Who's That Cutie?

Our Genealogy Discussion Group held its annual holiday party this past week.  What fun!  I don't have to tell you that genealogists, whether professionals, long-time hobbyists, or total newbies, are a great bunch of people.  So you can imagine that 30 or more of this group in holiday mode is just a blast. 

In addition to a lovely spread of food, we played a fantastic game that we called Whose That Cutie?  The "cuties" were photos of all the members in our younger days, from age ten and down.  The photos covered the full age range. 

The photos included this one of me, obviously unhappy that my snack time has been interrupted for a photo shoot.  I'm a bit over a year old here.  I think this was the youngest child in the collection of photos.  And I guess I don't look too much like this anymore, so it did stump a few folks, which is a good thing. 

One of the photos was of a boy, about four years old, in a Naval officer suit.  Adorable.  Some of young girls on satin pillows, with blond hair and blue eyes.  Precious.  There were several First Holy Communion photos, lots of school photos and a few around the Christmas tree.  Looking at old family photos is fun, no matter whose photos they are.  Everyone really seemed to enjoy the game, studying who has blue eyes, or a dimple, or looking at the outfits and hair styles and trying to put it all together.

Almost 30 people submitted photos in the contest.  The winner had nine correct guesses! 

Our group is not only fun, they're generous, too.  Many donated door prizes, so that no one went home empty-handed.  We're so fortunate to know such a great group of people!

Thankful Thursday - Four Days Early

So Thanksgiving is almost here!  I had planned on a "things I'm grateful for" post.  Then I read that Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings put out his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, so I knew I had to follow through.  Even though I couldn't get it together in time for SNGF, here are my answers to Randy's challenge:

Courtesy of
The Graphics Fairy

1.  The ancestors I am most thankful for:  Well, I have lots of interesting ancestors.  They led challenging lives and stayed tough through hard times.  They were brave people, they crossed oceans for a better life.  But the ones I'm most thankful for?  Has to be my mom and dad.  Hands down and 'nuff said.  (No, there are no Pilgrim ancestors; she's for decoration only!)

2.  The author I am most thankful for:  Well, I'm so new at this I'm still very much at the Genealogy for Dummies level.  But the authors I'm so thankful for must be all the wonderful, busy people in the genealogy blogging community.  What an amazing bunch of folks!  Do they ever sleep?  New posts all the time, full of family memories that make me smile or blink back tears.  Tech tips to keep me learning something new every day.  Overviews of latest research experiences.  Reminders of upcoming events.  And every person I've interacted with is so nice and so helpful!  Plus, honestly, when I began my blog a month ago, I was sure it would basically be a writing exercise for myself.  But some kind people are actually reading it.  What a supportive community!  For them, I am grateful!

3.  The historical holdings I am most thankful for:  I'd say it has to be the Latter Day Saints' collection.  Besides their own FamilySearch.org, they are responsible for fueling much of what I find in other places, like Ancestry.com.  Plus, they're just nice folks. 

I'm also grateful for and to our local Genealogy Discussion Group.  Since I had my "basic training" there, so many have welcomed me and shared their tips with me.  Another fun group of people!  (Noticing a theme here?) 

Despite the many things I may complain about, there are many other things I'm grateful for:  my dear family and friends, my wonderful husband, my furry little cat, my great boss and job, medical advances, having my health...  Really, my life in general is pretty darn good.  Compared to life for my great-grandparents, grandparents and even my own mom and dad, I've got nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for.  Now is a good time to appreciate my blessings and reflect on that. 

Library Lock-in Comes to Town!

I’m very late in reporting the wonderful event held on Friday, October 28:  Harford County Public Library (HCPL) held its first Genealogy Lock-In, and what a great night it was!

For this lock-in trial run, the library invited only the members of its Genealogy Discussion Group (GDG).  The doors closed to the public at 5 p.m., with the library prepared for the GDG to lay claim to its holdings until 11 p.m. 

For six awesome hours, the Group had the library entirely to itself, to research, read, socialize, nosh and more.   I must admit, due to a heavy schedule the next day, I bailed out at 9 p.m.  I'm aging, I know...

GDG member Deb Ruth, over at Adventures in Genealogy suggested the lock-in.  Always known for her good ideas, Deb is up on the latest in the genealogy blogosphere as well as activities, commentary and tips from around the country. 

When she brought this idea to the group, folks responded positively and immediately that this was something everyone wanted to try.  GDG member and HCPL librarian extraordinaire Ann Winkler organized everything to a “T.” 

About 15 or so regulars from the Genealogy Discussion Group attended.  Everyone came with their booklets and binders of paperwork, prepared to do research, solve family history riddles and extend the family tree. 

Everyone knows that genealogists are generous by their very nature; they just can’t wait to share their latest find.   This event was no exception; it was definitely “share and share alike!”

Research heaven!

Group members with subscriptions to paid sites like Fold3, Ancestry.com, Archives.com, Genealogy Bank and others offered their accounts to be used for the entire evening.  Ann prepared sign-in sheets in 30-45 minute time slots.  Everything flowed seamlessly: sign in for a time slot, do your research, move on to the next paid website.  Each computer was marked with a sign naming its subscription site.  If a website proved a bit of a struggle, Ann was there to assist. 

Not an empty seat in the house!

The HCPL’s computers were also available, with sites that included AncestryLE (Library Edition), ProQuest Historical Newspapers, FamilySearch.org, and much more.  Every service that's regularly available during library hours was available.  Talk about research heaven!

Binding Machine with
bound book.

In addition to all this research going on, member Barbara Jones shared her collection of organizational techniques, and donated their use for the evening.  They included a desktop scanner, a laminating machine, and a punch and bind machine, which turns regular paper into a bound book.   I saw at least one very happy person use the binding machine to turn her years of family research into a book! 

Dinner time!

As if all this research, filing and organizing wasn't enough, we had a smorgasbord of delights.  Everyone contributed to the buffet of pizza, chili, salads, a variety of desserts, chocolates and beverages. 

Library lock-ins have been going on around the country for a few years now, from Texas to Michigan to Massachusetts, and everywhere in between. 

Even for those in our group who couldn’t make it to the Lock-In, the decision is unanimous…yes, we should do this again!   

Mention this event to your favorite librarian, and a genealogy library lock-in could be coming to a town near you!