Monday, December 27, 2010

Mail

In the mail today was my Family Tree Magazine Shop order.  2 magazines from November and December and a CD of all the 2007 issues.  I feel like all I want to do is learn learn learn but I'm not getting any research done.  I'm wanting to take online classes and webinars but it seems like I'm putting off the actual research.  Maybe I just don't know what to do first.  One of my new year resolutions should be create a research plan and use forms such as plans and logs to move my research along. Hmm  I think I'll think about that more.  But now to dive into my new magazines.
Courtney said she bought me a subscription to Family Tree magazine for Christmas.  I'm so thrilled.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday

This is my grandma and grandpa's stone.  It's located in Maroa, Illinois. 
My Grandmother is Catherine N. McKee b May 21, 1915 d Dec 5, 1990
My Grandfather is John C. McKee Sr. b Feb 5, 1915 d April 3, 1979

The stone behind my Grandparents in the picture is John C. McKee Jr. (my uncle Johnny)  John and Catherine's second born son.  My dad, William F. McKee, was their first born.
John Jr. was born March 26, 1941 and died Mar 20, 2000
His wife Karen S was still alive when this picture was taken.  She recently died this year in 2010.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Still trying

I'm beating myself up because I don't know how to send off for a death certificate for my great great grandpa.  I've been trying to listen to some podcasts about the subject but everytime I sit down I always end up doing something or get distracted.  I can't find him in earlier census.  I can't find any information on him before he was married.  I find them as a couple on census records but nothing before that.  It's like he appeared out of thin air and married.

Another job I want to do in the next year is make a trip back to Illinois where this picture was taken and find out who made this stone.  They paid for all dates to be on it and grandpa's death date is missing.
I am determined to find him when he was a child and learn about his parents.  I haven't exhausted all my resources just haven't had time to persue them.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tech Tuesday

I was listening to the Genealogy Gem podcast this morning while I did my outside watering.  A listener had wrote to Lisa asking about scanners.  Boy, did Lisa get some great ideas from other listeners.  I learned that there is a scanner that has an attachment for slides.  Also, there is a scanner that is small and portable and runs on batteries and there's something called a wand scanner that's even smaller.  I'm going to do some research on the battery operated one.  I have an app on my iphone that will take a picture of a document or book page and turn it into a pdf.  It works great so I think I can use that when I'm at the library.  But I would like something I could scan pictures if I was visiting family and they had pictures.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Summer

Well, I managed to make it to the library today.  I pick 2 books about genealogy.  One about the census and the other about searching online.  Now, if I could only find some time to read them.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

no time

No time to work on my family history.  I'm hoping once I get the garden in and school ends for the kids I will have more time to go to library.  I want to find out how to get military records.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Genea-Bloggers Challenge #14

Week 14: Use a different search engine for your online genealogy research. Google is quite popular, but other search engines may provide different results. Try Yahoo! Search (http://search.yahoo.com/), Bing (http://www.bing.com/), Ask.com (http://www.ask.com/), Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com/), and even Clusty (http://clusty.com/). Pick an unusual surname and search it in different engines. Make note of the top 10 page returns for each. If you’re a genealogy blogger, share your observations on this experience.


I decided to pick my great grand-father William McKee because I don't know who his parents are.  I think I picked a name that was to common.
I tried Dogpile first because I've never heard of it. This is what I found:
Official Birth Index
1837 to 2005 find the birth entry and order goverment certificate.
www.BMDindex.co.uk/
• Sponsored: Ads by Google
Free Birth & Death Search
Obtain Any & All Birth / Death - Records ! Birth Search Takes 2 Sec.
DeathsRecords.com/BirthRecords/
• Sponsored: Ads by Google
Birth
Find Kentucky Birth With Online Local Search.
Kentucky.local.com/
• Sponsored: Ads by Google
Michael Huckabee - RoyalWeb
Lula McKee was born 22 May 1878 in Arkansas, (perhaps in Nevada County ... Kentucky in 1868 when their son William Thomas Elder was born there that year. ...
www.countyhistorian.com/cecilweb/index.php/Michael...
• Found on: Google, Bing, Yahoo! Search, Ask.com
William Born Products
Deals on William Born Products Compare 10+ William Born Products.
Born.OhDeal.com
• Sponsored: Ads by Yahoo!
Joseph McKee
He was born Feb 26, 1796. Died Nov 23, 1878. ... He was born May 30, 1808. Died Nov 1, 1833 ®3 in Liberty, Adams County, Pennsylvania. ... He was born 1812 in Kentucky. Children of CLA...
www.twillastinytreasures.com/familyMcKee/familyMcK...
• Found on: Google, Bing
We Found William Mckee
Current Phone, Address, Age & More. Instant & Accurate William Mckee
www.Intelius.com/
• Sponsored: Ads by Google
Kentucky Birth
Search for Kentucky Birth Find Kentucky birth
www.Ask.com/
• Sponsored: Ads by Google
Duncans in Lincoln Co. KY
1878 "The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the ... Pg.632: William McKee Duncan, lawyer, born May 19, 1849 at Lancaster ...
homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dobson/ky/kylinco...
• Found exclusively on: Google
Jefferson County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Bud's father was Stanton McKee Hervey who was born the 1st of May 1893. ... Their son, William was born near Lisbon and Sisfield, County Down, in ...
www.jeffcochapter.com/Hervey.html
• Found exclusively on: Yahoo! Search

And I tried yahoo and this is what I found:

  1. Husband George William McKee 6. Born: 13 May 1912 6 Christened: Died: ... William FUNK b 1798 (Washington, KY) m 5 Oct. 1820 d 1860-70 (Washington, KY) Mary Polly ...
    www.e-familytree.net/f7371.htm - 50k - Cached
  2. William Thomas Elder was born 12 Jul 1868 in Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky to ... Lula McKee was born 22 May 1878 in Arkansas, (perhaps in Nevada County where ...
    countyhistorian.com/cecilweb/index.php/Michael_Huckabee - 107k - Cached
  3. daughter one of William McKee. 26. iv. daughter two of William McKee. 27 ... daughter three of William McKee. 28. vi. daughter four of William McKee ...
    twillastinytreasures.com/familyMcKee/familyMcKeeJoseph.htm - Cached
  4. John William ALEXANDER. 1827-1904. Hodgenville, Hardin County, KY. McCamey Clark ALEXANDER ... 1800-1878. Barnwell County, SC. William BEACH. 1802-1862. Litchfield ...
    www.migrations.org/surname.php3?migname1=JOHN - 1018k - Cached
  5. KY. William ALLEN. 1792-1872. NY. William ALLEN. 1819-bef. 1889. Edgefield ... 1878- Knox County, KY. Solomon CARTER. 1816-abt 1900. Bracken County, KY. Thomas J CARTER ...
    www.migrations.org/surname.php3?migname1=ALL - 475k - Cached
  6. Maintained by Bill Kinnaird - Contact details. Descendants of William & David Kinnaird, ... 8 Patsy McKee Kinnaird b: 01 February 1948 in Lexington, Kentucky .
    www.kinnaird.net/family25.htm - Cached
  7. William McKee Dunn, Brigadier-General, U. S. A.; a memoir - Woolen, William ... McKee; Chord Substitution, Part III, by Bill Irwin; Arranging Workshop, by John ...
    www.archive.org/search.php?query=mckee - 68k - Cached
  8. Priestley/Priestly family of Rockbridge Co., VA - No Summary ... The two witnesses, John McKee and William McKee, had moved to Kentucky and gave their sworn testimonies ...
    members.fortunecity.com/mommybare/id25.htm - 681k
  9. Mckee - 1920 United States Federal Census ... William McKee. name. city, Laurel, Kentucky. abt 1878. location. race. relation. View Record. Cretia McKee. name. city, ...
    search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=&gst=&...&pgoff=11 - 87k - Cached
  10. 1878 in MO James MAIZE Son Sex: Male Born: 1880 in MO Benj FORD Head of ... Born: 1812 in KY Elisha RAINHOLD Son Sex: Male Born: 1846 in IN William RAINHOLD Son Sex: ...
    www.idexer.com/schuyler/Fabius.htm - 98k - Cached
     
    I think I need to remember how to do specific searches.  I'm going to listen the the podcast about that.  
    The different search engines definitely come up with different results.  Amazing!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Family Tree Magazine

Today I bought my first copy of Family Tree Magazine.  Lisa Louise Cook talks about it alot on her podcasts (which I love and recommend).  It seemed a little pricey at $8.00 but I'm sure it's worth it.  I've looked at every store I visit just for this magazine.  I finally found it at Border's.  I will look into a subscription after I've looked over the magazine just to make sure I like it.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Sentimental Sunday

I remember Christmases at Grandpa Howard's ranch being so much fun.  All my aunts and uncles plus cousin would travel to Grandma and Grandpa's to have a great meal, visit and catch up plus open gifts.  There always seemed to be a new member to the family usually from the marriage of one of my aunts.  The new member always had a practical joke played on them...everything from men's panty hose with a heart to chocolate covered horse poop in a Fanny Mae box.  It was always so funny.  There was always a football game because most of my cousins were boys.  If there was snow Grandpa would fire up the old farm tractor to hook a sled to.  I remember one year the tractor was broke so he hooked up a rope to his dodge truck.  The other end of the rope had scoop shovels.  We slid acrossed the pond because it was iced over.  Grandma and Grandpa's house always smelled so good...I can't describe the smell but it was nice.  Grandpa would sit in the living room and tell all kinds of stories.  Everyone would crowd in sitting on the couch, 2 recliners, folding chairs and the floor.  I don't remember seeing a football game on the tube but I do remember watching horse programs like horse shows.  Christmas at the Nailer home was a great time.  I was there this past summer (July, 2009) and it's still the same.  Grandpa turned 80 and the whole family came from many states to celebrate.  All the cousins have their own families now so the family has grown alot.  There was only 3 cousins missing from the celebration.  I've been researching Grandpa Howard Nailer's line for about a year now.  I've learned alot about that line and it makes me so proud.  Unfortunately, with lots and lots of family around and lots of plans I really didn't have a chance to talk to grandpa about family history.  I'm hoping I can travel back to Illinois in the next year or so.  I really want to visit before his time is over here on earth.
I hope I can always go back to that house and tell my kids about all the great memories.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Germany and a Patent

I can't believe that my maternal grandmother's line goes back to 1500 Germany.  They all came from Germany.  A small little town close to the Belgium/France border called Birkenfeld, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany .  Johannes Pontius arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 with his mother, Rosina Catharina Hauch.  I want to take some time and map out their journey.

On the Nailer side of my mother, my aunt Joyce sent me a link to a patent that my grandfather, Oliver Nailer, owned.  He invented an improvement to the folding crib and rocking cradle.  http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=TtheAAAAEBAJ&dq=Oliver+Nailer
It's kinda neat. 

Sunday, February 14, 2010

New tv show

I just watch the new PBS serious Faces of America.  That was a great show.  I can't wait to see the next one this week.  I learned so much about U.S. and World history that I didn't know.  I hope some day I find some neat stories about my family.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/  The website has other resources about genealogy, videos, a blog plus alot more.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

John Clifton Mckee -my grandfather

I've decided to start with my grandpa Mckee and find all the records I can on him.  Then work my way backwards until I have everyone's records.  I'm trying to locate his birth certificate but am not having any luck.  I know he was born in Illinois but I guess I'm not sure what county.  I'm guessing Clinton county.  He was born Feb. 5 1915.
I'm hoping to collect copies of documents pertaining to each relative.  Wonder how long that's going to take.  Hopefully I can get many of the copies from websites.  Except of course birth and death certificates.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Duplicates and next hunt

I've discovered that I have non related or duplicate people in my tree.  I think that's from not really knowing what I was doing in the beginning.  I merged every hint I received from Ancestry.  I've now realized that some of those may have not been my relative or the information was wrong.  Now, I'm spending my extra time fixing my links and deleting people.  I'm hoping to start locating birth records and ordering copies.  I have my hanging files and folders organized but I still need to get my computer files organized.  I'm going to use the system that is used by Lisa Louise Cooke, the creator/host of Genealogy Gems Podcasts.  My family seems to be out there and very accessable I haven't had any brick walls yet.  My aunt told me that my great great grandmother was Native American but I haven't found that.  That's my next adventure is to find out more information on Virginia Ann Marshall b Dec 29, 1849 in Indiana and died Feb 21, 1922 in Effingham, Illinois.  Is she Native American Indian?

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Update

I've been working alot on my genealogy lately.  I"ve been reading books, listening to podcasts and reading online.  I finally took a trip to the library and discovered a book about a Mayflower ancestor that I have.  I wish I could buy that book some how or somewhere.  I haven't started my hunt for that book yet.  I finally found my grandmother's grandparents.  I've been updating my list of family on my online trees.  I've noticed I have lots of duplicates and non-related people listed that I've had to delete.  I'm learning more and more about building an accurate family tree.  It's hard work but I'm enjoying it.  I've learned alot about American History, too, which I've never really been interested in that until now. 
I put together my genealogy crate with all the files and resources.  I can then just take a certain folder of the person I'm working on to the library and hopefully make some discoveries. 
On my agenda this next few weeks is to visit the Family history centers here in Colorado Springs.