My Genealogy Tools

I really enjoy researching my family and here are a few reasons why . . .

I have several tools that are essential to what I do. First and foremost is my MacBookPro. Mostly I use it at home, but I can take it with me anywhere I need when looking for information. This is my Number One essential tool.

MacBookPro

I use a genealogy program called Legacy. (Go to http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/ for more information.) It's a PC program. Well, my Mac laptop doesn't take well to PC programs. Jim bought me Parallels and Windows 7 for Mac  which allows me to run PC stuff. I like Legacy a lot. So, that's where I enter and keep my genealogy information and documentation.

The software I use

This is what a family page looks like.

A third tool is my Canon desk/portable scanner. I use it at home and have hauled it on trips to Florida when I visit family. If something turns up, I'm ready to scan in a moment. Great tool!

Canoscan Lide 700F

Another tool is a recent acquisition - a Flip Pal portable scanner. It can be used to scan photo albums when photos aren't easily removable. It can also be used to scan large items. I'm still learning how to use this tool.

Flip Pal

Flip Pal scanning a photo album

 The last major genealogy tool is my HP C7250 All-in-One printer. I use the printer and copier features the most. It's indispensable for sure.

 Family members have been very helpful. Cousin Jane shared her parents' research and documents with me, especially pages from the Gilley Family Bible and a marriage certificate. Cousin Edgar is a source of good information. Newly discovered cousins, Lisa and Wendy, have sent me new information and photographs. Uncle Charlie sent my mother photocopies of their parents' birth certificates, marriage license, and a death certificate that broke my English family research wide open. Family members sharing is key to my research.

I use the internet for most of my research. I have paid subscriptions to three websites: Ancestry (USA only), Fold 3, and Genealogy Bank. Of those three I use Ancestry the most. I also like FamilySearch, which is a free website. I have found many other free resources including GenWebsites for Alabama, Free BMD website in England, Find a Grave, and more. I don't subscribe to Findmypast.co.uk in England, but when they have free access to their site, I'm there. Same with Ancestry's World Deluxe Membership when it has free access from time to time. Google Search is another good resource. I also subscribe to a print genealogy magazine, Family Tree Magazine.

Education is critical to my genealogy research. Taking classes at my local community college, Tri County Community College, has helped me tremendously. I'm taking my sixth class since I moved to Murphy. The current class is "Researching an American Genealogy." Other classes I have taken are: "Beginning/Intermediate Genealogy," "Legacy," "Advanced Genealogy," and two different "Genealogy on the Internet." These classes have had a huge impact on my genealogy life. Ancestry, Family Search, Legacy Family Tree, genealogy blogs and other sites have free tutorials that very informative.

In my next post I'll write more about my research process.

A Tale of Two Cousins

In the past month I have met via email and Skype two new second cousins, one on my father's side of the family and one on my mother's side. One lives in North Carolina and one lives in England. I am very happy to meet both because we have mutual genealogy interests.

Just before Christmas I met  Lisa via email. She responded to a post on this blog about her grandfather's  World War I Draft Registration Card. Her grandfather, Green Gilley was the brother of my grandmother, Annie Gilley Jowers. Her grandmother's name (transcribed from the card) was  incorrectly spelled and I had given her the wrong last name (Jowers instead of Gilley). (See previous October post: World War I Draft Registration Cards.) Along with the correct spelling of the first name she gave me her grandmother's middle and maiden name. Great information!

In the next email I received from Lisa, she sent me a photo of Green Gilley! I was soooo excited because I have so few early photographs of my daddy's family (four identified photos and two tintypes of unidentified men, probably of Gilley men). Green Gilley was her great grandfather. Lisa's cousin said that Green died in a logging accident. According to the Gilley Family Bible that accident happened in 1923. He died on June 9th, 1923. (See previous September post: Additional Pages of Thomas Gilley, Jr.'s Family Bible.)

Green Gilley

I hope to meet Lisa soon in person to share genealogy information. She lives a little over an hour from me in North Carolina. According to the Cousin Calculator (a great tool: http://www.searchforancestors.com/utility/cousincalculator.html) we are 2nd cousins once removed.

Through my Canadian cousin, Gill, I met Wendy, my 2nd cousin. Her grandfather, Syd Kirkpatrick and my grandmother, Maud Kirkpatrick Langdale, were siblings.
(I wrote about Sydney Kirkpatrick, my great uncle Syd, in two earlier September posts: Uncle Syd and More About Uncle Syd.)

Wendy and I met when we Skyped on New Year's Day. We had a really good conversation about our Kirkpatrick side of the family and just getting to know a little about each other. We have already started sharing pictures and documents via email. She told me that Uncle Syd and his brother, John, known as Jack, were sent to live in an orphanage when they were young children. They were the youngest of seven children. She sent me a photograph of them standing in front of the orphanage. Syd and Jack were born in the late 1890's in London. I'm guessing the photo was taken around 1900. Wendy sent another photo of Uncle Syd and his sister Emma (aka May), whose married name is unknown to me at this time). It's the first time I'd ever seen any of my grandmother's sisters. (She had three.)

L to R, Sydney and John (Jack) Kirkpatrick standing in front of their orphanage, about 1900

Front L to R, Emma (May) and Sydney (Syd)

I can't tell you how excited I am to have two new cousins with an interest in genealogy AND to receive three great photos. When I started getting serious about researching my family, I never dreamed I would learn as much as I have. The only regrets I have are the questions I wish I had asked of Mama, Daddy, my grandmothers and other relatives while they were still alive. Thanks to the abundance of records and information on the internet, I've discovered some things about those family members who came before me..

Mama's Old Suitcase of Treasures

Happy New Year!

On January 1 and 2 I spent time sorting through an old suitcase that belonged to my mother. My sister, Kimberly, found it last year and brought it to a family meeting in Tallahassee last July. Keith took a few things from it and I quickly scanned those items before he left. I took the remaining items in the suitcase (and the suitcase) home with me. I briefly looked at a few photos inside and put the suitcase in a visible place to remind me I had work to do. I finally got to it months later and I'm glad I did. Walking down memory lane is a lot of fun!

I found lots of treasures . . . photos of my English family from the 1940's and 1950's, cards sent from England for my mother's 21st birthday, a Firestone receipt that showed toys my brother and I got for Christmas in 1949 and 1952, proof of addresses prior to my parents buying their first house, menus from the ship "Queen Mary" when my mother and brother came over from England to the United States, my baby books, and much, much more. My genealogist heart is overflowing!

After looking at everything inside, I decided to sort into piles that made sense: photographs, taxes, Navy stuff, Firestone, miscellaneous receipts, and more. That will help when I scan, and I've got a lot of scanning to do.

The photographs were quite interesting. Most I remember seeing when I was a little girl. I saw them many times, and I'd ask, "Who's that?" I wish I could remember a lot more of what Mama told me because many of the photos have nothing written on the back. She had several formal wedding group pictures of family and friends and then pictures of children of some of those friends. There are photos of her Land Army friends. I found one of my good childhood friend, Billy, who died when he was 10 or 11, and another of my next door neighbor, Becky and her mother, Hazel.

When you look at the photographs of the suitcase, look for my mother's name and address on the inside of the top. The suitcase itself is small:  17 1/2" w x 10" l x 5" h. I wonder if she packed my brother's baby clothes in it for the long trip from England to Alabama.

My sisters, brothers and I often talk about how Mama saved EVERYTHING (well, almost everything), but I'm so glad she did. She left us with with reminders of our everyday life.

Old handkerchiefs on the left and Mama's old purse on the right

You can see one of my baby books on top, compliments of Peninsular Life Insurance Company

Top

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all who visit this blog. I will be back with new blog posts in the new year. I enjoy writing about my family who came before me, but my own family comes first at this time of the year.

By the way, the ornament in the photo is one I made in second grade. It was chosen to go on the huge Christmas Wish tree that was a tradition at my elementary school in Tallahassee, Florida. Ornaments and wishes were chosen from each grade level to be read by the principal to the whole school and then placed on the tree. The only time mine was picked was that second grade year. My wish (on the card behind the ornament in my very best handwriting) . . . "I wish my Grandmother in England could come see us." My wish came true in 1960. However, I did see my grandmother, Maud Kirkpatrick Langdale, for the very first time when my mother, brother and I went to England when I was 10 years old.

Remembering Frances Amelia Langdale Jowers

Frances Amelia Langdale Jowers, about 1944

December 7 is a national day of remembrance for our country - Pearl Harbor Day.  My sisters and brothers and I realize that if this day back in 1942 had never happened, there would be no us. My daddy, a country boy about 18 years old, joined the Navy and eventually ended up in England. My mother, a Londoner and teenager of about 17 or 18, joined the Women's Land Army in England and was sent to Cornwall to work on a farm. Cornwall is where they met and married.

Three years ago on December 7, 2008, my mother, Frances Amelia Langdale Jowers, passed away. It left a huge hole in my life and the lives of all those who loved her. My brother, Keith, emailed my sisters, brother, and me a sweet reminder about this day and our mother. He gave me permission to publish it. I'll let Keith tell more of the story.


 Hello Everyone,

It's 8:55 A.M. I'm sitting here thinking about what to say about mama. She was an amazing woman. Having lived through the perils and dangers of WWII, she undertook one more journey. She left her family, friends, and country to make a new home in a foreign country with her husband and new baby. Leaving everything behind had to be a tough decision. But, she made it. I believe this is one of the reasons she was amazing and it helped make her what she was. Once her mind was made up, she rarely changed it. Once here, she had to adopt and adapt to a new way of life. Food, money, clothes, jobs, and people were things she had to learn. She became a citizen of her new country, but never forgot her English heritage, nor her native England. You could tell this by the way she talked after one of her meetings with "The British Ladies of Tallahassee". Things I remember are of the "Christmas Season". The fabulous cookie machine. Oh what great cookies it made. The Ice Box Fruit Cake- Janice makes it now. Hanging Christmas cards on a string from wall to wall. The meal at Christmas. Seems like we had turkey until the end of January. These things stay with you no matter how long we may live. I also miss her cooking- collards, cornbread, southern cooked meals,and helping can corn peas, beans, squash, and other vegetables. However, of all the things I miss, I miss mama the most. I love her and daddy.

                                                                              Keith


I would like to add that the new baby was Keith, who was about 2 months old at the time.

Manifest of Alien Passengers, "Queen Mary," May 10, 1946

Thanksgiving Memories

Mama and Daddy loved  Thanksgiving Day. 

Thanksgiving was big in our extended family because their children, grandchildren, and later great grandchildren made their way to Jowers Ten Acres for the day. We filled my parents' home to overflowing.  Mama and Daddy had 5 children, 5 daughters-and sons-in-law, 13 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren (several of the greats were born after Daddy passed away).

There are three Thanksgiving Days that stand out. One we almost didn't get to have.

One year sometime in the 90's a hurricane blew through Tallahassee just before Thanksgiving. There was no electricity at the Jowers Ten Acres house. Someone had loaned my parents a small motorhome which meant they had some level of comfort, but they weren't hopeful that our family feast would take place. Just before Thanksgiving Day the phone call came that said the electricity was on and to hit the road. Thanksgiving was back on the schedule. Hooray!

Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2003, brought great sadness to my family. Daddy passed away that afternoon. Our meal was finished and we were about to celebrate his 3rd great grandchild's first birthday when the call from the hospital came. Most of the family was there at Mama and Daddy's that Thanksgiving. All three of my children were there, a rarity in itself. The night before Thanksgiving my sons, Jim and me, visited Daddy in the hospital. Daddy was in rare form telling stories and making us laugh at the funny things he said. Little did we know that was our last time with him.

Thanksgiving Day in 2008 fell on November 27 that year.  Except for one grandchild and great grandchild, the entire rest of our family was there - 34 people in all. We all made sure we were there. For the first time since Thanksgiving, 2003, all three of my children were there. It was a good day with lots of laughter. The younger grandchildren enjoyed their time together. The older cousins talked. The greats loved playing outside in the big yard. The usual naps were taken. The food was plenteous and delicious, but none was prepared by the best cook in the family. Mama was not feeling well, cancer taking over her frail body. She seemed to enjoy everyone being there but it was a tiring day for her. This Thanksgiving Day, November 27, five years to the day after Daddy passed away, was Mama's last Thanksgiving. She still had a few more days left, but how wonderful that she had the people she loved most with her on one of her favorite holidays.

Thanksgiving, 2011, will be the first time for some of the family to be together for this holiday. My sister, Kathi, has invited us to her home to celebrate the day set aside to be thankful to God. Not everyone will be there as in years past. Hopefully, it will be a new beginning. We have so much to be thankful for, especially for the parents we had.

Here are some photos from Thanksgiving, 2008, in Tallahassee, Florida:

Good food and family

Family

Family

Mama and Daddy's children

Mama and Daddy's grandchildren

The older grandchildren

The younger grandchildren

The great grandchildren

Cousin Edgar, Uncle Harmon and the USAF

Cousin Edgar recently sent me two emails regarding my "Veterans Day 11/11/11" post about family members in the service. I updated that post with the corrected information. I wanted to add his own words with more details and a wonderful story about Uncle Harmon.

Edgar wrote: "Just wanted to say thanks for the tribute to those of us in the family who served in the armed forces.  You may are may not know that our cousins Buford Wooten (US Marines, Viet Nam) and Jim Singletary (USAF, Iraq and Afganistan).  Jim recently retired with 20+ years in the USAF."

His second follow-up about Uncle Harmon:  "Uncle Harmon was a 20+ year veteran of the USAF and very proud of it.  He retired as a Technical Sergeant (E-7).  As a matter of fact he had great influence on me joining the USAF and strongly encouraged me to attend the USAF Office Training School, which I did.  As a matter of additional information trivia, he made sure he met me with Dad at the Pensacola airport after my graduation and commissioning.  He insisted I give him a dollar for his salute to a newly minted Second Lieutenant.  It is Air Force tradition for a new 2nd Lt. to give the first non-comissioned officer who salutes him a dollar.  He wasn't really the first, but I had to give him the dollar anyway."

I so appreciate Cousin Edgar's story and information. To all my family  . . .  sisters, brothers, cousins and others . . . I welcome any stories you have about our family. Send them to me. The more we know about our family, the richer we are.