Fourth Annual TransylvanianDutch iGene Awards

The Carnival of Genealogy's Annual iGene Awards have returned - where geneabloggers choose the Best of their Best posts from the past year in five categories: Best Comedy, Best Biography, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture. [It's just a coincidence that this theme occurs every year around the time the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out its awards.]

The TransylvanianDutch chapter of the Academy of Genealogy and Family History has participated in all prior years, and will do so again. For those who are nostalgic, here were our selections in 2010, 2009, and 2008 from the prior year's posts.

Fourth Annual TransylvanianDutch iGene Awards

Best Comedy

Winner - Genealogy Shocker - Lucille Ball married Her Grandson

On April 1, 2010 I proved that Lucille Ball was the grandmother of her husband, Desi Arnaz by using Ancestry's OneWorldTree.  Which every genealogy researcher knows is extremely trustworthy. 

Other Nominees

The Chicago Key Puncher's Finish - A poem written by the prolific author, Anonymous, and discovered in my grandmother's collection.

When Traditional Methods Fail - I discovered someone online offering to conduct what could be described as slightly untraditional genealogical research.  It involves crystal spheres.


Best Biography

Winner - A Tale of Two Grandmas - I created a joint timeline for both of my grandmothers, allowing me to see similarities and differences in their life journeys.

Other Nominees

Ode to Sarah Hartley Denyer Foster - A poem I wrote concerning a great great grandmother.

The Labors of Hercules - a post concerning my discovery that my 8th great grandfather owned a slave, and the information I could find about that slave.

Best Screenplay 

Interview with Sissie Feinstein Newmark - December 1987

A transcription of an interview conducted with my paternal grandmother in 1987.  I divided it into ten minute segments, and there are seven posts in total.  I link to the first post above, and the rest can be found in my index of Amanuensis Monday posts.

Best Documentary

Interview with Melvin Lester Newmark - December 1987

A transcription of an interview conducted with my paternal grandfather in 1987.  I divided it into ten minute segments, and there are nine posts in total.  I link to the first post above, and the rest can be found in my index of Amanuensis Monday posts.

Did you really think I was going to choose one over the other for an award?

Best Picture

Winner

Van Every Children

A photograph taken circa 1894 of the four elder children of Melvin and Margaret (Denyer) Van Every.  Taken approximately six years prior to the birth of my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every, it shows her older siblings Minnie, Sam, Willa and Evva.





Other Nominees

Ten Days Without Mail 

A postcard my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent home during the war.  No one at his APO had received mail in ten days.  The artwork on the postcard illustrated how he felt.

Scrapbook Alternatives

In a post on alternatives to scrapbooking, I included this collage concerning the smoking habits of my paternal grandparents, and the result. In the comments it was suggested that this matches the intent of scrapbooking.  But there are no fancy backgrounds, and no need to cut up old photographs since it is all done with image editing software.

This ends the awards for the five main categories.  However, last year I came up with my own additional category. I plan to award it in any year there are nominees. 

Best Genea-Bloggers in a Supporting Role - I present awards to show my gratitude to other Genea-Bloggers who commented upon, or in some other way responded to an entry, providing me with more information on my family.

• In February of 2010 I griped about my lack of success through RAOGK and  FindAGrave to obtain photographs of my great grandparents' tombstones.  John Frank of AncestryChronicles lived nearby the cemetery in Chicago and volunteered to take the photographs once the snow melted. 

• In May of 2010 Sharon of KindredFootprints discovered some Van Everys in her family tree.  I was able to help her with some information on her cousin, and when she made a trip to Niagara, Ontario  she took some photographs of the Van Every plot at Warner Cemetery. 

• In July of 2010 I discovered the will of Barnard Goldfinch at the UK National Archives.  I believed him to be my fifth great grandfather, but I was unable to decipher the will as the 18th century script was beyond my ken.  I did post the images though, and Martin Hollick of The Slovak Yankee, was able to transcribe the will using his experience with even earlier English script.