The Games Are Done - Medals Earned

I enjoyed participating in the 2010 Winter GB Games. As a first time competitor I am extremely satisfied with my performance. I will continue to practice the skills I learned and train more intensely for those categories I fell short in.

So here are my totals and the medals I earned:
Category 1 Go Back and Cite Your Sources: 52 sources as well as creating the source type in TMG to match EE - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 2 - Back Up Your Data - I didn't earn any medals in this category, although I regularly back up my genealogy software to an external drive, that is not all of my data so I don't think that counts. I will definately be training on this through the next couple of months.

Category 3 - Organize Your Research - I completed Task A, B, and D - medal earned GOLD

Category 4 - Expand Your Knowledge - I completed all five tasks - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 5 - Write, Write, Write - I completed Tasks B, C, D, E and F - medal earned PLATINUM

Category 6 - Reach Out and Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness - I completed Task A, B, E, F and G. Task E (Participate in an indexing project) I am pretty excited about this. I was visting my local FHL when I spotted a flyer about a Boy Scout trying to earn a "Family Search Indexing Eagle Project badge." He is asking for volunteers and needs 20 new people. It is a four week project. So I Volunteered. I figured two birds with one stone, right? Helping him and completing a task. Medal earned PLATINUM

Total medals earned - 4 Platinum and 1 Gold

Thanks again to Tom and others who sponsor these fun and useful events.

Winter 2010 GB Games Update

I have been busy working on my Sources and Citations. I have now completed 52 citations, all of them consistent with EE and previewed to be sure they will display properly in my software, TMG. This has been the most challenging event, but well worth the effort. I have reached PLATINUM in this category.

In category 2, Back Up Your Data, I have completed two tasks and am at Silver. In category 3, Organize Your Research, I have completed three tasks and am at Gold. In category 4, Expand Your Knowledge, I have completed four tasks and am at Diamond. In category 5, I have completed all five tasks and have earned another PLATINUM medal. In category 6, I have completed three tasks and am at Gold.

With only four more days left, I am on target for my goals. I am working toward completion of one more task in category 4 to earn my third PLATINUM medal. I will be attending my local historical society meeting on Saturday so I am hoping I will have an opportunity to perform some Random Act of Genealogical Kindness and move up in the standings for category 6.

Minerva Louise Favorite 1 April 1830 - 2 Feb 1890

My 2nd gtgdmother on my mother's maternal side is Minerva Favorite.  She has been one of those ancestors who is so elusive, you just about think you've caught her and then away she goes, lost in the records of the past.  Minerva seems to keep reaching out to me, asking me to tell her story, so let me tell it here. 

Minerva was born in Baltimore, Maryland on 1 April 1832, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Kuhn Favorite. She was christened in Graceham, Frederick county, Maryland on 9 June 1830. Sometime in 1832 another daughter, Sarah Catherine was born.  Then something happened to this young family.  I'm not sure what, except that the two young sisters apparently were separated from each other when very young.  A letter written in 1883 from Sarah addressed to Minerva as  "Sister" talks about how unfortunate it was they were separated at such a young age and did not develop a "sisterly bond".  In the 1840 census of Frederick county, neither Joseph Favorite nor Sarah Favorite can be found. By the 1850 census Minerva is found living with Eliza Nickum and her daughter Margaret Nickum who later is referred to as a cousin of Minerva's.  It appears the parents of these two young girls, Minerva and Sarah died, leaving them alone in the world. It also appears the girls were fostered out to family members, although I have found no evidence in the court records.  A marriage record again from the Family Record in the family bible states the marriage between Minerva and John Milton Douglass of Mercer county, PA took place 23 Jan 1855.  Minerva must have been so happy to finally have a family she could call her own.  A husband to love and protect her, with the expectation of children to love and cherish.  The family bible provides the births of two children in Pennsylvania and then by 1860 the family has moved to Ottumwa, Iowa.  Three more children are born between 1860 and 1866.  In the midst of the turmoil of the Civil War, I image that Minerva remains content.  She has her family; her children, a husband, a new home in a new town.  But disaster looms. By 1871, Minerva has lost two of her children and her husband to consumption.  She is again alone in the world with only herself to count on. She must be strong for her remaining children, but how unfair must she have thought her life. First to never know the love of her parents and then to lose the love of her husband and children. She did not give in to the fates however, as she lived another 20 years, raised her remaining children, provided for herself and saw the birth of two grandchildren. 

I believe our ancestors watch over those of us who try to remember them and I hope Minerva realizes how much I appreciate her sacrifice and her life.  Without her I would not be here. Thank you Minerva for your strength.

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 7

Google Maps - Wow do I love this application.  I recently had the opportunity for a first time ever trip to the Northeast US.  I am a west coast gal, through and through but have always wanted to visit the East.  I used Google Maps extensively to plot our two week trip through Rhode Island, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut.  I used it to find the old cemeteries I wanted to visit, the historical societies I wanted to visit and the roads we needed to travel.  But now I want to try to use it to view the places my parents lived and the places their parents lived.  It works pretty well for that but some of the more rural areas don't have the greatest resolution.  Hold on, there is a new kid on the block, well not that new but maybe new to some of you.  Google Earth.  It is much like Google Maps, except it is an application you have to download to your computer.  But man oh man is it worth it.  You can get down to ground level, just like you are driving your car down the roads of the WORLD.  Not just the US, but the whole world.  How great is that.  I am still learning about it thanks to Lisa Louise Cooke and her very interesting session during the recent Mesa Family History Expo. 

There is a wonderful option to overlay old maps onto the present day map on Google Earth, using the Rumsey Historical Map collection.  Lisa has hinted at the ability to use your own maps for this same functionality but I'm still working on how to do that. Many of my areas of interest are much more rural areas with no maps available through Rumsey but I'm hoping I'll be able to figure this out.  Yeah, I found where you can overlay your own maps.  This will definately need some more play time.  Check either one of these options out.  They will be very useful in visualizing your ancestors migration or just movement within a state.  In my case my gtgdparents were in Red Oak, Creston, Clarinda, and Vilisca, Iowa.  It might sound like they did a lot of moving, however after looking at the maps, those towns are all within about a 60 mile area. 

Take some time and go exploring with Google Maps and Google Earth.  You will be amazed at what you can see.

Another great option is to create a migration pattern map using Google Earth.  You input the different places your ancestors were and the map draws the migration lines for you.  Again, still working on fine tuning this, but what a great visual tool. 

2010 Winter Games - Day 3

I have been busy researching and reading about how to actually cite my sources properly utilizing the tools in my software, TMG and EE. I knew there was a reason why I hadn't done this before. It requires concentration and attention to detail. However, I am on a roll now and my goal is to reach a Platinum medal in this category.

To date :
Category 1 - Cite Your Sources, I have a Bronze medal - included in that citing of 10 sources, was the creation of two custom source types in TMG to properly reflect EE protocols. Whew :)

Category 2 - No progress yet.

Category 3 - Organize Your Research - I have also earned a Bronze medal by completing Task A, but I was on a roll and instituted a new filing system and organized 64 couples family folders. Yippee!! This filing system is color coded and I went one step further and utilized the sames colors in my software. There are five colors, color 1 for myself, my parents and their parents for a total of five couples. Then color 2 is for my father's paternal gdparents; color 3 is for my father's maternal gdparents; color 4 is for my mother's paternal gdparents and color 5 is for my mother's maternal gdparents. I had to make a visual rendition to keep it straight but with the color coding in TMG also, it is much easier to determine who is my direct ancestor. Learned a couple of new tricks in TMG during this endeavor also.

Category 4 - Expand Your Knowledge - I haven't completed any more yet, but I am researching about Google Maps and Google Earth to complete that task.

Category 5 Write, Write, Write - I completed Task E by creating a PAGE on my blog, utilizing the instructions from Blogger Announces a New Pages Features. I imported a graphic of a five generation pedigree chart from my TMG software including pictures. I also completed Task E by signing up for the CYRabbit Carnival which included making a new blog, Dust to Dust GYRabbitt. I applied for Membership into the Association of Graveyard Rabbits which is necessary to participate in the GYRabbitt Carnival. So I have earned a Silver Medal for Category 5

Category 6 Reach Out & Perform Genealogical Acts of Kindness- I hadn't initially thought I could compete in this category but I am going for the Platinum in all of these categories so I am throwing caution to the wind and going for it. I completed Task A by commenting on We Tree and Task G by following a new blog, Wild Rhododendron

So for a tally at Day 3, I am at Bronze level in three categories and Silver level in 2.  Thanks to GB Winter Games 2010 for helping me get these tasks done. 

Winter 2010 Geneablogger Games

I always wanted to be in the Olympics.  In high school I thought I could be an Olympic diver. When my daughter excelled at Ballroom dancing, I hoped I would see her dance in the Olympics. Thanks to genealogy and Geneablogger, I have  made it to the Olympics. 

My categories of competition will be 1) Go Back and Cite Your Sources; 3) Organize Your Research; 4) Expand Your Knowledge and 5) Write, Write, Write. 

My goal for category 1 is to earn a Platinum Medal.  My goal for category 3 is to earn a Gold Medal.  My goal for category 4 is to earn a Gold Medal.  My goal for category 5 is to win a Platinum Medal. 

Let the GAMES begin.  We will all be WINNERS.