Week 25: Earliest

     I tell you, these writing prompts have really got my brain working overtime trying to come up with topics to write that are not too much of the same thing or about the same ancestor. When thinking about this week's prompt, "Earliest", there is only one thing that keeps popping into my mind that I feel compelled to write about. This post isn't going to be about my earliest ancestor, my earliest photo, or really anything to do with my ancestors at all. I am going to write about me and MY earliest memory from when I was a child.
     A lot of people can't really pinpoint their earliest memory from their life. They may have scattered memories, but can't determine the actual age they were. Well, after talking with my mom about a particular memory, she was able to help me know how old I was for this memory. I was only 2 years old. And this memory while it is just a fragment, it has left a lasting impression on me. Enough apparently that I still remember it 35 years later.
     I was born in 1982, the only child of my parents, Dennis & Maggie. We lived in a one bedroom, one bath house, with an eat-in kitchen, and living room. I have lots of photos from growing up in that house and quite a few memories. For the first two years of my life, it was only my dad, my mom and me. But then something changed in 1984. We were going to have someone else living with us in that little house. My Papa was going to come live with us. He lived with us until the time I was 13 years old, then he moved in with my Aunt Patty. So for most of my life, he was a big part of it. For as long as I can remember, he has always been there.
     My Papa had to come live with us because he couldn't take care of himself anymore. His wife, my grandma had passed away in 1980, and he was just a mess without her. He had a severe alcohol addiction, and it was literally killing him. It got to the point, he was hospitalized and family was told, he would have to live with someone who could watch over him and make sure he would never have another drink again. That's where my earliest memory comes in.
     I remember sitting in my car seat in the back of our car. Vaguely, I remember my mom crying to someone about the situation. I don't know who she was talking to. But I just remember feeling sad, scared and wanting to hug my mom, but I couldn't because I was strapped into my car seat. My mom was feeling overwhelmed because my dad had decided we were going to take Papa in and take care of him. More accurately, mom was going to have to take care of him since dad worked and she was a stay at home wife. We were very tight on money as it was, and we had a very small house. Papa was going to have to sleep on the fold out couch in our living room. I shared the bedroom with my parents. Not only that, but mom babysat 4 other kids to try to make some extra money. So five kids, and now an elderly father-in-law with help problems. No wonder my mom was crying and scared.
     Don't get me wrong, I was happy to have my papa with us all the time. I loved spending time with him and I have lots of wonderful memories with him. But I know it was so hard and stressful on my mom and dad. And even years later, I still remember that moment in my life where things changed. We all do our best with the lot we've been given in lot and try to make the best decisions for our family. I've learned that through the years having my own family. I've wondered how much my daughter will remember about her younger years. We also had our struggles, just like every family. But going through what I have as a kid, I try my best to make sure my daughter has good memories in her life because you never know what will stick in their minds 35 years later.

My Papa and I - 1983

I was just over a year old

Week 24: Dear Diary

     Do you keep a diary? Do you know someone who keeps a diary? I did as a kid, but I was so bad keeping up with it. I didn't feel like my life was interesting enough to keep track of. "Today, I went to school. I ate pizza for lunch. Came home, watched tv, did homework, went to bed." So exciting! Now after researching my family, I find myself wishing my ancestors had kept a diary or journal or something telling me what they did every single day. Even the minute details of the day. I want to know.
     Have you come across a diary that belonged to your ancestor? What a wealth of information! But what if your ancestor didn't keep one? Should you give up hope? Absolutely not! The particular diary I am going to share today does not belong to an ancestor of mine. BUT it does mention an ancestor. And provided details that I never would have known without this.
     My husband's 2nd great grandfather, Joseph Henry Rickards, had a daughter, Maggie Jones Rickards, with his first wife. His first wife died when Maggie was just an infant, so she was raised with the help of Joseph's sister-in-law, Amelia Jones. Unfortunately, tragedy stuck Maggie just before she turned three years old. She died from Blood Poisioning/Lock Jaw on November 22, 1869 in Liberty, Missouri. Now we are talking about a time before death certificates were issued. I was blessed enough to find an obituary for her in the Liberty Tribune. See Newspaper clipping on the right. This provided so much detail as to what happened and I was blessed to have it. But it wasn't everything. While conducting my search, I came across the diary of a Dr. William Wallace Doughtery. What is special about him? Well, he was the doctor who treated Maggie while she was sick... AND he talked about it in his diary.
     The following images are taken from a transcription of Dr. William Wallace Doughtery's personal diary. A copy of this book was held at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters in the History and Genealogy section of the Library. These entries just open up another set of eyes to experience what family was going through during this horrible event.

     After reading these entries, my heart was broken for the family. Joseph wasn't there when his only daughter died and they couldn't get ahold of him to tell him. So he didn't even get to see her before she had to be buried. I later learned he was in Kansas City arranging things for his marriage to his second wife. He was hoping to have another mother for little Maggie, but that didn't work out. He did end up still getting married and had three more children, including my husband's great grandfather. 

     So while your ancestor may not have kept a diary, it doesn't mean they won't show up in someone else's. So always be checking, always be searching. Maybe consider looking for the local doctor's diary from the time period your ancestor lived. You never know what you will find.

     So I will close this post with thre final photos. One appears to be a painting of Maggie. The second is the only known surviving photograph of Maggie. And the third is of her headstone, which I have had the opportunity to visit a few years ago. Poor little Maggie will live on in our hearts forever.

New YouTube Series - Traveling Through Time

Have you ever been walking down an old street from your childhood, then all of a sudden, instantly you are transported back in time? It's like you are a kid again, walking down that same street. Everything looks the same, smells the same, sounds the same. That happened to me recently and in turn inspired me to create this new series. I want you to experience the excitement of Traveling Through Time. This playlist will grow over time as I create more videos and take more time traveling adventures. Please check back often.

Week 23: Namesake

     When I was younger, I never understood the importance of naming children after family members. It always felt like they weren't giving the child their own identity, but just trying to carry on a name out of pride. Ever since getting into genealogy, that thought has been challenged.
     At first, it was frustrating seeing all these children named after parents, grand parents, etc, getting confused. Is this Jr., Sr., Uncle, Cousin, etc. I had one instance on my husband's Hilke line. I was trying to trace Otto Hilke, Mark's great grandpa. You would think that since it is a pretty unique name, it wouldn't be hard to trace. Well would you believe there were actually two men named Otto Hilke, around the same age in the same area in the late 1800s? Oh yes. The main difference was the parents. But which Otto was our Otto? Some people had one set of parents attached, while other had another set. Attached. The only census I had to check it against was the 1880 census. In the 1900s census, his parents had already been dead and he had been a boarder at someone else's house. Long story short, I was able to determine who his parents were & trace it back. Then I learned that both Otto Hilke's were actually cousins. So they were related, but as you can see, it would have really been bad if I hadn't researched deeply which parents were his.
     This was just one instance that was frustrating and confusing. It is a long standing joke in the genealogy community about naming children after parents and grandparents and doing it only to frustrate future genealogists. Other naming trends included giving a child a middle name that was maiden surname of the mother; naming a child after a grandfather; naming a child after a friend; naming a child after a deceased relative; along with other instances. It was only after researching a few lines, I started to understand more why this was done. Well maybe not in every instance, but it did open up my eyes to something I never considered.
     The first time I really started to understand a "Namesake" was on my husband's Rickards' line. His 2nd great grandpa was Joseph Henry Rickards. (Click here to read about him). He and his first wife, Eliza, had a child, Maggie Jones Rickards. The name Jones came from Eliza's brother-in-law's last name. They were very close to her sister Amelia and her husband James. Sadly, Maggie and Eliza both passed away. Then Joseph married Sarah, we believe to be a cousin of Eliza's. They had three children: Paul Jones, Mary Amelia, and Francis Henry. Again the name of Jones was used to honor the Jones family, but as you see, they also used Amelia, after Eliza's sister. I'd never seen this before in my research. Usually it was after a parent or a grand parents. Which they also included with Francis Henry. Henry was the father of Joseph and his own middle name.
     I'd never really considered this before. They were so close to the Jones family, they showed their love for them by naming their children after them. How beautiful! It really opened up my eyes. This wasn't a case of parents forcing their children to name their children after them. This wasn't the only case I came across in my tree. This next instance is more close to home.
     My grandma on my dad's side of the family was an amazing woman. At least that's what I'm told. I never had the opportunity to meet her as she passed away two years before I was born. She died from cancer caused by asbestos, as it is also known as Mesothelioma. She was taken from the family way to too early. She was the glue that held everyone together. Her name was Ann Louise, so in her honor, a few of us cousins were named after her. My cousin Katie has the middle name of Ann, my other cousin has her full name of Anna Louise, and my middle name is Ann. It never used to mean much to me before, but now I can say, I am blessed to be named after such a special lady.
     When I named my daughter, I wanted a completely unique name with a special meaning, so I chose Sancia Anastasia, which means Sacred Resurrection. Now after learning more, I wish I incorporated a family name in it. But Anastasia is very close to Ann, so it's somewhat connected. But what's most important is passing on the family stories, so they never die. Just like a name, they will live on forever.

Top FREE Genealogy Websites

When searching the internet for Genealogy topics, the top item searched had to do with “Free Genealogy Sites.” Many of our members in our group, Genealogy Addicts Anonymous (GAA), have asked this same question, so I conducted a survey in the group to get their opinion. Thank you to all the addicts who participated. So here it is. The links of the Top Free Genealogy Sites recommended by you, our lovely addicts. If you have any sites you would like to add, please leave a comment below. These sites are for general genealogy research. Links for research outside the US are below the US links.

 *Special Recommendation: Check your local libraries what they offer through their websites. Some offer free use of certain databases through their websites such as Heritage Quest, Newspapers.com, Ancestry, and other databases that may be specifically for your area.


For Research Inside the US 

• Family Search https://www.familysearch.org/en/
• Find a Grave https://www.findagrave.com/ 
•  Google https://www.google.com/ 
• Google books https://books.google.com/ 
• Google Images https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en 
• Google News Archive https://news.google.com/newspapers 
•  Library of Congress - Chronicling America https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ 
•  Internet Archive https://archive.org/index.php 
•  Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/
   *While you need a subscription to view some databases, there are still some free that you can view, and don’t forget about the forums. 
• The US Gen Web Project https://www.usgenweb.org/ 
•  JewishGen https://www.jewishgen.org/ 
•  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/
   *There are special groups for specific areas of research that can lead you to different sites that can be helpful. There are also groups for families and surnames. 
• Fold 3 https://www.fold3.com/
   *This is a paid site like Ancestry, again also has some free databases 
• RootsWeb https://home.rootsweb.com/ 
• WorldCat https://www.worldcat.org/ 
• Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements https://revwarapps.org/ 
• We Relate https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Main_Page 
• WikiTree https://www.wikitree.com/ 
• FamilyTreeNow https://www.familytreenow.com/ 
• Dead Fred - Genealogy Photo Archive http://www.deadfred.com/ 
• Ellis Island www.libertyellisfoundation.org/passenger 
• The Ancestor Hunt http://www.theancestorhunt.com/ 
• Fulton NY Post Cards http://www.fultonhistory.com 
• Fulton Search - Newspapers https://fultonsearch.org/ 
• Geni https://www.geni.com/ 
• GenDisasters http://gendisasters.com/ 
• Link Pendium http://www.linkpendium.com/ 
• Death Indexes https://www.deathindexes.com/
   *Provides links, but some links lead to paid sites 
• County & Town histories http://www.learnwebskills.com/patriot/countyhistories1.htm 
• Guild of one-name studies https://one-name.org/ 
• Olive Tree Genealogy https://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/index.shtml 
• One-Step Webpages by Steve Morse https://stevemorse.org/
   *Some links provided are paid sites 
• Digital Public Library of America https://dp.la/ 
• Genealogy Trails http://www.genealogytrails.com/ 
• Map of US https://www.mapofus.org/ 
• Historic Newspaper Search https://elephind.com/ 
• Italian Records in US www.italiangen.org/databases 
• Genealogy Specialists Forum https://genealogy-specialists.com/ 

For Research Outside the US

• General Register Office (GRO) UK www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ 
• Free Reg - UK www.freereg.org.uk 
• Trove Australia trove.nla.gov.au/ 
•  FreeBMD - UK www.freebmd.org.uk 
• UK BMD www.ukbmd.org.uk 
• Irish Genealogy www.irishgenealogy.ie/en 
• Netherlands - will need to translate page https://www.delpher.nl/ 
• Norwegian - will need to translate page https://www.digitalarkivet.no/ 
• List of Canadian Newspapers http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/canada-online-historical-newspaper-links 
• New Zealand Newspaper Search https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers 
• Groninger Archives - Netherlands http://allegroningers.nl/ 
• Drenthe Archives - Netherlands http://alledrenten.nl/ 
• Netherlands www.wiewaswie.nl/en/ 
• UK National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 
• Swedish Archives - will need to translate page https://sok.riksarkivet.se/ 
• Swedish Map https://kartor.eniro.se/ 
• Swedish Research https://www.rotter.se/ 
• Polish Research http://www.basia.famula.pl/en 
• Polish Genealogy Group Aid https://sites.google.com/view/polishgenealogygroup/ 
• Bas-Rhin Archives - France http://archives.bas-rhin.fr/
  *Will need to translate this page 
• Baden-Wurtteberg Archives - Germany https://www.landesarchiv-bw.de/web/46734
  *Will need to translate this page 
• Canada Archives http://www.canadiana.ca/
• Library and Archives Canada - https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/search/Pages/ancestors-search.aspx

Week 22: At the Cemetery

For this blog entry, I am going to highlight one of my YouTube Videos. Every Christmas, the Fuchs Family gets together and decorate's family graves. It's a big event. I've started joining my Aunts and Uncles almost every year so I can contribute. I hope you enjoy the video... Even though it's not Christmas haha!

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