TSGS Hall of Shame

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Cemetery in Lawrence near Boston, MA

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/05/30/lawrence-cemetery-overrun-by-brush-grass-weeds/

There is no excuse for the community to let this problem continue [click on link above!]. Watch the video about the cemetery. The Superintendent may have his hands tied with lack of funds, but recruiting volunteers should not be that hard. A fund raiser would be a good way to generate enough money to hire someone to weed-eat around the markers. Where are the Boy Scouts or 4-H members who are great volunteers for this type of "Good Citizenship!" When I was Superintendent of the Evansville (Indiana) 2 city-owned cemeteries almost 20 years ago. We had "work release" prisoners help maintain the cemeteries, along with people with minor legal infractions that needed to complete a couple hundred hours of "Community Service" as ordered by a judge. A civilized community can be judged by how well they respect their dead. Lawrence is proving to have very little respect for their dead. Sad, indeed!

- Compiled by JGWest [Link & story was posted on FaceBook by Bill West]

RACING DOWN the RIVER -Brief Genealogical Notes

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Bill West announced that...

"Who Do You Think You Are" premieres on NBC Friday Mar 5 at 8pm EST. Read more on the NBC Web Site: http://www.nbc.com/news/2010/01/14/nbc-presents-post-winter-olympics-primetime-schedule-beginning-march-1/ "“Who Do You Think You Are?” gives viewers an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today's most beloved and iconic celebrities. Among the celebrities featured are Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. Ancestry.com is NBC's official partner on the series. From executive producer Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback”) - in conjunction with her production company Is or Isn't Entertainment and the U.K.'s Wall to Wall productions - “Who Do You Think You Are?” is an adaptation of the hit BBC television documentary series created and executive-produced by Alex Graham."

Dick Eastman posted...

It appears that genealogy is all over the television set these days. PBS is releasing a four-part series, "Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr." The special, which builds upon the Harvard University professor's popular documentary series "African American Lives" parts 1 and 2, traces the genealogical histories of 11 luminaries of various races and backgrounds. The list includes author Malcolm Gladwell, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, former champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, television actress Eva Longoria, and Oscar-winning legend Meryl Streep. When "Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates Jr." premieres on PBS in February, viewers will first get to see Kristi Yamaguchi learn about the grandfather she never really knew. Meanwhile, novelist Louise Erdrich is shown cheering out loud when she is told one of her ancestors was one of the founders of Detroit. Check out the PBS Web Site for more: http://detnews.com/article/20100114/ENT10/1140329/PBS-lines-up-family-history-series--Faces-#ixzz0ce3yCrZT

"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

NAVIGATING ALONG the RIVER - Research Tips

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As blogs become more popular, we will all be able to find blogs that interest us... if only we have time to read them!

You can search for genealogy related blogs, here is one site: http://blogfinder.genealogue.com/ You can also Google 'Genealogy Blogs.'

In an article I wrote concerning genetic DNA testing "Why DNA?" was the following statement: And as Beau Sharbrough pointed out in his article in the Ancestry Daily News, “DNA has replaced blood in the determination of ‘blood relationships.’” Sharbrough worked for Ancestry.com then he went on to Footnote.com and since has left them. According to Eastman, this puts Beau in a good "insiders" position to evaluate what is happening with these companies. Dick Eastman has a very good blog to keep up with what is going on in genealogy advances, changes and special interests: http://blog.eogn.com/ To see Beau Sharbrough's blog go here: http://tufblog.com/ Another great blog, perhaps the best, is Dear Myrtle: http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/

At least one TSGS member has a blog... Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG. Check out her Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog at http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/ Here are a few that I like to check out when I have time: Bill West's West in New England http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/ and Randy Seaver's Genea-Musings http://www.geneamusings.com/ Let us know your top genealogy blogs!

- Compiled by JGWest

"Genealogy Blogs"

I found a new blog for me to follow: Bill West's "West in New England." I have not found a connection between Bill and I, but what makes his site worth following is that Bill has over 110 links to other genealogy blog sites on the right hand column of his blog page! And he has some interesting articles, too! Visit his blog.

Here is the link to his site: West in New England

- Submitted by JGWest