucson where dispensing marijuana is legal. I have been taking one (~50 mg. THC) every few hours for the past several weeks and they barely take the edge off the pain. I spoke with my brother on Christmas Day, and he said I should be taking two, not one (he’s a retired sheriff, not a doctor). On Tuesday, I took two and was stoned! I still had pain, but because of the ‘high’ I did not care. I was chatting with dead people in my kitchen, and finally fell asleep in my home/office recliner. I have not been that high since the 1960s. Because of the UTI, pain and ‘high’, I have not reconciled the final version of our night shift and cost paper. Maybe not such a bad thing to have this break. I have the next two weeks to review and submit the paper.

The best was the really great time I had with my friends Diana, Stuart, and their son Jeremy at their home for Christmas dinner. Stuart (an MD) and Jeremy (a computer cartographer) were the ones who warned me about my dying Dell. I made a sweet potato souffle, which turned out to be delicious and attractive with all those little mini marshmallows floating on the top. I also brought pumpkin pie and apple tarts for dessert, and a chilled bottle of pomegranate flavored mead to toast the holidays (I had ¼ inch in a wine glass as the pancreatitis does not allow for alcohol). Our dinner was fully vegetarian! No meat! The vegetarian turkey TASTED like real turkey. In addition, we had honey glazed carrots, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce (an homage to my UTI), and broiled brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze (delicious)! Good friends, good conversation, good memories, laughs. It was a wonderful time.

As to WikiTree, I heard from a wonderful WikiTreer located in Berlin, Germany asking about the German ancestry on my paternal side. “Jan” gave me glowing comments for the profiles that I created for the Rathgeber/Grohnke line and asked about a potential error in immigration related to a family named ‘Trettin’ related through marriage. I contacted him indicating that his immigration listing was correct, which now makes us cousins through marriage. I also completed the Boys of Kent (well, as far as I want to go with them, which was roughly 1435), and have returned to writing biographies and adding sources to the Baldwin line. I truly did not think I would make 1000 contributions this month; however, I checked this evening and have only 107 more contributions to make for 1000, which will be doable over the next two days (pre-supposing my Dell does not die…I have a laptop, though, heh…heh…heh).

Pip, as ever, thank you for leading the Weekend Chat for yet another glorious Wiki-Year. Another week closer to seeing you in 2024! I also want to wish all my WikiTree friends and family a great fifth and last week and weekend of December 2023! My sincere Best Wishes to All for a Happy, Healthy and Low to No Cost New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!

Comments

Although I am not a vegan, that Christmas dinner sounds delightful.  I used to raise brussel sprouts in my small garden and enjoyed them when everything else had been frosted to death.  I learned to pick them upwards off from the bottom of the stem to keep the season going and not have the first ones get overly tough.  Maybe in warmer weather they get ready at the same time, but in northern
New York November is pretty cold for vegetable growing.
Your friends sound like the kind we would all like to have when family is too far away to enjoy.  Best wishes for a better 2024 than 2023 has been.

---

Sounds like you have been having my kind luck.I had to go out and get a new computer as my Power Supply went bad and my computer would not turn on at all.  Do you have the Total Tech plan with Best Buy? If so they will restore your new computer with your old data on to and some of your browser extensions work.

The week before that I had Covid. Talk about fun. No one in the family knew how to do the Turkey so guess who did the turkey?  lol isnt life fun?

---

@Beulah...it really was quite a delicious meal. I love brussles sprouts, but the baby ones because they are more tender and don't have those very tough stems. My sincere best wishes to you, Beulah, for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

---

@Chris Wine, Yes, I do have the total tech plan with Best Buy. The problem is that it is a desk top (not easy for me to pack up and carry) AND it is configured with my university account. I am not sure if they could configure a NEW computer given the ASU account, two-factor authentication, etc. I really thought when I was buying this rather expensive POS that it would last at least five years. Plus, I really don't have the $$$ for a new computer given the outlay from this year alone on a fixed income.

I had Covid in August and was so sick I wanted to die. My bones felt like they were on fire and that someone stuck a hot poker in my throat. I have had more shots than a dog and was due for a booster, which I cannot get until February as my immune system is lowered from all these infections plus having MS.

My guess is that you ended up doing the turkey!? And to have Covid! Sometimes life isn't so fun. Nevertheless, we will persist! My Sincere Best Wishes to you and your family for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

---

Carol, I swear, when you talk medical, I feel as connected to you as I do Brother Vaskie when he talks Bar-B-Que. I finally got my Dr to refer me for a Cat scan and MRI to confirm my source of pain. Hopefully, Jan 8th, I will confirm or reject the initial diagnosis of spinal stenosis that a Dr concluded from an x-ray.

---

Hi K...Medical and Bar-B-Que...what an interesting analogy and not unrelated given the 'roasting' some folks get in their medical care here. An MRI should do the trick! That's how my lumbar stenosis was diagnosed about 3 years ago. I will keep you in my daily healing intentions (this list is growing).

BTW...you will be having your MRI on The King's (Elvis) Birthday. I am just loaded with useless trivia today.

---

My old orthopedic surgeon, who performed no fewer than 12 surgeries on my knees and broken bones, had the same musical taste as I. We would occasionally run into one another at concerts. I'm thinking I'll take Elvis and headphones with me for the MRI and CAT scan.

---

Oh, Carol, I wish I could wish your pain away. It makes everything else so much more tolerable. Maybe 2024 is the year to get relief! I wonder if there is another herbal med that would work better for you like a higher CBD with less THC.

Pomegranate mead sounds lovely! I just discovered a meadworks near my mom's city so many people got mead as gifts this year. Wishing you the happiest of new years.

Answer 3

Merry Christmas to all.  And I wish all a great 2024. We had a wonderful get together with family and friends over Christmas.  I did not get much done documentation wise in Wikitree but every family get together delivers information that I never heard and creates new ideas on research. We had a great time looking at old pictures which we were casting to the big TV and got a few people identified that we did not know about.

This week is now about clean up from the festivities and figuring out how to lose the weight I gained during the fun times.  I hope to get some time to document my new info and keep pushing my research forward. I will also declare that one New Year’s resolution is to learn Wikitree extensions.

Comments

The browser extension will change your whole experience! I am going to try to get more proficient with WikiTree Plus this year. I hope you love the options and ease of the WBE.

Answer 4

Top of the Morning and tail of the year to all that read this post, from the site of the lone black jack oak here in Missouri. Well, Santa came and went. The Chiefs were given a well deserved loss and I, another down vote.

On to the Geni: For the last couple years I have worked on the premise a James Hine/Hines/Hind, listed on a roster of Quantrill was a man who married two of my xx great aunts. His name was James Overton Hinde, the same as his father and son. It was not until I added family when I discovered a nephew of the same name, born in 1846. Although that would make him only 14 at the beginning of the war, his memorial on Findagrave indicates he is the one who in fact rode with Quantrill and allegedly rode with James-Younger gang after the war. I can't wait to tell the other kids at the museum. Speaking of which, my turn to cover. Gotta go....

Comments

As I suspected, it was a slow day at the museum. Six hours of perusing new books that were donated since my last day at the museum. No visitors but, I did have two people stop who broke the boredom. The first was a lady on her way to visit her husband in hospice. Her husband has been a long-time student of local history and curator of Fort Osage, one of the first trading posts ran by the United States Government after the Louisiana Purchase. She wants to donate his library to the museum. After a few tears and reflection of his passion, she proceeded on her way on what was probably one of her last visits with her husband. My next visitor introduced himself as the great great grandson of ??? Putthoff, a Union soldier who fought in the battle. He inquired as to what would it take to get a copy of an original roster of the Missouri 7th (on display) in which his great great grandfather served. That conversation quickly turned into, 'you too could be a volunteer and share your interest.' We shall see if he accepts my invitation to attend our next monthly meeting.

---

Nicely done with your visitors.  I know you were a comfort to the wife.  I hope your recruitment efforts pay off in both cases.

---

I often struggle with what to say in situations like that, so I focused on her objective to make sure his passion lives on as we can say or do little to change the inevitable outcome. I expressed my condolences and asked her to express my gratitude, from a likeminded stranger, for keeping history alive.

---

The absolute best you could offer someone who knows they are about to lose a loved one, is to let some piece of them be seen and appreciated so they get to live on through it.

---

Happy Birthday! Not exactly where/why I should post this. I just added my final profile for 2023. It just so happened to be on her 101st birthday, a Degree 6 connection. Come on 2024- Let's Wiki!

Answer 5

Hi from southern Ontario, 

Chez moi/at home: what's been happening here? We did have a green Christmas, still no snow but it looks like that will change over the weekend, with some flurries and seasonal temps in the 0 to -4 C range. 

Christmas was busy, both daughters here with families, having done a lot of the meal prep ahead was a big bonus, Wednesday we had the Ross clan here, I think there were 19 people. 

Yesterday we took 2 granddaughters 2/3 of the way to Ottawa, about 3 hours drive one way, to stay with some family friends who have a heritage home in the woods. We were supposed to meet up with the friends about 1.5 hours drive from here, and they would then take the kids to the house.  This would have meant we each drove for about 1.5 hours, they got mixed up about timing and we just kept driving east until we finally met up with them. Instead it was about 6 hours total driving time. 

WikiTree and family history: I will, I think need to do an Unresponsive profile manager request for the Alexander family mentioned last week, the person did reply to say they would look at the profiles, but no further communication, no changes have been made, I’ll wait another week or so but no longer. 

I also need to figure out what to do about a person who has added a second husband to an ancestor of Robbie’s based on a spelling difference in a last name from a 1600s Scotland marriage record found in a questionable source, plus 5 additional children born in the same years as 4 existing children. There are actual baptism and marriage records on Find My Past and Scotland’s people. This person has no sources other than the questionable family history written in the late 1800s.

There are 5 females with the same name born within the same 5-10 year time period in the same area who married men with the same or similar names. I think this will probably need a request to Scotland project to do some additional research. I haven’t worked on this family group for some time, but when I did I could not find a connection to ‘the historic noble family’, in the questionable source. Just a lot of families with similar names in the same area. 

What else: Tucson vacation planning, Canadian Maritimes summer vacation planning. And probably getting someone to check if our front door has developed some sort of structural problem, it doesn’t shut properly unless you close it very gently! 

Plus continuing to sort 'stuff' in the basement as well as reviewing the 2000 photo slides that are left from the original 14,000 slides I inherited from my father. If I can get the total number down to 1000 I will get them scanned and then figure out if I have a place to save them. 

Comments

Hi M, Just a caution that the UPM can be a hassle. Be sure to leave messages on their profile, an email to them using their profile site, etc. and wait a week for a response. Then submit the UPM; however, the PM could at the 11th hour tell the person that s/he is, indeed, active on WikiTree which subverts all your work trying to get things changed! This happened to me several times and there isn't a *&^^%$ thing I could do about it. G2G is asking for changes for 2024, maybe a strong guideline as to these types of folks are in order. By and large WikiTreers are great, but we get some who end up gaming the system and making other WikiTreer's hard work even harder.

It sould like you had a very pleasant Christmas with family. PLEASE keep me apprised of your Tucson plans (and when). Sincere Best Wishes to you and your family for a Happy & Health New Year!

---

Carol, I have done several UPM requests all of which went through with no hassles. I have already done all the various communication requirements.

In this case the person was only active for about 3 weeks in 2015, I am guessing that WT fell into the too hard pile.

I had already unknowingly created duplicates for some of the family members because many originals had Orange or Red privacy, only initials, or only 1 name when there was a unique second name and almost no information given that would suggest an existing profile.

---

Green Christmas in Maryland as well, much to my children's dismay. (I wouldn't have minded snow either.) Good luck untangling the duplicates and look alikes!

Answer 6

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

 Two days ago I had my 45th birthday and we had a great time. We went to dinner at a place called Trattoria Amalfi. Check out the menu here: https://www.tamalfi.com/

I had tortellini with pesto and a meatball. Was pretty darn good. I also had a call from my brother in VA and a ton of well wishes from friends and family.

On the genealogy front, I wrote a blog about how I want to be remembered. Check it out here: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2023/12/52-ancestors-week-52-me-myself-and-i.html

Kinda a weird topic. But, it works, I guess. I'll be sure to post more 52 Ancestors blogs next year. AND I'll be sure to be a dancing monkey on the Youtube Channel once again. I like being on YouTube. But, I don't miss the editing.

I got a subscription to Ancestry for my birthday and I'll be checking out stuff. One of the first things I found was a picture of my 2nd great-grandfather Eugene Hamel's sister. I went to message the person who uploaded it and she doesn't accept messages. THAT was annoying. So, I went around it and left a message on the pic. People are weird on the Internet. Whatever. We'll see if she gets the memo that I snagged the pic and everything. In the meantime, there are a ton of hints to take care of. =D

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Thanks for hosting, Pip! Enjoy the blog!

Comments

Happy Belated Birthday Chris!! Hope your year is filled with wonderful genealogy finds.

---

Thanks, Michelle!

---

Ciao Cousin Chris! Buon Natale (I think that's Italian)! A subscription to Ancestry can be a real treat, but Ancestry does have its drawbacks, including people not responding. Another issue with Ancestry is people conflating profiles that much up correct ancestry. The upside is that you do come across unexpected treats, line family photos and sources that aren't on FamilySearch or other such 'engines.' Sincere belated birthday greetings AND Best Wishes for a Happy and Health New Year.

---

Ciao, Carol! Yeah, that’s right!

Any sub has drawbacks. Look at Marvel Unlimited. Sure you get access to comics. But, sometimes those comics don’t get transferred to trade paperbacks. Kinda lame.

At least you get a treat every once in a while with Ancestry.

We’ll see where this goes. The well has run dry for pic hints as I cleared them all.

Thanks! I hope you have a great year, too!

---

Happy birthday, Chris! Now an Ancestry subscription is a nice gift!

---

Happiest of birthdays! I hope you really enjoy your ancestry subscription and get a lot out of it. I will get around to actually paying for one, one of these years. I guess when I buckle down and get SERIOUS about this hobby, right? ;)

"There's no script that we're following and no guidelines to look at..." Facts. We are making this all up as we go along. I hope future researchers give us grace with how we handled our uncertain times. But sometimes it's fun to realize there are no real rules, the system is invented and the points don't matter lol.

---

@Erin: That’s right. The points are like getting upvoted on a message board, :) wait….

Gotta love ”Who’s line is it anyway?”

@Eileen: Yes, it is! Thanks!

---

Happy Birthday! I will see if I can remember that for a year. It should not be hard since mine is the day before.

---

Thanks, K! Hope you had a great one, too!

---

I'm kind of like Keith Richards, who is glad to be anywhere, I was glad to just have another one.

Answer 7

Grüessech,

This very Swiss-Bernese greating from Interlaken is also for me hard to pronounce due to my Dutch background.

The christmas days were mild about 10-12 degrees C. Our 2 children who live in Switzerland came over for the dinner in Interlaken with their partners. Our eldest son had his own party in Beijing where he lives. The day after we went to have the 2nd dinner at our son's place in Lenzburg. Again our group of 6 together. Today I congratulated my youngest sister for her birthday. Yesterday on the last  possible term she and my brother-in-law signed for a new apartmment for people aged 50 to 70 (one has to fit in this age) today she is already over the limit!

My Wikitree activity dropped down a bit, because of the parties with family and friends so I won't make over 3'000 edits this month. At least I jumped over the 5'000 mark for my CC7. I didn't realise in 60 years of genealogical activity that I have so many 'close' relatives. So I also looked to my featured connections to sea Michael Jackson to be number 4 on the list (20 steps away).

I enjoy working with Wikitree more and more and since I seriously started at the beginning of February this year I made a 1'500 edits monthly which makes me a tiny bit proud.

I wish all those with medical issues a better health in 2024 and to all of you genealogist (quite close to genius) the best for the future.

Klaas

Comments

Wishing you a happy healthy new year, and all edits are important even if we don't quite make the lofty goals we set for ourselves. I think that is a 'shoot for the moon, land among the stars' situation. Thank you for all the hard work!

Answer 8

Hello all and Happy New Year, Nga Mihi o te tau hou, Selamat tahun Baru, Manuia le tausaga fou .

On my Wikitree front my watchlist is finally under 5000 profiles with a current standing of 4984. My watchlist might pop back up soon as I have some Notables I need to add for my Global Project countries and of course there will be Connectathon next month. I am also helping to run the new 16 for 16 Mission (G2G post HERE) which has two missions about the weekend chat in it. (Post 16 weekends or 32 weekends). 

On the personal front nothing much to report yet. My girls do want to rearrange their room for the new year and I will likely get roped into helping move their furniture. Might even do the same for my room. I also had my first taste of alcohol for a long time and will have another drink for New Years Eve. My kids will get some Shandy's as a option too if they desire. And before people worry it is legal in New Zealand for the parent to supply alcohol to their children as long as it is in a responsible manner.

Comments

New year, new room! I like it. Always nice to give everything a fresh perspective. Congrats on whittling the watchlist down, that is definitely on my genealogical New Year's resolution this year.

Answer 9

Virtual Vacation!

This is Pow Point Lodge in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. 

We have friends whose family owned Pow Wow Point Lodge since 1969, the first cottage on the site was built in 1920 and the property had several owners before our friends’ family bought the property. 

We spent many weekends at the lodge, mostly in the fall to hike in nearby Algonquin Provincial Park and enjoy the fall colours. 

In 2007 our oldest daughter chose Pow Wow as the location of her wedding, we had the entire property for 3 days, guests stayed overnight, walked on the beach, watched fireworks over the lake, went canoeing and walked in the woods. 

This is the main lodge built in the 1930s with a traditional Muskoka red roof. 

The sitting room in the lodge, the fireplace was made from local stone. 

It has a coffee table with a cribbage board. 

The building on the left is where we usually stayed. 

The boat house which was renovated and turned into a luxurious honeymoon suite and the dock. 

And chairs on the dock for relaxing and watching the lake and later in the evening stargazing. 

A view of the lake

Our friends’ daughter, Dara Howell, who grew up at Pow Wow, and learned to ski and snowboard at nearby Hidden Valley ski resort won the first-ever Olympic gold medal awarded in Ski Slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Burning the lodge!

After some years of trying to find a new owner, the lodge closed in 2015, and the land was subdivided into several waterfront lots. The main lodge could not be renovated successfully. In April 2017 the historic main lodge was set on fire in a controlled burn, for training purposes by regional fire departments. 

Comments

M, thank you for this very 'relaxing and restful' vacay! I can almost hear the gulls screeching! The family on my maternal side would have spent their entire vacay playing cribbage on that board!

It is really too bad that the lodge was burned down to the ground due to not finding a new owner, though.

---

Carol, the second and third floors of the lodge were officially 'unsafe' and could not be used for guest accommodation.

The days of rustic accommodation, think of the lodge in Dirty Dancing seem to be over, all the cottages on the property had been completely renovated with hot tubs, gas fireplaces, tongue and groove white pine paneling.

The cost of renovating the main lodge to current fire and safety standards while keeping the historical features was prohibitive.

It was quite common to see black bears wandering around the property in the fall.

---

Look carefully at those chairs lined up by the lake.  You may find my spirit sprawled out on one of them on Jan. 31, with a good book and sun protection all over me.  Can't I dream?

---

Beulah, sun protection, snow gear, boots, a hat, mitts and a Spanish or Irish coffee to keep you warm!

---

Don't rat me out if I break in to use the heater in one of those cabins.

---

What a beautiful lodge and setting! I can see it would be a wonderful place for a wedding and all the guests! I would love to sit out there with a big cup of coffee or hot chocolate while star gazing. Thanks for sharing such stunning photographs.

Answer 10

Howdy folks! Greetings from chilly central Oklahoma USA! The cold front came through Christmas Eve evening and the winds swept away our 50-60F temps. Now we are 40s during the day and 20s/30s at night with some heavy frost some mornings. For the first time this year, I'm not sweating when I'm on my walks. Historically, the bad winter weather hits Oklahoma after the first of the year. Ugh. 

Speaking of my walks, I am going to start bumping up the intensity. I'm going to walk the half marathon in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon that happens in April. Right now I'm walking a little over six miles a day, six days a week. My plan is to bump up my mileage every few weeks until I hit 15 miles per day and stick with the six days a week. I walked in a 5K back in September, but thats only a little over three miles. 13.1 miles will be challenging to say the least, and i'm looking forward to the challenge!

Christmas was a great time! The grandgirl and the others came over Saturday. I had a 6 lb prime rib roast that I rubbed with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then I vacuum sealed it in a bag, and cooked it with my sous vide for about 14 hours at 125F, fired up the grill and put a nice crisp on the outside. It was melt in your mouth good! Christmas Eve we went to Brook's moms. We had ham and the usual sides. I made bagna cauda, and for dessert I brought the ice cream maker and made my three ingredient Wendy's frosty clone recipe. Might not suck. Christmas Day was Brook and I at home, in the quiet, watching football and eating tri tip that I cooked just like the prime rib. It was fun, but I'm always glad to see the holidays come to an end. I'm cranky that way.

This weekend we are heading up to Grand Lake O' the Cherokee to hang out with our friends who live up there for the New Years. Sunday night there is a reservation only NYE party at the bar we all like to hang out at. It's fancy dress up, prime rib dinner, masks, and completely out of my comfort zone. Brook wants to go, so........ The things we do for the ones we love. I'm sure it will be fun. Maybe. 

Thanks, Pip for being the host with the most, and I hope everyone rings in the New Year in which ever manner makes you happy! 

Until next time.....

John

Comments

When I go fancy, I put on some bib overalls. They are considered a leisure suit in my neck of the woods. Other than dressing funny, you will probably enjoy since you like to hang out there anyway. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

---

Hope you have a happy new year even if it is a little fancy for your taste. My husband is a musician and gets big fancy party gigs this time of year, and I stay home with the kids toasting sparkling apple cider in our jammies if we even stay up that long. It's always funny to me how different our nights are.

Answer 11

Greetings to Everyone on a cold, crisp, sunny day in Texas. We will not rise above the 40's today - with a slight breeze also.

Our Christmas was great - all the children, grands, one niece and one cousin gathered for Christmas dinner and opening of presents. A good time was had by all. I could hardly wait to fall into bed that night. It took a couple of days to really recover and I think the daughter who hosted is still in recovery mode.

I will be enjoying about three days of being home alone with only the dog to keep me company - oh wait - and the computer and all the ancestors who need finding. Husband and son are going to the hunting camp where another daughter plus her family and son-in-law and grandson are already there. I almost said I would go along even though I do not hunt but decided I wanted some alone time to catch up on some genealogy.

I wish everyone a very Happy and  Healthy New Year in 2024. Be safe in your travels and/or celebrating!

Comments

May your new year start peacefully in the quiet. I remarked to my husband several times during my trip home to visit family that I just wanted to be cuddled up under a blanket wikitreeing...

---

May you enjoy your solitude and easily locate the ancestors with their documentation. We reached 60 degrees with beautiful sunshine this afternoon. I am so ready for Spring and Summer. Happy New Year!

Answer 12

Hello everyone, from a brisk, sunny December day in Wichita, Kansas. Hope that all your goals for 2023 are complete and that you have much research success in 2024!

Comments

I'm determined to finish the 30 for 15 (two more items to complete, I can make it I think) but have not solidified my goals for next year yet. Probably buckle down some on my one place study, and get some more of MY tree documented because I work on others so much I neglect my own. May your new year bring new finds and happiness.

Answer 13

Happy Weekend, Chatters,

I am extremely camera shy and have been wary of making personal information public. However, you've been so kind in this chat in the two years I've been with you that today I'd like to become a little less Anonymous to you.

Elias Augustine Reed 4/4/1962-

Wishing you all the best in 2024!

Comments

Are you the one who uses all the books above you?

---

Oh yes, Beulah! I'm single-never married and live alone. Those are just a few of my favorite paperbacks, arranged in easy reach above my bed: Brother Cadfael Mysteries, Tolkien, T.H.White, C.S.Lewis, Stanislaw Lem, Bonhoeffer's, and Forell's Ethics, Augustine's Confessions, Barclay's commentaries, Guidebooks from The Great Courses, Stephen Jay Gould essays, and Audubon Field Guides.

After all, for centuries my surname was spelled Read. It changed to Reed in my great grandfather's time, and I've been tempted to change it back. I was also born with the signature rosy cheeks and a full head of hair with plenty of the copper highlights that probably prompted our family name. My mom had never seen a newborn with so much hair-and long enough to bunch in a ribbon! I still get my money's worth from the barber.

---

Brother Cadfael has long been one of my favourite reads - and things to watch.  (I wish they'd made more of them.)  I don't remember a time when I did not (could not) read.

---

Hi Anon! Very nice to 'see' you! Your taste in books is outstanding...likely because they are some of my (and my daughter's) favorites. Your mention of Lewis reminded me of when my daughter was about 11 years old. We lived in a 'lower flat' in Milwaukee and her bedroom at a bit of a 'walk in' closet. I spent a lot of time looking for her one Saturday morning (to help me with laundry). I found her sitting in that closet reading C.S. Lewis. She told me she was reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and that closet was her Narnia! Thank you for that memory! My sincere Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

---

I can appreciate the desire to remain Anonymous. Like Mark Twain, I agree that is one of two ways to speak candidly, the other is posthumously. I chose K to Kevin, not to be confused with the other Kevin Smith. Now I see a K. and a Kay Smith. I guess being a Smith has built in anonymity.

---

K, My college friend, Gail Castonguay, was so sick of coaching others through pronouncing and spelling her name that she vowed to marry a John Smith - and she did! It was a love match for sure, but interesting how the name was fulfilled as well. I miss Gail- she was totally blind-but fearless. We first met when she was roller skating in the student union building and crashed full into me. We ended up living in the same neighborhood in Quincy and serving together on the Commission for Disabilities. I was a wheelchair user at that time (2001-2011). We discovered that Gail could feel out the ground through my wheelchair as well or better than with her cane, so we did this around town for kicks- the reactions of passersby were priceless.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/gail-smith-obituary?id=22343786

---

Hello Elias, nice to "meet" you! Excellent choice in books! I LOVE the Audubon guides, I would check those out from the library as a kid and read them cover to cover hoping to be able to identify everything by the time I was finished.

 I was very excited about my gift to my sister this Christmas, she sent me an idea for a book advent calendar as something she wished she could experience so I decided to do something similar for her...the 12 days of Christmas...books! I picked a dozen of my favorites that I was relatively sure she hadn't read and wrapped them up. I can't wait to hear her feedback.

---

Elias, pleasure to meet you.

In a local coffee shop, we have a lending library of books. We do have C.S. Lewis. I've read the Screwtape Letters.

---

Eileen, What impressed me from The Screwtape Letters was the concept of ordinary- or even passive evil. It doesn't take much to rob us of joy.

---

Erin, A literary advent- what a sweet idea!
I collected my Audubon guides between '78-'85 when I was in high school and college. My dad was a bricklayer by trade, but a farmer and naturalist by heart and family tradition. From him, all of us kids got the bug for bugs, birds, and all kinds of plants- three of us got college degrees in biology.
By my junior year in high school, I felt called to ministry, but ordination plans were put on hold when I got full scholarship to any of the Massachusetts state schools instead of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. My reasoning in choosing my courses was that there are public libraries in every town, but I've never heard of a public laboratory- so I majored in both biology and chemistry. Since graduating, I never did much with either career wise other than continuing to be a nurse's aide in nursing centers and clients' homes-as I wrote above, one way and another, I felt called to ministry. As a preacher is God's voice, a nurse is God's hands.
My college education wasn't wasted- I've needed it to better understand my medical needs and limits. My condition is so rare that I am constantly educating physicians. The reason I am so camera shy is that my fetal development was affected by a severe form of 1st and 2nd branchial arch syndrome-mine extends down my spine and midline organs. It was likely caused by teratogenic exposure (I was poisoned in the womb in a way that knocked things off course and caused a slew of problems). In my first 30 years, I had dozens of surgeries to put my face together as it is now. My appearance has made a lot of people uncomfortable. Some have struck out at me violently- even my own parents at times- so that there is always part of me expecting the unexpected. I trust this group. I have seen that each of you are kind and support each other.

---

Happy New Year, my friend.  I hope it is a peaceful and pleasant one for you.

---

Hi Elias,

Love your taste in books. Bonhoeffer is one of my heroes. I introduced my children to C. S. Lewis and Tolkien as young children. We visited an Audubon Museum in either Kentucky or Indiana; fabulous. 

Happy New Year! Look forward to seeing you on WT in 2024!

Answer 14

On this day:

1800: Charles Goodyear, who found the principle of vulcanization, is born

1923: The Senegalese anthorologist Cheikh Anta Diop is born

1996: The Guatemalan Civil War ends

Comments

Hi Jelena! I will go with Cheikh Anta Diop! What a personal history. Plus, he shares a birthday with my niece, Elyse, and my niece-in-law, Rachel.

My sincere Best Wishes to you and your mum for a Happy & Healthy New Year! Sending hugs...

---

I will go with Charles Nelson Goodyear   My 19th cousin twice removed

Answer 15

Good evening from partly floody Germany

where in Northern Germany there are heavy floods. In the other parts the rain isn't that bad and although the rivers are full, there are no floodings. The forecast for New Year's eve said some days ago, it will get quite stormy during the day, but now it doesn't seem to get that bad.

At home... we stayed at home as much as we could. The shops opened on Wednesday only anyway, since Monday and Tuesday were public holidays here, but even when they opened, we stayed at home. The plug for the router, I will get it in the new year, then the shops won't be so crowded with people.

Genealogy: On Tuesday, someone had edited something on one of the smaller German nobility profiles I had created and it had jumped on the top of my watchlist, which shows the last edited profiles first. I had a look if I can simply orphan him and that's it. But no, there are still connections to him I have to create. So I start creating and creating and creating. Eventually there were new connections into the high European Aristocracy with smaller numbers of degrees of seperation and roundabout 80 new profiles. Yeah I was busy.

Then I had a look at the Connection Finder plans for next year. Germany on 22 of May is in the calendar. So the Germany project has to improve some of the German profiles to be able to fill that date. I started today with one known chemist. The first thing I did on the profile seems to be destructive. I deleted the biography that was on his profile. But it was a simple copypaste from the English wikipedia-entry for him. Then I created profiles for some relatives of him that still hadn't profiles. Among his descendants is a silver medaillist from the Olympic Games in Berlin 1936. Tomorrow I will start to write a biography for him.

Have a good start of 2024, and Pip, your surgery will go well, I'm sure about that.

Comments

May the floods not reach your area. Nice work on those connections, that is a ton of profiles! But I get caught up in adding as well, once you start it's hard to draw a line anywhere because it's ALL related right?! Happy new year

---

They are, that is so true. I have a hard time to stop anyway, when I create profiles. And I can't stop unless the source is exploited.

I decided to delay the biography into January, so that I can make his bio one for my 16 for 16 challenge. I found 16 challenges I want to try to accomplish next year. Some will be easy since I do it anyway (like participating in the weekend chat), some will be more challenging, like dating 16 undated profiles or sourcing 160 profiles during the Thon. But I am determined to do that.

Answer 16

Hello my cousins and friends, from the Profootball Hall of Fame of Canton Ohio. With the exception of Monday which was sunny and almost 60 we had nothing but rain these past few days. The only good thing about was that I did get out on Tuesday and brought in my Inflatables. 

These past few weeks have been something for me I tell you, between me having Covid and my Computer's Power Supply Dying on me a computer purchase was the last thing I planned to buy.  In the weeks to come I guess I will find out all that I lost. 

Surgery is still planned for the 10th. I am a bit nervous for it and I just pray it will go well. So depend how it goes will depends on whether or not I will test the servers at a Nursing or rehab Center. Guess I will have to be kind. I am not used to sharing the server. Bingo might not be too bad...

America Football season is still here for a few more weeks :)  and both my teams made it to the playoffs :) 

Three Cheers for the

Crimson Tide and the Miami Dolphins!!!

Growing up in a Football town that is what everyone talks about. Football is really big here. It does get exciting during Hall of Fame weekend when everyone come to Canton. 

Well have a Happy New Year everyone!

Chris Wine

Comments

If it's not the Green Bay Packers (win or lose), then it's not football!

I will keep you in my healing intentions for your surgery. I hope your computer last longer than my current one that is only 1.5 years old

Sincere Best Wishes for a Happy & Health New Year!

---

May your surgery go well and you heal quickly. Wishing you health and happiness in the new year!

---

Go and play Bingo at the facility. You might win something such as candy or quarters. I pray that the aides, PTs and nurses will be nice to you.

---

Good Luck with your upcoming surgical procedure! Hope you recover easily and quickly. A BIG ROLL TIDE ROLL and good luck to the SEC!

Happy New Year!

Answer 17

Good evening from Everett, Washington. It is dark now, and the rain seems to have abated. I did not get dressed at all today. I was awakened at 7:30 a.m. by husband leaving for work. It was too early. Dog didn't want to go down the block and I couldn't blame him. I made breakfast and crawled back into bed.

Today I accomplished a goal by sewing a quilt top together. It has 59 yellow Dresden plate flowers on it, which I adopted from a Project Linus donor and appliqued by hand. That being finished, I can use the design wall to finish the next UnFinishedObject or UFO.

It was midafternoon when I got a visit from the traveling frozen meat salesman. Just in time, too, because the freezer was almost bare. I laid in a half-year's supply of steaks, fish and seafood.

I agreed to return to the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society in Lynnwood as a board member. I was President of SIGS back in the day, and now I teach the brick walls class.

After connecting Vada Pinson, I shed the profiles from the watchlist and barely made a dent. Still over 5000. I have begun on Mickey Rivers of the Yankees, who is still living. Yesterday was a major frustrating grind as I was trying to reconcile conflicting sources.

We had a young visitor from church over to our house on Christmas Day, along with his father, who wore a mask because he had a cough. But our adult children still caught it. Son now has a bad sore throat but daughter seems to be recovering. I have been having jabs as the virus is probing me but so far the immune system has been keeping it in check.

I am trying out the 2 new pairs of glasses slowly, so I don't get headaches. It is better not to have bifocals. I like the red frames on the new distance glasses.

Old memories can overwhelm me at certain moments; if I never bring old acquaintance to mind I feel safer. I want to just take a peek at an old memory and fold it back into the trunk.

Thank you, Pip, and all the folks who improved on WikiTree this past year.

Comments

Congratulations on your quilt! Sounds like a lot of work but I bet it is beautiful. I need to set crafting and genealogical intentions for the new year.

May your watchlist shrink this year as you whittle it down to just what you want.

---

Your quilt sounds beautiful. Maybe you could do a quilt show for us one weekend on chat. We would love to see your handiwork.

I can tell you have the gift of hospitality; hope all your family is healing from these viruses that seem ever prevalent.

Happy New Year!

Answer 18

Merry Christmas, Pip and everyone. The grandchildren organised Christmas Day for the first time this year, excellent feast and good fellowship. At 8 o'clock I was saying "goodbye" while himself packed the car. At 10 o'clock i was sat by his bedside in A and E watching a man with hours to live fight for his life. Today I am at home waiting for my son-in-law to bring him home. He must surely be made of teflon.

A salutary lesson in remembering to tell everyone you care about how wonderful they are. Best wished for a Happy New Year.

Comments

Wow C,

I'm sorry you had such a fright! I wish you a quiet and snuggly New Year's eve together.

---

Oh how scary! Not the holiday anyone wishes for. Wishing you a healthy and uneventful new year

Answer 19

On this day:

1460: Richard of York dies

1968: The first General Secretary of the United Nations Trygve Lie dies

1984: The basketball player LeBron James is born

Answer 20

Checking in from a dreary day in Bloomington, Illinois, USA! (update...the sun came out!)

The last two weeks have been hectic.  I am trying to work through my PIP Voyager training. My granddaughter has been staying with us, which is great, but I am starting to see I am raising a teenager again! 

New Song Parody Coming Next Week.  It has been ready for two weeks.  It's a very familiar winter song that lyrics were added to by a Jewish song writer.  The song seems to have been hijacked to become a X-mas song, as it was never intended to be for X-mas. In fact it was first released in the middle of Spring and became a big hit! I turned it into a Source-A-Thon song parody.  Thus, I waited to post it is as the first parody for 2024 in time for the Thon!

The Book:  This last two weeks I have made good progress on the book.  What is amazing is that I found a 6th cousin on WikiTree who descends from the very characters in the first chapter!  I got some things wrong!  She helped me with information I could never have found!  So, I had to back track and re-write.

I am purchasing LivingWriter as my book writing software.  Right now, I have been writing the story on a WikiTree Free space page.  That ain't going to fly when it comes time to finding a publisher. That being said, there will be a learning curve.  I am moving into viewing my writing as a full time job with overtime hours involved. 

My Genealogy goals will shift drastically this coming year.  I found all my family and purged my Watchlist.  I'll work hard to finish my PIP Voyager training and use those skills to make sure all the real characters in my book have up to date WikiTree profiles. And yes, I will politely ask all the profile mangers before I jump in and add information or change things!  I have come a long ways since I first joined WikiTree because there are so many wonderful Wikipeeps that have put up with me and yet still were willing to help me move forward to be a better community member!  Thank you, each and every one!

Thanks, PIP, for hosting the Weekend Chat for the 2023! Looking forward to 2024!

P.S.  I forgot to show off my new computer/monitors!  My first born son moved to California this week.  We were crying!  He said; "This will cheer you up:  I'm giving you my worrkstation! This will help you write your book!" 

So here it is:

Comments

Wow! I'd say your son really wants to read that book you are writing, and he loves his papa.

---

Wow, I am drooling with jealousy! I wonder at how my productivity would change with a multi-screen setup (or if I would just further distract myself, lol) so glad you are making progress on the book (even rewriting is still stepping forward if it is for accuracy's sake)

Have a lovely new year.

---

Amazing office! Time to write, write, write!

Happy New Year!