Isabel Woodland - Nurse's Graduation 1925

There is a certain type of individual that is drawn to recording one’s family history.

As I see it, family historians tend to be curious people.  They sense the importance of recording what has happened in the past.  And they tend to be collectors.

My grandmother Isabel (Woodland) IRVINE (1898 – 1989) was all of these.   She was a true family historian.

And Grandma had another talent.  She was a writer.

She would have never considered herself a writer in the true sense of the word as she scribbled out her recollections of homesteading and nursing in Saskatchewan. As far as she was concerned, she was recording the family history for posterity so it wouldn’t get lost as memories faded and people passed on.

But she was a writer.  She wrote in a warm conversational style as if she was sitting across the kitchen table from you as she recounted her stories.

Irvine Family Farm Yard, 20 miles SW of Young Sask, 1950s

Here are Isabel’s words about a stay in the small town of Young, Saskatchewan while her husband Bill Irvine was away for a few days.

“Sometime between two and four a.m. a knock came on the door.  They wanted me to come quickly because there was a sick woman at Mrs. Oakenfold’s and she couldn’t get in touch with the doctor.  I hustled down a couple of blocks and was just in time to deliver a son for the wife of Mr. Carlson, the local butcher.  When everything was over, Dr. Cook arrived from a hockey game in Watrous.

After delivering the baby in Young, I realized I would probably be asked to act as a midwife in the “Hills”, a name given to the area covering the Providence and Meuse School Districts.  I contacted the doctors in the surrounding towns:  Davidson, Neaston, Hanley, Young, Watrous and Simpson.  I wanted permission from them to take charge of the maternity cases in the Hills.

I received the okay from all of the doctors and, in addition they agreed to come if I needed them. As the closest doctor was twenty miles away with no cars or telephones, I knew there wasn’t much chance of getting help from town.  (This was between 1926 and 1936).

During this ten year period after my arrival at the homestead, I delivered thirty babies without a doctor or an anesthetic.  This was in the depression during the Thirties and I collected $10.00 to use for buying medical supplies.”

What a story!  Not only was Grandma a remarkable family historian and writer, she was a remarkable woman.  She delivered 30 babies for her neighbours and friends during a time when services were few and far between.

Even more remarkable, Grandma helped deliver me! (several decades later, of course!)

Baby Joan (the now grown up writer of this blog), Grandma Irvine and Joan's Mom Betty

We would not have this wonderful story today if Grandma hadn’t thought it important to record her experiences.

My Uncle Bob and I shared her words in the Women Pioneers of Saskatchewan Book 1 published in 2009.  Our biggest challenge was to condense all of the material Grandma had written in order to meet the publication guidelines.  Oh, that every genealogist and family historian would have such a problem!

Grandma…..Thank you for being “The One”.

—-

This post is part of Carnival of Genealogy’s 100th Edition – There is One in Every Family.  Congratulations to Creative Gene for 100 Editions of Carnival of Genealogy!

A recent discussion caught my attention.  History Forum members were discussing NBC’s newest TV show. “Who Do You Think You Are”.  This show takes the viewer on a journey with various celebrities as they discover their family tree and has sparked a lot of interest in genealogy and family history.*

Many of the members on the history forum wanted to research their family tree but were concerned they would have:

a) No Time

b) No Money

I couldn’t let that go by without comment!

Researching your family tree doesn’t need to be expensive to get started. I’ve been doing my own genealogy and my husband’s for about 20 years and it hasn’t cost that much.

Researching your family tree doesn’t need to take up all of your time. It certainly doesn’t take up all of my time. (unless I want it to!)

I share with you 4 inexpensive ways to get started in genealogy and my comments about managing the time.

1.  Join a Genealogical Society

Membership in my local genealogical society gives me free access to ancestry.com and a whole library of great genealogical books, and expert advice from others.  Cost is minimal to join.

2. Check out the local public and university libraries

The public and university libraries have a wealth of great genealogy/family history resources and librarians that will help.  There is also the option of interlibrary loans and programs such as Worldcat.org, a service that lets you search many libraries at once and find the item you are seeking at a library nearby.

3. Check out the LDS (Mormon) Family History Libraries

The LDS (Mormon) church offers free access to their Family History Libraries to non-members as well.  The one near where I live allows visitors free access to all the large expensive online genealogy databases.  They also offer a lot of free resources on their webpages FamilySearch.org

4. Cyndislist

Cyndislist is a FREE database of virtually every genealogy resource one could think of.  Start there.

Don’t let the cost stop you. There are even free family tree programs to manage the data.

Managing the Time

1. Don’t let the time aspect stop you either.

There are organizational techniques that can speed up your research.  Also joining a genealogical society can speed up the learning curve and provide you with research tips.

I’ve been researching my personal family tree and my husband’s for 20 years.  I certainly don’t do this all the time.  I enjoy the sleuthing, the detective work and the fun but I do have a life outside of genealogy too.

2. It is not something that has to be done all at once

Researching one’s family tree is an evolving process that can be done over the years.  It is fun and if you find you enjoy it, you’ll make time.  Enjoy!

Please comment below.

–

Related:

*Genealogy Gems Podcast Interview with Lisa Kudrow of “Who Do You Think You Are”.

I was the fortunate recipient of an iPhone 3GS for Christmas so what did I look for first?  Genealogy apps of course!

If you ever been researching in a library or archives and wished you had your entire family tree database with you then you will appreciate the portability of carrying it on your iPhone (or iPod Touch).

Here are the genealogy apps that I found (in no particular order).

• Shrubs makes it possible to carry your family tree files with you at all times.  With this stand alone app you can import your entire Gedcom 5.5 file via web browser from your family tree program of choice.   From my Family Tree Maker program, I exported the Gedcom file to my hard drive, then opened up the Shrubs app on my iPhone.  It gave me an IP address which I typed into my web browser.  From there I was able to select the gedcom and upload it.  One negative is the notes feature in your family tree are not imported.  (Dick Eastman did a nice overview of this application).  View it in iTunes.

• Mobile Family Tree 2 requires a full version of MacFamilyTree 5 or higher for MAC operating system X.  (I’m a PC user so haven’t tried this one.  It does have interesting features showing a Virtual Tree  and a Map Chart.)

• FamViewer also allows you to upload from a web browser and view GEDCOM genealogy database files on the iPhone and the iPod Touch.  View it in iTunes.

• Reunion requires Reunion 9.0b be installed on your mac.  It also requires that you  have a wireless connection to your mac to install it on your iPhone.

• GedView is a viewer and recording tool compatible with iPhone/iPod devices running OS 2.2.1 or above, with additional features (such as mapping) being supported where available.  I prefer this one to Shrubs as it allows the notes to be imported with the Gedcom (unlike Shrubs). Other features allow working with very large Gedcom files,  there is support for multiple databases and GPS, Cell location or WiFi location can be used to record the current latitude/longitude when editing a place for an event or fact.  More on the benefits here.

All of these iPhone apps for genealogy can be found in your iTunes store by searching by the exact name. Only three were found in  iTunes under the search term “genealogy”.

So…the day after Christmas, and I already have two genealogy apps for viewing my family tree on my new iPhone (Shrubs and Gedview)  AND several genealogy podcasts to listen to (more on that in another post).

Please comment if you are aware of other genealogy apps for iPhone or iPod touch or if you have a comment about your experiences with these apps.

Family History Learning for Snowbirds

2nd Annual Arizona Family History Expo January 22-23,2010

Snowy weather, square tires and icy streets….a typical northern winter today.

Imagine a winter without the conveniences and services we now take for granted.  A winter filled with physical chores and no central heating.  A winter of short days and long nights and lanterns for lights.  Imagine a winter as a pioneer in Canada or the northern USA.

If you are heading south to avoid the Canadian winter (or a northern US one!) consider attending the Arizona Family History Expo January 22-33, 2010 in Mesa Arizona.

The cost of registration is very reasonable.

Single Day: $40

Two Days: $75 ($65 if registered by January 1, 2010)

Single Class: $12

As a proud member of the Bloggers of Honor who will blogging and tweeting live from Mesa, Arizona for this event, I have 2 FREE TICKETS to give away to the winner of the following contest.

Start date for entries is today and ends Sunday January 10th, 2010.  Entry is open to ALL who wish to enter (not just us cold climate folks).  Winners will be chosen by a random draw.

To enter, please pick ONE of the following:

1.  In 300 words or less write about ONE of the following:

• A story from YOUR childhood or experiences growing up.  (your grandchildren will thank you).
• A story about memorabilia that has been passed down through the family (example: Grandma’s old rocking chair, the ‘good china’ or perhaps the old tube radio.  Any memorabilia that has sentimental or nostalgic value).  Include a picture if you have one.
• Your tips and strategies for organizing and planning your genealogy and family history research.   How do you keep track of where you are, what you have already researched and what you need to do next?
• A story of your genealogy ‘brick wall’ – the one family or ancestor that has you stumped and for whom you are searching for more information.
• A story about genealogy roots travel – have you gone back to the land of your ancestors, where did you go, what did you find?  Did it advance your research?
• A story about travel to a genealogy or family history conference and what you learned.  Was it beneficial?

2. Photographs (ONE of the following)

• a photo of you before you started school
• a photo of grandparents or other ancestors
• a genealogy related photo from your travels to discover your roots

Remember – you need only ONE story or photo to enter.  Submit your entries by email to contest@luxegen.ca

You may enter as many times as you wish (with a different story or photo every time) but please send only one entry per email.

The winner will be chosen by random draw and will be announced on the blog during the week of January 11 -17, 2010.  I look forward to all the submissions.

All contest submissions will be posted on the Luxegen Genealogy and Family History Blog. By entering, you state you own the copyright to the content and you give permission for that content to be published on the Luxegen Genealogy and Family History Blog.

Check out Mark Tucker’s Think Genealogy blog for more chances to win.

To learn more about the Arizona Family History Expo January 22-23, 2010 go here.

Find your Canadian ancestors

A list of the Canadian Genealogy Societies:

(click on the names for more information)

Alberta Family Histories Society

British Columbia Genealogical Society

Manitoba Genealogical Society

New Brunswick Genealogical Society

Family History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia Genealogical Network Association – list of several societies

Ontario Genealogical Society

Prince Edward Island Genealogical Society

Quebec Family History Society

Saskatchewan Genealogical Society

—

Additions, changes?  Please add your comments and links below.

Calgary Area Roots Resources

1) Alberta Family History Society – http://www.afhs.ab.ca/

• Members have access to the AFHS library and their online subscription to Ancestry.com
• Monthly meetings and special interest groups for members
• Support and encouragement from veteran genealogists and family historians

2) LDS Family History Centre -

• 2021-17th Avenue SW, Calgary, 403-571-3700.  Call for operating hours.

• for more information of the resources available check out my post Family History Portals

3) Calgary Public Library – http://calgarypubliclibrary.com/

• The Main Branch Downtown (616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary) offers classes for the beginner genealogist and other resources.  Check the website for hours of operation.  Great section with family history and genealogy books

4) University of Calgary Library - http://library.ucalgary.ca/

• access to history books, old newspapers and airphotos
• biographies
• maps, atlases and gazetters
• Ask a librarian for guidance

Aumack in Eastern US and Canada

Aumack and Clawson in Civil War

Bestwick (England to USA) – Clawson (USA)

Henderson (Ireland to Canada) –email for more info

Irvine (Ireland to Canada) – email for more info

Kerr (Ireland to Quebec, Canada) – Irish genealogy.  Scottish genealogy connection too.

Miller in New Brunswick

Moss (England to US)

Moss, Hartsell and Puterbaugh Genealogy – Michigan

Wilson (Scotland to Canada)

Puterbaugh (USA)

Miller Index Page