Every Friday Noon Eastern/11am Central
Welcome! The new Friday GFHC Open Thread is to provide a venue for any and all to bring their pesky questions and/or their geneo-detective experience (“expertise”) to the community. This is not to say that we can’t all do that all week long anyway, in more topical or individual (story style) diaries, but if you’ve been waiting for an opening to pose a specific inquiry or topic, wait no more. Friday’s are wide open. Barge on in. No question too trivial or too hard … to ask. May or may not get an answer, lol, but it’s worth a shot, eh? See the Inaugural GFH Open Thread Diary last week here.
Wallbusters
Everyone encounters Brick Walls, large and small. I thought about calling it “Stump The Experts” but we can just go with Wallbusters. Sure, we’re all amateurs really, but if you have helpful knowledge or insight to share on a particular subject or geographical area or whathaveyou, by all means, jump in. Anyone can contribute to the exchange.
A Weekly “Theme” is Optional
I just happen to be wired that way but it’s certainly not required to impose a Theme in order to volunteer to Host. It’s entirely up to you. A “Themed” Open Thread does not limit the diary to that topic, it’s just a jump start really. GFHC Open Thread is meant to be, well, wide open. And if we have fun in the process, hey, why not? Of course, I have about 8 different themes already dreamt up, lol, so if you want any suggestions, just ask me. How the Friday Series actually shapes up is really up to the community itself.
Volunteer Hosts are needed for March 25 and beyond.
February 25 – edwardssl
March 4 – Lady Libertine
March 11 – coquiero
March 18 – figbash
March 25 – JG in MD
April 1 - Getreal1246
April 8 -
So …hmmmm…. Which Theme idea should I use for the blast off? Leap the squiggly.
I am not the most patient person on the planet. When I first got going with my Family History investigation just two months ago, I had some pretty good luck finding info on my P/Gfa’s family. I got all excited & I thought it would all just unravel before my eyes easily. Ha! I caught myself getting impatient and thought, “Hey. They’re dead. These people have BEEN dead for a hundred years. They’re not goin’ anywhere. Chill!”
Obits. The folks Im looking for were in PA and the records there were basically non-existent until 1906. I went off on an Obit Hunt, hoping I’d find something that might contain more clues, a date, something, in reference to my P/G-GMo, Florence. Her father, Henry, seemed a likely candidate. It took some doing …. but I found one on him in the August 10 1906 newspaper. It’s hard to read but it doesn’t give me anything on Florence anyway. I also found an Obit on the wife of Flo’s half brother, same town, some years later. Lovely, but not helpful info for me. I even wrote to the local Genealogy/Historical folks there to beg their assistance, but they didn’t find her either. In fact, I found more online (Henry & the sis-in-law) more than they did! :P
So… for a Wallbuster sleuth, what are some of the ways to seek and find useful Obits or Death details?
Here's Cyndi's List with tons of links.
Social Security Death Index
Find a Grave
I have done most of my searching thus far within or from ancestry dot com, but I know there’s lots of other ways out there, many are free, in fact so many its overwhelming. Any more suggestions re Obits and Death Records from you veteran sleuths? Have at it!
Small History Trivia: In 1873 (the year my P/GFa was born): Mar 1st - E. Remington and Sons in Ilion, New York begins production of the first practical typewriter.