Are you proud of your heritage? Do you feel you need to live a life with honor because you are a…? You want your family name to mean something. It is special to you so you want it to be special to others like Ford, Edison, Einstein, and Mozart. What many people don’t know is that when they came to the United States their name was changed, whether it was because the custom agent couldn’t spell the name or your ancestor wanted to Americanize their name, but in some way or other your family name could have been changed.
So what does this mean to you as you research your family history? So far for my family, I have run across three names that have been changed and one of them was a first name. Finding information is rarely easy and when we have ancestors that immigrate to other countries it makes it more difficult. So just because a surname is spelled different than the one you are researching, don’t close the door. You just might find the missing ancestor you were looking for and he is under a different rock than you thought.
As people change their names today, it will be confusing for future generations to find their ancestors also. It used to be families normally stayed near one another so if you found two people with the same last name in a town they were normally related. But now with so many people in the world and families so far spread out it will be extremely difficult for future genealogist to find their history. At one point my parents, who have eight children, had 3 daughters and 2 sons living in other states.
So just remember when you are looking for that elusive ancestor, try to phonetically change the spelling and see if you find the person you are looking for. You just might get lucky and open up a whole new world.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The Most Significant People in Your Life
When you are considering what people are significant in your life, you inevitably think of the people who have impacted your life the most, whether good or bad or both depending on the person. When you look over the list of people that you have classified in this category it is a good idea to review why they are significant. There are two reasons for this, one is because you can let the person know how they have impacted your life and either able to exercise some demons and repair a relationship or you will make someone's day by letting them know.
People crave the approval of others. They want to be liked and thought well of, but not everyone is able to do this. It is important to let the people know who are important in your life why they are important. Open communication in any relationship is what will help it not only survive but flourish. If that person impacted you to a point that they made a significant change in your life it could help them in their other relationships which could improve their overall well-being.
The most significant person in my life is two different people, my father and my husband. My father is the type of man who is quiet and solid. He is always there for anyone who needs him. He is an accomplished craftsman who gets more enjoyment out of helping people than anything else. He has taught me so much that I couldn't list it all in this article. Suffice it to say that he has always been my role model and I hope I manage to be half the person that he is. The husband and I have been married for 18 years and have held fast through different trials and errors. He is my rock, if I have a problem or concern I know that he will listen to me and either let me work it out myself or help me with the dilemma. He isn't a romantic man, he doesn't come home with flowers or candy, but he is the most generous and loving man I have ever known. He knows when I need him, whether to talk to or to handle a situation for me and will always be the first one to defend any action I have taken. He is always there to offer his support and encouragement in everything I do. He might not understand my desire to write or create crafts but he is the first one to critique it and give me positive feedback.
Always remember the significant people in your life are the ones that help make you who you are. It doesn't matter whether they had a negative impact on your life or a positive one because they helped you grown into the person you are today.
People crave the approval of others. They want to be liked and thought well of, but not everyone is able to do this. It is important to let the people know who are important in your life why they are important. Open communication in any relationship is what will help it not only survive but flourish. If that person impacted you to a point that they made a significant change in your life it could help them in their other relationships which could improve their overall well-being.
The most significant person in my life is two different people, my father and my husband. My father is the type of man who is quiet and solid. He is always there for anyone who needs him. He is an accomplished craftsman who gets more enjoyment out of helping people than anything else. He has taught me so much that I couldn't list it all in this article. Suffice it to say that he has always been my role model and I hope I manage to be half the person that he is. The husband and I have been married for 18 years and have held fast through different trials and errors. He is my rock, if I have a problem or concern I know that he will listen to me and either let me work it out myself or help me with the dilemma. He isn't a romantic man, he doesn't come home with flowers or candy, but he is the most generous and loving man I have ever known. He knows when I need him, whether to talk to or to handle a situation for me and will always be the first one to defend any action I have taken. He is always there to offer his support and encouragement in everything I do. He might not understand my desire to write or create crafts but he is the first one to critique it and give me positive feedback.
Always remember the significant people in your life are the ones that help make you who you are. It doesn't matter whether they had a negative impact on your life or a positive one because they helped you grown into the person you are today.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Product Review: Family Tree Maker
When I first started working on my family history, the only thing I used for keeping track of my information was paper and a typewriter. No, not a computer but a typewriter, very few people owned computers at that time let alone used it to keep track of a family history. When we finally bought our first computer, we used a free program to log in all of our information; it was called Brother’s Keeper. I don’t even know if it still exists. For what type of computers we had back then, it was amazing the amount of information you could store in the program. Just to let you know this was before there was a World Wide Web. I know ancient times and some of you can’t even imagine what that was like.
A few years later we bought our first software package for family history research, Family Tree Maker. Every few years I upgrade my software so that I can’t get the latest technology available. It is an easy to use program; that allows you to upload pictures and put more information into the program. You can print out group sheets to help you keep track of your family and even print out ancestral sheets to give you a broader list of how things look and where you have gaps.
I haven’t found a problem with this software. It is simple to update. You can find information simply by going to the index and you can add more than one spouse. You can also attach a child to a family even if the couple isn’t married.
Overall, I would recommend Family Tree Maker to other budding genealogists. You can buy is relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to upgrade every year. It will be an asset to your genealogy research. As always good luck and happy hunting!
A few years later we bought our first software package for family history research, Family Tree Maker. Every few years I upgrade my software so that I can’t get the latest technology available. It is an easy to use program; that allows you to upload pictures and put more information into the program. You can print out group sheets to help you keep track of your family and even print out ancestral sheets to give you a broader list of how things look and where you have gaps.
I haven’t found a problem with this software. It is simple to update. You can find information simply by going to the index and you can add more than one spouse. You can also attach a child to a family even if the couple isn’t married.
Overall, I would recommend Family Tree Maker to other budding genealogists. You can buy is relatively inexpensive and you don’t have to upgrade every year. It will be an asset to your genealogy research. As always good luck and happy hunting!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Planning your Family Reunion
All those people together in one place, the Aunt who smells like menthol, the Uncle who is always chomping on a cigar or the cousin who whines because she isn’t getting her way. Does any of this sound familiar? If it does then you know it is that time of year again when you are going to your family reunion. But maybe you are the one who gets to plan it and figure out where it is going to be and who to invite.
If you are responsible for putting the reunion together then you will have a fun time getting every to get along long enough to plan the party. You can choose a theme for the party, figure out where you should have it at and who should you invite. Remember if you don’t invite Great Aunt Trudy then you will hear about it for the next 20 years.
The theme of the party can be anything or nothing. You can make it lively or conservative, it just matters what suits your family best. If they are a wild and crazy bunch then you will want to have a wild party, like a luau or a tiki party or even a wild animal theme, but if they are a calm and staid group them you will want to through a conservative party that just has a few decorations and doesn’t have a girl jumping out of a cake. The best thing to do is to keep it simple, because you will probably be the one decorating the room and cleaning up afterwards.
Figuring out where to have the reunion can be the most difficult decision you make for the party. First you need to figure out what town you are going to have it in, because most families have scattered around the countryside and don’t live close. Some families choose to have it in a different state every year while some have it in the same place each time. It is what suits your family the best. Once you decide on the town you are going to have it in, the next thing to decide is where in the town you are going to hold it. There are a few options for this; you can have it at a house of someone who lives in the town, a convention hall, church or community center. There are definitely more possibilities but you need to look at the area you are at to determine which place best suits your needs.
You have figured out the theme and where you are going to have the party, the next step is to figure out who you are going to invite. The safest bet here is to invite all of the family and let people know that if you forgot someone then have them invite the person. You don’t want hurt feelings in the family and that is what you would have if you didn’t invite everyone. Even if Uncle Chuck drives you nuts you still need to invite him, just avoid him if you can.
The final thing you need to worry about is the food and drinks. You can have the party catered and not have to worry about food. But the best option in my opinion is to have a pot luck. Let everyone bring a dish, you will get to taste foods you wouldn’t normally try and it is cheaper than having the party catered. It also helps people to feel involved with the planning of the party. You will get duplicate gifts, but enjoy and you will have fun.
Family reunions can be fun or a chore. It is all in what you make of it. So relax and enjoy the party. If you are having fun then normally everyone else is also.
www.helium.com
If you are responsible for putting the reunion together then you will have a fun time getting every to get along long enough to plan the party. You can choose a theme for the party, figure out where you should have it at and who should you invite. Remember if you don’t invite Great Aunt Trudy then you will hear about it for the next 20 years.
The theme of the party can be anything or nothing. You can make it lively or conservative, it just matters what suits your family best. If they are a wild and crazy bunch then you will want to have a wild party, like a luau or a tiki party or even a wild animal theme, but if they are a calm and staid group them you will want to through a conservative party that just has a few decorations and doesn’t have a girl jumping out of a cake. The best thing to do is to keep it simple, because you will probably be the one decorating the room and cleaning up afterwards.
Figuring out where to have the reunion can be the most difficult decision you make for the party. First you need to figure out what town you are going to have it in, because most families have scattered around the countryside and don’t live close. Some families choose to have it in a different state every year while some have it in the same place each time. It is what suits your family the best. Once you decide on the town you are going to have it in, the next thing to decide is where in the town you are going to hold it. There are a few options for this; you can have it at a house of someone who lives in the town, a convention hall, church or community center. There are definitely more possibilities but you need to look at the area you are at to determine which place best suits your needs.
You have figured out the theme and where you are going to have the party, the next step is to figure out who you are going to invite. The safest bet here is to invite all of the family and let people know that if you forgot someone then have them invite the person. You don’t want hurt feelings in the family and that is what you would have if you didn’t invite everyone. Even if Uncle Chuck drives you nuts you still need to invite him, just avoid him if you can.
The final thing you need to worry about is the food and drinks. You can have the party catered and not have to worry about food. But the best option in my opinion is to have a pot luck. Let everyone bring a dish, you will get to taste foods you wouldn’t normally try and it is cheaper than having the party catered. It also helps people to feel involved with the planning of the party. You will get duplicate gifts, but enjoy and you will have fun.
Family reunions can be fun or a chore. It is all in what you make of it. So relax and enjoy the party. If you are having fun then normally everyone else is also.
www.helium.com
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