FOLLOW YOUR PAST Premieres

The Travel Channel has finally set their schedule for the genealogy/travel program called Follow Your Past. 

As many are aware, I have been working on a television program but have not been able to share much about it (part of that is because I didn't even know what they were going to call it until recently). I know that this is not much notice, but here are the dates as they are set to be shown. There are 13 in all. I can guess which ones I worked on (about 99% certain numbers 101 and 102 are in that list), but won't tell you here about the others because it would be just a guess . . . they had other genealogists also doing research (only three of which I knew about). So check your cable or satellite provider to schedule your recorder as my guess is, most folks won't be home to watch at these times. These are Eastern Times so you need to adjust that, as well (here on the west coast, I presume those 9:00am showings are 6:00am . . . when all the genealogists are up and watching TV). But that is just a guess as my satellite provider (DirecTV) does not yet display this program. Hopefully they will be rerun a number of times and/or offered for viewing on the Internet. Do spread the word as we would like the program to be successful and that is likely only if there are viewers!

Air Order is as follows:

March 21, 2016
9:00AM 104 – Vikings and Kings
9:30AM 107 – Crusaders to Castles

March 22, 2016
9:00AM 108 – Is There a Doctor in the House?
9:30AM 102 – In-Laws and Outlaws

March 23, 2016
9:00AM 112 – Grandpa and The Greatest Generation
9:30AM 113 – Writing History

March 24, 2016
9:00AM 103 – Haunted Family History
9:30AM 109 – The Frontiersmen

March 25, 2016
9:00AM 110 – Founding Fathers

9:30AM 105 – Queens and Castles

Wednesday, April 27, 2016
8:30AM 106 – Creators of Cool

9:00AM 111 – A Family of Explorers

9:30AM 101 – Road to Freedom

California Family History Expo Countdown - 2 weeks and counting

I cannot believe that there are only 2 weeks left before we have our genealogy reunion in Pleasanton, CA. That's one of the things I like the most: getting together with friends and cousins to network, reminisce, learn, and create new memories. I truly love this group of folks and am honored to be in their midst.

But what if you are new to genealogy? Will you feel out of place? Will there be anything for you? I know that sometimes there is an assumption that everyone knows the basics and some of the speakers can approach topics as if everyone knows that an "M" on a census record may stand for "Male," "Married," or "Mulatto," depending on which column it is in. Sometimes, as speakers, we forget to be clear. Please, if that happens and you are confused, ask for clarification (ideally, wait until the end of the presentation, but if it's something that will make the presentation meaningless until it's clarified, speak up, especially if the presentation is advertised as being for "beginners").


That said, let me make some suggestions for beginning researchers to "fill your bill" of genealogy presentations:

Friday, 10 am - "Genealogy for the First Time" - Laura Best

Friday, 11:30 am - "Google Search" - Lisa Louise Cooke

Friday, 1:30 pm - "Best Strategies for Searching Ancestry.com" - Ancestry.com Staff

Friday, 3:00 pm - "FamilySearch 2010 and Beyond" - Gordon J. Clarke

Friday, 4:30 pm - "What Can I Learn from the United States Census?" - Debbe Hagner, AG

Saturday, 8:00 am - "Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family across Time and Miles" - Jean Hibben, CG

Saturday, 9:30 am - "How to Use Your Family Tree to Improve Your Health" - Jordanna Joaquina

Saturday, 11:00 am - "Facebook for Genealogists" - Thomas MacEntee

Saturday, 1:00 pm - "Using Timelines and Historic Maps in Genealogy Research" - Laura Best

Saturday, 2:30 pm - "How to Find Your Ancestors on Ship Passenger Lists" - Debbe Hagner, AG

Saturday, 4:00 pm - "Kiss Those Brick Walls Goodbye! Research Success Stories" - Holly Hansen

Please note: these are general ideas for beginners. If you are particularly interested in working with FamilySearch, then I would recommend you attend more of their programs; if you are working on finding an ancestor from a particular culture (Irish, Scottish, German, etc.), check out the offerings for those beginning ethnic research endeavors. Click on the image above to access the full schedule of the event to select what is perfect for you.

Next week I'll talk a little more about the blogging that will be part of the expo.

Songs and Stories Keep the Past Alive: A Reflection on Kids' Camp at NGS

Last week (was it really that long ago?) I had the choice opportunity to work with some great folks to present the concept of family history research to a group of young folks (ages 8 through 16) at the NGS conference in Salt Lake City. It was an interesting experience because the "audience" included people of all ages (many adults joined their children/grandchildren) and they seemed to appreciate the "kids' songs" even more than the youth.

I started the program with the song "Old Dan Tucker," which is one I remember fondly from my own childhood (I've discussed this, and some others, on the earlier blog about my new "Songs of Early Childhood" CD). I informed the kids that their ancestors did not have CD or MP3 players, so they made their own music and this was one example. Personally, I fell in love with the song when I was a kid and would visit my grandfather. He had an extensive collection of 78 rpm records (which I have inherited).

I also performed "Tom Dooley," but didn't go into great detail about the back story on that (it's a bit racy). But I did mention something I have remembered since that song first hit the airwaves in 1958: my elementary school music teacher, Miss Shaddock (spelling may be wrong here), taught music to one of the members of the Kingston Trio (no, I don't remember which one, I'm afraid). When she told the class about that, I was quite impressed, even though I was very young - I really enjoyed their music from my earliest memory.

I told the back story of "Pretty Little Horses" (see earlier blog) and we discussed lullabies. I was pleased to see so many hands go up when I asked who had been sung to sleep by family members. I also sang "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" (which some people consider a lullaby) and "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain." In this latter one, I got the group doing the motions that accompany the words (they knew them better than I) and pointed out that the motions and some of the verses were a modern addition. This actually makes the song more of a "Play Party" piece - the songs that were created to circumvent dancing prohibition of an early American society.

In between songs, we did a little storytelling. I told a couple, then the audience members got involved. It was great: they told stories of injuries (of their own and others in the family or circle of friends - good thing no names were given as some of the narratives could have been considered embarrassing . . . you know how kids can get!), messes, disobeying rules, and scary situations. Some of the adults got into the storytelling, too, which made it even more enjoyable for me (I love stories and could hear and understand the adults' stories a little better than those the kids told). Then I informed them that they might want to share these stories in the years to come, so they should write them in their journals . . . time will dull the memory of something that seems so vivid today. But I also reminded them that, for our ancestors, stories and songs were often used to communicate a message or warning about things they should not do; many of their stories could serve that same purpose in the future with their children.

I don't know if the program had the desired effect, but I hope that my songs and stories gave those present a reminder that family history is not just names, dates, and places: it's experiences, interests, activities, occupations, and relationships. Through the songs and stories of earlier generations, we can connect with our ancestors. So take a break: tell a family story this weekend and make sure there's a record of it. Let's not lose these pieces of our lives to history!

Tombstone Tuesday, 23 June 2009

We arrived at Spring Hill Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee, at almost 5pm on Memorial Day, 2005, looking for the grave of my great-grandfather's brother (my great-granduncle), Clarence P. Wilcox. I knew the location and discovered that the plot was shared with the Smiths, but the stone was knocked off the base (Wilcox side down, of course). Our dog, Buddy, found the grave and laid down on the stone to await our realization that this was, in fact, the stone we were searching. But what to do? We had no crowbar in our camper (and doubt we would have attacked a tombstone with it if we had!), and the stone was securely wedged into the ground. I got the information about the Smiths (Clarence's second wife's brother and his wife), but wanted the information hidden from view.


There was a man and a truck in a nearby section (he was one of only 2 other visitors to the cemetery at that hour, on a holiday) and I bugged my husband Butch (in the dark blue shirt, below) until he agreed to go talk to the man to see if he might have a tool to help us. Well, it turns out the man was a tombstone carver! And his truck was equipped with a full stone-lifting rig! What are the chances? He maneuvered the truck into place by "our" grave and enlisted my husband's help.





With the dog's encouragement (and me, taking pictures throughout the experience), they lifted that stone to reveal Clarence, who died 30 June 1939, 70 years ago this coming week, had been buried with his first wife.

The stone was positioned next to the base so others can find this man, born in 1869, who was caregiver to his parents during their last years. R.I.P. Uncle Clarence.

Clarence P. WILCOX
(son of Nathan W. WILCOX and Irene FREEMAN)
b: 11 April 1869, Winchester, Franklin, Tennessee
m1: 11 February 1894, Maggie M. W____ (b: 19 October 1866; d: 12 January 1912, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee), Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee
m2: 21 September 1919, Jennie R. SMITH, Nasvhille, Davidson, Tennessee
d: 30 June 1939, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee

Genealogy Travels

It does appear that this is more a monthly, than a daily, or even weekly, blog. Hmm, well, at least I'm doing something.

I've had a little cold and that has kept me from staying on top of, well, anything! But I feel better now and ready to head to NGS in Raleigh, NC on Monday morning. I think I have most things packed (or on the list for the last minute) and have my schedule set, so now it's just a matter of making sure my alarm is set and I am up & on the way to the airport by 2:30 Monday morning. While I am not a morning person, I suspect that I will be too excited to sleep so it will be more an issue of leaving late Sunday than leaving early Monday!

This particular conference will be particularly special because it appears I will be installed as the new secretary for the Genealogical Speakers Guild (last I looked, I'm running unopposed). I really enjoy this group . . . they have an excellent newsletter and have given me some helpful networking opportunities. For genealogical speakers, I strongly recommend joining this organization: besides the networking, members each have their own pages to promote their genealogical speaking business. Check it out at <www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org>.

There is a lot of travel in my summer's plans and most is genealogy-related so this is just the first of many journeys (some longer than others). And most include living relatives, too, so that is another reason to look forward to them: I'll be visiting kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids in Utah, Arizona, Illinois, and Missouri.

Hope my readers are looking forward to their summer as well.

Connecting with our ancestors and with other passionate genealogists

I just returned from the Family History Expo in St. George, Utah, and it was a great weekend! Unfortunately, I didn't have any time to attend the classes presented by my colleagues, but I did get to meet a number of excited genealogists of all levels. I was impressed with the number of people I met who are committed to doing thorough and accurate research and properly documenting their findings.

My husband, Butch, and I had a booth where we sold CDs and presented the music and instruments of our ancestors. A number of folks in neighboring booths enjoyed the music in the background throughout much of the 2 days and we had a great chance to tell people about how their ancestors relaxed with "homemade music." It was a lot of fun for us and, apparently, for expo attendees as well.

I also had the opportunity to present a couple of programs - my "Clue to Clue," which is a favorite of many, and a 2-part presentation on Federal Census records. Both were well-received and I connected with people who are researching the same areas that I am. One woman I met is related to a neighbor of my g-g-g-grandfather (in NY) and another woman told me that she is related to the family of a young boy who, I believe, apprenticed to my g-g-grandfather (in MI).

Part of the fun of doing genealogy is connecting with others who share the passion. When I show my exciting finds to family members and friends, most look at me as if I am crazy. At conferences, seminars, and expos, genealogists can connect to people who identify with the excitement of locating a lost ancestor, finding an elusive grave, or finally identifying a maiden name. That happened a great deal this weekend and that, in itself, made the event a high point in 2009 (and it's only March).