• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Mail
  • RSS

Tombstone Tuesday: John Henry and Margaret (Kuttenkuler) Becker in Tipton, MO

October 26, 2010 Filed in Becker,German Genealogy,Tombstone TuesdayTags: ,No comments

Last week I posted pictures of the St. Andrew Cemetery in Tipton, Missouri.

On my first trek through the cemetery, I couldn’t seem to find my 3rd great-grandparents, John Henry and Margaret (Kuttenkuler) Becker. I knew that they were there. I even had a picture of their gravestone which I found online. I completely missed it though. I had a van full of kids that needed to use the restroom, so we took a short drive down the road for a pit stop. I talked my husband into driving back to the cemetery again so that I could find the stone. I was determined.

I managed to find it right away this time. I’m not sure how I missed it the first time through, because it wasn’t very hard to find.

John and Margaret were married in Tipton in 1858.  They were both born in Germany, like many other people in the area.

Here is a picture from their 50th Wedding Anniversary.  They are in the middle, surrounded by family.:)

add a comment
Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

Working on my DAR line.

October 25, 2010 Filed in Revolutionary WarTags: 3 comments

Last week, I met with the sweetest little lady in her 90′s.  She has been a member of the DAR for over 60 years. Wow!

I now have the paperwork I need to fill in for my application – and I have a lot of work to do.

I’m realizing that there are many simple documents that I don’t have.  Things I’ve overlooked because I already had the date.

I called my mom and asked her to look through her things to see if she had certificates for her parents, since she ended up with my grandma’s papers.  I may have to order them instead…

I have been on an ordering frenzy.  Birth certificates.  Marriage certificates.  Wills and Probate Records.  I can’t wait until the documents start appearing in my mailbox.  It’s kind of like Christmas.:)

I’m hoping that I’m able to find everything that I need to prove my line.  Luckily, I have two ancestors that are fairly close on my tree, so if I can’t find the documents for one, perhaps I can do the other instead.

add a comment
Amy Coffin - October 28, 2010 - 10:28 am

Good luck with your DAR application!

Cherie Cayemberg - October 29, 2010 - 2:49 pm

Good luck, Jenn! My Genealogy Society just did a class on SAR so SAR & DAR is fresh in my mind! My family is far too new in the US to have a chance and I think Rick’s side is too new for SAR, but he stands a better chance than I do! Keep us updated! :)

Jen - October 29, 2010 - 3:57 pm

I will definitely keep you updated! It’s going to be a long process, I can already tell. Where did most of your family come from Cherie? I have some “newer” Americans – my Grandma’s family was from Sweden, but I have many lines that were here in the 1600s also. It’s kind of nice to have some of each. :)

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Challenge #43

October 25, 2010 Filed in 52 WTBGNo comments

Week 43: Brush up on your knowledge of citations. The most detailed element of genealogy is also the most important. Take some time to review articles, books and web sites on the subject. If you have a copy of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence Explained, you can read it as part of this challenge. If you do not, consider getting the book, then review some of these pages and the links they contain: Genealogy Source Citations Quick Reference by Thomas MacEntee at Genealbloggers.com (this is a PDF file), Citing Sources at Cyndi’s List and Documenting Your Research / Citing Your Sources at About.com. Bloggers, do you have a favorite book, web site or tool for helping you craft quality citations?

This is something that I really need to work on right now.

For a while, I was entering so much information into my database, so often, that I had no problems doing my source citations.  I rarely had to look at my cheat sheets to remember the proper way to do it.

I kind of took a few years off of genealogy research though.  I would work on it here and there, but didn’t really get a huge amount done.  Having babies and more babies and a husband deploy for a year left me with little free time.

Here I am with my research back in full swing and I find that I’m having difficulty in doing my source citations.  It’s taking me much longer to get them done (even with the Source writer in the Legacy program).  I still have a Rubbermaid full of papers to go through and re-enter into my program (I started my database over from scratch a number of years ago because I wanted everything properly entered and cited and still haven’t completely caught up).  I think I need to devote a couple of weekends to data entry and then I will be up to speed again on my source citations.:)

I have a copy of Evidence!, but I’m considering purchasing the Source Citations Quick Reference to keep close at hand while I’m entering my data.

add a comment
Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

Treasure Chest Thursday: WWII Letter

October 21, 2010 Filed in Heirlooms,Thornton,Treasure Chest Thursday,World War IITags: 1 comment

This is the letter that my great-grandparents received when my grandfather, Alphonso James Thornton, Jr. was wounded in action on the USS Cabot. His ship was hit by a kamikaze and he received shrapnel wounds.

I can’t even begin to imagine how scary that must have been to get this letter. I have a husband in the Army, so I can sympathize.

I am just thankful that he was only wounded, or I wouldn’t be here today!!

add a comment
Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith - October 21, 2010 - 8:44 pm

I are all glad he was only wounded… ;-)

Thanks for stopping by and sharing about the report cards!
;-)

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top

Atlanta Family History Expo

October 20, 2010 Filed in Uncategorized3 comments

I’m seeking advice from those of you who have attended Family History Expos before.  Is it worth a 4 1/2 hour drive?

There is one in the Atlanta area next month and I’m trying to decide if I want to make the trip or not.

My husband has a 4-day weekend, so I have someone there to watch the kids.  I just don’t know if I want to drive quite that far by myself and miss spending the weekend with him.:)

Opinions anyone?  I would really love to go.  I just wish we lived a little closer. Do I just hold out for the NGS Conference in Charleston?  (Which I”m definitely going to!)

add a comment
Diana Ritchie - October 21, 2010 - 8:58 am

I would say that it is definitely worth it! I drove to KC in July and loved every minute. It was especially fun to get to meet other geneabloggers – people I only “knew” from facebook/blogging.

Amy Coffin - October 22, 2010 - 10:43 am

Jen,

I am employed by Family History Expos, so of course I must say “Yes!”

However, I am going to take my Expo hat off and put on my genealogy blogger hat for my reply.

One of the best parts of attending a genealogy event is meeting other bloggers, socializing and networking. Classes are great, but you can learn so much just from talking to others. And genealogy bloggers are just awesome. So friendly and fun.

That being said, here’s a list of genealogy bloggers you will meet if you decide to go to the Atlanta Family History Expo:

http://www.geneabloggers.com/fhexpo-atlanta/

I know how hard it is to get childcare, and how hard it is to then leave your family. I’m doing both to attend this Expo.

One last note: there will be a blogger area in the exhibit hall, so you can meet everyone there. Instant friends and no wandering around by yourself.

If you do decide to go, let me know so I can put you on the list of bloggers attending. I’ll tell Geneabloggers, too.

Hope to see you there!

Jen - October 22, 2010 - 3:19 pm

Now I really want to go!! :)

Share on Facebook•Tweet this Post•Pin Images to Pinterest•Back to Top
F i n d   i t
B l o g r o l l
T a g s
B u t t o n