Genealogy Do-Over Cycle 2: Week 1

Although I have been working on my family tree since the 1980s, I made many mistakes in those early years. I didn't always cite my sources, and when I did, they weren't always done correctly. I've decided to join Thomas MacEntee's Genealogy Do-Over. I won't be doing everything on his do-over list; it's more of a go-over, but it will give me the time to slow down and go over everything from the beginning.

So here goes:

Week 1 of the Genealogy Do-Over is about 1) Setting Previous Research Aside, 2) Preparing to Research, and 3) Establishing Base Practices and Guidelines.

Setting Research Aside

• Rather than setting aside all of my previous research, I have been organizing my files, both the digital and the paper. I chose an image/document naming format and began changing all images previously saved to the new format. My format is LAST NAME_First Name_What it is_Year_Place.  The majority have been converted, but I still have a few more to work on. I also purchased binders, archival quality sheet protectors (a lot of them) and tabs. I have been working on sorting through all of the old handwritten notes and putting them in a basket to look at later when the Go-Over is completed. 

• Since I am not doing a complete Do-Over, I needed a way to keep track of when I had checked all the facts for an ancestor, so I added a GoOver section in my FTM 2012. This allows me to add the date everything has been verified.

• I then created binders for each of my four grandparents lines and began putting all of the printed family group sheets and information in the appropriate binder. All of the birth, death, and marriage records that I have purchased over the years have been put into one binder for future review.

Preparing to Research 

• TIME! - Make sure I have the time needed to begin the research. This will keep me from rushing the process.
• My research spreadsheet needs to be open, so I can input any additional research that needs to be done in the future. This will keep me from getting sidetracked with all of the BSO's!
• A copy of Elizabeth Shown Mills "Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace" must be beside me, so I can make sure to cite my sources correctly.
• A copy of Thomas W. Jones' "Mastering Genealogical Proof" will be readily available. 
• Notepad and pencil

Establishing Best Practices and Guidelines

• The last thing to do this week, was to create my list of My Genealogical Best Practices and Guidelines.

What I gained from this week's assignment was that I really needed to slow down. As a teacher, I usually only have the summer to devote to extensive research, so I tried to make the most of my time during those three months. This, along with other inexperienced research methods, left my family tree in somewhat of a mess. I vow to take as much time as I need to research, track my work, and to analyze each bit of information and only add new information to my software when I am certain it belongs there. 

Easter Memories

As I reflect upon this Easter Sunday, I can't help but remember those that have gone on before me. When I was young, my grandmother used to tell me wonderful stories of her childhood. She talked about growing up in church and living a "good life." She didn't just talk the talk, she walked the walk. Oh, she made mistakes, as we all do, but she loved God and was a faithful servant to Him. Of all the people I have known, I know she is in Heaven waiting for me.

I remember a conversation I had with my grandmother, back in the '80s. I thought she grew up Pentecostal, but she told me that she nor my grandfather had grown up Pentecostal. She had been Methodist and he was Lutheran, and when they got married they couldn't decide where to attend church. They compromised and joined the Pentecostal church. They raised their children in that faith and later, her grandchildren.

My fondest memory of Easter as a child, was my grandmother making pretty Easter dresses for my two sisters and me. We were close in age, and my grandmother would always make our dresses the same, with only one little thing different; maybe a little trim around the sleeves on one, around the hem on the other, and around the collar on the third. People would say we looked like triplets. I loved my new dress each year and it made me feel special.

Another memory I recall with fondness is the Easter egg hunts we had immediately following Easter church service. All the parents brought the boiled and dyed eggs to church and the Sunday school teachers usually hid them during the Church service. It was so fun to learn about Christ and Resurrection Sunday and then find the eggs that symbolized renewal and rebirth.

As I remember the Easters of my youth, I am filled with love. Love for my family, young and old, past and present. This Easter, I got the news that I am to be a grandmother again. This will be grandchild number nine and I am tickled pink! More love to go around.

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting old family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do. 

Here is one of my favorite images from my collection:

 This picture was taken in 1994. My dad, Clay Ford, is spending time with his grandsons, Terry and Elisha. He would always sing songs and play with them like he did with my sisters and me when we were little. His favorite song to sing was "And the Green Grass Grew All Around." He would sing it until he became out of breath. The boys would always beg for that song when he came for a visit.

Tombstone Tuesday - William Ezra Ford

William Ezra Ford was the son of Arthur Elisha Ford and Ethel Wickliffe Ford. He was born June 11, 1922 in Quinlan, Hunt County, Texas. He moved with his family to South Texas after his younger brother, Clayton Richard Ford died in 1941. 

William enlisted in the service on 09 Nov 1942. He was living in George West, Texas at the time. After only a few months, he became ill and was honorably discharged on 30 Oct 1943. He later became a truck driver. He was driving a rig through the Valley in South Texas, when his rig jackknifed and killed him instantly. His brother-in-law, Jimmy Elmer Green had been driving a rig behind him and witnessed the accident.  Although William never married, he was loved by all who met him. 

The military erroneously inscribed Exra instead of Ezra on the headstone and refused to fix the problem. He is buried in George West, Texas.

Census Sunday: Arthur Elisha Ford, 1930 Hunt County, Texas

It's Census Sunday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The census today is the 1930 U.S. Census for my grandparents, Arthur Elisha Ford and Ethel (Wickliffe) Ford, in Quinlan, Hunt County, Texas:

The Arthur Elisha Ford family entry is:

The extracted information for this census is:

* Elisa Ford, head of household, renting, lives on a farm, male, white, 33, married, 24 years old at time of first marriage, he can read and write, born in Arkansas, parents born in United States, speaks English, occupation- farm laborer, trade - farm, class of worker - W, actually employed, veteran of W.W.

* Ethel Ford, wife, female, white, 28, married, 19 years old at time of first marriage, can read and write, born in Arkansas, both parents born in Missouri, speaks English, is not working

* Ezra W. Ford, son, male, white, 7, single, in school, born in Texas, both parents born in Arkansas

* Daisy R., daughter, female, white, 5, single, not in school, born in Texas, both parents born in Arkansas

The citation for this census is:

1930 United States Census, Hunt County, Texas, population schedule, Justice Precinct #7, enumeration district (ED) 116-38, sheet 7A, line 32, dwelling 137, family #137, Elisa [Elisha] Ford household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 08 Aug 2012); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T626, roll 2360.

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting old family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do. 

Here is one of my favorite images from my collection:

This photo is so very special to me. It is one of the last ones with my dad. This picture is of my sister, Lisa, my dad, and me. It was taken in June 2010 at a Chinese restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, just two months after discovering he had pancreatic cancer. He passed away that August. I am deeply grateful for the time I had to visit with him and say good-bye. We are not always so fortunate to have that time with our loved ones before they pass away.

Census Sunday: Arthur Elisha Ford in the 1940 Census

It's Census Sunday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The census today is the 1940 U.S. Census for my grandparents, Arthur Elisha Ford and Ethel (Wickliffe) Ford, in Quinlan, Hunt County, Texas:

The Arthur Elisha Ford family entry:

The extracted information from this census record is:

*  Line 18, Household 98, Family 98, Renting, Monthly rent $4.00, not a farm

* A. Eligh Ford - head, white, male, 43 years old, married, 4 years of education, born in Texas, seeking work, laborer, farm, type of work PW, worked 8 weeks in 1939, income received in 1939 - $40

*  Ethel Ford, white, female, wife, 36 years old, 7 years of education, born in Texas, working as a seamstress, WPA, worked 30 hours the week of March 24-30, 1940, type of work GW, worked 52 weeks in 1939, income received in 1939 - $396

*  Ezra Ford, white, male, 16 years of age, son, no school in 1940, 4 years of education, born in Texas, seeking work, new worker

*  Dasie R. Ford, white, female, 14 years of age, daughter, no school in 1940, 5 years of education, born in Texas, kept house

*  Clay Ford (twins), white, male, 5 years of age, son, no school in 1940, education, born in Texas 

*  Claton Ford, white, male, 5 years of age, son, no school in 1940, no education, born in Texas

It appears that Arthur Elisha Ford gave the information for the census. Have found several errors in the census. Ethel left school in third grade to pick cotton in the fields. This information came from Ethel in an interview in 1985. Elisha and Ethel were both born in Arkansas, not Texas. This evidence comes from other census records found in Arkansas and from the interview with Ethel.

The citation for this census is:

1940 United States Census, Hunt County, Texas, population schedule, Quinlan, Justice Precinct #7, enumeration district (ED) 116-36, sheet 5A, dwelling 98, family #98, A, Eligh [Elisha] Ford household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 07 Apr 2013); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T627, Roll 4072.