High School Survey - The Latest Meme

How appropriate - right now I am writing an article about memes over at gene@pedia and this is a good example of one.  I think it started as part of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Fun over at Genea-Musings.

1. What was your school's full name, where was it, and what year did you graduate?

Liberty Central High School, Liberty, New York, 1984.

2. What was the school team nickname, and what are/were your school's colors?

Indians, red and white.

3. What was the name of your school song, and can you still sing it?

I have no idea - I believe they would only sing it at graduation and the lyrics were printed on the back of the graduation program.

4. Did you have a car? How did you get to and from school?

No car.  Never have and never will.  I don't drive, I am driven.

5. Did you date someone from your high school? Or marry someone from your high school? Were you considered a flirt?

I was more of a nerdy clown.

6. What social group were you in?

I transcended most groups but I hung out with the smart kids.

7. Who was/were your favorite teachers?

Miss Mauer - Spanish; Mr. Talkington - English

8. What did you do on Friday nights?

Watched Don Kirchner's show, didn't everyone?

9. Did you go to and have fun at the Senior Prom?

I went.  It was at Bernie's Holiday Inn at Rock Hill.  And the next day we all got up and drove down to the Great Adventure Amusement Park in Vernon, New Jersey.

10. Have you been to reunions, and are you planning on going to the next reunion?

My high school years were really not happy ones for me so I've opted out of the reunions.

Tombstone Tuesday

Photo: Headstone of John E. (1937 - 2000). Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery, Liberty, Sullivan County, NewYork. Digital image from Find-A-Grave - taken by Ellen, Geri Ellen & Barbi Neumann.

John MacEntee was my uncle - my father's brother - and his daughter Lisa is responsible for my involvement on Facebook. Somehow she found my blog and invited me to join Facebook to learn more about her and my other MacEntee relatives now living in Idaho.

A Sharp Dressed Man

Ed Farren and Floss, abt 1905. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

This post was composed for the 10th Edition of Smile For The Camera ~ A Carnival of Images

The photo above is of my 2nd Great Grand Uncle, Edward Farren, who was born at Donegal, County Tyrone, Ireland on February 8, 1880. The woman in the photo is only identified a "Floss" which I assume is short for Flossie. I am not certain if this is Edward's wife and her identity is one of the many mysteries waiting to be solved in my genealogy research.

I love this photo mostly because of the "costumes" that both subjects are wearing. Most viewers might automatically focus in on Floss' outfit especially the wonderful shoes which had to be put on with a shoe hook. The coat is bold with its wool plaid pattern and contrasting black trim and huge black buttons.

But it is the image of the dapper man that should get noticed. From the shoes to the celluloid collar, the photo shows that men could be just as "put together" as women. His look reminds me of the Arrow Collar ads by the illustrator J.C. Leyendecker from the 1910s and 1920s. I also figure that a man's outfit like this probably cost a pretty penny - as much as a woman's outfit, I bet - and that is why the costume was most likely his "Sunday best."

Wordless Wednesday

Pieter De Wandelaer, (1713 - aft. 1787) - my 7th Great-Grandmother. Portrait attributed to Pieter Vandelyn. Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, New York.

Tombstone Tuesday

Photo: Headstone of Abraham Putman (1777 - 1854). Purmort Cemetery, DePeyster, St. Lawrence County, NewYork. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Abraham Putman, my 5th cousin 7 times removed, was born on August 14, 1777 at Tribes Hill in Montgomery County, New York, the son of David Johannes Putman and Anna A. VanAntwerpen.

He married Elizabeth Campbell on September 14, 1807 at Caugnhawaga, New York.  She was born on April 7, 1790 in Tribes Hill and died on March 16, 1853 at DePeyster,

Abraham Putman died on September 4, 1853 at DePeyster not long after his wife.

Sinners and Saints

Well now that I've been parsing out some of my regular posts over to Geneabloggers, I feel I can focus a bit more on my writing and posts about genealogy.  And what I like best is to write about current events that at first glance may not have anything to do with genealogy but by the end of the post I hope to convince you otherwise.

I read quite a bit of news and came across the recent controversy involving Michael Phelps.  I'm not in much of a position to judge him (or really anyone for that matter), but as he struggles through this situation that may lead to sponsors dropping him, problems with competing in the 2012 London Games and more, I think about how someone who was once a saint but a few months ago can easily become a sinner in a matter of hours.

Americans too often want their celebrities and their politicians to be saints and not what I call "real people."  We expect them to be perfect at all times with no lapses of judgment, no blemishes.  Perhaps this stems from our Puritan ancestors and their ability to cast people out based on their behavior.  Perhaps it is just people who have nothing better to do than think they can point the finger of judgment.  Either way I think Phelps still has a right to privacy and the right to be judged on his accomplishments and not only on his mishaps.

As I work through my genealogy research, I've come across the same situation: people who I thought were absolute saints suddenly become sinners due to the discovery of a family secret or a mishap or lapse of judgment.  But should they?  Perhaps it is only my judgment of them and their actions that makes this so.  As a researcher do I have the right to do this?

Last week during Scanfest we discussed via instant messenger what to do when you stumble upon some family secret when transcribing letters.  Many of us perhaps have had this situation with letters that are 50, 75 or even 100 years old.  After weeks or months of finding out information about a person did you ever suddently get that "Oh my" or "Oh no" moment?  Have you built that ancestor a very high pedestal, so much so that after discovering something such as an arrest, a case of abandonment, or even instances of theft or rape, that you immediately discount that ancestor's entire life based on one action?

I'm not advocating leniency for what are certainly heinous crimes such as rape or incest, but when it comes to crimes or unseemly behavior, do I have all the facts to be able to pass judgment?  Do I necessarily have to agree with the newspaper accounts of what took place, or even the account found in an ancestor's letter?  Did they in fact know everything about the issues involved or were they merely passing along gossip?

As a researcher and historian I realize I must rely upon the accounts of that time period as to what happened.  And I may not be lucky enough to discover evidence to counter what was at that time the prevailing opinion of the occurrence.  My role should be to present the evidence without expunging or purging any of the sordid details, and without adding my perspective or opinion.  Let others form their own opinions based on the facts as I have gathered and presented them.

But being human, I often take these facts and form an opinion of that person despite my best attempts not to.  It is only natural to try and put the information about an incident in historical perspective.  What may have been shocking behavior 100 years ago might barely raise an eyebrow today.  And vice versa. Newspaper accounts are often in a writing style markedly more judgmental than what might be seen in the media today.  For my ancestors, life in a small town must not have been easy with everyone knowing your comings and goings.  As well, the weekly newspapers often had a column for each town where some reporter (others would call him or her a "busybody") would write who had visited who, who was sick, who was unemployed etc.  

I imagine that being larger than life, like Michael Phelps, must feel be like living in a fish bowl and not unlike living in those small towns of my ancestors.  Have we as a society really progressed that far in terms of "getting up in someone's business" since then?  It is one thing to have all the facts (if you truly can ever convince yourself that you have all of them) and then form an opinion.  It is another thing to not weigh one incident against a person's entire life experience.

It's Just A Jump To The Left . . .

This post was written for the 65th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

I am way late on my posting for this edition of COG and I don't have a valid excuse like, "the dog ate my homework" or "I was attacked by zombies." And the fact that I have a past as a ballroom dancer means that I should be very interested in this topic, "Do You Know The Steps To The Genealogy Happy Dance?"

Over the years, I've had several opportunities to shake my genealogical tailfeather, as it were:

And Then A Step To The Right

My first dance was in 1995 when my mother handed me a copy of Genealogy of David Putman and His Descendants and said it was my family's genealogy. I knew there was much more to it than that but it put me on the path of tracing my roots. This is how I found Johannes Putman, my 9th great-grandfather and his story of being killed by Indians in February 1690 during the Schenectady Massacre.

Put Your Hands On Your Hips

Just as I knew there had to be more than just performing research either at libraries or archives and the Internet, I decided to make the plunge into blogging about my family history in late 2006. This has provided me with the rest of my dance partners over the past two years!

You Bring Tour Knees In Tight

As I blogged and got my surname information out there, it was only a matter of time until cousins I never knew existed found me. Talk about Happy Dance!

One cousin is from my Henneberg line (my maternal grandmother) and he has provided me with valuable information as well as some great photos of the Hennebergs!  Another is a cousin to whom I reached out on a hunch that his mother was in fact my great great aunt.  He has given me some great McCrickert and McGinnes family info which I hope to use very soon!

But It's The Pelvic Thrust

Many of my Happy Dances have just involved interacting and just being silly with other Geneabloggers. Who can forget the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories or the 2008 GeneaBlogger Games? It was through Geneabloggers that I found several cousins including Randy Seaver, Kathryn Lake Hogan, Lorine Massey, Becky Wiseman and Midge Frazel!

That Really Drives You Insane!

Have you ever just busted some moves into a totally crazy dance and felt that some other force was controlling your motions? Very often that's what can happen with the Happy Dance. Sort of like a St. Vitus' Dance directed by my ancestors who've gone on before me.  Quite often, something will come over me and I'll take a certain research path and BINGO! I strike gold and once again do the Happy Dance.  

Let's Do The Time Warp Again!

I hope the dance never ends and I think with a supportive group of fellow genealogists that I've found in Geneabloggers, with all the resources available on the Internet, and all the great archives, libraries, and societies out there, I have no excuse not to dance!

Photo: Thomas MacEntee and Nancy Klokner, Black & White Ball, May 1989." Taken May, 1989. San Francisco, California. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Once Again It's Data Backup Day!

Have you ever considered what would happen if you had one of the following situations occur with your computer?

• hard drive crash
  
• damaged database file
  
• virus infection requiring reformatting of hard drive
  
• dropping your laptop or CPU
  
• zombie attack
  

Participating in Data Backup Day and following consistent backup practices can prevent almost all of these frightening situations.  Except for the zombie attack - you are on your own with that one but you might find some good tips here.  And remember the worst place to sit out a zombie attack is a cemetery.

What To Backup

• genealogy databases
  
• photos
  
• bookmarks
  
• blog template
  
• blog posts
  
• other files related to genealogy
  

How To Backup

• purchase a storage device such as an external hard drive or a flash drive
  
• copy data to CDs or DVDs
  
• utilize an online backup service
  

When To Backup

• at least once a month
  
• when you've made major changes to your database or blog template
  
• more frequently if you feel the need
  

Backup Resources

Backing Up Your Internet Explorer Settings

Back Up Your Blogger-Based Blog

Do You Know What A Dying Hard Drive Sounds Like?

My New Backup Toy

Backing Up Your Blog

A Great Free Data Storage Deal - 25oGB!

Syncplicity - Free Synchronized Backups

IDrive - Online Backups

Online Data Storage Comparison

Photo: Backup Backup Backup - And Test Restores at Flickr courtesy of Topato

The 6th of 6th

I often don't discover the weekly game over at Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Fun post, but I did stumble upon it today and thought I'd play along.

This week's concept involves going to your photos folder, selecting the 6th folder and then the 6th photo in that folder and posting about it. Above is the photo in the My Pictures/6113 State Route 55 folder and here's some more information:

The photo shows the shed on the property where I grew up in Liberty, New York, about 100 miles northwest of New York City. My mother bought this property in 1976 and originally there was a very rudimentary shed in this location. The shed allowed entrance to the well house and the bomb shelter (the house was built in 1949 after all).

During the late 1970s as my mother worked on refurbishing the property she decided to build her own shed - that's how Mom was. And she made sure it was about five times larger than the previous one - big enough to house a riding lawn mower and lots of tools and gardening supplies. Mom liked the look of plain lumber which was simply water proofed without stain. The shed and the rest of the property still remains and I currently rent it out to tenants who enjoy it as much as we did when I was growing up.

My Mother's House - The Shed." Taken August, 2004. Liberty, NY. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

A Few Notes On The DAF Redesign

Well I think I've settled on a template that works for me but I also want to key readers into certain changes going on at DAF:

- DAF will be more focused on my personal research and my carnival postings.

- I have moved posts related to geneabloggers (such as This Week in Facebook and This Week's New Geneablogs) over to the Geneabloggers site.

- Facebook Bootcamp for Geneabloggers will still be the repository for technical posts such as how to add certain blog features or how to use new technologies and apply them to the art of geneablogging.

- I no longer display a bloglist at either DAF or Facebook Bootcamp. There were reports that the main page for each of those blogs took a long time to load and I was able to pinpoint the cause to a blogroll with over 225 geneablogs! The complete list is displayed in the sidebar over at Geneabloggers.

Wordless Wednesday

Catharina De Wandelaer Gansevoort, 1689-1767 - my 9th Great-Grandmother. Portrait by Nehemiah Patridge, abt. 1718. New York State Historical Collection, Cooperstown, New York.

Tombstone Tuesday

Monument of Charles H. McEntee (1842 - 1862). Taken March 10, 2008. Montrepose Cemetery, Kingston, NY. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Charles H. McEntee was my 1st cousin 4 times removed and was born at Kingston, NY on January 21, 1832^[1], the son of Charles McEntee and Christina Tremper. He was a brother of the famous painter, Julia McEntee Dillon.

Charles attained the rank of Captain (posthumously), Company H, 120th NYS Infantry Volunteers in which he enlisted on August 18, 1862^[2].

Maurice died at Falmouth, Virginia on December 21, 1862^[3] most likely from injuries at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Notes

[1] 1860 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed February 27, 2008, citing Census Place: Kingston, Ulster, New York; Roll: M653_870; Page: 0; Image: 347.

[2] Van Santvoord, Cornelius, The One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment New York State Volunteers (Rondout, New York: Kingston Freeman Press, 1894), p. 297. "Company H was raised by Captain Charles H. McEntee and Lieutenants James K. Holmes and Michael E. Creighton.".

[3] Id., p. 298. "A gallant and promising young officer stricken with brain fever and died at the beginning of his military career on December 21, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. His remains lie in Montrepose Cemetery, Rondout, where loving parents have erected a broken column to mark his resting place."

Are You Truly A Caretaker For Your Research?

During yesterday's Scanfest, while we scan and chat via instant messenger, many topics are raised, from the mundane ("did you have a pet rock and a mood ring in the 70s") to more serious topics.  Topics such as: what happens to your genealogy research once you are no longer on this Earth and become an ancestor?  Have you made plans for someone to take over your research?

After some great ideas, Sheri Fenley of The Educated Genealogist posted on this topic and has included sample "genealogical codicil" text to be used during estate planning.

If you haven't already done so, please take time to ponder this topic seriously.  When I completed my estate planning this past summer, I had a provision in my will stating that if specific people in my family did not want to care for my research, that it was to be left with one or more historical societies.

Just like any other "asset" for which you currently care, you should consider bequeathing your research so that it can be continued years from now and not be just another "lost" body of knowledge.

What a Great Scanfest!

In case you missed it, a fun and productive time was had by all during yesterday's Scanfest hosted by Miriam Midkiff Robbins of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.

Not only were basic scanning questions answered (Which DPI should I use? Do I save as TIFF or JPG format or both?) but lots of tricks and tips were revealed (Use dental floss to remove pictures stuck in those awful "magnetic" album pages.  Or better yet, just scan the entire page and then save as separate photos).

If you haven't attended a Scanfest yet, get ready for another one at the end of February.  Keep tabs on this event at Geneabloggers Group on Facebook or at the newGeneabloggers website.

Hats - Did Women In Your Family Wear Them?

Well yours truly is just being silly today, but after seeing Aretha Franklin performing at the Inauguration this past Tuesday, I got to thinking that women just don't wear hats like they used to.

In fact, I looked in The Box and could not find one single photo of my mother wearing a hat - one that would be suitable for a wedding or funeral or a social event. Now it might be a generational thing since there are plenty of photos with my grandmother, great-grandmother and other ancestors wearing hats. I could just see this as a theme for an upcoming Smile For The Camera carnival! Wouldn't that be great to see a parade of hats?

One other hat-related inauguration tidbit which it turns out is more urban legend than it is the gospel truth: many content that because John F. Kennedy did not wear a hat at his Inauguration, it led to a precipitous decline in the number of men wearing hats.

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #3

3. Participate in weekly blog themes: Tombstone Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, etc. Many genealogy bloggers post photos of grave stones on Tombstone Tuesday or a photo worth 1,000 silent words on Wordless Wednesday. Participate in these informal events or invent your own.

I was an "early adopter" of Tombstone Tuesday and I usually try to participate on a regular basis.  Wordless Wednesday has not been as consistent but that is because I need to scan more photos.  Thankfully, Scanfest is coming up this Sunday!!!

The Week In Facebook: January 23, 2009

This is a weekly feature which will document some of the genea-blogger happenings as they relate to Facebook®.

- This weekly post will migrate over to the new Geneabloggers website beginning next week, January 30th. I want to free up Destination: Austin Family to concentrate more on my research and my surnames and I think the weekly Facebook post fits more with the Geneabloggers site than here.

- While it seems like we only added two new members to bring us to a total of 318 that is a bit misleading - we did have some members leave and I dropped some people who never completed their Facebook signup. Check out Genea-Bloggers group listing on Facebook. If you know anyone who blogs about their genealogy or family history and you think they might benefit from membership in Geneabloggers please let me know and send me their email info!

- A new post listing new geneablogs can be found here at Facebook Bootcamp for Geneabloggers. Check out the new sites and welcome the new bloggers since many if not all are now members of Geneablggers.

- The deadline for the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is today, January 23. Please check it out and post about your family's roots in this area.

- Don't forget Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #3: Weekly Blog Themes! Learn more about Tombstone Tuesday and Wordless Wednesday!

- And finally let's give a great big cheer for the return of Scanfest which has been on hiatus since last Fall. If you've always wanted to learn the correct way to scan photos and documents and how to do so while "chit chatting" with your fellow geneablogger, then check it out this Sunday, January 25, 2009 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Pacific time.

Again, if anyone has a question as to how to use Facebook, I'd be happy to help. You can always email me directly but if you post your question as a Discussion Topic at the Genea-Bloggers group, you might find that other members also have the same questions.

The Register - NEHGS Goes Green

Good news for those of us who prefer a paperless option to many of the journals and magazines that we receive!  The New England Historic Genealogical Society is now offering members the option of receiving The Register in pdf format.  Here is the text of an email I received this afternoon:

I am pleased to announce that NEHGS is now offering our members the option of viewing a paperless PDF edition of each issue of our flagship quarterly journal, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. This fully-searchable PDF edition will be published on our website two to three weeks before the printed version is released. Older issues of the journal, from 1847 to 2005, are already available on www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.

This option will enable members, if they choose, to stop having the printed version mailed to them. By helping NEHGS reduce printing and mailing costs, we can save thousands of dollars a month, go "green," and better utilize precious resources.

If you are comfortable reading new issues of the Register online, or do not presently use it in your research, I urge you to help us reduce costs and go paperless by calling our Member Services team toll-free at 1-888-296-3447 or by email at membership@nehgs.org.

We are proud to offer new issues of our eminent journal in this increasingly popular PDF online format and are grateful to those who will make this cost-saving and environmentally friendly option their delivery preference going forward.

D. Brenton Simons
President and CEO

Tombstone Tuesday: Maurice Wurts McEntee

Headstone of Maurice Wurts McEntee (1836 - 1983). Taken March 10, 2008. Montrepose Cemetery, Kingston, NY. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Maurice Wurts McEntee was my 1st cousin 4 times removed and was born at Kingston, NY on January 30, 1836, the son of James Smith McEntee and Sarah Jane Goetschius. He was a brother of the famous landscape painter, Jervis McEntee.

Maurice graduated from the Clinton Institute at Clinton, New York (Clinton was known as the "village of schools" due to the large number of private schools located there). He later attended the United States Naval Academy.

During the Civil War, he was a 1st. Sergeant, 1st. Lieutenant and Adjutant, 20th New York State Militia, April-August, 1861. Maurice was Acting Master in United States Navy under Admiral David Farragut and was honorably discharged on May 14, 1867.

Besides his military service, Maurice was a reporter and editor for the Kingston Daily Freeman newspaper. In addition, he wrote tales of the sea for youngsters, under pen name, "Uncle Blue Jacket" (in reference to his military service), for St. Nicholas and Harpers Our Young Folks.

Maurice never married and died at Kingston, NY on June 14, 1883.

13th Edition of Cabinet of Curiosities Is Posted!

Congratulations go out to Tim Abbott of Walking The Berkshires for another fine edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities!  

The cabinet is well stocked including bizarre photos, old buttons, a steamer trunk, a welcoming fish and more.  Check out this worthwhile read this morning!

And remember that Tim is looking for someone to host next month's carnival so drop him an email if you are interested.

The 64th Edition of Carnival of Genealogy Is Posted

Jasia at Creative Gene has done it again with another fine edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. With the theme Winter Photo Essay, take some time this weekend to read through the entries, perhaps with a hot cup of cocoa and a roaring fire nearby.

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is:

"The Happy Dance." The Joy of Genealogy. Almost everyone has experienced it. Tell us about the first time, or the last time, or the best time. What event, what document, what special find has caused you to stand up and cheer, to go crazy with joy? If you haven't ever done the Happy Dance, tell us what you think it would take for you to do so." This next edition will be hosted by Becky at kinexxions. Thanks Becky! The deadline for submissions is Feb. 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Thank you!

Finally, Jasia has tentatively listed all the topics for the remaining COG editions in 2009 and the hosts for each edition (note that Jasia is still looking for hosts for several editions!):

Jan 1 - New Year's Resolutions

Jan 15 - Winter Photo Essay

Feb 1 - The Happy Dance (kinexxions)

Feb 15 - iGene Awards, the best of the best!

Mar 1 - Nobody's Fool: Who gives the best advice? (Destination: Austin Family)

Mar 15 - Women's History Month: One Woman

Apr 1 - "What if": Rewriting History (West in New England)

Apr 15 - Uncle, uncle!

May 1 - Local History (What's Past is Prologue)

May 15 - Honoring Mothers

Jun 1 - The Good Earth: Family Ties to the Land (Apple's Tree)

Jun 15 - Annual Swimsuit Edition

Jul 1 - Open For Hosting

Jul 15 - How I Spent My Summer Vacation: Favorite Summer Memory from Your Youth

Aug 1 - Disasters Our Ancestors Lived Through (AnceStories)

Aug 15 - Ride Em Cowboy: Let's See Your Pony Pictures!

Sep 1 - Family Reunions (CanadaGenealogy)

Sep 15 - Research An Event Your Ancestor May Have Attended

Oct 1 - Open For Hosting

Oct 15 - Weddings!

Nov 1 - Open For Hosting

Nov 15 - "Harvest": What it meant to your family.

Dec 1 - Open For Hosting

Dec 15 - Holiday Theme

My Key to Ireland: Unlocking Family Mysteries

This post was written for the 11th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture.

As I've related in several posts, my last name has always been a family mystery - whether it should be MacEntee or McEntee - with various explanations as to how the "a" was added.

The solution of that mystery was the key to opening up a treasure chest of other mysteries including where the McEntees lived in Ireland prior to arriving in the United States.

In one of many emails received from distant cousins, I've been told that the McEntees are from County Monaghan which is in the province of Ulster. It appears that Charles McEntee, my 4th great-grandfather arrived in Salina, Onondaga County, New York around 1800 where he and his wife Mary both died in 1806.

I've found some wonderful online resources for the McEntee family in County Monaghan including the McEntee surname study at the Connors Genealogy Homepage.

Right now I have no excuses for not delving further into my research. I guess I have been so focused on trying to connect Charles' son Edward McEntee with the famous McEntees of Ulster County, New York that I've neglected to realize that this mystery could be better solved by going back to the roots - back to County Monaghan.

The Bar

Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar Is Closed". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

This post was composed for the 13th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities hosted at Walking The Berkshires

Faithful readers may remember a photo similar to the one above in a post over a year ago entitled "Women's China Painting in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries" where I discussed the Julius Brauer Studios porcelain bowl circa 1910. While I ventured into a thorough discussion of what I call my "china syndrome," I have never talked of what lurked beneath said item: The Bar.  While she may seem staid and reserved, nay a bit conservative, beware of what lurks inside.

The Bar is a 1920s solid mahogany bar that I purchased on Ebay in June of 2007 and had shipped from the seller in New Hampshire. She was sitting in an antiques store looking very neglected and unwanted. Since I knew the shipping would be as much as, if not more than, the bar itself, I got on the phone with the seller and made sure everything was on the up and up. A deal was struck to have the seller drop her off at the nearby UPS Store where I had already paid for shipping. I simply called up the UPS Store owner, sent him the listing on Ebay and he came up with an estimate as to how long and how much.

When the bar arrived less than a week later, she defintely had seen better days - like a showgirl now relegated to the Burlesque circuit. She still had her original knobs which are in a marigold pattern in brass from the 1920s which have helped me to determine a 1920s date. I also knew that I needed to embark on a major refinishing project during the summer of 2007.

So each day I would make progress by first stripping off years of ugly yellowed varnish, staining the wood in a red mahogany color, then slowly adding coats of finish with alternate periods of sanding. It took about three weeks to complete which was good since the invites for a cocktail party had already gone out the door!

There are many features of The Bar that I love - let's peak inside, shall we?



Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar Is Partially Open". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Her top flips open to reveal two chrome surfaces.  I intend to replace these since they are bumpy and worn and a guest could never place a drink there without getting tipsy by just looking at how askew it sat on the surface!  But who doesn't need their top replaced every now and then?



Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar Is Open for Business!". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Next, we unlock the doors.  Yes there is a lock which allows entry into the lower portion of The Bar - a bit of a chastity belt, as it were - where the serious business takes place.  If you know my family you know that a lock is required on most all liquor cabinets and bars.

If you look at the top shelf you see various wine glasses, a vermouth sprayer (for martinis), a bottle of Angostora bitters (for Manhattans), a condiment caddy and a crystal bell.  A bell?  Yes, The Bar has wheels on it (which I replaced with more modern ones) and a guest can simply "ring" for his or her drink and get freshened up.  Yeah right.

Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar - Anchor Hocking Golden Spires Glasses". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Her doors swing open and provide a place for various glasses.  As I began to outfit The Bar, I was able to locate sets of glasses from the 1950s made by Anchor Hocking in the Golden Spire pattern.  They have a very "atomic" look and there are tumblers, rocks, double shot and shot glasses in The Bar.

Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar - Libations". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

On the lower shelves is where the serious stuff is stored.  There is also a Kromex ice bucket from the 1950s, and a "recipe box" called the Bar Aid where you turn a dial and look up a recipe for close to 100 drinks.  I see I'm low on breakfast wine - I'll have to make a run to Johnson's Liquors later.  Perhaps they deliver.

Photo: Mahogany Bar - "The Bar - Condiment Caddy Closeup". January 17, 2009. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Finally, here is a closeup shot of one the many gadgets with which I've "tricked out" The Bar: it is a 1950s condiment caddy.  The jars are labeled Lemon, Olives, Cherries and Onions and make it easy to put together martinis, lemon drops and other libations in a jiffy.  Guests have been know to mistake it for a "buffet" and if I'm not quick with a slap on the hand lots of the goodies just disappear.

So there you have it.  I've always wanted a place to store wine and liquor in one place but while I've always wanted a "bar cart" I didn't want to have to dust all those glass shelves and keep everything clean.  And I didn't have room for one of the larger bars some of which have a center that "pops-up."  I love the slim and unassuming look on the outside but once open, The Bar lets out her inner showgirl and shines.

Article in Digital Genealogist

Just a quick note: an article that I've written about preserving not only one's genealogy data but the means by which to access it has been published in the latest edition of Digital Genealogist magazine.

Entitled "Future Proofing Your Data," it discusses various methods for ensuring that you will be able to access your data for years to come and provides tips on how to guard against common mistakes and pitfalls.

Please check out Digital Genealogist which is published by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens. It is one of many "green magazines" to which I subscribe these days and speaks to both of my current passions: genealogy and technology.

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #2

2. Participate in carnivals. A blog carnival is a showcase of bloggers’ posts on a given topic. Genealogy bloggers LOVE carnivals because there’s something for everyone. To learn about when these showcase-type events are happening, read others’ genealogy blogs. Someone’s always talking about a carnival.

While this should seem like a rather easy one to complete - just submit an entry to this week's Carnival of Genealogy, for instance - I wanted to take this one step further.  I decided to create a Carnival of Genealogy "quilt" with all the graphics I could find that had been used in COG editions gone-by.

If you don't know by now, the Carnival of Genealogy is run by Jasia over at Creative Gene and the graphics are dreamt up by the wonderful footnoteMaven.

The Week In Facebook: January 16, 2009

This is a weekly feature which will document some of the genea-blogger happenings as they relate to Facebook®.

- Wow! What a difference a week makes!! We've added close to 20 new members since last Friday for a total of 316. Check out Genea-Bloggers group listing on Facebook. Is this a trend? Or as some feel it might be a matter of people trying to stick to a New Year's resolution to finally tackle their genealogy or start a blog about their family history? Either way we are happy to have the new members on board!

- As I stated last week, many of our new members are also new to blogging or to running genealogy-related blogs. Others may not have been Facebook members or may not have known about Genea-Bloggers. For a list of still more newly discovered genealogy blogs, visit this post at Facebook Bootcamp for Genea-Bloggers.

- There are several carnivals with deadlines this Sunday: 11th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture and the 13th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities both on Sunday, January 18th.

- Don't forget Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt #2: Carnivals! If you decide to participate in any of the many genealogy blogging carnivals, create a quick post about why you participate in carnivals and how they help you with your genealogy research!

- Remember to visit the Posted Items or think about posting your own items such as interesting articles, great resources, etc.

- And don't forget the Discussion Board with topics ranging from how to participate in a blog carnival to how to add a badge to your blog.

Again, if anyone has a question as to how to use Facebook, I'd be happy to help. You can always email me directly but if you post your question as a Discussion Topic at the Genea-Bloggers group, you might find that other members also have the same questions.

POSTED 9th Edition of Smile for the Camera!

One nice benefit of being an insomniac is being awake at 2:22 am when someone posts an edition of a much-loved and much-anticipated carnival like Smile For The Camera!

That's right it is up and available with all 47 entries (a record?) with the topic Who Are You?

footnoteMaven also let's us in on what's needed for the 10th edition coming up next month:

COSTUME

The word prompt for the 10th Edition of Smile For The Camera is Costume? No, not as in Halloween. Costume as in dress in general; especially the distinctive style of dress of a people, class, or period. Show us that picture that you found with your family collection or purchased that shows the costumes of the rich to the not so rich, from the civil war to the psychedelic sixties. I know you have them, so share. Admission is free with every photograph!

Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

Deadline for submission is midnight (PT)
15 February, 2009

HOW TO SUBMIT:

There are two options:

1. Send an email to the host, footnoteMaven (footnotemaven@comcast.net). Include the title and permalink URL of the post you are submitting, your name, and the name of your blog. Put 'Smile For The Camera' clearly in the title of your email!

2. Use the handy submission form (http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_4058.html) provided by Blog Carnival, or select the Bumper Sticker in the upper right hand corner.

See you at the Carnival!

A Winter Photo Essay - Hawaiian Style

Photo: Big Beach, Makena, Maui, Hawaii, December 2004. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

This post was written for the 64th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

I know that the these of this carnival has to do with "family photographs during the winter" but, to be honest, I could not find one in my collection where family members were shoveling snow or sledding or doing any of the other activities associated with snow and upstate New York.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was just too cold for cameras to operate.  I remember cold days similar to today in Chicago: as I write this it is 10:00 am with a temperature of -7F and a windchill of -24F.  As we like to say here "Chicago - where many are cold but few are frozen."

Many of my friends currently take a week or two to vacation in a warm spot such as Palm Springs, Puerta Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas or Hawaii.  I've chosen photos from my last trip to Maui in December 2004.

Above, is a great beach shot looking off of Big Beach towards Molokai.  Big Beach is at the Makena point along with Little Beach.  Little Beach is known for its nude sunbathing and for being sort of "hippy trippy" in its atmosphere.

Photo: Access point to Little Beach, Makena, Maui, Hawaii, December 2004. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Above, is the view towards the cliff separating Big Beach and Little Beach.  In order to get to Little Beach where you can see and be seen, you have to climb a very steep cliff.  Luckily for the denizens of Little Beach that day, my arthritis and knee surgery kept me from making the climb.

When I lived in California, trips to Hawaii were only five hours but from Chicago, the trip is a very long nine hour nonstop trip.  That's probably why we haven't made the trip since 2004.  The shot above is from the hotel in Wailea.  Wailea is right next to Kihei and is in the southern part of Maui which is considered the "dry" section.  Not much rain, and always warmer than West Maui or North Maui.

Photo: Palm Trees, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, December 2004. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Photo: View of West Maui at Sunrise, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, December 2004. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

When I am in Maui, the time zone difference always has me up early - so I usually try to take some sunrise photos.  Above is a view from the balcony of the hotel looking towards West Maui.

Photo: View of West Maui at Sunset, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, December 2004. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Finally, the same view at sunset.  The sun sets at about 6:00 am in the winter since there is no Daylight Savings Time in Hawaii.  Usually we would take our place at the bar at 4:30 pm and catch the migration of whales in the water.  Then about 5:00 pm there would be a blast from a conch shell horn and the torches would be lit all over the hotel grounds.

So there is my view of winter, or at least the way I'd prefer to see it.  Right now there are about three weeks until Ground Hog Day and I am praying that the little rodent does not see his shadow!

Who Are You? I Thought I Knew . . .

Unknown Boys, 1892. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

This post was composed for the 9th Edition of Smile For The Camera ~ A Carnival of Images

. . . but now I am stumped. The photo above was one of many in The Box - a large plastic container filled with family items after cleaning out my mother's house in New York back in 2006. On the back is the date 1892 written in pencil on the top. The studio is The World Portrait Studio at 272 Bowery (Manhattan), New York.

The photo is one of many which are unlabeled and while others in a similar state have been solved in terms of identifying subjects and dates, this one remains confounding.  I have my suspicions but I need to mention three other photos which I feel might be related to the one I am calling Unknown Boys.



Elizabeth McGinnis, abt. 1906. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Above is a great photo, although its mounting is in poor condition and is one of my top priority conservation projects. It is of Elizabeth Veronica McGinnis, my great grand aunt. She was born about 1889 and died January 23, 1956 in New York City. I love the "Gibson Girl" look and I am assuming that this may have been her high school graduation photo which would date it to around 1906 or 1907.

John McCrickert and Elizabeth McGinnis, abt. 1906-1908. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Next, above is another photo which is unidentified but I am positive that it too is of Elizabeth McGinnis with her soon-to-be husband John McCrickert. John was born August 11, 1887 and died December 11, 1955, both in New York City. While I do not have a marriage date, I am dating this photograph around the same time as the portrait of Elizabeth McGinnis or within two years, 1906 - 1908.



John, Maragaret and Edward McCrickert, abt. 1895. Digital photograph. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

One photo that is positively identified is the one above. It is of John, Margaret and Edward McCrickert and was taken at the Silkworth Studio in Brooklyn, New York. John was born in 1887, Edward in 1888 and Margaret about 1893, all in New York. Judging from the photo, I place Margaret's age at about two years, dating the photo around 1895. This makes John age eight and Edward age seven based on the estimated date.

So with these three identifiable photos, I thought that the two boys in the first photo might just be John and Edward McCrickert. But to my eye there is not much resemblance between these two unidentified boys and the ones with Margaret McCrickert. I did further research in my database and I thought it might be the brothers of my great-grandfather John Ralph Austin (1896 - 1976). The evidence does not support such a theory since John's oldest brother Maurice Ira Austin was not born until 1890 which would make him two years old in the photo. In addition, the Austin family lived in Lowville, New York near Watertown and would not arrive in New York City until around 1903.

I have no other possible listings in my genealogy database which might help identify these two boys. Another theory is that the photo is misdated in having 1892 written on the back. To my eye, they look older than John and Edward McCrickert in the photo dated 1895. If the unknown photo is mislabeled, it could very well be Maurice Ira and Harry Dence Austin.

So I will work on resolving the mystery of the unknown boys. While not having information placed on the photos frustrates me, I'd much rather have that than what has happened to many of the photos in The Box: in my great-grandmother Therese (McGinnis) Austin's later years, she insisted on circling the heads of photo subjects and writing their names in ink.