A Genealogy Reflection of 2017

Above, my husband and I are with a group of genealogists from the Lowell, MA area. We had a pretty active genealogy club, but as time passed, we lost 4 people due to death, and several lost interest. I believe the club lasted about 15 years. Two people shown above are very active in local Massachusetts genealogical clubs, and you'll probably recognize the two named Diane.

At this time of the year, many genealogists are taking stock of their 2017 accomplishments or lack thereof. I fall into the later category. The evidence is from Google, but the statistics aren't all that bad. In 2010 and 2011, I wrote 260+ blogs a year, this past year it was 18! My readership via email is over 1,000, the increase came in the fall, and my hits are at 572,100 (32,000 more since Oct. 25), although I don't remember the total in 2016.

If you are wondering if I'm still doing genealogy, the answer is a YES,  but several things have gotten in the way. Mainly, many computer problems, printer problems, and Verizon has been to the house three times. I did purchase a new computer and printer in the spring.

For 2018, I intend to complete the approximate 100 posts I have in draft form. Most are travel related, with plenty of photos, because my husband and I took a lot of day trips, and I know there are always a few readers who appreciate the photos. I get ideas from facebook friends, and then I have to go and see places for myself. My 65+ library posts were fun, and I'd like to continue writing them. Several genealogy related posts are almost ready to post as well. However, I haven't done any research that is out of the norm that any genealogist does, so I won't write about my findings. If I find amazing discoveries, then I'll post the story.

I've helped quite a few people with their research and just recently decided to update some posts. During the past 8 years, new data has been entered into my tree, and my posts need to reflect that. Two examples of updated posts are:

Tombstone Tuesday -- OLIVER AND ANNA BELDEN (written July 2011)

I explain that my 3 photos gave no indication of where they were taken in the cemetery. I took additional photos recently and added more information.

BALCH of Massachusetts -- Surname Saturday (written January 2011)

My blog has at least 159 Surname Saturday listings. Many are terribly outdated, so I chose my Balch line to update. I had to use a trial-and-error method since I couldn't use RootsWeb due to Ancestry problems. So, with RootsMagic, I did a report, copied it to Word, then pasted to the post, obviously a long process. So, I hope Ancestry does its magic to get RootsWeb up and running soon.

Below are a few posts.

If Only All Cemeteries Would Do This

Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum

The Royall House and Slave Quarters, At One Time t...

Four Requests in a Month to use my Photos

In less than a month, I've received three requests from individuals wanting to use a photo of mine for whatever purpose, usually business related. Of course, I gave permission, but what is unusual is the number. In the past, requests were from one or two genealogists. Below are the three letters to me, followed by the photo. Possible future requests will be posted to this site.

"Dear Barbara,
I’m an archaeologist working on some large scale excavations in Philadelphia and we have a public information session coming up for the residents of the neighborhood where we are doing the excavations.  I was looking for pictures of open hearth and brick oven cooking to use on a poster that will explain how red earthenware pans and dishes were used in 19^th century cooking and I came across this image on your blog.  I was wondering if you would give us permission to copy the image for our poster?  The public session is very informal—sort of a meet and greet for archaeologists and people in the neighborhood—but your photo is ideal for showing both a hearth and a brick oven. You would of course be credited as the author of the image."

The photo is shown, but some of you might not be able to see it. Please see my "Seeing New England" post here, and scroll down to see the two ladies in the kitchen. HERE.

"Hi Barbara,

I've just come across your blog and I really enjoy it.

Thank you so much.

I am the author of The Old Money Book, which is currently available on Amazon and Nook. The book details how anyone from any background can adopt the values, priorities, and habits of America's upper class in order to live a richer life.

I have a blog http://theoldmoneybook.com/ as well.

I was wondering if I may use your photograph of the Concord Free Library Main Reading Room. It's beautiful, and perfectly captures the tone of my book and blog."

My third request this month was from Maine.

"I wanted to write you personally to let you know we recently featured your post about Kennebunkport Historic District on Hopper! Click here to view it or to sign up to reach new readers. 

Hopper wants to reward awesome bloggers like yourself with more and better exposure, so if you have any feedback or questions please reply directly to this email."

4th request

On July 16, 2014, I received: "Barbara,

AAA Southern New England will be featuring Westford in the October issue of our club publication Horizons. We have print, the online version and a Facebook page, too.

The member submitted column, which is called My Town, will mention The Westford Knight.  I'd like your permission to possibly use one of your attached photos. We will be happy to give you a photo credit if we use it. 

Thanks for your help." 

A Little Cheer in the New Year.

Every time I see this photo, it cheers me up, especially in winter and each time I turn on my iPad. The above photo was taken in a nursery in the middle of winter last January. I had just gotten the toy and decided to take practice photos. It soon became my cover photo and I see it every time I go online. Since that day, I took very few flower photos because I wasn't happy with the outcome. The reason for writing all this is to say, I have taken over 4,000 shots this past year, and deleted about 1,000. Many others have to do with genealogy in some way, such as: cemetery stones, war memorials, and a lot of tourist spots in New England.

If you have seen any of my posts for this past year, each photo was taken with this iPad, the majority are clear and sharp. It's works beautifully for cemetery stones and pages from books, really anything but flower close-ups.

One of my "projects" for this year is to go through all photos and get them posted to my blog. It might seem unusual to see bare ground (no snow), green trees and lovely foliage in a cemetery during these early 2014 months, but that is what I intend to do.

Meeting up with Blogger Friends -- Part 1

Within the past month, I've met with two genealogy blogger friends. First was Cynthia Shenette who has the Heritage Zen blog. And the second was with Diane MacLean Boumenot of the One Rhode Island Family blog. I had met each of them four times, so they weren't "new" to me. Below are photos taken almost a month ago in Harvard, Massachusetts, where Cynthia and I visited the Fruitlands Museum. To give you an understanding what it is, Wikipedia writes, "The property was purchased in 1910 by Clara Endicott Sears, who opened the farmhouse to the public in 1914 as a museum.^[5] In addition to the Fruitlands building, the site now includes a transplanted Shaker house from the nearby Harvard Shaker Village, Native American artifacts and Hudson River School paintings.^[6] The museum is primarily the result of the efforts of Sears, a preservationist." We had a very nice time, weather was absolutely perfect for walking, even though the pictures show a threatening sky.

The red house above was where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived for six months. Below is an original sofa where she sat (we were not allowed to sit on it, of course). From MassMoments, the article tells us that the Alcott family arrived at Harvard, MA from Concord, MA on June 1, 1943. Interesting article may be seen at:

http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=162

Shaker house. Wish I had taken photos inside, but I managed a shot from the back.

In the art museum, I took this photo called, Sunset in the Tropics, 1868 by Frederick Edwin Church.

The year before, Cindy and I met in Boston to tour The Gibson House Museum. From their website, "Built in 1859-60, the Gibson House stands as the historic house museum of the Back Bay. In 2001, the National Park Service declared the Gibson House a National Historic Landmark. It is unique as an unspoiled single-family residence that retains its kitchen, scullery, butler’s pantry and water closets, as well as formal rooms and private family quarters, filled with the Gibsons’ original furniture and personal possessions. Visitors enjoy a glimpse of the lives of a well-to-do Boston family and their domestic staff." We loved this old house, even though it was rather dark inside and the stairs didn't look safe, we still enjoyed ourselves. I wish I'd taken more photos, but couldn't becauswe it was quite dark inside.

UPDATE: Fall 2016 article

Welcome to my Genealogy Blog, Redux

Central Street, Lowell, Massachusetts

It was a nice summer, and I enjoyed my three month break from blogging, except I slipped up recently, and posted a few things because I was itching to do it.

One change I am making is described below, and it will be posted to my heading

description. With over 930 posts written I'd like to ease up on the writing...which I know isn't strong, but will focus on taking the pictures that relate to history in some way.

For four years I've blogged mostly about my personal genealogy in New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire), New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconson, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. In addition, I have taken a lot of photos to go along with my stories.

After 4 years, I have decided to update my blog, and make it more useful to those who have New England ancestors and want to see the area through photos, I know you don't all want to read about my ancestors. I have always loved photography, and even took 8 cover shots for the DAR Magazine many years ago. Things I’ll include are typical white New England churches, libraries showing their genealogical collection, historical societies, historical sites, cemeteries and war monuments. If something else interests me, I’ll take pictures. I’ll also take some nature shots, like the ocean, flowers, and the lay of the land.

Please check out the labels on the right side for articles. The header tabs at the top are a work in progress.

Blogs and Summer

The photo was enlarged so you could clearly see where I want to spend some of my summer. Not necessarily here at the historic Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts, but going to other places in New England and taking photos. Additional photos of the estate are posted to my Seeing New England blog. The bottom photo is the view at the opposite end, I just turned around. For movie lovers, you might recognize this location. (Taken Memorial Day, 2013.)

For several years, I've wanted to take a summer break from blogging, and since I'm going into my fourth year, with over 1293 posts combining my three blogs: Life From The Roots, Seeing New England and Flowers from my Area, I feel this is the time for a vacation. I will continue posting in Seeing New England. A warm thank you to all of you following me and the many more who follow by email. I wish you all a healthy and a happy summer.



NOTE: A SPECIAL GENEALOGY SOFTWARE OFFER (July 3-7, 2013).

I recently received notification from a rep. from HEREDIS, a genealogy software program you might have heard about. There is a super deal on to buy it for $10, until Sunday. Barbara

Here is the message: We would like to inform you that we have launched promotions for all versions of the Heredis genealogy software and some of the offers may interest your readers.
MEGA DEAL: Heredis software for $10!

For 4 DAYS ONLY, from Wednesday, July 3, 2013 to Sunday, July 7, 2013 inclusive, Heredis for PC at $10 instead of $ 39.90 available in http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-pc/ and Heredis for Mac at $10.99 instead of $ 59.99 available in http://www.heredis.com/en/heredis-mac/or in the App Store: http://appstore.com/mac/heredis/.
Last update: improvement of the Gedcom import/export. If genealogists have created a file with another genealogy program, it is easy to transfer in the Heredis program. The file will be converted automatically in the Heredis version. All data will be open.

We thank you in advance for your feedback. Do not hesitate to come back to me for any further information.

Heredis PC | Heredis
www.heredis.com
Tout sur la généalogie avec Heredis, le logiciel de généalogie pour Mac, pour Windows, et pour iPhone/iPad.

Heredis PC | Heredis

www.heredis.com

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4664905362839287500#editor/target=post;postID=2692237524796147397;onPublishedMenu=overview;onClosedMenu=overview;postNum=0;src=postname

How Observant Are You ?

Do you recognize the below photo? It was my very first header photo for my blog. If you look at the current one, you will see I changed seasons, not locations (see last photo). These were taken in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

The winter photo was taken on a 50 degree day in January! The second photo, of the same cemetery, shows something quite interesting, especially if you have ancestors buried there and want to source it correctly. And the third photo was a total surprise, since I've been by it probably thousands of times. Why am I just noticing some of these things, well, it's due to a new iPad. Yesterday was my first time using the camera, and because of the large size of the photos it just about told me to really look at what I had taken...almost like looking at document. The first two answers are below.

I didn't enlarge because you wouldn't be able to see the right side (nice followers photos covered it.) The enlarged is below.

Cute little house on the common and, I never wondered what it was.

Middlesex Canal Toll House 1832

Oldest Canal Toll Houses in America. (Photo enlarged from above picture.)

This was totally new to me.

Notice the two signs? One says Forefathers Burial Grounds and the other is Forefathers Burying Ground.

Something a Little Different for the New Year

Which blog has 4,500,000 pageviews? You'll have to continue reading, because you won't be able to guess it.

Bloggers love writing and at the beginning of a new year, many will write what they accomplished the previous year, and what they hope to accomplish in the new year. I don't bother with the resolutions.

Instead, I've decided to post some of the very enjoyable blogs I follow that have no genealogy information. They are also the ones I usually read first. After 23 years of doing genealogy and over three years of writing this blog, it's time to discover what else is out there. If anybody has a few favorite, non-genealogy blogs, please leave me a comment. I'll include them to this list.

The most recent blog I discovered is, My Castle in Spain. Lala says, "I’m an ex Parisian living a village life in Andalusia (southern Spain). I create paper objects, I make aprons, I bake cakes for a restaurant and I occasionally translate to earn the extra bucks. Andalusia, gardens, pastry making, flowers, cakes and books and my Spanish boyfriend are my constant inspirations."

Do you like Paris and food? If so, you'll enjoy Paris Breakfast by Carol. She writes, "Paris breakfast is an 'amuse bouche', a little bite of daily Parisian life to savor with your coffe and inspire your dreams. I paint Paris dreams." I had never seen a blog with over 4,500,000 pageviews" That give you an idea of how popular it is.

The Library History Buff Blog, by Larry, a retired librarian, wrote, "Promoting the appreciation, enjoyment, and preservation of our library heritage." His blog has been a long-time favorite of mine.

One blog I can relate to and really love is Elizabeth's  About New York She has some of the best photos of the city, and this was my go-to site as Hurricane Sandy hit. She lives in lower Manhattan and captured real life days following the storm.

Now I know gardening is a huge hobby, maybe more popular than genealogy. Finding Growing with Plants was a real treat. Matt of Worcester, MA wrote, "Growing with plants began as a little project where I could document my daily adventures in my glass greenhouses and in the garden, here in central Massachusetts.  To show this blog's popularity, he has over 1,000,000 pageviews!   

Another fun blog is Shortbread and Ginger. The owner, Liz writes, “I also love rummaging through charity shops for vintage bits and pieces." If you enjoy needlework, beads, antiques, you'll enjoy this site.

Heather Rojo recommended a cooking blog, Cooking without Dairy.

Wendy Grant Walter recommended a blog about quilts called, Crazy Mom Quilts.

"Blogs are Slogs" and Good Blogs to Read and Follow

The title, "Blogs are slogs, so companies just quit" was the title of an article in USA Today, the newspaper on April 20th, 2012. Well, it caught my eye that's for sure. The first paragraph, "With the emergence of social media, more companies are replacing blogs with nimbler tools requiring less time and resources, such as Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter." The article also states, "You need content regularly. And you need to think about the risk of blogging, accepting comments, liability issues, defamation. One benefit of a blog: It's a tool and content you own."


I've received many benefits from my blog, that being connections to people who share cousins, and love the exchange of ideas. I get that too, from reading other blogs. However, there is a lot of thinking and time spent writing an article. If you know my blog you know I usually have a photo, that takes additional time, for planning and travel. No complaints here, I love it, but I'm feeling like a Slog. Sometimes, nothing else gets done, my life is a big blog.

On that note, I'm finally stating my first publicly stated goal. Beginning in May, I plan to cut back on blogging until Labor Day. Library and research trips are my priority now.

Within the month I was fortunate to have 40 new subscribers to my blog, and I thought the new readers might like to see other genealogy blogs. Some of my favorite blogs are below, and I hope you check them out and subscribe or follow them also. They cover a  wide range of topics such as technical, legal, general research, organizing hints, and a combination of genealogy with travel. None cover New England genealogy, otherwise I would have to list too many, however, you may write me if you want suggestions.

A Three Genealogy

http://a3genealogy.blogspot.com/

Genealogy's Star

http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/

Betty’s Genealogy Blog

http://bettysgenealogyblog.blogspot.com/

TJLGenes: Preserving Our Family History

http://tjlgenes.blogspot.com/

Reflections from the Fence

http://www.reflectionsfromthefence.com/

Genealogy by Ginger’s Blog

http://genealogybyginger.blogspot.com/

The Legal Genealogist

http://legalgenealogist.com/blog/

Old Stones Undeciphered

http://oldstonesundeciphered.blogspot.com/

Turning of Generatiaons

http://turning-of-generations.blogspot.com/

Journey to the Past

http://journeytothepastblog.blogspot.com/

A Surprising Survey

Bill West, in front, at the NEHGS Library.

Every Wednesday for many years, the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has been posting The Weekly Genealogist, a free internet magazine, or ezine online. During the past year, one of their features has been a short survey, pertaining to various aspects of genealogy. I've been wondering if they were ever going to cover blog questions.


Well they finally covered blogs, and the survey was posted yesterday. I wrote NEHGS to get permission to print their results. Their reply was, "We've certainly had a range of responses to our blog survey questions – from people asking what a blog is to people saying they follow hundreds.  It is interesting that there is such a variety of experiences."

"Last week’s survey asked how many genealogical blogs you follow. The results are:

• 60%, I follow no blogs.
• 24%, I follow 1–2 blogs.
• 10%, I follow 3–5 blogs.
• 2%, I follow 6–10 blogs.
• 3%, I follow over ten blogs."

Wow, 60% don't follow anybody and only 3% follow more than ten blogs.

I know most of my followers are also bloggers. If I want to reach those who don't blog or don't know what a blog is, perhaps there needs to be a way to reach that population. Magazines may write about blogs, but how good of a job are they doing, are they really explaining them, and giving examples? As a blogger, I can't reach those 60% because they don't follow anybody.


What's the purpose of blogging, other than sharing, hoping to make connections or trying to get readers to buy products listed on their site so they can make money? Now, I'm trying to justify my blog. Do I want to reach the 60% or should I be content with the possibility of reaching just 3%. I'm not trying to make money, just want to share and help, so am I wasting my time?


Note: I received a message from NEHGS this morning. Lynn wrote: "Just over 2,000 people replied to that survey."

Summer Break

Just a week ago I wrote a post, A Step-grandmother Connection about my step-grandmother, Edna and how a relative, Claudia, contacted me, after she googled my grandfather's name with hopes of finding information. Within a quick week, Claudia has been in contact with a family member of Edna's. We now know where she is buried (New Britain, CT, where I was born!) and other bits of information. What a wonderful conclusion, and for that I am thankful this Thursday.


I just wrote my 500th blog, to be posted on Saturday. Now it is time for a break. I also just did my 100th post on my Flower blog, Flowers From My Area (which includes gardens throughout New England).


Everybody have a wonderful summer.

Photo taken for the New England Bash logo, this is the Nubble Light at Cape Neddick, Maine

Updates:

My break was two weeks.

The relative of my step-grandmother, Claudia is indeed a good friend. We're in almost daily contact, and I hope to meet her in a few months.

The Blog, "Flowers From My Area" is now incorporated in the "Seeing New England" blog.

The Best Blog Hints

There are 1778 genealogy blogs on Tom MacEntee's GeneaBlogger list as of March 5, 2011! When I began blogging, in October 2009, there were about 700. What a lot of people blogging about genealogy or history. And why do some blogs get a lot of traffic and others don't, yet they are both writing pretty much about the same thing? Maybe some of the hints from my previous post or the ones from below might help you, and you don't have to blog about genealogy, they would apply to any topic.


On February 20th I posted The Best Blog Hints. These were not my ideas but were taken from various sources, but I picked the ones I liked and tried to follow. Quite a few readers made comments with additional ideas, you might enjoy some of them.


Stories are More Important than Sales


Ask for Comments


Be Original in Content


Be personal, but not too Personal


Determine the Goal of your About Page

Every day, I receive an email from ProBlogger with Blog Tips (ProBlogger.net), I've been a subscriber for over a year and the posts are written by bloggers. The best thing is, I usually know what they are talking about.

Today's blog was titled 7 Good Things that Blogging Brings. It was so good, that I felt this was the perfect time to post my Part 2. The newsletter is FREE, it is always informative and fun to read.

A few other good hints about blogging:

 Eliminate 21 Reputation-Crushing Writing Mistakes from Your Blog

Plan the Blog; Blog the Plan


How to Create a Successful Blog (additional hints from this YouTube video)

Top Ten Posts I Enjoyed

There are far more than these nine posts that I enjoy. I tried to give a variety of personal genealogy blogs with stories and hints on how-to-do things.

Brenda of Journey to the Past
Ancestor Biography: Daisy Ellen Graf

Heather of Nutfield Genealogy
Cousins Collaborate on a Genealogy Story 

Betty of Betty's Boneyard Genealogy Blog
James Jay Huber -1952-1973 Vietnam Veteran

Becky of Kinexxions
Greetings From Alaska (and related trip)

Jasia of Creative Gene
Melancholy Too

Greta of Greta's Genealogy Bog
Greenville Love (and related Greenville posts)

Michelle of The Turning of Generations
Organization

Susan of Long Lost Relatives
Managing your Digital Files

Hummer (Frances) of Branching Out Through the Years
A Great Example of Never Give Up

Special mention:

There are about 1,250 genealogy blogs and they can be found in listed categories at Genealogy Blogs by Type  Thank you to Tom MacEntee, the top genea-blogger.

Gena-Musings by Randy Seaver   (He blogs a lot and discusses everything in depth.)

Lorine of Olive Tree Genealogy Blog