10. All the women are hot and willing to share.
9. Helped me discover my dust allergy.
8. A head start toward becoming a Mormon.
7. Keeps me from wasting time on living people.
6. Free pencil sharpenings at the archives.
5. Cheaper than space travel.
4. More lucrative than etymology.
3. Fills the empty hours between waking and falling asleep.
2. Provides a good excuse for loitering in graveyards.
1. The only one of my hobbies for which a DNA sample is voluntary.
From The (Manchester, U.K.) Guardian:
Why I prefer dead relatives
Historians may sneer at amateur genealogists, but their work is a compelling business
Kathryn Hughes
Wednesday November 30, 2005
The Guardian
One of the more convenient side-effects of the explosion of interest in family history is that you need never again be stumped for what to give your nearest and dearest for Christmas. Instead of a lacklustre pair of socks or bottle of whisky, what could be more thrilling than a voucher that entitles the grateful recipient to extended access to the online version of the 1901 census?
[snip]
Real relatives slump in chairs and snore. They want to watch Bruce Forsyth, and tell your children to tidy the wrapping paper. If there is anything rackety in their background - a wartime lover, a business that went bust - they won't talk to you about it.
How much more pleasurable, in such circumstances, to spend Christmas with the dead. For the dead do not mind about seeming respectable. They do not even care whether you like them. And perhaps, most important of all, they will not complain when you decide that it's time for them to go back in their box.
[Read the whole story]
Seen on eBay:
My Family Tree: Researcher Goes Out on a Limb
How to prune a family tree or pull it up by the roots
These days it seems everybody is researching their family tree; I’d just as soon prune mine. I guess I'm not exactly Miss Congeniality of Genealogy and here's why. On my mom’s side you’ve got the depressed, impractical, overweight, addicted, shopaholics, and lousy drivers. On my dad’s side you’ve got the religious fanatics, perverts, gamblers, homophobic homosexuals, and schizophrenics. Not that they drive any better.
[snip]
This thing I'm writing will be finished one day and could be yours. It will include a family tree diagram with all the names or characteristics filled in as much as I can which will make a nice accompaniment to the autobiography I'm writing.
[snip]
[Read the whole listing]
From The (Mbabane, Swaziland) Swazi Observer of Nov. 30, 2005:
‘Nothing wrong with couples sharing surname’
Stories by Zweli Maseko
CATHOLIC Bishop Ncamiso Ndlovu has said there is nothing wrong with marriage of people sharing a surname, especially in his church.
[snip]
Ndlovu said people should not misinterpret what happened at the Manzini Cathedral Church on Saturday, where a Dlamini married another, as incest because the two were not related; it was only that they shared a surname.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The (Adelaide, So. Australia) Advertiser:
George Bush faces court justice
23nov05
GEORGE Bush has been brought to justice in Queensland.
A distant relative and namesake of U.S. President George W. Bush faced Maroochydore Magistrates Court on the Sunshine Coast yesterday on a charge of driving while disqualified.
[snip]
Bush's solicitor Jim Ryan told the court his client was related to the world's most powerful man. But the third cousin of the US leader said he had never met his famous relative.
[Read the whole story]
From (Richmond, Va.) Style Weekly:
Treasure Hunt: Historian Seeks to Reunite Descendants
November 30, 2005
At the Thanksgiving family gathering, did anyone mention long-lost Uncle Ned? Not the one who lives in Des Moines, but the Confederate veteran who deserted a whaling ship to live with the natives on an island off the coast of Australia, where he made his fortune in pearls and sea cucumbers. The one who was missing a leg. If such an unusual character appears in your family tree, James Gray would like to hear from you. Gray, an American historian who lives in Queensland, Australia, believes the family of local legend Edward “Yankee Ned” Mosby can be found in Virginia — perhaps even in Richmond.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From Trinidad & Tobago Express:
Samaroo: Change 'meaningless' Chaguanas street names
Artie Jankie South Bureau
Wednesday, November 30th 2005
A name change for several streets and areas in Chaguanas has been suggested by the former head of UWI's History Department Dr Brinsley Samaroo.
[snip]
Names ... like Kohria Village and CasseCou should be immediately changed.
Kohria Village meant a community of wayward, worthless people while CasseCou suggested that the ancestors of the residents were "cutneck" people.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
Using the Ellis Island website, "RC" of the Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company: A Henry Miller Blog has found the 1908 passenger record of June, wife of the scandalizing author Henry Miller. RC has also found two Ellis Island entries made by Anaïs Nin, Henry's . . . ummm . . . playmate.
From The Philadelphia (Pa.) Inquirer of Nov. 29, 2005:
Scott likes this brand
By Stacey Burling
Inquirer Staff Writer
[snip]
It turns out that most people really like their names, so much so that they prefer the letters in their names to other letters. Men are particularly partial to their last initial, women to their first.
There is evidence that this preference affects the career we choose, where we live, even whom we marry, said C. Miguel Brendl, director of the INSEAD Social Science Research Center in Fountainebleau, France.
His new study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, found that it is possible to boost the "name letter effect" when consumers are deciding on a brand. People were more likely to pick a product whose name shared letters with their own when their egos were threatened or when their need was high, such as when they were hungry and had to choose a candy bar.
[snip]
Obviously, [critic David Burd, owner of The Naming Company in Stroudsburg] said, there is a lot more to naming than picking the letters. "If I found out that a lot of people have H in their name, and I call my product Hitler, would it sell well?" he asked.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From 50 connect.co.uk, posted Nov. 26, 2005:
Trace Your Tree & Plant A Tree
Want to buy friends or family a present that will mean something?
The National Archives and the Woodland Trust have got together to create the Family Tree Present: a chance to trace your family's past and plant a tree for the future.
This special offer includes the Easy Family History pocket guide plus a choice of a Tree Dedication or a Sapling Pack.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
Seen on eBay:
Hard 2b Humble when U study Geneology DECAL[Buy it Now] price: US $0.99
Quantity: 2222 available
History: Purchases
Item location: Land of Oz * Wichita, Kansas
United States
Ships to: Worldwide
Shipping costs: US $1.25 - Standard Flat Rate Shipping Service
From the Ottawa (Ont.) Sun of Nov. 27, 2005:
What's in a name?Unfortunately, Hey Baby! What's Your Name? is aimed at the Canadian market, and is probably chock-full of names like "Alannis," "Avril," and "Céline."
New Canadian book offers tips on naming your child
By JENN GEAREY, OTTAWA SUNWHAT DO Dick, Barbie, Adolf, Elmo, Rambo and Nimrod all have in common? Their parents should have mulled over their names a few more times before putting them in print!
[snip]
Canadian author and new mom Shandley McMurray has written the book for parents-to-be who are in the delicate situation of choosing a name for their baby. Hey Baby, What's Your Name takes you through Ashton to Uma, with humour and candour.
"This is what's going to be on her birth certificate, college diploma, marriage certificate," says McMurray. "If you give her a really crappy name, she's not going to thank you for it later!"
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From the Portsmouth (N.H.) Herald of Nov. 26, 2005:
Photographer seeks world’s oldest peopleThe worst way to prove a supercentenarian's age: saw him in half and count the growth rings.
By Michael Kunzelman
Associated Press
[snip]
[Jerry] Friedman, 58, a commercial photographer who lives in New Milford, Conn., closed his studio so he could travel the world to track down his elderly subjects, verify their ages as accurately as possible and document their life stories.
[snip]
To separate actual supercentenarians from those who are either mistaken or lying about their age for attention or personal gain, [Robert] Young and other researchers search for birth and baptismal certificates, marriage licenses and census records.
"Believe it or not, scientists have not found a way to accurately determine the age of a human body," he said. "So if there is no paperwork, there is really no way to prove a person’s age."
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Sun News of Nov. 26, 2005:
Coffin, gravesite holiday sale sign causes stir
It's that time of year for the annual holiday special at Greenwood Memorial Gardens & Mausoleum - half price on a cemetery plot and deals on vaults and markers.
For years, the cemetery has advertised the special on U.S. 25.
"This is our way of trying to help families out during the holidays," manager Gary Blithe said. "A lot of our customers look forward to this time of year."
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Georgia Nicols' horoscopes for Nov. 27
November 27, 2005
BY GEORGIA NICOLS
[snip]
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As this Mercury retrograde continues, you'll find it easier to finish up old business at home. Now you can finally unpack those boxes. Research into genealogy will flow beautifully! Expect to hear from old relatives.
[snip]
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): While Mercury is retrograde, all is not lost. This is an excellent time to do research. It's a great time to finish old projects and look in the past and seek out answers you need. It brings people out of the woodwork, as well.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer of Nov. 27, 2005:
Woman finds past a secret
Her father wasn't who he said he was
By Eileen Kelley and Kimball Perry
Enquirer staff writers
CLIFTON - Regina Heidelburg tried Friday to write her father's obituary.
She realized she didn't know where to begin.
A man who zealously guarded his privacy, Robert Cuthbertson left his daughter searching for answers after she found him dead Thanksgiving Day.
"I don't even know where he was born," said Heidelburg.
[snip]
Heidelburg then called "my auntie," Josephine Johnson.
[snip]
After Johnson saw Cuthbertson's body, she told Heidelburg she had something to tell her.
"She then told me, 'I'm not your aunt. We are actually no relation to you and I cannot afford too much to come out of (my) pockets (for a funeral).' She basically told me he was adopted into the family," Heidelburg said.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The (London, U.K.) Independent:
Michael Marx: So what's a nice boy like this doing in a business like property?
He resembles Groucho, shares a name with Karl, and spends time with Gerald Ronson and Jack the Ripper
By Abigail Townsend
Published: 27 November 2005
[snip]
Marx, 58, may share a surname with one of history's most radical political thinkers - and indeed bear more than a passing resemblance to a Marx brother - but at first he is quietly spoken and polite, giving little away.
As the interview goes on, however, he shows a more animated side, including a passion for the sector, theories about Jack the Ripper and a mean impression of property tycoon Gerald Ronson. He even relates how an uncle claimed to have built a family tree linking them to both Karl and the Marx brothers (no one was convinced and the uncle died before proof could be found).
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The Dallas (Tex.) Morning News:
Police find tough suitcase to crackUpdate (Nov. 29, 2005): The suitcase has been returned to the family.
Officers seek out the owners of mementos that span a century
November 25, 2005
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
The little, flowered green suitcase contains a treasure-trove of fading photos, marriage licenses, land deeds and mementos spanning at least a century. But it's a puzzle how it ended up behind an Oak Lawn mechanic shop this summer.
[snip]
[Dallas police Sgt. Judy] Katz and another property room employee have spent hours poring over the photographs and documents searching for clues. The photos appear to be mostly of three related families: the Pulliams, the Foxes and the Hairs, who have links to Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle town of Olton, about 45 miles outside Lubbock.
[snip]
She tracked down a possible relative in Olton, and that woman believes the people in the photographs might be distant relatives. But otherwise, police have had little success tracking down the owners of the suitcase.
"This is somebody's whole genealogical history," Sgt. Katz said. "I'm going to keep at it as long as I can to try to find family to give it to."
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
10. Start with your earliest ancestor and work forward.
9. Verify any information that you find in a book by checking a second copy.
8. Soundex is for suckers.
7. Proper cemetery research requires a pen and paper, a digital camera, and a sturdy shovel.
6. If you cite your sources, the terrorists win.
5. When entering the National Archives, assure the security guards that you're not concealing WMD in your underwear.
4. Town clerks appreciate unsolicited hugs.
3. To preserve your family's precious documents, soak them overnight in Worcestershire sauce.
2. When submitting a DNA sample, it's best to include the entire thumb.
1. Dates are optional.
The databases of the Family Tree Legends Records Collection are free for the plundering through the end of November. The collection is said to contain more than 400 million records, though I stopped counting at 27.
[Hat tip: earlyMaine.org]
From The (Quincy, Mass.) Patriot Ledger of Nov. 25, 2005:
$909 eBay bid wins a piece of Plymouth RockBid for one of the other pieces here or here. Caleb Johnson has a short history of the Rock.
By KAITLIN KEANE
The Patriot Ledger
Gerald Beals now owns a piece of the rock.
Beals, chief curator at Brockton Historical Museum, bought a piece of Plymouth Rock last night on an eBay auction. His bid of $909 topped an $899 bid by historian Ernest Grassey of Cohasset.
[snip]
After following the auction for a week and not bidding, Beals, an Easton resident, snatched the piece of Plymouth syenite with just four seconds remaining, beating out bidders who had sought the famed rock since it was first offered on the Internet auction site a week ago.
Beals’ fragment is one of three pieces of Plymouth Rock for sale this week on eBay, all offered by different sellers.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The Denver (Colo.) Post of Nov. 24, 2005:
State sues genealogy company
By Manny Gonzales
Denver Post Staff Writer
For $49.95, people who bought genealogical "yearbooks" from a Denver-based company got the same family coat of arms, the same family recipes and even the same family jokes, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
And it was a lucrative scam that swindled 150,000 people nationwide who bought into fake family histories, according to the civil suit filed by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.
[snip]
Because jokes were the same in many of the yearbooks, some Jewish customers were offended when their families were referenced as being Catholic, the suit claims.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From WCCO-TV (of Minneapolis, Minn.), posted Nov. 24, 2005:
Family Name Conjures John Wayne, Gentle Ribbing
Bill Hudson
Reporting
(WCCO) Many associate the Thanksgiving holiday with the Puritans who landed at Plymouth Rock.
But the Pilgrims were more than religious wanderers. For some it was their family name.
[snip]
"There are no problems, but a lot of questions about the name as far as, 'Did your ancestors come over on the Mayflower?'" [Leslie] Pilgrim said. "I wish I could say yes, but they didn't."
[snip]
While many credit the English for the "Pilgrim" name, it's actually a derivative of a French word for a voyageur or wanderer.
[Read the whole story]
From Kenilworth (U.K.) Today of Nov. 23, 2005:
Man cleared of bigamy in KenilworthBy a Sunni Islamic procedure called a triple talaq, a husband can divorce his wife by saying "Talaq, talaq, talaq" ("I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you"). If you're not a Sunni Muslim, you'd better have a good lawyer on speed dial before attempting this.
[snip]
[Michael] Huntington (56) of Pegasus House, Welbeck Road, Bolsover, Chesterfield, had pleaded not guilty at Warwick Crown Court in June to bigamously marrying Linda Branagh.
During an earlier hearing the court heard it was alleged that Huntington had gone through 'a form of marriage' to Ms Branagh in May 2003 while still married.
But Huntington said that before the marriage he had divorced his previous wife, with whom he was living abroad, by telling her 'I divorce you' three times at the airport before he returned to the UK - although they were both described as Christians on the marriage certificate.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From BBC News, posted Nov. 23, 2005:
DNA search for 'father' Christmas
By Paul Rincon
BBC News science reporter
A team of scientists in Oxford is trying to prove whether families with the rare surname of "Christmas" all descend from a single male ancestor.
They want to study the DNA of men from different Christmas clans to see if they are linked by a common genetic heritage as well as by their surnames.
[snip]
DNA analysis company Oxford Ancestors is currently appealing for volunteers for the study and is being assisted in the effort by Henry Christmas, a former telecommunications engineer who has spent 50 years researching the origins and history of his own family name.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
If you've ever had an annual Ancestry.com membership that you paid off in monthly installments, the proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit could get you an extra month of free access.
Should the court accept the settlement in February, class members will receive 31 days of unlimited access to all of the company's subscription databases. All you have to do to qualify is provide Ancestry.com with a valid email address.
If you paid for your membership on a quarterly or annual basis, and believe that the Terms & Conditions effective at the time of your membership were unjustly applied, go immediately to GenSuck and gripe about it.
[Hat tip: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter]
From the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times:
Where do we exactly draw the line between ‘been-heres’ and ‘come-heres’?For some reason, the golf resort's website neglects to mention this amenity. Here's a list of residents.
by Dave Russell
published November 23, 2005
[snip]
I vaguely knew that our branch of the Russell family came to the United States by the way of George Russell from Antrim County, Ulster Province, Ireland.
[snip]
What I did not know, though, was that George’s wife, Mary “Polly” Underwood Whiteside (Underwood her maiden name, Whiteside her first married name) is buried in Buffalo Cemetery in the Lake Lure area.
[snip]
Mary somehow went and got herself buried in a golf course, right beside the 10th tee of the Bald Mountain Community of Fairfield Mountains, a golf resort on the north and east sides of Lake Lure. I even had to go through a security gate to get to where she and 48 (24 unknowns) other North Carolinians who died from 1828 to 1937 lie in rest.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From Hawkes Bay Today (of Hastings, New Zealand):
Remarriages putting pressure on burial space
23.11.2005
LUCY CRAYMER
Land is at a premium in Waipukurau cemetery and if you want a plot you need to die soon or reserve a site.
Central Hawke's Bay Council says Waipukurau cemetery is expected to run out of burial plots in the next two years while Waipawa and Otane cemeteries will be filled sometime in the next 10.
One of the problems is caused by spouses purchasing plots next to their deceased partners only to remarry and decide to be buried elsewhere.
[snip]
[Read the whole story]
From The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun Herald of Nov. 22, 2005:
Long Beach man featured on Court TV show
By PETE TATTERSALL
ptattersall@sunherald.com
David Hilbert, a longtime Long Beach resident and former entertainment director of Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, will star alongside his brother in a new television program premiering tonight on Court TV.
"Heir Hunters," which premieres in two back to back, 30-minute episodes beginning at 10 p.m., focuses on the Los Angeles-based company Heir Hunters International, founded by John Hilbert, 47, who for almost 20 years has specialized in finding lost heirs who are entitled to money.
"The show is about finding the rightful heirs to millions of dollars," said John. "There's never been a show on genealogy on TV before."
[snip]
[Read the who
