I've attended a couple of national conferences, and went to a number of seminars at the National Archives when I lived in DC. I'm currently enrolled in the NGS American Genealogy home study course. Eventually I plan to do the Boston University program as well.
When I moved to Milwaukee at age 21, I didn't know a soul, and I had no roots here. An elderly cousin wrote and said that my great-great-great grandparents had settled in Wisconsin, and were buried an hour or so north of where I lived. I called a local historical society looking for help finding their graves, and the woman who called back said, "You know, we have a whole file on them. You should come up and see it." I did, and discovered a treasure trove of information, including the original will of my great-great-great grandmother. She had loaned money to her eldest son (the one I'm descended from), and he hadn't paid her back. She spelled out her displeasure in her will, and took it out of his inheritance...with interest. I was hooked.
At-home mom to a 3-year-old and 5-year-old
Since 1993 (with a long break in the 2000s).
Wisconsin and Minnesota research. I've lived in Milwaukee for a while now, but most of my family is from Minnesota.
Longtime member of NGS, APG, the MInnesota Historical Society and the Wisconsin Historical Society. I tend to join smaller, local societies when I'm researching folks in a particular area.
Norway, Germany, and Great Britain
Scheiber, Holthusen, a bunch of Norwegian patronyms that are pretty much useless for surname lists, and some British names so common I can't bear to type them in. Lately, I'm also obsessed with a collateral line of a collateral line of a collateral line of Leiendecker folks from St. Louis, Missouri.
Frederick Scheiber (1843-1913). He lived in Milwaukee his whole adult life, and had a fascinating career as an attorney, politician, and public servant. He left me a fantastic paper trail, and made me feel I had roots in Milwaukee when I settled here to marry a cheesehead. Fred also carefully spelled out which of his grandkids would get each of his books in his will. That's a dude after my own heart.
Bergen, Norway (although I'd actually like to see all of Norway...such a beautiful country).
Ancestry. I know it's dull, but I remember the days when you had to leave your house to do even a tiny bit of research, and with two small children in tow, I couldn't do any research at all if it weren't for Ancestry. For on-site research, the Minnesota Historical Society library is the happiest place on earth. They have an amazing collection, they have enough microfilm readers even on busy days, and the cafeteria is fantastic.
Once in a while the kids let me alone long enough to have a shower. Mostly, though, I'm either working, doing genealogy, or actively engaged in descendant-care for all of the hours I'm awake. I plan to develop some hobbies or interests in 2019 or so.
Reading
"Giants in the Earth" by O.E. Rolvaag
Is being a little mouthy a philosophy? If so, I'm there.
I like Yoda too. "Do or do not. There is no try." That's good stuff right there.
I know you have already received a nomination but thank you for your 2 Lovely Blogs.
ReplyDeletehttp://genealogymatters2me.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-lovely-blog-award.html
Oh! For a second there I thought, "Why is there a photo of me in my reader?" I think that means I should cut back a bit on the cold medicine.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring me...it was great meeting you in SLC!