Favorite Christmas Carol

The footnoteMaven is continuing her annual tradition of hosting Blog Caroling.

So my fellow GeneaBloggers, I challenge each of you to blog or post to Facebook your favorite Christmas Carol - Blog Caroling. We'll all sing along! (Blog Caroling is posting the lyrics, youtube video, etc. of your favorite Christmas carol on your blog.)

I last participated in 2008. I may deserve a little coal in my stocking.
While Jewish, I am familiar with a few Christmas Carols.

Here's Carol Burnett performing a poem she claims to have written at age 12



Christmas Carol. Get it?

For those who want a song, and perhaps something a bit more traditional.
2016 began with the passing of David Bowie. In his honor:

Surname Saturday: Genealogy Filk

Bill West of West In New England recently announced the Second Geneabloggers' Just Make Up the Lyrics Challenge 

1. Set the names of your ancestors to the music of any song. It can be
any number of names, any song. Just remember to mention what song
you are using so we can all sing along as we read!

More info

While I posted a comment on the first round of this back in 2009, apparently I was unable to come up with a contribution, which surprises me. I love writing filks, and what could possibly have caught my attention more than a genealogical filk challenge?!

I hear a few head scratches. What's filk?

One definition: A popular or folk song with lyrics revised or completely new lyrics and/or music, intended for humorous effect when read, and/or to be sung late at night at Science Fiction conventions.

While the term was invented for the science fiction community (some say it was originally a typo for 'folk' music) there's no reason its use can't be broadened to include any similar parodies.

I may have passed on the 2009 challenge, but I'm not passing this time around. (the lyrics of the final verse below are very close to the original, but the original lyrics worked quite well.)

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Lyrics by John Newmark, 2014
Sung to the tune of: Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious, by The Sherman Brothers, 1964

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Even though our surnames, yes
We often can’t remember
If we say them long enough
We’ll know them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Because I was confused as heck
When I was just a lad
My father taught a little trick
It wasn’t quite so bad
“Our surnames might be bothersome
But I bet you didn’t know
String all our names together
And this is how it goes:

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer”
Even though my surnames, yes
I couldn’t quite remember
When I said them long enough
I knew them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
So when your names you can’t recall
There’s no need for dismay
Just string your names together
In any sort of way
But better do it carefully
Or it could change your life
One night I taught this to me girl
And now me girl's my wife!
She’s WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
I’m NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

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.

The Wrong Side of History

Today’s Open Thread Thursday topic at Geneabloggers:

Over the next few years – with the sesquicentennial of the United States Civil War – there will be more of a focus on ancestors who fought in the conflict as well as those ancestors who supported certain causes and movements such as states’ rights or the abolition of slavery.

It is said that history is written by the winners. However, with the advent of blogging and the ability for almost anyone to have a platform where they can write and express their opinion, the stories of those on the losing side of these causes and movements are being told.

How do you handle telling such stories, especially if your ancestor was pro slavery or, for example, anti women’s suffrage? What if there is no evidence as to their opinions or positions yet they fought for the losing side in a war, such as World War II?

Is there, in fact, a “wrong side” of history?

I’ll start by providing my thoughts on the final question. No. There is a ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ side of most wars – whether they are fought on a physical or intellectual battlefield. (Sometimes there’s a stalemate.) However, those who lose these wars weren’t necessarily ‘wrong.’

I also don’t attribute the telling of the stories to the internet. The losing side has had a voice in history since Gutenberg. I read Mein Kampf in high school. Yes, it was presented in the context of the writings of a madman, but I read Hitler’s words. I also read the Communist Manifesto. I’ve also read speeches given by William Jennings Bryan. Whether a student is encouraged to read the works of those whose opinions weren’t favored by history depends entirely upon the quality of the school. However, it doesn’t depend upon the internet. It’s possible the internet is providing this information to a greater number of individuals – acting as a school-replacement for those who need one.

Fortunately, I have no knowledge of relatives who fought on the losing side of World War I or II. Since I can trace my maternal ancestry back to Germany, I can assume I have some distant cousins, but our most recent common ancestor would likely have lived during the 17th century. My Great Uncle, Sam, was accused of pro-German sympathies, but his accuser was an ex-wife, who might not be the most reliable source.

That said, there are several descendants of Thomas and Katherine Stoughton whose political beliefs are in opposition to my own. From William Stoughton, Chief Magistrate over the Salem Witch Trials to political commentator, Patrick Buchanan. I find the presence of John Kerry and Franklin Roosevelt, along with the poets Harold Hart Crane and Oliver Wendell Holmes in the same list of descendants ample balance.

I do have ancestors who fought for the Confederacy, and others who were United Empire Loyalists. I’ve blogged before about my discovery of a slave-owning ancestor.

I’m careful not to infer what someone’s thoughts or beliefs were, unless they were written down. I record the facts as they are known. My second great grandfather, Ebenezer Denyer, served the Confederacy in the State of Texas. He is not known to have owned any slaves. The Denyer family lived in Texas prior to the state joining the US. A sibling of Ebenezer’s fought for the Republic of Texas against Mexico in 1841. Was Ebenezer’s service during the Civil War more Pro-Texas than Pro-Slavery or Anti-Union? I can’t answer that. (I can raise the question, though.)

The political battles today can still get rather heated.  I have good friends with whom I disagree strongly on some issues.  I have no idea what 'side' I will be viewed on in 20, 40 or 80 years.  I don't believe in hiding information about ancestors from future generations.  I will respect  kin and refrain from blogging about some things if the relative in question has close living descendants.  But if the event in question happened 150 years ago or more, I'm not going to hesitate much blogging about it.

Genealogy Blogger Cousins

I've watched as several geneabloggers discovered they were cousins - hoping someday I and someone else would make a similar discovery.

[I've found several cousins interested in genealogy - but none of them were in the blogging community as well.]

I still haven't found a GBC, but I've come close.

Eliza Jane Van Every, a second cousin of mine, four times removed, married the first cousin, five times removed, of Sharon of Kindred Footprints.  So Sharon and I are both related to the offspring of Eliza and Rev. Frederick Haynes, but we aren't cousins to each other.

When she discovered a Van Every in her tree, she contacted me.  That's one of the benefits of blogging repeatedly on the same surname.  I was able to quickly find Eliza Jane in my copy of The Records of the Van Every Family (Mary Blackadar Piesol, 1947)

Sharon recently made a trip to Niagara, and visited Warner Cemetery (among other sites).  She took several photographs of the Van Every plot and shared them with me.  A kind RAOGK photographer had already sent me a photograph of the tombstone of my ancestor, McGregory Van Every, but Sharon sent me several other photographs for which I am thankful.

If you have interest in the Niagara area, Sharon has posted photographs from her trip here and here.

Multiple Anniversaries

Geneabloggers, in their weekly list of events, notes that we are celebrating our third blogiversary today. This surprised me at first, but I quickly realized how that determination was made.

I began blogging in May of 2002, and while it has gone through several name changes over those 8 years, that blog still exists. Its current focus is my ongoing attempts at writing and publishing poetry and fiction.

On April 16, 2007 I began actively blogging about genealogy, and soon after discovered the geneablogging community. Approximately August 12, 2007 I created this space for my genealogy-related posts. In the process I moved a few posts from prior to April 16th I felt belonged. I've long been interested in my family history, but I hadn't yet been bitten by the research bug.

February 28, 2007 was the 100th birthday of my grandfather, Martin Deutsch (1907-1991).

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Game - Day 15 - Final

More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games

Daily Stats: DayFifteen / Final

It's only 10 am, but I don't suspect I will tally up any more progress in either of the categories in which I chose to compete.

Category: Organize Your Research

Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.

New Scanned: 23 documents (26 pages)
Total Scanned: 184 documents (337 pages)
New Data Entries: 4
Total Data Entries: 40

Medal: Double Platinum (Task completed 10 times)

In the 2008 Summer Games I scanned 84 documents (126 pages) with 20 data entries. I doubled my output in both parts of this task. Being familiar with the Wheat and the Chessboard, I know I have my work cut out for me in future competitions.

Category: Expand Your Knowledge

• Task A: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location.

• Task B: Create a timeline related to one of your lines of research, a specific ancestor or location.

• Task C: Create a memorial page for an ancestor using either Footnote’s Create A Page feature or their Facebook application I Remember.

• Task D: Visit tutorial and learning pages of popular websites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch’s excellent articles repository.

• Task E: Create a surname visualization using Wordle, Word It Out or a similar application. Post the graphic to your blog.

Completed: Tasks A, B, D and E. (I'm satisfied with the memorials I'm creating for my ancestors and kin at FindAGrave, I don't feel a need to start creating them elsewhere.)

Medal: Diamond (4 tasks)

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Days 10 and 11

More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games

Daily Stats: Day Ten and Eleven

Category: Organize Your Research

(no progress...still 19 scanned letters shy of a Double Platinum medal)


Category: Expand Your Knowledge

Tasks A, D and E completed

Task B: Create a timeline related to one of your lines of research, a specific ancestor or location.  Get creative using a free application such as TimeToast. Post your timeline on your blog.

I didn't use TimeToast or any other free application; I did it by hand.  And I haven't yet put a blog post together.  However, I have updated a timeline I put together back in March of 2008 for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every Deutsch, and I have put one together for my paternal grandmother, Belle Feinstein Newmark.  The posts will appear later this week.


Four completed tasks - Diamond Medal earned
One task shy of Platinum

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Days 8 and 9

More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games

Daily Stats: Day Eight and Nine

Category: Organize Your Research

Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.

Scanned: 28 documents (52 pages)
Total Scanned: 161 documents (311 pages)
Total Data Entries: 36

This task has been completed 9 times, so if I can scan 19 more letters, I'll have earned a "Double Platinum."

Category: Expand Your Knowledge

Task A: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.

I did this on Thursday

Task D: Visit tutorial and learning pages of popular websites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch’s excellent articles repository.

I have visited both. I know I will return to both, but I stayed longer in my initial visit at FamilySearch's site. I like the ability to sort all the documents by title, subject, or geographical location.

Task E: Create a surname visualization using Wordle, Word It Out or a similar application. Post the graphic to your blog.

Wordle is a fun way to visualize the relative quantities of different surnames in one's database. I last did this six months ago. But my database hasn't been stagnant. Here's what it looks like now. (click to enlarge):

By completing three tasks, I have earned a "Gold" in this category. By the end of competition on Saturday I expect to complete at least four, perhaps all five tasks.

Google Maps of my Ancestors

Category 4 of the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games is "Expand Your Knowledge"

Task A is: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.

Below is a map of St. Louis addresses for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch. She moved to St. Louis in 1920, and except for a brief period in 1945 when she moved to West Palm Beach, FL, she was in St. Louis for the rest of her life. Before her marriage, she moved around a lot. [Click on the '-' button to 'Zoom out' and see all the addresses, or click on "View...in a larger map".]


View St. Louis Residences of Myrtle Van Every Deutsch in a larger map

This entry serves as my status update, as it is the only thing I've done today for the competition.

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Day 5

More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games

Daily Stats: Day Five

Category: Organize Your Research

Scanned: 22 documents (44 pages)
Total: 68 documents (138 pages)

Still scanning letters my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent my grandmother during the war. I've completed the month of November, 1942.

One of the letters had a few small photographs enclosed. While I scanned them in, I only counted them as an additional page in that document.

Here's one of them. (My grandfather is in the passenger seat of the jeep.)

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Day 4

More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games

Daily Stats: Day Four

(Day 3 no progress was made in any category)

Category: Organize Your Research

Scanned: 20 documents (37 pages)
Total: 46 documents (94 pages)

Still scanning letters my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent my grandmother during the war. I've reached the month of September, 1942.

Data Entries:

New Entries: 16
Total: 36

I added 14 people to my database. I also entered biographical data on two individuals (transcribing from Records of the Van Every Family) A total of 16 entries.

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Day 2

Daily Stats: Day Two

Category: Organize Your Research

Scanned: 20 documents (34 pages)
Total: 26 documents (57 pages)

Still scanning letters my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent my grandmother during the war.  Many of them are addressed to either Sweetheart or General, as he referred to her as his "Sweetheart General."

Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Day 1

Daily Stats: Day One

Category: Organize Your Research

Data Entries: Added 17 people to my database. I also transcribed 7 pages of text from my copy of Records of the Van Every Family, and inserted the text into the notes for 3 people who were already in my database. I'll count this as three "data entries." A total of 20.

Scanned: 6 documents (23 pages) - letters my maternal grandfather sent home from the war. I'd estimate he sent at least 3 letters a week, often more, and each letter was multiple pages. I've completed April of 1942. The last letter was in August of 1944. I have a way to go. I doubt I will finish during these two weeks.

As in 2008, I have a lot of scanning to do, and that is where my main focus will be in this competition category.

GeneaBlogger 2010 Winter Games

The Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games are afoot. [For participation instructions, follow the link.]

Team TransylvanianDutch participated in the 2008 summer edition, and will be again.

Step One: Sign up (done)

Step Two: Create a Heritage Flag, put it in your sidebar, and explain its meaning

I will be using the same flag I created in 2008

This flag contains elements of the US, Dutch and Israeli flags. The Star of David represents all of my Jewish ancestry, but since the flag is representing my blog as well as myself, I added something Transylvanian - a vampire. The vampire is by Edward Munch, who is better known for "The Scream."

Step Three: Declare the categories in which I will be competing

Category Three: Organize Your Research (I will be focusing on scanning documents, and creating data entries)
Category Four: Expand Your Knowledge (I will be creating some timelines)
Category Amanuensis: During the Summer 2008 games I began what I called a "long-term transcription project." As I wrote then: "I'm going to tally for my own benefit how many letters I transcribe. It doesn't fall under any of the competitive categories, but there's no reason I can't use the 'Olympic spirit' to challenge myself, even if no one else is doing it." Approximately six months later, this project became Amanuensis Monday. I will be re-challenging myself.

Step Four: Begin Competing on Saturday February 13.

Will do.

The Usefulness of a Library Card

Amy Coffin at WeTree, with the support of GeneaBloggers, are collectively providing a weekly challenge this year they are calling 52 Weeks to a Better Genealogy.

Week 1: Go to your local public library branch. Make a note of the genealogy books in the collection that may help you gain research knowledge. Don’t forget to check the shelves in both the non-fiction section and the reference section. If you do not already have a library card, take the time to get one. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s genealogy collection.

Monday morning of Week 1, and I was home, sick. The rest of this week it's been close to zero degrees Fahrenheit outside. Heading to the library after work hasn’t appealed much. I preferred, for example, letting my cat curl up on my lap as I re-watched the Doctor Who End of Time episode.

But I have a library card, so I can go to my local library (St. Louis County Library) in the comfort of my living room. There are a few databases I could access only if I went to the physical library (Ancestry and Footnote being the two chief ones of interest to me.) But many others don’t have this restriction. All you need is a library card number.

• HeritageQuest Online
• Sanborn Maps for Missouri and Illinois
• Gale Virtual Reference Library (Encyclopedia, almanacs, and specialized reference sources)
• Oxford English Dictionary
• Oxford Reference (Dictionaries for Literature, Classics, Folklore, Mythology and Languages)
• World Book Encyclopedia
• St. Louis Post Dispatch 1988 to present
• St. Louis Post Dispatch 1874-1922
• Christian Science Monitor 1988 to present
• New York Times 1851-2004
• New York Times 1995 – Present
• USA Today 1997 to Present
• Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition 1984 to Present
• Washington Post 1987 to present
• NewspaperArchive
• 19th Century African American Newspapers
• Charleston Mercury, New York Herald, and Richmond Enquirer (1860-1865)
• Ethnic NewsWatch
• Factiva
• Informe (Hispanic newspapers and magazines)
• InfoTrac Custom Newspapers
• NewspaperDirect Press Display
• Nineteenth Century US Newspapers

I’m leaving a lot off the list. But I’ve focused on those of interest to those researching genealogy and history. There are databases for science, government, health, and more. You may be able to find similar resources elsewhere on the internet, but it's all available in one location.

The St. Louis area has three library systems - City, County, and several municipalities in the County went rogue and developed the Municipal Library Consortium. However, along with neighboring St. Charles, they have formed a "reciprocal lending" program with each other, so if you reside in any of them, you can get a library card for any of the others, for free. (I actually reside in a district in the Municipal Library Consortium. I have only three library cards, as I haven't investigated the offerings in St. Charles yet.)

Note: I would be remiss if I failed to mention that while not accessible from home, the St. Louis County Library has housed the National Genealogical Society Collection since 2001. It comprises over 20,000 volumes. All of the 20,000 volumes are available through Inter-Library Loan, if you happen not to live in the St. Louis area.

SNGF: Ancestors I have met

In his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy at GeneaMusings asks:

1) Write down which of your ancestors that you have met in person (yes, even if you were too young to remember them).

2) Tell us their names, where they lived, and their relationship to you.

In addition to my two parents, who recently celebrated their 49th anniversary together -- I have met four ancestors, for a total of six.

1) My paternal grandfather, Melvin Lester Newmark. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 27, 1912. He lived until 1992.

2) My paternal grandmother, Belle "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri on August 14, 1914. She lived until 2002.

3) My maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch. He was born in Varalmas, Hungary on February 28, 1907. The Deutsch family immigrated to the US in 1913 and settled in Chicago, IL. My grandfather moved to St. Louis in 1933. He lived until 1991.

My maternal grandmother, Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch, died in 1951, 18 years before I was born. My grandfather married Marjorie (Shelp Helmkampf) in 1965. I grew up thinking of her as my grandmother, even though she wasn't my ancestor.

4) my paternal grandfather's mother, Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark. She was likely born in East St. Louis, Illinois on the Jewish holiday of Rosh HaShana in either 1886 or 1887. (Sept 30, 1886 or Sept 19th, 1887). She lived until 1978 when I was 9 years old.

25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs

ProGenealogists has come up with a list of the 25 Most Popular Genealogy Blogs for 2009 (26 actually, since there's a tie for 25)

For this study, hundreds of genealogy blogs were evaluated based on their overall content, Technorati rating, and industry experience. Due to the ever-changing nature of the blogosphere and the authority basis of Technorati rankings, it is anticipated that this list will change frequently.

Technorati's authority ratings are based on how many unique blogs link to your blog over a 6 month period (180 days). TransylvanianDutch, for example, currently has an 'authority rating' of 33, which means in the past 180 days 33 different blogs linked to ours. It's possible each of those 33 linked 1000 times. (Unlikely, but possible.) Technorati doesn't care. Technorati also doesn't measure hits, so it has no idea how popular you are among non-bloggers.

I am honored to be able to say TransylvanianDutch is in the Top 25. #15 to be exact. I was curious how much of the ranking was Technorati, and how much was ProGenealogists' subjective judgment of 'overall content' and 'industry experience'.

So I looked up the Technorati Authority Ranking for 25 of the top 26 blogs. (As ProGenealogist indicates, for some reason, Eastman's Online Newsletter isn't considered a blog. They say they found the data elsewhere, though I don't know where that is.) I should also note that this is as of April 6th. ProGenealogists' ranking was as of April 3rd. It's possible the Authority ratings for some of the sites below could have changed in 3 days.

1. About.com Genealogy (108)
2. Eastman Online Newsletter (?)
3. Genea-Musings (92)
4. Creative Gene (76)
5. Dear Myrtle (71)
6. AnceStories (69)
7. Genealogue (69)
8. footnoteMaven (57)
9. Genetic Genealogist (53)
10. Tracing The Tribe: Jewish Genealogy Blog (43)
11. GenaBlogie (39)
12. Olive Tree Genealogy Blog (37)
13. Steve’s Genealogy Blog (37)
14. 24-7 Family History Circle (30)
15. TransylvanianDutch (33)
16. GenDisasters (31)
17. Genealogy Insider @ FamilyTree (29)
18. Think Genealogy (28)
19. California Genealogical Society and Library Blog (28)
20. The Genealogy Guys (27)
21. CanadaGenealogy, or, 'Jane's Your Aunt' (24)
22. Ancestry Insider (21)
23. GenealogyBlog (22)
24. Ancestor Search Blog (18)
25. Tie Hugh Watkins Genealogue (12)
25. Legacy News (12)

So, basically the list matches Technorati's ranking, except in two cases where a blog with a lower ranking was moved higher on the list. Ancestry.com's 24/7 Family History Circle was placed above GenDisasters and TransylvanianDutch. And AncestryInsider was placed above GenealogyBlog. I won't argue with either decision.

Knowing what the numbers are should give those who are a little competitive an idea of how close they are to those above in the list, and who is breathing down their necks.

Note: As has been pointed out in the comments, while the order of the 25 closely matches Technorati's rankings, ProGenealogists did use some further subjectivity in selecting which blogs to include, as there are several genealogy blogs that are absent from the list with sufficient 'authority' to be included.

GBGames Final Tally

We have reached the final day of the GeneaBloggers 2008 games, and here are my final tallies:




GB Games - Team TransylvanianDutch - FINAL

1) Competition: Go Back and Cite Your Sources

Cumulative total: 58 citations

Qualifications for "Go Back and Cite Your Sources!":
10 Citations - Bronze Medal
20 Citations - Silver Medal
30 Citations - Gold Medal
40 Citations - Diamond Medal
50 Citations - Platinum Medal

Medal: Platinum

2) Competition: Organize Your Research

Cumulative total: 20 Data Entries
Cumulative total: 84 photos or documents, 126 scanned images.

Qualifications for "Organize Your Research!":

A. Organize at least 20 hard files or ancestral items (books, fabrics, inherited items) into file folders, boxes, envelopes, containers, etc.; archival-quality where appropriate.

B. Organize at least 20 digital files into folders, label, add metadata, add descriptions, add tags, etc.

C. Organize at least 20 photos into photo albums, scrapbooks, collages, protective holders, boxes, etc.

D. Organize at least 20 digital photos into folders, label, add metadata, add descriptions, add tags, etc.

E. Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.

F. Create a master list of your files and notify your family members of where it is stored.

Complete any one task - Bronze Medal
Complete any two tasks - Silver Medal
Complete any three tasks - Gold Medal
Complete any four tasks - Diamond Medal
Complete five or more tasks - Platinum Medal

Medal: Platinum (Task E 5 times over)

(I realize my interpretation of the guidelines may have varied from original intent.)



While it won't change my medal, there may be a few more data entries entered today. A cousin contacted my mother with a lead yesterday on several more cousins in Chicago. I only had time last night to look up the census, passenger manifest at Ellis Island (typed!) and do a search at the Cook County index. I have enough leads I am very hopeful I will find some living contacts. There will be another post.

GBGames Statistics: Day 12-13

Day Thirteen of the 2008 GeneaBloggers Games is near completion. We are supposed to keep daily stats. This is a combination of yesterday's and todays statistics.




GB Games - Team TransylvanianDutch - August 20-21

1) Competition: Go Back and Cite Your Sources

Event: Create Proper Citations
Number of Citations Entered: 18

Cumulative total: 58 citations

2) Competition: Organize Your Research
Event: Create data entries in your database, or scan photos, or scan documents.
Number of data entries: 18

Cumulative total: 20 Data Entries

Two days ago, when I entered 2 data entries, I said I was unlikely to enter 18 more. Then I remembered that a year ago I found over at Rootsweb's WorldConnect the Descendancy of Henry Rosenberger. It's a transcribed version of "A Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Henry Rosenberger of Franconia, Montgomery Co., Pa." by Rev. AJ Fretz, 1906 - in GEDCOM format. So I downloaded the GEDCOM and transferred the data for my direct ancestors over to my primary database, and left everything else be. Unsure about the validity of Fretz's research, or the accuracy of the transcription, I decided not to add everything to my database.

Recently I found the book in my local library and photocopied the most relevant pages. Having removed the possibility of transcription errors, I decided last night to add a couple generations of collateral relatives. There ended up being 18 of them, and of course I cited the source.

Number of photos/documents scanned: 24 documents, and 24 scanned images

Tonight I scanned 20 columns I wrote for a college newspaper in 1987 and 1988. I figure I can count this under the assumption somebody in my family in some future generation might enjoy reading them. While my parents did save them for posterity, I chose not to scan in the letters to the editor from irate readers critiquing my columns. Though rereading my columns, I agree with several of the comments.

I also scanned in 3 marriage licenses and 1 marriage license application.

Cumulative total: 84 photos or documents, 126 scanned images.