National Genealogy Day

Today (March 12) is Genealogy Day, a nationally recognized day to research your family's history and heritage. I wish I had the time to sit down and do some of my own genealogy today, but I have about a hundred things to do, and none of them involve family research. Instead, I put together a list of some of my favorite blog posts regarding my personally genealogy, as well as a list of articles I have written to help you in your own family history research pursuits.

My Favorite Blog Posts

The Second Great American Local Poem And Song Genealogy Challenge (October 15, 2010) A poem written by my great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Beard) Baker

Gamble/McKillop Irish Immigrants (October 16,2010) Help me solve the mystery of this elusive family.

From Hobby to Business: My Great-Grandfather's Talent for Woodworking (November 7, 2010)

Those Places Thursday: Panton, Vermont (November 25, 2010)

Articles to Help You With Your Genealogy
These articles have all been written by me

Beginning Genealogy

Free Genealogy Websites

More Free Genealogy Websites

Types of Genealogy Charts

Breaking Down Genealogical Walls with Cluster Research

Variations in Surname Spellings

Using Cemeteries to Conduct Genealogical Research (PDF)

Glossary of Genealogy Terms

African American Genealogy

Hiring a Professional Genealogist

Follow Friday: Vermont Irish

OK, this is an older posting, but one that caught my interest immediately. In October of 2009, Michael Brophey, a genealogist from Massachusetts and owner of Brophy's Irish Genealogy blog, published a post about Vincent E. Feeney's book, entitled "Finnigans, Slaters and Stonepeggers: A History of the Irish in Vermont," a book that discusses Vermont Irish immigrants.

As a descendant of Irish immigrants, I am excited to have discovered this book. One of my questions has been how my Irish ancestors lived and why they came here. Perhaps I can get some clues within the pages of this book.

Anyways, my follow friday recommendation this week is Michael Brophey's post, Vermont Irish.

Earthquake & Tsunamis - How You Can Help

I wanna take a small break in genealogy blogging today to pay respects to the lives lost during today's natural disasters in Japan and other countries worldwide. My heart breaks for their families, and my prayers are with them and everyone else who has been affected by these storms.

If you are looking for charities to donate to in order to help with the relief efforts of the earthquake and tsunamis, please consider one of the following excellent places:

UNICEF

American Red Cross: You can also make a $ donation by texting "Red Cross" to 90999 (I did this)

Doctors Without Borders: I don't see anything on their website about helping specifically with this disaster, but I am certain they are. And if not, it's still a great cause.

FamilySearch Adds More Vermont Records to its Database!

I recently became subscribed to Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter, a fabulous free newsletter published by seasoned genealogist, Dick Eastman. (If you aren't already subscribed, I highly recommend doing so. He provides a plethora of interesting and informational genealogy news briefs and articles).

Anyways, this morning his newsletter discussed the new records that were recently added to the FamilySearch database. Included in these records are over 220,000 Vermont vital records from 1760-1954.

In light of the new records, i will hopefully be able to find some time later this week to spend on FamilySearch looking for my ancestors.

Motivation Monday: Where's Mine?

I have been seriously slacking in the genealogy department for the past few months. I just have had really no motivation to get going. Honestly, I have been lacking motivation in a lot of aspects of my life lately. I chalk it up to the wintertime blues.

Anyways, I am ready to get my head back in the game. There are some questions in my own genealogy that need answering. I also want to do some more marketing for my professional services, get some articles out to both online and offline publications, and I have even been toying with the idea of starting my own video how-to series. Of course, getting back in the game also means becoming more diligent with keeping up with this blog.

I am going to sit down sometime in the very near future and write down my genealogy goals. I think mapping them out on paper will make it easier for me to understand what direction to take to make sure the above goals become a reality. I will update here when I have a more concrete plan of action.

In the meantime, I would love your tips on how you stay/get motivated. Use the comment section below to answer! :)

Those Places Thursday: Amoskeag Mill; Manchester, NH

OK, so the Amoskeag Mill was located in Manchester, New Hampshire,and not Vermont, but the history of the mill is interesting, nonetheless,and so I have decided to blog about it.

The Amoskeag Mill was built in 1810,the same year that Manchester received its name (the town had been called Derryfield before that). The mill was located along the Merrimack River,near the Amoskeag Bridge. The mill grew to be the largest cotton mill in the world.



My third great-granduncle, Alexandre Metevier (1852-1930), worked at the Amoskeag Mill during the 19th century, according to a census record from the time.

You can learn more about the Amoskeag Mill here: Amoskeag Manufacturing Company

The following video also provides information about the mill. While it is a low-quality video, it is definitely worth watching.

Genealogy Webinars

Genealogy webinars allow genealogists of all levels (from beginners to professionals) to learn more about the field of genealogy from and computer that has Internet access. Genealogy webinars are becoming increasingly popular and it can be difficult to locate a webinar that interests you. Ol' Myrt of DearMYRTLE has recognized this difficulty and created GeneaWebinars, a blog that lists current webinars occurring throughout the web.

I am personally very excited about this new site, and will be checking it frequently. I recommend that you do the same!

Wordless Wednesday: Randolph State Normal School Class of 1872

Randolph State Normal School Class of 1872 Summer Term

Fearless Females: A Photo of a Female Ancestor

Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?

This is a photo of my 2nd great-grandmother, Olive Elizabeth "Grace" LaGrange (1878 - 1963). My guess is this photo was taken during the 1950's/early 1960's.

Fearless Females: A Favorite Female Ancestor

This month is National Women’s History Month, and in celebration Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog has created a list of 31 blogging prompts entitled "Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts". While I can not promise to come here every day to participate in this, I will try to complete as many of the prompts as I have time for.

The first blogging prompt is:

Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.

I have been drawn toward learning more about my great-grandmother, Marie Eva Bonneau (aka Eva Burnham). She has remained a woman of mystery to me since I began researching my genealogy almost ten years ago. I have recently connected with a distant cousin who is also tracing one of the lines linked to my great-grandmother, and she has been so helpful in helping me locate a few more puzzle pieces.

I know Eva was born in Sutton, Quebec in 1898 to Abraham Bonneau and Esther Metevier. She married three times; first to Carl Kennison (my great-grandfather), then to Wayland Wright, and finally to Alan Combs. She died in 1948 in Enosburg, Vermont, and is buried there.

I would like to find out when and where she and Carl were married, when and why she came to Vermont, and more about the Bonneau (aka Burnham) family. I plan to interview her last surviving child soon to heopfully have some of these questions answered.





(NOTE: Burial in the West Enosburg Cemetery; Enosuburg, Vermont).