Saturday Day Night Genealogy Fun - On Sunday Morning

Once again I am late to the party, but Randy's challenge this week is one that I really want to answer. Over at Genea-Musings, Randy asks:

• What is your UGG - your "Ultimate Genealogy Goal" for the genealogy research that you wish to leave to your heirs, descendants and the genealogy community?
• How long do you think you have have left to fulfill this ultimate goal?
• Are you prioritizing your time adequately in order to achieve this goal?
• If not, what should you do to achieve the goal?
• Will you do what you need to do?

Wow - that's a lot of important things to consider. So, taking a deep breath I'll start at the top.

What is your UGG - your "Ultimate Genealogy Goal" for the genealogy research that you wish to leave to your heirs, descendants and the genealogy community?

I have to admit that I've never thought about my "UGG". That might be why I have an as yet undocumented by the medical profession condition know as GADD - Genealogical Attention Deficit Disorder. This condition is marked by the tendency to flit from one "shiny object" to another - one minute ordering a copy of an English wedding certificate because, hey, I just got an e-mail from Ancestry telling me how and the next minute wandering over to the Maryland Archives site because, really, I MUST figure out what I know and don't know about my QUICK line, and then being seduced by a new link someone tweeted about Scotland...well, you get the picture.

I have always enjoyed pictures and stories about "long ago". It just seemed natural to focus on stories about my family. Genealogy is about the thrill of finding that next elusive piece of a fascinating puzzle. That's just for me and for now however. In thinking about what I wish to leave behind I realized that the main thing, or my UGG, would be to have shared my knowledge in such a way that (1) my nieces and nephew are interested and at least conversant with their family history and (2) all the important one-of-a-kind items I have are treasured and passed down with full knowledge about where they came from.

How long do you think you have have left to fulfill this ultimate goal?

Given that I am 50 and my almost 75 year old parents are just getting ready to leave to go hiking in Yellowstone (again) I'm going to be very conservative and say that I have at least 25 good years. My concern though would be if I got hit by the proverbial bus tomorrow - then what??

Are you prioritizing your time adequately in order to achieve this goal?

Nope, certainly not at this point.

If not, what should you do to achieve the goal?

Once I realized what my goal was, it was much easier to figure out how to achieve it! Oddly enough the main thing I should be doing it not trying to move back just one more generation in any given line. The main thing I should be doing is presenting my family history is a way that would capture the attention of my nieces and nephew. I know that they enjoy the stories and to that end I've worked, rather sporadically, on two books through Ancestry.com's My Canvas application - one for my father's family and one for my mother's. I have so many pictures to include and I know that the kids would have fun reading the stories.

While these are not the rigorously sourced and documented genealogies that many people want to (or have!) produced, these family stories are what I believe would capture the interest of the next generation. Now all that does not mean that I don't always try to adequately source my information. It just means that if I truly want to pass this along to another generation within my family I need something beyond that.

Will you do what you need to do?

I hope so. Now that, with Randy's help, I am more clear in my thinking about what I want to do. Also, this year was my first year to really concentrate on my genealogy. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've played at it for years and years (and years!) But this year was to be the starting point of my serious genealogy pursuit. And let me tell you - it has been eye-opening! There is just SO much information out there that I've been like a kid in a candy store just "GADDing" from one thing to the next.

The good new is that it is only mid-August. If I put together a plan to make finishing at least one of my "family story books" by Christmas a top priority, I'll bet I can do it!

Wordy Wednesday ~ Canadians in the US Civil War

I haven't posted much (OK, anything) about my brother-in-law's family, but I decided these pictures were too good to pass up. The picture of the 2 Civil War soldiers is "George Keefer and friend." [George being the man on the right] That picture, along with the newspaper clipping are framed together. I do know that my brother-in-law's maternal grandfather was also named George Keefer but I have not been able to tie that George Keefer to this one or to the rather famous Keefer's of Thorold, Ontario. Of course I haven't really tried yet, but just saying...

The thing that I find so interesting about this picture and the next is the striking resemblance to my brother-in-law! Really remarkable. Clearly a relative, and according to family lore a direct one, but I haven't yet pieced it all together.

So, George A Keefer, who are you??

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Thomas & Margaret Auflick

Thomas Auflick

1830 - 1910

Margaret
His Wife
1830 - 1914

Thomas and Margaret are my 3x great grandparents. This stone is in the Lafayette, Cemetery in Lafayette, Colorado. I took the picture on Dec 29, 2007 and let me tell you it was COLD. The stone was NOT conveniently near the roadway either - but after going out of the way specifically to find this stone (on a trip to Estes Park) I was not about to let a little cold and snow deter me. To give you a better idea, here is a zoomed-out picture of the area that I took while standing on the nearest roadway.














From The Lafayette Leader, Friday, January 7, 1910:

Death of an Old Citizen

"Thomas Auflick was born August 31, 1830, in Durham county, England. He was married to Miss Margaret Hannington in June, 1850, who still survives him. To this union eight children were born, three of whom are still living. He came to this country with his family fifty-two years ago, settling in West Virginia. He came to Colorado in 1887, and lived in Erie for a few months, moving to Lafayette in the spring of 1888, where he has since resided. He departed this life on January 6, 1910. Grandpa Auflick as he was familiarly called, was loved by all who knew him, and will be mourned by a host of friends. He leaves a wife, two daughters, Mrs. W. G. Saunders of Frederick, Mrs. Wm. Eickelberg of Denver and one son John H. Auflick of Norton, Colo. Thirteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren. The funeral service will be held in the Congregational church Sunday, Jan. 9th at 2 p.m., conducted by the pastor, Rev. R. C. Byers. The body will be interred in the Lafayette cemetery by Undertaker R. R. Powell."

I have always felt that somewhere there exists pictures of this couple. It is their daughter, "Mrs. Wm. Eickelberg" or Nellie Auflick, who is my great-great-grandmother. I have many pictures of her. I can't believe that she didn't have a portrait of her parents, but I have never seen one. Having a picture of Thomas and Margaret it very high on my genealogy wish list.

Family Events ~ August 9 - 15

August 11 - David GOURLAY and Barbara PORTER my 4x great-grandparents are married in Ceres, Fife, Scotland on this day in 1800. Also on this day in 1803 the couple's daughter Margaret, my 3x great-grandaunt is baptized in Ceres Parish. Finally, this day in 1907 is marked by the birth of Vestal MATHIS, my brother-in-law's grandmother, in Arkansas.

August 12 ~ James RITCHIE, my 3x great-granduncle is baptized in Kembeck, Fife, Scotland. Also on this day in 1833 Robert Souter SWINTON, my 2nd great-granduncle was baptised in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland.

August 13 ~ Jane/Jean SWINTON, my great-great-grandmother, is born in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. While I have no pictures of Jane, this is a picture of the house in St. Andrews where she grew up. Today it is a chocolate shop.



August 15 ~ In 1904, Hildagard Moore RITCHIE (left), my grandaunt, is born in Cleveland, Ohio. This day is also marked by the death, in 1970, of my great-grandmother Nelle EICKELBERG (right) in Denver, Colorado.

Saturday Night Fun ~ Genealogy Style

Once again Randy Seaver has given us our Saturday Night Genealogy Fun assignment:

• List your 16 great-grandparents in pedigree chart order. List their birth and death years and places.
• Figure out the dominant ethnicity or nationality of each of them.
• Calculate your ancestral ethnicity or nationality by adding them up for the 16 - 6.25% for each (obviously, this is approximate).

I have a couple of holes in my sixteen, but I am going to go ahead and use this list anyway. I only have 2 that are totally unidentified and 1 with rather shaky birth and no death information.

1. James Ritchie ~ born on 4 May 1844 at Blebo Craig, Kemback, Fife, Scotland. He married on 26 Jun 1868 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. He died on 7 Oct 1891 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ethnicity – Scottish.

2. Jane Swinton ~ born on 13 Aug 1846 in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland. She died on 31 Dec 1912 in Strathmiglo, Fife, Scotland. Ethnicity – Scottish.

3. William Benzie ~ born on 18 Oct 1843 at Oyne, Scotland. He married on 20 Jun 1874 at Inverurie, Scotland. He died on 3 Mar 1922 at Inverurie, Scotland. Ethnicity – Scottish

4. Hellen Lumsden ~ born in 1849 in Udney, Scotland. She died on 16 Apr 1919 inInverurie, Scotland. Ethnicity – Scottish

5. John Ulrick Saurer ~ born on 23 May 1823 in Berne, Switzerland. He died on 24 May 1899 at Apple Creek, Ohio. Ethnicity – Swiss-German.

6. Caroline Flory ~ born on 20 Mar 1844 in Wayne County, Ohio. She died on 16 May, 1884 in Apple Creek, Ohio. Ethnicity – Swiss-German.

7. Rudolph Graber ~ born on 13 Sep 1853 in Berne, Switzerland. He married on 15 Mar 1881 in Apple Creek, Ohio. He died on 5 Aug 1918 at Apple Creek, Ohio. Ethnicity – Swiss-German.

8. Emma Zaugg ~ born on 13 Sep 1860 at East Union Twp, Wayne County, Ohio. She died on 7 Sep 1919 at Apple Creek, Ohio. Ethnicity – Swiss-German.

9. Edwin S Quick ~ born circa 1855 in Maryland. Ethnicity – Unknown.

10. Susie H Hungerford ~ born 09 April 1867 in Prince Frederick, Maryland. She died 02 Jul 1937 in Baltimore, Maryland. Ethnicity – possibly English.

11. William Eickelberg ~ born on 24 Mar 1863 in Mecklenburg Strelitz, Germany. He married on 1 Jan 1884 in Charleston, West Virginia. He died on 11 Dec 1934 in Denver, Colorado. Ethnicity – German.

12. Nellie Auflick ~ born on 29 Apr 1864 at Minersville, Ohio. She died on 27 Sep 1940 in Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio and is buried in Denver, Colorado. Ethnicity – English.

13. Henry Evans ~ unknown

14. Alma ~ unknown

15. August Heinrich Nissen ~ born abt 1850 in Schleswig Holstein, Germany. He died 06 Apr 1914, Broomfield, Colorado. Ethnicity – German.

16. Anna Elizabeth Parkson born abt 1856 in Ohio, Died 11 May 1900 in Broomfield, Colorado. Ethnicity – German.

This was a very interesting exercise! My ethnicity is 25% Scottish, 25% Swiss-German & 18.75% German (or 43.75% Germanic), 12.5% English and 18.75% anybody's guess.

It was also interesting for me to note that 8 of my great-great-grandparents where not born in this country, 4 were born in this country to immigrant parents and there is only one that I believe had parents born in this country - Susie H Hungerford*. (and then my 3 with almost no information)

*Of course, I just TODAY found this name and I will admit right now that I do not yet have good documentation for this line. I was just so excited when I saw the death certificate because it sure appears to be the person I am looking for. This is all part of my wild rush to put together pieces of my Baltimore ancestors so I will have a productive trip there at the end of the month.

Thanks Randy for this idea!!