My Tangent – Two Are Definitely Better Than One – Three Are Better

Good Day,

In Genealogy, one’s research in trying to decipher the life of a past ancestor can be somewhat baffling. It is key that only one source of information may not be the only final consideration for presenting a fact, or composed truth, concerning an ancestor.

One document, a family history, a newspaper article, data on the Internet may be the only contemporaneous source of an inkling of information… The question is, what type of source is it? There are criteria espoused by various Genealogy organizations which categorize the levels of importance of various types of sources.

I agree that this/these evaluations are legitimate and well worth studying and researching. I am stating that I use the idea that multiple and more than one document and source of a life event, if available, may be critical to my understanding of the ancestor and the life event. Two, or three or more, are better than one.

On another note, there are reams of inputted data and information in Interland. This data may be correct, and then again it may be somewhat deviate. There is a ton of family tree and ancestry information out there. I always look for the cited source. If there isn’t any I attempt to contact the originator of the information. If that is a dead end, it is my responsibility to find the best possible source of the information.

Just some thoughts,

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – A Genealogy Hunt NOT Affected by NBC’s Move

Just a quick thought, and Good Day,

It appears that NBC has decided not to renew their show, Who Do You Think You Are. There looks that there will not be a 4th season. Viewer-ship must be down.

And the fallout continued, yesterday, as share value of Ancestry.com dropped down $3.59 to $22.57. That is an almost 14% plummet. Ancestry.com is the major sponsor of the cancelled show.

Well, I’m sorry to hear that the show is on its way out. There is no residual or after-math effect on the effort, research, and search of A Genealogy Hunt, this blog and site.

Now of course, A Genealogy Hunt does not nor did not have the resources and fiscal responsibilities as propelled into the Who Do You Think You Are efforts and shows. Neither does A Genealogy Hunt have the team of experts to provide the immediate and extensive research work… just me, family, friends, and acquaintances.

So I can’t say that A Genealogy Hunt will be affected. The work that goes into genealogy research and the search efforts are considerable and take much time… but as I am obsessed with the hunt, A Genealogy Hunt will continue.

And this is my 890th Post on A Genealogy Hunt since June 2009… and Visits just keeping going up.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - I AM JUST FLABBERGASTED!

You Won't Believe This,

And now we go from the sublime to the ridiculous... I just received an ad gmail from my insurance agent who carries my insurance HERE in FLORIDA.

The ad is the "goodneighborEXTRA", and I will NOT spell out the 9-letter name of my insurance company.

The height of incredulity is the prime article, in the email SENT to ME. It is titled


"Help Protect Your Home: Clear Your Roof of Snow"!!!!!!!

Bloody Hell! I have only been a customer of this concern for 30 YEARS!!!!

And I moved to Florida to get away from the reaches beyond the frost line cause I did not want to shovel snow off my roof anymore.

Not sure whether to tell you to enjoy.

Jim

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My Tangent - Soup Spoon - Kabocha Pumpkin Soup - Genealogy List

Good Morning from A Wet Tampa,

He stands frozen, staring at the table, all muscles taut. And he is focused on the table, not moving his head in either direction. I approach, he doesn’t move. Nothing breaks his line of vision. But there is something in that brain of his that has him transfixed.

I sure as hell can’t figure it out. I try to follow his line of sight. At his immediate front, a wooden TV table, a spoon on a napkin, set for the new Kabocha Pumpkin soup experiment.

Then I realize that he is staring at the reflection of the whirling overhead fan in bowl of the soup spoon. He is just staring, and staring. He, Radar, starts to growl. His object… the twirly bug in the soup spoon. And all we can do is laugh. Nothing passes this 16-pound guard dog. Nothing whether it is a plane in the sky, a possum rustling in the hedge, or a teeny, tiny bug spinning in the oblivion of the bowl of a soup spoon.

And I am still chuckling.

With the issues of my PC upgrades, the excitement of our MQX Quilting Evolution announcement, I have been somewhat remiss with my work on my genealogy research. But all in all, A Genealogy Hunt, last night was ranked #1 Genealogy Website at TopListed.Net. This morning it ranked at #4.

Today I will be sitting down and try to organize my thought processes of my genealogy research and search. I need to focus in on prioritizing those branches I want to pursue.

Oh and the quick recipe for the Kabocha Pumpkin Soup. About ½ a Kabocha Pumpkin peeled, seeded, and chopped into cubes. Six whole cloves and 2 ½ cups of chicken broth. Bring to boil, lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove cloves. Add 1 onion, 1-inch ginger, 6 cloves of garlic all finely chopped. Some salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of white Miso (paste) blended in ½ cup of chicken broth. Sprinkle with some chopped cilantro. Enjoy… One comment, “Best soup I ever had.”

Stay-tuned… and enjoy your day.

Regards,

Jim

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My Tangent - Classic, or New Withdrawal Symptoms

Good Day,

Withdrawal, withdrawal, withdrawal... my main PC system is in for its 60-million byte check up. And I am going through the elementary stages of “what the hell am I going to do today without my complete system?”

I think it is key and critical for the health of your PC systems to set a schedule and just take it in for a cleaning and a check up. We do it, supposedly, with ourselves and our own bodies, our cars, and our air-conditioning systems, so why not with our PCs...

And I do not mean taking it into a “bargain let’s clean your system... but you can’t have it back for three weeks” mega-store where you can pick up the latest Blu-Rays, CDs and vacuum cleaners. I mean, find a local shop or “expert” who becomes your right-hand go-to person when you have problems... A reputable, quasi-know-it all who eeks out a living with wires, and components, and the latest computer whatya-ma-callits.

I like my PC desktop system. I like my laptops and my iPads but I depend upon my desktop system as my home and base to my other peripherals. And I have data compartments storing my files and folders of all my genealogy and ancestry materials and documentation on my desktop.

And so I wait... for the “Jim, your PC is ready... Yocancomeandpickitup” call.

I know there are a number of projects and directions that I want to search and research in the quest of pinning the leaves on my Family Tree. I need to find ggggg-grandfather William Parker who may have been born and/or christened circa 1751 in about and maybe Grassington in Yorkshire. I need to get back to my Transcription Project searching for the origins of ggg-grandfather James Smith prior to his arrival at Grenada. I need to find a Doret connection to determine the roots of ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. I would like to present Diane’s findings regarding gg-grandmother Mary (née Marie Katz) Brunhammer's final resting place at Arlington Cemetery in Pennsylvania. And this does not address the number of email conversations and requests that I have waiting in the wings from friends and family members and connections. And these are to name just a few.

But right now I’ve got to bleach the pool deck... There are certain jobs that do get done when I do not have my main PC system.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Tigger's Family Tree

I know, I know... I just had to post this. Thank you Walt Disney and A.A. Milne.

It also makes one think when the ancestry search and research is triggered by "fabricated" and "construed" documentation. Makes me ponder when a Family Tree is created and enhanced with flash and glitter when genealogy becomes a numbers' game!

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – A Genealogy Hunt Hits Over 50,000 Pageviews

Morning,

Per Google Blogger Stats, 50,000 and 335 Pageviews have been recorded to A Genealogy Hunt since June of 2009. A slow uphill climb…but certainly a steady progression for a very small niche and personal topic.

The inserted photo was borrowed from Ireland's Domain Registry

Just a note: June 2009 was the month that I separated my single Blog into two: A Genealogy Hunt and Quilts SB. For the same period, Pageviews for Quilts SB is just about to hit the 15,000 mark. Quilts SB stands at 14,977 Pageviews as of this morning. Also since beginning Quilts SB Test in September 2011 there has been 413 Pageviews recorded.

I have a lot of catching up to do in my genealogy search and research… What has been most gratifying is that I have been receiving tremendous information from family and friends from around the world. Thanks go to Daphne in Montreal, Ray in Grenada, Stephen in Scotland, Tonya in (sorry I never found out in which country you are), Diane in Pennsylvania, David in France, Jay in Wisconsin, Helen in Florida, Ashley in Grenada, Clive in England, Steve in Wales, David in California, Zoë in Ontario, Lou in Florida…

Thanks to the readers of A Genealogy Hunt. Just a few of the latest locations worldwide include:

in Canada – Ontario, Québec;

in the United States – Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin;

and Spain, Poland, Australia, Romania, Dubai, Kuwait, Estonia, Philippines, Netherlands, England, Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, UAE, and Russia;

somewhere in Europe;

and from some “Satellite Provider”;

and of course, the number of visitors from the Internet location “Unknown”.

And I will continue… to search and research all possibilities of my genealogy and ancestry. There are still a lot of ancestors and their information out there somewhere that need to be found. Stay tuned. Thank you…

And enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – My Morning Fix – Red-Eye Gravy – A Dog is Missing – Then Genealogy Search and Research

Good Morning All,

I get up this morning… and I attend to The Pack. The Minis are all a’bouncin’ and tanglin’ themselves up as I try to unknot them from leashes and harnesses and collars. Taylor is just complain’, sort of, saying in her quiet, undisturbed way ‘Please get those idiots out to do their damn business… I gotta do mine.”

Dogs done, fed. I account for three. Where the hell is Radar? How in tarnation did the sheets and blankets get mounded up like that? Sure ‘nough, he’s buried himself under the mound to take his after-breakfast relax and time out.

Tried red-eye gravy on ham steaks last night. Wasn’t too sure about coffee and ham scrapings, but it wasn’t too, too bad. I was expecting a dinner plate full of coffee swill. I’m sold, and definitely will try again. Made a lime chiffon pie for dessert. Can of frozen limeade, can of condensed milk, and cool whip. Poured into a graham crust pie shell. Wasn’t at all difficult… and I didn’t waste any of the grey matter cells that I have left making it. Only secret is that it needs to set in the freezer.

And talking about the new refrigerator, here’s one for the books. The heater in the freezer in my brand, brand new refrigerator is on the fritz. Who ever heard of a heater in a freezer? Well it’s got one. It is supposed to keep the tubing that conducts the water to the ice-maker from freezing up before the water gets to the ice-maker to make ice. Make sense? Well the powers that be are gonna replace the door. Seems that it is a flaw in the manufacturing. And so we’re waiting on a new freezer door with a new heater for our new refrigerator.

The new Ubuntu upgrade is not going too well on my PC. I know it has something to do with Windows 7 and Skype… just don’t know what. I get a partial upgrade to Ubuntu 11.10: Oneiric Ocelot. Everything still works but I do like my systems to work cleanly and without glitches. Got to figure this one out.

And the last thing I gotta do today is have my new teeth put in. This is the third time in 10 years, since the car accident that I have had to had work done on my back three teeth that were destroyed. This time some of the porcelain chipped off the crown that holds the bridge that connects the back two molars. And this is the second time I am having it refitted. The company that makes the replacement made it too, too big… and yes I can hear the comments through the Internet lines… for my mouth.

Okay that’s my morning fix. Gotta get ready for the dentist. Will be back to my genealogy and quilting.

Enjoy your coffee,

Jim

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My Tangent - Thank You and Enjoy

Evening,

At times I am really amazed at the Visits to A Genealogy Hunt and the countries from where they actually come. Currently the average number of Visits per day is holding at 37. Not bad for a site that is such a small niche in the world of genealogy and ancestry research.

A Genealogy Hunt does not offer anything but a journal of my work and the notes that I make. This is the journey of my research of my genealogy and ancestry. It is also the work of understanding my own and my family’s genealogy, and those who went before us.

I have mentioned a couple of times before that I am an immigrant to the United States. At one time in my life I was also an immigrant to another great country, Canada. And I was born in Jamaica. I also had the privilege to live in three other countries, over the time of my short life – Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and The Bahamas.

A Genealogy Hunt has been a way for me to connect with my family and relatives who live in many parts and corners of the world. It is a way that has given me an appreciation of who everyone is… and how we are all connected.

Over the past only 100 Visits to A Genealogy Hunt, and yes that works out to just shy of three days, I have been able to gather the country locations from where each and various Internet connections may have originated. I have also been able to determine from which State or Province the origination came from the United States and Canada. Apart from 23 Unknown originations somewhere in this world, the plurality of the Visitors to A Genealogy Hunt have connected from:

Chile, Barbados, Slovenia, England, France, Australia, Israel, Philippines, Poland, Lebanon, Malaysia, Venezuela, Mexico, Beirut; in Canada - Ontario, New Brunswick; and in the United States - Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Nevada.

Just a few of some of the other countries from where Visitors have logged in include: Germany, Ireland, Romania, Russia, Grenada, Jamaica, Ecuador, South Africa, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, and Peru. I am amazed. I am regularly in awe of the power of connection via the Internet.

Thank you, and enjoy.

Jim

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My Tangent - Hillsborough County, New Sidewalks - A Shopping Cart Thoroughfare

Morning Again,

Is it a boon for the northern part of Hillsborough County, Florida?

The County is increasing the sidewalks of the main thoroughfare, N. Dale Mabry Highway. A good idea, yes… but?

It’s now that we can expect a migration of home-shopping carts. We have actually seen two homeless persons pushing their worldly belongings north along the newly constructed sidewalk-thoroughfares. And this is certainly some considerable mileage from the concentration of downtown and Tampa proper.

Are our taxes well at work? Are the new shopper-cart arteries a part of the job stimulus plans? Or merely a free-ticket for travel for the indigent express?

Well any way so much for my immediate thoughts, I had better get back to my genealogy search and research.

And I'm off to plant tomatoes and peppers this morning.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Wet Blades - Parkers, Kendalls, & Dubucs Genealogy

Morning,

Don’t know where the energy came from… but I decided this early morning that I should start up roller-blading again. Of course, I almost went back to bed when I say the condensation of the humidity on all the windows. But my thought process was that I have been putting it off for this past seven months.

That’s right I hadn’t donned the roller-blades since last year November. Well here I go again. It took me 20 minutes to go three miles. I need to get back, slowly to my 50 miles a week… with the next goal of 60 miles a week by December.

Temperature in Tampa is right now 88°F (31°C). And this is the part that I don’t understand. The humidity is slated at 67%... but it is raining, and thundering. By definition humidity is the “dampness, especially of the air.” But if it is raining, how can the humidity as announced by the National Weather Service be at 67%? Doesn’t raining, wet water falling from the sky, mean that the air that I pass through is 100% wet and damp? Guess, I must be “meteorologically-deficient”?

Yesterday I began an further study of my Parker and Kendal(l) Lines. I stumbled across a number of new bits of information pertaining to both Family Lines of Lancashire, England. This is going to have some effect and change to my Parker Descendant Chart.

I received a mystery comment to my Posting Part 514d this morning from an Anonymous writer. It read “I possess the de BUC genealogy (600-ca. 1450) about this family originating from Lille, which established in Brabant, Flanders and in Norman England later on.” And you can imagine my piqued interest. This could be some, and I reiterate, may be some classic and pertinent information for my Dubuc Family Line. When I move my cursor, in my email listing, over the “Anonymous” I am presented with a dialogue box reading “mafarr noreply-comment @ blooger.com” Did you write this comment? Does anyone have any idea? Will the Mystery Guest please stand up?

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Lightning and Genealogy Progress

Evening,

And now the next thing... The Electric Co installed another surge protector. I think the One upstairs will look on our house at 4216 like a "Where's Waldo?" puzzle searching for the one opening to zap. And we thought that that was it, that is, the after effects of the palm tree lightning hit. No way, three weeks later they still continue.

The water dispenser on the refrigerator started spewing forth cool, clear water from the TURNED OFF dispenser. Not to be sacrilegious but didn't some Dude smote some rock and some beverage came forth. Seriously, not a funny situation.

Seriously, not a funny situation. Yesterday the appliance electrician did once again replace the control boards, for the third time. His opinion; the refrigerator is no longer fixable. The lightning bolt certainly screwed up the inner workings. His advice, which we followed, was to turn off the water and ice dispenser. We did that.

Today the ZapCap people were out to replace the ZapCap surge protector on the house. Concurrently the refrigerator, even though the dispenser was OFF, decided to geyser-forth with a stream of cool, clear, filtered water. The next we knew, the refrigerator was smoking and the dispenser unit was on fire. Luckily someone was home!!!

A quick call to the appliance repair man and he was on the door-step. Ding-dong the refrigerator is DEAD! Hell, the lightning hit was on June 22nd past. That is almost three weeks passé. You never know. And to top it all, we now have to replace an Anderson Hibiscus Tree on the easement and four 12-foot Ligustrum hedge plants. The poor Anderson bloomed today but without any green leaves, she looks like a burlesque dancer covered in pink flowers.

Lightning is a fact of life in Tampa and in Central Florida.

So have I been working on my genealogy and search for the origins for ggg-grandfather James Smith. Yes, a bit… Spoke with Stephen in Scotland regarding the history of Smiths and Scots in Grenada and the Caribbean. Great chat. The next three FHL microfilms of the Grenada Registers of Records have arrived, and a new database project is formulating in my head. More on that later…

I’m keeping my eyes opened for any documentation regarding my ggg-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. Logic rules that if she owned property in Grenada there should be some paperwork on file, hopefully.

I have been working on the cropping and exposure clean-up of the next Indenture of the 1801+ Grenada Registers of Records. The next Indenture in my Transcription Project has 75 pages. That’s some bit of work… and two Smith’s are included.

I have been reviewing my data of Downham and Clitheroe, England. This is where I have got a line on the possibility of some ancestors of ggg-grandmother Elizabeth (née Kendal) Parker. I have found a birth registration from the same vicinity that could, that is may be, ggg-grandmother Elizabeth’s mother Isabella. Have to check that out.

Still a lot to do… and I continue, lightning or thunder.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Thunderstorms, Enfamil, & Genealogy

Morning,

Today I am using the new Google Blogger Dashboard format. It really is slick.

The rainy season is most definitely here. The forecast for above my house, the one that GPS somehow believes is 4266 instead of the real number of 4216, is “Thunderstorm, Heavy Rain, Fog, and Mist”. Well, my head and the Pack all know it is dark and wet, and we've got all four.

The above image is Childe Hassam's 1890 wonderful "Rainstorm, Union Square."

It is so wet that the electric company just called and excused themselves today from installing the new surge protector which goes on the surge protector which is already on the house. Make sense? Of course not. I wonder if the powers that be upstairs enjoy watching the tiny peons on this planet scurry around trying to outsmart the force of Mother Nature.

Tinker in her enthusiasm, yesterday decided that my left middle finger was a part of her 10am treat. Five bandages later that finger still hurts... and Tinker just wants to sit in my lap to avoid the tremors of the portending thunderstorm.

Marketing firms today sometimes drive me around the bend. When I arrived home from my volunteer work at the local Family History Center there was a package waiting for me, addressed to J.K.L. Smith. I opened the package I let out some choice words. With mouth open I extracted a box of Enfamil. That is baby formula. Hell, who do they think I am?

Somehow I have been targeted to increase the population of this planet, in the throes of connubial bliss. I think not. And the package of Enfamil has the audacity to read; “I am not a baby – I am a newborn.” Say what?

This JKLS does not at this young age have any intention of adding to the population statistics. And the damn thing is some marketing strategist has got my JKLS on their list and keeps sending me information on the how-tos and where-fores of conception and motherhood. Damn, must have been the lightning hit on this house!!!

Well back to my research and search for the origins of my ggg-grandfather James Smith. I wonder if he's up there somewhere just sitting on some cloud having a good time.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Happy 4th of July - Genealogy Research Matrixes

Good Morning, and a Happy Fourth of July,

This morning, I opened the house after basking in the glory of ac for the past couple of days. The current temperature at 8:00 am is just 75° F, and the humidity is 84%. Psychologically as I can now “depend” on closing the windows and cranking up the ac, I do not feel as clammy and hot.

Happy 4th! A nice day to have off, excepting for the quadrupeds; they do not relish the swooshes, the bangs, and the pops of the humans’ celebration.

I will be adding a new header at the top of A Genealogy Hunt shortly. The new header will be “Matrix”. This will include a drop down menu of tables and summary charts of work that I have been conducting in my genealogy research. Currently there are four “Smith Indenture Study Matrix…” under the header “Analyses”. There soon will be a total of seven, plus a couple more.

Enjoy the day,

Jim

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My Tangent - Happy Canada Day - I Keep Searching

Morning and Happy Canada Day y’all up North,

From the house sans AC, but now with a portable air conditioning unit that is supposed to work on 500 square feet and a sealed window for the exhaust, set with Dick Cheney’s duct tape, I am still not up to par in my element of genealogy research. The replacement parts for the air conditioning unit still have just arrived and I am learning just how much tolerance an increase in body heat over a slow period of time can cause to my own personal psyche and overall energy.

The refrigerator is now fully operational and the garage door opener. I’m just waiting on the replacement of the new parts for the ac unit. This is where nail-biting begins.

And now it is July 1, 2011; half the year has passed.

As a quick update, I haven’t as yet discovered the origins or ancestry of my ggg-grandfather James Smith but you can guarantee that I am going to continue to look. My Indenture Transcription Project continues and there have been some gems that I have chanced upon. Also, there have been some leads that have caused me to ask more questions and continue my search into some different directions.

At the local Family History Center I have been reviewing the Grenada Registers of Records of 1764 through 1881 that have been preserved on microfilm. Contacts in Australia, Canada, England, Grenada, Scotland, Sweden, Trinidad, United States, and Wales have all been helping with the work, research, and search. Thank you to everyone.

And I keep searching,

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Arlene Is Keeping Me Cooler - For The Short Spell

Morning from the humid and hot, almost depths of Central Florida.

The sky is overcast and the humidity is still 82%. We're still without the AC and searching for the 18% that has to be certainly less damp and sticky.

Presently we are under the far-reaching "overcast-ness" of Tropical Storm Arlene. She's keeping the Heat Index hovering at about 80°F (27°C)... and this is Day Number 4 without the life-cooling, ever pleasant air conditioning.

As the time drags on, I find myself slowing down, more and more. It is becoming a chore to deal with this lack of cool house environment. The clamminess and constant sweating takes one hell of a toll on one's psyche. I have been forcing myself to think about my research of my genealogy, at least to keep my mind somewhat pre-occupied.

And then I think that our own personal disaster is nothing compared to what has most recently happened in other parts of the world... But I can honestly say that I would not know how to react should a disaster such as an earthquake, a tsunami, a fire, a flood, or such other major force of nature hit me.

Yesterday we discovered another after effect of the lightning strike at Interlake Drive was that the computer boards on the refrigerator were also fried. They got zapped. So taking toll, at this point of the week, damages include the cooling fan and a mother board in the air conditioning unit; two coils and two component boards of the refrigerator; two of the pool lighting systems control boards fried; four lights of the landscape lighting gizmo; a control board in the garage door operating contraption; and the satellite nuclear alarm clock is now on the fritz. And believe it or not this house is protected.

My thoughts of my research and search for the origins of ggg-grandfather James Smith as well as our quilting efforts, currently on Colored Windows II have certainly slowed down to a snail's pace.

Last evening, in the darkness of the night, with the drone of ceiling and floor fans I spent a couple of hours playing my piano. Praise be that the ZapCap surge protector worked on my Baby Grand.

And looking at the bright side, that is in this overcast weather of gloom and doom, I have composed and written this My Tangent completely with Ubuntu. I have broken the shackles of Windows.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Extra Protection - A False Sense of Security - Hah!

I would say good morning, but...

It is now Day Number 4 without air-conditioning in the drones of Tampa. Current temperature at 8:23 am is 74°F or for you in the reaches of the Arctic Circle, that is 23.33°C. Wouldn’t be so bad if the humidity was not hovering at 80%. And exactly what does 80% humidity mean?

Well I know that I would be soaked at 100% humidity. So I was wondering what part of me, what 20% of me doesn’t feel sticky and clammy? The definition I just found for humidity is “the state or quality of being humid”. It can also mean the “dampness, especially of the air.” Well, hell… translated I would suppose it would mean here in Tampa, how fast the clothes you have on get soaked. And without air-conditioning that means that the humidity factor just quadruples.

So let’s see, what exactly did the lightning strike take out on our house? And you must remember that this house has the best of all supposed protection. The house has ZapCap surge protection. We pay for that. There are strip surge protectors throughout the house. We pay for those. There is homeowners insurance… and we definitely pay for that. And we are prepared… but not for this.

The strike destroyed the cooling fan and a control board in the air conditioning system. It zapped the pool lighting boards on both the in pool and the optical light systems. It half-fried the garage door opener which now does not want to stay closed. The lightning strike blew out at least four major lights in the front garden and part of the back garden lightning systems. And at this point I am not sure if that is all that has been affected, especially since Google Chrome browser seems to be taking its own sweet time to churn a functional search.

And our house is protected!!! It is hot! It is damp! It is clammy! And I am not a naturist! And just think about all the paper work and phone calls that I have had to and will have to complete. There is no such thing as having the proper protection… and this is a repeated occurrence since 2007.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – Preparing A Document/Indenture For Transcription and Genealogy Research

Greetings,

As you are well aware I have just finished the transcription of an Indenture from the Grenada Registers of Records of 31 pages in the search and research of the genealogy and ancestry of my ggg-grandfather James Smith. I have posted four of the seven parts of that specific work and transcription. The next three parts are to follow.

The work, that is, the transcribing, at times, can be extremely tedious… and elicit the thought “why the hell am I spending all this time on this document that may not have anything to do with my ancestors?” Then again, it MAY just provide the one iota of a clue or hint that could lead to more information and facts about my relatives, especially ggg-grandfather James.

But this is only a part of the process and procedure. I thought I would fill you in to what I actually do to prep an old document, these Indentures that I have been transcribing.

There is a very good collection of the Grenada Registers of Records at the Family History Library available from Salt Lake City, Utah. The collection, titled “Land and Property” is made up of 33 16mm microfilms. The collection includes Indexes and Records spanning a time frame from 1764 through 1931.

My goal in my immediate project is to find and work with those records that may be related to the surname Smith. And as I am searching for any detail of my late ggg-grandfather James Smith who passed away in 1842, I have restricted myself to those records during a time frame from about 1773 through 1842. That is about 69 years of Smith-related documents. Not a small task.

Once I find a Smith-related Indenture, I download images of the pages of that document and save the images as jpg files. (Case in point, the last Indenture I worked on had 31 pages, therefore 31 images.) The capturing process takes place at a local Family History Center where I have the appropriate FHL microfilm on loan.

My next task is to work with each individual image. The first inserted image is an example of what the downloaded image may look like immediately after I first acquire the copy.

I next, using a photo touch up software, (I use FotoFinish), I will crop the image to eliminate the unnecessary parts of the copy. Once satisfied with the cropped image I will next work on the exposure of the image. This process helps me to reduce the extraneous “dirt” and “crud”, as well as the “bleed-through” from the back and other pages. Once I have a relatively good looking exposure-fixed and cropped image I will then use the “Auto Correct” function in my MS Office 2010 Picture Manager software.

The next image is a sample of one that I worked on. It is the “after” image to the above “before” one.

And at this point, I am now ready to start working on the transcribing of the actual document. Oh and by the way, I do NOT delete my original copy. I keep it just in case that I may need it to cross-reference it should I not be able to work with the complete image of my adjusted image.

Oh and by the way, the top image is a plate image, available in public domain, of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent – What Ticks Me Off…Comparable to Pollen Allergies?

Good Day,

I am not upset, nor have I increased the level of my blood pressure… I am remaining calm and collected. AQ and SC I am not into any type of meditative Yoga where I can “de-pressurize” myself… But I have to keep repeating to myself; James, is the frustration or aggravation worth it. Are dead ancestors or genealogy research worth getting myself in a snit? And that is “s” “n” “i” “t”.

I just discovered a couple of Family Trees online using information that that I have spent the past couple of years plodding through papers, and microfilms, and documenting, and sourcing, and ensuring that I have good and viable citations. There are NO citations, NO sources. And there is NO credit where credit is due. Bloody hell… and bloody cheeky!

(And yes the poster of Metropolis is available in public domain.)

When I find some information, there is a fair bit of time spent digging and transcribing and translating and verifying and working the data into the conglomeration of my genealogy. The reason I do this is for me, yes… but I also do this work for other members of my Family Tree and for others who may or may not be interested in my genealogy.

It is a belittling and demeaning when I discover family information and data online without any credit, credit to me or to other persons who have been so considerate and kind to provide assistance and help. Without credit or acknowledgment means that the author or the instigator is not conscious or cognizant of the onerous research and work involved in the gathering of the data and information. S/he, the perceived author, is giving him-herself immediate and un-due credit.

And I don’t live in a bubble… What goes out into the Internet, is out in the Internet, be it the Cloud or some online database or server. It is there forever…

At the bottom of every page in my blog, A Genealogy Hunt, I include:

“Please Note: All information and data... and work found on this blogsite and website is available for your use. Please do not be a "scab" and steal this information without acknowledgement of source. Also pleased be advised that there could be Copyright issues and legal yada...yadada...das... so be prewarned...”

There are going to be those who, without conscience “borrow” work done by others. Please do not become one of those malefactors. There are no instructors or professors out there attempting to stymie plagiarism. Hopefully there will never ever be Internet Police.

I just ask one favor. If you so decide to use my work, please, please make sure that you give credit to me or to the ones who did the work, when credit is due. Please do not be a “scab”.

Jim

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My Tangent – Spring Is Here - Focus On Targeted Goals

Good morning from this side of the Globe,

And I have just sat down at my PC and am collecting my thoughts of what I need to accomplish today in the search for the genealogy of my ggg-grandfather James Smith.

All I can think of is how beautiful it is today. I counted 13 new Amaryllis buds in the garden. The leather palm fruit pod had broken open and the female cardinal was sitting there having a feast.

I gathered the Pack for their morning walk and the Rats. Tinker and Bella started their clamor as they decided that every squirrel in our route was their sole objective.

Mr. and Mrs. Canard provided a brief interlude and Taylor thought that she should bound off and track them down. But it was the unknown black thing-a-ma-jig that was in the driveway across the street that concentrated their yapping attention. They needed to catch it. They needed to scramble up to conquer the interloper. You can imagine their let-down when the inanimate plastic bag with newspaper wrapped inside wouldn’t budge.

The sun is shining through the oaks and sumacs and evergreens. Each is covered with pollen dripping florets. And I sneeze… and I sneeze, again, and again and again. Spring has sprung in Tampa… and my Kleenex supply increases.

Today I have two simple goals in my work on my genealogy. The first, complete the transcription of the next 1822 Smith-related Indenture. I have already finished seven of 31 pages, 24 more to go. This one is a long one. My second goal is to gather together all documents and paperwork that I have regarding my Merrifield line.

Enjoy your coffee this morning.

Jim

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