It is so hard to pick a favorite carol but I will go with the first one to come to mind which is Carol of the Bells. Some versions are better than others. I recently discovered pianist George Winston. Here is a video accompanied by the music on YouTube. Click here
Here are the lyrics copied from http://www.stlyrics.com
Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,
Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,
Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send ,
on without end,
their joyful tone to every home
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Testing My Skills
As part of my journey to certification, I like to pit my research skills against unknown individuals. I am always looking for opportunities to research and this past summer while in a Loveland, Colorado antique store I found some interesting pictures. There were three pictures that appeared to be from the same family based on the names on the backs.
I thought it would be fun to blog about this research project. My goal is to try to put the family group together and then see if I can find any descendents who would be interested in the pictures.
Floyd Gilman is the first subject and in the picture he looks to be about 8 to 10 years old. Alta V. Gilman is the next picture and she looks to be older possibly a sister or mother of Floyd. The last picture is Emma Gilman Harwood who looks younger than Alta but is apparently married to a Harwood.
It is not clear on these digital images but the location of the photographer was Freeport, Illinois. A quick query was done on Google to determine Stephenson county Illinois as the location for Freeport. Based on the subjects in the pictures I thought the time period would be sometime between 1870 and 1900. Using Ancestry to start the search I choose the 1880 US Federal Census and I choose Floyd Gilman as my first search subject. I choose Floyd because of his name. Floyd is a unique name and unique names narrow the search. Also the fact that he is male makes searching for him easier as he will not have a surname change.
I was successful on my first query: Floyd A. Gilman age 6 is found in the family of Valentine Gilman age 50 and his wife Elmira Gilman age 45. The family is living in Erin, Stephenson, Illinois. Unfortunately the other two photograph subjects are not listed as living with this family in the 1880 census, so further research was necessary to be certain I had the correct Floyd Gilman.
The next step was to check the 1870 US Federal census for Stephenson county, Illinois to see if the same family could be located. Initially I searched for Valentine Gilman age 40 living in Stephenson county, Illinois. Surprisingly no candidates came up on the search. I then tried to search for Elmira Gilman in Illinois and happily found the family in the 1870 census, although Valentine is listed as Valson and Gilman is Gillman. However, the children from the 1880 census are in the 1870 census as well as the two other subjects of this project, Alta and Emma Gilman.
Stayed tuned for the next episode. Additional census records as well as marriage records are explored.
Sources:
1880 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 16 Jul 2011), ED 171, p. 8, dwelling 72, family 72.
1870 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 8 Oct 2011), p. 20, dwelling 147, family 143.
I thought it would be fun to blog about this research project. My goal is to try to put the family group together and then see if I can find any descendents who would be interested in the pictures.
Floyd Gilman is the first subject and in the picture he looks to be about 8 to 10 years old. Alta V. Gilman is the next picture and she looks to be older possibly a sister or mother of Floyd. The last picture is Emma Gilman Harwood who looks younger than Alta but is apparently married to a Harwood.
 |
| Floyd Gilman |
 |
| Alta V. Gilman |
 |
| Emma Gilman Harwood |
It is not clear on these digital images but the location of the photographer was Freeport, Illinois. A quick query was done on Google to determine Stephenson county Illinois as the location for Freeport. Based on the subjects in the pictures I thought the time period would be sometime between 1870 and 1900. Using Ancestry to start the search I choose the 1880 US Federal Census and I choose Floyd Gilman as my first search subject. I choose Floyd because of his name. Floyd is a unique name and unique names narrow the search. Also the fact that he is male makes searching for him easier as he will not have a surname change.
I was successful on my first query: Floyd A. Gilman age 6 is found in the family of Valentine Gilman age 50 and his wife Elmira Gilman age 45. The family is living in Erin, Stephenson, Illinois. Unfortunately the other two photograph subjects are not listed as living with this family in the 1880 census, so further research was necessary to be certain I had the correct Floyd Gilman.
The next step was to check the 1870 US Federal census for Stephenson county, Illinois to see if the same family could be located. Initially I searched for Valentine Gilman age 40 living in Stephenson county, Illinois. Surprisingly no candidates came up on the search. I then tried to search for Elmira Gilman in Illinois and happily found the family in the 1870 census, although Valentine is listed as Valson and Gilman is Gillman. However, the children from the 1880 census are in the 1870 census as well as the two other subjects of this project, Alta and Emma Gilman.
Stayed tuned for the next episode. Additional census records as well as marriage records are explored.
Sources:
1880 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 16 Jul 2011), ED 171, p. 8, dwelling 72, family 72.
1870 US Federal Census, Illinois, Stephenson County, Erin Post Office, pop. sch., digital image (Ancestry.com; http://ancestry.com: accessed: 8 Oct 2011), p. 20, dwelling 147, family 143.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Month One of My Certification Track
Way back in February of 2011 I wanted to participate in a Family History Writing Challenge. Unfortunately, life got in the way of that but now in October of 2011 I am starting my Certification Process. I sent my Preliminary Application in the first part of September 2011. I have had a month to think about which of my research projects I want to use in my portfolio, which document I will be using for the transcription portion and I have contacted an individual to be my client guinea pig. On a pro bono basis I will undertake a research project for her with a specific goal and time limit. This will be on a subject I have done no previous research on. I am really looking forward to that challenge.
A special maillist is set up for those of us embarking on this journey, to ask questions and provide whatever support may be needed. Additionally, a six month plan is provided with a suggested timeline. Even though candidates are given a full year to complete the process, many seem to have much of the work done before the preliminary application is tendered. This is true in my case. I have been researching for over thirty years and have been thinking about Certification for three years or more. So here I go....and I want to chronicle my journey and share my thoughts, insights, crisis and setbacks for myself and maybe for others thinking about taking this huge step.
Now in the first actual active month of this process, Month One, I will reread the first two chapters of Evidence Explained, review Requirement 1 of the BCG Application which includes the Genealogist's Code and what is suggested for my resume. I have already taken the "Are You Ready?" test from the BCG website and passed with flying colors. There are additional articles available in the BCG Skillbuilding area which I will also read. The last task for this month will be to write the resume and add it as the first piece of my portfolio.
I am happy to be back to my blog; excited to be actually STARTING the certification process and curious to see where I will be in eight months.
A special maillist is set up for those of us embarking on this journey, to ask questions and provide whatever support may be needed. Additionally, a six month plan is provided with a suggested timeline. Even though candidates are given a full year to complete the process, many seem to have much of the work done before the preliminary application is tendered. This is true in my case. I have been researching for over thirty years and have been thinking about Certification for three years or more. So here I go....and I want to chronicle my journey and share my thoughts, insights, crisis and setbacks for myself and maybe for others thinking about taking this huge step.
Now in the first actual active month of this process, Month One, I will reread the first two chapters of Evidence Explained, review Requirement 1 of the BCG Application which includes the Genealogist's Code and what is suggested for my resume. I have already taken the "Are You Ready?" test from the BCG website and passed with flying colors. There are additional articles available in the BCG Skillbuilding area which I will also read. The last task for this month will be to write the resume and add it as the first piece of my portfolio.
I am happy to be back to my blog; excited to be actually STARTING the certification process and curious to see where I will be in eight months.
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