The Genealogy Search

Two Z's or not two Z's - that is the question.  My mother-in-law swears her maiden name has always been spelled Drezdon.  I have been tracing  her line back and searching for any and all for clues.  Starting with her - last name spelled Drezdon on her birth certificate.  Obituary for her father George  spelled Drezdon.  George's birth certificate Drezdzon - father's name on the same certificate spelled  Josef Drzdzon.  George's death certificate Drezdon.   George's father- Joseph - birth record spelled Drezdzon.  Joseph's World War I draft registration card Drezdzon; old man draft Drezdon.  Census records for Joseph 1910 and 1920 - Drezdzon.  Census records for John - 1910 -Drezdzon.  St. Adalbert Cemetery in Milwaukee lists Joseph and John with the last name of Drezdon.  I am thinking that my next search should be on John Drezdzon or Drezdon to locate his naturalization records.  I should also track down the church the families attended, perhaps they can

Michael and Gary Urman 1978

I finally had a chance to make it through the vendor area!  There are some wonderful products.  I talked to Amy Herzog at www.digitalscrapbookmemories.com   again because she was such a pleasure to talk to yesterday.  I will soon be taking the plunge into the digital world.  I also had the chance to talk to the  Creative Continuum . They are a short run publisher and family history publisher.  They also have a series of three CD's to teach photo retouching. The Underhill's of Creative Continuum Rebecca Vastine and son with a sample of her wooden family chart   I also wanted to let everyone know about My Vintage Roots.  They make amazing wooden family charts.  You can see additional samples of their skills at  myvintageroots.com .  They are an Arizona company located in Prescott. Speaking of charts, if you want a family chart produced on paper you should head over to Janet Hororka's    Family Chartmasters .  She had many samples displayed at th

I had the opportunity to review   Bret Petersen's  syllabus  Using Newspapers in Research: You sNews.   I like to attend and review  presentations that I think I know quite a bit about - mainly because I always "re-learn" or find out new ways to research.  For example, I had forgotten about the NewsLibrary  and the Library of Congress Historic Newspaper Collection Chronicling America  websites. He mentioned one of my favorites (due to my Illinois roots) the  Illinois Digital Newspaper Collection .   Genealogy Bank  and   Newspaper Archive  were also mentioned.  Another good jumping off point for locating newspapers is  Cyndi's List - Newspapers .  Bret also discussed sources available only at library's.  The Pima County Library has a subscription to America's Obituaries & Death Notices, America's News and Heritage Quest Online.  You will need a Pima County Library card to access the databases They also have a page containing hyperlinks to:  Chr

What a wonderful  day.  The Expo brought renewed acquaintances and new friends  I really enjoyed seeing fellow Pima County Genealogy members .  The opening keynote by Arlene Eakle was very enjoyable.  Arlene shared several ideas and stories of researching. I took the opportunity to hear Lisa Louise Cooke speak twice.  Once on Evernote and again on  Common Surname Searches in Google.  Each  I hear her talk I learn something  new or remember something I had forgotten about.  I am ready to download Evernote and formulating new searches on Google. Colleen McHugh did a presentation during the diner hour in the Ballroom.  Michelle Goodrum and I happily helped Colleen out my passing  and gathering  entries for her drawing for RootsMagic5 that the folks at RootsMagic so nicely donated. Colleen McHugh  during her dinner time presentation The last  program of the day was by Ruth Maness, AG.  Her topic was “What Do I Do Now?  Tools For Effective Family Tree Analysis.  She  to

So happy to see some of my favorite vendors will be at the Expo.  Arlene Eakle is not only delivering the keynote speech, she is also lecturing and has brought  The Genealogical Institute with her in booth #3.  Arlene's methods are very helpful in locating those missing ancestors, be sure to check out her booth.  The Stories To Tell booth is back.  Stop by and see Nancy and Biff Barnes, two of the nicest folks around for help with your families story in booth #35.  Lisa Louise Cooke and her daughter will be manning the Genealogy Gems Podcast booth. Look for Lisa Louise's new book How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers - hurry she only has a limited amount of her new book.  She has also authored several other books to help you with your research.  Visit the Genealogy Gems Podcast in booth #6.  Family Roots Publishing will be in booths #38-#41- I have a friend with a birthday coming up and that is where I will be looking for the perfect book to add to her collection.  I al

Watch out Mesa I am on my way tomorrow! I am packing a bag and I thought I would share some of my favorite things to bring to a conference. Business cards - both for my business and my blog Pre-printed return address labels - save time entering drawings and filling out forms Camera Laptop RootsMagic to go USB stick Water bottle Cooler with drinks and lunch/dinner/snack options Pad of paper Pens, pencils, highlighter Questions for Ask the Pros Don't forget to bring your family history book to be scanned.  FamilySearch will scan your book and give you a digital copy on a flash drive they will provide. See you there!

Robert Urman Eva and Bob Urman Bob and Frank Urman

June 1934 Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Frank, Bob, and Ivana (Eva) Yurmanovich last name later changed to Urman

National Archives Press Release January 4, 2012 For the first time, the National Archives has launched online videos of its most popular genealogy “how to” workshops. These videos cover “hot topics” in genealogical research such as census, immigration and military records. Now, these popular workshops led by National Archives experts are available on the  National Archives YouTube channel  [www.youtube.com/user/usnationalarchives]. The National Archives-produced  Know Your Records  video shorts cover the creation, scope, content, and use of National Archives records for genealogical research. "The National Archives is proud to make our most popular genealogy lectures available online and ready for viewing by anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Diane Dimkoff, Director of Customer Services. Genealogy Introduction: Military Research at the National Archives:  Volunteer Service  (8:22) [www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zgKBrsVpxY] Archives specialist John Deeben discusses comp

I blogged the other day about my Great-grandparents Wilhelm and Julia Skibbe.  Julia died of Bright's disease with a contributory factor of arsenic poisoning. Why would she be given arsenic?  In the early 1900's arsenic was used for numerous ailments.  Among them were sexual diseases, acne, malaria, and headaches.  Interestingly, my family has a documented history of migraines. A great place to find out more about those old medical terms is  Rudy's List of Archaic Medical Terms .  You can also check out  Genproxy ,  and Old Names for Illness and Causes of Death  for more information.  A good book to have as reference is A Medical Miscellany for Genealogists by Dr. Jeanette L. Gerger.  The book is available used for around $14 or new for about $22.   Take your research a step further by doing a little research into the cause of death.  You never know you may uncover some interesting details or a genetic malady in your family.

I am very proud to announce that I have been selected as a Blogger of Honor for the Mesa Family History Expo in Mesa, Arizona on January 20-21.  There is still time to make plans to attend this event.  Visit the Mesa Family History Expo  web page for registration information.  The event kicks off with keynote speaker Arlene H. Eakle, Ph.D., President and founder of The Genealogical Institute, Inc.  Arlene has over thirty years experience and is a wonderful speaker.  I hope you have the chance to sit in on one of her presentations during the expo.

William, Ella, Julia Ann and Wilhelm, first row:  Edward and George Skibbe 

Skibbe Family Farm Wilhelm and Julia (nee Panzer) Skibbe are my great-grandparents on my mother's side of the family tree.  They lived in Chicago for a while after arriving from Lauenburg, Germany.  Wilhelm was naturalized on 26 Mar 1897 in Chicago.    Later they moved to Indiana, near North Judson to farm.   Julia Ann was born on 28 May 1864.  She died on 9 Jun 1916 from arsenic poisoning, she also suffered from Bright's disease.  Wilhelm was born 12 Sep 1957.  He was naturalized on 26 Mar 1897 in Chicago. Wilhelm died on 10 Jan 1838 of apoplexy.  They are buried at the North Judson Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Last year I decided my goal for the year would be to keep on top of my filing, and I did.  I made sure to clean off my desk once a week.  I also made sure that what ever I was filing was scanned, attached to my database, and noted in my database.  2011 was the year of better habits! I am going to keep up with my good habits of 2011 and actually make research plans.  I suffer from "pretty, shiny disease".  I see a link and I click it, the next thing I know I'm looking at different family, far away from the original search.  It's not just computer searching.  I do the same thing at libraries, archives and courthouses .  I have gotten a bit better about the libraries.  I make a list of books I must search and allow myself time to wander after I located the books I came to view. I would like to solve the Drezdon, Dresdon, Drezdzon, or Drezdson mystery.  My goal is to locate documents of Joseph Drezdon, Dresdon, Drezdzon, or Drezdson and perhaps confirm one of the