Category Archives: Genealogy

What is that one best piece of evidence that you have? Wisdom Wednesday

So why would you need to write a summary of the basic vital facts about a person?

Case in point, Laura Cecile Donald Gillespie:

Wyatt Paul Gillespie and Laura Cecile Donald ca. 1894. I suspect that this is their wedding photo.

Wyatt Paul Gillespie and Laura Cecile Donald ca. 1894. I suspect that this is their wedding photo.

Laura Cecile Donald was born on 13 February 1877 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, and died 23 August 1864 in Rockbridge County, Virginia.1 On 24 January, 1894 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, Laura married Wyatt Paul Gillespie.2 He was born 15 July 1865 in Amherst County, Virginia, the son of Jeremiah and Mary (Gillespie) Gillespie,3 and died on 19 February 1941 in Rockbridge County, Virginia.4   Laura and Wyatt are buried in Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery. 5

Genealogy is about defining kinship and identity. Birth, marriage, death all are critical in defining both.  Getting the evidence correct is critical.  So let’s look at what I have:
Birth
I have a tombstone.  Now that may be all you ever have, but for someone who was born in 1877 in Virginia, you should have a birth record or a line in a birth register. This will also most likely tell me who her parents are.  So more work to be done.
Marriage
I have a certificate from Virginia that has the information recorded on Wyatt and Laura’s marriage record.  This is probably sufficient, but it is a not the original.  I do believe that I have a digital copy of the record somewhere.  This is one of those times where horrible organization comes to bite you big.  The marriage record documents Wyatt’s parents as well and his birth date.

Death

I have a tombstone.  This is not bad.  But a will (or wills), or obituaries might really be a better source.  The date originially on Wyatt’s tombstone for his death was wrong.  My uncle had it fixed.
Gravestone of Wyatt Paul Gillespie and Laura Donald Gillespie; Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia

Gravestone of Wyatt Paul Gillespie and Laura Donald Gillespie; Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia

All this is in my tree. But this is actually a great tool, for examining what you have and determining what you need.  And for anyone reading it, it lets them know how deep you have gone.  I have some work to do. 🙂
Footnotes
[1] Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery (Rockbridge County, Virginia), Wyatt Paul and Laura Donald Gillespie Tombstone; photographed by Anne Gillespie Mitchell, 1 August 2010.
[2] Virginia, Virginia Department of Health, Certification of Vital Records, Marriage Certificate, Wyatt Paul Gillespie, Laura Cecil Donald, 24 Jan 1894, Rockbridge, Virginia; Department of Health – Division of Vital Records, Richmond, Virginia. (Is this citation right?)
[3] Virginia, Virginia Department of Health, Certification of Vital Records, Marriage Certificate, Wyatt Paul Gillespie, Laura Cecil Donald, 24 Jan 1894, Rockbridge, Virginia; Department of Health – Division of Vital Records, Richmond, Virginia. (What is the short version of this?)
[4] Stonewall Jackson Cemetery (Rockbridge Co., Virginia), Wyatt Paul tombstone.
[5] Stonewall Jackson Cemetery (Rockbridge Co., Virginia), Wyatt Paul tombstone.

Ok, I promise, the last resolutions of 2013.

I know, I know. Enough with the resolutions.

But these are from my buddies over at Archives.com.  Fun visual eye candy  and I think they are useful!

Family History Resolutions - Archives.com

The last one especially. Share what you’ve learned.  If you die and it’s in boxes and no one has seen it, no one is going to publish it.  Share often and freely.

Silliness for Sorting Saturday

OK, I know this is silly, but I ran all my blog posts through Wordle:

wordle

I know, I know.  It doesn’t really have anything to do with genealogy.  But it amuses me.  And maybe I need to branch out beyond the Gillespie lines!

Motivation. Inspiration. It’s Follow Friday!

A variety of articles to get you motivated and inspired for the new year.

Knowing when to tip over or How I plan to write more this year. Tuesday’s Tip

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.

— RAY BRADBURY, Zen in the Art of Writing

entering the overflow

Hilary Dotson “entering the overflow” (http://www.flickr.com/photos/naiadsspring/172927427/, accessed : 2 Jan 2013), Creative Commons Attribution

I do a lot of research and find a lot of cool documents and stories. I’ve put them together in some sort of random order or even some deliberate order.

I’ve found mistakes in others work and “ah ha”‘ed when I’ve discovered the truth.

I’ve rejoiced when I’ve put pieces together on my own that have proved some conclusion that I dared hoped was right.

But you know what I don’t do? I don’t write it all up and publish it anywhere for anyone to learn, question or comment on it. Well at least not often enough.  (Go ahead.  Raise your hand if you too are guilty.  I can’t believe I am the only one.)

Resolved for 2013: Do a bit more tipping. Do a bit more overflowing.  Let the beautiful stuff out.

What I find, I write up.

It doesn’t have to be brilliant. Or even right.

But if I don’t write it down, and don’t let others review, poke and prod, then I’m going to miss a lot. And a whole lot of my ancestor’s stories aren’t going to be told.

And that is the point.  Not to let the people who came before me be forgotten.

My Top Ten Blog Posts for 2012 on Finding Forgotten Stories

My most visited page on the blog is my How To Videos page where I post links and slides from my presentations that I do for Ancestry.com. Also the page Blogs You Should Read is highly viewed. (Maybe I should update that!)

But here, in order are my most read posts for the year:

  1.  Treasure Chest Thursday — Sourcing Presentations
  2. Sorting Saturday — Making Sense out of the Mess or Sources Matter
  3. Sorting Saturday — Good Source, Bad Source, Exhaustive Search
  4. Sorting Saturday — The Legend of Middle Names
  5. Tuesday’s Tip — Ask Ancestry Anne’s Top 20 Search Tips
  6. Treasure Chest Thursday — The Gillespie Family Bible Page from the Gillespie Family BiblePage from the Gillespie Family Bible
  7. Gilbert McClung Gillespie
  8. Tuesday’s Tip — Ancestry Magazine on Google Books
  9. Wisdom Wednesday: It is what it is, it aint what it aint
  10. Sympathy  Saturday– Miss You Dad

    Gilbert McClung Gillespie's (1940-2012) grave site at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia

    Gilbert McClung Gillespie’s (1940-2012) grave site at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia

That’s a pretty wide variety!

To everyone who has followed me this year, thank you.  I learn so much by writing this blog and I’m glad you are sharing the journey with me. 🙂

Top Ten Articles Shared in 2012 from Finding Forgotten Stories

These are the top ten articles that I wrote that were shared to other places, including Facebook and Twitter.  I left out my Follow Friday posts as those are just compilations of other people’s links.

Over half of the shares were to Facebook. I’m surprised that Twitter was less than Google.

Distribution of Shares on Finding Forgotten Stories

Distribution of Shares on Finding Forgotten Stories

I’m pleased that one of my very first posts “How Eight Children Ended Up Living Along in 1930” is on the list.  Finding that information about my grandmother was a significant genealogy moment for me.  Also, the post which has a recently discovered picture of my Uncle Paul, sister and me.

It also appears that some of my articles on sourcing struck people as useful as well.  I find it very encouraging that people care about sourcing.  I’m not an expert by any means.  But I do know that if I had started sourcing earlier in my genealogy career I would have been a happier camper.

Enjoy!

  1. Sorting Saturday — Making Sense out of the Mess or Sources Matter
  2. Treasure Chest Thursday — Sourcing Presentations
  3. Tuesday’s Tip — Ancestry Magazine on Google Books
  4. Citing Your Sources Can Be Fun!
  5. How Eight Children Ended Up Living Alone in 1930
  6. Tuesday’s Tip: Public Profiler Worldnames
  7. Wisdom Wednesday: Uncle Paul and Andy Griffith

    My sister and I sitting with my Uncle Paul

    Photo from Wisdom Wednesday: Uncle Paul and Andy Griffith. My sister and I sitting with my Uncle Paul

  8. Motivation Monday — I’m on the Clock!
  9. Sorting Saturday — Good Source, Bad Source, Exhaustive Search
  10. Sunday Obituaries — James Calvin Donald

My Top Ten Follow Fridays

I thought I’d do a few top ten lists this final week of 2012.  Here are the top ten stories that you clicked on from my Follow Friday listings and other posts:

Blown With DNA from the Legal Genealogist

  1. Blown Away With DNA from the Legal Genealogist
  2. uencounterme – A Way to Plot Cluster Genealogy Research from Geneabloggers.com
  3. Workday Wednesday The Dispatcher from Gail Grunst Genealogy
  4. 10 Awesome Onenote Tips You Should be Using All the Time from makeusof
  5. Family Lore and Indian Princesses from Evidence Explained
  6. Five Tips for Safely Reading and Photographing Tombstones from Karen Miller Bennett
  7. Brickwall Case of Oscar F Brown from Ancestral Breezes (be sure to read all parts!)
  8. Tech Tuesday: Using Pinterest for Your Family History Photographs from Tall Tales of a Family
  9. Wedding Wednesday: Robbing the Cradle from Kathryn Smith Lockhard
  10. A True Love Story? from A Southern Sleuth

All are worth another read.

Colonial Christmas, How To Tips and more Straight Talk – Follow Friday

Some of my favorite blog posts over the last few weeks: