On the naming of babies . . .

I have a new grand-nephew on the way in late summer. My nephew's wife made the announcement on Facebook the other day. I will say that the new one's middle name will be my nephew's first name. The baby's first name, however, is a curiosity. My best guess is that they are naming him "Sawyer" after country music star Sawyer Brown. However, the genealogist in me came up with another explanation. I decided they were using one of the baby's ancestor's occupations as the name. Little Sawyer's 5th great grandfather was enumerated as a sawyer in the 1850 census for Shelby County, Tennessee.

Realistically, I know that my nephew and his wife probably were unaware of this fact in their heritage. I can, however, assure you that they do know about it now. I will always think of James H. M. Allred and the heritage he left behind when I see little sawyer.

By the way, Allred did not remain a sawyer. He is listed as a mechanic and as a farmer in later censuses.

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1850-1880 census citations for James Allred:

1850 U.S. federal census, Shelby County, Tennessee, population schedule, 10th civil district, p. 173 (stamped), James Allred, dwelling 1370, family 1370, line 15; NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 895.

1860 U.S. federal census., Fayette County, Alabama, population schedule, Eastern Division, p. 397 (stamped), J. H. M. Alred, dwelling 351, family 353, line 32; NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 9.

1870 U.S. federal census, Fayette County, Alabama, population schedule, Twp 15, Handy post office, p. 416 (stamped), sheet 5 (written), James Alread household, dwelling 38, family 38, line 33; NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 16.

1880 U.S. federal census, Fayette County, Alabama, population schedule, Twp 15, Clear Creek, SD 1, ED 78, p. 462B (stamped), sheet 8 (written), James H.M. Alred, dwelling not given, family 74, line 46; NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 13.

Of the Making of Many Webinars There Is No End

Genealogical webinars have proliferated in the past year or two. One can attend multiple webinars in a week; sometimes even on the same day. Recently I discovered that I had somehow managed to sign up for two webinars that were scheduled at the same time and was forced to choose between the two. (I actually think one of the webinars may have been rescheduled to the conflicting time slot.) Is all of this good? Or is it a distraction?

I have come to a conclusion that it is both. We need to learn as much as we can about genealogical research, but it becomes distracting when we overdo it and don't leave time to hone our skills to research.  In the old days, we set aside a week or two to attend genealogical conferences and/or institutes. We learned from the experts and went home to practice what we had learned the rest of the year.

In today's environment, we could attend so many webinars, listen to so many podcasts, spend so much time in Second Life or Google Plus with other genealogists that we would have little or no time to spend researching. Furthermore, I've been quite disappointed in several of the webinars that I've attended. I have often attended some on a topic such as a geographic region in which I've done little research. I expect to come away with some great tools and tips for researching in that area, some things that are unique to that area. The disappointment comes when the only things shown are resources that are the same as those available for other areas of the country. The presenter has completely failed to discuss any unique special collections, the state laws that may have influenced the records, etc. I'm frustrated because I've just attended a webinar that ran for 1.5 hours or more. It has been a total waste of my time.

We often decide to sign up based on the topic or description, without knowing the intended audience level. I'm grateful that APG has jumped into the webinar arena, offering some that are for those of us who are more advanced in research skills.



King Solomon must have felt something similar as he wrote sometime in the 900s B.C., "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." (Ecclesiastes 12:12b, NIV)

I believe that I get far more from a conference experience than from a webinar experience. When we attend a webinar, most of the time we are on mute. We hear the speaker, but it comes across as flat and one-dimensional because interaction is limited. I'm easily distracted, especially if a webinar is more basic than I had hoped, by other opportunities readily available to me on my computer -- Facebook, working on my own genealogy, reading blog feeds, checking out what others are reading on LibraryThing, etc. I am much more likely to pay attention in a more traditional setting. This is not to say that I will not be attending webinars at all. I'm just going to be much more selective in the future about which ones I decide to attend. The ones offered by APG will probably receive first consideration because they have consistently been useful. Others that incorporate case studies or promise to offer something to advanced researchers will also receive consideration.

At the recent NERGC held in Manchester, New Hampshire, I attended a session about Chinese genealogy. I've done very little Chinese research. I have read a book written in the 1980s as part of a series of ethnic genealogy how-tos for young adults written on the topic. I have also spent a little bit of time looking through census records of some of the Chinese who settled in the Mississippi Delta. However, I really knew very little on the topic. I knew that it would have fairly low attendance. There were a handful of us in the room, maybe 5 or 6. I suspected that none of us in the room had done very much with Chinese research. We were able to interact with the presenter during her lecture because of the small size of our group. It ended up being one of the best sessions I've attended recently from the standpoint of learning something that might be useful. Some of the things that came up in the course of the lecture are things that someone might not have thought to ask in the question and answer section at the end of a webinar.  Will I use what I learned at the session? Maybe; maybe not. I will have some notes that will assist me if I do have the opportunity to do so. If I did not have other projects and commitments, I'm certain that I would be finding one of those Mississippi families to try to research to try to develop that skill.

I know that I'll be receiving lots of "You missed your webinar" messages over the remainder of the year, but that is okay. I'm simply managing learning and research time in a better manner for me. Others may need to spend more time "learning." My approach requires having the funds necessary to make the trips. Those who cannot budget for this may need to spend more time in webinars. My only word of caution is that one should not spend so much time attending webinars that one neglects to spend time digging through records, documenting their finds, and writing the reports needed to discuss the evidence and provide proof for  conclusions.

God's Favorite Place on Earth

Viola, Frank. God's Favorite Place on Earth. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013.

Author Frank Viola argues that Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Simon the Leper, was God's favorite place on earth because it is where Jesus went to relax and where He ascended into heaven. He examines the scenes throughout the life of Christ set in this village near Jerusalem. He embellishes the narrative with additional source material taken from first century sources so that the modern reader gets a feel for the material. This part is written from the viewpoint of Lazarus. I did not really think that part was all that effective. It felt like I was reading fiction. He then includes the actual Scripture which in my opinion could have stood alone without the earlier embellishment. The third and longest part of each chapter is a discussion and Bible study of the verses. It's not really a formal commentary although in places he approaches the study in that manner. In other places it is more of a discussion of the narrative. This book would be a good personal Bible study book or perhaps a book that could be used in a small group Bible study setting in a church. This review is based on an advance e-galley received by the publisher through NetGalley for review.

How Then Shall We Worship?

Sproul, R. C. How Then Shall We Worship?: Biblical Principles to Guide Us Today. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2013.

R. C. Sproul addresses the theology behind worship in this book which is ideally suited to be a quarterly study for Sunday School, Wednesday night study, or small group in a church. Sproul's Presbyterian leanings come out in this volume so those who are of other religious persuasions, particularly Baptists and other denominations which do not support infant baptism, may not find this volume appropriate. He addressed issues such as the presence of Christ in the Lord's supper, the mode of baptism, and infant baptism. As is expected, the author finds prayer to be an important part of worship. He also briefly addressed houses of worship and symbolism. The amount of time he spends on the style of worship is much shorter than I anticipated it would be. He acknowledges differences and really doesn't make much of a point except to say that orchestral music is biblical. The book was somewhat disappointing. I did not agree with all of the author's theological leanings. This review was based on an advance e-galley received by the publisher through NetGalley.

Where are they in 1920?

I've recently been going back over some of the data in my own families and trying to fill any holes in my research. I'm having a terrible time locating one of my paternal grandmother's sisters (and her family) in the 1920 census.  Let me try to paint a picture this branch of the family.

My grandmother's sister's maiden name was Lera Bell Fowlkes. According to the Virginia Phillips Fowlkes Howell family Bible, she was born 8 Sep 1888 in Monroe County, Mississippi. (I have a photocopy of this record in my possession. The original was last known to be in the hands of a cousin of mine residing in the Hatley area of Monroe County, Mississippi.) The 1890 census was destroyed in the infamous National Archives fire that so many of us wish had not occurred. She was too young to be listed in the surviving 1892 Enumeration of Educable Children in Mississippi which serves as an 1890 census substitute for many of us researching in that state. (It lists the head of household and school-age children, generally ages 6 to 16.)

In 1900, she is enumerated in the household with her mother and stepfather.

Howell, John, head, W, M, Oct 1854, 45, M, MS, MS, MS, farmer
--, Virginia, wife, W, F, Mar 1865, 35, M, 11, 5, MS, MS, MS
--, Pearler, daughter, W, F, May 1886, 14, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Mary L, daughter, W, F, Feb 1889, 11, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Ollie, daughter, W, F, Jan 1894, 6, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Osie, son, W, M, Mar 1896, 4, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Dewey, son, W, M, Jan 1898, 2, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Dee, s-son, W, M, Feb 1887, 15, S, MS, MS, MS
Fowlkes, Lera, s-dau, W, F, Sep 1888, 11, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Norma, s-dau, W, F, Jan 1892, 8, S, MS, MS, MS
--, Jodie, s-dau, W, F, May 1895, 5, S, MS, MS, MS

[1900 U.S. Federal Census, Monroe County, Mississippi, population schedule, Amory, Beat 1, SD --, ED 68, p. 26A (stamped), sheet 26A, John Howell household, dwelling 504, family 505, lines 12-22; digital image, Ancestry.com : 29 Oct 2012; citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 822.]

She married Neely Nash on 14 Dec 1908 in Monroe County, Mississippi. [Monroe County, Mississippi Marriages (1821-1921). 4 vols. s.l.: s.n., n.d., vol. 1, p. 175. This index is held at Evans Memorial Library in Aberdeen, Mississippi. If I have a copy of the actual marriage record from the county books in the circuit clerk's office, it is not in my database. I'll check some older paper files, but I'll need to make sure to obtain the better source for this. It's been added to my to-do list.]

At the time of the 1910 census, the family is still residing in Monroe County, Mississippi. They have a young daughter by that time. Evelyn Nesby Nash was born 17 Oct 1909 in Monroe County, Mississippi. There is a bit of a discrepancy in her one month age on the 1910 census and this October birth date.

Nash, Nelley, head, M, W, 22, m1, 2, MS, MS, MS, farmer, gen farm, 182
--, Lera, wife, F, W, 21, m1, 2, 1, 1, MS, MS, MS, farm laborer, home farm
--, Nesby, daughter, F, W, 1/12, S, MS, MS, MS

[1910 U.S. Federal Census, Monroe County, Mississippi, population schedule, Hatley, SD 9, ED 55, p. 40-41 (stamped), sheets 10A/11B (written), Nelley Nash household, dwelling 182, family 182, lines 49-50, 100; digital image, Ancestry.com : 4 Mar 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 752. Note about census: The enumerator made a mistake. He had originally tried to create a line on the same page below line 50 to include Nesby but had crossed this out and had made a note to direct the reader to the remainder of the household.]

I have not found the family in the 1920 census. They could have still been in Mississippi. They could have been in the process of moving to Arkansas. They could have been in Arkansas.

What I do know is that according to the 1930 census, daughter Edith was born about 1918-1919 in Mississippi and son Billie was born about 1922-1923 in Arkansas. [By the way, Billy was said to have been born in Mississippi in the 1940 census.]

Nash, Neeley, head, R, M, W, 42, M, 21, MS, NC, MS, farmer, general farm, 45
--, Ila, wife, F, W, 34, M, 28, MS, MS, MS, none
--, Elihu, son, M, W, 15, S, MS, MS, MS, laborer, farm
--, Joe, son, M, W, 13, S, MS, MS, MS, laborer, farm
--, Edith, daughter, F, W, 11, S, MS, MS, MS, none
--, Billie, son, M, W, 7, S, AR, MS, MS, none

[1930 U.S. Federal Census, Poinsett County, Arkansas, population schedule, Greenwood, SD 3, ED 6, p. 68 (stamped), sheet 3A, Neeley Nash household, dwelling 49, family 49, lines 33-49; digital image, Ancestry.com : 4 Mar 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 88.]

You may have noticed that Lera is no longer in the 1930 census. She died in 1923, presumably in Arkansas, although it is possible that the family had made its way back to Mississippi. She is buried at Hatley Cemetery, Hatley, Monroe County, Mississippi. I have visited the grave which simply reads "Lera Bell Nash" and gives her birth date as 1888 and death date as 1923. This is also the reading that was rendered by a volunteer who transcribed the marker for Find-A-Grave (memorial number 66169047). There is one slight variation in the family. It's a more specific date, but it was possibly mistranscribed by a person who has been known to mistranscribe a lot of things. That date is 11 Jan 1928. I suspect that the actual date of death is 11 Jan 1923, and that this person wrote the 3 as an 8.

I'll include the 1940 census for the record.

Nash, Neely, head, M, W, 52, M (crossed out), no, 4, MS, same place, farmer, farming, OA, 70
--, Eda (x), daughter, F, W, 20, S, no, 6, MS, same place
--, Billie, son, M, W, 17, S, no, 4, MS, same place

[1940 U.S. Federal Census, Poinsett County, Arkansas, population schedule, Lunsford, SD 9, ED 56-12B, p. 277 (stamped), sheet 5B (written), Neely Nash household, visit 82, lines 63-65; digital image, Ancestry.com : 27 Apr 2013; citing NARA microfilm publication T627, roll 162.]

The children of Lera and her husband Neely should be:

1. Evelyn Nesby Nash (b. 17 Oct 1909; d. 5 Mar 2000)
2. Emma Lee Nash (b. 17 Jun 1912) - name/date comes only from family information; probably died young
3. Ellie Hue Nash (b. 8 Jul 1914; d. 30 May 1970 )  - Tombstone gives birth year of 1913; SSDI gives 1914.
4. Josier "Joe" Nash (b. abt 1917)
5. Sada Odena Nash (Edith?, Eda?, Omie?) (b. 26 Jan 1920)
6. Billy Shaddon Nash (b. 31 Dec 1922; d. 29 Jun 1989)

I also have Neely's draft registrations for both World Wars, but I'm not including them here. I will say that Neely did say that he had a wife and three children on the World War I registration card in 1917 and that Omie is listed as the contact person on the World War II one in 1942.

So - where is this family in the 1920 census? I'm stumped. I'm beginning to think they were missed.

Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly

Rawlings, Irene. Cast-Iron Cooking with Sisters on the Fly. Photographs by David Foxhoven. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2013.

The photograph of the retro RV on the front cover drew me to this book. My family went camping and RVing from the time I was young until my parents were no longer able to travel. There's nothing quite like a cast iron skillet for cooking, so that was a draw as well. The recipes included are not difficult to prepare, and most of them would work well while traveling by RV. The photography and layout for the book was excellent. Before reading this book, I had never heard of the Sisters on the Fly organization, but it sounds like a fun group. I'm a bit surprised, given their enjoyment of fishing, that there are not more fish recipes in the collection, but it seems to be fairly diverse as far as meat choices for main courses. I will probably be purchasing a copy of this title for my own cookbook collection. This review is based on an advance electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate by Susanna Calkins

Calkins, Susanna. A Murder at Rosamund's Gate. New York: Minotaur Books, 2013.

When the body of a servant girl in a magistrate's household turns up dead, suspicion falls to the brother of Lucy, a servant girl in the household. He had been dating the murdered servant. The magistrate's son Adam is also briefly suspected because of an accusation. It's one of a series of similar murders. Lucy decides she must try to prove her brother's innocence before he hangs. She finds an ally in Adam. The Black Death and London Fire occur during the course of the novel. While the author does take some liberties with the historical details, she does provide a note specifying those that she has taken. I found this to be well-plotted and highly engaging. The solution was not entirely obvious, but it was a logical one.  Some of the red herrings were rather convincing. This appears to be the first in the series, and I will definitely be looking for future installments. The review is based on an advance e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley. (4.5 stars)

NERGC Wrap-Up with Saturday's Activities

I somehow did not manage to find time to blog yesterday. It was our final day of NERGC (New England Regional Genealogical Conference, for those who may be wondering what those letters have stood for the last few days).

My day started with consulting at the Ancestors Road Show. I met with a couple of people although one of my appointments was a no-show. We had a nice time discussing their genealogical brick walls and coming up with some avenues by which they might be able to break through them.

After I finished up with that, I managed to check out of the hotel and store my luggage in my roommate's car's trunk. I then had time to actually browse the exhibit hall myself before heading to grab a bite for lunch. I was able to pick up three more titles in the NGS Research in the States series. I'm trying to obtain them all. I think I've managed to purchase all but a couple now. I probably would have picked up a fourth, but Maia's books was sold out of them. I try to limit myself to buying them at conferences so I control my spending! Fortunately they are thin enough that they fitted very nicely into my carry-on bags and did not require me to ship them via the UPS store.

After I ate lunch, I worked the NGS booth for awhile. Booth traffic was much quieter on Saturday than on the previous days. At 1:30, we drew for the door prize. I did not manage to draw the name of any of my friends.

I went to Alice Kane's talk on Chinese genealogy. This is a topic about which I knew very little. I've read one book on Chinese American genealogy in a series for young adults. I own a couple of books on Mississippi's Chinese population (in the Delta region of the state). However, this was an interesting session which focused on the reasons they came to the U.S., the concern of the U.S. that they would take away jobs from Americans (even back in the 1800s), the exclusion acts, and much more. She showed examples of the records created as part of the exclusion acts. Very interesting! I'm not quite ready to read the Chinese characters, but I think I could try my luck at some of the American records for the group.

After this, I went back to the NGS booth to help with packing up and tearing down the display. Then I headed to the final session. I'd originally planned to attend a different session but was not exactly impressed by the syllabus so I decided to hear the "stand-in." Michael LeClerc was doing Thomas MacEntee's presentation on Google. I've probably already used the only parts of Google that I'm actually interested in using. Like many people, I used Google Reader and am a bit put out with Google for deciding to do away with it.

After the last session, my roommate and I headed over to the Homewood Suites near the airport. We are the first to stay in a brand new room there as part of their remodel. It was quite nice. We located the nearby restaurants so we could catch a bite to eat and even found an L. L. Bean Outlet store. I wanted to go in so that I could try on some pants for sizing purposes. I'd recently received a catalog from them and decided to order some pants. My problem is that size usually depends on how the pants are cut and made. I'm happy that I can wear the smaller size! I didn't buy any there. I didn't want to take a chance on overfilling my suitcase. I did not want to pay for a checked bag.

I'd better log off, go print my boarding pass, and catch the shuttle to the airport now! I'm praying all my flights are on time and that there are no traffic situations or other issues between Charlotte and home. I need to be at church by 6 p.m. since I'm on the praise team for the first song in our choir's night of worship and praise tonight. You can catch that live at http://www.fbcmtn.com/ at 6 p.m. Eastern, or  you can watch an archived copy later at the site.

NERGC Friday Night

I had supper, dinner, or whatever you want to call the evening meal with Marian Pierre-Louis and others tonight. We ate at a nearby restaurant since many of us were going to head to one of the special interest groups afterwards.

Since I wanted to meet some of my New England blogging friends, I attended the Geneabloggers SIG. There was a lively discussion about blogging topics. There were also a couple of persons who were interested in starting their own genealogy blogs. It's really a shame that all the SIGs were held simultaneously because there were several others I would have loved to attend.

Here are a few photos taken today.

Maia's Books was busy!

Inside the Bloggers Area around noon.

Geneabloggers SIG

More in the Geneabloggers SIG

Friday Afternoon NERGC Report

My presentation is now over, so I can relax. I do think I managed to leave my reading glasses on either the podium or the table in the room so I'll have to go try to track those down in a bit. I'm accustomed to an LCD support package (which I listed as an AV need) including a cable that will run from the table that will hold the LCD projector to the podium and having electrical connections at the podium so one can connect the computer to an electrical source there. The room did not have that type of a set up. I was either going to have to sit down, stand and block the screen, or get someone else to punch the buttons. I'm used to having my computer right in front of my face with the screen that I'm discussing. I had to read off the same screen the audience was viewing and have someone else punch the buttons. It added just enough time to the presentation that I felt rushed.  I hope attendees picked up a few sources for adding richness to their ancestors' lives.

I attended Steve Morse's autosomal DNA presentation before my session. It wasn't quite what I'd expected, but it was a good explanation of how autosomal DNA works. The illustrations just didn't show results from the DNA testing companies.

I was too tired to go to a presentation during the last session. I decided to come up to my room, grab a Diet Dr. Pepper, and "chill" for a few minutes.

Friday Morning at NERGC

This morning I awakened very early and couldn't get back to sleep so I got up. I checked into Facebook and discovered all the breaking news and lockdowns in the Boston area. That was on a lot of people's minds as they made their way to the first session of the morning.

I chose to attend a session about Loyalists during the first time slot. The speaker had a lot of great content and definitely knew his topic. It was heavily focused on the loyalists who settled in New Brunswick. Since mine were in Nova Scotia, it wasn't quite as useful as it might have been, but the question and answer period did produce questions from other participants regarding Nova Scotia loyalists.

I attended Colleen Fitzpatrick's presentation on Abraham Lincoln's DNA during the second session. It was quite fascinating and is a study that is in progress. It will be wonderful to keep up with this research as it continues over the coming months and years.

I'm enjoying visiting with everyone here in the blogging area at the moment. I'll be heading to the NGS booth shortly.  I'll try to take a few photos to post later.