My Personal New Year's Genealogy Resolutions

[This post is part of the 87th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.]

Here is list of my personal genealogy goals for 2010:

1. Continue Genealogy Education

For the next 12 months I will continue to participate in ProGen 4 as part of my genealogy education plan. I started in September 2009 and currently the program is slated to end in March 2011.

So far I've found the assignments, the peer review process and the discussions very helpful. In fact it was the ProGen lesson on formulating an education plan which helped me deside on another component of my education: participation in the Boston University Online Genealogy Research cerficate program.

I will start on January 13, 2010 and over the course of 14 weeks will cover quite a bit of terrain led by some excellently qualified instructors. I am really looking forward to the BU classes and will report on them periodically through the Destination: Austin Family blog.

2. Pursue Certification

While I understand that there is no uniform standard of certification in the field of genealogy, and that there are several certifying bodies that one can work with to achieve different types of certification, for me it is important to attain some type of credential.

I am not looking to have some post-nominal such as CG after my name just for the sake of having it, nor am I trying to say that I am better or more qualified than other genealogists. For me it is simply a goal and the path to that goal means I will be a better educated and more well-rounded genealogist.

I also hope to determine whether the certification process can benefit from some of the emerging technologies that I and others have started to adopt in pursuing our research as well as marketing our services. And again, the value of having a genealogy blog is the willingness to report back to my readers on the process itself as well as the insights I've gained.

3. Separate Personal From Professional

Since I started the GeneaBloggers.com website in January 2009, I've neglected to keep my personal genealogy and professional genealogy personas separate. This can cause some confusion especially for newcomers to the world of genealogy blogging.

I need to Twitter more under my own id which is @tmacentee instead of @geneabloggers. Also, on Facebook I need to utilize the GeneaBloggers group and GeneaBloggers fan page for communications rather than my own personal page.

While I will probably always be identified with GeneaBloggers, I think keeping personal and professional activities separate will have lots of benefits in the long-run as well as help me build GeneaBloggers as a brand.

4. Participate in More Carnivals and Daily Blogging Themes

There is no reason why I shouldn't walk the walk about these great genealogy blogging activities since I am always talking the talk about them over at GeneaBloggers. With my busy schedule I can pre-post as much as possible but I know I have quite a few ways to tell the stories of my ancestors through the Destination: Austin Family blog.

5. Preserve More Documents

This means more scanning and more transcribing. I have fallen behind and I just need to commit myself to doing this.

6. Develop My Lowville Site

Since I switched hosting companies for my Lowville Long Ago site, I have retained the domain name but I did not re-establish the wiki using MediaWiki software.

I want to establish a site similar to the Albany Hill Towns wiki which I helped develop in late 2008.

7. Display My Tree

I have a rather ingenious way of displaying both maternal and paternal sides of my family tree in my home office. I have the concept set on paper - I just need to execute it and then describe the process on my blog.

That's it - seven simple ways of improving myself and my genealogy. Simple, right? I hope to do a check-in right after Jamboree in late June 2010 and report my results right here.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

June Austin Finkle 1944 - 2009

On my way home from California - where I had spent Christmas - I received a note from my uncle with the subject line "Some Sad News" and I froze.  Sitting in the Santa Ana airport, I paused before opening the message wondering who had died - my mind immediately went there and not other types of bad news.

Once I learned that my Aunt June had passed, I called my uncle who had all the details about his sister and what had occurred unexpectedly earlier in the morning.

* * *

Here is the obituary for June Austin Finkle from the Times-Herald Record dated 29 December 2009:

June Finkle of Livingston Manor passed away on Monday, December 28, 2009 at home. She was 65.

June was the daughter of the late Alfred and Anna Henneberg Austin, born on July 30, 1944 in Jersey City, NJ.

All that knew June knew she was one-of-a-kind. She was a great person with a big heart. The memories June leaves behind are priceless and will never be forgotten. June was a great person all around. She will be sorely missed.

She leaves behind her three loving children: Judith Camara, Vernon Finkle Jr., and Arthur Finkle; six grandchildren: June, Lee, Christina, A.J., Dakota and Anneliese; three great-grandchildren: Ashley, Amber and Glenn; four brothers: Larry, Lee, Alfred and Lem Austin; five sisters: Joan Toher, Joel Destefano, Judy Froehlich, Jacqueline MacEntee and Jennifer Startup, along with many nieces and nephews and a very close family friend, Paul Tuggle. June was predeceased by two sisters, Patricia May and Julia Jackson.

Donations may be made in June's name to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.

On Wednesday December 30, there will be a celebration of June's life at the White Sulphur Springs Fire House at 1 p.m.

Arrangements by Herbert C. Bryant Funeral Home. For further information, please call 845-439-4333 or visit our website at www.colonialbryantfuneralhome.com.

* * *

My memories of Aunt June are many and what I remember most was this: while she had all the same characteristics of most of the Austin siblings, she was unique.  Both gruff and endearing at the same time - if that is possible and it was possible with her.  She often said the things that only people thought but dare not say and often said them in public.  In your heart you knew she was right and you also wished you had her courage to say it.  Pity the poor store owner or anyone else who tried to put one over on Aunt June - not only did they hear about it, but half the county did as well.

And for a woman whose heart just simply gave out, you know it was a big heart, a full heart and one that always gave.

* * *

I want to thank all my genealogy colleagues who have touched me with their condolences and their kind words through emails, Twitter, Facebook and more.  As Denise Olson of Family Matters said today in her post entitled Sympathy, we - the memory keepers, the ones who bear witness to what our ancestors and families once were - know that each and every passing matters.  This is why we work to write their stories, to preserve their thoughts and words, and to bring them back to life if even only for a brief sparkling moment.

Rest well Aunt June and know that you will not be forgotten.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - That Certain Christmas Eve

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007

How do I begin a story that took place 45 years ago and involves kitchen cabinets, Wigilia, Midnight Mass, a game of poker, a generator, a maternity ward and a Christmas stocking? The best way, I guess, is to go exactly in that order of all those mysterious events and items.

My mother was always an active woman, from my memories, and from what relatives have told me. Being the sixth of 12 children she was the doer, the fixer, the healer. So it is not surprise to hear that while she was nine months pregnant, she thought nothing of climbing up and down a step-ladder to clean kitchen cabinets. I guess there was nothing more pressing on that day than to tidy up the place a bit, especially in places that no one else could see.

During this first of two pregnancies, Mom had a relatively easy time of it, barring the fact that she always had to go to the bathroom. With a baby pressing against various other body parts, she figured that urge to always "go" was normal for some women, and her doctor had confirmed that. So when her water broke during that cleaning mission, luckily she was in the bathroom. However, she didn't realize that the birthing process had just started. She thought that once again, she had to "go" and just did.

And so off to parties and gatherings my parents went. One tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my future god-parents Mike and Elsie Washousky celebrating Wigilia but it was called "Holy Supper" by most of us. Uncle Mike grew up in a Polish household in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania where he had met his future wife Elsie Slaby who was of Slovak descent. Our Wigilia was a blend of both the Polish and Slovak Christmas traditions, leaning more towards his wife's family's traditions of the past.

Holy Supper was held that night in the same way it had been since the early 1950s when the settled in Liberty, New York and would still be up until 1990 when Aunt Elsie had passed away. I remember that the day started with Uncle Mike in the kitchen cooking his family's version of the traditional dishes: unleavened bread, pea soup, sauerkraut soup, mushroom soup, bobalki, fish and potatoes, pierogie, cabbage, beets, and finally, stewed prunes.

Once the first star in the sky appeared, it was time to start. A procession would be made into the living room where a table for 12 to 15 people was set, lit only by candles. Straw was under the table to signify the birth of the baby Jesus. We would begin with the oplatki, a special wafer similar to Roman Catholic communion wafers but very large and imprinted with a scene of the Nativity. My aunt ordered them special delivery from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

We would dip the wafer in bowls of honey scattered around the table and Uncle Mike would begin the Remembering. He'd speak of how his parents kept Wigilia each year and work through a remembrance of the entire family past and present. Small glasses of wine were served and we'd laugh, cry and remember.

The soups would come next. My favorite part were the bobalki. These were not the traditional sweet tiny dough "worms" covered with preserves and butter, served like a Christmas pudding. These were tiny "fingers" of dough fried in oil and onions. Placed in a bowl on the table, they were meant to serve as dumplings for the various soups. For most of us, it helped the sauerkraut soup go down easier.

Once dinner was done, the candles were blown out, and the women began the cleanup. All night long, my god-parents would tell me and my brother and in later years their grandchildren to behave otherwise Santa Claus would not come that night. We always asked how he would arrive - and Uncle Mike stated that you could first hear the sound of sleigh bells.

So off to the upstairs bedrooms the children would go to get dressed for bed. Sleepy and struggling to get into their Dr. Denton's, they all had visions of sugarplums and what Santa would bring them, for they were certain they had been good all year long, not just that night. Meanwhile, the parents were downstairs bringing gift upon gift up from the basement where they had been secreted out of the site of prying young eyes.

Once the presents were all arranged around the tree, my aunt would be at the bottom of the stairs and begin shaking a large belt of sleigh bells. One of the men would be outside either on the roof making noise or if it was too dangerous due to snow, throwing large pieces of wood up there to make noise. Women would be downstairs, in a loud voice, saying "Is that Santa? I think I see him! I know I can hear his sleigh bells!" At that moment several small children would begin screaming, arms flailing, feet stomping as they tried to catch a glimpse of the man in red. They all seemed to tumble down the stairs in one large ball of energy only to be disappointed, once again, at not seeing St. Nick. But he had left them gifts which would be feverishly opened while parents stood with their Polaroids and Instamatics and flash cubes remembering when their own family pulled the same stunt at their Wigilias of past.

My mother kept this tradition that night with people who were good friends, and considered family. The main topic of conversation was her pregnancy and when the baby was due - which was determined to be right around New Year's Day. Someone said they hoped it was before the New Year so that the baby would also be daddy's little tax deduction as well as mommy's little bundle. My Aunt Elsie, being a registered nurse at the local hospital, made a prediction that the child would be born the next day, on Christmas. "Have some more wine!" everyone said with a laugh.

By this time it was 11:00 pm which meant it was time to head down to church for Midnight Mass. If you wanted to get a good seat and to be able to sing Christmas carols before the service, you had to be there by 11:30 pm. Only stragglers and out-of-town visitors would end up in the last pews or standing in the back or along the aisles.

Mom sat through Mass which ended about 1:30 a.m. And not yet having had a full day, she went back to my godparents' house for another tradition: the annual Christmas poker game. Starting about 2:00 a.m., there would be a large group gathered around the same table where Wiglia had been held only hours earlier. Of course the straw had been removed from under the table and now it was filled with shot glasses, whiskey, chips and cards. A transition from the sacred to the profane.

It was during one hand of cards, that my mother felt that something wasn't right. Her labor had begun - it was sudden and unexpected. My aunt, the nurse, then informed my mother that her water had probably broken earlier in the day when she thought it was time to "go." Now it really was time to "go!"

Aunt Elsie called up the hospital and let them know to start the generator in the maternity ward. Seriously. That's how small a town I had. There were not many births, perhaps one or two every two weeks. So a generator was kept to provide extra power and heat in this small wing off of a small hospital in a very small town in upstate New York.

Mom said it was colder than a well-digger's *ss in that room - at least that was the colorful term she always used. It was 4:00 a.m. by time she and the rest of the broken up poker game had arrived. A different game was underway, and Mom didn't know if they next card she received would be a Jack or a Queen, a boy or a girl.

So at 6:50 a.m. that cold Christmas morning, surrounded by friends who had become family, I was born. My first appearance would be in a large red and white striped Christmas stocking which I would later use growing up as my stocking for Santa to fill.

That day it was filled with a child my mother always wanted, wasn't quite expecting so soon, and would always love.

Although she can no longer tell that same story as she told it to me, as with so many memories, I now do the telling. Thanks Mom.


© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Special Christmases for Special Loved Ones

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007

I'm a firm believer of not going overboard on the first Christmas you spend with your sweetheart. We all see stories and advertisements with couples getting engaged on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day; images of a tiny box with a ring in a stocking or under the tree. I've always stuck to the "TIS The Season" principle: TIS meaning "Take It Slow." Very often I would find myself swept up in the spirit of Christmas to the point where it would cause emotional and rational blindness. You begin overlooking the other person's shortcomings or issues that could turn out to be major issues later on. So I've learned to not make those types of gestures or gifts around Christmas.

Marriages and commitments are a different matter. I went through my genealogy database this morning and realized that there are many of my family members and ancestors who were married on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It makes perfect sense especially if the happy couple had traveled to be with family. It seems like a no brainer since there is an "instant reception" built right in with a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner. As long as it didn't detract from the real reason for the season and celebration.

Another common marriage date seems to be New Year's Eve. Not only does it still qualify the happy taxpayers for married status at the end of the year, but again it is already "instant party time."

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Death Doesn't Take A Holiday

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007

Funny how you sit down to write about one topic and then it is taken over by another that is more important. This one started out about wills and estate planning, then and now. I'll save that topic for a later date. Today I had to "stop for Death" as Emily Dickinson once wrote. He was too important to ignore.

I am sitting here ready to post after a rough day but one that has really emphasized to me the "cycle of life." While I'm all hopped up and ready for the holidays, Christmas trees, baking, seeing friends and family, at the same time I am dealing with loss and death on many different levels. Death doesn't take a holiday. But if it does, some years it seems like my family is its prime vacation spot.

Yesterday, while I was in the middle of writing out my estate planning details, I received news that one of my partner's aunts was declining quickly. She had been quite ill for months and at a stage where hospice care was brought in to care for her last days at home. And then the call came about 5:30 pm that she had passed on. Her sister had just passed away during this year's Easter holiday.

This post is not about death but more about remembrance and ways we can embrace and cherish those memories. This post is really more about pausing and recognizing the cycles of life and how they seem most evident when a death occurs around a holiday such as Easter or Christmas.

Death amid a time of joy tells me that death is just a part of nature, it is part of what should be expected but is not always anticipated, it gives meaning to holidays and to life. If we had no sorrow, no loss, no death, we'd have no touchstones with which to measure our joy. Joy would be a constant, a flat line with no spikes and simply rendered a non-emotion.

But why do our losses seem more obvious when we should be filled with the holiday spirit? I know that last week's holiday was rough for those of us with recent losses and not so recent losses. Holidays emphasize togetherness and family for many of us, and the absence of a loved one during this time seems more intense, and the separation more vivid and painful.

I caught myself on Thanksgiving Day wanting to call Mom and ask if she watched the Macy's parade while she was stuffing the turkey. This was our ritual, our nod to continuity from year to year, something she and I shared. With phone in hand, I started to dial and then I remembered: she wasn't home stuffing a turkey or over at one of her sister's houses. She was in the nursing home this year. Maybe she was watching the parade, but the Alzheimer's would make sure she couldn't remember it even 15 seconds later.

So, I paused and put down the phone. I put my hands back in the bowl of stuffing. And I remembered for her. I remembered holidays, turkeys, and parades. I remembered learning how to make this exact dish that I am literally up to my elbows in. And I cried. And then I laughed because how can you wipe a tear when your hands are practically breaded and battered?

Sure, a cycle ended when I couldn't experience that holiday tradition this year. But cycles that seem to halt their movement - frozen in time - allow new cycles to begin. I now make stuffing with my own family in Chicago. I now call Mom on holidays and try to help her remember.

There will be many tears shed by me this holiday season. And that's not a bad thing, really. The tears tell me that a memory had meaning, that loss is real, that a loved one was important, that death hurts, that a ritual was worth repeating even to the point of aggravation, that there will be new tradtions in the years to come, and that more loved ones will all too soon be missing at the table.

That piece of a life is gone, and it isn't ever coming back. Choose to chase after it, blindly follow its path, and forget the life and rituals going on right now around you. Or choose to embrace its memory, wrap it around you like a colorful and warm Mom-made afghan, and make it live by telling it to others in your family.

This is what we do. We are family historians. We engage in The Telling. In a way, we bring life to the dead and memories to the living.

Photo: grave of my great-grandparents,John Ralph Austin and Therese McGinnes Austin. Grahamsville Rural Cemetery, Grahamsville, New York. My great-grandfather died two days after Easter, 1988.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Census Holiday Names - Festivus

Recently Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings posted several Christmas Names in the Census Records and it was fun to see the various combinations including some bizarre and unintentional ones such as Robert Crachet.  In addition, Megan Smolenyak has a great post at The Huffington Post about unusual names not being a more recent practice especially among the celebrity set!

On a lark, I decided that Festivus is almost upon us, (and if you are a Seinfeld fan you surely know what this is), I would see if there were any records in the United States Federal Census or perhaps other indices for people with Festivus as a first or last name.

Well there doesn't seem to be much in terms of US records:

• No surnames listed as Festivus however there were lots of Fastoffs/Fasthoffs/Fastovs.

However interesting results over across the pond, as they say:

• Pinnegar George David Festivus, born 22 Sep 1991 - (London, England, Births and Christening Notices from The Times, 1983-2003) on Ancestry.

Influenced by the Seinfeld episode? Or a family name?  Let's look back a bit more:

• Arthur Festivus Padfield who sadly was born and died in the same month, September 1870, in Cardiff, Wales (England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915) on Ancestry.

• Sidney Festivus Cob Hancock, born abt 1869 and died 13 Mar 1933 in Saint James Parish, Enfield, Middlesex (London, England, Deaths and Burials, 1813-1980) on Ancestry.

Not much really.  Hmmmm.  I had my hopes up for a Festivus miracle but such hopes are dashed.  Now I must prepare my list of grievances and practice my feats of strength.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Please Don't Play That Christmas Album Again!

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

As I grew up, it seemed there was only one Christmas album available not only in our home but in the world. My mother would play it incessantly - to the point of frustrating and angering me and my brother.

The album was A Christmas Sound Spectacular by John Klein and was released in 1959. Klein had done much of the arranging for the Your Hit Parade shows and this album, when released, was (and still is) one of a kind. Mom would bring out the album, with its tattered cover and some scratches, place it on the Victrola and we'd begin decorating the Christmas tree. And since it was a four hour ordeal (due to the rule of placing each strand of tinsel individually on the tree), we heard the album at least six times.

When I cleaned out Mom's house this past year, I could not find the album for the life of me, and as much as I detested it, I really wanted to hear it one more time. So I resolved to find a digital version if possible. When I did find it (see below), boy did it bring back memories. And I called Mom, and despite her advanced Alzheimer's, she can recall every little detail if it is at least pre-1995. So she said "Oh, you have 'the album' on. You must be decorating the tree. I'll have to stop by to see it."

So I play my favorite track Medley: I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day/Carol Of The Bells and now wonder why I hated these songs so much. I knew if back then Mom had said "You just wait - you'll be older and you'll miss these songs," now she could rightfully say, "See? What did I tell you?"

You can download a preview of A Christmas Sound Spectacular at a neat Christmas music blog called Bongobells. But since the album was reissued in CD format in 2002 and is no longer "out of print," you really should order a copy of this great album for a modest $8.00 at Schulmerich Bells. In fact, John Klein performed all the songs on the 1,143 bell carillon of Schulmerich bells where they are based in Sellersville, Pennsylvania.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Church, Church and More Church

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]
I grew up attending the church where my parents were married - St. Peter's Catholic Church in Liberty, New York. I have early memories of attending Midnight Mass but not Christmas Day services - only Christmas Eve was considered a Holy Day of Obligation.

I loved all the pageantry involved: the singing of Christmas carols before the procession began, the decorations, the telling of the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke, and the smell of incense.

After I left for college and moved to San Francisco, I really didn't attend church again until 1991. For the next 10 years I would participate in a variety of different services at a variety of churches. All of these were of Protestant faiths which, while not a problem for my mother, would have had my ancestors spinning in their graves and saying novenas on my behalf.

Most of my participation at these churches was behind the scenes - friends called me "The Church Lady" because not only did I know all the practices and little details of holding a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day service, but I was able to organize the entire production.

Typically we would have three services on Christmas Eve: a children's service at 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve with a pageant. Then a 7:00 pm service for those who could not attend (i.e., stay up for) the 12:00 am service. For years it meant being at church from 3:00 pm until after 1:00 am the next morning - and made for an exhausting Christmas Eve since there was also a 10:00 am service on Christmas Day.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Christmas Shopping

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

I always know when it is time to start holiday shopping: when I see the ads for Chia Pets and the Clapper.

I have great memories of early Christmas shopping trips to Middletown, New York which was a 45 minute drive from my home town of Liberty. This was where the closest Sears, JC Penney and Montgomery Ward stores were located. We had a Sears catalog "showroom" in Liberty where you could place an order then go down and pick it up, but that wouldn't do for Christmas shopping. Besides a Woolworth's (which is now a Family Dollar store), the only place left was the S&H Green Stamp store. Mom would usually try and cash in her books of stamps for items to give as gifts - after her two boys had lost their sense of taste licking all those stamps.

Growing up, we exchanged gifts only with my great-grandparents and my godparents and their family who lived across the street. My godparents held the Wigila each Christmas Eve and we had a huge gift exchange with them (8 adults and 6 kids). So off to Middletown to buy toys, books, and clothing.

Mom always had her shopping done about a week before Christmas except for a few little items. Unlike her two sisters, Pudgie and Ginny (no one used their real name in my family). Around 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve they would put down their coffee cups, put out their cigarettes and one of them would say to the other, "Well, how about we go down to K-Mart and get this crap over with?" That meant a trip to Kingston about 40 miles away.

My aunts were lucky in that K-Mart was the only place open until midnight. So, they would spend the next fives hours buying presents for about 10 people. Funny they always managed to get what they needed - or at least made it seem like the choice was appropriate to the person. No weird or bizarre gifts. If it were me, I'd be grabbing stuff in the checkout line saying "Here, Tic-Tacs for your mother, Zippo lighters to trim your father's nose hair and eyebrows, etc."

As you can tell, I abhor shopping. I purposely do not participate in Black Friday - in fact I participate in Buy Nothing Day on the Friday after Thanksgiving. But I am a big online shopper - God bless the Internet. I was one of the first Ebay members when they started as well as one of the first online shoppers. If it can't be done online, then at the very least the person is getting a gift card. My relatives are amazed - in fact one uncle keeps saying, "I gotta get me some of that Internet."

So I buy toys for my niece and nephew in Virginia Beach, Virginia; gift cards for my niece and nephew here in Chicago; a neat original present from Ancestry for the in-laws; I order new clothes for Mom which are sent to her brother to be labeled before they are delivered to the nursing home.

I've already put my list out to Santa and I was just told one of my presents (can't tell if it is Christmas or birthday): air tickets to Reno, Nevada in January 2008 to see Etta James. I can't wait!

Photo: Marshall Field on State Street, Chicago, Christmas 2005.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Christmas Stockings

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

I remember pretty vividly the stockings that my brother and I would hang for Santa to fill on Christmas Eve. They were made of a felt material printed with red and white stripes. Since we had no fireplace in the apartment where we lived, they were hung on the back of the front door, in the living room.

On Christmas morning we'd find items like Matchbox cars, card games like Uno, and nuts - mine were always a jar of macadamia nuts since Mom knew I loved them.

When we moved to our first home, I was 13 years old and not too old to hang my stocking. So it was placed on the wall near the wood stove in the corner of the living room. And it still contained macadamia nuts!

Presently the stockings are hung on the bar in the entry way - they are red silk with gold embroidered stars (I have a thing for red and gold). See, I still have a stocking but I am hoping that Santa fills it with more adult items like mixers, cocktail shakers or other fun stuff.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Follow Friday - Carole's Canvas

This is my first Follow Friday post (can you see I am trying to get a jump start on my genealogy New Year's Resolutons?) and I want to highlight an Australian genealogist - Carole Riley and her site Carole's Canvas - Where It All Hangs Out.

I not only enjoy visiting Carole's sites (she has many including several blogs), but I also follow all her Twitter accounts (three).

You see, Carole is my point-person when it comes to Australian genealogy and when I want to know what's going on in the genealogy landscape "Down Under."  Carole is very involved with the Society of Australian Genealogists and tweets for them as well.

In case you didn't know, genealogy is very popular in Australia and I enjoy connecting with Carole and all the other Aussie geneapeeps, especially in the middle of the night when I can't sleep!

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1869 Diary of Mary Weber

I scored a major ebay win last week but I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag until I actually had said item in hand. And literally in hand, for this tiny church diary of Mary Weber dated 1869 and measures 3 inches by 2 inches!

Why did I bother to purchase this very old item once owned by someone who may not even be an ancestor? Here's why:

• Mary Weber lived in Lowville, New York when the diary was completed. I consider Lowville my ancestral hometown since my great-grandfather John Ralph Austin was born there in 1896 and his ancestors settled there around 1840.

• Given the commonality of ancestral locations, chances are pretty good that I have some relationship either with Mary Weber or perhaps someone in her diary.

• At the very least, the entries - once transcribed - would give me a better idea of what life was like back in 1869.

• And finally, how could I pass up a chance for such an artifact? While I did have to outbid others, my presumption is that all of us would have wanted to somehow tell Mary Weber's story.

So what's next? Here are my plans:

• Transcribing will be very difficult - entries are hard to read, in small print and in pencil.  My best bet might be to scan the diary and then use photo editing software to make a negative image and enhance the results.

• The next step is to type the text up probably in Microsoft Word.

• Then I need to select a platform in which to present the text to the rest of the world on the Internet.  One option is to use Blogger or WordPress and create a new blog (just what I need, right?) using a diary format, with a post for each day.  Perhaps if I start this on January 1, 2010 I can have the posts follow sequentially for 1869.  

• Another option is to use one of the newer platforms such Tumblr or Posterous.  I like this idea since it would get me to learn a new platform.

• Finally, I could somehow incorporate it into my Lowville Long Ago wiki which is currently offline.  One of my genealogy New Year's resolutions is to revive the wiki and make it more robust.

I'd appreciate any input from readers especially ideas as to how best to preserve Mary Weber's legacy.  Ultimately, I may reunite the diary with a proven living descendant who is interested in having this piece of history.  Or I  may donate it to the Lewis County Historical Society along with the transcription.

Oh, and by the way, this was just the first Lowville-related item I scored on ebay last week.  Next Treasure Chest Thursday I'll post about the 1879 Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Lewis County, NY booklet I purchased!

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - My Christmas List

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

I remember as a child, that starting in early November my brother and I would get started on making out our Christmas lists. This, of course, was before we knew the truth about Santa Claus. But even after that time, we continued the tradition of putting our wants and wishes down on paper. And Mom tried very hard to get most if not all items on that list.

Now I am vexed when it comes to the concept of these types of "lists." It seems the concept of letting others know what you want has found its way into wedding preparations and even children's birthday parties (I kid you not - there are now registries for kids on Toys R Us and other sites). While the original concept of a "registry" was used only in the world of weddings so that the happy couple would not receive 15 toasters and no china, current use of the concept seems to turn an invitation into an invoice. Basically the invite says: come to my party and you better bring something.

So I stopped composing lists. As a I grew older and lived 3,000 miles away from Mom, she knew that either a gift certificate or cash would work best. But she always had a little something that she picked out herself - and it represented what she knew about me. I think that is the best part about gift-giving: it forces us to really think about what we know about the recipient and why they are important to us.

So, will I get from Santa what I want this year? I already did and I received something I knew I wanted, but didn't know was actually available.

The gift? Being able to exchange ideas, holiday customs, and comments with a new-found group of people interested in the same aspects of genealogy and family history as me.

Thanks Santa. And I still believe.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

My Favorite Christmas Carol

My dearest friend and genealogy blogging colleague footnoteMaven has arranged for the Annual Choir of GeneAngels to contribute their favorite Christmas carols.

Rather than simply print the lyrics or perhaps look for an audio or video clip, I opted to go one further and record an inspired interpretation of Winter Wonderland. What inspired me I don't know - just plain silliness, too much caffeine or a commitment to finally figure out how my webcam worked in terms of recording video. Please be advised that there is a good reason why I blog through the media of writing and not video. I have a face made for radio and a voice which could cut glass. I haven't sung in I'm not sure how many years so if neighborhood dogs come running or your own pets start shrieking you'll know why.

Note to footnoteMaven: I hope the surgery went well. And please don't bust your stitches by watching this and laughing too much.



Disclaimer: this video was made at 1:30 pm on a workday afternoon. There was no alcohol consumption involved, I had not been huffing Lysol under the kitchen sink nor were any animals harmed during the production. Sometimes you just feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

And towards the end the video seems to freeze but the audio continues on. I'd like to think that my webcam was just overcome with the stunning beauty of my holiday raiment and my voice.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - A Christmas Cut-Up

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

My memories of Christmas at school begin at St.Peter's Catholic School in Liberty, New York which I attended during Grades 1, 2 and 3. The focus, of course, was on the story of the Nativity and not on the more secular features of Christmas such as decorations and Santa. I remember there were no Christmas trees in classrooms - there may have been one in the main lobby of the school. I do know there were no Christmas trees in the church itself.

I started school at a very young age - I think 4 1/2 years old in kindergarten which was at the public school. I was a handful for my mother, both from an intelligence standpoint as well as physically. I'm sure it was a challenge to keep me in line, as I would hear stories that my mother laughed at in later years.

One example: it was tradition to have the nuns who taught school come over to a student's home for dinner at least once during the school year. Usually it would be the two or three nuns who taught your child. Our visit fell during the Christmas season which was quite a bit of fun. Until my mother's inquisitive son opened his mouth during dinner - and not to shovel in food.

I remember asking one of the nuns why she didn't have children and if she had been spayed like our dog Blondie. Well my mother said later, "I thought I should just die right there." Of course, this was the late 1960s and the nuns who taught me were part of a very hip, post-Vatican II group. I think they laughed for minutes on end at my remark.

While I performed in many Christmas concerts, and also as one of the VonTrapp childen in our version of The Sound of Music one year, I was more known for my versions of popular songs. This included Jingle Bells. Now if you are of a certain age (and I won't say what that age is), you will know what the image above means and how it relates to Jingle Bells.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - A Stollen Recipe

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

Along with everyone else, I grew up with some fruitcakes, and not just the ones on my family tree. These were the bland, dry, store-bought items perhaps picked out in a mad rush in the checkout aisle at Walgreen's.

"Oh gosh! We forgot something for Thomas's family. What will we get? Oh, here's a lovely fruitcake - that'll do!" Yeah, right.

Being of good Irish and German stock, our homemade fruitcakes were somewhat different. The Irish version was more an Italian pannetone style with yeast, dried raisins and currants. Plus lots of Irish whiskey. The cakes would be baked, cooled, then places in a tin and infused with some whiskey.

I've made variations of fruitcake through the years - one year I even made a Hawaiian version with macadamia nuts, candied pineapple, candied cherries and coconut - that one was great! Especially since it was soaked in a little bit (okay, not so little) of Malibu rum.

But my favorite hands-down version is traditional German stollen. I've had it from the Swedish Bakery here in my Chicago neighborhood and I will need to swing by and see if they are carrying it this year. But homemade is the best with this recipe below - it is from an old Sunset magazine article - and relies upon cottage cheese and baking powder, not yeast, for its rise.

Stollen

2 1/2 c unsifted regular flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mace
1/8 cardamom
3/4 ground blanched almonds
1/2 c cold butter
1 c cottage cheese, whirled smooth in a blender
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 T rum (or 1/2 tsp rum extract and 1 1/2 T water)
1/2 c currants
1/2 c golden raisins
1/4 c chopped candied lemon peel
3T melted butter
2 T vanilla sugar (bury split vanilla bean in 1 C sugar and cover container tightly. Let stand 2-3 days)

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, spices, almonds. Cut in butter until resembles coarse crumbs.

Blend cottage cheese, egg, vanilla, almond extract, rum, currants, raisins, lemon peel; stir into flour mixture until all ingredients are moistened. Mold dough into ball, place on floured board, and knead 6--10 minutes or until smooth.

Roll out on floured surface to oval 8 1/2 by 10 inches. Lightly crease dough just off center, parallel to the 10" side. Brush dough with 1 T of melted butter. Fold smaller section over larger. Place on ungreased sheet which is covered in brown paper (probably parchment these days). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is well browned and bread tests done in center. Brush with remaining butter, sprinkle with remaining sugar.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - I'll Be Home For Christmas?

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

My first memory of travel over the holidays was when I would fly home from college in Washington, DC to New York. I usually flew into Newark airport since the fares were so much cheaper than LaGuardia or JFK and it was an easier drive to upstate New York.

In a previous post I mentioned that my mother was very adverse to even leaving the house to see a relative on Christmas Day. But eventually she relented.

In 1983, Mom decided that we would spend Christmas in Florida where my brother was stationed in the Navy. So I flew from Washington, DC to Melbourne, Florida and met my mother. From the airport we drove in a rental car to meet up with my brother in Orlando.

Of course it was a very different Christmas but more so because of a freak cold snap in Florida. We had plans to go to Epcot Center and Disney World on Christmas Day - we wanted to see the Christmas Parade. So we headed over, bought our tickets, and got on the paddle boat to head over to one of the sections of the amusement park. At 23 degrees, I will never forget all the ice on the back of the boat near the paddle wheel, and the fact that we didn't have jackets!

Later that day they had to shut down Disney World for the day due to ruptured steam pipes that supplied heat to several buildings. We received a refund and luckily were able to return the next day.

As the years went by, I would fly home to New York from San Francisco each year or Mom would fly to see me and spend a week or two with her Uncle Greg in Santa Rosa.

For my 40th birthday, I flew to Las Vegas on December 25th for a few days - it was lots of fun and my first time there. I also realized that Christmas Day was one of the best days for flying - that was, of course, before everyone else was let in on the secret. Now, that day seems like any other air travel day.

After 2000 and her Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis, it became increasingly difficult for Mom to travel via airplane. Throw in post 9/11 air travel and it became a nightmare. Our last visit for Christmas was in 2003 when she flew in to spend a month with me in San Francisco. We had a great Christmas Eve with friends and then the next day, Christmas Day, we flew to Las Vegas for three nights. We saw lots of sights including Hoover Dam on the Nevada/Arizona border. It was rough trying to get Mom through airport security efficiently and making sure she knew what was going on. I know she doesn't remember it right now, but she always had a great time when we traveled.

These days I stay home in Chicago while all my friends and some family take off for Indiana, Michigan or other places in Illinois. To me Christmas has always meant being at home and not "only in my dreams" as the song goes. That's how I prefer it.

Photo: Hoover Dam, December 27, 2003

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - But What Can I Give?

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

As the title above states, this was the dilemma of the Little Drummer Boy: seeing what the Magi had brought and feeling that he had nothing of value to give to the baby Jesus. We often have greater gifts than we realize, be they material items or true talents. The obstacle often is how to match them up so they work for good and for change.

I was not raised in a home where volunteer work was performed or charity donations made, at least not in the formal sense. But I always think of my mother as very charitable. She was the middle child of 12 and was always the "peace broker" among them. And this continued in adult life as anyone acquainted with her knew that she was always the reliable, good friend that you could call at 3:00 am and say, "Please help me." Those are the people you keep close to you.

In California, I was involved in several Christmas-time charities that enabled you to "adopt" families in the community who had dismal prospects for any sort of a Christmas. The Salvation Army and The Edgewood Center in San Francisco would call me in early November and let me know that they had several families who could use some help. More often than not, these were single mothers with one or more children who were trying to get their lives back on track. That, I could relate to.

So I'd put out my e-mail to co-workers who actually looked forward to this every year. I would make copies of either a handwritten letter from the mother asking for basics such as underwear, clothes, dishes and maybe, if it's alright, a toy for one of her kids. And almost never was there a mention of what Mom wanted. Luckily, the organizers supplemented her letter with all the sizes, wants and needs of her and her children.

The first two weeks of December would be filled with phone calls, storing items, etc. Items were delivered to the charity unwrapped so they could be inspected and made sure they were appropriate. What I received each year was astounding: bikes, clothing (new, of course), household items, gift cards to grocery and clothing stores. I soon came to the realization that many people have the desire and the means to help those who have less, but they often don't know where to begin.

So, along those lines, I've taken on a project this year in Chicago. Operation Santa Claus is run by the United States Postal Service here and takes letters written to Santa and matches them with volunteers who want to play Santa for a day and deliver needed items to the child, his or her siblings, and parents or caretakers. This has been going on for several years but I would always read about it too late in the season.

Down at the main post office, volunteers had sorted the letters into piles: one child, two children, etc. Again, there were letters that would ensure you spent the rest of your lunch hour with a box of Kleenex. Operation Santa Claus then gives you a sheet with rules and instructions, takes your ID and personal contact info and wishes you good luck. And thanks you profusely.

Right now I have friends out shopping for Family 1 (a single mother who has two small children, works 30 hours a week and goes to college) and Family 2 (a grandmother who is caretaker for her three small grandchildren). We will then have a wrapping party next week. But this time, we get to actually deliver the items to the family. I just hope I have the emotional stamina and wherewithal to do this part of Operation Santa Claus. If you are interested in such an opportunity, click the link above - many cities have local Operation Santa Claus chapters.

Is it really better to give than receive? Why can't both occur at the same time? They do when you try to make a difference in someone's life, especially that of a child.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Simple Gifts

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

In my immediate family, although my mother tended to go overboard (but not over her head financially) with Christmas gifts for me and my brother, the giving of presents was never the real focus of the holiday. It was the opportunity to spend time with family and to honor the traditions they had kept close to their hearts for many years.

As I get older, I find that not only do I need less, but what I want is not always a physical or material object. These days we are big on "experience" gifts: a gift certificate to a day spa, tickets to a theater production, a ride on the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour, etc.

I've learned that materials items are not always important. In fact, we bought a new home within the past year that is very vintage in both its detail as well as its lack of storage. Though what might seem as a hardship or an inconvenience has turned out to be a blessing: we are forced to not only go through our possessions and constantly donate to locate charities, we also scrutinize every purchase and say "Do I really need this?" and "Where will I store this?"

And cleaning out a family member's home is a sure way to reinforce that thinking. In the past year I've had to clean out two entire houses - one with 30 years of possessions and the other with 60 years of possessions. As other family members witnessed the amount of work involved, they've also resolved to go through their possessions now, rather than later.

After all, how can you open your hands to receive something when you are still holding on tight to something else?

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Swiss Gear Backpack - A Connected Genealogist's Best Friend

Normally I don't make product recommendations for items that aren't directly related to genealogy, but this deal on Amazon is too good not to mention!

Normally priced at $100, right now this Swiss Gear backpack is reduced by 65% to $34.99 and includes free shipping!

I can personally vouch for this product - I purchased mine at a much higher price on another website prior to the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree last June.  The backpack was a life saver!

I can store my netbook and all its data cables etc. with ease.  The backpack will also hold up to a 15.1 laptop and if you are frequently in airports like me, it is very easy to access.

There are many different pockets and areas to store items like USB flash drives, papers, folders, pens, keys, etc.

Amazon has an amazing selection of Swiss Gear backpacks, most are heavily discounted right now and include free shipping.  Check it out!

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Christmas In New York

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

Growing up only 90 miles from New York City definitely had its advantages, especially around the holidays. My mother would usually plan a trip into "The City," as we called it, during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

The intent was to see all the department store windows along Fifth Avenue, to visit the ice skating rink and Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and to even see the Radio City Hall Christmas Show with the Rockettes.

We would drive down, park the car, or sometimes even take the train from Poughkeepsie, and then start walking. Most stores had velvet rope barriers on brass stands to make viewers line up close to the windows so as to not interfere with foot traffic.

The windows were like big snow globes: most were animated and each store usually depicted a Christmas story such as The Nutcracker, or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (which, by the way, was created for Montgomery Ward), etc. Usually there would be a printed part of the tale in the front of the window, but for small kids who couldn't read, you'd hear parents reading it to them. The scenes were magical and I would later learn that many stores spent most of the year preparing them. And the stores tried hard not to repeat the same story each year.

Of course, while I looked forward to these trips each year as a child, as I grew older the interest eventually wore off. And while Marshall Field's windows here in Chicago are wonderful and watching young kids marvel at the Christmas displays brings back so many memories, it just doesn't feel the same as those windows of my childhood and Christmas in New York.

Photo: Giant Ornaments, New York City 2006 by zizzybaloobah on Flickr.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Gingerbread Cookies

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

I am an admitted and open, gingerbread cookie freak. And this is a family tradition that I started on my own about 15 years ago. We never made gingerbead when I was growing up, and looking back, that surprises me. Gingerbread and Christmas just seem to go together naturally.

In fact, I won't even make gingerbread cookies after Valentine's Day and before September - it just ain't fittin! I've made great gingerbread for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Valentines Day because the flavor to me is so tied in to the cooler weather.

The recipe uses not just ginger but cloves, cinnamon and, of all things, black pepper. They have a great zing. Add royal icing that has a strong lemon flavor and the ensuing taste is unbelievable. But to me the fun part is decorating. I have a list of cookie decorating tips on my recipe blog And I Helped! but a few are listed below:

I cover my dining room table, after having added both leaves, with plastic film. I purchase the large kitchen service type roll. Then lay out the cookies. When the cookies are done drying, cleanup is easy and there is no old tablecloth to shake outside and wash later.

Large cutters not only make the decorating easier (sort of the "Reader's Digest large type" edition of cookies!) but makes a substantial stocking stuffer especially for people like your postman/woman, hairdresser, etc. It also helps that I use large (4" x 8") cellophane bags, the kind a florist would use for a corsage, for packaging. It lends that final "finished" touch.

I used to decorate in different colors, but lately I've been using the poor man's pastry bag method: take a one gallon plastic storage bag with some type of zipping closure, place white royal icing in it. Then pinch a tiny hole in one corner with scissors but not too big - you can enlarge it if you need to after testing. This is a great method for outlining shapes but I use it for "zig-zagging" snow on my large Christmas tree cookies.

Finally, the decorations, sprinkles etc. I got so frustrated last year in seeing empty shelves in the baking aisle of my supermarket and the fact that they are so expensive that I tried something different this year. I ordered large 3 lb containers of decors from Amazon's grocery division. The key is to buy them out of season like in July - the normal price is about $25 put I was able to snag a few at between $9 and $11 with free shipping and no sales tax.

Mom taught me some tricks to save some pennies. She didn't raise any stupid children. Just one ugly one and he's still at home.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Parties Past and Present

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

My family, like most of us posting today, didn't have formal holiday parties. We grew up thinking that Christmas was better shared with family especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Perhaps it was because everyone had different traditions and ways of celebrating. What I enjoy so much about this meme is that we have a great group of genealogy and family history enthusiasts with a wide range of traditions and we find threads of commonality as well as a sense of diversity.

For years, I couldn't even get my mother to leave the house on Christmas Day to go for a drive, let alone travel to a relative's house! Later this month in my post on Holiday Travel, you will see that I was able to get Mom to broaden her holiday horizons.

For Parties Past, I remember mostly family get-togethers - some impromptu, some planned. With my mother having 11 siblings, all married with at least two children, things could get crazy and crowded. Usually my cousins and I would find something with which to entertain ourselves, and this was before VCRs, DVDs, Wiis and Playstations. We would play board games, read or just sing and be silly.

The adults would all be gathered around my mother's dining room table, filled with cookies (both Mom's and theirs), date nut bread and coffee. And cigarettes - lots of cigarettes. Every woman in my family had that kittenish purr you only acquire from a 3-pack a day Pall Mall habit.

They would laugh, carry on, reminisce (my favorite part) or play games. Trivial Pursuit was a hot game when it came out. But the favorite game was Roll Over better known as Farkle. Similar to Yahtzee, it involved 6 dice and various scoring rules. My family was very competitive and razzing and insults were always part of the game.

For Parties Present, I have attended and hosted various types. We only go to a few holiday parties each season and in fact, right now, I am recovering from one last night. TMI.

My firm, which is based in California, has a very different take on holiday parties. Over the past few years, it has been held on the first Saturday after New Year's Day. I think this is a great idea because there aren't enough Friday or Saturday evenings to sacrifice in December, right? This way it is truly a "holiday" party and is welcoming to all who do or don't celebrate some holiday at the end of the year. This started out as a mistake one year: management waited until too late in the year to find a suitable venue and only Saturdays after January 1st were available. And we all benefitted - the firm got a much cheaper rental and catering rate and more people were able to attend.

In our home, we host a New Year's Day open house each year. It is also called a Recovery Party. Mostly family, some friends, it starts at 2pm and runs until about 8pm. People show up when they want - there is no schedule. It is casual and carefree. And the spread usually includes ham, turkey, stuffed mushrooms, cheese, crackers, bacon candy (hah! now I'll have to post this recipe!), roast vegetables, crab cakes, crab dip (I hear another recipe post . . .), and cookies, of course. I think we had close to 20 or 25 people last year and it was a blast.

Photo: Open House at my home, January 1, 2007, Chicago

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

And the Genea-Speak Award Goes To . . .

I am still stunned at being awarded the first Genea-Speak Award by texicanwife over at Mountain Genealogist.

As stated, the Genea-Speak Award is given "for excellence in writing, speaking, and the promoting of good genealogical practices." And the only requirement upon receiving the award is to pass the award on to at least two deserving recipients.

Well this is not a burden I take lightly and please understand that for someone who tracks close to 800 genealogy blogs each day (and reads over 500 posts a day), having to choose only two is very difficult.

* * *

Before I get to announcing my nominated award recipients, I want to touch upon the concept of awards and recognition especially among the genealogy blogging community:

• If you are a member of this community and actively participate you already know the value these folks and their activities bring not only to the field of genealogy but to each of our daily lives.  We have folks who freely exchange research and information; people who volunteer to maintain genealogy society websites and blogs; those who offer encouragement especially when someone has hit a brick wall or has writer's blog; and folks who recognize the contributions of others through comments, links to blog posts, weekly highlights on their own blogs, retweeting on Twitter and the list goes on.  And let's not forget how we tend to "look out for each other" whether it is thoughts and prayers to one who has suffered an accident or recovering from surgery or to those who are watching a spouse, son, daughter or grandchild go off to serve their country as well as to those who've recently suffered the loss of a loved on.

• If you are a new member of this community, you already know most of this and you've quickly learned how welcoming and "non-cliqueish" this group can be.  New bloggers are offered advice and tips on how to get started.  Many of us go out of our way to help market and publicize new and interesting genealogy blogs.

• If you feel like you are someone on the outside looking in - that's fine - we like it when people take a peek.  We hope you feel comfortable enough to eventually comment on blog posts, ask for help in starting your own blog, and eventually participating in blog carnivals and other activities.

What I'm trying to say is that there are critics who've pointed out that as a group we give out too many awards, we pat each other on the back too much, we aren't "real genealogists" (oh don't get me started on that one), that we really don't contribute much to the community, blah, blah, blah.  Nonsense, I say.

Every day many of us live and work in a world filled with negativity, with "do it this way, not that way," with finger pointing and judging.  Some of us are desperately searching for family who we've lost either through time and distance, family secrets, or other sometimes petty issues that separate rather than join. Isn't it great to find a group of folks who are willing to see the glass half-full rather than half-empty and offer encouragement to others without keeping track of the cost or what they'll get out of it?  I appreciate every single award I've ever gotten and I just wish I could display them all in my sidebars.  Today I think I'll work on a post listing those awards and simply create a link in my sidebar.

* * *

Since the award recognizes those who've made contributions in three distinct areas of genealogy - writing, speaking and the promotion of good genealogical practices - I want to recognize the following genealogy blogging colleagues and pass the award on to them:

• Miriam Robbins Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.  Miriam was one of the first genealogy bloggers I encountered and probably was the first one to whom I looked up and was in awe of.  When you are new in the genealogy blogging community, you follow one or two people because you are amazed at their accomplishments, their vibrant ideas, their masterful writing and capturing of family memories, their energy.  Miriam was and still is that person for me.  The value alone that Scanfest has brought to the genealogy community in encouraging people to properly scan and preserve their family photos and documents deserves its own special award.  Miriam writes from the heart and willingly shares the good and the bad of family memories.  And she also volunteers with local genealogy societies and is a speaker and teacher both locally and nationally.  Our little space on The Internets would have less sunshine, less energy, less fun and less importance if it weren't for Miriam - this is why she deserves a Genea-Speak Award.

• Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings.  Randy has made so many great contributions to the genealogy community that I can't even begin to list all of them.  They include his involvement with local genealogical societies, his blog posts on technology especially new features and annoyances of genealogy database software, as well as his Saturday Night Genealogy Fun events.  Randy not only follows sound principles when it comes to genealogy research and documentation, his writing helps communicate complex technology to the new comer in an easy approachable manner.  And Randy also speaks on the local and national genealogy conference circuit selflessly imparting his body of knowledge to others.  The genealogy and genealogy blogging community owes a big debt to Randy and he is so deserving of a Genea-Speak Award.

So Randy and Miriam, please pass the Genea-Speak Award on to two genealogy colleagues who you feel have made meaningful contributions in our field in the areas of writing, speaking, and the promotion of good genealogical practices.  And congratulations on your award.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Santa Baby

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

I don't know why this has been the most difficult post for me to write in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories - at least so far. I don't have many memories of Santa Claus as a child.

This I do remember: when I first found out that those presents under the tree were actually from my mother and not Kris Kringle himself. I was in Cub Scouts and it must have been about 1972. At a friend's house after school, where our meeting was, I had said to the group that "Santa was bringing me . . ." and they began to laugh. But one of them, who either felt bad or knew what it was like to find out that not-so-little nugget of truth, told them to stop and changed the subject. Well, I put 2 and 2 together and didn't get 5, I got 4.

Sure a loss of innocence, somewhat, but it was then that I really appreciated all those gifts. I knew we didn't have much money, so the fact that Mom was able to do as much as she did amazed me. I never told my little brother the "truth" either - I figured he had to find out on his own.

As I grew older, I learned more and more about the legend of Santa Claus and the connection with Saint Nicholas. And as I pursued my family's genealogy and history, I also learned that he was the patron saint of Amsterdam and New York, both places where my ancestors originated. And today, December 6th, is the feast day for Saint Nicholas and usually the day gifts are exchanged in most European countries.

When asked, Mom always said that she believed in Santa Claus, and now I understand what she meant. She believed in the concept of what Santa stood for and wanted to keep that idea alive. She also knew that Santa brought amazing gifts to all, even her.

You see, I arrived into this world on December 25th. And she said that I was the greatest gift she ever received.

[Author's note: I tried so hard to keep my tie-in with Christmas a secret until the post of December 24 - Christmas Eve. But my life has always been so entwined with the holiday that it was almost impossible for me to even hold out these past six days!]

Photo: Stories of Saint Nicholas of Bari, ca. 1437, by Fra Angelico, from the Vatican Museums. This panel is part of a tryptich depicting life events of Saint Nicholas. Here you can see his birth (left), his vocation (center), and his gift to the three girls (right).

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Rudolph The Big Big Reindeer

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]


Rudolph, the Big Big Reindeer

In my mind there are three classifications of outdoor holiday light displays: witty, wonderful and wacky. Growing up there wasn't much of a chance to see lights unless we drove down towards New York City or up to Syracuse where more people lived. There you could see entire streets where every house looked as if it were a group effort.

Growing up, holiday light displays meant the traditional C9 bulbs, about 25 to a string, all in different colors. People didn't really go as wild as they do now. I think there are more options to choose from these days: mini-lights, blinking lights, icicle lights, LED lights, lights timed to music, animated figures, gigantic snowglobes, etc.

When I lived in California, the lack of snow caused people to decorate outside even more. I always laugh when I see this picture above - this reindeer was absolutely ginormous - about 30 feet tall with over 4,000 white lights. It used be be located on Tait Avenue in Los Gatos, California but from what friends say it is no longer there. The best part was, if you didn't know it, you'd round the corner and slam on your brakes when you came upon it.

Here in Chicago, which has often been described as a big city with the neighborhood feel, you see more traditional light displays: swags of live greens, red bows, white lights. So when someone puts on a display that slightly differs, it really stands out. One thing I like to see too, perhaps because there are so many block associations here, are entire streets with red bows. Red bows on fences, in windows, on doors, etc.

Our favorite place is Lincolnwood, a suburb north of Chicago in Cook County. These people have money (home prices start at "expensive" all the way to "if you have to ask you can't afford it") and many hire companies to do their decorating. At $1,000 to $10,000 for each home. This is the best: the 30 foot tree looks as if it were growing through the roof. It is very ingenious and I would love to go inside and see how they do it. In fact, a new family bought the house a few years ago and part of the deal was to continue this favorite holiday tradition.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - A Christmas Card Conundrum

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

Each year I feel more and more challenged by the concept of sending Christmas cards. I shouldn't complain - it actually has become much easier since I've been using Hallmark's online store and I've sent cards this way for the past five years.

In November each year, I see what Hallmark is offering for boxed sets of Christmas cards, usually in their Shoebox humor line. I order about 80 cards (down from 120 last year) and the price includes a 2 line message imprinted on the inside and free return address printing on the envelopes. If I order with my Visa card it is usually 20% off if you know the coupon code. Also they have free shipping before Thanksgiving.

The cards arrive, I print out mailing labels, slap 'em on, add a stamp and viola! My cheerful Christmas message is on its way. Can't you just feel the sincerity? Hallmark will even sell you sheets of stamps and if you are really lazy, or delusional if you ask me, they will have someone handwrite all your recipient addresses on the envelopes and even mail them! Yeah, I want that job.

I remember my mother "making her list and checking it twice" which meant only one thing: sending and receiving Christmas cards had become a game or competition of keeping tabs on who you sent to, who didn't return the gesture, who sent to you but you didn't send to. Crazy.

What's crazier is how I always get my first card on the day after Thanksgiving from the same person. As if he's climbed the Mount Everest of holiday greetings first that year. I'm amazed at how it never arrives a day early or a day late.

Display methods these days is on a 6-foot long wire card holder, pictured on the right, I purchased at Pottery Barn that is just a vertical stem with 50 branches on each side. I actually leave the holder up all year and place birthday cards, gift cards, coupons, or reminders in it. My most ingenious way to display Christmas cards: in the slats of the venetian blinds in my dining room.

I think as more and more of us get into the "green" thing and start worrying about our carbon footprints, we see Christmas cards as impractical. On the plus side they are recyclable and some really nice ones can be saved and turned into ornaments with some imagination and a glue gun. But to me, I'd much rather make a phone call and catch up around the holidays. Or write an email - and I don't mean a mass mailing. I mean a thoughtful personalized message. I'm just that way I guess.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee

Advent Calendar - Christmas Ornaments

[Note: This post originally ran during the first Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories in December, 2007]

Okay, I admit it. I come up with some crazy ideas. Just as I write about my family history from very different perspectives than most, I do the same thing with Christmas ornaments. Leave it to me to put the "weird" in Christmas.

I have very defined tastes and even, friends say, "rules" about Christmas ornaments. No plastic. No garrish colors. No movement or music. No Disney or other cartoon characters. The same thing goes for Christmas lights. No blinkers, no bubbles, mini-lights only, white and lots of 'em - enough to cause a brown out on my block.

This year, as in the past, I've placed my collection of mercury glass and other ornaments in a large glass bowl. One year I used large crystal vases and placed them in there. Another year it was gold Pickard china bowls. I've even used small bowls and placed them in bedrooms or even bathrooms. There can never be too much Christmas, right?

When I lived in California, we never used our fireplace due to smog concerns. Also, I had grown up with wood stoves in the house so the fascination of cave-like living complete with fire was quickly lost on me. What to do? Well, fill the fireplace with lots of glass ball ornaments! First, I would place a string or two of mini-lights in the clean, empty fireplace. Then I would buy boxes of the cheap glass ball ornaments at Walgreens or Target. I would arrange them haphazardly and stack them up on each other. The effect with the lights turned on was great.

Finally, my preference is for ornaments that are handmade using nature's bounty. This year I am assembling ornaments made with walnuts, whole nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, dried orange slices, dried pomegranates, moss, feathers, cedar roses, star anise, dried roses and pinecones. You can learn how to make these over at my other blog, A Catskill Christmas (shameless plug).

I think you shouldn't be stuck hanging Christmas ornaments on a tree only. That's like not staying within the lines or not having green dogs when coloring.

Photo: My fireplace in California, not filled with ornaments just a lot of other crap I made, 1997.

© 2009, copyright Thomas MacEntee