3rd December 2006, 03:20 pm
Genealogy is like a drug without any harmful side-effects (well, maybe losing your hair and some slight neurosis.) The thrill of finding that one clue that makes everything fall into place is indescribable. It makes all the frustration of running into dead-ends worth it. It doesn’t matter whose family I’m working on… it is just as enjoyable to solve these mysteries for other people as it is to discover something new about my own family.
I suppose a lot of genealogists are the same way. It’s the thrill of the hunt, although in this case I think the kill is actually even better than the chase. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run around screaming “I FOUND IT!! I FOUND IT!!” much to the surprise and dismay of everyone else in the room.
So, anyway, I’m not sure what my point here was, but I’m having a lazy afternoon and… ooh.. something shiny!
2nd December 2006, 09:03 am
The Register of Misdeeds is great for anyone who works with land records. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found humorous mistakes on deeds - most of which seem to be the result of unknowledgeable attorneys who manage to mangle a legal description. The Register of Misdeeds has a nice collection of humorous deeds and other documents related to the conveyance of land.
1st December 2006, 09:25 am
For anyone who doesn’t already know, Yahoo! Maps beta has 1m/pixel resolution satellite imagery for the entire continental United States. While Google Earth/Maps has much better imagery in some places, Yahoo! Maps beta offers consistent quality all around. This is especially helpful in rural areas.
To see the difference, check out the images to the left. They are of the old McKean farm in Mercer County, PA which my gggg-grandfather settled in the early 1800s.
Obviously, the Yahoo! Maps beta offers a much cleaner image. The Google image is practically useless. I have even been able to find little, hidden cemeteries using the Yahoo! Maps images. Hopefully Google will soon give us consistent, quality images of the entire U.S. rather than the strange patchwork that is currently available.
1st December 2006, 07:18 am
I didn’t think much of it when there was a post on the APG List about problems viewing some Ancestry images. Well, now I’m trying to view some obituaries and all I get is, ” Sorry, this cached page is not available.” Huh??
This is most annoying and I hope something is done about it soon.
