Happy 2024

 It's been a while.  I've been very distracted and haven't been working on family history research much.

But, this is a new year and I'm going to try to be organized (never a natural thing for me).

In Memoriam:

We lost a family member during the Christmas holiday.  William "Willie" Beismer

https://landersfh.com/tribute/details/2297/William-Beismer/obituary.html

In Memoriam:

Aunt Betty Hall, Elizabeth "Betty" Hall, born Elizabeth Odell, passed in September 2023; the last of my father's siblings.  We just learned about her passing during the Christmas holiday.  We have not yet found an obit.

NEWS

I will be starting virtual reunions very soon.  

I just have to do a little planning and scheduling.  I will be using Zoom.  So, if you're interested, you'll have to get Zoom.  It's relatively safe, as software goes.  I have not hosted before, only participated, so I have to learn a few things first.

What is Zoom?  Zoom is a video chat app that's free.  I've used it many times.  You need a computer with a camera and microphone which are usually built in to your computer.  You're sent a link for the session.  Somebody (me) starts the session and click on the link to join the session.  You can be visible or invisible.  Everybody who's joined will be able to see whoever else is in the session, if they have made themselves visible. I will spend some time in our first session explaining anything you need, that I know, about Zoom.

The purpose of the virtual reunions will be to discuss family history ONLY.  I will set up separate reunions for specific families that I'm related to.  I will email the Zoom session link ahead of time, usually a day ahead.  I will also post a announcement of the reunions in various social medias. 

You can just listen and watch or you can participate.  I hope you'll join.  

Later

Updates

 I've been working away @ WikiTree.  I'm working just on my own family history but I also participate in several projects: Native Americans; Civil War; Palatine Migration; my 2 One Name Studies; and a One Place Study.  

In addition, I've adopted a bunch of orphaned profiles with surnames that are in my family.  When I do that, I try to quickly find basic information for each person:  birth, marriage, death, children, with good sources.  I don't always go back to get into details for every person. When I can I add a photo.

I'm really enjoying myself.

Because I have a bad habit of trying to do more than I possible can, I've worked out somewhat of a routine where I rotate what I do so I get a little bit done on each of those projects over time.  That also works because I get stuck on one thing and can't move ahead to I switch to something else.

In the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the Wormuth and Beismer One Name Studies.

I just posted a report on the Beismer One Name Study on its blog.  Each of the ONSs have their own blog where the details of what I've been doing and what I'm finding will be posted.  Take a look.

                          

Not All Fun and Games

 Family history is, for most of us, a hobby or an avocation; for a few a profession. for a lot of us, an obsession.

But, it's not all fun and games; it's a lot of work.  And, sometimes it means sadness and even anger, when you discover something that makes you react that way.

I've encountered facts about various families and individuals in my extensive family tree that have disappointed me, that have made me sad and that have angered me.  I don't let those feelings linger; there's no point; it's all in the past, but it's a reminder that we humans are far from perfect, including our own family members.

One of the things I try to remember as I'm working away is that, by going through this process, I can, in a small way, honor the lives of my ancestors and relatives, especially those whose lives were very short or who had hard, difficult lives.  A very recent revelation about one of my ancestors made me both sad and angry; sad for her and very angry with her family members; no point in going into the details; what good would it do.

I have found, in this research, the lives of individuals that are interesting and unique enough to inspire a novel.  Some individual's lives are full of holes and gaps that make you stop and imagine what happened to them, where they went, how they ended up.  Making that exercise can be the basis of a novel.  Some family tales that have no documentation can lead to the same result.  

I'm playing with those possibilities right now.  There are at least three individuals whose lives could easily be fictionalized and turned into, at least a short story.

In any case, that's where my head is at the moment.

Next time, if I can get it together, I'll report on all the various projects I'm working on:  the one name studies, the one place study, just general research, etc.