Organizing

I like things organized and some things I like organized more than others. I don't mind creative explosion in my sewing room that is being creative and finding just the right fabric to go in a quilt block. But if there is one thing that can send me over the edge is paper stuff. Especially when it starts to explode.

Many years ago I don't even remember where the idea came from, but I wanted to organize my Genealogy Binder. I took some old file folders cut them open and on the front side printed some information on the person who was in that folder. The front cover gave me some information at a quick glance such as: who, children, parents and documents I had on that person. The tab side was behind all the information on that person. The tab labels were color coded, blue for Hartmanns, yellow for Chaplins, red for other families. This dividers have severed me well since my binder have mostly been sitting on the bookshelves doing nothing. Now that I have been in my binder a lot more and looking at stuff they have not served me so well. All the papers in the sleeve protects cover up the tabs, so I had to really look around the pages to see whose tab I was in. Can you see that yellow tab peeking out at the top edge? Do you see what I mean?


While listening to the Genealogy Gems podcast someone suggested these dividers that are big enough for sheet protectors. I have all my copies of documents in sheet protectors. So I purchased some new dividers and re-typed my information sheets and inserted them into that divider which is also a sleeve protector, printed a nice label for the tab.

I like the clean new look. This is not my Research Binder that I take to the family History Library this is my stay at home binder. This is the too important to leave the house binder.

Now back to organizing. I also have computer files to reorganize after a hard drive crash, lucky for me everything was backed up on an external hard drive.

Research Check List

Nancy over at My Ancestors & Me posted what looked like a very helpful checklist. She said she would like to make a few additions to the form. I printed it off from her blog and thought this would come in handy. So on Thursday at work while being on a boring conference call I made the form again. Adding a couple of things updating it a little. I added 1940 census since it will be out in 2 years.
If I added it now I won't have to add it again in 2 years.

Also I added lines to list addresses that our ancestors lived at. I also added lines to put down how old an ancestor is at the time of the census. I always seem to be looking for paper and a calculator, this why I will have it all in one place and I don't have to keep double checking. I also left space to place a return address label just in case it fell out of your research binder some kind soul could send it back to you.

I email the form to Nancy and she like my additions and asked me to blog about it. So here it is. If you double click on it you should have it at full size and should be able to print it off. If you are unable to print it email me and I'll send it to you. My email is on my profile.

Don't you just love the name of Nancy's blog!

Look What I found!

While checking out hints on Ancestry.com I found two fun documents. Well I don't know if fun is the right word but when you are into Genealogy it is fun. I found my grandpa George's WW I and WW II draft registration cards. To bad this is so hard to read, but I was able to transcribe some of it. Maybe someday I'll fine a better copy.


This what I was able transcribe. Some of it like the address looked vaguely familiar so I checked my Dad's birth certificate and it is the same address. The birth dates may not match but I'm sure if the card says Apr or Sept. His work address also looks to be the same at the one on his WW II draft registration card. It does also have his physical description on the right side. Yes the stout gene is a very Hartmann trait!



Now this document really made me excited. Notice the address, it is the same address I lived in since I was born and until I moved to Florida in 1959. This is the house my Dad told us he and his Dad built.
I didn't find my Dad's card for WW II, he did not serve in the armed forces because he was a New York City fireman, so he was exempt, or so the story goes.

Almanac Inspired Blog Post

The Family Curator is hosting a almanac inspired blog post based on weekly themes for April.

This week's theme is Baseball. Our family history around baseball is very slim. We were NY Yankee fans, but I don't remember Dad taking me to a ball game or my brothers. The only baseball fun we did celebrate were eating hot dogs. We liked them grilled, steamed with brown mustard and relish or kraut. I still enjoy a good hot dog. Sometimes Richard & I go this fun place in Tempe, AZ called Ted's. They also have excellent onion rings.

I have been to two or three baseball games, one when I first moved here to AZ, during spring training. I didn't find it very interesting. In 2005 I went to another game with one of my co-workers Linda. She was a big baseball nut, she even kept score, I wanted to visit, eat and watch some action, not much action in baseball game.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

This a group pictures in Nantucket Island, Mass, in the side yard of Grandparents Corkish home at 3 Cottage Ct.
Left to Right: Mildred Swann Corkish, Alfred Corish, Annette Corkish Hartmann, George J. Hartmann Jr.
Front Row: Donald, George and 10 year old Me.

My 10 Blog Nominations

This has been fun and hard. So many of my favorite blogs have already received this award. I guess a lot of people like the same ones I do, we all have such good taste. I wanted to share the wealth so I went through all my favorites and my followers, see I check your blogs also. I found my 10 nominees. It was fun to revisit some of these sites. I have to be honest I don't have the time to follow everyone everyday even with google reader.

Tina Gen Wish List
TK Before My Time
Gini Ginisology
Cindy Everything's Relative
Amanda A Tale of Two Ancestors
Diana Random Relatives
Apple Apple's Tree
Lucie Acadian Ancestral Home
Bill West in New England
Kathleen You Are where You Come From

So now I'm going to leave a comment on all of these blogs.

Have a great day!

PS I just left all my tags you are it comments and more than half of my nominees had been already nominated. I didn't find that out until I saw the comments left just before mine. We all have such good taste in blogs! There are some really excellent blogs out there. All our Ancestor should be proud!

Ancestor Approved Award

Imagine my Surprise when I was in a boring meeting at work today and I check my home email on my blackberry and found a comment was posted on my blog. So I sneak on to my blog and I'm surprised again there is a second post. First Leah and then Cheryl both nominated me for the Ancestor Approved Award.
As recipient of this Ancestor Approved Award I must list ten things learned about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled, or enlightened me. The recipient then passes the award to ten other bloggers that are doing their Ancestors proud!

Here are my top ten things I have learned:
These are not in any particular order.

#1) Today before work I found some more information out about my Mom's (my second mother)parents. They are also the only grandparents I know. The surprise I learned is they had outlived my Mom, her Dad by 5 years to the ripe old age of 94, her mom by 9 years and made it all the way to 95. I don't remember hearing from my Dad when they had died. I know they didn't make it to the funeral, they lived in Nantucket Mass. and Mom died and was buried in Fort Lauderdale FL. In 1965 you didn't travel like we do today. They must have felt so helpless and so far away.

#2)Surprised that my great grandpa Joseph died of pneumonia secondary to exhaustion at the age of 69 in 1915. That's only 7 years older than I am now, so it hit close to home. Now a days he probably be treated and live longer.

#3)Humbled by my immigrant ancestors who traveled long voyages in cramped quarters, lived in poor conditions, such as tenements, did any kind of jobs to earn a living, wanted to be Americans, learned the language, told their kids they could have a better life. Pass on a good work ethic, believed there was no free lunch and if you wanted something you had to work for it, get an education, make something of yourself. This is evident by my father who was a second generation American had earned a college degree. The Tenement Museum looks very interesting.

#4) Humbled by my Grandmother Minnie Elizabeth who was a widow at the young age of 40, who had three children at home the youngest age 9 and worked to provide for her family.

#5) Humbled by my Great Grandfather Joseph who was a widower and at the age of 54 on the 1900 census had five kids at home, the youngest was 6 and the oldest was 17. That is hard on a man, I know because I saw how hard it was on my Dad when his wife died and he had 4 young kids at home from 16 to 6.

#6) Learned that my work ethic, stubbornest, worry wart behaviors and diligent natural come from a long line of people with the same characteristics.

#7) Wished I had know these people and the stories that went with them. Which means I need to share my stories with the next generation.

#8) Wished I had gotten into Genealogy when I was younger and still had some family around but I must admit I like doing so much research on the computer.

#9) I'm enlightened by the kind, supportive, encouraging genealogist I have meet at Family History Expo in Mesa and on line.

#10) Surprised at how addicting Genealogy and social networking are.

I am also suppose to pass this award on to 10 other bloggers. I'm going to have to do a little research on that to try and find a blog that hasn't received it yet. Just to share the wealth a little. So watch for a second post.

Just a coincidence!

I had to chuckle to my self when I went into New Family Search this morning and saw the name of this tab. I have not been to this site in years. I made up the name for my quilting blog, based on my first and middle name initials and added quilter. I have used that for years on my webshots album. So when I decided to start my Genealogy blog I started with me and added ancestors.

OK so maybe it is only something I can appreciate. I do like the look of mine better in all small letters.

What I did find is I have lots of updating to do. My poor pedigree chart on the site shows how little I knew about doing Genealogy when I submitted my four generation sheets ages ago. I guess the good thing is I have learned to be more accurate and precise. I guess I'll be updating stuff on the site.