52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 5

Week 5: . Play with WorldCat.org. WorldCat is a massive network of library content that the public can search for free (user name and password not required). Not every library is a part of WorldCat, but the vast size of the network makes it an important genealogy tool. If you are looking for a specific book or publication, enter the identifying information into the WorldCat search box and see which libraries hold the item. You may even find that you can get the item through your library’s inter-library loan program. Don’t forget to search for some of your more unusual surnames and see what comes up. The goal is to play with WorldCat and examine its possibilities for your own research. If you’re already familiar with WorldCat, play with it again. The network and collection grow and change constantly.

I didn't have a specific book in mind when I started my search, so I did a search for my Slowey surname.  I found a lot of books written by authors with the surname of Slowey, but not anything that pertained to any of my specific ancestors (at least none that I know of right now). 

I did another search for my Lanctot surname.  Again, several authors with the Lanctot surname, but pretty slim pickins for anything pertinent.  As I'm scrolling through the list, I notice a book called "La Famille Lanctot."  Hmmm.  Author? Philippe Constant.  That name sounds familiar.  I look in my genealogy program ... no Constants.  Ohhh ... that's right.  One of my Wagners is named Constant (actually two, but who's counting?).  Still ... it's a Lanctot family history.  My Wagners eventually flow into my Lanctots (via Rothmeyers, Hubers, and Sloweys), so maybe these folks are related somehow.  (It's scary being inside my head, huh?)  Oh great.  The book is in French.  Ok, I might need an interpreter.  Let's see if I can even get the book first, then we'll deal with whether I can read it.

Turns out it's available through the NEGHS.  Awesome.  Now the question is whether I can get it through interlibrary loan or if I have to join the society (which I've been meaning to do anyway) and request a lookup (except I have no idea what's in that book).  I will definitely have to look into this some more.  Perhaps when I have some extra time after school lets out, I can go to the library and see which libraries are on the ILL roster.

This is definitely a tool I will use for my research in the future.  I have included a link to WorldCat.org in my toolbox as well.


52 Weeks To Better Genealogy is a 2010 series of weekly blogging prompts that are a bit more challenging and are geared towards those new to the field of genealogy and family history as well as those who want to brush up on some skills which might be a bit rusty.  Thanks to Amy Coffin at We Tree Genealogy Blog and Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers for putting this together!

My Research Toolbox

I did it.  I finally did it.  Because of the Open Thread Thursday post at Geneabloggers, I decided to bite the bullet and put together my research toolbox.  Well, I started it anyway.  Turns out I had a LOT more links than I thought I did, which is great ... but also made me realize how disorganized they were (which is probably why I'm not having as much luck with my research as I anticipated ...).

Using Thomas MacEntee's suggestion of a Weebly website (it's free ... and fun to say), I built

(cue the dramatic music) ...

JENNY-OLOGY

Wheee!  (Yes, I've been waiting a long time to use that name for something).

Ok, so it's no 6-million-dollar man or anything, but I'm hoping it will help me keep my links organized.  I have included a link on my blog, and a reciprocal link to my blog from my toolbox.  I may at some point or another move my blog over to my website (since I went ahead and bought the domain name before someone stole it's awesomeness), but I haven't quite figured out how to do that yet.

I hope to also incorporate some Surname pages and other stuff ... but I want to get my toolbox up and running first.  It's a work in progress, so be gentle if you come visit.  Any helpful hints or ideas will be greatly appreciated!

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week 4

Week 4: Learn about your local public library’s inter-library loan (ILL) policy. Pick a genealogy-related book that you want to read that is not in your library’s collection. Ask the librarian how to request the book from another library. Find the different library systems from which you can request books through your own library, as this can dramatically increase the number of genealogy books to which you have access. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experience with requesting items through your library’s ILL service.

Here it is Saturday afternoon at roughly 5 p.m., one hour before the library closes for the weekend ... and, once again, I didn't have a chance to get to the library this week to look for a book I really wanted, much less a book that my library didn't have that I would have to wait to get.

Undaunted, I checked the website for the library and found a form to fill out for an Interlibrary Loan.  Turns out my library requires that the requestor be a "patron in good standing," require the complete citation of the material you request, and they charge for this service.  "Do not use this service if you cannot pay at least $6.00 for shipping."  The form does have a space for the maximum amount a person is willing to pay, so I guess that's good. 

I expected the ILL service to take some time, but I never realized it could take several weeks!  A person gets notified by phone and via a postcard sent by snail-mail that their materials are available.

I will definitely revisit this service when there is something I seriously need from another library.

52 Weeks To Better Genealogy is a 2010 series of weekly blogging prompts that are a bit more challenging and are geared towards those new to the field of genealogy and family history as well as those who want to brush up on some skills which might be a bit rusty.  Thanks to Amy Coffin at We Tree Genealogy Blog and Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers for putting this together!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week 3 - Cars

Week 3: Cars.  What was your first car? Describe the make, model and color, but also any memories you have of the vehicle. You can also expand on this topic and describe the car(s) your parents drove and any childhood memories attached to it.

I got my first "car" in 1985, but I didn't buy it.  It was what my parents let me use.  It was a 1971 Datsun (yes, this was before they got all hoity-toity and started being called Nissan) pickup truck with the world's ugliest white camper top on the back.  Both doors were dented in like they had been in a demolition derby.  I can't even begin to describe the hideous turquoise color.  You had to bang on the dash to make the AM-only radio work.  I drove that little truck to school and work and everywhere in between.  It may not have been fancy or anything, but everyone knew it was me when I drove past!

The day I got my learner's permit (at age 15), I was allowed to drive the truck home from the DMV.  I hit a mailbox with the passenger side mirror, ran at least one stop sign, and I think I drove on the wrong side of the road more than once.  When we got home, my mom asked "so, how did it go?"  My stepdad replied, "It was better than Six Flags!"

My driving skills have improved somewhat since then.

I remember my mom's car, too.  After my parents divorced, we drove all the way from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta, Georgia in her olive-green Pontiac LeMans with awesome pleather seats and everything.  That thing was HUGE.  I remember my paternal grandmother packing goodie bags for my sister and me for the trip (we were between 4-7 years old).  We were on the road for about 6 days, and each day we got to open a new goodie bag.  Inside were puzzle books, a pack of gum, and other little things to keep us occupied during the long hours on the road.

My sister and I used to keep our crayons in the door handles.  They melted in the summer and every time you closed the door, you got a bunch of wax under your fingernails!

Last one, I swear: My sister and I were trying to do something nice for my mom, so we washed her car for her ... with Comet.  When the sun hit it just right, you could see all the circular scratches ... very sparkly.  She never got mad though, so that was pretty cool.

While I was working on this post, I happened to remember that I had several photos of my grampa John J. Gallagher and his cars.  Here are a few:



My grampa's police car - c. 1957 New Jersey



My grampa and his car - c. 1969 Miami
(I think this is where the "Miami Vice" look came from)





Grampa - c. 1930ish

Grampa - c. 1944ish (the summer before he left for the Army)



52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2011) that invite genealogists and others to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. You do not have to be a blogger to participate.