GeneaBabble

In my last post I mentioned how important it is to document any family history that you may know. Well, I decided to finally go through all of my dad’s old letters. Letters, for those of you who don’t know or don’t remember, are how people used to communicate in the old days. See, people would write on a material called paper with some sort of writing implement, usually a pen or pencil. In later periods they would use typewriters which are like big noisy keyboards. Then they would put them into an envelope and put a mailing address on them. The letters were then taken to a mysterious place called the Post Office where they were delivered by rugged men through all kinds of nuisance.

Continue reading ‘What did I get myself into?’ »

Here’s a clip from an article about a presentation on preserving history:

The afternoon of public readings from LifeWriters of Northwest Arkansas was part of Arkansas Heritage Month. Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale hosted the May 26 program “Saving and Sharing Our Life Stories: It’s Everybody’s Business.”

June Jefferson acts as a coach for several LifeWriting groups throughout Northwest Arkansas.

She laced tips about how to chronicle one’s own experiences with the readings and championed the value of leaving a written legacy.

“We are each responsible for preserving the history that we know,” she said.  [Read more]

That last quote is especially important.  It is our responsibility to record and preserve what history we know so that future generations may benefit from it.

I remember going with my father to his hometown every year when I was little.  I would hear stories about my ancestors from relatives who were actually there!  Now, I can’t even remember those stories and I regret not having them.  I just hope that someone in the family had the foresight to record these things (and I hope I run across someone who has).

So, remember to write down all those family stories you may have heard.  Document them and keep them with all your other genealogical records.  Maybe even make a book out of them!

Here’s some interesting news about a fascinating part of American history.  If you don’t get the title of this post then you don’t share my addiction.

Researchers believe they may be able to use DNA to uncover the fate of the Lost Colony, which vanished shortly after more than 100 people settled on Roanoke Island in 1587.

Using genealogy, deeds and historical narratives, researchers have compiled 168 surnames that could be connected to settlers in what is considered the first attempt by the English to colonize the New World. The team will try to trace the roots of individuals related to the colonists, to the area’s 16th century American Indians or to both.  [Read more]

Not only are they using DNA, but deeds as well!  See, I told you they’re good for something!

For more information on the Lost Colony visit:

• Wikipedia entry on the Roanoke Colony
• The Colony at Roanoke - A report by Ralph Lane from 1586
• Roanoke: The Lost Colony film
  

More and more people are getting DNA tests to help them in their genealogical quest. This time it’s a group of people descended from slaves of President James Madison.

Continue reading ‘Slave Descendents to Reunite, Test DNA’ »

The following is a very brief introduction to the Public Land Survey System of the United States. In the near future I will illustrate how genealogists can use this information to decipher old deeds and atlases. Hopefully someone will find this useful.

Continue reading ‘Introduction to the Public Land Survey System’ »