Archive for » May, 2010 «

30
May
Patriots in Petticoats
Debby

I recently spoke to my daughter’s class about the Revolutionary War and explained that women did have a roll in the war outside of cleaning/sewing/cooking.

The class found it interesting that some women were spies, for both the American and British sides, and mighty good ones at that.  They were able to wander around camps and listen in on conversations without question.  The girls in the room loved the fact that women who were considered weak and frail, were actually strong, smart and heroic.  A side lesson not taught in textbooks.  There is more to history than the dates/locations and I wish more classes would go into people behind the events.

Women of the American Revolution by Mary R. Furbee is an excellent book that clearly explained the value women in the war for elementary school student level.

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28
May
One’s solar?
Debby

I was reading an early Texas document and came across information on a gentleman’s solar.  I was completely confused.  Had I mis-transcribed the document or had I come across an early document on solar power.

According to What Did They Mean by That? by Paul Drake, solar is referring to land with a house on it.  Solar had nothing to do with the sun.  Understanding terminology in a document can be interesting if the time period is not taken into consideration.  Many mistakes about occupations, medical treatments/diseases, and household items have made for humorous emails between genealogists.

Take the time to refer to a dictionary when confusing terms appear in your genealogical research.  The answers may actually help you with brickwalls.

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23
May
Magazines
Debby

One of my favorite shopping locations is Barnes and Nobles, where I can find a nice assortment of Genealogical Magazines.  With the subscriptions cost of international magazines, it is nice to review before I buy.  Finding genealogy magazines at the bookstore can be a hit and miss when knowing what section to look in.  As a nice marketing ploy, sections move, and magazines get reclassified into different sections.  I need to check family, history, entertainment and women sections each month to see what is new.

I am not sure if genealogy is becoming more popular, but I have noticed that Family Tree Magazine and Internet Genealogy have moved from the back shelf to the coveted front row, eye level position.

There are many genealogical magazines that are not available at Barnes and Noble and need to be found through historical and genealogical societies.  Printed Sources edited by Kory Meyerink has a great chapter on Genealogical Periodicals that explores where to find these periodicals.

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20
May
“Dit” Names
Debby

On the to-do list for my French Canadian research is to find all the “Dit” names for Grand-Maître.  “Dit” which can mean “also called” works wonders when researching in French Canadian records.  Watching for families who went between the original name and the “dit” name can make for a very lengthy research list.  One of the Grand-Maître lines is listed under the “dit” name Barbary.

Knowing about naming patterns early in your research can save you a lot of time.  I am once again going back through previously searched records capturing the alternate name entries.  So far, I have found some answers on missing lines.  Hopefully if you are working through naming convention issues you will find a nice church registrar who spells out what the family names, original name and “dit” name are.

French-Canadian naming patterns is well explained in French Canadian Sources, A Guide for Genealogists by Patricia Kenney Geyh.

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