Genealogy #70

I explored Footnote.com, and found a lot of interesting things. I honed in on Saint Edward The Confessor's page. He had listed a wealth of information on Saint/King Edward as well as pictures. Also included was a timeline. I spent a good ten minutes viewing the page. Moreover, numerous original documents are posted. Many of the original documents that I came across were from the Civil War era. It made me wish my grandfather was more computer literate as he would find these documents fascinating!

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Genealogy #69

I conducted a search using Ancestry.com. I chose my great grandfather as my search subject. The Texas Birth Index returned the birth record of my grandfather's brother, which lists my great grandfather as the father. The U.S. Census also returned information on my great grandfather. The 1930 census lists my great grandfather, John Atticus Meador, as the Head of Household; age 34; 4 children; and, married to Leslie Carrie Banks. Finally, the Social Security Death Index cites his birth as April 22, 1896 and his death as February 1983. It also lists my grandfather's SS number, which I was surprised to see. I was not aware that the SS Death Index lists this type of information. All in all, I would say that I had a fairly successful search. I plan to do some searching on my great grandmother in my free time!

Genealogy #68

1. Yes, I have pursued an oral history project. This was an assignment for me in high school. I chose to work with my grandmother as she was the most colorful and knowledgeable member of the family. The assignment didn't require that I become too involved, but rather was intended to familiarize us with the process of research. After finishing the assignmnet, I had plans to continue on. Unfortunately, high school got in the way, and that pet project soon fell by the wayside. Sadly, my grandmother passed on last year, therefore, I am unable to pick up where I left off. If I were pursue another oral history project, I would utilize the voice and memory of my Aunt Joanne. She is my grandmother's sister.

2. Via Find a Grave I searched for the oldest burial listed at Bennett Cemetery located in Apple Springs, Texas. I chose this cemetery as it is where my grandmother and much of her family is buried. Elizabeth Thomas Moulds is the oldest listed burial. She was born May 18, 1821 in Mississipps. She died July 19, 1908 in Groveton, Texas. Her spouse is listed as Walter Moulds Jr. No children are listed.

Genealogy #67

Yes, I have begun my own research of my grandfather's side of the family. You learn so much as you work through the process. You must be tenacious. The most important advice I would offer someone undertaking genealogical research is, however, the advice offerred second in post #67. 'Talk to your living relatives'. Let the oral history that living relatives provide act as a compass. Let them point you in the right direction. Ask direct questions of them. Speaking to living relatives about you and your family's history will also inspire and motivate you and your search. I have found that throughout my search, I have been able to answer questions for my grandfather! It's a discovery process for all involved. Moreover, I would like to add that, the resources cited in post #67 are incredibly helpful in initiating your genealogical research.

Twitter

I am a regular user of social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, and have been a user for quite some time. I do not, however, have any interest in Twitter. It is my opinion that Twitter has only lifted some of the more minor applications from Facebook and Myspace to create yet another form of social networking. Who wants to juggle three seperate accounts, which, essentially, are the same?

In order to complete the module I created an account with Twitter and utilized the search features. I searched for Weather and the Houston Astros. I am now 'following' both. I just received an update on the terms of Tejada's community service.

While I enjoyed learning something new, Twitter is not for me. I will be deleting my account. As I stated earlier, I don't have the time or interest to keep up with numerous accounts, and certainly not one that provides only random and inane information.

The End

Whew! It was a whirlwind, but I had a good time! What can I say about the iHCPL experience!?? There is too much to say! I think the Blog is indicative of something (or should I say lots 'o somethings) learned, and learning was the priority here. This post would go on for days if I listed every discovery I made along the way, but I will do my best to highlight my learning iHCPL experience.
What stands out for me are all of the new technologies, applications, and tools that iHCPL introduced me to and encouraged me to explore. For example, there was Zoho Writer. Initially I had some trouble with it and expressed my frustrations in a blog post. However, I have since made some progress and hope to be utilizing it regularly in the near future. I believe it to be a wonderful tool for librarians, especially those belonging to a unified system. Imagine how much simpler things might be if we were all practiced in this app.
More of my favorite discoveries were the Music Video Production and the Blog itself. As for the Music Video Production - I realize that it was not the most challenging of the excercises, but it caught my attention and introduced my mind to a new online realm. Sometimes we forget, even in our technology "boxes", that so much exists out there in the very vast WWW. Meaning - it never would have occurred to me that some Internet service and platform out there will allow you to create something all your own in a unique (and often restricted) medium. There is always something new, and you have to explore and learn to keep up. In regard to the Blog...I would have to say that this was the biggest of the learning experiences. Because the Blog was the vehicle for the iHCPL experience you had no choice but to make yourself very comfortable with the Blog. I had so much fun just with this. Certainly, blogging is not a new information concept, but it was one that I myslef had not yet taken the time to understand and utilize. In fact, I've enjoyed it so much that I may consider maintaining my blog, and continuing on with some library perspective and focus. Thank you iHCPL!