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Will You Be Watching?

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This is a very exciting week for genealogists.  Why?  Because the third annual RootsTech Conference will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 21-23.  If you are unfamiliar with RootsTech, please check out their website, which explains what it's all about.

For those of us unable to attend the RootsTech Conference this year, all is not lost. I'm happy to say that the wonderful people at RootsTech will be providing live streaming sessions on March 21, 22, and 23.  Here's the schedule.  


RootsTech 2013 Live Streaming Schedule
RootsTech 2013 Live Streaming Sessions


To view the schedule on RootsTech's website, click HERE.

I'm really looking forward to watching these amazing sessions.  How about you?  Will you be watching?

Thanks for reading.


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 22, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. Women's History Month 2013: Woman and the Civil War by Gena's Genealogy
  2. Mr. and Mrs. Vose discuss the Siege of Boston, Part 1 by Pam Pacelli Cooper for Revolutionary Voices Blog
  3. Civil War Surgeons Database & Indiana Surgeons Database AND Missouri Land Patent Database | Records NOT Found on the BLM Website by Genealogy Decoded
  4. Mappy Monday - Connections to Downton Abbey by My Maine Ancestry
  5. Decorating with Family History Memorabilia by Your Story Coach
  6. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE IT ALL (CENSUS RECORDS)? by Are My Roots Showing?
  7. What’s the Difference Between Holland and the Netherlands? by Michael J. Leclerc for Mocavo Genealogy Blog
  8. 16 Top Web Sites for Researching Irish Ancestors by By Kimberly Powell for About.com Guide
  9. Facing the Battle of Life by A Family Tapestry
  10. Young People Aren’t Interested in Genealogy? by Elyse's Genealogy Blog
  11. Job Names in Historical Newspapers: Researching Old Occupations by Mary Harrell-Sesniak for GenealogyBank Blog
  12. Avoiding Genealogical Disaster by Michelle Chubenko for Generous Genealogists
  13. Getting More Genealogists--Maybe It Shouldn't Be Our Focus by RootDig
  14. Missing Grandma … by Brand and Leaf…a family history blog
  15. Treasure Chest Thursday: Digitizing and Examining a 1909 German Songbook by The Family Curator

RootsTech
  1. FamilySearch Gives RootsTech Bloggers Sneak Peak AND From RootsTech: When I Tell Their Stories, I’m With My Ancestors Again AND RootsTech Opening Session Theme: Stories by The Ancestry Insider
  2. RootsTech 2013, Day 1 – Keynotes by The Ginger Jewish Genealogist
  3. RootsTech Official Blogger Dinner by Renee's Genealogy Blog
  4. RootsTech 2013 Day One, Introduction AND What is RootsTech all about? by Genealogy's Star
  5. My Virtual Rootstech Experience – Keynote by I remember you…
  6. GRABBING THE NEXT GENERATION IN GENEALOGY by Corn & Cotton Blog
  7. RootsTech Recap- Thursday by Gathering Stories
  8. Tell It Again – See the RootsTech Session Recording NOW by Writing Your Way to the Past
  9. Adventures at Rootstech 1 by KITCHENSINKGENEALOGY.COM
  10. A Thank You to the Family History Community AND A New Hampshire Yankee at Day One of RootsTech 2013 by Nutfield Genealogy
  11. Hour by Hour by Geniaus


New Blog Discoveries


In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

I've Changed My Mind

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To copyright (watermark) an ancestor photo or not…that is the question.


Cynthia Maria Waterman Webster
Cynthia Maria Waterman Webster

Yesterday morning while I was making breakfast, I had a thought.  What if, many, many years from now, a future descendant of mine comes across my blog and wants to download the many ancestor photos I've shared here.  Would that descendant be frustrated and disappointed that there was a copyright across the bottom of that treasured photo?  Putting myself in their place, I'm sure I would be disappointed.  Yes, I'd be thrilled to see the face of an ancestor, but at the same time, I would be annoyed about that copyright statement.

So, I've changed my mind about adding a copyright statement to my ancestors' photos that I share on my blog.  This is a difficult decision because at the same time, I don't want unscrupulous people or companies coming along and stealing the precious photos of my ancestors and displaying them somewhere without my permission.  But, in the spirit of collaboration and because of my desire to share these ancestor photos with my future descendants, and any present family members for that matter, I've decided to do away with placing a copyright statement on my ancestor photos.  I will, however, be embedding metadata within these photos.



Cynthia Maria Waterman Webster
Cynthia Maria Waterman Webster

Does this decision mean I'm done with copyright statements all together?  No.  I will likely still use them for any photographs I create and then subsequently use on my blog or on any other photos I think need a copyright statement.  So, my previous post about how to watermark a photo using Windows Live Writer is still useful and relevant.

During the webinar,
Metadata is Your Friend, with Denise Barrett Olson and Thomas MacEntee, dated February 13, 2013, Thomas said the following regarding the photos of his ancestors,
"I don’t own these images, I’m a steward for these images. I’m a caretaker for these images."
That really struck me and caused me to think about this issue.  But I hadn't actually changed my mind about this until yesterday, after I thought about the possibility of my future descendants discovering my blog and then wanting to download our shared ancestors' photos.

This is a personal decision that every blogger must make for themselves.  But, for me, I think I've made the right decision about this issue.  After all, I'm only the keeper of my ancestors' photos, not the owner.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading.



© 2013

Copyright by Jana last

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 29, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. What is a "GeneaBlogger" ? by Dear Myrtle
  2. Sepia Saturday: A Family That Tours Battlefields Together ... by Jollett Etc.
  3. Unexpected Lessons from Tom Jones - Part 1 AND Unexpected Lessons from Tom Jones - Part 2 by Adventures in Genealogy Education
  4. The missing grandfather by The Legal Genealogist
  5. Day 23: Fearless Females: Timeline by Past-Present-Future
  6. Can't we all get along? by Joseph B. Everett
  7. Gen-Tech Tip: How Can I Help the NGS? by 4 Your Family Story
  8. Genealogy Records for "Hearing" Your Revolutionary War Ancestors' Voices by Genealogy Insider
  9. Is Your Genealogy Future Proofed? by Thomas MacEntee for Archives.com
  10. Finding the Will for Will Was Great, But Frozen to Death, Not So! by Life From The Roots
  11. Did your Civil War ancestor become a prisoner of war? by Poore Boys In Gray
  12. Turn Family Lines into Story Lines! by The Armchair Genealogist
  13. Archives.com Publishes Millions of Lutheran Church Records by Archives.com Blog
  14. 13 Ways to Tell Your Ancestor Stories - Book Blog Tour Begins Today by Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories
  15. Where Are My Ancestors Buried? Researching Cemeteries in Old Newspapers by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank Blog
  16. Luck of the Irish Uncovers the Truth by GeneaJourneys
  17. I backed some winners by Geniaus

RootsTech 2013

Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings has compiled a wonderful listing of blog posts about RootsTech 2013.  Make sure to visit his blog and read the great blog posts listed there.

In preparation for my Fab Finds post this week, I've been compiling a RootsTech 2013 list as well.  I compared my  list of RootsTech-related posts and found a few that were not included in Randy's list (at the time I wrote this post).
  1. Family Stories Getting Our Family to Engage by Genemeet
  2. Inspirational Genealogy Quote of the Week: Kim Weitkamp by Past-Present-Future
  3. Imagine: A New Kind of Family History by Origin Hunters
  4. Ancestry.com at Rootstech 2013 by Ancestral Breezes
  5. My #RootsTech 2013 Recap by GenBlog
  6. Rootstech 2013 Live Streaming Classes Part 1 AND RootsTech 2013 Live Streaming Classes Part 2 by Gopher Genealogy

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Happy Easter

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On this glorious Easter morning, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Easter. Please enjoy these two special videos.




Hymn No. 136
I Know That My Redeemer Lives


1. I know that my Redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
He lives, my ever-living Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed.
He lives to bless in time of need.

2. He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

3. He lives, my kind, wise heav'nly Friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while he lives, I'll sing.
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath.
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.

4. He lives! All glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"
He lives! All glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Text: Samuel Medley, 1738-1799. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.

Music: Lewis D. Edwards, 1858-1921

Happy Easter!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last




13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories ~ A Book Review and Giveaway

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"Once upon a time…"

Such a magical phrase!  It has the power to immediately draw you in.  You want to know more.  Just what did happen "Once upon a time?"  This is the power of storytelling.  And really, when you think about it, we are surrounded by stories in our everyday lives.  Movies, books, television shows, songs we listen to—these are really mediums for storytelling.

Did you know that you can make your family history as magical and powerful as the phrase "Once upon a time?"  How?  Through the power of stories.  The importance of including ancestor stories in your family history cannot be overemphasized.  Sharing the stories of your ancestors with your family members is vitally important in helping them become interested in and excited about their own family history.

But you may ask, "Where do I begin and what storytelling methods should I use?"

In the second edition of Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith's book 13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories, Dr. Bill shares 13 successful, creative, and fun ways to share the stories of your ancestors.

13 Ways To Tell Ancestor Stories Book Cover

From the Back Cover:

Dr. Bill enjoys telling and sharing ancestor stories and related family history social context. He has published four family histories, to date, with more in progress.


For the latest on Dr. Bill, his writings and stories, see his complementary blog at:  drbilltellsancestorstories.blogspot.com

Do you have family history and ancestor stories collected and researched?

Do you want to share them and tell your stories, but don't know how or what venue to use?

This book has your answer.

Preservation and interpretation of your ancestor stories will occur most effectively if you use multiple approaches to telling your ancestor stories to your family and interested others. Showing you how to do this is the purpose of this book.

The content of our telling of ancestor stories includes your life as well as the lives of your two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, sixteen great-great grandparents, etc., and their siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. Ancestor stories include the social context in which these folks lived, their clothes, their farms or ranches, their religion (or not), their occupations, their loves and antagonisms, their education (or not), their friends and neighbors, and the mundane details of their daily lives.


13 sections suggest a variety of ways to tell your ancestor stories; each section has a Planning Worksheet to assist you in doing it most effectively.

"Telling a story about an ancestor can be a gift to oneself and to one's family. It is powerful to have your stories heard.  Judy Shintani
http://judykitsune.wordpress.com/"

Review

13 Ways to Tell Your Ancestor Stories contains 13 easy-to-read and informative sections under the heading "Potential Story Sharing Activities."
  1. Blog
  2. Book
  3. Newsletter
  4. Website
  5. Podcasts
  6. Videos
  7. Wikis
  8. Scrapbooking
  9. Brochures
  10. Posters
  11. Art and Artifacts
  12. Oral Performance
  13. Other

At the end of each section, Dr. Bill has included a "Pros and Cons" list as well as a handy "Planning Worksheet" for that particular Story Sharing Activity.

One of the story sharing activities mentioned in this book is scrapbooking.  I know many people already love scrapbooking.  It's a wonderful way to share ancestor stories.  But what if that's not something you're interested in.  Not to worry!  That's the beauty of this book.  Dr. Bill provides a variety of different ideas for sharing the stories of your ancestors.

Oral performance is another very effective way to share ancestor stories.  I have first-hand experience about it's effectiveness.  Just the other day at church, two of my friends added simple costume accessories (a shawl and gloves for her and a flat cap from England for him) to what they were already wearing, and played the parts of my 2nd great-grandaunt, Sarah Amanda Waterman Engle and her husband Richard Engle.  My two friends were helping me with a presentation to children aged 7-11.  My friends introduced themselves as Richard and Sarah Engle and told the kids a little about their lives.  Two of Sarah and Richard's children died when they were babies.  Near the end of my presentation, one of the little girls asked how one of the babies had died.  To me this shows that this little girl had been touched by this story of my ancestors.

I also love the idea of artifacts being used as a way to tell ancestor stories, and as a catalyst for conversations about our ancestors.  We have several photos of our ancestors displayed in our home.  When I saw our youngest son stop in front of some of these photos and show them to his friends, that was definitely a heartwarming moment for me.

13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories is a helpful resource for anyone who wants ideas about how to share their ancestor stories.  It's available for purchase on Amazon.com and Lulu.com.

Giveaway

Dr. Bill has graciously allowed those of us on his blog book tour to give away a PDF version of 13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories to one of our lucky readers.  If you'd like a chance to win a PDF version of Dr. Bill's book, please leave a comment, along with your email address, in the comments below.

At midnight on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, the giveaway will close and I will randomly select a winner on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.  The lucky winner will be contacted by email, so don't forget to include your email address in the comments below for a chance to win Dr. Bill's book.

Note:  If you prefer that your email address remain private, just leave a comment below to enter the contest, and then email me (see my Contact Me tab above) and include your name and email address.

Thanks for reading and good luck with the giveaway contest!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Disclaimer:  As part of this blog book tour, I was given a PDF copy of Dr. Bill's book 13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories.

It's My 1st Blogiversary!

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Slice of Birthday Cake with Candle - from Microsoft Office free images
It's time to celebrate!  Let's bring out the cake and ice cream and light the birthday candle!  My blog is turning one year old tomorrow, April 5, 2013. I would have posted this one-year anniversary post on my actual blogiversary, but I already have my weekly Fab Finds post scheduled for that day. So, I'll just celebrate a day early!

Has it really been one year since I started this blog? I can't believe it! Where did the time go?


First of all, I want to thank all of you, my wonderful readers and fellow genealogy bloggers, for your kindness and support.  It can be a scary and intimidating thing to start a blog and "put yourself out there" on the web.  But you've been so very welcoming and supportive and I want to thank you for that.

And I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge thank-you to Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers.  He is a wonderful mentor and advocate for genealogy bloggers everywhere.  Thank you Thomas for creating GeneaBloggers.  It's such a friendly, supportive and welcoming community.

In the past, I've seen other genealogy bloggers share their blog stats on their own blogiversaries.  I thought I'd do that as well.  It's interesting to analyze the blog stats, although I don't know just how accurate they really are when I take into account possible spam hits to my blog posts.


Nevertheless, the stats will hopefully give a pretty good overall picture about my blog and what my readers have enjoyed reading.

I compared my Blogger stats with my Feedburner stats and they are not the same.  And I'm not sure why.

According to Blogger, my top ten most popular posts are as follows:

  1. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for December 28, 2012
  2. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for January 18, 2013
  3. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for September 14, 2012
  4. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 29, 2013
  5. Thanks for Traveling Frederick! - U.S. Consular Registration Application ~ 1917
  6. Tech Tuesday - OneNote For Genealogy ~ Research Bookmarks
  7. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for February 1, 2013
  8. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 22, 2013
  9. Ancestor Landing Page ~ Debs Webster Family Immigration Story
  10. Treasure Chest Thursday–The Big Reveal ~ What's In The Old Metal Tube?

According to Feedburner, these are my top ten posts:
  1. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for March 22, 2013
  2. Will You Be Watching?
  3. My 4th Great-Grandfather's Signature on a Revolutionary War Document ~ Dated August 23, 1776
  4. I've Changed My Mind
  5. Tech Tuesday - OneNote For Genealogy ~ Research Bookmarks
  6. Tuesday’s Tip ~ Three Awesome Websites for Genealogy…Found on Pinterest!
  7. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for January 4, 2013
  8. Military Monday ~ Revolutionary War Surgeon: Luther Waterman
  9. Tech Tuesday ~ Watermarked Photos
  10. Follow Friday–Fab Finds for November 23, 2012

In the Blogger stats, my Fab Finds posts dominate the top 10 spots, but in Feedburner, they don't.  I wonder which one is more accurate.

Something else I found to be quite interesting were the referrals.  Here's a sample from Feedburner:


Feedburner Referrer Stats for Follow Friday Post as of April 3, 2013 Cropped

See what's at the top of the list?  Yep, RebelMouse!  What a surprise!  And RebelMouse was the #1 referrer in eight of my top ten popular posts in Feedburner's list.  RebelMouse was the #3 referrer for the other two posts.  Wow!  I have to admit to being quite shocked at this finding, especially since I've only been using RebelMouse for a short time.

Here's what Blogger shows as my top ten referring URLs and referring sites:


Blogger Referring URLs as of April 3, 2013 Cropped

Again, I don't know why these are different from Feedburner.

It looks like GeneaBloggers, Sepia Saturday, Genea-Musings, Twitter, and Facebook are in the top ten list of my referring URLs and referring sites in Blogger's list.  Thank you
Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers, Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings, Sepia Saturday bloggers, and all of those who have used Facebook or Twitter to access my blog!

Okay, enough with the stats…let's have some cake!  But, before we dig in, I want to thank you all again for taking the time to read my blog this past year.  And thank you to those who've left comments, "liked" my blog posts on Facebook, "+1'd" them on Google+, retweeted them on Twitter, or shared them through any other social media platform.  You guys are awesome!


Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday–Fab Finds for April 5, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. Dear Randy - Why Does LDS Church Exert So Much Control over Genealogy? by Genea-Musings
  2. Life Happens, Tangents, Social Media, and Genealogy Wow! by Family Stories
  3. Chasing that pension file by The Legal Genealogist
  4. Obits not in the Obit Section of the Newspaper by Genealogy Decoded
  5. Genealogy Today: Knowing family history cuts kids’ stress by Betty Malesky for Green Valley News and Sun
  6. Wills at Family Search by I remember you…
  7. DIY Historical Map Overlays in Google Earth by Kimberly Powell for About.com Genealogy
  8. Transitioning to Blogger, and getting organized by Sifting Through The Past
  9. RootsTech: Ancestry.com Search Tools AND Land That I Love: RootsTech Tabernacle Choir Mini-Concert by The Ancestry Insider
  10. A to Z April Challenge: B is for Bessie by Jollett Etc.
  11. FamilySearch’s Family Tree by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
  12. Early Women Occupations, Jobs & Avocations by Mary Harrell-Sesniak for GenealogyBank Blog
  13. Ohio Soldiers in the War of Rebellion by Family History with the Lineagekeeper
  14. Injury by Barley Beard? by Corduroy & Silk Genes
  15. Tombstone Tuesday - He's Hilarious by Sally Searches
  16. RootsTech 2013 - Personal Reflections on a Pendulum Ride by Granite Genealogy
  17. Talented Tuesday: The Fiddlin' Farmer by Celebrating Family Stories
  18. The Digital Public Library of America will Launch on April 18 and 19 by Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter


In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Note:  The 13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories Book Giveaway closes at midnight on April 9, 2013.  The winner will be chosen on April 10, 2013, so there's still time to enter.


Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Military Monday ~ Richard Engle - A Civil War Veteran Admitted to the Battle Mountain Sanitarium

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Just what is Battle Mountain Sanitarium and why was Richard Engle admitted to this place?  Battle Mountain Sanitarium is now part of the Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Care System.  But in 1907 it opened it's doors as a branch of The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.  It's located in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

As to why Richard Engle was admitted here, it appears from the document below, that he was suffering from several health problems.


Battle_Mountain_Sanitarium
Battle Mountain Sanitarium
Photo by Alexander Daubert
Wikimedia Commons
This document (below) from the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Collection1 which I found on Ancestry.com is full of interesting and valuable genealogical information.  If you don't have an Ancestry.com subscription, don't worry.  I discovered that the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 Collection is also available on FamilySearch.org as well.


Richard Engle - U. S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938
Record for Richard Engle
See Footnote

This document is separated into four different sections - Military History, Domestic History, Home History, and General Remarks.

Let's take a look at the information contained within each section of Richard's record.

Military History
  • Time and Place of Each Enlistment -
    • First Enlistment
      • Time and Place of Enlistment – September, 1861 at Plymouth, Ohio
      • Rank – Private
      • Company and Regiment – Company G, 63rd Ohio Infantry
      • Time and Place of Discharge – June 18, 1864 at Washington D.C. [33 mos.]
      • Cause of Discharge - by reenlistment
    • Second Enlistment
      • Time and Place of Enlistment – June 18, 1864 at Washington D.C.
      • Rank – Private
      • Company and Regiment – 7th Volunteer Reserves
      • Time and Place of Discharge – November 16, 1865 at Washington D.C.
      • Cause of Discharge – G. O. 155
  • Disabilities When Admitted to the Home
    • Incontinence of Bowels
    • Arterial Sclerosis
    • Hemorrhoids with small Fistula
    • Cataract in Left Eye
    • Epileptic Attacks
Domestic History
  • Where Born – Ohio
  • Age – 77
  • Height – 5'6"
  • Complexion – Fair
  • Color of Eyes – Blue
  • Color of Hair – Gray
  • Read and Write – Yes
  • Religion – Prot. (I Assume that means Protestant)
  • Occupation – None
  • Residence Subsequent to Discharge – South Dakota
  • Married or Single – Married
  • Name and Address of Nearest Relative – Sarah A. Engle, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Home History
  • Rate of Pension – $20.00
  • Date of Admission, Re-Admission and Transfer – ad B.M.S. 3-12-08 (March 12, 1908, not sure what those initials stand for)
  • Date of Discharge and Transfer – 4-8-09 (April 8, 1909)
  • Cause of Discharge – OR (not sure what this means either)
General Remarks
  • Papers
    • Admission Paper – 1
    • Certificate of Service – 1
    • Pension Certificate – #202.972

Isn't this an amazing amount of information gleaned from a one-page document?  I already have the full Civil War pension file for Richard Engle, the husband of my 2nd great-grandaunt, Sarah Amanda (Waterman) Engle.  But this document is still an amazingly interesting and valuable find.  And if I wasn't already in possession of Richard's pension file, this document provided the pension certificate number.  How cool is that?

The National Home for Disabled Veteran Soldiers didn't only care for Civil War veterans.  It also cared for veterans of other conflicts as well.  So, if you have a military ancestor, I would encourage you to check out this awesome record collection on Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org.



Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last





1 Ancestry.com. U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

We Have A Winner!!

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13 Ways To Tell Ancestor Stories Book Cover

On April 3 I wrote a review of the book 13 Ways To Tell Your Ancestor Stories by Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith.  I also hosted a giveway for a PDF version of Dr. Bill's book.  Today, using Random.org, I've selected a winner.
Book Giveaway Winning Number


And the winner is…drumroll please…Sue at The Anderson's POL (Pad of Love).

Congratulations Sue!!  I will be emailing a PDF version of Dr. Bill's book to you today!


Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 12, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images
My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. The Best Ways to Be Sure You’re Legally Using Online Photos by Sara Hawkins for lifehacker
  2. Aunt Grace by GeneaJourneys
  3. Letters from Germany - 1920 - Philipp and Karl Go To Prison for 2 1/2 Years by Braunhart Mania
  4. Friday Fotos (April 5, 2013) -- Breaking Ground for the Lonsdale Masonic Temple, Lonsdale, Rhode Island by Filiopietism Prism
  5. New! Something About Me Saturday by How Did I Get Here?  My Amazing Genealogy Journey
  6. Library Thing - Online Book Catalog and Social Media Website by Find Your Folks
  7. A Virtual Gallery of Civil War Photographs by A Sense of Family
  8. Breakthrough for medical genealogy AND And one step back… by The Legal Genealogist
  9. Monday Morning Mentions Says Goodbye! by The Armchair Genealogist
  10. 5 Websites for Preserving Memories & Sharing Stories by Your Story Coach
  11. My Ancestors Were Calling by I remember you…
  12. GOTTA LOVE THE GENEABLOGGER COMMUNITY by Lonetester HQ
  13. The Genealogist's Muse: Asking Why AND Reverend John Leighton Wilson Returns from West Africa to South Carolina by Into the Briar Patch: A Family Memoir
  14. RootsTech Ketchup by The Ancestry Insider
  15. Dead People, Dead People, Dead People, SQUIRREL! by Clue Wagon
  16. It all went up in smoke...well, almost all by Always Anxiously Engaged
  17. What happened after my WARNING blog post AND New Hampshire Pronunciation by Nutfield Genealogy
  18. A Patronymic Primer by Sally Searches
  19. Online timelines for your genealogy by Kinfolk News
  20. Barry Ewell's Family Treasures eBook is Available for FREE by Genea-Musings
  21. RootsTech 2014 has the potential to break all records because... by Dear Myrtle
  22. A message from Cyndi Ingle Howells, founder of Cyndi's List by Cyndi's List

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost) ~ Nathan B. Chase – Civil War Surgeon

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Nathan B. Chase EPC Websters Dr in the Civil War
Nathan B. Chase
Surgeon in the U.S. Army - Civil War
Photo Courtesy of Norma Gardiner

This photograph of Nathan B. Chase was found inside the photo album that belonged to my 2nd great-grandfather, Ebenezer Perry Carlisle Webster.  Ebenezer served in the Civil War.

From what I can tell, the writing on the photo is as follows:
My Dr in The Army
Nathan B. Chase
Surg. U.S. Army
Nathan B. Chase is not an ancestor of mine.  Hopefully, one of his descendants will find this blog post so they can see this photo of Nathan.

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 19, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images
My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. Things We Don’t Speak Of by i-Descend
  2. The Photo Side of History AND Because of One Photo-A Success Story by FamilySearch Blog
  3. Clouds That Forebode the Greatest Evil by A Southern Sleuth
  4. It's Genea-Musings 7th Blogiversary!!!!!!! by Genea-Musings
  5. A 10 Step Plan: Getting Sources & Citations Under Control by The Armchair Genealogist
  6. Tuesday Tips: Time with Thomas MacEntee by Nuts From the Family Tree
  7. Blogging Genealogy: Make It Easy for Cousins to Contact You by Blogging Genealogy
  8. The Astor Fire, Part 1: The Gift of Life by Many Branches, One Tree
  9. What about the Kids? Researching Your Family Tree’s Children by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank.com Blog
  10. Treasure Chest Thursday (April 19, 2013) -- Mason Freeman's May 1, 1864 U.S. Internal Revenue License by Filiopietism Prism
  11. Treasure Chest Thursday - Great Grandpa's Scrapbook by Ancestry Search

Articles about Family Tree Magazine's Top 40 Genealogy Blogs
  1. Top 40 Genealogy Blogs in 2013 by David A. Fryxell for Family Tree Magazine
  2. Introducing the 2013 Family Tree 40 Genealogy Blogs! by Diane Haddad – Genealogy Insider
  3. Family Tree Magazine’s 40 Best Genealogy Blogs 2013 by GeneaBlogger
  4. Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs for 2013 by Genea-Musings
  5. The Cake is a Little Sweeter! by The Armchair Genealogist
  6. Olive Tree Genealogy Blog in Top 40 for 2013 in Family Tree Magazine by The Olive Tree Genealogy
  7. Family Tree Magazine’s Hit Parade by Moultrie Creek Gazette
  8. Family Tree Magazine Top 40 Genealogy Blog by Digital Cemetery Walk
  9. FTM's Top 40 Genealogy Blogs in 2013 by Genealogy Canada
  10. TOP 40! THANK YOU, FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE! by HELP!  The Faerie Folk Hid My Ancestors!
  11. Family Tree Magazine 40 Best Genealogy Blogs In 2013 by How Did I Get Here?  My Amazing Genealogy Journey
  12. Thank You, Family Tree Magazine by Kinexxions
  13. Thank You to Family Tree Magazine! by Nutfield Genealogy
  14. Honored by St. Vincent Memories

New Blog Discovery

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Eunice (Waterman) Crary and James Lewis Crary

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Eunice Waterman Crary and James L. Crary Tombstone
Eunice Waterman Crary and James L. Crary Tombstone
Photographer - Willi Anderson
Used With Permission

I recently discovered the tombstone for my 2nd great-grandaunt, Eunice (Waterman) Crary and her husband James Lewis Crary.  It's located at the Middleport Hill Cemetery in Meigs County, Ohio.

Here's a closer look at this tombstone.


Eunice Waterman Crary and James L. Crary Tombstone Close-up
Eunice Waterman Crary and James L. Crary Tombstone
Photographer - Willi Anderson
Used With Permission

I know this is difficult to read, so here is the transcription:

James L. Crary
1806 – 1869
Eunice W. Crary
1822 – 1899

The website where I found this tombstone was a new discovery for me.  I want to share this resource for anyone who may have ancestors who were buried in Ohio.  The website is OHIO Gravestones.org.

I contacted the photographer, Willi Anderson, who took these tombstone photos and was given permission to use them as I wish.  Willi even attached copies of the original photos in the email response to me.  I , of course, thanked Willi in my return email, but I will take this opportunity to thank Willi publicly as well.  Thank you Willi for taking the time to photograph these tombstones and for allowing me to use them in my blog.

Now, here's a little bit about Eunice (Waterman) Crary and her husband James Lewis Crary.

Eunice was the fourth of twelve children born to
Asher Waterman and Bathsheba (Paulk) Waterman, my maternal 3rd great-grandparents.  Eunice was born in 1822 in Troy, Athens, Ohio and passed away in 1899.

James Lewis Crary was the son of Frederick Crary and Lydia (Updyke) Crary.  He was born in 1806 in Rhode Island and passed away in 1869.

Eunice and James were married on October 27, 1840 in Athens County, Ohio.  They were the parents of five children:

  1. Lodowic Updike Crary (1842-1926)
  2. Dr. Archibald Crary (1845-Before 1910)
  3. Melissa Crary
  4. Mary Crary (1851-1927)
  5. Cynthia Crary (1859-?)
I'm so glad I found the Ohio Gravestones website and hope you will find it useful in your family history research.

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Wordless Wednesday (well almost) ~ Mary Crary Boggess

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Mary (Crary) Boggess
Mary (Crary) Boggess
Photo Courtesy of Norma Gardiner

Yesterday I shared photos of James and Eunice (Waterman) Crary's tombstone.  Today I want to share a photo of one of their daughters.

This is Mary Crary, my 1st cousin 3 times removed.  I absolutely love this photo of Mary!  She was the fourth child of James and Eunice (Waterman) Crary.  This photograph was in the photo album that belonged to my 2nd great-grandmother, Cynthia Maria (Waterman) Webster.


Mary Crary was born on August 3, 1851 in New Brighton, Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  Shemarried Taylor Nimrod Boggess on December 25, 1873 in Meigs County, Ohio.

Taylor and Marywere the parents of four children.
  1. Eunice Blanche Boggess (1874-1963)
  2. Norman T. Boggess (1877-1901)
  3. Frank Crary Boggess (1880-1941)
  4. Harry Julien Boggess (1883-1898)
Mary (Crary) Boggess passed away on December 31, 1927in Huntington, Cabell, West Virginia and was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia.

Thanks for reading!

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for April 26, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images
My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. This RootsTech "grousing" is for the birds by Dear Myrtle
  2. RootsTech Official Bloggers Get Critiqued by The Olive Tree Genealogy
  3. Dear Diary: It Seems I’ve Been a Bad Official Blogger by GeneaBloggers
  4. In My Defense…And Other Thoughts by GenBlog
  5. The Posts I Most Wish Official Bloggers Would Write by My Ancestors and Me
  6. Other Blog Posts from NERGC by Nutfield Genealogy
  7. And in my spare time … by A Worthington Weblog
  8. The Goldenstein Trunk AND Swedish Church Records at Ancestry.com Are Not Full-Name Indexed by RootDig.com
  9. Two Terrific Free Sites for Online City Directory Research by The Ancestor Hunt
  10. Church Record Sunday: Digital Public Library of America by Gena's Genealogy
  11. My first look at the Digital Public Library of America by Ancestral Breezes
  12. Where Do Questions Fit In At Genealogy Conferences by Desperately Seeking Surnames
  13. Sharing Blogging Thoughts by Granite in My Blood
  14. My 1st Blogiversary! by Abbie and Eveline
  15. Crossing the Pond to Roots in Ireland by GeneaJourneys
  16. Don't Just Use the Local Newspaper by Genealogy Tip of the Day
  17. The records of death by The Legal Genealogist
  18. Blogging Genealogy: Roll Out the Welcome Mat by BloggingGenealogy.com
  19. Blogger vs. WordPress.com: A Complete Comparison by Tim Brookes for MakeUseOf.com
  20. Piecing Together Their Lives by A Southern Sleuth
  21. Story Spark #9: Bond with an Ancestor by Your Story Coach
  22. It's Official. Clark Kent and Lois Lane Are On the Job by The Family Curator
  23. When Google Reader Goes by My Ancestors and Me
  24. Sporting My New FGS Conference Ambassador Badge by A Sense of Family
  25. Donald R. Snow: Some Things I Learned at RootsTech 2013 by Renee's Genealogy Blog

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed Them….My Contributions to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Have You Heard Of Open Library?

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Open Library Website Front Page
OpenLibrary.org Website

Last night I was looking at some military stuff on FamilySearch.org's Research Wiki.  I clicked a link and was taken to The Report of The Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Volume IV for the years 1861-1866.   This report was on the website Open Library.  I was intrigued and started looking around this website.  I did some genealogy related searches in the search box and came across this amazing find ~

Compiled Genealogy of the Family of John Webster by Noah Webster
Compiled Genealogy of the Family of
John Webster by Noah Webster

See Footnote
This is a compiled genealogy1 about the family of Governor John Webster of Connecticut, my 9th great-grandfather.  It was written by Noah Webster, a lexicographer and the author of the Webster's Dictionary.  Noah Webster is my 4th cousin, 6 times removed.  Governor John Webster, our common ancestor, is Noah's 3rd great-grandfather.

Compiled Genealogy of the Family of John Webster, by Noah Webster - Pg. 1
Compiled Genealogy of the Family
of John Webster, by Noah Webster - Pg. 1

See Footnote

This is Page 1 from Noah Webster's 8-page book.  I was able to download a PDF copy of the book, which is really awesome!

I highly recommend that you check out the website OpenLibrary.org.  You never know what genealogical treasures you may find there.

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last


1 Webster, Noah. Genealogy - The Family of John Webster. New Haven: New Haven, 1836. Open Library. 5 June 2010. 29 Apr. 2013 .

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 3, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images

My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. Historical writing and when to use present tense by Planting the Seeds
  2. A to Z April Challenge: X is for the eX Wife by Jollett Etc.
  3. Military Monday--Thomas Gardner Bartlett by Of Trees & Ink
  4. RALPH EVERETT ELLINWOOD by West in New England
  5. FamilySearch Photos and Stories Update AND Tagging Photos on FamilySearch by FamilySearch Blog
  6. Why I Will Not Seek Certification AND There is no credential war by Always Anxiously Engaged
  7. Adding External Sources to FamilySearch.org Family Tree With Tree Connect by Genealogy's Star
  8. Ding Dong, It's May by The Family Curator
  9. Facebook and Google+ by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
  10. Gen Proof Study Groups – How To Get In by Adventures in Genealogy Education
  11. Transcribing a Piece of History by The We Tree Genealogy Blog
  12. Third American Civil War Challenge - I Found Him! The Elusive Ralph Fielding! by Calling all Cousins
  13. The May Day Basket Tradition -- A Reminder From May 1, 1849 by Filiopietism Prism
  14. Family Maps of….. Book Series by Genealogy Decoded
  15. Treasure Chest Thursday - Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild by Digging Up Roots – My Journey Into The Past
  16. Another Desperate Race AND About That Heart Trouble… by A Family Tapestry
  17. Did Your Ancestors Reboot? by Clue Wagon
  18. Piecing Together Their Lives part 2 by A Southern Sleuth
  19. OGS 2013 Conference: Day One by A Sense of Family
  20. Highlights from OGS 2013 by The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski – Bellan Family Trees
  21. . . . and this is what I did over the weekend . . . by Genealogy Circle

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Wordless Wednesday (well, almost) ~ Watson Emory Webster as a Child

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Watson Emory Webster as a Child
Watson Emory Webster
This is a photo of my great-grandfather, Watson Emory (Frederick) Webster, as a child.  My regular readers may know that I affectionately refer to him as "The Traveling Dentist." 

I'm not sure how old Watson was at the time this photo was taken.  He was born on February 14, 1864 in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.  So, what would be your guess?  How old do you think Watson was in this photo?

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for May 10, 2013

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Four Shooting Stars from Microsoft Office Images
My Fab Finds for this week are (in no particular order)
  1. Vintage Sewing Patterns and Family History by Thomas MacEntee for Flip-Pal Family History Blog
  2. Been Missing WDYTYA? Ready for some more family history tv programming? If so, read on ... by Upfront With NGS
  3. Eating Their Young by Ancestoring's Ask A Genealogist
  4. CAN MEETING A COUSIN BE FRAUD OR A SCAM? by Heritage Happens
  5. Miracles by Of Trees & Ink
  6. Three Ways to Turn Your Blog Into a Book by Free Technology for Teachers
  7. Researching Ancestors Who Were Committed to Asylums, Using Old Newspapers by Gena Philibert-Ortega for GenealogyBank.com Blog
  8. Piecing Together Their Lives ---final post by A Southern Sleuth
  9. Who am I? Data and DNA answer one of life’s big questions by Laura June for The Verge
  10. A Message from the Indexing Workforce Team by FamilySearch Blog
  11. Getting Ready for NGS 2013 Family History Conference AND NGS in Las Vegas AND NGS Day 1 by Family Cherished
  12. Betty’s Prom – 1947 by GenieMom's Musings
  13. A Genealogical Top 10 List, David Letterman Style by Our Lineage
  14. Old Map, Current Map, Homestead - Mappy Monday by My Ancestors and Me
  15. OGS 2013 Conference: Day Two AND Ohio Genealogical Society Conference Wrap-Up by A Sense of Family
  16. National Photo Month Giveaway: Photo Preservation Kit! by Diane Haddad – Genealogy Insider
  17. Still Loving Old Newspapers by Branching Out Through The Years
  18. The Top Ten Reasons for a Genealogical Conference by Karen's Chatt
  19. Thriller Thursday – The Disappearance Of Sena Roberg by ahnentafel
  20. Avoid link rot, use Permalinks by Genealogy's Star

New Blog Discoveries

In Case You Missed It….My Contribution to the Genealogy Blogosphere This Week

Thanks for reading!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last
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