Meeting 14 Nov 2009

Today the Honolulu County Genealogical Society meeting focused on using Ancestry.com and search strategies.  Bobby Stevens led the discussion using wireless internet connection to illustrate to website.

Interestingly the San Diego Genealogical Society http://sandiegogenealogy.blogspot.com/ hosted their Ancestry.com Family History Seminar at a local San Diego hotel, with three Ancestry.com staff people speaking.  Randy Seaver, a noted and prolific blogger has done a terrific job summerizing their seminar and publishing it in his blog "Genea-Musings" today at http://www.geneamusings.com/  Please go to his blog to read all the details and it will serve to amplify and remind everyone of some of the things we also talked about here in Hawaii.  Areas of interest in learning about Ancestry.com and it's changes which Randy covered were:

1.  The Best Strategies for Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com

2.  Tapping into the Ancestry and Rootsweb Community

3.  The Ancestry World Archives Project

4.  Publishing and Printing Using "My Canvas" 

We had quite a discussion about Ancestry  Member Trees and I'll quote one paragraph from Randy Seaver's blog that describe what he noted:  "Ancestry Member Trees were described and demonstrated in some detail, noting that any registered person can have a Member Tree (either Public or Private) on Ancestry.com. These trees can be input one person at a time or a GEDCOM file, created by a software program, can be uploaded to Ancestry. One of the questions was about how long the Member Tree would be on the site, and the answer was "forever," even if the submitter ends their subscription or dies, unless the user deletes the tree. A non-subscriber cannot attach records from Ancestry.com databases to their tree, but they can upload images to their own tree, and can search Public Member Trees. The ability of a user to upload a tree directly from Family Tree Maker 2010, or download a tree directly to Family Tree Maker 2010, or to upload a GEDCOM file from another software program, and to download a GEDCOM file from Ancestry.com for any software program, was described. Where should a user keep their "master" file? Suzanne keeps hers on her computer, not online on Ancestry.com." 

The place to find where free archieved "Webinars" that Ancestry.com offers is on their "Learning Center" tab, under "Online Classes"  The last two online classes, or web-seminars were:  "Best Strategies for Searching Ancestry.com" from Oct 14th, and  "Getting Started on Ancestry.com" from Oct 7th, 2009.  There are plenty of other very interesting hour-long "webinars" available to view anytime from the convenience of sitting in front of your home computer.  Check it out.

We welcomed two new members today, Jeannie and Ben Sills (see photo).  They have an Ancestry Member Tree and bring a wealth of experience on maintaining a family tree online.  In addition they are MacIntosh  computer users.

Thanks to Lenore Hansen and Donna Wendt for the refreshments.

Our meeting for December will be the Holiday Party Buffet at the Hickam Air Force Base Officer's Club on December 6th, starting at 10 am. Cost is $20.  Be sure to bring a $10 gift to exchange to be in on all the fun.  At times we have been able to see submarines go in or out of Pearl Harbor while at the party. Contact Jim Deutch if you plan to attend.

Meeting 10 October 2009

HEIRLOOMS - PART II

The October 2009 meeting of the Honolulu County Genealogical Society was a continuation of September's meeting about Heirlooms.  More members brought and told about the heirloom they have and the stories behind them. 

    Georgia Bopp brought a Dresden china "knock-off" of an old English Inkwell.  It belonged to her great-grandfather from about 1850, so it is over 150 years old.

Jean Neuer showed her Pennsylvanian great-grandfather, Stephen Jordan's cane that he used after suffering a leg wound in the Civil War. She also showed his Stephen's daughter-in-law, Neva Crawford Jordan's white kid wedding shoes.

Suzanne Case brought a writing chest that is 8 generations old, with a list of the successive owners, all women beginning with Sophia Bear who received it in 1786 in England on her 16th birthday.

 

Jeanne Davis showed a display she created from photos of the Espenett ancestral home in Port D'Envaux, France. Wheat in the frame is from the wheat fields owed by the Espenett family 300 years ago.  David Espenett, a protestant, fled France in 1701 to Rye, England because of religious persecution.

Jin Deutch displayed a photo of his Deutch grandparents old Ford Convertible Touring car from about the 1920's, and he couldn't resist bringing his childhood friend "elephinki" a stuffed elephant.

Tom Bopp's father was the family historian and saved an old document written in German by Tom's great great grandfather from 1896.

Marguerite Peach's ancestors have a long history in Hawaii. She showed a special land ownership marker from the days of King Kamehameha III to mark land boundries. She also brough the watch fob of her grandfather John Hills, that is made of Boar's tooth from French Tahiti.

Harriet Hoffman brought a doll that had belonged to her mother, it has a china bisque head, unglazed, with closing eyes, blond hair, moving feet and head, and wearing a white dress.  It is probably from 1880-1890.

John Lundin, brought copies of the pages of "Seaman's Books" that were written by his grandfather, William Lundin.  He started in 1898 as a cook, then carpenter on a 2-masted brig.  He voyaged to Egypt and saw the pyramids in 1900.  By 1903 he was on British ships and others from Liverpool.  His books note that he carried many emigrants to the USA and brought cattle back to England on the return trip.  One ship was the S.S. Haverford.  John plans to donate these books to the Maritime Museum in Philadelphia one day.

 

Paige Dwight had a Daguerrotype photo of her grandmother with another relative.  There was a paper with writing on the back and the case had a floral decorated cover.

Patricia Beekman's grandfather's brother, Yonescu Morita Kumomoto was in the Japanese-Russian War and left Japan to come to Hawaii to work in the sugar plantations in 1940.  She brought a replica of a lunch pail similar to what her family used for lunches of rice and okazu, near Hilo, Hawaii.  She also brought Geta - wooden shoes, and a "sorban" abacus.. the Japanesse sytle abacus has one row of beads at the top (Chinese abacus has two rows).

Rosemary Panko father's German grandmother, loved to do tatting and lace making.  She brought a intriguing assembly of old 1900 U.S. coins tied with ribbons and attached at the top to a vial that her this great-grandmother created and the ladies present thought that perhaps the item was used as a counter-weight for holding thread when doing tatting.  If anyone has any other ideas, please make a comment.

Rosemary Panko passed out a list of recommendations for Photograph Preservation and websites for how to care for your family collections -- preservation of your resources.  Also four websites of companies were listed where one can order archival supplies.

Twenty three people attended this fun meeting, and enjoyed the ghost-like chocolate piece tombstone cupcakes made for Halloween-month refreshments by Jean Neuer.

The next meeting of the Honolulu County Genealogical Society will be Saturday, November 14, 2009 and the topic will be tips and strategies for better searches on Ancestry.com.  Please bring laptops and questions.  A wireless connection will be available.

Contact Jim Deutch if you are a member and want to attend our  Holiday Party/Buffet and gift exchange, at the Hickam Air Force Base Officer's Club on December 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am.

Meeting 16 Sep 2009

 HEIRLOOMS - PART I

The subject for this month's meeting was "Heirlooms - show and tell" hosted by Suzanne Case.  Many members must be back from vacations as the attendance was up this month.  And for the second months in a row someone has read about the meeting in the "Community Calendar" of the newspaper and came to check us out...complete with something to "show and tell."  Refreshments were brought by Louise Chung to everyone's delight.

   I'll add photos of the those that brought a treasured heirloom.  I missed a couple of people, sorry.

Leilani Pyle holds a peacock feather hatband which her grandfather, Adna G. Clarke always wore on his Panama Hat.  He became a Hawii politician.              


                                                                                            

Pat Beekman displaying a photo of an authentic Civil War sabre her g-grandfather, Isaac Earl Beekman, of NY, picked up at the battle field of Gettysburg.

Rosemarie Panko shows her ancestor, Sarah S. in an old photo from Long Island NY in an acid free envelope.

Ann Sloat shows the delicately tatted handkerchief made by her great grandmother, Susan Blair (or Rosina Edwards) born in 1856 in Wisconsin.

Bobby Stevens shows off his grandfather, John Archer Clark's pocket watch.  His grandfather was born in Virginia and raised tobacco. 

Claudette Derricotte brought the small cut glass bowl that her mother used to have on her dresser and always kept her jewlery in it..  Her mother, Clair Rose Solanski Melecha, died at age 92.

Kathy Hudson discusses the large bible of her great grandmother, Rebecca Blandford West...probably received as a wedding present.

The bible pages with additions by Kathy's great-grandmother and her mother.







Harriet Hoffman brough quite a display of an Ansonia Clock which received a chip during the San Francisco earthquake of 1989. It was in her grandmother's home, always on the mantel, and Harriet remembers it chimed on the quarter hour. She also brought the old Haviland China dishes and cut glass bowls of her grandmother.

Roberta Jones brought a leather bound bible of the family, Betsy Greene who was born in 1806 in Vermont.

Stan Jones brought a quilt made in 1925 by his grandmother, Mrs. Otto Weaver.

Page Dwight showed a powder keg from the GAR - the Grand Army of the Republic.  In addition she wore gold-plated earrings that beloned to Oceana Gertrude Carter.

Martha Reamy's ancestor, Charles H. Welch, was an engraver at the U.S. Mint. She displayed a photo of her great uncle and his bible dating from 1866.

George and Susan Krueger brought a collection of photos and artifacts that could win a prize at a county fair for a family heritage exhibit!. George had photos of his French and German family who moved from New Orleans to San Diego. He had a plate from Bavaria that had belonged to his mother. Susan brought her father's carbon miner's headlamp, a blasting cap can, a piece of gold ore and an electrical line insulator. At one time her father was a miner in the area of Cottage Grove, Oregon. Later he worked as a lineman for the REA in Corvallis, Oregon. Susan also brought a crocheted table cloth made by her mother as well as a canning jar and old spice can that belonged to her mother. The samll photograph on the tablecloth was taken of her parents in 1932, six months before their wedding in June 1933. (click on photos to enlarge)

Elaine Kam brought a charm display she created of various charms she's collected to signify different members of her family. Starting with a charm to her grandfather Sam Won who came from China to Hawaii in 1880. It is a very unique way to show each generation and all the people in her grandfather's descendant family tree. A small strip of jade separates each generational division.

Donna Wendt brought blue mercury glass vases that had been given to her Great-Great Grandparents, Sarah Ann Squier & James Warren Ells, on their 50th wedding anniversary.  Their story was:  After their marriage in 1833, James and Sarah Ells left Riga, Monroe Co. New York, and first lived in Erie Co., NY near James' family (his father had been a Connecticut whaler). Then for a short time they lived just south of the New York state line in Crawford Co., PA. Returning to Riga, NY they stayed until about 1847 when a big family migration occurred, the whole family (seven kids) moved to Kingston, Marquette Co., Wisconsin now Green Lakes Co. Many of the farms there are now Amish. Sarah’s mother died just as the family arrived in Wisconsin in June 1847.  In early Civil War days, when Sarah was about 62 yr, they all moved again, Sarah and James, their married children, her siblings and father moved south of Kenyon, Dodge Co., MN where they lived the remainder of their lives on their farms at Skyberg.  In 1883 Sarah and James had a big 50th wedding anniversary, at which they received the two aqua mercury glass vases which Donna has today.   James and Sarah made a sentimental visit to Wisconsin to see their old friends and family.  On their return home they could only come on the train as far as Concord, They continued their trip home on stage coach towards Skyberg. The horses shied at the train at a crossing, and the coach turned over. This injured eighty year old Sarah and she died several days later in 1889. The cemetery records say she died of accident and heart disease. 

 

8 Aug 2009 HCGS Meeting

Our program Saturday, August 8th was Karen Sutherland-Pahia presenting "Ways to Put Your Family History Together - - Writing, Printing, Publishing, etc. Customization and image was discussed in front of a large audience. She brought examples of her published works as did society members to show at the meeting. Karen has worked many years with genealogy and working to identify and keep track of the various lines of her farmily's largely Scottish and Hawaiian heritage. In her quest for family history she has even fallen into graves. Sad story that after her grandmother died, all the family photos disappeared with no one knowing what happened to them. Digitalizing photos and documents became critical to preserving the family history. A user of Family Tree Maker software she has organized, written and assembled may histories which she publishes at Kinkos for a good quality and low price. Kinkos provides a free "Proof Copy" to review before they publish the copies you pay for. One family history book she ordered was 50 copies of a 1000 page family line. She uses a combination of the Family Tree Maker Books feature and Microsoft Word. Including picture images within the genealogy report makes the history more interesting and readable, and it's easiest to add pictures after the text is completed. Choice of binding is important, and she uses a spiral had back variety. A flat glued binding is more expensive. It was mentioned that the Family History Library in Salt Lake City prefers unbound pages so they can do the binding there for any copies of family histories that might be donated, rather than the spiral binding.

The index is very important to the book, and also is time consuming once you start adding photo images to the report. So you have to update the page numbers and index when you disturbe the generated genealogy report. She also recommended using spell check as you go, while entering data.

Lenore Hansen gave a short review of her attendance at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree recently in Burbank, California.

Suzanne Case asked everyone to bring a family heirloom to the next meeting and we will discuss the history and importance to the family for each.

Thanks to Lenore and to Martha for the refreshments.

Meeting July 11, 2009

ANCESTRAL POTLUCK was the the subject of the July 2009 meeting of the Honolulu County Genealogical Society. After a general meeting with announcements the members each told about the food that they brought to the meeting to share. Each item had a cultural and family connection. Some stories reflected a food that is common to people of a certain country and some food reflected the favorites that were eaten in their home as they grew up. I should have taken notes, but I'll list a few of the foods we enjoyed as best as I can.

Alan Toft had quite a story about the common "Ploughman's Lunch" in his home of England. He brought a selection of excellent cheeses, something about pickles, a long french bread (we're short on English bread in Hawaii) and three bottles of bottled beer that would be eargerly consumed in any English pub.

Although Louise Chung could not attend, she sent a dish reflecting her German heritage: home made saurkraut and pork chops in a bake dish. Harriet Hoffman impersonated a french person and brought a fine tasting quiche.

Donna Wendt (me) pulled out all the stops at home and actually created something from "scratch." I found an online recipe for Welsh Cookies, then bought the required currants (and the other basic ingrediants like flour, vegetable shortening, sugar, eggs, nutmeg, and sugar). The cookies or "Welsh Tea Cakes" are a bit like scones and are cooked in a frying pan after the ingredients are mixed and refrigerated for a couple hours. My Rees cousins in Wales would be proud!

Jeane Neuer brought a tasty tuna spread and crackers that reminded her of her parents favorite after work snack. She said they always had a "Manhatten" drink to go with the snack, but she didn't bring any of those drinks along to the meeting.

Kennydene, a new member, of Hawaiian descent, didn't know it was a pot luck until the morning of the meeting. Not to worry, she stopped by the Liliha Bakery and brought the modern Hawaiian favorite treat of "Coco Puffs" - a delicious special type of chocolate-filled creme puff, buttery and with chantilly frosting. Absolutely my favorite! Maybe next year she'll bring the other Hawaiian favorite (of Portuguese roots) hot "Malasades" from Leonard's Bakery.

Jan Everly Williams brought a specially prepared greens salad with toasted tofu to reflect a bit of Japanese culture. Very healthy! Christine Absher brought a nice selection of cut tropical fruits, reminescent of favorite family foods on these tropical islands.

Jim Deutch brought "Gefilte Fish" and flat bread, traditional with the Jewish culture. Carp or Pike fish is chopped into small pieces, mixed with onions and some other vegetables (carrot, celery, parsley). The mixture is held together as a ball with eggs and matzah meal. It is then boiled in broth for a while. It can be served warm or cold, though it is usually served cold with red horseradish and garnished with carrot shavings.

Ann Sloat brought a big jug of tasty apple juice which brought me memories of pressing apples to make cider. Claudette Derricotte made delicious little flaky kind of cookie bar dessert. I can't exactly describe it, but she used fresh oranges from Jim's trees and the flavor of the filling was absolutely amazing - a bit tart, a bit sweet.

I think Bobby Stevens brought a hot dish, kind of a stew with corn and perhaps pork in it, which was excellent. Lots of ingredients which I can't list now. I think the connecting ancestry was from the English and early Virginia colonial settlers. Other members attended and enjoyed the food, as bringing a dish was not mandatory since there is always so much to go around. The main focus of the meeting was getting together in a social atmosphere and sharing stories of food, while getting to taste some of the delicious creations.

Frima Riva Shatz grandmother of Jim Deutch

At the HCGS Meeting of May 9th, Jim Deutch spoke about his grandmother, Frima Riva Shatz for a "Mini-Biography." Here is a summary of his talk.

**********Biography of Frima Riva Shatz ******

The following information is based upon family legend and "best guess" reasoning. All dates given are approximate.

Frima Riva SHATZ was my grandmother. She was born in 1881 in the Ukraine town of Ostropol. She was the 6th child of Mordechi and Fayga GLATZER SHATZ. In 1899 she married Isriel Polishuk from the near-by village of Vorobiivka. My great uncle Morris, Isriel's brother, said when he first met his brother's fiancé, she was so beautiful and had such a breathtaking personality, he fell in love with her. However, he could not pursue his heart because she was his brother's betrothed.

Frima Riva and Isriel's first child, Goldie, was born the following year, 1900. She was followed in 1902 by William, in 1904 by Betty, and in 1906 by Dorothy. During a typhoid epidemic, Frima Riva nursed her extended family back to health, only to come down with the disease, herself. She died in 1909. In 1907, prior to the epidemic, her husband, Isriel, had gone to the United States to earn money to bring his family to America. Following her mother's death, Goldie, the oldest daughter, became so despondent that she, too, died "of a broken heart." The family came to America in 1910. Frima Riva's last child, Dorothy, was my mother.

Oahu Cemetery Tour

We had a wonderful tour of historic Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu, given by Nanette Napoleon, today. Nine people were able to attend. Special thanks to members who gave "a little extra" to make this interesting experience happen: Lenore Hansen, Alan Toft,, Bobby Stevens and Louise Chung. I won the "door prize" of the book Nanette Napoleon has written about the cemetery, by answering a couple questions at the end of the tour. The final question, was: "Exactly where is Elvis Presley buried?" I knew the answer from a visit many years ago: "Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee."

We saw lots of interesting styles of graves and grave markers. Also various family, fraternal, and military plots.

Donna Wendt

Note in the photos below:
--The Hawaii Historic Marker outside the Cemetery on Nuuanu Ave.
--Nanette talking in front of King Kamehameha's cannon which was donated to mark off the plot for US Civil War veterans who are buried there.
--Nanette trying to find worn letters in the volcanic stone marker for one of Harry's ancestors who is buried in this very old plot - (I believe through the Campbell family?)
--Nanette pointing to some interesting cemetery memorials as we walked along.
--Nanette telling us about this US Veteran's area of the Navy, where many are buried who died at Pearl Harbor in Dec 1941 from the Japanese attack.
--At the grave of Elizabeth Pratt (a Hawaiian) and her husband
--Close up of the headstone of High Chieftess, Elizabeth Pratt, longest Royal survivor - with very old image photographed on a porcelan piece in modern headstone.
---1886 Tombstone of Edwin Oakley, from England, with interesting "dagger piercing a heart." Said to be a symbol for "Redemption." Probably put on his stone because he had committed suicide.

Meeting 13 June 2009

Cemeteries & Genealogical Research was the topic for the June presentation at the Honolulu County Genealogical Society. This was given by me, Donna Wendt as an "Open Office" presentation using my new "netbook" attached to our Society's own digital projector. All went well. I will list the websites I discussed, that have to do with cemeteries, many of which I borrowed from Kory Meyerink as reported by Sharon Haddock in "Mormon Times" of March 16, 2009.

http://www.findagrave.com/

http://www.interment.net/

http://www.linkpendium.com/

http://www.idreamofgenealogy.com/

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

(Tombstone Transcription Project)

http://www.gravelocator.com.va.cem.gov/

www.daddezio.com/cemetery (Cemetery Junction)

http://www.geonames.usgs.gov/

( U.S. Geographic Names Information System -GNIS)

http://www.funeralnet.com/

http://www.gravestonestudies.org/

http://www.namesinstone.com/

Next Saturday, June 20th, 2009, at 9am we will meet at the parking lot at Oahu Cemetery at 2162 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, HI. Hawaii's own "History Detective & Graveyard Historian," Nanette Napoleon will be our tour guide for the 2 hours of our adventure of discovery at the cemetery. The cost is $10 per person, and everyone is invited.

Don't forget that our next month's meeting is July 11th, 2009 and will be our annual ethnic foods pot luck luncheon. Everyone is invited to bring a food that reflects a specific culture, especially their own. This is a fun gathering and all are welcome to attend.

April 11, 2009 Meeting

The April meeting of the Honolulu County Genealogical Society was a workshop, of sorts, entitled "Helping Each Other" -- with everyone bringing various research books and CDs that others could peruse. President Bobby Stevens led the introductory discussion. Each person told about the items they brought, which amounted to a lot of materials. Laptops were everywhere.

Donna Wendt discussed upcoming programs and passed around a survey asking about members use of Subscription databases and free databases online, and which genealogy soft ware they used. There will be a special fiend trip on June 20th, to the Oahu Cemetery on Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu. Hawaii Historian/Graveyard Detective Nanette Napoleon will conduct a tour for us in this historic cemetery. Cost will be $10 each and any interested individual is invited to join us.

Ann Sloat presented a the mini-biography of her grandmother, Sarah Margaret Russell Sweeley with a power point presentation. Born: 18 April 1888 Lodi, Clay Co., South Dakota --- Died: 19 Feb 1975, Los Angeles, California Teacher, supreme story teller, determined survivor, chin up optimist. Especially poignant were the memories Ann mentioned, that she had for her. (see Ann's photo)



Thanks to Joann Henely for the delicious homemade pre-Easter refreshments.

The next meeting will be on Saturday, May 9th and noted genealogical researcher, Richard Souther will discuss "Timelines: A chronology of Life Events." Jim Deutch will give the mini-biography challenge.

The June 13th meeting will be a presentation on "Using Cemeteries for Research." Fran McFarlan is scheduled to give the mini-biography.

Scottish Festival

Kathy DeFoster Hudson spearheaded the very successful genealogy tables at Honolulu's 28th annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games, which is a celebration of the heritage and history of the Scots, put on by the Hawaiian Scottish Association at Kapiolani Park. For 7 hours on Apr 4-5, Kathy fielded questions on genealogy of all types at three tables, aided by friends and/or volunteers from the Honolulu County Genealogical Society, including Donna Wendt, Christine Absher, Joann Henely, Karen Sutherland-Pahia, and Don. Richard Souther had an additional two tables to spread the genealogical word, with a speciality in Hawaiian genealogy.















Many spectators came by to look and ask questions, including tourists that happened by the festive scene. Many of the table visitors were dressed in traditional kilts and even some in armor. Various Scottish Clans were represented under the big tent, including the Wallaces and Grants and Campbells.



An adjoining big-top tent had live performances of Scottish music, while the gazebo became the stage for the opening ceremonies with local television personality Dr. Brady singing the US and Hawaii Anthems. A Marine color guard lead the procession around the area. Scottish dance competition, the Highland games and medieval challengers added fun and variety to the day, while many food tents served up great food from Whiskey cake to Haggis. All this was in typical beautiful Hawaii weather, but just a bit windy. Diamond Head was in the background, and the Pacific ocean was within a stone's (of the Scottish Hammer's) throw of the Festival.




Thanks, Kathy, for such a fine job.



Photos of Saturday are shown here.