Movie Short - The Book and the Rose

I recently watched a movie short called "The Book and the Rose".  It too was about some historical letters.  Quite a nice 30 minute movie that includes a big of romance and WWII.

Movie - Possession

I recently watched the movie called "Possession" on Netflix streaming.  It was made in 2002.  The reason why I post about it here is that it has a bit of a genealogy/ancestry slant to it.  It involves letters from the late 1800s Victorian Era making it seemingly historical fiction.  Gwyneth Paltrow is in the movie.  I will warn that some people may object the content as it does involve some adult themes.
  

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Break for MYOG

It's time for a Christmas Break for MYOG.   Posts will be begin again after January 7th, 2013!

Rerun Friday - My Most Viewed Post

A handy tool that Google provides with a blog is the ability to see what post is most popular.  I find this fascinating.  To complete my final rerun Friday for 2012, I thought I'd share what appears to be my popular post.  For whatever reason the following post is my most viewed of all time at just over 1400 views.

That seems pretty amazing.  Those are not all my personal views by the way.  Also, I wonder if someone is searching for an O'Brien (as it is a common name) and my post comes up on their search.  Whether they found who they are looking for may not really be a mystery.  Let's just say that I always say that Kate Flanagan (Catherine Mary O'Brien) is one of the most interesting people in my family tree.  This supports that for sure.

By the way, since I wrote this post, I have found Kate's family members in Australia and the area in which they lived in New Zealand!  Or rather, they found me.  My networking online and using this blog to share and communicate does work.

Originally post on Tuesday, October 26, 2010

O'Brien's And The Curious Message Board Post

So have I reached a dead end with my O'Brien Family line?  Will I be able to find Kate Flanagan's (Catherine Mary O'Brien) family in Ireland?  Or in Australia?  I wonder.  I've posted on various message boards online and haven't really gotten anywhere.  I think I found my O'Brien's on an Australian passenger list, recently.  That information still begs for more information. 

O'Brien is a fairly common Irish surname.  It is extremely common in the Castleconnell area of County Limerick, Ireland.  I think that there is even a bridge named after an O'Brien in Castleconnell.  I've tried to research my O'Brien family line on the internet but have found much difficulty in doing so.  Not only is O'Brien a common Irish name but apparently there are a lot of Edmund (or Edmond) O'Brien's too from this area.  I am not sure visiting the location will turn up any new information.  I would love to at least drive through Castleconnell and see what it looks like.  It is, at least, the location where Kate was baptized.

Maybe I should be looking for the Gleeson's, or is it Gleason?  They must have been from this area too.  Anne Gleeson married Edmund O'Brien.  They had some children including Kate.  I only wish I knew more about this family unit.  It would certainly help in my research.

I know some information about Kate.  There is her reputation and her letters.  I still need to finish reading her letters.  They are full information.  Kate was pretty direct and even to the extent of being blunt.  She must have been quite the character and smart.  I am fascinated by her.  I believe one of my next projects will be to read all of her letters.

The other day I did receive a response to my message board post.  I find it rather curious. 

Re: Catherine Mary "Kate" O'Brien - Castleconnell, County Limerick, Ireland



Posted by: R.... C...... (ID *****9163) Date: September 26, 2010 at 13:40:43
         
In Reply to: Catherine Mary "Kate" O'Brien - Castleconnell, County Limerick, Ireland by K...E... of 4591
     
Hello K......:


For Cat(herine) O'Brien B 1843 (exact), Castleconnell RC parish, Co. Limerick, with the father's forename unknown, I found 10 rcds. None had a father forenamed E(dmond).
          
For Edmond/Edmund O'Brien M 1840 +/- 3 yrs, Co. Limerick, I found 5 rcds: 1837 Patrickswell RC, 1841 Murroe & Boher RC, 1841 Bruff RC, 1842 St John's CI, and 1843 Hosptial & Herbertstown RC parishes.
   
For Ann(e) Gleason M ditto, I found 4 rcds: 1839, 1841, 1841, and 1842. None are a match at the parish level with those for Edmond/Edmund.


The transcription of Co. Limerick B/M/D rcds is essentially complete. It is doubtful more will be discovered. It looks like the rcds for your ancestors didn't survive.


Sorry. Good luck.

I have some more questions for this person.  I so appreciate him looking up info.  I emailed him but have not heard back yet.  I find this information very curious.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from MYOG!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

MYOG is taking a break for Thanksgiving Week.  Have a great time with friends and family!

Rerun Friday - Scotch-Irish

Back on January 27, 2011, I posted about the "Scotch-Irish".  My post back then seems a little confusing even to me so I've rewritten it.  I want to be as clear as possible with this terminology.  So......here's my updated "Language Lesson" on the term Scotch-Irish with some other terms thrown in.

I'm just not fond of the term Scotch-Irish.  I see it used as a catch all phrase for any surname that could be considered Irish or Scottish.  It is especially common in the United States where so many people have no idea of their surname origins.  On many an occasion, people have asked me if my McGuire surname is Scottish.  My response to them is that I really don't think so.  It's a pretty definite Irish name.  The name is found around the world, however, and even in Scotland.  So is it Scotch-Irish?

The term Scotch-Irish is an American term that is not used in England, Ireland, or Scotland. Scotch-Irish actually refers to Irish Presbyterians and other Protestant dissenters from Ulster Province who immigrated to North America during the colonial years.  Most of the Scotch-Irish were descended from Scottish and English families who had been transplanted to Ireland during the 17th century.   This was known as the Plantation of Ulster.  Many of these "Ulster Scots", as they are referred to in Britain, had descendants who immigrated to America in the 18th and early 19th centuries.  They immigrated from Ireland and mainly to the Appallachian region of the U.S.

Much confusion stems from the use of this term even among those who deem themselves Scotch-Irish.  I think I can clear this up by reminding anyone who thinks of themselves as Scotch-Irish that this group of people were not Roman Catholic.  If you are Catholic and/or your Irish immigrant ancestors were, then you are highly likely not Scotch-Irish.  The more I read about this term, the more I realize that my McGuire's were not Scotch-Irish.  My Maxwell's, while they may have been part of the "Plantation", may be "Ulster Scots".  That's a big maybe on the Maxwell side by the way.

So where did the term "Scots-Irish" come from?  Well it appears to be a misinterpretation of Scotch-Irish.  Scotch-Irish was coined in 1744 and generally refers to those living in the Appalachian region of the U.S.  This term came into play in the U.S. when the mass Irish immigrations occurred in the 1840s-50s.  To differentiate the Protestant Irish in the Appalachian region, they were named Scotch-Irish since the masses of recent Irish immigrants were, in fact, Irish Catholics.  The term Scots-Irish/Scot-Irish does not show up until around 1972 and appears to be a mispronunciation of its predecessor.

Why dislike the Scotch-Irish term?  It really is a misnomer.  People seem to use, or misuse, this term when they come across a surname that could be Irish or Scottish.  I have also seen the Protestant Irish in Northern Ireland referred to as Scot-Irish. I am betting they would not like to hear that since they consider themselves Irish.

I stay away from using these terms as I don't think I identify with the use of them since my ancestors were Roman Catholic.  I actually cringe now when I see Scots-Irish written and used.  I did have a discussion online with someone about the term.   She found it very confusing.  Ultimately, she indicated that there were probably prejudices that went along with the use of these terms.  I agree.

So, whatever you think of the term Scotch-Irish, bear in mind that it is misused and misunderstood by many and those labeled as such may not be fond of it.

Why Deviate Off Your Direct Line? - Revisited

Following Your Blood Line, or The Whole Family

Believe it or not, "choice" comes up time and time again with regards to my family tree.  I am continually presented with a new branch of my tree.  Do I follow the new branch or continue to head up the main branch to the top of my tree?  That tree, by the way, continues to grow and get "taller", if you will, as I creep back in time.

I have come across people who are growing their tree taller and fuller, wider, or overgrown as maybe my tree appears to be.  Yes, there are massive family trees out there on Ancestry.com and on other sites online that represent hours and hours of research and "trailing off" as I call it.  Trailing off on a branch of your family tree can be quite rewarding, complicated, and distracting at times.

There are those that just grow their tree "taller" and have few branches.  It is a different choice than my own.  Many people out there choose to follow only their direct blood line.  They refrain from "trailing off" on other branches of the tree.  Sticking with this method can keep one's family tree research simple and easy to source.  It can also be rather limiting.

If you limit yourself to just your direct blood line, you might miss out on learning about communities and finding stories of how your ancestors lived with the others around them.  When the concept of community and collaboration are added to one's family tree research, the discoveries become endless.  The complexity of this approach can turn some people off, however.  The more complex a family tree, the harder it becomes to share it with others and keep their attention.
                                                                             
So will you lose people if you do choose a more complex approach to your tree?  Probably.  But, can you give up all of the possibilities that come with the "complex" tree?  The possibilities include, and are not limited to, finding relatives with shared research interests, finding research has already been completed, and discovering stories about a family line.

I seek stories about people.  Whether the stories are lengthy or anecdotal, I love the stories.  You never know when you might find 193 letters that were written as correspondence between family members from the U.S. to those who remained in the old country.  You never know if you might find photos of your great great grandfather that were saved by the second cousin that you've never met.  You never know what you might find, so why limit yourself.

In the 1990s, I sought my direct blood line.  That was interesting and all that I had time for, or made time for, back then.  Now, I seek the clusters of people.  It's the way that I have found my female family members but also the stories of the people and the communities in which they lived.  From the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York to my Flanagan's of Termonfechin, discoveries abound from my complex family tree.

From my perspective, seeking the whole family is the way to go.  I have found relatives who have what I refer to as living memories of those who came before us, those whom they knew.  Limiting myself is not in the game plan when it comes to my family tree.  I'll continue to allow my family tree to lead me up or down different branches as they present themselves and offer an interesting story.

Ancestry.com DNA Beta - Mixed Results

Instead of submitting my own DNA to Ancestry.com which would have likely produced the results of "British Isles", "Central Europe" (Germany included), and "Scandinavia", I decided that any new and interesting finds in our family roots and origins might actually be on my husband's side of the family.

With the legend of a Native American back in his heritage, we submitted his DNA for testing.  What we found was rather unsurprising and seemingly uninteresting at first glance.

-74% British Isles
-16% Central Europe
-10% Uncertain

We had pretty much pegged his origins as 70% Irish and Scottish.  I suppose some English is in there too bringing his DNA up to 74% from that part of the world.  We did not find any Scandinavian DNA in his results at this time.  Sometimes that can be surprising given the Viking influence in the British Isles and, in particular, in Ireland.

Given our very German last name, I was rather taken back that he is only 16% Central Europe.  So while we live with a German last name, we are both around three quarters (no DNA proof for me yet) British Isles.  He's mainly Scottish/Irish and I'm Irish.  We've both been able to trace that back in time for the most part.  In Germany, we both know where our ancestors originate too.

The 10% "Uncertain" leaves us scratching our heads.   What are the testers uncertain of?   Were they uncertain of a potential Native American match or some other origins.  My husband was hoping that that this DNA test would either eliminate or confirm his "American Indian" heritage.  Now, we are still left wondering.

I must admit that my husband does not really look Irish at all.  He looks to be German and maybe some rugged Scottish.  If his DNA proved to be Native American, we would not be surprised at all.  Appearances aside, you just never can tell.

In reviewing the "Beta" DNA for Ancestry.com, we must remember that this is in its infancy.  Ancestry.com is gathering DNA and putting it into a database to help people find blood relatives.  In fact, the test results found a potential DNA match of a 4th or 5th cousin for my husband with 95% certainly.   That's a pretty distant cousin if you ask me.  We actually could not find any surname matches on that person's tree right now.  Will we find a closer relative once more DNA is collected?

It becomes a waiting game.  Any Beta test works that way.   As more and more people order the DNA test, more matches will form, and a more definitive origin can result.  The 10% of uncertain for my husband could shrink over time providing a more exact ethnicity.

I'm certainly game to see what happens.  Once Ancestry.com opens up the DNA tests to everyone, I will submit mine too.  For now, the solo invite was used for my husband.  It has generated quite a bit of interest in his family. 

A Documentary: Out of Ireland

Well, I finally sat down and watched the documentary, Out of Ireland:  Emigration into America.  I thank my relatives for sending a copy and have spotted it on Netflix streaming now. 

The documentary is very well done and includes some very familiar celebrities narrating the program.  I finally realized about a quarter of the way into the program, that the American gentleman doing most of the in person commentary was Prof. Kerby Miller, himself.

Prof. Miller was rather integral as the first to fully review the Flaanagan Letters belonging to my family.  The program was quite interesting for sure giving me a better perspective on the plight of the Irish immigrant.

Remembering 9/11

My photo from 1990.

Descendant - Thomas S. McLaughlin - Part 2

Sent: Monday, May 28, 2012 9:41 AM

Subject: RE: McLaughlin Relative

Hi T, 

This is very exciting and I am so glad that you got in touch.  I have been slowly finding other McLaughlin relatives over the past two years.  For whatever reason, the McLaughlin side of our family didn't keep in close touch.  I don't exactly know why.  I have found that though after a few generations pass that people forget to keep in touch or just don't know who people are.

My great grandmother was the oldest child of Thomas Michael McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell.  Her name was Mary "Minnie" Elizabeth McLaughlin.  Her married name was Flanagan.  She was born in Austin, Nevada in 1870.  Her siblings were Ellen (Ella Heflin once married), Catherine (Katie, never married), Thomas S., Anna "Dolly" (Anna Lewis), Joseph, and Hugh Robert.  The family moved to Napa, CA in 1886 from Austin, Nevada.  All of the children except Hugh Robert were born in Nevada and he was born in Napa.  I also have Thomas Michael McLaughlin's death certificate.

My mom was born and raised in Napa, California as were both of my grandparents.  My grandfather, Richard Joseph Flanagan, was one of Mary Elizabeth McLaughlin's children.  I have quite a bit of family history in Napa.  I spent a lot of time there as a child. 

About two weeks ago, I finally got a photo of the whole McLaughlin family.  My side is definitely short on any photos of the McLaughlin's.  The photo that I have is of Thomas and Ellen McLaughlin's 50th wedding anniversary in about 1919, Napa, CA.  I would love to have photos.  My mom's cousin's can probably identify the people if we don't know who they are too.  So feel free to scan and send them via email.

I must say that where I lack photos,  I have information about our family tree.  There have been at least five researchers that have really paved the way on the McLaughlin/Maxwell Family tree back to Ireland.  Ireland is where the research is rather stopped and stuck right now.  Needless to say, what we have stateside in the way of information is pretty amazing though.  I only found it about 2 years ago.

When it comes to Austin, Nevada, I have never been there but I do have the church records that were retrieved by another relative from Napa.  His name was Thomas Malloy and he is a cousin on our Maxwell side.  That might be a little confusing as there is a bit of information to explain on who is who.

I too have been to Ireland but was not researching our family tree at the time.  I did stay with Flanagan Relatives.  My Flanagan's first came to Napa in 1870 and kept ties to Ireland.  There was a brief break in ties but they found our family in Napa and we've kept in touch ever since.  The Flanagan Family farm is in Termonfechin, Louth, Ireland.  For 240 years, generations of Flanagan's have lived in that same location.  It's pretty amazing.  They actually drove over to County Longford almost two years ago to find McLaughlin information for me but to no avail.  I have not given up on that just yet though.

Did you go to St. John's in Napa, CA to do some research?  Funny, I have never been there to look at their church records but have been to that church many times.  I was baptized in Napa at that church.  My parents were married there and the history goes on.  The original church was torn down in the 1960s and the church was replaced.  Both my mom and my grandfather went to St. John's Catholic School.

There is a lot of longevity in our genes. I can share a lot more information with you too.  My great grandmother, Minnie McLaughlin Flanagan, passed away in 1949, aged 79.  My grandfather, one of her sons, Richard Flanagan, passed away in 2000 at the age of 88.  My mom was basically an only child. 

I leave you with this information:

Thomas Shaffrey McLaughlin's parents were Thomas Michael McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell.  Thomas Michael McLaughlin was born in Upstate New York on 19 Feb. 1840, at the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York.  He was the oldest of 7 children.   His parents were James M. McLaughlin and Mary Ellen Gartlan.  James was born on 25 Oct. 1816 in Ringowny, Parish of Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland.  He immigrated to the Irish Settlement in New York around 1823 via Quebec, Canada with his parents and siblings.  Mary Ellen Gartlan was born on 1 Aug 1816 in and around Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland.  She too immigrated to the Irish Settlement with her parents and siblings around 1824.

James M. McLaughlin's parents were Michael and Marcella McLaughlin.  Mary Ellen Gartlan's parents were James Gartlan and Hannah Fox.  They are all buried at the Irish Settlement Cemetery just outside of Newport, New York.

Thomas S.'s mother, Ellen Maxwell, immigrated from the Shancarnan area, Parish of Moynalty, County Meath, Ireland in 1854 with her parents and siblings to the Irish Settlement in Newport, New York.  Ellen was born in Ireland on 22 March 1846.  She was the 4th oldest of 8 children for Joseph Patrick Maxwell and Judith "Julia" Shaffrey.  After Julia passed away, Joseph married Rebecca O'Harriet and had two more children.

I have more information.  A McLaughlin researcher dug through all of the church records in Newport, New York and wrote it all down.  He also visited Austin, Nevada, to complete extensive research.  He found information in the local newspaper archives there.

Thomas Michael McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell (married in 1869) were not the only ones to leave the Irish Settlement in New York and head to Austin, Nevada.  Thomas' brothers followed.  They were James, Francis "Frank", and Hugh McLaughlin.  Ellen's sister Catherine Maxwell also ended up there where she married Philip Duffy.  The Duffy's moved onto Napa, CA too.

I hope that I did not just throw too much information at you to overwhelm.

I have more.  I'd love any photos that you might have too.

Let's chat soon. 

By the way, I live in Carmichael, CA near Sacramento.

I was recently looking for Thomas S. McLaughlin's last resting place.  I have it written down in family records at Rockville Cemetery in Fairfield, CA (Suisun Valley).  I actually grew up near there in Fairfield.  Upon my visit to the cemetery, they could only find Alice Loney's headstone.  They went through records but did not find information to indicate that Thomas is buried there.  I could send you their reply.  He and Alice both passed away in Mendocino County.  There are other Loney's buried at Rockville Cemetery. I am assuming they are more of your ancestors. 

KME

Photo Tips and Tricks - Part 3

Even in the world of social media and handy apps to help you along with uploading photos,  I shy away from relying on those types of photos as my copy.  You can download a photo right off Facebook or the internet but it's not going to be the best quality.

Instagram is an interesting photo program that Facebook recently purchased.  It can give a photo that nostalgic 1970s color photo effect.   I must admit to having plenty of photos with that effect in my own personal photo album from my childhood.  I don't need more plus I wouldn't want to apply that "effect" to photos found on my family tree.  That's just my personal preference plus those photos in my own personal album look that way because they are faded and old.

Preservation and, in some cases, restoration of an old photo is necessary.  That's where Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements comes in handy.  For me, I can pluck a photo off the internet, from an email or scan an old photo and, basically, make it look better.  I have zoomed, cropped, and retouched photos to my delight.  The basic functions included in Photoshop Elements make it fairly easy for anyone to enhance a photo.  The following was literally thumbnail in printed form found in my grandma's album.  It's amazing what zoom and resizing the photo can do.

Mary Borchers ------ Maria Luise Katharine Vienop, Circa 1900

Now actually fixing a photo, can be a little more involved.  My MIL asked my husband to see what he could do with an old photo of his great grandfather.  The photo was at least an 11 X 17 and had a rather large tear in it that crossed the portrait up to the check of his great grandfather.   What a shame this would be without Photoshop.

Armed with a plan and technology, my husband first tried to scan the photo but that did not produce a workable result.  Next,  he laid the photo flat under some large books for a week or so.   The photo would just curl up on it's own so this was a very necessary step in the process.  Once the photo was flat, he setup a make shift easel/stand for the photo rather than laying it horizontal.  He got the lighting up to his liking in our office and took some photos with our Nikon SLR Digital Camera.  This photo of a photo really did work but he was only half way there.

The final part of this process was to open this photo in Photoshop and repair the tear that was still showing.  Photoshop can work miracles for sure.  Suffice it to say that the photo no longer has a tear.

William Ross

Fixing and/or repairing a photo can be quite rewarding.  When you've only got a handful of old photos of ancestors, pulling out the best of each photo can be done so well with current technology.  I feel as though I've just touched on the tip of the iceberg in photo enhancement.  I am so fortunate to have these tools at my fingertips.

Compressing A Photo

Uploading to a website or emailing a photo may force you to downsize it a bit.  Good quality photos tend to be over 600 DPI and/or 1MB or larger.  Generally, websites will not allow this size photo to be uploaded because of space.  You may even run into issues trying to email an 8MB photo to someone.

To send a "right sized" photo or complete an upload when your hand is forced to do so, you will want to compress the photo.  Photoshop Elements allows you to adjust pixels and resize the photo plus change the quality level.  In the absence of a program like this, what does one use?   I have used the compression tool found in MS PowerPoint but that is geared toward the photo living within a PowerPoint presentation or project.

Additionally, I used to use a website known as Picnik.   What happened to Picnik?  Well, if you go to that website it does say that "The Picnik is over."  It refers you to Google+ (yes, Google Plus).  I have not explored this option.  I use Google products but have not gotten into the "Google Plus" mode.  Never fear though, you can find "online quick use" compression tools.  I just "Google" it.  No pun intended.

In the end, I still have a call out for photos of my family to relatives who may be just discovering the treasures that they have hidden in a drawer, box or storage somewhere.

Photo Tips and Tricks - Part 2

With so many options available to manage photos, what works best?  There is the traditional practice of printing them out, followed by the storage of them electronically, and then there's online storage.  Whatever option you pick for photo storage depends on your purpose in using the photos.

Personally, my goal is to print and/or reproduce only the very best photos for framing and physically sharing with others.  With so many sharing options and a large volume of photos, I do not print much in the way of individual photos these days.  I do love making photo books via Shutterfly and find the process and end result quite satisfying.  I must admit that even in the face of the top quality photo book, nothing beats an actual printed photo on appropriate photo paper.

Storing photos electronically on a CD, USB drive, hard drive or the like is a great way to stay organized and manage a large volume of photos.  I find this task to be daunting at times and must continue to persevere in order to backup my photos.  As most people would agree, electronically storing anything that you value requires a duplication of it to protect from loss.  So...Backup!  Backup!  Backup!  This so definitely applies to your photos, especially old photos of your ancestors.

With my genealogy projects, printing and producing a physical book or album kind of defeats my overall purpose of sharing my family tree experience with whomever wants to read about it in the here and now online but also with my family near and far.  Don't get me wrong, at some point I will produce a bound book for my own family.  In the meantime, I work hard to not hide my family tree research away in a drawer or closet in my home for my children to find when they are old and gray.   Sharing photos and information online is my way of preserving this information including photos in an open forum.

While my blog is wide open to whomever reads my genealogy journal, my Shutterfly photo share site is exclusive to family members associated with my genealogy.  I set this share site up many months ago.  To be honest, I have not added many photos recently but will soon.  It is just sitting there for now.  In the future, I plan to continue loading photos in accordance with my overall family tree project.  That way sharing a photo becomes quick and easy.

When I upload a photo to my blog, Google places it into Picassa.  Picassa is yet another photo sharing site.  This is done by default so it really is a no brainer for me to use Picassa.  I have not used the site for separate uploads in an effort to keep that storage location exclusive to photos posted to my blog.

Storing photos can be a big deal.   What about fixing a photo?  See my next post for the results of fxing the following photo:

William Ross

Photo Tips and Tricks - Part 1

I wish that I had a photo for each and every person on my family tree.  To be able to gaze into their faces is quite an experience in and of itself, especially the very first time you lay eyes on your great great grandparents, the uncle who was a medical doctor who died young, or the uncle who saved the farm in Ireland.

My old HP scanner from circa 2000 just could not handle the job of scanning photos.  It was actually designed to scan text and documents rather than pictures.  As you can see, the scanner puts lines through the photos even after having the glass cleaned and appropriate maintenance done to the machine.  Even 1200 DPI scanning did not improve the photo quality either.  It just made the lines worse.  Anna and Dorothy Borchers deserve better, right?

Anna Marie Jackel Borchers and Dorothy Marie Borchers Flanagan Circa 1925, Napa, CA

In 2011, we purchased an Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner.  It is solely a scanner and not a printer combo like so many are these days.  This scanner does fabulous work.  I dare only scan photos at 1200 DPI that I will save on my own computer.  At that quality level, they take up a whole lot of space.  At 600 DPI, you will find that most websites will allow you to upload a photo of that quality.  I have found that 300 DPI is the default scanning quality level and just does not cut it.  I recommend to everyone to shoot for at least 600 DPI.  Once it is uploaded to a website it may only reflect 200 DPI or less.  

Mystery Photo....Possibly a Strehlow on my Borchers Side

Anyway, I'm not sure that I should get too technical about photo quality and size.  I have found that from a "Mega Bytes" perspective, the largest that most websites will accept is 1 MB.  Websites, in general, don't want photos hogging up the space online. My suggestion to everyone is to save your photos at high quality somewhere on a CD, USB drive, or hard drive, knowing that if you post them online, they are usually at a degraded quality.  That shouldn't stop people from sharing photos though on a website.

If your photo is too large to upload, you'll need to compress the photo.  This basically takes the quality and size of the photo down a few notches for sure.  I will revisit this topic later.

More on scanning..........Forget the photocopier or color copier these days.  Those are tools of the 1990s and Xerox in their heyday.  Trust me, I know all too well the machines that could produce so much and yet are so outdated these days.  The scanner is the way to go.

How many people know that even if you don't have a scanner at home, you can access one quite easily to produce a great photo?  The Costco's, Rite Aid's, and Walgreen's of the world still have photo departments.  I think that I even spotted one at my local Target.  I hardly ever print out photos any longer.  When I do, Costco is my choice photo lab.  Heck, they produce wonderful prints right on site at a bargain price.

The other point I'd like to make about these places is that they tend to have a scanner.  You can scan photos (provided they are not copyrighted) and get more copies.  I have not yet tested the capabilities of these machines but wonder if there is also a way to share the photos with others via an online service similar to www.costcophotocenter.com, Shutterfly (who just bought out Kodak Gallery), or Snap Fish.  I'm am thinking there is probably a share option.   You just need to have the person's email you want to send the photo to handy.

This is where I will ask my readers if they know of share options on these in-store scanners.  Does that exist?  It would certainly make sharing photos by those who do not have a scanner much easier.  If anyone has experience with this, let us all know here in the comments section of this blog post.

Smart Phone Scanning Options

With the advanced camera technology on modern day Smart Phones, I have found photos are starting to turn out pretty great.  My own iPhone is a 3GS or something like that.  The photos are OK provided you're outside in good light and close to the person that you are photographing.  Mind you, I'm not a big mobile phone person and don't even have a data plan.

On the other hand, my husband has the iPhone 4GS something or other.  He's got all the bells and whistles on his phone.  For those of you who are adept, he can even make his phone a "hot spot" for me to mooch of off the internet connection when we are together and away from home.  The other thing that his phone can do is take pretty awesome photos.  Even taking a photo of a photo produces a pretty great result.  The phone can also scan documents, photos, and text.  It's like having a hand held scanner with you all of the time.

In the absence of a full fledged scanner, these Smart Phones do the trick.  I had a relative send me the following photo/scan of a photo from her phone.  It worked out pretty darn great.

McLaughlin Family Circa 1919, Napa, CA

To be continued..........................

Year 2

It is the second anniversary of this blog.  It's sometimes hard to believe that I have more to write about my family history and tree.  Yeah for two years!

Ancient Faces

How many people have joined the site ancientfaces.com?  Initially, I thought this was such a great idea.  You've got a library of old family photos at your fingertips.  The only issue is that it's not my family.  I can only offer this suggestion, it does not really add value to one's family tree to have a photo library online when the photo is not directly connected to the actual tree.

Personally, I uploaded one photo to this site as an experiment.  Mary Catherine Flanagan's headstone photo at Tulocay Cemetery was that photo.  I can look at my own uploads and find it but when I search the site, there are just too many photos to sort through to find it in a regular search.  I am glad that I did not add other photos.

A search for other family surnames just does not produce any "finds".  What I mean by "finds" is that I was hoping to maybe find someone of my family line.  Because the photos are not very well identified by location, dates, and the person's full name, it is like finding a needle in a haystack.  I also think the needle is probably not in the stack I'm searching in. 

In my opinion, it's time to move on.   I like old photos but love my own family's old photos.  I'm not likely to post them on that site any time soon.

From Ireland

I was recently surfing the internet for any resources in Ireland that would help me access records.  I found a rather interesting site at www.from-ireland.net.  It seems to divide the information by province (Connaugh, Leinster, Munster, and Ulster) and under each province are found the familiar counites of Ireland.  As near as I can tell, all of counties are there including those that fall under Northern Ireland.

The following is a quote on the site:   "How do you say thanks to people who come and dig your snow, who grit your area of the road just so you can access the main road? Nobody pays them to do this. How do you repay someone like that? Thing is, that is exactly how all our ancestors worked together to survive." - Dr. Jane Lyons

While the site does seem to be a little sluggish in response time (I'm used to a "lightning fast" internet and website.), I have mustered up a bit of patience for this site.  My first test of this site was to review County Louth records.  Can I find my Flanagan ancestors on this site with ease?  Let's see what I can come up with. 

Gravestones Transcriptions - Gravestones, Co. Louth
-No Flanagan's Found
Commentary -  It would appear that this site is reliant on people to transcribe gravestones and submit the information the appropriate adminstrators who provided this information online.   I guess no one has transcribed St. Fechin's graveyard in Termonfechin or maybe it's lost in the search on this site.

I was able to find Maguire's, Bellew's, and Kirwan's indicated as being buried in the Ballymakenny graveyard, County Louth, Ireland.  The full information is published in a book called Seanchas Ardmhaca, by James McGary.  That could be an interesting bit of reference material.   I still don't think that the first place that I should start.

Civil Records:  Birth Register Indicies
Commentary -  Narrowing the search on this, did not produce Louth records.  I'm thinking that the site has an issue.  Instead, I reviewed each and every page without narrowing the search so that Louth records would display.  One of the main things that I noticed here is that the records only go back to 1864.  Also, I did not find any Flanagan's.  There really aren't that many records for County Louth in this index. 

I put my searches aside on this site after checking a few other section of it for County Louth.  I'm sure that this site has merit, I'm just not finding what I'm looking for.  That seems to be the case in searching Ireland.  I'd offer this advice to people about this site.  Give the site a few searches but spend no more than a hour on it.  If you don't find anything during that time-frame about your ancestors, it is unlikely that you will find anything down the line. 

I am making note of this site, just case I can use it again in the future.

Ride for Heroes

Ride for Heroes

A Personal Fundraising Page by Dennis McLaughlin 

Benefiting Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.

Link to Ride for Heroes 

 

My Love of Old Photos

I love old photos, especially when they are of my family.   I know that I've said it before.  In reading some of the old letters that I have, I found a wonderful comment about photos made by my great, great uncle.

"It is a most useful art, this photographing, by which one can from one end of the world to the other [send] a pretty correct representation without writing a word about it."

---Michael Flanagan, written in 1873

The Essence of Genealogy

Here you will find a poem that I found in a "Birthday Book" that belonged to my Grandma. It was the book's dedication by Rev. Hugo W. Hoffmann. I think it represents some of what genealogy is all about.

"If stories of dry and learned lore we gain,
We keep them in the memory of the brain;
Names, things, and facts - whate'er we knowledge call -
There is the common ledger for them all;
And images on this cold surface traced
Make slight impression, and are soon effaced.
But we've a page, more glowing and more bright,
On which our friendship and our love to write;
That these may never from the soul depart,
We trust them to the memory of the heart,
There is so dimming, no effacement there;
Each new pulsation keeps the record clear;
Warm, golden letters all the tablet fill,
Nor lose their lustre till the heart stands still

How Not To "Tree" on Ancestry.com and McLaughlin Update

Since I started working on my family tree lines on Ancestry.com back in the Spring of 2010, I've learned so much.  Yes, I made a few mistakes along the way using Ancestry.com's technology.  I accepted "hints" that I should not have and later had to back those off along with deleting people who were not my McLaughlin's.  Most of the time, I just had to delete duplicate people.  Nicknames can drive you crazy, mix you up, when they are used on a Census.

Anyway, my first lesson was not to take the "hints" that Ancestry.com pushes to you via their technology at face value.  You've really got to look those hints over as much of the time, they are not correct.  How many James McLaughlin's, Patrick Flanagan's, or Frank McGuire's do you think there are in the world?  Let's just say those names are not all unique to my family as much as each of the individual's in my family were who held those names.

My other lesson early on was not to grab information about those "matching names" based in Irish locations without first mapping where they were from.  My Patrick Flanagan was not from County Clare.  Let's just say, that is not even close to where he was from when you are talking about Ireland.  Yet, I could have grabbed several source documents that indicate this.  I'd have been wrong and way off the mark.  A lesson in geography is important.

The latest geography lesson, for one of my family lines, is in a church document that indicates a Thomas McLaughlin and Mary Stafford from Cavan, Ireland.  They had some children.  They lived about 15 miles from County Longford.   Someone added a Michael McLaughlin to their children's names and "Ta Da", the person starting borrowing all of my/our McLaughlin research for Michael in Newport, New York.

Well, Michael was born in or near Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland.  I do not see anyone from Cavan.   Also, those Cavan McLaughlin's were Protestant based on the document that was scanned into Ancestry.com and now at least 5 people have grabbed it.  I grabbed it to read it and have since removed it from my tree.  Those Protestant McLaughlin's were actually Presbyterian.  That is fine and dandy, for them.  As near as all of my McLaughlin researchers have been able to pull together, our family was Roman Catholic.

To sum up the McLaughlin "Member Connects" on Ancestry.com, the Cavan McLaughlin's were from the Coroneary Parish, County Cavan, and were Presbyterian.  They also had children by various names but I don't actually see a match to Michael and his brother Patrick of Longford and Newport, New York.  Oh, and let's not forget that Michael and Patrick were Catholic.  Without source documentation, I can't really disprove the supposition that these McLaughlin's are relatives but I can't prove it either.

At this juncture, here's the information that I am rather stuck at for my McLaughlin's of Edgeworthstown:

1.  Thomas McLaughlin of County Longford near Edgeworthstown circa 1750 is a "guesstimate".  A very well versed McLaughlin researcher investigated our line years ago and his best guess is that our ancestor is "Thomas".  He's pretty sure that's his first name.  I'd bet money on his educated guesses if I were a betting person.

2.  Michael, his brother Patrick and their sister, Bridget were all from a location near Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland.  Some strong rumor is that Bridget was actually the sister-in-law of Michael and Patrick.  Another McLaughlin brother was her husband but he died.  Bridget married Michael Mahady (Mahardy).  They all immigrated to the U.S. via Quebec, Canada sometime between 1822 and 1824.

3.  My Irish relatives who live north of Dublin drove over to find out about the McLaughlin's of Edgeworthstown in 2010 and found only the following:
------Bridget McLaughlin and Michael Mahardy were married in that location.
------The Edgeworthstown Historical Society has been disbanded.

4.  The following is the specific research about Bridget McLaughlin and Michael Mahardy of Newport, New York:
-------BRIDGET McLAUGHLIN, b. abt. 1802, Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, IRE; d. 30 Jul 1890, Norway, Herkimer Co. NY. Her surname is listed on son Michael‟s Death Certificate dated 1907, Herkimer Co. NY. She m. by 1823, probably in Co. Longford, IRE to MICHAEL MAHARDY / MAHADA. They appear on a New York City Passenger List Index, dated 30 Sep 1822, having departed from Liverpool, ENG on 19 Jul 1822. No children were listed. MICHAEL, b. c. 1799, prob. in Co. Longford, IRE; d. 17 Apr 1851 in Newport. His Will is dated 15 Apr 1851, probated 16 Jun 1851 in Herkimer, NY. They are both buried in Old St. Patrick‟s Ceme. located at the Irish Settlement, Town of Newport, NY.
--------I have the names of all of their children, the first of whom with specifics appear to have been born in Newport, New York, in 1825.  One child was born before 1825.

5.  I can pretty much spot every male of my relations on the 1830 U.S. Census for Newport, New York.  Most of them are found on the same page including the above McLaughlin's and Mahardy's.

6.  As I move forward in time, I have much more specific and sourced information including details of my direct line ancestor, James M. McLaughlin, son of Michael McLaughlin.  James was born in or near Edgeworthstown or Ringowny, County Longford, Ireland on 25 Dec 1814 and died in Newport, New York on 15 Apr 1905.  His immigration through Quebec is indicated as about 1823.

I suppose that I should go find James M. McLaughlin's origins and source records in Ireland along with any of his siblings before I get to into finding Michael's parents.  Just because you can't get to the information in Edgeworthstown does not mean the information has not been taken down somewhere else.

My McLaughlin line beckons!

U.S. Season 3 - Who Do You Think You Are?

A new season of "Who Do You Think You Are?" starts on Friday, February, 3rd.  Can't wait!

This season includes Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt, Rob Lowe, Reba McIntyre, Blair Underwood, Rita Wilson, and an NFL Football player.  I'm not much into football but my hubby is so he'll watch that one for sure.

Mark your calendar for 8pm on the 3rd.  I'm setting my DVR to record.

Write it down! Blog it!

If there is anything that I've learned in blogging about my family history, my roots, and genealogy, is the absolute importance of writing things down.  That is the point of this blog.

This lesson is not a strange concept in my Flanagan Family.  My ancestor, Richard Flanagan started writing things down in the farm account books in 1773 in Termonfeckin, Louth, Ireland.  The fact that those books were retained by the family is probably a bit of a miracle.  To his credit he must have set the trend in the family.  His son, Patrick Flanagan, continued with the farm account books.  The importance of the written word was not lost on Patrick's children or his grandchildren.

From Richard Flanagan (my 5th great grandfather) to his great grandson, Patrick Flanagan (my great great grandfather), there is an evident tradition in the ability and desire to write things down.  While my great great grandfather, Patrick, may have been a pretty busy farmer in Napa, California, information still flowed home to Ireland from another source.  Michael Flanagan, Patrick's brother, wrote letters and kept a diary in which he wrote of the events and experiences of his life.  

Michael Flanagan is definitely a huge inspiration for me.  Just to sit and read some of his letters is quite moving and motivation for me to continue blazing my family tree and "writing" it all down.

Whether my writing appeals to a wide range of readers or just to a select few relatives, I find that the torch has been passed to me.  Instead of having to pull out a typewriter like my grandfather's sister, Ellen Maxwell Flanagan, I can easily and quickly type my thoughts and post them here.  Aunt Ellen blazed away on our family tree with more of an emphasis on the McLaughlin side of our family.  I now understand her desire to find our family roots and have taken all of it on.

My hobby is sometimes a bit of an addiction but not yet an obsession.  Maybe someday this can become a full time job for me.   I've got to win that lottery!

When There Were Trees In Ireland

When there were trees in Ireland animals could run through the forest fleeing from a predator or chasing prey.

When there trees in Ireland children could climb to their hearts content and chase butterflies off branches as they flew scattering away.

When there were trees in Ireland


I started writing this (and have not yet finished as that will be for another day) when I recently read something about a tree planting program in Ireland.  There really aren't a lot of trees there as there probably were in ancient times.  Most of the trees were cut down and used for various things like fuel, buildings, farm implements, furniture, and you name it.

Not unlike the United States, especially in the "West", Ireland is replanting trees hundreds of years after they were taken down and used.  Here in California, we are working to replant trees only 50-100 years after they were taken down and used.   We continue to take them down but there are tree planting programs and "tree-huggers" all over this fine state to encourage replacement of the trees and preservation of the forest.

I just had to make note of this for future reference in my online diary here at blogspot.com.