Wednesday, November 28, 2012

My TOP 7 TIPS For Finding Old Photos of Ancestors

Okay, I can't bottle my excitement any longer. Portraits DO exist, and my 6 year search is over. Presenting... George Washington BURNES, & Sarah Walker BURNES my Great, Great, Great Grandparents. 13 children, married 55 years, Christian, 700 acre farm, Hope Indiana, Norristown Cemetery. A HUGE Thank you goes out to Gary Ziegler a 4th cousin from Indiana for these photos :) It's so great to finally see their faces 6 years after I found them.  Thanks to facebook and the Internet I was able to track down distant cousins who have original photos of our ancestors. GENEALOGY IS TRULY AMAZING!!!

My BURNES Family History website -> www.myburnesclan.com

So how did I find these very old pictures?
  My #1 Secret... Distant Cousins!!  
After attaining hundreds of pictures of ancestors through distant cousins, I can promise you that this will be the most reliable source to retrieve those old photos for yourself and family. Have Fun! 

MY TOP 7 TIPS for finding old photos.
  1. Find Distant Cousins!! One way to do this is through genealogical message boards found at www.rootsweb.com, I tracked down so many distant cousins on this site.  Use Google Social Networking Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Flickr, Photobucket, blogs etc, to search for family members. While I was searching for a sibling on Facebook, I came across a person with the same name as my brother that lived close to where my ancestors had lived. After a brief facebook conversation we confirmed that we are 5 cousins, and share the same GGG-Grandparents; click here to read that first conversation between us. Try it. Do a search for one of your ancestors names and see who it pulls up.

  2. Search Google Images  Do a simple google search for the ancestor(s) that you are looking for and click on "images" at the top so only google images show up, which speeds up the time and allows you to look through images only.

  3. Take a Trip I went back to Hope, Indiana where my ancestors had lived for many generations. While there, I met up with distant cousins for a day at the Cemetery. We also toured the city together; like the old homestead of our GGG-Grandparents, we visited the courthouse, the Indiana State Library, the police department, the antique shop and local landmarks. On this trip, I was able to get many pictures of original photos of our ancestors. I made sure to document all the pictures I photographed.

  4. Get a local phone book where your ancestors lived. It has worked every time for finding living relatives. Every time I go on a Family History trip, I get a phone book from that city. Even if you can't travel there, call up the local library and ask if you can have their old phone book and offer to pay the shipping.

  5. Use www.Ancestry.com  even if it's only to sign up for a trial period of 14 days. You can browse through and share millions of old photos from family members. This is also how I found hundreds of living relatives. You'll be amazed how many relatives you have out there once you start looking on this site.

  6. Create a family history website or blog. Get your information out there, so relatives can find you and share their photos when they find your website/blog. I have a new relative every week contact me about my family website and confirm that we are distant cousins. Because I have posted all the family photos to my family website, they are so grateful, and they share their photos with me in return. I use Blogger to host my Family History site, www.myburnesclan.com. Blogger is free, and it's owned by Google which means every post you make will be picked up by the Google search engine.

  7. Start Sharing!! Share all your information first, and others will feel comfortable sharing their info with you. If you are meeting a relative in person for the first time, ask if they have any pictures or family records you could look at. Always come prepared with a camera to take snapshots of everything. I have learned that cameras do a better and quicker job than scanners.  If you are meeting a relative over the internet for the first time, send them pictures of your ancestors and ask them if they have any photos as well.
Take a look at the highlights from my Family History Trip to Indiana.

My GGG-Grandparents home in Hope, Indiana built in 1836 and yes, it's still standing. 

Me and my 4th cousins in front our our GGG-grandparents home. Frankie & Ronnie

4th Cousins: Ronnie, Me & Gordon in front of our GGG-Grandparents home. 

Here I am with Cathy & Gordon Burnes (4th cousins) at a local deli in Shelbyville, Indiana.


Hometown to my Burnes ancestors; Hope, Indiana.


The Shelbyville, Indiana Antique store where I found some really neat things.


My GGG-Grandparents headstones at Norristown Cemetery in Shelbyville, Indiana

Good Luck on finding those living relatives and "Connecting The Dots".

You can find more BURNES Family History here ->  www.myburnesclan.com

-Sarah

Thursday, November 22, 2012

"Don't Eat TOM Turkey" - Thanksgiving Game - Free Printable

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is playing a fun game called "Don't Eat Tom Turkey!" Your kids or grand-kids will love eating the treats while trying to guess which turkey is the lucky "TOM"

How to Play "Don't eat TOM TURKEY!":

  • Place small candies or snacks on top of each of the colorful turkeys on the board game. I've used; cereal, candy corn, M&M’s, skittles, mini marshmallows, etc. 
  • Choose one person in the group to go out of the room.
  • As a group, pick one of the colorful Turkeys to be the special "TOM TURKEY".
  • The person is called back in the room and starts eating the treats that are placed on the Turkeys and keeps eating until they get to the special "Tom Turkey” that was chosen by the group.  When they reach for that treat, everyone else yells, “Don’t eat Tom Turkey!!”
  • That person’s turn is over and a new person goes out of the room to repeat the game OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!
"Don't Eat Tom Turkey" Board Game (8x10) Laminate for durability.
Click the image to print or download:

"Don't Eat Tom Turkey" Rules - Print and tape to the back of the board game
Click the image to print or download:

Have Fun & Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

30 Thanksgiving Fun Facts - Free Printables for Thanksgiving Dinner

Your Family will love learning about why Turkey's "Gobble-Gobble" and what Pilgrims ate during their first Thanksgiving Dinner with these Thanksgiving Fun Facts.

They are perfect for getting your whole family talking during Thanksgiving Dinner! Teach Me Genealogy has created 30 FREE Thanksgiving Fun Facts to use in your place settings or anywhere on the table.

2 Colors to Choose from (30 cards total on 5 pages) 
Traditional Colors
on left or Modern Colors on right
Click images to enlarge and get a closer look.
Click the image to download and print.
Okay, now for the fun part: Use a shower curtain ring to slip a  cloth napkin through
and magically it's a napkin ring. (12 for $1.29 at Walmart)


Here's how your new (very inexpensive) napkin ring looks. Now just tape
the 
Fun Fact card to the ring.


Use masking tape or painters tape to adhere the Fun Fact card to the ring.

(masking tape won't rip the paper when you want to remove for storing)


Looks great doesn't it?

This place setting is sure to be an eye catcher that will leave your guest talking for a long time :)

Another option is placing the cards in a cute jar and passing it around until everyone gets a turn  to read a Fun Fact card. Keep them stored away in this cute jar for the rest of the year. 

30 Thanksgiving Fun Facts:

  1. The Carbuncle is a brightly colored growth on the throat region. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.
  2. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the United States national bird instead of the bald eagle!
  3. Abraham Lincoln issued a “Thanksgiving Proclamation” on October 3, 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving.
  4. Turkey makes you sleepy because  it contains L-tryptophan, an  essential amino acid with  a documented sleep inducing  effect.
  5. Turkeys can run up to 20 miles  per hour. They can also fly at  speeds between 50-55 mph.
  6. Female turkeys do not “gobble”.  So, the next time you hear a  “gobble - gobble” sound, you’ll   know it’s a male turkey, (a "Tom"). 
  7. Turkeys ears are small holes in  the head located behind the  eyes. Their hearing can pinpoint  sounds from a mile away.
  8. Turkeys eye position allows the  animal to see two objects at once,  but limits its depth perception.  Turkeys can gain a 360 degree  field of view.
  9. The Wattle is the flap of skin  under the turkey's chin that  turns bright red when the  turkey is upset or during  courtship.
  10. The Snood is the flap of skin  that hangs over the turkey's  beak that turns bright red  when the turkey is upset or  during courtship.
  11. In the US, about 280 million  turkeys are sold for the  Thanksgiving celebrations.  Which is about 4 billion  pounds of turkey.
  12. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving  Day Parade tradition began  in 1924 and featured floats,  clowns, bands and a few  zoo animals.
  13. Californians are the largest  consumers of turkey in  the United States. 
  14. The Pilgrim leader, Governor  William Bradford, had organized  the first Thanksgiving feast in  1621. He invited the Wampanoag  Indians to the feast.
  15. The Plymouth Pilgrims were  the first to celebrate  Thanksgiving.
  16. The Pilgrims sailed across the  Atlantic Ocean to North  America on a ship called  the "Mayflower".
  17. The Plymouth Pilgrims celebrated  the first Thanksgiving Day at  Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
  18. The Wampanoag Indians were  the people who taught the  Pilgrims how to cultivate  the land. 
  19. The first Thanksgiving  celebration lasted three days. 
  20. Mashed potatoes, pumpkin pies,  popcorn, milk, corn on the cob,  and cranberries were NOT  foods present on the first  Thanksgiving's feast table. 
  21. Lobster, rabbit, chicken, fish, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions,  leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and  honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots,  eggs, and goat cheese were most likely the foods eaten during the  first  Thanksgiving feast. 
  22. The average weight of a turkey  purchased at Thanksgiving  is 15 pounds. 
  23. The heaviest turkey ever raised  was 86 pounds. 
  24. A 15 pound turkey usually has  about 70 percent white meat  and 30 percent dark meat. 
  25. Turkey has more protein  than chicken or beef. 
  26. Turkeys make a “gobble-gobble”  sound and strut about shaking  their feathers, which helps the  male attract females  for mating. 
  27. Domestic or tame turkeys weigh  twice more than a wild turkey  does, and are raised on farms  for profit. 
  28. Most domestic turkeys are so  heavy they are unable to fly. 
  29. Male Turkeys are called “Toms”  or “Gobblers”. Female Turkeys are  called “Hens”. Baby Turkeys are  called “poults”. 
  30. Each spring male turkeys (Toms)  try to befriend as many females as  possible by puffing up their  bodies and spreading their  tail feathers.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!!

Monday, November 19, 2012

The 3 Winners for the Personalized Family History Heirloom Are...


AND THE 3 WINNERS ARE... 

  1. Tina Dreier 
  2. Shana Williams Cummings 
  3. Gerushah Gonzales. 
Congratulations on winning the Personalized Family History Heirloom. Please respond within 48 hours with the following 3 items:

  1. a picture of your ancestor (or loved one)
  2. 10-15 facts about your ancestor (or loved one)
  3. What size you'd like: 5x7, 8x10 or 11x14. 
Please email this info to: sarah@tmgenealogy.com. I'll be giving a sneak-peak for the December Giveaway next week. Thanks for playing everyone!!


Thursday, November 15, 2012

November Giveaway - Personalized Heirloom Just For YOU! 3 will WIN.

November Giveaway Starts NOW! NOT 1, or 2 but 3 of you will WIN this amazing one of a kind Personalized Family History Heirloom, professionally designed with your photo and text. This WILL make an incredible gift!! (A photo release high resolution jpg image file emailed to you for FREE. Choose your size: 5x7, 8x10 or 11x14).

ENTER TO WIN: 

Click on the +1,  +2, and +3 options below on the Raffle-copter, to enter.

+1 means raffle-copter puts your name in 1 time if you do the following:
Follow our Facebook Page at: #/teachmegenealogy

+2 means, raffle-copter puts your name in 2 times when you leave a comment below:
Leave a comment about something you are "Thankful" for.

+3 means, raffle-copter puts your name in 3 times, if you "share" this Giveaway on Facebook

If you do all 3, your name gets entered 6 times; its' that easy. Do it Once a day!!

Have FUN!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Keep in mind, If you WIN, we need this from you:
  • A photograph of a "featured ancestor" or loved one.
  • between 10-15 facts about the "featured ancestor" or loved one.
  • Desired size of 5x7, 8x10 or 11x14

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

1860 Presidential Candidate Abraham Lincoln Republican Ballot - Time Warp Tuesday!

Time Warp Tuesday:  This 1860 ballot from Massachusetts lists only the Republican candidates for national and local office. Throughout much of the 19th century, Americans cast their votes using ballots printed by the individual political parties. The voter obtained a ballot for the party of his choice. 

GO VOTE!!!


Thursday, November 01, 2012

Henry Ford - 10 Fun Facts (Businessman, Clara, Model T, Model A, Edison, Edsel, Chief Engineer)


Henry Ford - 10 Fun Facts:

  1. Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 to William Ford & Mary Litogot on a wealthy Dearborn farm in  Greenfield Township, Wayne County, Michigan.
  2. At the age of 13, Ford's curiosity with mechanics drove him to take apart a pocket watch that his father had gifted him, then he reassembled the watch to perfection.
  3. In 1888, Henry Ford married Clara Jane Bryant. They were the parents to one son; Edsel Bryant Ford, 1893-1943.
  4. In 1893, Henry Ford was hired as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company and his natural talents promoted him to Chief Engineer.
  5. In 1896, Ford developed his plans for a horseless carriage and built his first model, the Ford Quadricycle, which included:
    • 2 cylinder ethanol powered engine 
    • 4 horsepower
    • Driven by a chain. 
    • 2 gear transmission: 1st gear at 10 mph, 2nd gear at 20 mph 
    • Did not have a reverse gear. 
    • Had 4 bicycle wire wheels 
    • 3 gallon (11 L) fuel tank under the seat.  (Today the original Quadricycle resides at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan).
  6. In 1903, Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company, proclaiming, "I will build a car for the great multitude." On October 1, 1908 he did what he said, when he introduced the Model T, for $850. In the Model T's nineteen years of production, nearly 15,500,000 were sold in the United States alone.
  7. In 1913, Ford sponsored the development of the moving assembly line technique of mass production. What once took 728 minutes to assemble a complete chassis (the car frame), now only took 93 minutes. Simultaneously, he introduced the $5 per day wage ($110 in 2011), which was nearly doubling the wages offered by other manufacturers. This was a successful method of keeping the best workers loyal to his company.
  8. In 1918, half of all cars in America were Ford Model T's.
  9. Ford offered profit sharing to choice employees who stayed with the company for six months and, most important, who conducted their lives in a respectable manner. To ensure that great employees were being hired and maintained, the Ford company's “Social Department” looked into an employee’s drinking, gambling and otherwise uncouth activities to determine eligibility for employment.
  10. On April 7, 1947, Henry Ford died of a cerebral hemorrhage, at the age of 83, near his Dearborn estate, in Fair Lane, Michigan. He and his wife Clara are buried in the FORD CEMETERY. Click here to view his online memorial >>.
Henry Ford is considered one of America's leading businessmen, and is credited today for helping to build America's economy during the nation's vulnerable early years. His legacy will live on for decades to come.

Henry Ford Quotes, click here >>


Young Henry Ford

 Clara Bryant & Henry Ford's Wedding Certificate


 Henry Ford's wife Clara with their only child, Edsel Ford in 1894


Henry Ford Portrait


Henry & Clara Ford's first home


Henry Ford Estates


Henry Ford Signature
  
Henry Ford Portrait
Portrait of Henry Ford - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com  

Henry Ford sitting with good friend Thomas Edison

Henry Ford & Clara Ford riding in the Quadricycle (Ford's first car)


The FORD Model T - 1908
  

The FORD Model A - 1931 Deluxe Roadster
 
Henry & Clara Ford in the Grand Canyon


 L-R: Thomas Alva Edison, John Burroughs, and Henry Ford
Ft. Myers, Florida, 1914.
Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, and Henry Ford - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com
 
Portrait of Clara Jane Ford; wife of Henry Ford.
Clara Ala Bryant, Mrs Henry Ford - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com
 
Henry Ford During an interview in 1915.

Henry Ford During an Interview - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com
 
L-R: Edsel Ford, Clara Ford & Henry Ford at the dedication of the Edison Institute

Henry Ford is considered one of America's leading Businessman
     Henry Ford in a Suit and Tie - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com


 Henry Ford standing on the steps of the White House 

after a meeting with President, in 1927
Henry Ford at the White House - Free Pictures at Historical Stock Photos.com
 
Aerial view of the Henry Ford Rouge Plant in 1930

81,000 men on payroll - Size: 6,952,484 sq ft
Photo Credit: http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/

 Henry Ford on the cover of Time Magazine, January 14, 1935.

(Copyrights on this issue were not renewed) 
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

 Henry Ford & Carla Ford are buried in the Ford Cemetery 

in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Sources: