Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

Craig Manson over at Geneablogie has started a new meme which I think is important since it gets the surnames in my genealogy research info out into the blogosphere.  As Craig put it:

"List the surnames you are researching and the general localities. Then tell the names of your “Most Wanted Ancestors,” that is, the ones you most want to find behind that brickwall."

Note: I have been particular with the formatting of the information below and use ________ Surname hoping this will allow more people using Google and other search engines to find my post. Also I am using _______ County for the same reasons.

AUSTIN Surname: New York (Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County); Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

CHRISTIANA Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

CRANDALL Surname: Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

DEGROODT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

DENCE Surname: New York (Lewis County)

FARREN Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County); Ireland (Belfast)

FINEHOUT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

HENNEBERG Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County, Nassau County), New Jersey (Essex County, Hudson County)

KROM Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

LEEHIVE Surname: New York (Ulster County)

MACENTEE Surname or MCENTEE Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Orange County, Ulster County)

MCGINNIS Surname or MCGINNES Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County), Ireland (County Monaghan

PRESSNER Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County)

PUTMAN Surname: New York (Albany County, Montgomery County, Schenectady County)

SLATTERY Surname: New York (Orange County, Ulster County)

MOST WANTED ANCESTOR: Frances Pressner, my Great Grandmother, born abt 1889 in Liepsig, Germany, died March 10, 1960, Bronx County, New York. Having her parents info would allow me to know all 16 of my great-great grandparents.

Data Backup Day Contest - Win a 4GB Flash Drive

This Sunday, March 1, 2009, is Data Backup Day over at Geneabloggers.  And this month there is a great prize being given away:

A Kingston Data Traveler 4GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive
(see details at http://tr.im/gAF6)

Data Backup Day is a monthly reminder of the importance of backup up all your genealogy research data including photos, documents, emails, and even your blog posts!

For this month's Data Backup Day, post about your worst data loss nightmare (real or imagined) or about steps you've taken to prevent data loss. Make sure you include "Data Backup Day" in your post title and your name could be drawn at random to win this great prize.

See the rules for the contest over at Geneabloggers.

Tombstone Tuesday - Gustave Henneberg Jr

Photo: Headstone of Gustave Henneberg, Jr. (1889 - 1955). Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale, Nassau County, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Wendy Henneberg, New York. 2009.

Gustave Henneberg, Jr. was my great-grand uncle and was born in Leipzig, Germany on September 12, 1889[1] to Gustave Henneberg (1864 - 1942) and Lena [Unknown] (1864 - 1937). Gustave Jr. arrived in the United States at New York in 1891[2].

Gustave Jr. married Margaret [Unknown], date unknown. She was born April 10, 1896[3] and died on July 30, 1974[4] at Massapequa, New York.

Gustave Henneberg Jr. died on February 17, 1955[5] in Miami, Florida. He is buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

Notes

[1] United States, Selective Service System, Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration ((Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007)), NARA, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed February 13, 2008, citing Roll: WWII_2371484; Local board: Queens, New York.

[2] U.S. Customs Service, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897 ((Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006)), NARA, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed February 13, 2008, citing Year: 1891; Arrival: New York , United States; Microfilm serial: M237; Microfilm roll: M237_566; Line: 41; List number: 537.

[3] National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 ((Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006)), Long Island National Cemetery
2040 Wellwood Avenue Farmingdale, New York 11735-1211 Section X Site 718.

[4] Social Security Administration, Social Security Death Index, Master File ((Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007)), (http://www.ancestry.com), examined for any reference to "Margaret Henneberg," accessed February 13, 2008. Number: 080-22-3600; Issue State: New York; Issue Date: Before 1951.

[5] National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006 ((Online: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006)), Long Island National Cemetery
2040 Wellwood Avenue Farmingdale, New York 11735-1211 Section X Site 718.

Any Blogger Interested In A Paid Gig?

I've just posted over at Geneabloggers with a post entitled How Can I Make Money By Blogging? and I wanted to point out another opportunity of which I've personally taken advantage.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've been named the National Genealogy and Technology Examiner over at Examiner.com and so far, I've not only enjoyed writing the articles but I've also been encouraged by the potential to make some money from my writing.

Examiner.com is looking for both local and national contributors and I've noticed that the area of genealogy and family history is pretty sparse in terms of the number of contributors.  I imagine that not only would most major cities need a local genealogy examiner who wrote about local resources, but the Examiner could used a beefed up national presence especially with ethnic genealogy: african american genealogy, polish genealogy, and more.

If anyone is interested in working with the Examiner.com site, please contact me for more information.  I'd be happy to explain to you how I got involved, the process of applying for an Examiner position and the commitment level needed - as well as how to get paid.

A Game of 21

As part of Randy Seaver's ongoing Saturday Night Fun series, tonight we seem to be playing a game of 21: run an Ahnentafel report from your genealogy database and select #21.  The person should be one of the eight 2nd great grandmothers you have in your family tree.

Well hit me, here's my #21:

Margaret Leehive, daughter of John Leehive and Unknown.  Born about 1867 in England and died before 1900.  She married Martin Slattery around 1884 in Ulster County, New York.

What I also know about Margaret Leehive based on family accounts and backed up by the 1910 Census is that after she died her children were taken care of by her brother Michael Leehive.

My Foray Into The World of DNA Testing and Genealogy

I've taken the plunge and I've actually used a DNA testing kit for the first time. You can read more at my recent post over at Examiner.com where I give a review of a YDNA kit from familybuilder.com.

My reasons for being hesitant to test my DNA had to do with the price of the DNA testing kits and my feeling that the technology was not far enough into its development. With plunging prices on a variety of test kits (the 17 marker YDNA kit from familybuilder is $59 and Ancestry recently announced a 33/46 marker YDNA kit for $79) I no longer had any reason to put off taking my genealogy research to the next level.

In a previous post here at Destination: Austin Family, I discussed what couldn't be learned about my family tree from DNA testing. But what I most want to learn is this: is my theory about the MacEntees of New York's Hudson Valley being related to the famous McEntees of the same region true?

Stay tuned. I will have results in about four weeks and then I will need to contact McEntee family members who also have DNA testing data they can share.

I'd like to hear from anyone else who has decided to pursue DNA testing as part of their research.

Disclosure: familybuilder sent me their YDNA kit at no charge for purposes of reviewing the process of taking a DNA sample, using a DNA kit for genealogy purposes, and to receive and interpret results. I am disclosing this as a matter of transparency and honesty of my opinion. My intent is to give a good review (meaning a well-researched and written review) not necessarily a favorable review of all products I receive gratis.

Copyright 2009, Thomas MacEntee.  Some rights reserved.

Kreativ Blogger Award

I can always count on Sheri Fenley of The Educated Genealogist to wrangle me into something - why is it that we always seem to be partners in crime?  My mother always would say to me and a good friend, "Oh, you two are just trouble together, I can tell."

Sheri has bestowed upon Destination: Austin Family the Kreativ Blogger Award.  With such an honor comes the responsibility to select seven other geneabloggers who I feel have exhibited "kreativity" in their blog.  Since I've been focusing on the newcomers to the world of geneablogging, here's my list:

Kay B's Place - http://kbea831.wordpress.com/

Luxegen Genealogy and Family History - http://www.luxegen.ca/

Olga's Daughter - http://olgasdaughter.wordpress.com/

Random Notes - http://leah333.blogspot.com/

Roots And All - http://rootsandall.blogspot.com/

Still More Genealogy - http://ambararabians.com/blog/

The Internet Genealogist - http://shbwgen.blogspot.com/

And although it is a wee bit early, I can reference the leprechaun photo to which Sheri is referring:

66th Edition of Carnival of Genealogy Is Posted

In the style of the well-known Academy Awards, Jasia has posted the results of the 2008 iGene Awards over at Creative Gene.  Set your blog reader to "stun" as you see the array of stellar posts by fellow geneabloggers!

Yours truly will serve as host for the 67th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy to be held right here at Destination: Austin Family:

And now it's time for a Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: "Nobody's Fool" – who in your family was known to have the best common sense, the best sage advice and basically just “kept it together” all the time? Let's hear about them! The next edition will be hosted by Thomas MacEntee at Destination: Austin Family. Thanks Thomas! The deadline for submissions is March 1.

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!

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Tombstone Tuesday: Matthew McCrickert

Photo: Headstone of Matthew McCrickert (1926 - 1946). Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, Queens County, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2009.

Matthew McCrickert was my 1st Cousin 2 Times Removed and was born on May 14, 1926 in New York. Matthew died on June 11, 1946 in the crash of a U.S. Army transport plane over Freehold, New Jersey. He was 20 years old.

National Genealogy and Technology Examiner

Last week, I mysteriously alluded to some good news in my Facebook status and on Twitter.  Well I can finally let the cat out of the bag.

Starting this week, I'll be writing for the Examiner.com website as its National Genealogy and Technology Examiner.  When I applied for this writing gig a few weeks ago, Examiner.com was looking for local writers from here in Chicago to create content on Chicago events, issues, etc.  Failing to have any angle on genealogy or technology as it applied to Chicago, and never being one who is easily deterred (I am my mother's son after all), I convinced Examiner.com to add a new sub-category for genealogy and technology under its Gadgets and Tech section.

With a minimum of four posts a week, it is my goal to still provide engaging content here at Destination: Austin Family as well as at Geneabloggers and many of my other blogs.  If you have any topic suggestions as they relate to genealogy and technology, please send them on to me and I'm sure I can come up with one or more posts about them.

Try to take a visit over at my Examiner.com site from time to time - I'd appreciate your visit and your comments!

My iGene Award Winners!

This post was written for the 66th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.

I'm ready for the second annual Academy of Genealogy and Family History iGene Awards and here are what I think are my best blog posts of 2008:

Best Picture

My favorite photo of this past year came from my parents' wedding album and it is this photo of my mother looking in a mirror before the wedding ceremony.  I was lucky enough to rescue the entire album when I cleaned out Mom's house in 2007.  The post was A Small Town Wedding and submitted for one of my favorite carnivals, Smile for the Camera.

Best Screen Play

Easy.  It would have to be The Summer Jar which I wrote in July, 2008 for another carnival - the 3rd edition of Smile for the Camera.  In the post which is in the genre of autobiographical fantasy, I talk of summers spent at the home of my great-grandparents in Grahamsville, New York.

Best Documentary

In March 2008, I discussed the accent that I have when speaking and those that I heard around me while growing up in What American Accent Do You Have?  I am still amazed to this day that I don't have a heavy New York accent like my mother.

 
Best Biography

My post about John McEntee, an ancestor who played a crucial role in the Civil War, was fascinating to research and a labor of love.

Best Comedy

The funniest post of the year had to be Obit Madness - Ida Mae Russell Sills.  Even when I see the photo of this vibrant, lively, firecracker of a woman I just have to laugh.  If you've never heard of a humorous obituary - and you are aghast at even the concept - I beg you to read the one for Ida Mae.  But the post about enemies feeding pickles to babies has to be a close second.

Thanks to Jasia for another go around of these awards.  I can't tell you how rewarding it was just to review all 416 posts that I put up here at this site last year!

DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog: Twitter?

DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog: Twitter?

There is an ever-growing list of genealogy and family-history related tweeps on Twitter at the gene@pedia page about Twitter:

http://geneabloggers.com/geneapedia/index.php?title=Twitter

Wordless Wednesday

Photo: Margaret DeGroodt (1883 - 1970), my great-grandmother, with Betty MacEntee and children Brian and Christeen MacEntee. Digital image. Privately held by Dan MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] New Paltz, New York, 2009.

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.