Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Carnival of Genealogy, 22nd Edition




Welcome to the April 18, 2007 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. This is a "carousel" edition of the COG meaning it is open topic (but still genealogy related). This is by far the biggest edition of the COG ever with 26 articles submitted by 23 bloggers on a wide variety of genealogy-related topics. Find yourself some quiet time and space, grab yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, and climb aboard for the ride. It's a doozy!

I've chosen to first include those articles which were submitted before the call for submissions for this open topic edition was made. As you will see, some of these articles have been waiting in the COG-queue for some time now.


John Pinkston presents Genealogy post- Greenberry Pinkston posted at Along the Time Coast blog. Article submitted August 18, 2006. John starts us off with an article he found about his ancestor, Greenberry Pinkston. Isn't that a great name? Read all about him here. Thanks for submitting your article John!

Reb Chaim HaQoton presents 3 articles, Born and Married Jewish, The Daughter of Abraham and Marriage and Divorce in Egypt posted at Reb Chaim HaQoton. Articles submitted August 1, 2006, November 18, 2006 and January 28, 2007 respectively. I am totally unqualified to comment on the historical references in these three posts due to the fact that I am not Jewish and I have no knowledge of the Torah. Having said that, I found the explanation of maternal/paternal inheritance of Jewishness fascinating (from the first article). Thank you for sharing your articles with us, Reb Chaim.

Gary Smailes presents Breathing History: Surname search posted at Breathing History. Article submitted January 5, 2007. Gary shares with us information about a site that does surname searches in UK records. Thanks for the tip, Gary!

Michelle presents Short Stories from Family History posted as scribbit. Article submitted January 8, 2007. Michelle has a nice collection of family stories that she shares with us here, briefly. Great stories Michelle and you've left us wanting more! Thanks for sharing!

GrrlScientist presents The Y Chromosome Reveals Ancestry posted at Living the Scientific Life. Article posted January 24, 2007. GrrlScientist tells us about the Y chromosome and touches on African immigrants to Britain. Interesting stuff here... thanks for sharing!

Amy Crooks presents Storybooking Grandparents posted at Untangled Family Roots. Article submitted January 25, 2007. Amy encourages us to conduct those family interviews we've been putting off and shares some tips for interviewing. Thanks Amy!

Blaine Bettinger presents Governmental Regulation of Genetic Genealogy Tests? posted at The Genetic Genealogist. Article submitted April 2, 2007. Blaine introduces us to Senator Ted Kennedy's proposed legislation to regulate clinical genetic testing. Should we be concerned about genealogical genetic testing? Visit and read! Thanks for submitting your article, Blaine. I found it well written and thought provoking.

Tim Abbott
presents A Graveside Reunion posted at Walking the Berkshires, saying, "Here's a quest to find a forgotten family grave and the story of an old soldier revealed through census and pension records in the National Archives." Thanks for sharing your article, Tim. It both details Tim's research and the interesting information he found about his forgotten ancestor. Very interesting reading, check it out!

Derek Andrews presents Google Books as a research tool posted at Derek Andrews. Derek has a good tip for us all... Google Books! Thanks Derek!

Joe Beine presents Illinois Genealogy: the Musical - Well, Sorta posted at Genealogy Roots Blog. I really enjoyed Joe's music review article and I'll bet you will too. Are you going to do a review of "Greeting From Michigan" too Joe? Please! Thanks for sharing!

Bill West presents West in New England: UNK-IFIED..WITH APOLOGIES TO DR. SEUSS. posted at West in New England, saying, "I couldn't decide, so I closed my eyes and let my mouse choose a post." There's a poet among us! This blog post contains a cute little ditty, written by Bill it is clever and witty. Yeah Bill!

footnote Maven presents Buried No Longer posted at footnote Maven. A round of applause please for Maven. This is a very well written and touching story about her family history research disguised as a treasure hunt. Check it out and let her know what you think. Will she win the contest?

Randy Seaver presents Genea-Musings: Their Odyssey - to San Diego posted at Genea-Musings. Randy's reflections on his ancestors' migrations west are both illuminating and thoughtful. It also gave me a wonderful idea for another COG topic! Thanks for another great article, Randy!

Chery Kinnick presents Why Did She Do It? posted at Nordic Blue, saying, "An exercise in genealogy and social history detective work." Ahh, here is yet another instance of "wondering why". It is a affliction that seems to effect each and every family historian at one time or another. Check out Chery's article and see what you think. Thanks for sharing and making us think, Chery!

Lori Thornton presents Mississippians in the West posted at Mississippi History & Genealogy Notes. Here's an interesting idea suggested by Lori... migration destinations within the U.S. Those Mississippians sure did get around! Thanks for sharing a very interesting idea Lori! And Lori Thornton also presents Salem Witchcraft Trials posted at Smoky Mountain Family Historian. It must be amazing to discover you're related to someone famous. Lori tells of her discovery and plans for future research. Thanks again Lori :-)

Lisa Alzo presents Hidden Genealogical Gems: The Navy Diary posted at The Accidental Genealogist. Lisa writes beautifully. This particular article is about her father's Navy Diary which she found after his death. It's these kinds of "gems" we all would love to find! Thank you for sharing Lisa!

Jasia presents Creative Gene: My Favorite Polish Cowboy posted at Creative Gene, saying, "I think this may be my all time favorite blog post. Czeslaw was my third cousin once removed and he will always have a special place in my heart."

Apple presents Skeletons Among My Roots posted at Apple's Tree. Oooh, now here's another great COG future topic introduced by Apple. How do you handle the skeletons on your tree? She poses this question while reflecting on some of the more unsavory leaves on her family tree. Wonderful and thought provoking. Thanks, Apple!

Craig Manson presents Carnival Carousel: Art, Science, and Serendipity posted at GeneaBlogie. Craig delights us this time with another great story of his ancestors. I especially liked this story because it shows us just how significant a word-of-mouth-passed-down story can prove to be. Great detective work, Craig! Thanks for sharing!

Becky Wiseman presents The Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing) April 6-7, 1862 posted at kinexxions. Civil War buffs will especially appreciate this look at a couple individuals who participated in the Battle of Shiloh. This is a well written piece with a nice collection of links for additional information. As always, Becky, thanks for sharing!

Miriam Robbins Midkiff presents Bob and the Cow posted at AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors. This one will make you smile if not out right laugh. It's a gem! Thanks for sharing this one with us Miriam. It's a hoot!

Susan A. Kitchens presents Letters from the Attic: 1918 Flu Epidemic Edition posted at Family Oral History Using Digital Tools, saying "I've been reading through some letters from the late teens when my grandma was away to college at MIT, and when I found this one-- written during the Flu Epidemic, I *had* to scan and transcribe and share. The letter included a news clipping about how to treat the Flu. It's such a great glimpse into events of 89 years ago." What a great period piece! Susan gives us a glimpse not only at what was known about influenza back in 1918 but also about the worries and concerns people had about treating and surviving it. I didn't realize the product, Vick's VapoRub, was even around back then. Thanks, Susan!

Stephen Danko presents From the First Floor of the Family History Library posted at Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve shares some photos taken on his recent trip to the Family History Library in Utah. This is a nice collection of photos and those who haven't been there will enjoy seeing what it's like. Those who have been there will remember the experience. Thanks for sharing, Steve!

Woo Hoo! That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy and what a wild ride it's been! I don't know about you but I think it was kind of fun to mix things up for a change and see the diversity of genealogy. We have a lot of new submitters this time around. Wouldn't it be great to have some of them become "regulars"? Why not stop by their blogs and leave them a message... let them know you read their article on the Carnival of Genealogy.

I want to send out a super THANK YOU! to all who participated in this edition of the COG. I look forward to reading each of your blogs and I hope you'll continue contributing to the COG! And on that note...

It's time for the Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the COG is: School Days. Share a school memory of your own or a story about an ancestor. Maybe you know the history of a one-room school house your ancestor attended, or maybe you have some teachers on the family tree you'd care to write about. Grade school, high school, or college... this is a subject everyone can write about, even if it's only about the school of hard knocks! The deadline for the next Carnival of Genealogy is May 1st. Please submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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