PowerPoint Presentations and Webinars

In 2002, right after graduating from BYU, I presented my first genealogy class on how to do Cemetery Research at our local Family History Center. Since that time my list of classes has grown to twenty, with presentations to about twenty four groups. For some groups I presented numerous times in the past eleven years and to a few only once. Usually the number of classes is one to two at a time, but there were a couple of all day seminars of three or four classes.  Most of the groups are here in Oregon, but some classes were in Washington and at BYU in Utah.

Believe it or not, I am a bit bashful and do get some pre-presentation gitters. There are some lessons learned in the process and now I am sure to be well rested and do not plan for much other activity after the classes. When teaching there is an odd transformation and it usually occurs when the attendees interact well and show an interest in what we are discussing. For me it is most enjoyable to be in a smaller classroom, not big auditoriums, where I can see everyone's face and hand when they go up.

As part of my preparation I often watch other presenter's classes or webinars for insight into how they prepare for teaching. Every presenter seems to have their own style and every attendee will have different ways of learning. While the more polished professionals seem to use the latest PowerPoint tools, some of the most well-known keep their presentations very simple. One of the critical aspects of following a presenter is their handout or syllabus. In the process of updating presentations some, me included, forget to sync the revised presentation to the handout. This can be extremely frustrating for the attendees trying to follow along.

The updating of presentations is very important. Recently another presenter mentioned that he has redone his presentation on ancestry.com four times this year and with the recent changes he must do so again before he presents this summer. This year it was necessary for me to update my presentation on familysearch.org three times. The last time I presented it we went online and did it live, but there were a few glitches at the end. For my community school classes the connection is not good for going online and I was grateful to have made a PowerPoint as a backup plan.

In 2013 we are seeing so many changes to established websites and new ones being created, that speakers are required to stay current in the latest upgrades. Some of us just want to stick with the old formats, but that is only going to leave us behind in the dust. Not only must we keep current on materials and information, but we must also generate new presentations.

My goal is to create two new PowerPoints every year and to update the others as they are requested by a group. Teaching community school classes has pushed me to do this, as I teach six classes a term and rotate the classes so eighteen are taught in the year. Most of my handouts are available at the PAPAFUG (Portland Area PAF Users Group) website, as are those of other past speakers.

For now I like to stay close to home and there are plenty of speaking opportunities right here. My average for the last few years is about twenty-six classes or about one class every two weeks. There are offers to speak doing a live webinar, but for now I don't feel that is my style. For those who provide webinars, speak at regional and national conferences, and other venues I so appreciate your talents.
Genealogy is a fascinating field and we have so much to learn from one another. Thank you for all those who have taught me so much in this amazing field of family history research.

Gathering Cemetery Information for My Mother-In-Law's Late Present

So, my husband talks with his mother on Sunday and she mentions that she is going to Missouri and may visit some family gravesites. Then I of course print out a list of people in his family buried there. Looking online for information I come across several of them in findagrave.com with lots of data and pictures. She will be getting a late Mother's Day present.

Then yesterday, Monday, I call her and she tells me she is leaving on Wednesday. The great push is on to compile as complete a list as possible so she will know what to look for in the Missouri cemeteries. The two day results of researching now include twelve direct line ancestors, eight in Missouri and four in New York, not to mention the other family members and their families.

The Missouri list includes seven cemeteries and two unknown burial locations. The unknowns are her great grandparents Asa William Eggleson and Sarah Margaret Roley who later married Christopher Corlett. Using the Missouri Digital Heritage website some time ago I obtained copies of many death certificates for the family relatives. It is found online at:
www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates/
There wasn't one for Asa William Eggleson who died in 1885, but there was one for Sarah Margaret Roley Corlett who died in 1928. Her death certificate suggests that she was buried in Balltown Cemetery, Vernon County, Missouri where her parents and first child/son are buried.

Here is the list that I gave to my mother-in-law per our phone conversation this morning:

Balltown Cemetery, Horton, Vernon County, Missouri
Michael Vance Roley died 6 November 1893 (gr.gr. grandparents)
Sarah A. Daughtery, wife of Michael, died 29 June 1897
They are the parents of Sarah Margaret Roley.
John Wilbur Eggleson, son of Asa William Eggleson and Sarah Margaret Roley, died 16 April 1868 (her gr. grandparents)

Hall Cemetery, Jerico, Cedar County, Missouri
Isaac J. Bynum died 22 May 1916 (her gr. grandparents)
Mary A. McCall, wife of Isaac, died 28 March 1914
They are the parents of Mattie M. Bynum Eggleson.
Leroy Eggleson died 10 August 1954 (her grandparents)
Mattie M. Bynum, wife of Leroy, died 10 July 1934
Child Zollman, son of William Calvin Zollman and Francis M. Haines, died 13 August 1912. He was her father's brother.

Hamby Cemetery, Jerico, Cedar County, Missouri
Samuel Erving Haines died 30 October 1912 (her gr. grandparents)
Armindia L. Mendenhall, wife of Samuel, died 20 November 1935
They share a marker, though her death certificate states she was buried in Potter Cemetery.

Due to the distant relationships of the other cemetery burials and/or the distance from where she would be traveling, I reserved the other known cemeteries for my own research. For each family member discovered on findagrave.com a word document was created so we can easily share that information in the future.

As we closed the conversation I suggested that if she has contact with the cemetery that she should request a cemetery map, a plot map, and any documentation they might have on the families. I shared that she needs to be careful in the cemetery and to contact a local funeral home if they need more help. Then I mentioned that it would be great if she could take pictures. She said yes she needed to pick up some film before she leaves. Her grateful appreciation for the simple details of her family burials was certainly genuine. It is only the beginning of the belated present that will be given when we see her again.

One generation conversing with the next as we continue on in the discovery of our family history. The work we do is priceless as she knows so many of the details and helps to blend together the documents that I discover. Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother-in-law and my own mother who also helps me with my side of the family. May you take time to gather the details and work together with your mothers and/or other family members in this process of building an understanding of the generations who have gone before us.

Why Researchers Need to Search all Available Websites

Last week at the end of one of my genealogy classes an attendee approached me about an ancestor by the name of Ami who fought and died in the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Being the curious researcher that I am, I decided to look for someone by that name in online records about that battle. Known as Custer's Last Stand, there is a large monument erected to the memory of the soldiers that died in this battle.

The best site I found for information on the soldiers that served is the

List of soldiers, officers, and civilians at the Little Bighorn at:

http://www.friendslittlebighorn.com/7th%20Cav%20Muster%20Rolls.htm

On page nine there was:

Cheever, Ami L Private May 26, 1849

Elizabeth PA Farmer Sept 21, 1872 With Custer's column-Killed - Died June 25, 1876 Little Bighorn

Not being completely sure this was her man, I decided to press forward and see what records could be found for him. The presentation for today's class was on WorldVitalRecords.com so we started with the records found on this website. The records included:

1. Findagrave.com information with a picture of the memorial and a close up with Ami Cheever with his birth 26 May 1849 and death 25 June 1876. Actually going to the Findagrave website there was more information posted about him.

2. 1860 US Census record in Eighth Ward, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri for the following group:

Ami Cheever (age 36)

Mary Cheever (age 22)
Chas Cheever
Emily Cheever (age 14)
Hattie Cheever (age 12)
Ann Cheever (age 9) (Should be Ami, male)
Carrie Cheever (age 7)
Eva Cheever (age 5)
Mary Cassey (age 17) (Domestic)

3. Newspaper Archive Collection (23 articles, none of them appear to be about the son, some may have been about his father.)

4. There were eight Google book listings:

1876 Facts About Custer & the Battle of the Little Big-Horn

(Information on Ami Cheever)

Cyclorama of Gen. Custer's last fight against Sioux Indians, or the Battle ... (Ami Cheever included in the list of soldiers)

The Monthly Journal of Agriculture (Could be information on his father)

A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of ... (Information on Ami Cheever)

The Northwestern Miller (Could be information on his father)

They Rode with Custer (Not enough information provided)

The New England descendants of the immigrant Ralph Farnum of Rochester, Kent ... (Not enough information provided)

Custer in '76: Walter Camp's notes on the Custer fight (Not enough information provided)

 

Moving on to ancestry.com there were the following documents:

1. 1860 US Census record in Eighth Ward, St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri for the same group as above.

2. Findagrave.com connection with same information.

3. U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Forms, 1928-1962 with burial information about Ami Cheever.

4. U.S., Registers of Deaths in the Regular Army, 1860-1889, with the registration of the death of Ami Cheever.

5. U.S. Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914 , with the registration of the enlistment of Ami Cheever.

6. New Hampshire, Death and Burial Records Index, 1654-1949, with a listing for his sister Caroline Cheever Lee, listing their parents.

 

 

Then at familysearch.org the following records were found:

1. "United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934" (This file is for the pension application of his mother Nancy in 1879)

2. "Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915" (For Ammi Cutter Cheever born 4 May 1851 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, Father Ammi Cheever and Mother Maria Peoples)

3. "Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910" (For Maria E. Cheever to James W. P. Dyer 30 June 1874, her parents listed as Ammi Cheever and Maria C.)

4. "Massachusetts, Deaths, 1841-1915" (Death of Maria E. Dyer 19 Nov. 1912, listing her parents as Annia Cheever and Maria Sanford)

5. "Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915" (For Caroline Cheever born 18 March 1853 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, her parents listed as Ammi Cheever and Maria Cheever)

6. New Hampshire, Death and Burial Records Index, 1654-1949 (For Caroline Cheever Lee 6 June 1943, same as found at ancestry.com)

7. "Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915" (For Sanford Cheever born 8 Feb. 1855 in Boston, Massachusetts, his parents listed as Ammi Cheever and Maria P.)

8. "England Marriages, 1538–1973 " (For Sanford Cheever to Isabella Munro Waugh in 1894 in Saint Mary, Edge Hill, Lancashire, England, his father listed as Ammi Cutter Cheever)

9. "Massachusetts, Deaths, 1841-1915" (For Maria Louise Richards Cheever, 9 July 1905, wife of Sanford Cheever)

 

10. "Massachusetts, State Census, 1865", includes the following people in the household:

Household           Gender  Age        Birthplace           

               Rachel E Sanford              F          64y         South Carolina  

               Maria E Cheever               F             18y         Mass     

               Harriet C Cheever             F             16y         Mass     

               Ammi C Cheever               M           14y         Mass     

               Caroline B Cheever          F             11y         Mass     

               Sanford E Cheever            M           9y           Mass     

               Eliza Mcconnell                F             45y         N S        

               Albert J Sanford                M           29y         Mass

 

11. "Massachusetts, State Census, 1855" , includes the following people in the household:

Household           Gender  Age        Birthplace           

Amia C Cheever                M           30           Massachusetts

Maria Cheever                   F             27           Maine      

Emily Cheever                   F             8             Massachusetts

Harriet Cheever                 F             7             Massachusetts

Ami Cheever                     M           4             Massachusetts

Caroline Cheever              F             2             Massachusetts

Sanford Cheever               M            0             Massachusetts

Wilson Haliburton            M           22           Maine      

Joseph A Haliburton         M           19           Maine     

Rachael E Sanborn           F             47           Maine

 

12. "United States Census, 1850", includes the following people in the household:

Household           Gender  Age        Birthplace           

Annis C Cheever                M           25           Massachusetts  

Maria Cheever                   F             22           Maine   

Emily Cheever                   F             3             Massachusetts  

Harriot Cheever                 F             2             Massachusetts

 

13. "New York, Marriages, 1686-1980" (For Ammi Cutter Cheever to Emma Jane Morris 20 June 1874, his listed as Ammi Cutter Cheever and Maria E. This record suggests that Ammi married before he died.)

 

14. 1870 United States Federal Census Boston Ward 11, Suffolk, Massachusetts   (This is the only listing found for a Nancy Cheever)

Household Members:      Name    Age       

Geraldine Gove                 24           All born in Massachusetts, 6,000/6,000, Keeping house

Carrie A Gove                    22          

Marion A Gove                  21          

Nancy C Cheever              50          

Bridget Hogarty 27           Born Ireland

 

The final website accessed was fold3.com to look for additional information on the mother's pension file. The record found is similar to the one found at familysearch.org, but does not include the mother's name. There were 406 matches when searching for Ami Cheever.

 

This was where my research stopped on this project. It was a wonderful example of the wealth of information available. The point made is that each website with available information needs to be searched and re-searched, as they may have additional information. My class in three weeks will focus on fold3.com and I will continue searching for Ami Cheever there and provide an update to this post.

 

While some of the information about Ami Cheever is quite varied, in all likelihood he is probably the same person. The pension file will probably help to explain the family story. Why were the children found in 1850 and 1855 in Boston and in 1860 in St. Louis with their parents and 1865 living with their probable maternal grandmother? Did their father remarry to a Nancy? Did Ami marry Emma Jane Morris in 1874, prior to his death in 1876? A lot of the confusion lies in father and son having the same name.

 

There are still more websites to be searched and then record repositories where they lived. The class attendee has just been given the basis for further research. My hope is that she shares the pension file when it arrives. Are you as curious as I am?

 

 

Hunting for Family Burial Information and Serendipity

For the past month I have been searching for information for a client who is looking to find information on her mother's grandfather's brother's family. The project entailed contacting various cemeteries, funeral homes and public libraries, while also doing some online searching for obituaries and newspaper articles related to the family. Out of those eighteen contacts made, there were several that provided valuable material about this family.

For the father who died in Auburn, California, we contacted the Colfax cemetery (where he was buried according to his death certificate), the County Recorder's Office, the County Clerk's Office and the Public Library. The two county offices and the library had no information on him. We are still waiting for information from the cemetery. The records are located in a storage unit and appear to be a challenge to access.

The oldest child/daughter eluded us until we received her sister's obituary and discovered that she had married late in life. With that information we contacted Morris Hill cemetery and the funeral home in Boise, Idaho. They had very little information, but did provide the name of her niece who took care of her affairs at her death. The telephone listings have not enabled us to contact her, so a letter is being sent.

The oldest son was living in Payette, Idaho based on the obituaries of his mother and sister, so we made contact with Riverside cemetery there and they directed us to two local funeral homes. The first funeral home was a hit and they provided obituaries for the son and his wife. The turnaround for these was a matter of minutes. We now know much more about his family. They had a son and daughter, and four grandchildren. He was survived by a brother and two sisters.

The third child, a daughter living in Oregon, was buried at Gresham Pioneer Cemetery which is managed by Metro in Portland, Oregon. Her married name came from her mother's obituary. The client made the final call to Metro, as they were more comfortable speaking to a family member. They provided the name of the funeral home and we are waiting for a response from them for results of their search. We were informed that her daughter, the niece mentioned above, also took care of her affairs at her death, so the letter will request information on both of them as well as the family in general.

The fourth child, a son living in Oregon, was buried at Willamette National Cemetery with his wife. The cemetery would only provide the name of the funeral home. After contacting the first place, we were referred to a second Wilhelm Portland Memorial, who has now referred us to a third place. We hope to hear from them soon.

The fifth child, a daughter living in Issaquah, Washington, was buried at Hillside Cemetery. The cemetery provided the name of the funeral home. The funeral home emailed her obituary within minutes. They also included some cemetery information. We now know she had three children and three grandchildren, as well as two surviving brothers and sisters.

Putting together a family that was buried in six different cemeteries is a challenge. When we started the client just wanted information on the father and the oldest son. My challenge to her was to investigate all of the children, which clearly paid off. From the two obituaries we were able to track the siblings and learn more about their families. While all five sibling's burials are found on Findagrave.com, the information included on those postings is limited to basic cemetery facts. Those very facts enable us to press forward to learn more about each one of the children in this family. Contacting living family members may provide the genealogical information the client is seeking.

So, while we wait for responses from three contacts to conclude this research project, we practice extreme patience. It is hard to know how hard to push someone who in reality is doing us a huge service. They all seem to have the best intentions, but having to go to another location to look up files on people who died some time ago is surely a challenge. Each facility has different rules and directives about the records they keep and how much they can share with people seeking information on distant family members. For this case the serendipity moments occurred when we received three different obituaries within minutes of the request. Both came from funeral homes, though in different states.

Persistence and patience seem to be the requirements for researching our families, wherever the records are located. May you all enjoy the pleasure of finding information that helps you piece together your families wherever they may be found.

Surprising Serendipity Moments through the Portal

In honor of the blogiversary of GopherGenealogy@blogspot.com
I want to share two wonderful articles about two of my great grandmothers. Two weeks ago while working at the local Family Search (History) Center we were not busy, so I took some time to explore our premium websites.  The premium websites are accessible on the computers in Family Search Centers and then through the Portal provided through the familysearch.org website.

They include:

19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archives

Access Newspaper Archive

Alexander Street Press – The American Civil War: Research Data Base; Letters and Diaries; Images, Photographs, Posters, and Ephemera

Ancestry.com Library Edition

ArkivDigital Online –Swedish online records

FindMyPast.com – English online records

Fold3.com – Military and other online records

The Genealogist

Heritage Quest Online – also through Public Library

Historic Map Works Library Edition

Paper Trail

World Vital Records Library Edition
 

I made some amazing discoveries while exploring. After looking through the websites available I turned to the newest website, NewspaperArchives.com. I was pleased to discover seven articles for the Tidd family and eleven articles for the Neppl family.

These are my four great grandmothers:
     Julia Brown, born 15 Aug. 1869 in Chicago, Illinois and died 28 April 1940 in Sherwood, Oregon. She married John Philip Olsen on 13 April 1893 in Portland, Oregon. They raised seven children and she lived to the age of 71.
     Lucy Cordila Tidd, born 17 Aug. 1865 in Sumner, Iowa and died 26 March 1908 in Independence, Iowa. She married Harold H. Straw on 25 Dec. 1901 in Independence. They had one child and she lived to the age of 42.
     Rosa Belle Rounds, born 18 June 1881 in Monona County, Iowa and died 3 Dec. 1960 in South Sioux City, Nebraska. She married Jefferson Cole on 28 Feb. 1897 in Maple Landing, Monona County, Iowa. They had eleven children and she lived to the age of 79.
     Louise Clara Neppl, born 18 May 1886 in Carroll, Iowa and died 21 Sep. 1932 in Brunswick, Nebraska. She married Peter J. Anderson on 22 Feb. 1909 in Creighton, Nebraska. They had eleven children and she lived to the age of 46.

Lucy Cordila Tidd died leaving my grandmother Zella Straw age 4. While we have several written pieces about Lucy, the information was limited. My grandmother's last memory of her mother was when she was in the hospital. She said her mother held out an orange to encourage her to daughter to come to her, but she was too shy to go. Zella would live to the age of 92, having raised three sons.

Louise Clara Nepple died leaving two married daughters, Hilda and Helen my grandmother, twins age 22, and eight other children at home. My grandmother's last memory of her mother was a visit shortly before she died. One son of Louise died in 1911. At the time of her death, her oldest son was twenty and her youngest child, a daughter, was two. Helen lived to the age of 95, having raised two sons and a daughter. Hilda passed away six months after her.

While it is sad that my two maternal great grandmothers died at ages 42 and 46, they left a legacy in the lives that they lived. Only one of my paternal great grandmothers lived during my lifetime. They died at ages 71 and 79. I feel very blessed that both of my grandmothers lived to their 90s and I have many personal memories of them. Julia Brown's mother lived to the age of 88 and lived close to her. For Lucy Cordila Tidd who died the youngest, she also spent most of her life without her mother who died at the age of 43, when Lucy was just eight years old. Rosa Bell Rounds' mother lived to the age of 81 and lived close to her. Louise Clara Neppl's mother died at age 35, leaving a family of eight children.

The following are the two articles that brought tears to my eyes as I read them. I came a little closer to establishing a personal connection to these women.


The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, Friday, April 3, 1903, NewspaperArchives.com, accessed April 17 2013
The death of Mrs. H. H. Straw of Sumner township occurred at the city hospital at Independence Thursday afternoon March 26, 1908. Sunday, March 22, she was taken to the hospital and the following Thursday was operated on for tumor, death following a few hours later. Lucy Tidd, daughter of Daniel Tidd and his wife, was born in Sumner Township in 1865. Her mother died when she was only 8 years old. She remained at home with her father until her marriage to Harry H. Straw December 25, 1901. Besides her husband and her little daughter, aged 4 years, the deceased is survived by her aged father, one brother, Herbert, and one sister, Mrs. Jennie Hosmer of Irving, Ore. Mrs. Straw was one of the seven to organize the Society of King's Daughters of Sumner township. She was a woman dearly loved for her kind and charitable impulses, and was ever engaged in philanthropic work. She was a member of the Congregational church and was an earnest and faithful worker. The funeral occurred Saturday afternoon from the home, which is just across the road from Mrs. Straw/s birthplace. The services were conducted by Rev. T. E. Taylor. Interment in Oakland cemetery at Independence. The deepest sympathy is extended to her husband and other relatives.

Other Tidd Family articles included obituaries for:
Waterloo Evening Courier, Thursday, August 2, 1928, accessed April 17, 2013. Mrs. Wesley Hosmer, who died at her home in Sherwood, Ore., notice of death to H. H. Tidd. 
Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa, Friday, October 20, 1933, accessed April 17, 2013. Mr. Wesley Hosmer who died in Sherwood, Ore., notice of death to H. H. Tidd.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Wed. June 20, 1950, accessed April 17, 2013. Funeral notice of Harry H. Straw.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Tues. Aug. 15, 1950 and Aug. 22, 1950, accessed April 17, 2013. Appointment of administrator for probate of Maude Straw, widow of Harry H. Straw.


Carroll Daily Herald, Carroll, Iowa, Monday, September 26, 1932, NewspaperArchives.com, accessed April 17, 2013.
Former Roselle Resident Buried At Royal, Neb.
Rites Held Friday for Mrs. Peter Anderson; Mother Lives Here
Funeral rites for Mrs. Peter Anderson of Royal, Neb., formerly a resident of Roselle township were held at Creighton, Neb., Friday morning at 9:30 o'clock in St. Ludgers Catholic church. Frank and Henry Neppl of Halbur and Willey, respectively, attended the services.
Louise Neppl, daughter of the late Frank Neppl, Sr., was born May 18, 1885, at Roselle, and was married to Peter Anderson at Creighton, Feb. 22, 1908.
She is survived by her husband and nine children: Mrs. Roy Briggs (Hilda) of Royal, Neb.; Mrs. Orville Cole (Helen) of Sioux City; and the other seven at home. One child died in infancy.
She also leaves her mother Mrs. Frank Neppl Sr., of North Maple Street, Carroll, four brothers and four sisters: Frank Neppl of Halbur; Louis Neppl of Glidden; Henry Neppl of Wiley; William Neppl of Breda; Mrs. William Thomassen (Tekla) of Creighton, Neb.; Mrs. Frank Raab (Mary) of Lindsey, Tex.; Mrs. Joe Lordeman (Josephine) of Denver, Colo.; Mrs. W. J. Meis (Katherine) of Carroll.
Mrs. Anderson has been ill for about six months and died from the effects of the flu. She was well fortified with the last sacraments of the church. (Her mother mentioned is her step-mother, her mother Mary Schaffer Neppl died in 1889.) 

The other articles ten articles for the Neppl family are for collateral lines and provide information valuable for the research of this family who arrived from Germany in the 1880s.

So goes the happy dance in the research of our families. Things often pop-up in places where we least expect them. As more material is digitized and placed online for easy access, the challenge comes in discovering where they are waiting to be found. What resources are available to us in local research facilities, many miles from where the originals were written? Please keep looking, seek inspiration in directing you in where to look and capture the moments of serendipity as they occur. Check out the portal at your local Family Search Centers, there are truly treasures waiting to be discovered.

  

GopherGenealogy Two Year Blogiversary

I am a statistics person, so for the two-year blogiversary I want to again share some of the information provided for this blog through blogspot.com and compare it to the first year. This is a way for me to record this data and track the history of who is reading the posts, where they are located, what types of search engines they use, what browsers they use, what referring sites they are coming from, and what types of posts and pages they are most interested in.

While this blog has a small following of 66, up from 60, it averages about 50 pageviews a day now compared to 25 a day the previous year. The highest pageviews being about 100 for a day for both years. For last year there were 8,630 pageviews, this year 13,151 and a two year total of 21,781. This past month has seen a large increase of viewers and the overall total for the year is considerable. Since September there have been over 1,000 pageviews a month.

Ole A. Brown - Finally the Serendipity Moment

Today while working on the family of Ole A. Brown there was a serendipity moment just waiting to happen. Back in 2005 I wrote about Ole A. for the writing contest for the Genealogical Forum of Oregon and was honored to receive an honorable mention. With this recognition came the joy of having my story published in their March 2006 issue of the Bulletin, their quarterly publication. It can be found on this blog as a page from the bar across the top.