1940 Census Project Indexing - Now 75% Complete

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[The following was on Dick Eastman's newsletter today http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2012/06/1940-census-project-indexing-is-now-75-percent-complete.html]:


A report Friday by Dennis Brimhall, CEO of Family Search, said the volunteers indexing the 1940 U S Federal Census are well ahead of schedule. More than 137,000 volunteers are creating the indexes, with that number growing by nearly 1,000 indexers a day.

At last report:

• 105,522,592 names have been indexed and arbitrated.
• 29 states have searchable indexes on FamilySearch.org. These states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.
• 2 additional states are 100% indexed and arbitrated and are in the final stage of preparation for posting.
• 6 additional states are 75% or more indexed and arbitrated. To see the status of each state visit the 1940 US Census state-by-state progress map on the FamilySearch website.
• The 1940 US Census is 75% indexed and arbitrated.
• 143,086 indexers have signed up to index the 1940 US Census.

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Using the FamilySearch.org indexed search engine for Indiana, I quickly found my parents and Dad's mother & sister, as well as, my future step-grandfather... I could not find them before.

Household:	Gender	/Age/	Birth
Head	Viola West	F	41	KY
Son	Gaither G West	M	21	KY
Daughter-in-law	Bernadine West	F	18	IN
Daughter	Doris V West	F	17	KY
Roomer	Edgar Lee Gilkey	M	43	KY

"Cemetery Geek!"

What in the world is a "Cemetery Geek?"


Last Sunday, I attended the Oak Hill Cemetery Walking Tour led by Dennis Au, Shawn Dickerson & Chris Cooke.  A newspaper reporter was asking several people why they came out for this tour.  When she asked me that question... I could not think of a good answer.  My thoughts were in the notion of who wouldn't want to be in this tour!  As a genealogist, most of us love cemeteries, as we do courthouses, libraries, genealogy web sites, family photos and records of any sort.


I told the young reporter that as a genealogist I could not help but be here... I guess I am a "cemetery geek!"  I could not think of anything else to describe why I came out for this tour!!!  Well, that got into the newspaper story, in fact it was the first paragraph about the tour.  I was listed as a "self-proclaimed cemetery geek."    http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/may/21/oakhill-tour-line-p/?print=1  


Being highly interested in science, math, etc., the term "geek" (to me) is basically a positive adjective of a person's in-depth interest or involvement in a particular subject.  I have always been interested in seeing these little monuments (often called grave markers) to people's lives since I was a kid of about 12-13 years of age.


My mother was an avid fan of Memorial Day, a time to remember our American soldiers and family members.  Mom would make Dad drive her around to all of the cemeteries with family to decorate their graves with flowers.  After a time, it was hard to tell who wanted to do this the most.  Of course, us kids were dragged along, too.  I started to get curious about all of these graves... who were these people to us.  That and a 5th. Grade English assignment to make a 4-generation family chart got me interested in my family history.  Shortly after I got out of service, my father died which made grave visitations a little more important to me.  The next Memorial Day and many years afterwards, my younger brother Don and I took turns taking Mom around to decorate the graves.  Mom's Aunt Maggie Wood decorated graves, too.  Don & I began putting out flowers, too.  Then, suddenly in about 2 years time - Mom, Aunt Maggie & Don were no longer with us and there really was no one else alive to decorate the graves or know where most were buried.  So, this became my primary "duty!"  We decorate my wife Becky's family, too.  Becky has a birth & adopted family to remember.


I have become a volunteer for a web site called "Find-A-Grave" to take grave marker photos to post online for others to be able to see their family's markers.  On this blog I have a feature called "Tombstone Thursday" that I post interesting or unusual grave markers that I find from time to time.  I even have a photo album on FaceBook called "Cemetery Hopping" (going from one cemetery to another & posting photos from each!).  Yesterday, I told my friend Jill Brinkley who works at Alexander Memorial Park Cemetery that we were out cemetery hopping decorating family graves... she said you are always going to cemeteries!  I guess she is right!


I guess cemeteries have become a part of my life... I was once even in charge of Evansville's City owned cemeteries - Oak Hill & Locust Hill.  In the Sons of the American Revolution, I travel around with other members dressed in Revolutionary War uniforms serving in Color Guards to honor the graves of Revolutionary War Soldiers.


OK, it appears that I am a "cemetery geek!" for sure.  I do think of the term as a good thing.  Writing this blog, I thought I should check to see what the definition of a cemetery geek might be.  I went to Google to search for the term.  What came up was that news article about me being a cemetery geek... there was no other use of the term except in describing me!!!  I may have coined a new term.  One related to genealogy, at that!  How many of our readers might be able to proudly call themselves "Cemetery Geeks?"  You would not have to be as extreme as me to qualify.  There are at least 3 qualifiers, however.  One you must know that the word "cemetery" does not have an "a" in it and that (two) you must actually go to a cemetery to see all of its glory from time to time.  Three, you must feel strongly about cemetery vandalism as being one of the lowliest things people can do.  Don't be shy or modest, please let me know if you are or want to be a cemetery geek!!!


- Compiled by JGWest (AKA: Cemetery Geek)

"Tex Justus"

Tex Justus

Evansville & Boonville, local Television & Radio celebrity, is featured (with his band) in the Evansville Courier in Pat Sides' photo History Lesson below.

Please click on image to get a larger view to read the article.  

Olus "Tex" Justus married Rebecca Long in Owensboro, KY in 1939.

Rebecca Long and my mother, Bernadine Long, were first cousins - JGWest

- Image sent to me by Don Counts

A LONG Family Reunion - 1988

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[I promised to edit the list of those who attended this reunion if anyone could add to it... thanks to Clint Hadden, Lori Hanes & Ron Emory, we have a number of additional names! - JGW]

Yesterday, was my 65th. Birthday!
I am glad to have made it this far in my journey and I hope to travel a while longer. I hope to enjoy many more adventures along the way!!! For a birthday present, I am posting a photo of the 1988 LONG Family Reunion. You will need to click on this photo to see it a little better.

Right in the middle of this photo with his hands in his pockets wearing a white knit shirt is Mom's brother & my Uncle Norman Long. To the left of him [looking at the photo] in all white is Doris Helen Long who married Frank Stepp... she is Mom's & Uncle Norman's first cousin. Their fathers were brothers - Doris' dad was John Logan Long while Mom & Uncle Norman's father was Byron Allen Long.

To find Mom is a little tricky, but I can use Doris Helen's grandson to help locate her (he was named after Doris' uncle Byron Long). Byron Wallace is the boy knelling to the left of the little boy with the stripped shirt & baseball bat. Looking up of him is a lady with a pink shirt & to her left is Carol Sue [Stepp] Wallace (Byron's mother & Doris Helen's daughter!) wearing a white shirt. Just between these two ladies wearing glasses is my mother Bernadine Long who married Gaither Glennis West (my Dad). Right behind Mom (slightly to the right & in direct line with young Byron Wallace and the lady in pink is my younger brother Donald Gene West. I did not get to go to this reunion... Mom said that Uncle Norman had a great time. It was his only time to attend and he died in May of the next year.

Here is a list of many of those who attended: Don West, Bernadine West, Norman Long, Carol Sue Stepp Wallace, Byron Wallace, Alicia Stafford, Rusty Wallace, Connie Stafford, Betty Blandford, Bradley Hart, Stephanie Weeks, Traci Smith, Andrea Bailey, Dianne Elpers, Brandon Justus, Doris Jean Hanes, Lori Hanes, Joyce Bercegeay, Gail Bailey, Kevin Hanes, Rebecca Diane Stepp Hadden, Alice Marue Barker, Lora Rebecca Justus, Beverly Jones, Michael Jones, Darlene Beyke, Doris Long Stepp, Mary Jane Strehl, Ronnie. Added these names to the list on 03 March 2012: Rebecca Decker, Daniel Cutteridge, Clint Hadden, Mike Jones, Stan Bailey, Lisa Justus Emory, Ron Emory, Eric Elpers, Frank Ryan Hadden, Paul Jason Hadden, Rebecca Hadden. There are still others not named, if any of the Long family can identify others, I can edit the list and add their names!

- Compiled by JGWest

Tombstone Thursday - Mom, Dad & Sgt. Martin

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Each Memorial Day, Becky & I decorate the graves of family members who have gone before us. We always place a U.S. flag on the graves of those in the family that served in the military. Below is a photo of my parents grave in Alexander Memorial Cemetery in Evansville. Earlier I had a small flag for Dad that would touch soil if I pushed the flag pole in the ground, so I had to put it with the flowers in the vase... it did not show well and it distracted the pastel colors that Mom always liked in the flowers that I chose for her. So, I got a larger flag with a longer pole and brought ti to replace that short one as seen below.

We parked at the curb as we always do to get to Mom & Dad's graves. I noticed the grave of Zerah Martin with his marker right next to the curb. I have never seen any flowers on his grave or even an American flag that he served under during World War II... so, I decided this Memorial Day, I would remember Sgt. Martin. I placed the flag I had exchanged from Dad's grave on this soldier's grave & placed a few flowers by his marker to say thanks for serving our country when we needed him!
- Photos taken by JGWest

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

"Race Horses or Tracks of Land"

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On 20 Sep 2010, I had some fun with listing a number of tracks of land that belonged to the Wheatley family that sounded like names of race horses!
http://tsgsblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/race-horses-or.html

Today I found some more of these land tracks that could be good race horse names. These came from Robert West of Harford County, Maryland between about 1700 thru 1770. In 1704, he patented 78 acres of "Poor Man's Beginning." Then 500 acres called "Westwood" and 400 acres of "Maiden Mount" that was later called "Bald Friar." I like "Daniel's Neglect" (75 acres) & "Dear Bought and Nothing Got!" Then there was "Paradise" & "West's Addition." He sold "Gash's Purchase" to Thomas Gash in 1740... was it named after it was sold?

Son, Robert West, Jr. continued the tradition with "West's Beginning" and "New Westwood." Later, "West's Long Acre" and "West's Double Cost."

I just realized that this naming of tracks of land, just may be a family thing. Like Mom's Wheatley's & Dad's West families they named the 7.5 acre track of land we lived on when I was growing up in north eastern Warrick County, Indiana. Dad used part of his middle name, Glennis, and the last part of Mom's name, Bernadine, to make the name "Glenadine Acres!"

- Compiled by JGWest

Happy Mother's Day 2010

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Happy Mother's Day to Mom & her mothers!


How should a genealogist remember Mom on Mother's Day? Well, in my case, Mom is not with me any longer - she died on 01 Oct 1997 with me and my two brothers watching her heart monitor in the hospital. It was a very important moment in my life, a life in which she gave me! She was very important to me in my development growing up. She gave me courage and confidence in myself when I was scared and so unsure of my abilities or what I wanted to do. I think most mom's are like my Mom was to me. Her name was Bernadine Long, the daughter of Mary Myrtle Wood (my grandmother).

I am not sure exactly how my Mom felt about her mother, but I know that grandma was there when Mom needed love and encouragement. Mom loved and respected her mother through the many great stories Mom told me about her mother. Grandma's mother was Donna Isabella Mays. Donna died when Grandma was just a little over 10 years old (Donna was only 33 when she died). My Great Grandmother Donna Isabella Mays' mother was Susan Apalone Lewis who lived to be 83 years old! Susan's mother, sadly died from complications from giving birth to Susan. This mother gave the ultimate for her child and her name was Margaret Mattingly. I have not, yet, learned what her mother's name was. So, that is the end, for now, of the mothers of my Mom. Without these generations of mothers my Mom would not have been born (nor would I) and I would have never known the greatest Mom in the world! Happy Mother's Day Mom. I love you and miss you, Mom!

- Written by JGWest in memory of my Mom

Great Artist, Great Person

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Calvin Maglinger

05 Dec 1924 - 20 Jan 2010

The above photo of Calvin is a perfect capture of how he looked, but also his personality. He had a wonderful sly, witty sense of humor that he shared freely with everyone! Becky & I enjoyed visiting with Ruth & Calvin to hear Ruth set him up for a story or joke. He was a great local artist with one of his paintings "Water Street" of the Evansville downtown warf of the past used for the cover of the book "Around the Bend" by Donald Baker, former Director of Willard Library. We have a copy of this print along with "Doe Run" and "Foggy Morn" for three great works of art. Two are proudly hung in our living room along with Evelyn Steinkuhl's print of Willard Library. Calvin's parents were Fred Maglinger & Bertha Long. One of Bertha's brothers was Byron Long, my grandfather, which made my mother Bernadine Long and Calvin first cousins. Byron & Bertha along with Melvin, John Logan, Dave, Froni Hodge, Alice Woodward, Ellen Dickens & Nora Abrams were the children of James Tobias Long, Jr. & Nancy Francis Gardner. They had come from Horse Cave, Hart Co., KY to Owensboro, KY where most called home. Calvin & Ruth with sons Paul & Stan made their Evansville home in the area near Sunset Memorial Cemetery just north of St. George Road. Coincidently, when my younger brother, Don, was born, we lived on St. George Rd. near Atlas Van Lines to the west of the same cemetery and further east of the cemetery on St. George Rd. lived a distant cousin of Mom's maternal line (not related to the Long's), Joseph Fabian Mattingly.

Here is Calvin's Obituary from the Evansville Courier & Press:

Calvin C. Maglinger, 85, of Evansville passed away on January 20, 2010. He was born on December 5, 1924, in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Fred and Bertha Maglinger. Calvin was a U.S. Army veteran. In 1947, he married Ruth Lionberger and together they enjoyed 62 years of marriage. After WWII, under the GI Bill, Calvin entered the Kansas City Art Institute. He received a diploma in Graphic Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He also received a diploma in Commercial Art from the Famous Artist's School in Westport, Connecticut. Calvin worked for 12 years as manager of creative services for Texas Gas Transmission Corporation. He retired from The Evansville Courier & Press, a E.W. Scripps Co. newspaper, after 21 years as art director. More than twenty of Calvin's paintings have had prints sold nationally. His Regional Art Series, popularized in the 1980s, has been well received and has won wide acclaim. A recipient of numerous awards, the artist has been honored with one-man shows and his originals are in the collections of a number of Midwest art patrons. Calvin was given a special medallion from the Indiana State Museum for the painting, Foggy Morn. His painting, Quiet Time, appeared on the Artists of America calendar in 1995 and he completed historical paintings of the Ohio River for the Casino Aztar Evansville riverboat in 1999. He was also admired by and inspired many local Indiana artists, including Evelyn Steinkuhl.

Calvin was preceded in death by his infant son, Phillip Irwin Maglinger; and by siblings, J.W., Woodrow, Hoover, Homer, William and Odelia.

Survivors include his wife, Ruth; sons, Stan (Cathy) Maglinger and Paul (Jenny) Maglinger; grandchildren, Brad (Meredith) Maglinger, Jennifer (Kevin) Banning, Jessica Maglinger and Andrea Maglinger; great-grandchildren, Alexis, Isaac and Isabella; and by siblings, Fred Maglinger Jr., Ozzie Maglinger and Hazel Miller.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, January 23, 2010, at Sunset Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Sunset Memorial Park. Visitation 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. until service time on Saturday. Memorial contributions may be made on behalf of Calvin Maglinger to the Alzheimer's Association .

Published in Courier Press on January 21, 2010

- Compiled by JGWest

"Using Family Names For Computers!"

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The backyard Garage is finally torn down!

With all of the rain this year (plus not feeling well & a sundry of other excuses), it has taken me almost the whole year to finally tear it down. But, yesterday, a friend & his boys helped me. Busy from 6AM until the friend got here, I was tired, cold and really out of the mood to go through with it. But, with others to motivate me, we were done in about three hours. I still need to haul the debris to the dump, but the garage is down.

This is why I did not have time to post anything yesterday, nor for today. However, I was reading Facebook posts and one of my friends is Bill West (no known relation to me) who puts out a very nice genealogy related blog of his own... had an interesting topic about naming computers. Bill named his computers after TV show characters. One of the comments came from a Diane who said she named her computers for family members citing her two aunts. I got the idea that it would be cool to name my computers after my ancestors. So, I added the following comment to Bill's Facebook entry: "Diane, that is a neat idea... naming computers after family! Ignatius West was born in 1750 in Granville Co., NC and is the brother of my direct ancestor Thomas West, Jr. Thus, Iggy (my nickname for him) is an Uncle many "greats" back. So, I, hereby name my computer "Iggy"!"

We all have some cool names in our ancestry that are interesting, neat, special or highly unusual like my direct ancestor Littleberry Woodis. I could name a computer "Littleberry" or even "Woodis"! I could name one "Cincinnati" after my Great, Great Grandmother Cincinnati O. [Williams] West (I still do not know what the "O" stands for and it was used many times in records). My father, brother & nephew were all named "Gaither Glennis West" with either of the given names would make great names for a computer. Mom's name was Bernadine... not a bad computer name. Powerful names like James Tobias Long or Mary Bright Rogers. Another one John Barton Haynes. My favorite is Arthur Sylvester Mays husband of Susan Apalone Lewis. The name Ap(p)olone was used a lot in my Mattingly family.

We could name all sorts of items for our ancestors. Since we travel a lot to Ohio to see the grandkids in the Cincinnati area... I think I will name the car in honor of my GGGrandmother "Cincinnati!" My cell phone "Littleberry!" (Well, they have "Blackberry" phones, don't they?) Davy Crockett named his long rifle "Old Bess" - so, why not name important items we use? I wonder what is showing on "Tobias" today?

Oh, if I still had a garage, I could have named it "Woodis!"

- Written by JGWest

From My Mother's Scrapbook

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My mother, Bernadine Long West, saved newspaper clippings and all sorts of interesting things. I came across some of her scrapbooks yesterday. What a collection of obituaries, stories, events, etc. She often added notes of how she was connected to that particular clipping. This feature will show-up when I do not have anything in particular to post here. I will call it "From My Mother's Scrapbook" and it will be dedicated to Mom.

Willard Library has long been associated with "The Lady in Gray" ghost and this newspaper clipping is the photo that accompanied an article by Marilou Berry in the Evansville Couier & Press (Sunday 06 Oct 1985)... "Maybe Ghost at Willard Just Enjoys a Good Book."

Miss Margaret (as all would call her - was the Children's Librarian) appears as a ghost in the photo while past Head Librarian, Willard Library Director Don Baker, reads about ghosts! Margaret Maier graduated with my mother at Evansville Central High School in 1939.

- Compiled by JGWest

[Dedicated to the memory of my mother, Bernadine Long West (1921-1997)]

"Happy Mother's Day!"

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I can not go visit Mom, but I can remember her today in a special way:

Bernadine Long

11 Jul 1921 - 01 Oct 1997

My favorite photo of Mom

One of my very first photos that I took as a kid was of Mom in our house in the country (Warrick County, Indiana)

She was the mother of four children: Glen, me, Tina & Don.

She told us story after story about her family that always fascinated me and kindled my life-long love of genealogy. Mom did not like country living and times were kind of tough for work for Dad as a construction worker during the two economic recessions of the 1950's. After I graduated from high school, we moved back to Evansville: Mom's beloved city and home. Every year, without fail, Mom went out to decorate all of the local family grave sites in all of the various cemeteries with flowers... it was a very important responsibility on Memorial Day to remember family members who had died. Don, took her around each year after Dad died with me taking her around every two or three years. Now that Mom is gone and younger brother, Don, passed away in 2000, the responsibility, actually duty, is for me to decorate the family graves. I try to make Mom's the first & most special grave to decorate & remember. I miss you, Mom!

While Mom was the first woman in my life, this is the second woman... the mother of my three sons! Becky McIntyre [adopted name... birth name Meredith] with our first son, Phillip G. West (the other two sons are JJ & James). Happy Mother's Day, Becky!

- Submitted by JGWest

Tombstone Thursday – Bernadine & Gaither G. West

Alexander Memorial Cemetery, Evansville, Indiana
Bernadine Long (1921-1997) & Gaither Glennis West (1918-1973)
Married 09 Dec 1939

Mom was born and died in Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., IN and Dad was born in Ovil, Christian Co., KY and died in Evansville. They had three sons and a daughter, eight grandsons and, now, great grandchildren. Thanks Mom & Dad for all that you gave me. Although you are gone, you will always be in my memory and my heart. You were good parents and I pray I was a good child. Photo taken in Miami, FL at the home of my Grandma Gilkey in the 1950's (may be 1957). Notice the tall cactus next to Mom.
Photo submitted by John G. West

[Tombstone Thursday is dedicated in memory of Donald G. West 1952-2000]

Don was my little brother and Mom & Dad's youngest kid.