Do you have DAMAGED PHOTOS that break your heart because you can’t appreciate the picture while fixating on the ugly part? I do and I was never able to use the photos in family projects because I couldn’t restore them to their former glory.
Thanks to MyHeritage.com, it is now simple, quick, easy and free (some limitations apply) to return the photos to better than new. Here’s how:
First, upload your photo to be repaired by logging into MyHeritage.com and click on Photos in the ribbon, then click the Upload box on the right.
Once uploaded, the photo appears with your media items. Now, click the photo needing to be repaired.
Above the photo on the right hand side, the following options are shown: Repair, Enhance, Colorize, Animate. To correct the photo it’s recommended you select options from left to right.
Once I click Repair and MyHeritage.com does it’s magic, the photo will be shown as follows:
Much improved but still not perfect. Sure, I can clip out the damage to the upper portions of the photo but I want to restore the picture to as close as new as possible so here’s what I’m going to do – On the upper left hand side of the photo, click on the gear icon which is the settings option. The photos are first repaired Gently – that’s the default setting. I’m going to click the box Extensive Repair Option and Preview. Now look at what it does:
Isn’t that AMAZING?! You can stop there but I wanted to make the photo even more defined so I next clicked on Enhance. Here’s what the result was:
Due to the size limitation on my blog, the subtle improvements are not as apparent as on my larger computer screen but when you try it you’ll notice the difference. Next I decided to go ahead and colorize it. I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of colorizing because I like to know FOR SURE if what I’m presenting in my research is accurate. It is fun, however, to imagine what the original outfits looked like so I decided to click the Colorize button to see what the program would select:
I again used the Settings (gear icon) to tweak the saturation manually as the first colorization picture showed a pink hue on right side of the dress. Knowing the individuals as I did, that wouldn’t have been the color choice. The brown/silver grey was more in keeping with the time period (1917) fashion and the wearer’s preference. In my excitement to get the photo corrected I neglected to tell you who the people are! This is a photo of my paternal grandparents, Edwin and Lola Landfair Leininger, and their oldest child, my dad, Orlo Guy Leininger. He was born June 4, 1917 so I guess this must be a photo that commemorated his first Christmas. Nothing was written on the photo back (of course). I received the photo 5 years after my father’s death in a box that was kept in a damp unheated northern Indiana basement for probably at least 10 years. I’m fortunate that the photo survived, albeit damaged. I’m thrilled that it has been restored. Thanks, MyHeritage.com for your new feature! For the ethic minded, I also appreciate that MyHeritage.com acknowledges that the photo was altered. You can see the After written in the upper left hand corner of the photo and on the bottom left, icons appear showing exactly what features were used to change the original picture. I’ve blogged before about the animation feature but it has since added many new features, too. I couldn’t resist animating my Dad, I’m sure he would approve:
Set your alarm and check out MyHeritage.com for a wonderful new feature that will be rolled out tomorrow. I promised Daniel Horowitz I wouldn’t tell you WHAT it is but I don’t want you to miss it as I think you’ll be as excited as I am to give it a try.
I attended the National Genealogical
Conference virtually this week, the second time the conference has been in that
format. Here’s my take on it…
This year there are 3 days in May for the
general attendees compared to last year, where there was only one. This makes sense since the organization had
to pivot at the last minute to move the format while this year they had a
longer time period to adjust.
I enjoyed SLAM! on Tuesday. SLAM is an acronym for Societies, Libraries,
Archives and Museums and featured “posters” from submitting organizations
regarding innovative programs they provided to members/patrons during the
pandemic. Monday was society today but
since I registered as an individual I was not able to attend those
sessions. Friday was society wrap up
which, although sessions showed on my dashboard, I was not able to enter.
I was greatly impressed by the SLAM! submissions. Three Top Poster Winners and three runner ups
were highlighted and representatives from the winning organizations answered
questions from conference attendees. My
personal favorite was a circle Family Wheel Chart provided by Mary Kate Gliedt,
Genealogy Manager at the St. Louis Public Library. The beauty of this simple chart is to allow
flexibility and inclusion with family dynamics.
If you have step-family, adoption, foster parents, nonparental event or
same sex parents, the traditional family tree does not work. With the Wheel Chart, lines can be made to
include those important people that influenced a child. I have altered the form by making the lines
faint so they can be written over if not needed and drawn over when used. An
example is above.
You would put your name in the ME
circle. Your birth mother could be
written in space Mom 1 or Mom 2. If you
have an Adopted, Foster or Step Mother, she could be placed in the other Mom
space. If you had 3 “moms” then the top
half of the second circle could be divided into 3 sections. You can alter the form from there. When finished, drawing over the lines with a
pen can make the form easy to follow.
I’ll be including spaces around the 4
quadrants of the page to include children of those relationships. Now you have one sheet displaying the family
dynamics and including everyone.
After the SLAM! winners, attendees could
visit each submission site and chat with representatives. I will be blogging next week about the
Veteran’s Legacy Project.
Overall, the first day went well with this
new format. There were only two minor glitches. The first was that the kickoff event was
purported to be a livestream from Ancestry but it wasn’t livestream, it was a
replay from an older Youtube video from that organization. Event personnel clarified in the chat that
was the case after a number of participants mentioned the discrepancy.
The day ended with the second glitch, a
livestream from Family Search. Clicking
the button to view did not work.
Eventually, a note was displayed to go to Youtube. Several of us missed the first few minutes of
the presentation because of the tech issue. Overall, it was a wonderful day!
One tech issue occurred on Wednesday when
Dani Shapiro’s presentation froze. NGS
allowed viewing through Friday at 5:00 PM for those who missed it.
Thursday’s line up included more than one
option at the same time period. If you
wanted to view a missed presentation, viewing was made available through Friday
at 5:00 PM. In that way, I was able to
view every option.
For those who purchased a 20 or 40 session
packet, beginning June 15th, all of the sessions except Dani Shapiro’s,
is included in either packet. The
syllabus for all sessions was provided electronically and those that purchased
a packet, more sessions not yet shown will be available to view through
December 31, 2021. Since I don’t have
many lines in Virginia, I purchased the 20 session packet. Looking forward to more interesting sessions
to view over the summer.
Although I miss the camaraderie of
attending conferences in person, there is a lot of positives to virtual – no wasted
time or expense by travel and the ability to view at my leisure. Next May the NGS conference will be held in
Sacramento, California. I’m hoping that
a virtual option remains as I have no needed research to do in that area.
Here are my personal favorite sessions:
Most Heartfelt – Family Secrets
Most Entertaining – Young General Lafayette
Most New Information – The Story of Virgina: Arrival of the First Africans (I’m buying the book by Ric Murphy!)
Most Consistent Presenter Over Venues
Demonstrating Excellence – Elizabeth Shown Mills. How she makes everything look simple is just
so special!
Most Knowledgeable about Virginia – Barbara
Vines Little
DNA Technique – Tie between Angie Bush and
Christa Cowan who both demonstrated how they use the colored dots on
Ancestry. I use mine like Angie but am
willing to try Christa’s method.
Special shout out to Erin Shifflett, NGS
Staff. I couldn’t find the syllabus as
the link was buried in one of the many emails that they had sent to remind me
of the conference. I sent an email and in
less than 5 minutes had a response with the document to download. Now that’s service!
If you have a gmail account you may have been getting notices from Google over the past few months that their terms are changing June 1st regarding storage. You may have also gotten information that they would like to “offer” you, for a fee, extra storage space for your photos and emails through Google One.
I have a Dropbox account that I use so I don’t need to be paying for another storage space. I haven’t successfully been able to transfer photos and emails from the gmail account I share with my husband to my desktop to then transfer to my Dropbox account, though I’ve followed online directions. When the emails are on my desktop they appear as an Outlook file but I’m unable to open them, even though I do have an Outlook account.
If you are having the same problem, here’s a temporary work around I discovered.
I like to keep my genealogy business separate from my personal research so my family related genealogy goes to my shared account and my second gmail account was set up to be business only. However, these are difficult times and I’m now combining all of my genealogy in one place. Since I so often blog about my personal research anyway, it only makes sense to keep all my genealogy related correspondence together.
By doing that, I’m freeing up valuable space in my shared gmail account without having to pay for extra storage.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Create a second email address if you don’t already have one. It’s simple – here’s the directions. https://support.google.com/mail/answer/56256?hl=en
2. Next, go to the email address where you have too many saved messages. In the search bar, type a term that will bring up messages that are similar. Here’s an example; I typed in genealogy Williams because I want every genealogy related item for the Williams surname in my gmail inbox.
1. If you created labels, as I have, then click to open one of them (they are visible on the left side:
When I click into the Genealogy label, I will use that search box which appears under the header as it does on the main inbox page. To keep emails from the same sender or for the same surname, type in a surname, such as Williams or a person’s email address. All of them will appear:
Now click the check box next to the down arrow and checkmarks will appear in all the emails listed below:
On the line where the checkmark next to the down arrow is, click the last icon, 3 dots:
The last option is Forward with Attachments. Click it and all of the check marked emails will be placed in the body of a new email. This can take a few minutes if you are sending many at one time.
In the subject, list the surname and/or who the emails are from. In my picture above, I’ve given an example as I typed Williams from Courtneys. That’s referring to all my Williams surname correspondence that I received from the Courtney family. Then, in the recipient box, type the email address where you will send the message. In my case, I’m sending it to my second gmail account.
It will arrive in your new email inbox as a unit. Just open the email and all the others are attached.
I created a label I called Personal-followed by the surname. This way, I can quickly find all emails sent to me over the years for a particular surname.
Someday, ahh hum, I will go through these as I’m sure there are some gems in there that will spark a new clue to an existing research problem but for now, they are safe and I’m not out any money.
We were at 99% used and by just removing my 12 pages of saved genealogy emails and a few pages of photos has allowed me to be at 90% capacity.
During the pandemic, I updated a family cookbook that I originally compiled in 2002. It is a collection of recipes and holiday customs passed down to my husband and I. Unfortunately, most of the recipes are from my maternal side of the family. Although I wasn’t close to my dad’s side, I do recall my grandmother’s cooking on several occasions. Chicken or beef, mashed potatoes with gravy and another vegetable was all I can remember. What does stand out is that she served dessert on the same plate that was used for dinner. This totally grossed me out as a small child so I would refuse dessert. She must have thought I was very strange to turn down homemade apple pie ala mode but I just couldn’t enjoy it if it was on the same plate in which my main course had been served. I have no idea why a dessert plate wasn’t used as I have inherited a set from my paternal grandmother’s mother so clearly they had the means to separate the courses. I don’t know why it bothered me as I wasn’t one of those kids who wouldn’t eat if one food touched another. The only food I refused to eat was pizza as it looked unappealing to me. Of course, the only time I recall my parents going out to dinner with my paternal grandparents was to a restaurant where they ordered pizza. I recall I had a child’s chicken plate instead. I don’t have many recipes from my husband’s side of the family, either. Most came from a church cookbook that my mother-in-law purchased for me that contained her submitted recipes. I’m not sure how many of those recipes were passed down, however. Years ago, I made a beef stew recipe from that cookbook that was supposedly one of my sister-in-law’s favorites. I complimented her on it and she had no idea what I was talking about. My husband asked his mother and she said she entered it to see her daughter’s name in print. I wonder how many other organizational cookbooks contain recipes that the “submitter” never tasted. Sometimes, records submitted are not correct! I do have a recipe for Lickum, which has been handed down on the Samuelson line, probably from Sweden as it appears to be from that area originally. There are several variations online. Lickum is similar to a pickle relish made with onions, tomatoes and peppers. Last week I went on a quest for a lost family recipe on my husband’s paternal line. I had tried for years to get the recipe from his cousins but everyone I asked replied with a stricken expression and said, “You don’t want that recipe.” My husband absolutely hated it as apparently, all of his cousins had. The recipe was called oyster stuffing and though we’re still 6 months away from Turkey Day, my mind recalled, in a strange way, that I still haven’t discovered it. Through the Kindle library I read a short book about a true story of a pirate operating off Long Island, New York in 1860. He murdered the captain and two deck hands on an oyster ship. It was a true story and I was shocked by how large the oyster market was at that time. My husband’s family were originally from Long Island and my father-in-law had recalled his grandmother making the dish for holidays. His grandmother, Mary Thompson, was born in Chicago, however, her mother Drusilla Williams, was born on long island and her father, John Hicks Williams, was a ship’s carpenter. Although I will probably never know for certain, it’s likely the oyster stuffing recipe originated from the once abundance supply of oysters near the family’s home. Several days after finishing the book, I had a strange dream. I awoke from a deep sleep and only recall that I was looking at what looked like a television’s blank screen – grey with static – and a man’s voice saying, “If you want that oyster recipe you better ask for it soon before it’s too late.” Kind of an ominous warning for a mere recipe that no one continued to serve. I told my husband the next morning and he posted on Facebook. Within a matter of minutes one of his cousins had forwarded it to another cousin through marriage that had the recipe. Apparently, it’s all over the internet. From Martha Stewart to Chef John, what my husband’s family called Oyster Stuffing is now called Scalloped Oysters or Oyster Casserole. Who knew?! I have duly entered the recipe in my family cookbook. Reaching out on social media helped me discover that long lost recipe in minutes. I don’t know why I never thought to do that before!
During the pandemic, I updated a family cookbook that I originally compiled in 2002. It is a collection of recipes and holiday customs passed down to my husband and I. Unfortunately, most of the recipes are from my maternal side of the family. Although I wasn’t close to my dad’s side, I do recall my grandmother’s cooking on several occasions. Chicken or beef, mashed potatoes with gravy and another vegetable was all I can remember. What does stand out is that she served dessert on the same plate that was used for dinner. That totally grossed me out as a small child so I would refuse dessert. She must have thought I was very strange to turn down homemade apple pie ala mode but I just couldn’t enjoy it if it was on the same plate in which my main course had been served. I have no idea why a dessert plate wasn’t used as I have inherited a set from my paternal grandmother’s mother so clearly they had the means to separate the courses. I don’t know why it bothered me as I wasn’t one of those kids who wouldn’t eat if one food touched another. As a preschooler, the only food I refused to eat was pizza as it looked unappealing to me. Of course, the only time I recall my parents going out to dinner with my paternal grandparents was to a restaurant where they ordered pizza. I had a child’s chicken plate instead. I don’t have many recipes from my husband’s side of the family, either. Most came from a church cookbook that my mother-in-law gifted me that contained her submitted recipes. I’m not sure how many of those recipes were passed down, however. Years ago, I made a beef stew recipe from that cookbook that was attributed to my sister-in-law. I complimented her on it but she had no idea what I was talking about. My husband asked his mother and she said she entered it to see her daughter’s name in print. I wonder how many other organizational cookbooks contain recipes that the “submitter” never knew about. Sometimes, records submitted are not correct! I do have a recipe for Lickum, which has been handed down on the Samuelson line, probably from Sweden as it appears to be from that region originally. There are several variations online. Lickum is similar to a pickle relish made with onions, tomatoes and peppers. Last week I went on a quest for a lost family recipe on my husband’s paternal line. I had tried for years to get the recipe from his cousins but everyone I asked replied with a stricken expression and said, “You don’t want that recipe.” My husband absolutely hated it as apparently, all of his still living cousins had. The recipe was called oyster stuffing and though we’re still 6 months away from Turkey Day, my mind recalled, in a strange way, that I still haven’t discovered it. Through the Kindle library I read a short book about a true story of a pirate operating off Long Island, New York in 1860. In The Pirate by Harold Schecter (2018), Albert W. Hicks murdered the captain and two deck hands on an oyster ship. It was a true story and I was shocked by how large the oyster market was at that time. My husband’s family were originally from Long Island and my father-in-law had recalled his grandmother making the dish for holidays. His grandmother, Mary Thompson, was born in Chicago, however, her mother Drusilla Williams, was born on long island and her father, John Hicks Williams, was a ship’s carpenter. I have no idea if the pirate and my husband’s ship’s carpenter were related, sharing the similar surname of Hicks. There were many Hicks’ in the area at the time. Although I will probably also never know for certain, it’s likely the oyster stuffing recipe originated from the once abundance supply of oysters near the family’s home. Several days after finishing the book, I had a strange dream. I awoke from a deep sleep and only recall that I was staring at what looked like a television’s blank screen – grey with static – and a man’s voice saying, “If you want that oyster recipe you better ask for it soon before it’s too late.” Kind of an ominous warning for a mere recipe that no one continued to serve. My subconscious most likely paired the bloody Hicks to my husband’s Hicks and the Long Island oysters connected them even further. I told my husband the next morning and he posted on Facebook. Within a matter of minutes one of his cousins had forwarded it to another cousin through marriage that had the recipe. Apparently, it’s all over the internet. From Martha Stewart to Chef John, what my husband’s family called Oyster Stuffing is now called Scalloped Oysters or Oyster Casserole. Who knew?! I have duly entered the recipe in my family cookbook. Husband says he is not eating it if I make it. Reaching out on social media helped me discover that long lost recipe in minutes. I don’t know why I never thought to do that before! I had wasted years asking relatives in person when I could easily have just posted a request. Live and Learn!
I have always loved to travel, especially for genealogical purposes. The past year has taken that privilege away but I discovered, like you, there was always work arounds in most cases. I relied on others to obtain a document or check a source through Ask-A-Librarian or other email inquiry. I was surprised to discover how much I could accomplish using those resources.
Now that my closest family has all been fully vaccinated, travel has become a hot topic. Should we or shouldn’t we?
A week before the pandemic quarantine arrived, hubby and I had planned to travel later that summer to Sweden to mix genealogy research from both his mother and father’s lines with cultural immersion. This year, we had planned to do the same with Croatia and next year, after a Mediterranean cruise, to stomp through France to explore more of my lines. We guessed, by that time, Great Britain would have settled down somewhat after Brexit and we’d both explore our Welsh, Scotts, Irish and English roots.
I realize that Croatia is open for travel now but do I want to do that?! Is it wise to venture abroad and possibly bring home a new variant? Do I want to travel wearing a mask and with more hand sanitizer then I usually pack? On the other hand, am I contributing to Europe’s recession by not going?
An alternative would be US travel. After checking that archives have reopened, we could spend some time this summer traveling throughout the midwest or the northeast. That leads to more questions – should we fly or should we drive? With the rental car shortages and the great price increase in rentals, is it even worth flying? Do I want to pack up the car and drive, which would require more frequent stops along the way and the possibility of still getting a covid exposure? Sure, the chances of infection are small but they remain.
In all my years of traveling I was one of those foolish mortals that really didn’t worry about Montezuma’s revenge. I swam in cenotes, crawled into caves, ate from food trucks in cities and with local villagers outdoors in rural areas, even consuming uncooked fruits and vegetables. I was always fine. The pandemic has reminded me of my own mortality and to not push my luck.
Even though I’m fully vaccinated, I’m reluctant to travel. Ethics in genealogy go beyond being truthful and accurate. Ethics include being responsible to others. No matter how much I miss meeting new people, learning about different cultures and exploring archives new to me, I think I’ll take a wait and see approach to travel for now.
First, an important message to those who follow my blog posted on Blogger….In July, you will no longer be receiving my blog directly to your email. I’m so sorry! Google has decided to cancel the email subscriber feature. I’ll continue blogging and you can find me through Blogger or at my GenealogyAtHeart.com website where I also post.
The photo above, which I discovered accidentally this week, haunts me. It connects my past to the present in a special way.
Since the pandemic began, my husband and I have sat next to each other almost daily working separately but together from our home office. When I began my career in the education field 44 years ago, if someone had told me this was how it would end I wouldn’t have believed them.
I have been fortunate throughout this difficult time when so many have suffered untold losses. Last Friday, as I was wrapping up the work week, I came across the picture above. Before reading the caption, I was overcome with a vague memory. I somehow recognized the building. I dismissed that thought quickly. The JSTOR Daily article title, Libraries and Pandemics: Past and Present could be a photo from any Carnegie library in 1918 since most used the same architectural plans. Except it wasn’t just any old library building.
The caption identifies the librarians sitting on the steps as protecting themselves from the influenze pandemic in October 1918 in Gary, Indiana. As a child, I climbed those steps many times with my mother, who would have been 6 months old when the photo was taken. Her father and maternal grandfather would bring the influenza home to the rest of the family three months later. Joseph Kos[s], who I’ve blogged about previously, would succumb to the disease.
The last time I visited that library was about 55 years ago. It has long been closed, not because of age or lack of use, but due to mismanagement of city finances. Six years ago I was told that most of the holdings were still inside, waiting for the day that funds became available to reopen. I don’t know if that’s still the case though it appears that it re-opened after a renovation in January 2018 but has been shuttered again.
I wonder what the librarians pictured above, who worked hard to preserve the library’s contents even during a pandemic, would think about the state of the library today. No doubt, like me, they would have found it difficult to fathom what the future held.
I also wonder about the condition of the contents remaining in an environment that is unheated in winter or cooled in summer. As a child, I well remember the annual heat wave in July where temperatures would sore to 100 degrees. We managed with the windows open and portable fans to catch the breeze blowing off Lake Michigan. The winters could be brutal with snow falling as early as October and as late as April.
But this blog isn’t about record loss; my thoughts today turn to sensory memory. After all these years, I still recall those steps that were so hard to climb when I was small. The angle the photo had been taken no doubt helped me recall the building. Being short in those days, the view I visualized and stored in my mind would have been from looking up at the entrance.
Using our senses can help recall those distant genealogy memories we carry. Smelling and tasting one of my grandmother’s recipe takes me to another time. For my husband, remembrances of holidays past are easily recalled when we share food around the table held in his maternal grandmother’s china. Hearing my departed relatives voices recorded on our old movies gives me that goose bump sensation as if they are still here. The sound of those voices helps me remember other events to which I associate them.
Partaking in a former activity can also help recall long forgotten memories. Early last year, my husband salvaged a bike that was placed for trash pickup. We have two bikes which we never ride and he couldn’t explain why he brought it home with its rear flat tire. I was drawn to the bike, too. Watching my husband tinkering with the bike recalled memories of my grandfather who had once been in the same position as my husband was, fixing the chain. After the repairs were complete I decided to take it for a spin. It was a cool spring morning and I felt like I was 8 years old again. The only thing missing was my apple red wind breaker my mom had purchased from Montgomery Wards on sale. I can’t explain why that one block bike ride made me remember that long forgotten jacket. Most likely it was due to my sense of macro reception, balance and movement on the bike, that enabled me to think of the past.
There is also that 6th sense, intuition, that is yet unexplainable. Somehow, we just know where to find that tombstone or missing document. Perhaps this sense is a compilation of the others mentioned when we relax and let the thoughts enter.
Using your senses in genealogy is another asset for your toolbox, however, caution is needed. Memory alone does not suffice; examination of records and the input of others who may have shared that memory are necessary.
Several times a month, I’m contacted by someone who is interested in the findings of my surname studies. If you haven’t embarked on a surname project or want more information on what a one name project is all about, today’s blog is for you.
A Surname or One-Name study is a research project recording ALL individuals with the same surname. That differs from the intent of a typical genealogy project of identifying the parents of someone with a particular surname. The results of a surname project may provide relationships but the main purpose is not to determine descendancy or pedigree. The purpose of a surname project is to identify everyone with the shared surname.
So you’re thinking, I can’t even identify my 3rd time great grandmother’s maiden name, why would I focus on researching unrelated people of one particular surname? A surname study might help you discover relationships since, back in the day, people tended to marry distantly related family members or siblings frequently wed the neighbor’s siblings. Embarking on a surname study to discover a maiden name would be a waste of time, though, as the results are hit or miss.
People begin surname studies for a variety of reasons. My first surname study was identifying all the Leininger surname in the U.S. My interest was because it is my maiden name and I didn’t know much about my father’s family. In middle school, I discovered another Leininger family living in my community and I asked my mom how they were related to us. Her reply, “They’re the rich ones.” clearly didn’t answer my question. When I pressed for more information she said my dad had asked them and a common ancestor could not be identified. This was long before DNA. Fast forward to relocating 1200 miles away and discovering another Leininger, this one a priest who was the spitting image of my father. When my mother asked him about the relationship he had no interest in a discussion. My surname project to record every Leininger in the US resulted from these two situations. If a connection was found, great, and if not, that was okay, too. I was more interested in identifying everyone with this uncommon surname.
Before you begin, let’s review surnames. Typically, surnames are derived from the family’s place of origin. Although Kos is not a common surname in the U.S., it is well used in Croatia. Kos translates into blackbird or crow. Croatians call themselves “Cro’s.” See the connection?
Besides place of origin, surnames may also denote a historical occupation, like Smith or Baker, or historical title, like the [House of] Leiningen, a title for Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.
Sometimes they are derived from a location, such as Harbaugh. The family was thought to have originated in Denmark or Switzerland but most likely the name is derived from the German words, har for master and bach for brook as the original spelling was Harbach. Their origin appears to be in a small village outside of Kaiserslautern and you guessed it, the farm was located alongside a stream. My Hollin[g]shead family lived by the “head” of the hollin bushes. Hollin is middle English for holly.
Surnames are sometimes descriptive, such as Small or Shortt. That description might not hold true today as it once did!
Sometimes a surname will change with each generation. The ancient Nordic practice of patronymics, adding “son” or “dotter” to the father’s first name resulted in each generation having a different surname. Jon’s son, Carl, had a last name of Jonson. When Carl had a son, that son’s last name became Carlson.
Keep in mind surnames evolve for other reasons, as well. My maternal Kos became Koss because it looked more Anglocized. Herbach became Harbaugh possibly because a teacher insisted that was the correct spelling, as the family story goes, or because the dialect changed once the family relocated.
Sometimes a surname is made up, think Elton John whose given name was Reginald Kenneth Dwight. I have two cousins who legally changed their surnames, one to make it more Anglicized and the other make it more ethnic.
Children who were adopted also have a surname change.
If you are thinking about beginning a surname project, UNCOMMON is the key to selection! You would not do a surname project on a common surname hoping to find relationships. Sure, all homo sapiens are related but trying to record every Johnson or Williams would be so time consuming you would never finish.
Once you’ve identified an uncommon surname you are interested in researching, do an internet search to see if others have already begun a surname study group. If they have, you can join and begin sharing your acquired information. If there isn’t one, you can create one. With DNA now available, you can make many more connections than I could have when I did my studies in the early 2000’s.
Did you know there is a society called the Guild of One-Name Studies that has resources and education available? Their website has a surname index of their members’ surname studies.
Before I explain how I did my study – a word of caution! A study group is different than simply Googling a surname. A study group is composed of those interested in genealogy and research. They differ from the many websites that offer questionable information about surnames for a price.
I’m not suggesting to not do a simple internet query of a surname. The information can provide you hints but be aware that the information may not be relevant. Remember – correlation doesn’t equate with causation! In the case of Harbaugh, Google states it is one of the oldest Anglo-Saxon names in Britain and was derived from herebeorg, an Old English word for a person who ran a lodging house. It does not state that the word is probably older and derived from the Teutonic dweller at a shelter. Perhaps the English line of Habaugh’s originated with the man named Harbo who purportedly accompanied William the Conqueror to Britain or an earlier Viking (in Scandinavian, baugh means poor). None of that applies to the U.S. gateways of the surname I wished to research. The majority came from the Palatinate region. I have found one Harbaughs from Great Britain emigrating to the U.S.
Like Google, Wikipedia often lists names of unrelated individuals under a surname but beware of the name’s description which is often not cited. Sure it’s interesting but not necessarily relevant or connected to your surname of interest.
When I decided to do my Leininger surname study I looked for surname projects but didn’t find any as the internet was still young. I then took genealogy books I found that listed Leiningers and Harbaugh and entered that information into my tree.
All of the information is public in my Main Tree on Ancestry and MyHeritage. You can add people without connecting them to others in your tree. To do that, enter the name and information under anyone, then under “Facts” click “Edit” on the upper right. Next click “Edit Relationships” and click the X next to the father and mother’s names. You will now have the individual in your tree but not connected to anyone. You will then research their line as you would your own. If you find they are connect to your line, you will add them to wherever they belong by selecting “Select someone in your tree” option. If you never find a connection, no worries! They are still visible and you can easily find them by using the search feature.
To help identify what I call my “loose lines,” I maintain a table housed under Gallery of all the gateways with that surname. If I’m contacted by someone inquiring how we are related and I do not see a notation on the heading under the individual’s death (such as 3rd great-grandfather showing in the above picture), I know that the inquiry is regarding a loose line.
Since completing my Leininger study, I’ve identified 27 Leininger/Lininger gateway individuals born between 1742-1830, who emigrated from the Palatine and settled in Pennsylvania or Ohio. I am unable to connect them to my line. DNA has shown that 3 of the gateways were distantly related to me but the key to discovering a common ancestor for probably all of these lines lies in Europe at least 500 years ago.
Of the Harbaugh/Herbach/Hurbach study, I have 13 individuals I cannot determine a connection to my husband’s line. I have not reached out to descendants for DNA but perhaps will in the future.
Surname studies are an investment in time but the energy is worth it if you are interested in stretching your genealogy skills and leaving a legacy of research that provides a bigger picture of a family surname.
Hopefully, by 2022, we’ll resume traveling to in-person conferences. In the interim, genealogy education continues to be offered online. Here are some coming up soon that may be of interest to you:
National Genealogical Society (NGS) Annual Family History Conference that was to be held in Virginia takes place online May 18-20 and with the package you select, on demand lectures begin on June 15th. Register at NGS soon to take advantage of the Early Bird special.
The International German Genealogy Conference will be held July 17-24. Early Bird specials have ended but you can still attend virtually by registering here.
The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research has a few open seats left for their online conference to be held July 25-30. Check out what’s available on their site.
Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) Virtual Professional Management Conference is for those interested in a career as a professional genealogist. There are 3 sessions over 3 months: August 24-25, September 21-22 and October 19-20. Sign up for those most interesting or attend all sessions offered by taking advantage of their Early Bird offerings. Register at APG.
According to FamilySearch, there are over 9,000 historical and genealogical organizations so the few I highlighted are just a sampling. Google conferences near you so that you can begin to make new connections. I’m looking forward to meeting my new “cuz” I discovered at RootsTech soon who is working on the same Morrison line that I am. It’s a small world after all! By attending a conference from your home you may also discover family you never knew who just may hold the key you are looking for to unlock your family mystery. That’s definitely worth the price of the conference.
The Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) have embarked on a new project, The Forgotten Soldiers and Sailors. This legacy organization will be accepting documentation through the end of 2021 about those that left NO DESCENDANTS due to their death in battle or from injury/disease due to their war service for the Union.
This project is dear to my heart because I try to honor my ancestors by selecting a different individual for each lineage society that I join. I’m sure you have in your tree many people that died childless and had you not recorded them, would have been forgotten. I see this endeavor as a way to remember true patriots who would not likely have their stories told.
When I first learned of the project I looked through my tree, which combines both my husband and my sides, to list all those that would qualify. I identified 15 people.
I then looked at the records that I had already found to see if any met the criteria. For example, I have an Adam Kuhn who died during Reconstruction purportedly from wounds sustained in battle, however, he would not qualify as he left 5 surviving children. Since the descendants could join DUVCW based on Adam’s wartime service he would not be eligible for this project. If his children had died childless then Adam would meet qualify to be listed in this project.
I never took the time to deeply research the children of my several time great grandparents or thought much about the impact their deaths had on the family until I was heavily investigating my John Duer line in the past few months. That family lost a son to the Civil War – Prosser. That was the first form I submitted.
Next, I went up a generation and looked at the siblings of John and his first wife, Jane, to see if those siblings had also lost a child due to involvement in the Civil War. Sadly, I identified another Duer who qualified, Isaac. Isaac’s story was interesting as his father, Mark, likely whom one of John’s son was named after, left home when Isaac was 6 to serve in the Mexican American War where he was killed in service in Onischalala, Mexico in 1848. In researching Isaac, I learned that his widowed mother, Jane Skelly Duer, fell upon hard times when Isaac went off to war and had to rely on community charity from her Holmes County, Ohio neighbors to survive.
Another Mark Duer, son of John’s brother, Thomas, had been killed in battle, too. Thomas, like his brother, Mark, served in the Mexican American War but returned to settle in Missouri where he was discharged. Father Thomas and son Mark signed up together to serve in the Civil War. Neither survived the war. My heart goes out to Frances Bonhanan Duer, wife and mother of those killed as her second son, Thomas decided to enlist after his brother’s death. He was not killed and returned home after the war ended.
I then looked for other individuals in a different line, the Landfairs. I quickly found Davidson who died while serving in Hampton, Virginia. Davidson was the first cousin of Jacob Wilson Parrot, the first Congressional Medal of Honor recipient awarded for his bravery and I would add, audacious behavior, during those difficult times. Remember that old movie, The Great Train Robbery? That was about Jacob.
I have 11 more individuals who served for the Union I will be submitting documentation for so that they may be remembered. These lives, cut short too young, should not be forgotten. If you are not a member of DUVCW but would like to submit a Union soldier or sailor to be remembered, please email me at genealogyatheart@gmail.com and I will be happy to help you.
