Looking back as the year draws to a close, it has been one of ups and downs. The continuation of the Covid pandemic made it difficult to easily visit with others until the rollout of the vaccine gave some protection for people to get together more safely. We were able to be with family and friends for some occasions and were especially grateful for time spent with my elderly in-laws, Joe and Rosemarie, who went into an assisted living facility last winter. This summer both of my in-laws passed away, three months apart, and will be missed this holiday season. Continue reading
General
Cemetery Citings: Brush Creek
Cemeteries are the resting place of the dead, and for a genealogist they are teeming with information. Gravestone inscriptions are a short bio about the deceased, often supplying name, birth and death information, relationships and sometimes even an epitaph. When relatives are in the same cemetery, the grave markers can reveal a family narrative. Perhaps it’s this richness that fascinates me when I walk through a graveyard reading the stories of the standing stones. Continue reading
Research Reboot with Roots Tech
During the long cold winter months, I nestled by my computer tending to my family tree. For the new year I renewed my membership with ancestry.com and focused mainly on my Ludwick family, adding many new relatives. Every now and then I would pick up a lingering puzzle on another line to see if I had any new insights. I reviewed ancestry hints over and over, but not much turned up. I kept wondering what I could do to improve my research and solve some of these riddles. Luckily for me, the answer came at the end of February. Continue reading
“Home” for the Holidays
“I’ll be home for Christmas” is a song that expresses the desire to be with family and friends to celebrate during the holidays when circumstances might prevent it. That may be a common sentiment this year as Covid19 continues to pose health threats and forces many to downsize plans. Instead of large parties with extended relatives, only immediate family members will get together to open presents around the tree. Fortunately, with modern day technology, video chats will be prevalent to connect with loved ones this season. Continue reading
Cousin Connections: Carmen
For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of genealogy is the people I meet exploring similar family lines. The type of involvement varies. Sometimes it is limited to an exchange of one or two letters with a cousin who shares a few items about the family. With a few, it has been a flurry of emails over a short period of time as we intensely investigate a particular family together. Then there are those occasional contacts that move beyond genealogy into a friendship, like my correspondence with Carmen Hill. Continue reading
2020–The 24th US Census
The 24th decennial U.S. Census in 2020 is now underway. In March letters were sent to all residences to collect information of who lived there on the designated date of April 1, sometimes referred to as census day. The first of April has been census day for many recent enumerations, although this date has varied. A new initiative this year is to have responses returned electronically via online forms; answers can also be submitted by phone or by mail, which was introduced in 1960. If no completed form is received, an enumerator will visit to collect the information, although Covid19 might disrupt these attempts. Continue reading
The Gift of Family
While considering what to write for this month’s blog, I thought about holiday traditions past. Some basic customs include putting up a tree, decorating the house, sending cards, baking cookies and exchanging gifts. The length of time these have been in practice might vary, but they all focus on celebrating and sharing with others. That started me thinking about family. Continue reading
Honoring Departed Ancestors
Last winter I had the pleasure to watch the animated movie Coco about a young Mexican boy Miguel who learns about his ancestors during the celebration of Día de Muertos, more commonly known in the United States as Day of the Dead. The practice was observed by the Aztecs in Central America centuries ago with the tradition now practiced in Mexico. Continue reading
Calculating Cousin Connections
During the month of August I have been rehearsing at the American Legion in Delmont where I stroll through the New Salem Presbyterian Church cemetery to get there. I have visited this cemetery before as some maternal distant cousins are buried there. As I pass by the headstones of Sarah Ludwick Black and some of her family, I quietly observe the shared connections we have. Sarah is my first cousin four times removed as well as my second cousin four times removed. But what does that really mean? Continue reading
Vital Records: PA Register of Births
Recently I decided to search Pennsylvania birth records for my maternal grandparents Marjorie and Bill Ludwick, who were born in 1894 and 1895, respectively. Finding documents related to births in Pennsylvania before the 20th century can be challenging. Between 1893 and 1905 reporting births was under the county jurisdiction, and compliance was inconsistent. These records, located in the Orphan’s Court Division of the county courthouse, are usually referred to as the county Register of Births. Continue reading
Relatively Speaking Blog 