iHCPL GENEALOGY #70 : GENEALOGY 2.0

HA!HA!HA!

Exercise 2.

Footnote is an intriguing site for sharing information. The "spotlights" can give some valuable information - such as the spellling of a name, a photo. It offers a one stop place where family members and thers may find that missing link and combine their search efforts.

However, the authenticity of some information may be called into question - such as the one spotlight purported to be the atomic bomb note written by President Truman.

All in all, I think it is a useful tool and one that may help missing members find one another. For example, missing family members may find one another by sharing and finding the same photo here.

iHCPL :#69 DATABASE RESEARCHING

Exercise 1: Conduct a search in Ancestry.com or HeritageQuest for historical records concerning somebody in your family. Were you successful? If not, what difficulties did you encounter? How could you improve your search results?

I found me on Ancestry.com in the U.S. Public Records Index! However, my street address was listed as "drive" instead of "street."

Rather than difficulties - I found new tools. We have lost track of some family members whose census information may not be available. Our search for them may be improved by using other available databases such as the U.S. Public Records Index, U.S. Phone Directories. The searches may be refined by using as many previous addresses as we can find. So now we're collecting old addresses and if the homes are still there perhaps we can do title searches, etc. This is a new trail that our family committee has set off on hopefully, with success.

iHCPL #68: DETECTIVE WORK

Genealogy # 68: Detective Work

Exercise 1.
Have you ever pursued an oral history project?

I participated in a National and State Historical Register submission for a local neighborhood. The recording of the oral history of community residents was a wonderful experience. Before one elderly lady would speak with us, she had to “interview” us - to see if we could pass her reliability and respectability test. My friend and I passed and were granted the interview.

Preparing for the interview doesn't just mean preparing good questions. The personality of the one being interviewed is also important. With this lady, she was the teacher - we were the students. We learned lot about local history and about how to interview; and it was a wonderful experience.

Would you consider doing one to record your family history? Who in your family would be a good subject ?

Our history is being recorded through the voices of family members. We are beginning with the eldest who make excellent subjects to pass on traditions and history. They have much information and insights to share. Preserving their stories is a wonderful way to preserve our family history.


Exercise 2.

The following oldest burial information was found on the Find-A-Grave website:
Birth: unknown
Death: Sept. 17, 1913
Son of Ernest & Ellen Bonnett
Burial:
Canaan Cemetery
Chilton County
Alabama USA
Plot: 155
Created by: Cemetery Walker
Record added: Mar 16, 2006
Find A Grave Memorial# 13634954

iHCPL #67: GENEALOGY GENESIS

Yes, I have researched my genealogy in the past. In fact, I am still researching because I am looking for lost relatives and it is a family journey that may never end. Therefore my advice for newcomers is the following:

1. NEVER GIVE UP when you reach a dead end or hit that brick wall. It may be a long time – but breakthroughs in technology such as mitochondrial DNA testing or release of new information may lead you to an unlikely place, open a door, or shed new light.

2. PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED. Genealogical research does involve family – a dusty closet may open up and a skeleton or 2 just might fall out.

3. ORGANIZE AND STAY ORGANIZED AND REORGANIZE. Even if it is slow going at first, you may find yourself traveling down many different paths. Even if you’re moving fast , it is important to stay focused and be skillful and diligent in organizing all those notes, all those piles of records, all those photo albums, etc. Remember to keep a basic roadmap to serve as a guide as the information grows.

iHCPL #58 #59 MONEY AND FINANCE

Money & Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending


1. ONLINE BANKING : My bank offers free on-line banking. I like the security and daily alerts offered. You can setup an option and be notified by either phone ,email or text message. It is a good way to keep an eye on your accounts. Online bill paying can be a real time saving advantage; I especially like the option of sending an Overnight Check – it’s the modern day version of Western Union. All you need is the Internet and you can monitor your accounts from anywhere. The environmental effect – less paper and no stamps is a great bonus.

SAFEGUARDS: In addition to the regular passwords etc., the bank says it is secure and will only deal with one authorized contact person, but this can also be inconvenient. However, I still distrust the security; the firewall is only as good as the programmer. If I were to use online banking, I would have anti-spyware installed on my computer and take common sense steps: such as, always closing the browser and logging off completely, taking care in typing in passwords and frequently changing it.

2 BUDGETING TOOLS : I like the capability of being able to import bank files into Expensr. Also, being able to compare yourself with others and their spending habits is interesting. But for the comparisons, it is too much information to give. The capability of seeing instantly your accounts in the pie chart is OK. I think this may be a good visual and basic tool for those who are new at handling their finances and/or have difficulty in handling a budget. I prefer to use a software program such as VersaCheck on my home computer.

3. CUTTING BACK ON SPENDING : Coupons are my best friends – I already compare unit prices but another good tip is to watch those “use-by” dates, especially on big sales offering large discounts.
I have incorporated online deals with the site www.fatwallet.com. I was intrigued by the Mars chocolate free coupon – and I’m in ! Also, there are a lot of deals – I am interested in purchasing a digital camera and found the forums and offers a good way to research a purchase.

#59 Money & Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

1. New Information: I learned how credit scores are generally processed : 35% from payment history, 30% from amounts owed; 15% from length of credit history; 10% from new credit inquiries ; 10% from type of credit used. Also, I learned that The Fair Isaac and Company developed the score. The most interesting fact I learned is that the average credit score is 678 ?! I wonder how much of a factor this was in predatory lending – if you have excellent credit you probably couldn’t qualify for a loan. If you had a low credit score – you were probably granted a loan.

2. MAKING A BUDGET : is not a difficult process. It requires discipline and planning on what you are preparing for the future. It requires time and in the past, a sharp pencil (preferably No.2) and a calculator. The most difficult is managing insufficient funds – what may be termed “make a dollar holler !”. Once experience is gained in “stretching funds” to meet daily needs – it becomes a daydream to one day just let the dollar pay the bills without any stretching. From this process adherence to the budget and money management tools are learned (e.g. clipping the right coupons, saving pennies in that big old jar, old-fashioned layaways, doing without, etc.) Today online tools are available that should be helpful in guiding the new budget planner.

3. TCDRS Site – The service center section with the personal plan summary which summarized the basic member benefits; being able to view the annual statement and being able to download the benefits guide were the most helpful.

Pot Luck #56: TXT U L8R - Texting

I have not sent a text message because it costs on my cell phone. But I have received text messages on my cell phone which also costs.

In an emergency or non-emergency, I can send a text message. On my cell phone there is a menu selection, then type in the message using various emoticons and click SEND. The use of the keys is the same for adding PHONE numbers in the directory.

I wish I could fast forward a little bit into the future. I wonder what my grandsons “lingo” will be like. I know my grandparents would be looking at me as if I were crazy – using such words as floppy disk, disk, DVD, iPOD, blue ray; and everything is so small. They wouldn’t recognize my camera either. Another reason I’m doing iHCPL is to keep the lines of communication functioning with my grandsons.

I do not use text lingo so Lingo 2 Word is a great help !

The accident involving the commuter train was so tragic. Since you must be a sighted person to drive anything that hampers your awareness or vision is dangerous, of course. I have witnessed near accidents with people on the cell phone. We do not yet have self-guided cars, the driver is still necessary – so the vision and attention of the driver should not be hampered or reduced. The consequences, as we all know, can be dire.

SPRING CLEANING : #30 Take A Load Off Our Drives

The P drive stores the Monthly Branch Report files which were reorganized.

The Z drive stores the Favorites menu which needed spring cleaning. Some files were about one year old – some of those “I’ll get to it later” things. The tendency is to accumulate “that’s interesting” files which can put quite a load on a drive. An EOM (End of the Month) cleanup is a good way to keep the clutter down.