Keeping on task

Well I haven't sent the letter to the son in Arizona, but I am going to next week.  This week just got away from me.  Also, I'm tired of getting film for these church records that don't have what I want on them.  It's mostly my fault.  Thanks to my grandparents I am ordering copies of the 2 I need from the original source.  I am also going to write to the Tioga County Pennsylvania Historical Society and ask if they can take digital pictures of the bible records of my ancestors.  I'm so excited to get this ball rolling!!  On top of it all, I am taking care of the house the best I can, meeting with clients, working full time with added responsibilites and creating 2 more classes.  Ugh. But I love it!

Updates on my genealogy

First I want to start out by saying that I already accomplished one goal for this year.  I sent my paperwork in for the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War and I am now a member!!! I am so excited. 
I had a big breakthrough in my genealogy as well.  For about 70 years there has been question as to whether my grandpa had half brothers or sisters.  We weren't sure if his father had children with his second wife.  We didn't even know anything about her except her first name.  then after years of searching www.familysearch.org put some Montana marriages online and I found their marriage certificate!!! It listed her maiden name and all sorts of information.  Then I was able to see if I could find a second marriage for her.  My great grandfather had died in the war.  Sure enough, I found it!  From there it all took off.  I found her in the Social Security Death Index.  I was able to contact a volunteer through www.raogk.org who looked up an obituary for her.  It listed 2 sons from her second husband, one of them was deceased.  I was able to find the second son on www.whitepages.com.  I have a letter typed up and am planning on sending it tomorrow!!!  Also, I have started entering all my facts into my genealogy software.  It's getting close to being ready for me to print.  :-)  I am so happy with my progress!

Monday Madness

Well my film turned out to be the wrong one!  I now have the right one on order (or at least it better be!)  Tonight I am going to make sure all my papers are ready to be sent in for DUVCW and send them off hopefully tomorrow.  So again I'm in the boat of hurry up and wait.  I do need to get my "facts" entered into my genealogy program so that is perfect while waiting. 

Genealogy Update

I got in a film today that I have been waiting on for a couple months.  It's church records of my family members from the 1730's!!!  It's actual baptisms and marriages, etc.  I can't wait to look at it.  I am also ready to turn in my lineage papers for the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War so I'm very excited about that too.  It's my first lineage society to join.  I'm looking forward to lots of good things this next year and I am going to make 2011 a great one!
I am also starting my own little side genealogy business.  Nothing fancy, just kind of for fun.  I get asked quite a bit for some help and they are willing to pay so I decided to make it official. 
digintoyourfamilyhistorywithtiff.weebly.com
Exciting stuff!!

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, Day 9: Grab Bag

Hmmm... What to write about today.  Well my Christmas shopping isn't even close to being done.  My cards are not even close to being sent either, but the funny thing is by next Friday, both things will be almost finished.  I had planned on having my genealogy book for my "Wright" side ready for Christmas this year and then back in August I found some incredible leads and about five generations further back and well... I'm aiming for February.  I would like to have them done for my grandpa's birthday, so we'll see.  :-)  Otherwise, this year was full of big events and life changes for me so I'm glad it's almost a new year.  We'll see what it will bring. :-)

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, Day 8: Christmas Cookies

I briefly remember putting out Christmas cookies at my grandma's one year but this wasn't really something we did for too long.  It wasn't really tradition from what I can remember.  One other time I remember putting out cookies was when I was in sixth grade.  Since I don't have much to write about cookies I will insert this Christmas story here.  My mom had back surgery for scoliosis that year.  She ended up spending almost 2 months in the hospital from that surgery.  On Christmas Eve she was still unconscious and she ended up biting through her tube that was helping her breath.  It slipped down into her lung.  She died on the table but they brought her back twice if I remember right.  Either way, my brother is 5 years younger than me and was still in the believing age so it was up to my step brother and I to get everything around while my step dad was at the hospital with my mom.  We made sure the presents were out, made everything believable and took bites out of the cookies, drank the milk.  She pulled through but that is all I remember about that Christmas.

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, Day 7: Christmas Parties

There's not much I can write about Christmas Parties.  We have one at work that I attend and we usually have fun things to do.  We always take a group photo around our humungous tree we get.  Last year we played some games and this year we are doing a dinner mystery.  I remember a couple times growing up we would have some of my step dad's coworkers over for dinner around Christmas.  I remember a couple times going to a Christmas type play, usually at a church.  I went one year with my best friend in high school, his family and church.  I'm sure we also had Christmas parties when I was in girl scouts but nothing really stands out.