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What’s New Wednesday

This is a brief overview of what’s new on the website and in the database during the past week:

New Media:

Photograph of James Young Hemphill and Mary Elizabeth (McEntire) Hemphill.  I found this on “The North Carolina Hemphills” website (I recognize this as a scan from the book The Hemphills of North Carolina, which my mother owns).

Photograph . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Most Wanted: Photos, Documents, etc.

One of my goals for this website is the share the results of my research and facilitate the exchange of information with other family members and researchers.  With your help, I hope to make this as complete a history as possible of the families represented.  If you have a connection to our family, I would appreciate . . . → : CONTINUE READING

WordPress-TNG Mashup a Success

Update:  I no longer use the mashup described below.  I’m now using the TNG/Wordpress plug-in available here.

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Finally, the new look of the website, with WordPress and TNG integrated is unveiled!

As I posted a few weeks ago, I was attempting to follow directions to integrate WordPress and TNG.  I had a few problems, but after playing around . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Tombstone Tuesday: Unexpected Cemetery Find

As I was driving past Mount Sumach Cemetery this weekend, I happened to notice a headstone with my last name.  I almost didn’t stop, because I could tell from the road that it was a relatively modern stone.  However, it was Saturday afternoon and I had time, so I turned around.  The stone in question turned . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Footnote Find: Mary Ellis Pension File

I’ve been toying with the idea of a Footnote subscription for some time and have even taken advantage of their seven-day free trial a few times.  I finally decided to go for it.  The item I found this morning makes it all worthwhile.

I’ve been researching my ancestor, Walter Ellis, Revolutionary War Veteran, in preparation for a . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Most Wanted: Barbara Baxter Kendrick

My g-g-grandmother’s name was Barbara Baxter.  I have very little information about her.

She was married to Francis Marion Kendrick on 16 Apr 1871. I can place the two of them, along with various children, in the 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses, always living in the Alaculsey District of Murray County, Georgia.  She was born . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Organizing Digital Photos with Metadata

As mentioned a few days ago, I recently lost all the photo links in my genealogy database; this also included losing the source data for those photos.  I’ve been uploading my photos, and since I want them to be properly cited, I’ve been searching for the source records.  To aid in future recovery projects, as well . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Citing Tombstones as a Source Reference

I recently bought a copy of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ fabulous book Evidence Explained (e-book available for download on Footnote.com) and have spent the evening creating citations for events sourced from tombstones that I have personally photographed.

It’s a simple format and by copying, pasting, and editing, I was able to create citations for over 40 events in . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Easy Source Citations

I spent many years in academia, so proper source citations are important to me.  I love my database software because it automatically builds footnotes, linked to sources, based on form entries; however, I’ve been a bit frustrated because the citation form wasn’t available for photos, documents, etc.

I’ve recently discovered EasyBib, which creates MLA citations for free.  . . . → : CONTINUE READING

Most Wanted – Newton Coleman Ward in Birmingham, AL

According to my grandmother, her father spent time in Birmingham working as a streetcar driver.  I can place him in Georgia during each census year, so this would have been during an “in-between” time.

Newt and my great-grandmother were married in 1909.  They were courting at the time this picture was taken; they are the young couple . . . → : CONTINUE READING