Five Best Rides at the Carnival

The next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be the 24th, and it will mark the one-year anniversary of the COG. If you're not familiar with blog carnivals you can learn more about them here, but essentially they amount to an online magazine, regularly published on a given topic, with articles submitted by bloggers. In the past year the Carnival of Genealogy has covered a wide variety of topics of interest to the genealogical community and has featured a multitude of articles written by many talented and knowledgeable bloggers. The COG provides information, education, and amusement, as well as excellent examples of thoughtful, personal, and creative writing. If you haven't experienced a carnival, you should!

Looking back at the year in review, I have to smile. When I first started the COG I had no idea where it would go or even if it would go. For the first several issues I had to search the blogosphere myself for topical articles but eventually other bloggers started to submit articles of their own. However, it wasn't until the 14th edition that I had enough articles submitted so that I didn't have to supplement with blog posts I found myself. It's been a fun ride. I've discovered many new genealogy bloggers and made some very good friends along the way.

So that brings us up to date on the first year of the Carnival of Genealogy. I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you what I consider to be the Five Best Rides (aka "Top 5") at the Carnival of Genealogy. These are the editions that I think showcase the best collections of articles written by the genealogy blogging community. In no particular order, they are:

• The 10th Edition, "Tombstones"
  
This edition has amazing stories about some rather unusual tombstones, complete with the story of Jane Doe's tombstone! It puts to rest any thoughts that genealogists are dull and without a sense of humor. Stop by and check it out. Bloggers who participated in this edition: Tim Abbott of Walking the Berkshires, Sasha Mitchell of Memory Lane, Julie Murphree of Julie's Fresh Air, Joe Beine of Genealogy Roots Blog, Kimberly Powell of About Genealogy, Chris Dunham of The Genealogue, Dayna Winters of Dayna Winters Freelance Writer, Mark MacLeod of The Geek of Everything, For Pete's Sake blog, and Jasia of Creative Gene (yep, that's me ;-)


• The 20th Edition, "A Tribute to Women"
  
This edition is just wonderful. The theme was chosen to coincide with International Women's Day and the whole edition is packed with heartwarming tributes to outstanding women. These aren't the famous women you'd find in an encyclopedia but the outstanding women on our family trees. Terrific! Bloggers who participated in this edition: Bill West of West in New England, Lori Thornton of Smokey Mountain Family Historian, Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions, Apple of Apple's Tree, Jasia of Creative Gene, David Bowles of Writing the Westward Sagas, Tammy of Family Doin's, Nikki-ann of Nikki-ann: Journal, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie, Dana Huff of Our Family History: A Genealogy Blog by Dana Huff, Steven Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog, footnoteMaven of footnoteMaven, Susan Kitchens of Oral Family History Using Digital Tools, Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, and Sasha Faith Mitchell of Memory Lane.


• The 15th Edition, "Genealogy New Year's Resolutions"
  
Tracing one's family history virtually always takes years of research. This edition of the COG shows just how ambitious genealogy bloggers are to make headway with their research. Here are their resolutions for 2007. Bloggers participating in this edition: Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie, Apple of Apple's Tree, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, Denise Olsen of Family Matters, Jasia of Creative Gene, David Bowles of Writing the Westward Sagas, Dave of OakvilleBlackWalnut, Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, Steven Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog, Maureen of Empty Nest, Lee Anders of A Matter of Life and Death, and Susan Kitchens of Oral Family History Using Digital Tools.


• The 19th Edition, "Shelter From The Storm: Stories of Home and Hearth"
  Home may be where the heart is but houses differ like flowers in a garden. This edition illustrates that with a trek around the country visiting all sorts of humble and not-so-humble abodes. Bloggers participating in this edition: Tim Abbott of Walking the Berkshires, Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, Jasia of Creative Gene, footnoteMaven of footnoteMaven, Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors, Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions, Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie, Apple of Apple's Tree, David Bowles of Writing the Westward Sagas, and Chris Dunham of The Genealogue.


• The 23rd Edition, "School Days"
  This edition covers the gamut of school-related topics including favorite teachers, one-room schoolhouses, gone-but-not-forgotten Catholic schools, and so much more. Check out this edition of the COG and take a trip down memory lane. Bloggers participating in this edition: Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings, Dana Huff of Our Family History: A Genealogy Blog by Dana Huff, Lee Anders of Before My Time, Christina Geyer of Shaking the Tree, Becky Wiseman of Kinexxions, Bill West of West in New England, Steven Danko of Steve's Genealogy Blog, footnoteMaven of footnoteMaven, Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie, Jasia of Creative Gene, Chris Dunham of The Genealogue, T.K. of Before My Time, Lori of Mississippi History & Genealogy Notes, David Bowles of Writing the Westward Sagas, Terry Thornton of Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi, Nikki-ann of Nikki-ann: Journal, Susan Kitchens of Oral Family History Using Digital Tools, and Schelley Talalay Dardashti of Tracing the Tribe.
  

These are my picks for the "Top 5" best rides at the carnival, the Carnival of Genealogy that is. Which were your favorites?

This article was submitted to the ProBlogger Top 5 Group Writing Project. If I win, all my COG blogger buddies will be famous along with me. Wish me luck and show me some support!

Tags:Carnival of Genealogy|Creative Gene|Jasia