Category Archives: Blogging Prompts

Places I’ve Been, Places They’ve Been: Tuesday’s Tip

This map from Visited States Map Generator has popped up in my Facebook feed multiple times, so I had to make one.  It’s a map!  Who could resist?

where-i-beenColor codes:

  • Green — I’ve lived there
  • Blue — I’ve spent significant time there
  • Orange — I’ve spent at least a night there, most likely more
  • Red (or is that pink?) I’ve at least driven through and experienced the state
  • White — Never been.  Alaska should be there as well.  And I need to get to the Northeast corner of the country.  How have they not been on my travel schedule?

I thought it might be interesting to build the map from a genealogy point of view.  My ancestors once they arrived in this country, mostly in the 1700’s, were not very migratory. So my map is fairly blank.

ancestorsBut here are the color codes that I used:

  • Blue — My paternal ancestors
  • Green — My maternal ancestors
  • Orange – Both paternal and maternal ancestors
  • Red — Places where a lot of descendants of my ancestors migrated to, not including my director ancestors

From my research my maternal side came came into the country from South Carolina and migrated over time into North Carolina.  My paternal side seems to have come in through Pennsylvania and migrated down into Virginia and North Carolina.   I believe some of them came into Virginia ports as well.  But that is just a suspicion.

I would love to seem maps from people who have families who were wanderers.  Play around on Visited States Map Generator and see what you come up with.

Happy Mapping!

Five Minute Find Series: Motivation Monday

I create Five Minute Find videos for Ancestry.com

image01

I’ve added 3 more to the How To Videos page:

  • Are You a Hints Power User : Overwhelmed by your Ancestry.com hints? Spend five minutes with Anne Gillespie Mitchell and you’ll learn how hints power users get the most of their hints.
  • Hidden Treasures in Your State : Changing where you look for your ancestors can break through brick walls. Spend five minutes with Anne Gillespie Mitchell and learn how to find collections and records specific to the state where your ancestor lived.
  • Nosy About the Neighbors : It is important to put your ancestors in context. Putting them in context of the people who lived nearby reveals the type of community they lived in. And these are the people they gossiped about! You have to know…

Research Hints, Time Management and Classes! It’s Follow Friday!

What I found interesting this week:

Some Educational Opportunities:

Halloween, Zombies, and Death Records. It’s Follow Friday!

What I Found Interesting This Week

What I’ve Written This Past Week

Genealogy Isn’t Free? An Oratrix? It’s Follow Friday!

What I’ve Been Reading This Week

What I’ve Been Writing This Week

Tombstone Tuesday: Remembering Martha Spencer

Martha Spencer was a lovely lady. She contacted me out of the blue to share information with me about my father — they had both been students at Lexington High School. (The Gift of Yearbook Pages) The images and memories she shared with me were priceless. She also gathered other pieces of information that fit into my genealogical puzzle. All of this without compensation. She just enjoyed doing it.

Honor Court, Lexington High School 1954, Martha Spencer and Gil Gillespie, in the back row

Honor Court, Lexington High School 1954, Martha Spencer and Gil Gillespie, in the back row

I had breakfast with my uncle, Reverend Horace Douty a few weeks back and he mentioned Martha Spencer and the sad news that she had passed away.  She had been working with him on his second book about Rockbridge County, doing genealogical research for him.

Martha passed away July 13, 2013, leaving behind brothers and sisters.

I am sad she is gone, but I am very glad that I knew her even though it was a brief time.

And her selfless kindness I shall use as an inspiration.  One should always be happy to help.

Thank you Martha and God Bless.

Revolutionary Voices: A Last Muster Film — Sorting Saturday

I believe Revolutionary Voices is going to be great project.  But they need a little bit of help still.

Revolutionary Voices

Go to Revolutionary Voices on Kickstarter and learn more.  And maybe kick in a couple of bucks.  Every little bit helps!

Ancestry Reference Desk and Roots Tech 2013. It’s Follow Friday!

I’ve not been posting for a couple of weeks.  I’ve been traveling a lot.  I presented to about 1000 people at the Midwest Genealogy Center’s Ancestry Day and I’m now at Roots Tech 2013.

Also, I’ve been ramping up a new blog for Ancestry.com called Ancestry Reference Desk (http://www.ancestry-reference-desk.com)  My goal, is to create a teaching blog/site to help people who use Ancestry.com and Fold3 in libraries how to be more effective.  But the posts and other links we put up will apply to anyone.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

Here’s a few articles you may have missed lately:

And From Ancestry Reference Desk

March is Women’s History Month. Sorting Saturday.

March is Women’s History Month!  Over on my Ask Ancestry Anne column at Ancestry.com, I’m running through The Accidental Genealogist’s blog prompts for the month, so check in with me there if you want to play along.

Here is something fun from my friends over at Archives.com for Women’s History Month.  I dare you not to find something inspiring in here.  Dare you.
National Women's History Month - Archives.com

The Gift of Yearbook Pages. Treasure Chest Thursday.

When you write about your family, good things happen.  You find flaws in your logic.  You find those wonderful “ah-ha” moments.  And on occasion, you find a genealogy angel.   Or they find you.

Martha Spencer saw a post I made years ago on an Ancestry.com message board and responded.  I missed her original response (!) but she found me again and it turns out she went to high school with my father.  She sent me some of his yearbook pages as well as some newspaper clippings that pertained to my biggest brickwall, my g-g-g-grandfather Charlton Wallace.

This past week she sent me the relevant pages from my grandfather’s yearbook!  Gilbert McClung Gillespie graduated from Lexington High School in 1934.  My father attended Lexington High School until 1956 when he was a sophomore.

Gilbert McClung Gillespie from the 1934 Crystal, the yearbook of Lexington High School.  Senior Picture.

Gilbert McClung Gillespie from the 1934 Crystal, the yearbook of Lexington High School. Senior Picture.

His ambition is “To beat Thompson out of his job.” Thompson was Kenneth Thompson, whom according to Martha was a “cranky” math teacher who was still teaching when she and my father attended Lexington High.

Faculty at Lexington High School 1934, Lexington, Virginia

Faculty at Lexington High School 1934, Lexington, Virginia

One has to believe that there is more to the story than that, but I don’t think the yearbook reveals any more.  Also, I know that my grandfather was chosen as the Most Dependable.  At least he wasn’t in the No Brains, but… category!

Hall of Fame 1934 in the Lexington High School Crystal

Hall of Fame 1934 in the Lexington High School Crystal

My dad’s mentions in his yearbooks are not that different.  His nickname was also Gilly.  I knew he was called that in High School, never knew my grandfather was.  My dad, was selected as the male with the Prettiest Eyes.  My dad and his brother and two sisters all had the same beautiful blue eyes.   I’m glad to know he wasn’t chosen as Most Gullible.

Gil Gillespie in Lexington Crystal

Gil Gillespie in Lexington Crystal

And here are both Martha Spencer and my father who served on the Honor Court in 1954.  Both are in the back row.

Honor Court, Lexington High School 1954, Martha Spencer and Gil Gillespie, in the back row

Honor Court, Lexington High School 1954, Martha Spencer and Gil Gillespie, in the back row

These photos and the rest that were sent to me, mean so very much.  If you keep your family private and hidden away, you may miss out on some amazing stuff.

And to Martha, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Every time I look at these I get a little misty. 🙂