Excuse Me? Call Me Confused Or......?

I know you saw the post title and wondered if I had lost my mind?  Nope!  I'm just as crazy and loopy as always but.... This post has some graphics that may slow down some readers.  For a closer look click on images and use your back button to return to GFOM.    

I was doing some digging on my Presley/Preslar (yes, Elvis!) ancestors.  I turned to my first jumping off research place, Ancestry.com.  That's where the real fun began.  Stick with me, there's a valuable lesson here.

I've never 100% trusted anything I find on Ancestry.  No slam intended, but something always seems to be fishy.  Why I thought this time would be different I don't know.

So I put in the info I was searching for  ---

Pretty basic stuff, I put in one of the two places I know Andrew had lived, the first being Maryland the second being North Carolina.  I hit enter and one of the things that popped up was the following data base,  I thought Pennsylvania? This is strange but lets have a look --

So I clicked thru...

 

IF you look down at the bottom of page 112 it reads, 

" Andrew Pressler son of Andrew Pressler and Ann his wife, granson of Vollintine Pressler was born the 4th day of February 1732/3." 

Yes!  That's my Andrew.  But wait,  this is Pennsylvania stuff right?   Let's look again.

So, according to this header,  this record is from where?  Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records. But wait, Andrew was never in Pennsylvania.... at least not that I knew of.  Oh wait, another header under the Pennsylvania one, in smaller letters.  It says... 

MD - All Counties

Easton

Episcopal

St Stephen´s Episcopal

HUH?  to my knowledge Andrew had been in Maryland, he was born there, but Easton County?  It was one of only two states I knew him to be in.  Still not happy with the information I saw displayed, I decided to go and look at the book the items were in.   And when I did, this is what I found - 

This "book" that had been scanned and added to this collection, filed under PENNSYLVANIA was actually from Cecil County, Maryland.  And yes, this was my Andrew, in the correct place!  Notice that the header for the title of the data base had not changed.  It still says Easton County. I did go and look at the full listing for the data base and it does state.....

"The documents in this database are mostly Protestant church records from congregations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but there are also some for locations in the neighboring states of Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia..."

I had actually found on a website with NO sources that Andrew was born in Cecil County, Maryland, but it offered absolutely no viable source information and when asked the owner of the site was of no help either.  You can imagine my excitement in seeing the record of his birth in that book.  I was confused as heck seeing his birth being recorded in Pennsylvania?  That made no sense to me at all.  But then following thru and chasing back to the cover & title pages of the book, showing that it was indeed St. Stephen's Parish, Cecil County, Maryland made it worth the the chase.

You can't be too careful when documenting the lives of your ancestors.  Take the time to "dot the i's and cross the t's" as I was often told in grade school.  This certainly proves that if something doesn't make sense, take the time to figure out why.  I now have a birth record for my 6th great grandfather.  How cool is that!?!?!?!?

Happy Researching!
   Karen

Overwhelmed? Let's Simplify!

I'm constantly amazed at how some people can take something that is basically a simple task and make it difficult.  Granted there are some things that you really need to do in a certain way, and changing that way could change the outcome of the whole project.  There are exceptions to every rule BUT....  99% of the time things can be simplified for the best. 

Sometimes you have to step back and think about how you want to go about it, but once you get it life suddenly gets much better.

Some ways to simplify your life....

• Plan your meals in advance, write them down on a calendar so there's no last minute dash to the land of frozen blobs called a freezer.  It really does help relieve the "Oh my goodness its 5pm and I've done nothing about dinner" panic that you get when you've been sitting doing genealogy all day.  
• Use your crockpot.  Its not rocket science (if you need recipes contact me, I've got several thousand crockpot recipes I can share), use your imagination, you'd be surprised how much you can research knowing that dinner is almost made with very little effort on your part. 
• Believe it or not, you do not have to be "connected" to the phone every waking, breathing moment of your life.  Put it on vibrate.  Trust me, the FB posts will wait.  You've got voice mail.  You don't have to take every call.  
• Turn off the TV.  Goodness,  ever hear garbage in garbage out?  When was the last time the tv did your dishes or washed your clothes.  Save your tv time for something you REALLY want to watch - like maybe Who Do You Think You Are or something like that.  Do you really care who's view they are talking about on The View?  Seriously?
• Taking time to get up out of your chair is good for you,  it also allows you to get things done.  Seriously.  Toss in a load of laundry. Set a timer.  Go upstairs and work.  Timer goes off. Move clothes to dryer. Set timer.  Go upstairs and research.  Timer goes off.  Fold Clothes & put away.  How is that hard?  Certainly manageable by anyone reading this blog I'm sure.
• I know this one isn't for everyone BUT,  I have to toss it here because it truly simplifies things for me.  I asked for and received from my son, a robot vacuum.  I know that people are skeptics but it works for me.  Lets face it, how many people vacuum under the bed, the couch and other hard to get to places every week?  My vacuum is programmed for every Monday morning and it works.  Maybe savings? Maybe a group gift from all your kids?  Either way it simplifies things for me.  
• Organize all your errands on ONE day a week. I do all my errands on Tuesday's.  Its also MY DAY.  I do no housework other than making our bed.  I do what makes me happy that one day a week.  If there are no errands to run I know I can sit here in my office and do this FOR ME.  Usually I run my errands, go to lunch with friends or family, and then work on my computer (I take my laptop with me) while I wait for my Tuesday night hang out with friends to begin. 

In the long run, we can all find ways to simplify our lives, to make things easier for us.  These are just a few things I've done to simplify my life.  Simplifying makes more time for me to do the things I have to do, but still allows me time to do the things I want to do, whether its genealogy, sewing, reading or working in my flowers. 

How do YOU simplify?

Overwhelmed? Let's Talk Organization!

Organization is a major issue for a lot of people.  I'm not exception.  I'm working very hard at organizing some things in my life,  but I can tell you right now,  it's not easy.  

Organization covers alot of ground.  It applies to lots of different aspects of our lives.  Things that we need to organize in order not to feel overwhelmed can include all sorts of things - for example -

• Kitchen
• Closets
• Daily Chores
• Computer Files
• Garage
• Collections (in my case my cookbook collection)
• Offices

And the list could go on and on.  But the problem is, we only have so many hours in a day.  So we pick and choose what we choose to work on.  And we stick to those choices and see it thru.

Last year I went thru all my closets (except Mr. Brown Eye's).  One closet a week.  All items taken out, gone thru.  Some stuff donated, some stuff moved to another location, some stuff just tossed in trash.  Deciding what I needed, what I didn't was a major chore.  But I did it.  It's not just about our household organization but our genealogy space organization. So I also did my office closet and desk.

Whether you have a room you call an office or whether you have a corner desk in the living room for your genealogy, organization is a major issue.  There is nothing worse, at least to me, to go to a major repository to research, make a MAJOR find, go to type it in your computer data base only to discover its ALREADY THERE!!!!!!!!!    And I know that you've done that.  We all have.  Because we haven't taken the time to stop digging long enough to dig ourselves out of the mess & clutter we call our "office" or "genealogy desk".    If we stopped researching, just for a week or two, and took the time to get rid of the piles of papers, the clutter, the mass of disorganization, what a difference it would make in your productivity.  Yes, I know its hard!  

Just think if your desk wasn't covered in piles of paper you could have a list of exactly what you want to search for.  Then when you have 15 minutes to sit down and research, you'll know exactly what you want to look and where!  It would make such a difference in how you see things.  With a decluttered desk you won't feel so overwhelmed. 

There is a Facebook page for genealogy organization, "The Organized Genealogist".  It is a closed group, meaning you will have to ask to be included.  Keep in mind that reading all the posts can be very overwhelming.  But there is alot there, with the focus being on organizing your genealogy.  No genealogy surnames or such allowed.  Great group. 

So what will you take time to organize this week?  Have you recently reorganized your genealogy space?  Do you wish you had done it sooner?

Overwhelmed? Let's Talk Priorities!

In Monday's post on feeling overwhelmed, my number #1 to help decrease that way of feeling overwhelmed was to prioritize.  Often when you are overwhelmed just figuring out where to start is difficult.  So I'm going to offer some suggestions - elaborate on just how to do the things I suggested. 

The first thing I suggested was to PRIORITIZE your life.   For me it wasn't that hard,  I already knew what my priorities were.  I just needed to see them again.  Remind MYSELF of what they were.  We get so caught up in just being alive that we sometimes let things get out of hand. 

So I sat down and made a list of just what matters to me.  Your list may change as things change in your life.  The list of a retiree will probably be different than that of a new mom or a mom with small children. 

I won't put my whole list up here but an example of my list would be:

1. My family - includes husband, children & grandchildren
2. Our home
3. Genealogy
4. Gardening
5. Reading

As I said this is not my exact list but it gives you an idea of what I mean by prioritizing.   My family WILL ALWAYS come above all else.  Granted there are boundaries on that,  but we won't go into that here.  Last month when our daughter was injured in a car accident everything else went by the wayside while we stepped in to take care of her, the children and home that they share.  They were our priority.

Second on the list was OUR home.  No, OUR home is not all my responsibility, but I take great pride in taking care of our home.  I am a homebody, I love being here at home, surrounded by the photo's and things that make this house our home.  And I like it kept a certain way.  That's important to me.  So I make a window of time each day available for its upkeep.  I'm primarily an early bird so I'm up getting Mr Brown Eyes off to work.  While I'm up and he's headed out,  I plan dinner, toss in laundry, straighten up, make the bed and I'm done with housework and usually in my office by 8:30.  In the summer it might be later because I enjoy weeding and doing gardening when its cooler outside.

Third, fourth and fifth - the genealogy, gardening and reading really are flexible to me.  Alot depends on other factors.  If its going to be a beautiful day outside I might take my laptop and work on the patio, with breaks from typing to pull some weeds.  The only two items on that list that are locked in stone are #1 & #2.

It ALL boils down to PRIORITIES.  It really is that simple.  So what are your priorities?  Have you made your list?  What makes your list? 

Overwhelmed? Here's Five Steps To Help!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the amount of genealogy information being "thrown" at you these days?  A sense of being totally overwhelmed by the "information highway"?   It seems like everyday there is some new technology, something new to search, something new to try, a new website, a new genealogy Facebook page,  you want to look at them all but you've got kids to take care of, the laundry calls, someone has to make dinner and the list seems to just keep growing on both the personal and the genealogy sides?

I know how you feel!  It can be tough.  But I've learned some things so I thought I'd share them with you.  This is how I survive, can't swear it will work for you but some suggestions that might help.

• Priorities  -  Sit down, step back and take a hard look at just what it is that is truly important to you.  Yes, I know you really want to find out who the parents of John Smith are.  We all do.  But the fact is, he's been dead for over 200 years.  He can wait.  Stop and take a good look at what really matters.  Then plan your time around those things.
• Organize -  You would be amazed at how much easier life is when you organize your life.  Not just your genealogy but your day to day life as well.  I didn't say it was easy or that it would happen over night, but it can be done.  By having things organized, you can quickly get things done without spending half the time you wanted to use researching or doing household chores looking for things to help get the job done.  Make a place for everything and put everything in its place. 
• Simplify - Again it really makes like easier if you learn to simplify things.  I enjoy cooking and baking as one of my "other" hobbies.  I sometimes see really great recipes with tons of ingredients and steps to making them.  Reading over the process I usually find a way to side step alot of the process and still get the same results.  There are alot of things that you can do to simplify things.  In genealogy, when doing some internet searches I search using ONE group sheet. Yep, just one family and search only for that family. No rabbit hole running.
• Make Lists  -  Not just in your genealogy but in your daily life.  Sit down and make a list of the chores that you need to take care of.  Sometimes by multitasking & dividing you can shorten the time it takes to get the job done.  By making a list you can see what chores are the most time consuming and perhaps do one per day, combined with several smaller chores each day.  Everything gets done and you win with more time for doing the things you want to do instead of what you have to do. 
• Learn to say NO -  Being a stay at home mom for all of our marriage meant that I was one of those who got asked to do EVERYTHING.  You know,  you are at home watching soaps and eating bon bons so of course you have time to be on every committee and do everything right?  I learned early on that if I accepted everything that I was asked to do I quickly had no time to do the things I needed/wanted to do at home.  So I stepped back, decided which things were the most important for me to do at school to support the activities I felt important and then adjusted my time to fit that in.  Everything else was "Sorry, I'd love to help but I'm already volunteering on several other projects."  

In the long run, it really boils down to one thing.  PRIORITIES.  What really matters to you?   We all love our genealogy.  It's addictive, it's challenging and I could go on and on.  But the fact of the matter is very few of us are "Islands".  We have people we live with, people who depend on us for other things.  And as much as we'd love to research 24/7 it really isn't possible.  At least not for me.  So take a few minutes, step back and take good hard look at your life.  Decide what things matter and then take it from there!  You'll be much happier and so will those around you!  
          

Wedding Wednesday - A 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

 Golden Wedding

  Fifty years ago, October 32, 1863, Lewis H. Zehring and Miss Elizabeth Gebhart, daughter of Emanuel Gebhart, were united in marriage by Rev. C. Albrecht.  For a half century they have resided in Miamisburg, excepting a brief period, when they resided in the country near town.

  Squire Zehring is one of the best known men in the county, and has always been active in the life of the community.  For over thirty years he served as justice of the peace, and for over forty years has been a notary public.  He served three years as county commissioner.  He is still a director in the Mutal Building Association, in which he was secretary.  For ten years he was mayor of Miamisburg, and is now a member of the Board of Education, and a cemetery trustee.  Industrious, genial and faithful, Squire Zehring counts his friends by hundreds, and though past three score and ten, is still a young man in thought and action.

  Handsome invitations have been issued to many friends for a reception at the Zehring home on Linden avenue this afternoon and evening, when an opportunity will be afforded to extend congratulations and best wishes to the happy couple, who have enjoyed fifty years of life in unbroken wedlock.

  Their two daughters, Dr. Blanche Zehring of Wells College New York, and Mrs. Laura Zehring Dosch of Elizabeth, N. J., are both at home visiting with their parents for the happy anniversary.
**The Miamisburg News (Miamisburg, Ohio), Thursday, 23 OCT 1913, Front Page; Copy in files of Karen Krugman.

Tombstone Tuesday - Forgive & Forget - Doesn't Appear So!

Headstone Ann Margaret "Martha" Cook

1774-1863

  The headstone of my 5th great grandmother, Ann Margaret "Martha" Cook.  She was married to my 5th great grandfather, Christian W. Cook.  I wish I could tell you who her parents were, but I don't know.  

  Margaret dies 13 NOV 1863 at the age of 89 years, 9 months and 2 days.  She rests in Slifers Cemetery, Jackson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.  Her husband, Christian rests in an unmarked grave next to her (according to the readings I have found).  

 Margaret left a will, dated 21 JUN 1852, Montgomery County Will book Vol. G, Pg 17.  In it she names her children - Ann Margaret, Henry, Frederick, Elizabeth (heirs of),  Mary (heirs of), John (Heirs of), Sarah, Christina and Michael.  She names one other daughter, Catherine Cook Boomershine, but leaves her and her family only $1 in her will.  

I believe the following had something to do with that decision:

  "Boomershine, Abraham & wife, Catherine vs Margaret Cook et al 28 MAR 1849. Petition for partition for 1/10th share of SE 1/4 S23 T4 R4 -160 acres owned by Christian Cook dec'd. in Jackson Twp. Left widow Ann Margaret......."

Seems Margaret didn't take lightly to that little challenge and didn't forget about it either!  I wanted the paper to prove the relationship but I'd rather have found it shown in other ways!  

Monday Musings

Been a busy few weeks here and an awesome weekend to top it all off.   We've been staying busy with yard work.  This past winter was so cold here in Michigan and the snow amounts were so bad...  I know I've not seen this much snow here since I moved here 21 years ago.  That said,  our roses took a major hit.  After much research and discussion we opted to cut them back drastically and see if maybe over the next few months they will come back.  I'm pretty sure that at least two are done.   We have many flower beds here at Karma Gardens and keeping up with them at times can be a daunting task.  That's okay, the beauty they provide more than outweighs the work we do to keep them up.

Took a break from the upkeep of the property and went to Lansing on Friday and Saturday for the Summer Seminar put on by the Abrams Foundation & the Michigan Genealogical Council.  What a great job they did.  A wide variety of speakers covering a wide spectrum of topics.  I think all the attendees really enjoyed themselves.  Friday night was the lock in,  38 lucky persons were "locked" in the Michigan Archives for an evening of research.  What a great evening.

There will be another seminar at the library on Saturday November 1st.   All the details are in process but from what I saw at this past weekends seminar, the focus will be German & Pennsylvania research.  Mark your calendars!  I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Happy Monday everyone!

Karen

Wordless Wednesday - A Family Donation (1940)

Madness Monday - Abigail Presley Ansley

We all have them,  in fact many of us have several of them.  Abigail is one of mine.  Yes, Abigail is one of my brick walls.

She was born Abigail Presley, 9 SEP 1830 supposedly in Georgia.  She married 3 FEB 1848 to Rayford Ansley.  Abigail & Rayford are my 3rd great grandparents.  Abigail dies ca1859, although no one really knows where or when.  The same can be said about Rayford.  Her parents are said to be Andrew Presley & Anny Strickland, but then no one can offer proof, its all heresay.  Which if you've followed this blog enough, you know doesn't work for me.  I need/want real proof.

Abigail was the mother of 9 children: William, Mary, Mirandah, Nancy, Thomas, Joseph, Henry, Sarah & supposedly a second sone named William as well. (perhaps the first William died young?)

Much of this family's history is unknown to this compiler, in fact most people that I have talked with about the family of Abigail & Rayford don't seem to know much more than I do.  The one person with whom I have chatted and says he descends from this line says that when I "..prove my lineage to his satisfaction (DNA doesn't count with him) he'll reveal what he knows...".  You don't want to hear my thoughts on his attitude!

Their son Joseph, my ancestor, took great lessons from his parents, his death place & date are unknown to the compiler as well.  As of this writing only three of the children of Abigail have known death dates & places.  The other's... well, that's another Monday Madness blog. 

For now just wondering what became of Abigail is enough madness for this blogger for now.  Maybe someone will read this blog and make it into Miracle Monday by answering all my questions about Abigail.... 

Happy Researching!
Karen

Monday Madness - Abigail Presley Ansley

Just who is Abigail Presley Ansley? I doubt seriously that anyone might be able to answer that question. Or at least no one I know. There is alot of speculation & suppositions but I've yet to see any proof showing me exactly who she is or who her parents are. Below is a "Theory Sheet", which is a group sheet that has been made and indicates that until I find solid proof, this link remains a theory.

Remember you can click on this "theory sheet" image for larger one & use your browsers back button to return to Genealogy Frame of Mind.

Theory has it that Abigail Presley was the daughter of Andrew Presley (pick your variation of that surname and insert) and his wife, Anny. No where, No how has anyone shown ME that this is a documented fact. And those of you who practice "click & claim" genealogy, you can not use this blog for documentation of that fact. I see her name plastered all over Ancestry's tree's as you see it on the "theory sheet" but No where have I seen this backed up with any serious source documentation.

It seems these days in the world of genealogy instead of taking the time to locate real proof, solid documentation proving that what you see is really & truly the right thing, its easier to take so & so's gedcom and settle for that as proof. Well folks, here's a newsflash for ya! That don't cut it. Sorry, no sugar coating no beating around the bush. That's junk! If you want ME or any other real genealogist to take you seriously, show me REAL sources, REAL documentation. Until then, sorry folks, your work don't cut it. If I want fairy tales I can go to my local library and check out Grim's fairy tales or one of those. Like Sgt Friday used to say.... "Just the facts mam!"...


So, tell me, are you an Ansley or Presley researcher? Do you have the REAL proof needed to state without a shadow of a doubt that Abigail is the daughter of Andrew & Anny? I mean serious proof, not so & so's gedcom - that just doesn't cut it with me. I'm like Coke... I want the real thing!

How about you??

Happy Researching!

Karen