Saturday, December 24, 2011

Friday, December 23, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 23

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... pretty color combinations. Blue and green is a favorite.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Genealogy Community: Where Everybody Knows Your Names

In this week’s Open Thread Thursday on Geneabloggers, Thomas MacEntee writes about “Defining the Genealogy Community” and cites some recent posts that have inspired a lot of discussion:

“The Genealogy Paradigm Shift: Are bloggers the new “experts”?” (Planting the Seeds)

“Are Bloggers Really the New Experts?” (Marian’s Roots and Rambles)

“Genea-Bodies: The New Somebodies” (Luxegen Genealogy and Family History)

I am no expert, though last week I did receive a lovely message from someone who had found one of my Public Member Trees on Ancestry, thanking me for the information I had provided on a particular family that she had despaired of getting the “911” on in time to get it to an elderly aunt for Christmas: “You must be a genealogist!”

You are so kind to think so and to say so, but I am not - not a professional or even an advanced amateur. Perhaps I am in the early intermediate phase, but for that I have to thank the people who write some excellent genealogy books, who run my local genealogy society, who put on the NGS and FGS conferences, who produce Webinars, who run the genealogy rooms at the libraries I visit, who write to me and provide me with information because they have seen my blog, my website, and my online queries, and my fellow genealogy bloggers, a number of whom I think of and refer to as friends.

I do think there is a recognizable genealogy community, and I include all of these people in it - even if they belong to subcommunities that are completely separate or have only the minutest of Venn diagram overlap with one another.

While the lofty leaders of the community - the top dogs/super-achievers/ professionals/trendsetters of genealogy - may not hang out with the lowest circles of the community - the proliferators of those dubious, deathless, endlessly duplicated online trees - they write the books that may help to turn a newbie or two from a tree copier into a real researcher.

Again, I am not an expert and I do not think that I am a trendsetter. I did not start blogging to become a trendsetter. Yes, I blog about my research. That was the original purpose of the blog and continues to be its main purpose: to further my research.

Should readers take my musings and comments as professional-level advice? Certainly not. I even wrote a post not too long ago entitled “Why I Want to Remain an Amateur.”

What I can offer to the genealogy community is the experience and the point of view of a dedicated amateur - and I think that there is a need for this in the genealogy community:

The companies need to hear what we amateurs like/do not like, can use/cannot use, and will pay for/will not pay for (and that even a very tech-savvy segment of the Genealogical Community will revolt when there is even a whiff of a “No Books” policy).

The professionals need to hear what we amateurs still very much need from the professionals: education, an example to emulate, and yes, services to avail ourselves of when we just cannot get any farther with a particular line of research or need someone to help us navigate the process for admission to a lineage society.

Our fellow amateurs need to hear our expressions of commiseration/ congratulation/empathy and our descriptions of our own research methods, experiences, sources, and much more. What I like most about the Genealogy Community, in its best embodiment, is that everyone can learn from everyone else, professional and amateur alike. An amateur may hold an important document, compile a set of graveyard transcriptions, write about a recent repository where procedures have changed, or share a particular memory that can advance a professional’s research. I wrote about some of these thoughts in two previous posts: “Toward a Genealogical Democracy” and “Sharing and Scholarship.”

What the genealogy blogging subcommunity has offered back to me and to others like me - thanks to some very perceptive, active, and involved people leading the way - has been the big surprise. Friendship, support, instruction, the courage and confidence to branch out and try things I never would have tried before, and especially the sense that I can have a voice and make even a small contribution to improvements in the area of genealogy services, records preservation and availability, and recognition of the educational value of genealogical research. While there are experts among us, I think the kind of influence we may wield as a group is more like that of an advocate, whether a consumer advocate or a public advocate, than that of an expert.

A final thought: Who are the members of the Genealogy Community? They are the people you can talk to about a subject of passionate interest to you - genealogy - and they will not yawn, laugh, or roll their eyes.

As far as I am concerned, everybody in the Genealogy Community is a Somebody.

(Even the Tree Copiers? - Well, take a look sometime at the most recent generations in those trees - occasionally there is a nice surprise or two there.)

An Ornament a Day - Day 22

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... silver starbursts.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 21

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... ornate patterns in gold.

Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 21: Christmas Music

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sunday, December 18, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 18

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... old-fashioned fabric balls.


Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 18: Christmas Stockings

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Surname Saturday: Charles Robert Brinlee and Patty Avo Poindexter

Charles Robert Brinlee
b. 30 Oct 1877, Texas
d. 11 Nov 1959, Los Banos, Merced County, California
& Patty Avo Poindexter
b. 16 Aug 1881, Austin, Travis County, Texas
d. 26 Sep 1977, Merced County, California
|--Clyde Lester Brinlee
|----b. 27 Jan 1900, Oklahoma
|----d. 11 Apr 1960, Firebaugh, Fresno County, California
|---& Alma Belle Graybill
|----b. 11 Mar 1900, Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia
|----d. 8 Feb 1986, Firebaugh, Fresno County, California
|----m. 10 Jan 1921
|--Montie Mary Brinlee
|----b. 28 Apr 1901, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|----d. Feb 1996, Elk City, Beckham County, Oklahoma
|---& Perry Hollis Ivy
|----b. 2 Mar 1899, Texas
|----d. Feb 1985, Elk City, Beckham County, Oklahoma
|----m. 8 Feb 1921
|--Una Fay Brinlee
|----b. 18 Feb 1903, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|---& Brit E. Lippencott
|----b. 9 Oct 1892, Texas
|----d. 6 Jun 1977
|--Francis Brinlee
|----b. 5 Nov 1905, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|----d. 3 Nov 1909, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|--Ellen Brinlee
|----b. 3 Nov 1907, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|----d. 28 Mar 1910, Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
|--Vivian Verne Brinlee
|----b. 20 Dec 1910, Cheyenne, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
|----d. 18 Feb 1977, Sacramento County, California
|---& Virena Lambert
|--Clarence Omer “Runt” Brinlee
|----b. 28 Jul 1912, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
|----d. 26 Sep 1993, Merced County, California
|--Erma Lavada Brinlee*
|----b. 17 May 1915, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
|----d. 15 Aug 1999, Fallon, Choctaw County, Oklahoma
|---& Dee Boswell
|----b. 21 Feb 1906, Rotan, Fisher County, Texas
|----d. 28 Jan 1962, Apache Junction, Maricopa County, Arizona
|--Erma Lavada Brinlee*
|----b. 17 May 1915, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
|----d. 15 Aug 1999, Fallon, Choctaw County, Oklahoma
|---& Cyril James Howarth
|----b. 29 Aug 1908, Silkstone, Yorkshire, England
|----d. 17 Feb 1977, Palermo, Butte County, California
|--Charles Elmer “Tuffy” Brinlee
|----b. 31 Mar 1920, Streeter, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma
|----d. 30 May 1997, Los Banos, Merced County, California

Charles Robert Brinlee was the son of Richard Mason Brinlee and Sarah Ellen Petit.

I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

An ornament a Day - Day 17

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...




... old-fashioned glass ornaments.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Spinoff! Spinoff!

Definitely would like to see a spinoff series from tonight's CSI episode, "Genetic Disorder," with Pamela Reed as the genealogist-investigator who gets drawn into a different mystery from week to week through her genealogical research business. It's an idea whose time has come. And it has a built-in audience.

I enjoyed the episode tonight and especially the positive portrayal of genealogists and people who are interested in genealogy. It also included the "dark side" of research that many of us have encountered - digging up family secrets that many people would prefer to see left alone.

An Ornament a Day - Day 14

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... pictures of my kids. Especially if they made the ornaments.


Last year's Advent Calendar post.

Advent Calendar Day 14: Fruitcake

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

FootnoteMaven's Tradition of Blog Caroling: Heaven and Earth

Many thanks to Footnote Maven for hosting Blog Caroling!

Heaven and Earth (Nebo i Zemlya)

Heaven and earth, heaven and earth
Now welcome their Redeemer.
Angels and people, angels and people
Join in celebration.

Salvation is begun, born is the Virgin’s Son;
Angel’s voices ringing, Wise Men gifts are bringing;
Shepherds tell the story; star proclaims the glory;
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

In Bethlehem, in Bethlehem
God’s Word is given birth.
Born of a virgin, born of a virgin,
Master of heav’n and earth.

Salvation is begun, born is the Virgin’s Son;
Angel’s voices ringing, Wise Men gifts are bringing;
Shepherds tell the story; star proclaims the glory;
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Nebo i zemlya, nebo i zemlya
Nyni torzhestvuyut.
Anhely i lyude, anhely i lyude
Veselo sprazdnujut.

Christos rodilsya, Boh voplotilsya,
Anhely spivayut, Tsariye vitayut.
Poklon otdayut, pastyriye hrajut,
Chudo, chudo povidayut.

Vo Vifleyemi, vo Vifleyemi
Vesela novina.
Chistaya D’iva, Chistaya D’iva
Porodila Syna.


Christos rodilsya, Boh voplotilsya,
Anhely spivayut, Tsariye vitayut.
Poklon otdayut, pastyriye hrajut,
Chudo, chudo povidayut.

Below the carol is sung by the St. Nicholas Church Choir of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Barberton, Ohio.


An Ornament a Day - Day 11

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... painted wooden dolls.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 10

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... Russian dolls.

Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 10: Gifts

(As a P.S. to this post, I did get a new Kitchenaid.)

Friday, December 9, 2011

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 7

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...



... rabbits. Especially this very special rabbit, Mosby. He belonged to our daughters' second grade teacher, and this ornament was her Christmas gift to the students when our younger daughter was in second grade. Mosby was loved by all; the janitorial staff even built and painted the neatest rabbit house ever for him, with beautiful painted vines and windows on it.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

A Blog with Baylor County, Texas Roots!

The other day I was very happy to find the blog Moments in Time, A Genealogy Blog by Diana Quinn. Of course, I am always thrilled to find blogs with roots in areas where I research, but that covers most of the South, a bit of New England, and, for my husband’s family, New York and New Jersey. But to find someone researching in Baylor County, the area where my mother was born and grew up (and which also has a few distant family branches from my father’s side) and a county which has never had more than a few thousand residents, is a real treat.

Diana’s family research extends well beyond Texas; recent posts connected with Irish research deal with the Irish Uprising.

An Ornament a Day - Day 6

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...


matryoshka-style Santas




marionette Santas (and a marionette Nutcracker Prince who snuck in somehow?)




standing Santas - any old Santa, Father Christmas, or Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) will do. Love 'em.


And I am a true believer in Santa - read about it in the 2008/2009 post, "Advent Calendar Day 6: I KNEW It! I KNEW Santa Was Real!"

Monday, December 5, 2011

Sunday, December 4, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 4

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...





...hobby horses and merry-go-round horses.


Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 4: Christmas Cards

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Surname Saturday: James Raymond Jones and Sarah Alice Brinlee

James Raymond Jones
  b. 10 Mar 1876, Texas
  d. 31 Dec 1931, Okmulgee, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
& Sarah Alice “Allie” Brinlee
  b. 20 Jul 1875, Erath County, Texas
  d. 14 May 1959, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California
|--Daisy Jones
|----b. 25 Feb 1896, Indian Territory
|----d. 25 Jul 1920, Oklahoma
|---& Earl Wilson
|----b. 1889, Indiana
|--Raymond Jones
|----b. 1905, Oklahoma
|---& Anna
|----b. 1909, Arkansas
|--Eliza Jones
|----b. 1910, Coalgate, Coal County, Oklahoma
James Raymond Jones was the son of John Franklin Jones and Sarah Elizabeth Hefley; two of his brothers married two of Sarah’s sisters.  Sarah was the daughter of Richard Mason Brinlee and Sarah Ellen Petit.
I would love to share information with anyone related to/researching this family; you can contact me at my e-mail address, which can be found by going to my profile page (there is a link to that page in the About Me section to the left).

An Ornament a Day - Day 3

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...




... cats.

Hey, what's that last guy doing there? Oh, yeah, he likes to "help." By standing right on top of the ornaments I'm trying to photograph.

The gold-colored cat on the right in the first picture was taken from a belt I bought at a thrift store. We call that "Redneck Recycling."

Last Year's Advent Calendar Post (appropriately):

Advent Calendar Day 3: Christmas Tree Ornaments

Friday, December 2, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 2

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...




... birds. All kinds and colors of birds, birds on the wing, perching berds. After all, what's a tree without birds?

Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 2: Holiday Foods

Thursday, December 1, 2011

An Ornament a Day - Day 1

For the past two years I have participated in GeneaBloggers' Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. This year, instead of repeating my posts, I have decided to feature a Christmas tree ornament each day from December 1 to December 25 and post a link to the original posts (I particularly recommend the December 6 post on Santa).

When it comes to ornaments, I like ...


... old-fashioned handmade ornaments. We bought this ornament (and two others similar to it in red and white) at a craft fair more than 25 years ago. These were so beautiful, I had to restrain myself from buying more than three - at $4 each, they seemed so expensive to me then....


Last year's Advent Calendar post:

Advent Calendar Day 1: The Christmas Tree