52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: WorldCat

A chain of events, starting with a post of a family photo on this blog, led me to my first clues about Captain John Slatter's long and illustrious career with the 48th Highlanders Regiment of Toronto, Canada. I've been in touch with the regiment and with its museum for a few months now.

To find out even more, I used WorldCat to locate any printed materials about this famous regiment. On the top of the list was George W. Beal's book (cover above), Family of Volunteers: An Illustrated History of the 48th Highlanders of Canada. And it's available from the Library of Congress, an easy inter-library-loan away from me.

My local library was kind enough to request the book (for a very minimal charge) and it arrived just 5 weeks later, for use only in the library. I read through, and then took out my new portable scanning wand and captured several pages of info about Captain Slatter, including photos and more. Also, I photographed the same pages and the cover.

Here's a shot of the index entry for Capt. Slatter: 

 

Thanks to WorldCat, I now know more about the history of the 48th Highlanders, and more about my husband's great-uncle Jack, who served as bandmaster for 50 years.

WorldCat is free and you never know what you'll find--like me, you might come across a book or two that will give you new insights about your family tree.

Workday Wednesday: John Slatter of Oxfordshire, College Cook

On the trail of my husband's Slatter ancestors from Marylebone and Oxfordshire, I e-mailed the Slatter genealogist in Oxfordshire to ask whether his family and hubby's family are related. Twelve hours later, this wonderful gentleman wrote back to say no relation...but he did a lookup for me and found more info about John Slatter in Oxfordshire!

John Slatter, college cook, of Oxford (St. Ebbe parish), was married by license to Sarah Harris of same parish on 1 May 1832.

On the baptismal records for John & Sarah's first three children, John's occupation is shown as "college cook," then "cook at ch. ch." (probably Christ Church), then "cook at ch. ch college."

In the 1841 UK Census, John Slatter (Senior) was shown as a cook, living in Banbury parish, Oxfordshire.

By 1859, when John Slatter Jr gets married, John Slatter Sr is listed on the marriage license as "deceased" father of the groom, along with his occupation, which is "cook."

2022 update: Now I know more about Sarah Harris, who saved grandchildren from terrible poverty by taking them in. The story is here!

Next steps: Find out more about Sarah Harris and check the records of the Oxfordshire Family History Society, as recommended by the Slatter genealogist.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Tools--Ancestry (I married him for his ancestors)

For years I've resisted posting my family trees on Ancestry. But toward the end of 2011, I decided to begin posting what I've gathered about hubby's ancestors, because this will make it easier for everyone in the family to see the tree, no matter where they are. And the little waving green leaf is a welcome sign of hints, sometimes valuable and sometimes not. That makes documenting the tree online a little easier, and has pointed me in the direction of new info. 2022 update: I've also been using RootsMagic to sync with Ancestry and look for hints (again, not always useful but must be checked out just in case).

My family comes from Eastern Europe, and of course I've run into brick walls on both sides of the tree. Many records are available only in offices somewhere deep in Hungary, Latvia, or Lithuania...and even then, language can be a challenge. But I have found more than expected!

For example, my grandma Henrietta Mahler is shown at left in the 1930s, at the wedding of her younger daughter, Miriam. Henrietta was born in Eastern Europe, as was her older brother, and their parents. Someday I hope to have more info about where they came from, but details have been elusive up to now. UPDATE: I've been exploring some Riga records that show Henrietta's husband Meyer Elias Mahler was married before he courted my grandma.

My husband's family, however, is from England, Ireland, and possibly Scotland, with some stopovers in Canada. Searching for his ancestors is a lot easier than searching for mine--the documents and indexes for his family are almost always in English, and many are online! Plus I've met several very kind genealogy "angels" who helped along the way, thanks to Ancestry's surname and geographical message boards.

Now you know my secret: I married him for his ancestors. LOL!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy--Blogs: Geneabloggers Connections

Here we are, starting the new 52 Weeks series by Amy Coffin, and I want to give a new year's shout-out to Amy, Thomas MacEntee, and the many Geneabloggers who have shared their stories, methods, support, and ideas!

I've learned so much from you...been inspired to try new things...discovered resources I didn't know about...and most of all, I've enjoyed being part of this community. Thank you!

Here's to more in 2012!

2012 Genealogy Resolutions: Post, Scan, Store, Label, and Share

Welcome to 2012, the year when I plan to:

• Post my family trees on Ancestry (partly, I admit it, as cousin bait):
• Finish the Wood/McClure/Steiner/Slatter tree (including the Larimer and Shehen families).
• Start the Schwartz family tree.
• Start the Mahler family tree.
• Scan more Wood and Burk photos and documents, add to family trees on Ancestry. 2022 update: Still scanning but I removed most family photos in 2021 due to Ancestry's change in terms of service. Read more here.
• Store all my original documents in archival boxes, categorized by family. This isn't just for my convenience--it's also for the genealogists of tomorrow (you know who you are). 2022: Done!
• Label the rest of my photos and categorize by family. Nearly done.
• Share the best family photos and videos from the past 7 years (meaning since I went digital) via DVD with my immediate family. This will keep our shared history alive into the next generation and give my loved ones a head start on genealogy. Years from now, no need to scan treasured photos when everyone received the same image on DVD at the same time! Done, and also shared via cloud and other methods.

No matter what the technology in 2022, 2032, and beyond, there will still be images and names, I'm sure. Whether the Flip videos will survive, who knows? 2022 update: No, the Flip went obsolete years ago, sorry to say.

Happy new year to you all, and happy ancestor hunting!

Wordless Wednesday - Loser Socks (Again)

Future genealogy trivia: Which contestant has an unbroken record of losing the annual Christmas Day "silly" (or "surprising") sock contest?

Before I reveal the answer, take a look at the above silly, surprising crocodile sock devouring my leg.

Now the answer: I'm the perennial loser. My crock didn't even come close in this field of silly sox, which also included an alligator sock, whale socks, and other assorted silliness. The winner: the blue fuzzy snowman slipper socks at center. (The judge's arm and leg are barely visible in this sock portrait.)

Next year's sock contest will have two rules: Embellishments allowed, and fuzziness required. Stay tuned!

Sentimental Sunday: My Merry Gen Gadget Christmas

Thank you, Santa, for the gift of a portable wand scanner! And batteries of course...not to mention the mini SD card. UPDATE: My cell phone is more my choice these days, 2022 style.

Now I can scan documents that won't easily fit in my flatbed, such as these two curled-up diplomas earned by my father, Harold Burk.

The top one shows my father's graduation from PS 171, an elementary school in Manhattan, NYC, in June, 1923. He was 14 at the time. The bottom one shows his graduation from Junior High School 171 in Manhattan, NYC, in January, 1925. He was 15 at this point and went to work right after graduation, which (if I recall his stories correctly) meant he ended his educational career after eighth grade. Note that this was a "commercial" diploma, indicating that Harold wasn't expecting to continue to high school but always intended to go to work.

Here's what PS 171 looks like today: Its "name" is Patrick Henry and, as in my father's time, it serves grades K-8. The school is within walking distance of where Harold and his family lived at the time of the 1920 census, at 1642-44 Lexington Avenue near 104th Street.

Santa is so smart and even sentimental! He knows that this genealogy gadget will help me capture so many documents and photos for the future. Ho ho ho!