Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Heritage Hunting for September 22, 2009

Hi all and welcome to Heritage Hunting! We will be holding our chat in the chat room at Heritage Scrap at 9:00 pm eastern time this evening. Remember that this time around, we will be working closely with Vicki of Victorian Rose Designs and her Life Book project. We will try to work about a week ahead of her so that when you get to her week, you will have a strong historical and genealogical background regarding her topic. You'll be all ready to scrap an interesting and complete page for your subject's book!

This week we will work on Childhood information. I've done lessons on Family Group Sheets and the United States Census for the genealogical side of researching your subject's childhood. So now I will give you some information on the researching the historical side.

If you ever have any specific questions about your subject or anyone in your family tree, please bring them to chat and we'll try to find some answers for you!
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Genealogy: Researching and recording a person's childhood

Family Group Sheets

The United States Census

There are other sites and ways to do this part of your research. Please bring your ideas to chat!!


Historical: Researching earlier times

Whenever you want to research a particular topic but want to go back in time instead of current information, just add the year at the end of your search string. You can also add regions or states to your search string with varying degrees of success - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - depends on what search engine you use. The example *farming life 1830 Black Swamp* gives lots of good links. That is the area of Ohio where I live and also where my ancestors, who were farmers, lived also. This works well for historical research but not for genealogical research of names, etc. Examples would be:

toys 1840 or toys 1840 France
sports 1910 or sports 1910 United States
farming life 1830 or farming life 1830 Black Swamp

You may also want to search for state, county, or city Historical Societies or Museums for links to local history in your ancestor's area. Oftentimes, these types of resources may even have valuable information on your family line if they were prominent in the area or if their descendants left documents or artifacts to the museum or society. They may have local photographs that you can scan and add to your layouts to *flesh* them out and show more than the usual name, date, place type information. Sometimes these organizations have web pages and sometimes they don't have internet data available. You may have to actually resort to *snail mail* when making your request!

With today's internet, there are virtually unlimited resources available to you regarding any sort of information you could possibly want! If you need help using a search engine or need tips with your particular topic, please pm me and I'll do my best to help you. If you have any tips or special resources that you use, please bring them to chat with you!!!

(Wordart is courtesy of Victorian Rose Designs)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Honey and Cinnamon: Health Remedies

Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'Ram Ban' (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases.

Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, in its issue dated 17 January 1995, has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:


HEART DISEASES:
Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heartbeat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that, as you ag e, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

IMMUNE SYSTEM:
Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and Protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks... Scientists have found That honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

ARTHRITIS:
Arthritis patients may take daily, morning, and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon honey and half teaspoon cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER I NFECTIONS:
Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

CHOLESTEROL:
Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of cinnamon powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, were found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS:
Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH:
Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

INDIGESTION:
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder and three cups of water, and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four time s a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age.

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stoma ch and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER:
Recent research in Japan and Australia revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three time s a day.

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful, rather than being detrimental, to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:
People of South America, first thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS:
Daily, morning and night, honey and cinnamon powder taken in equal parts restores hearing.


Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Heritage Hunting II Starts September 15!!


Hi Heritage Hunters!!

I so apologize for all of the *drama* from my health issues during Heritage Hunting thus far! But I am fine and ready to give it a go again!! That's why I'm calling it Heritage Hunting II - a fresh start but also because we will be closely following the other Vicki's (from Victorian Rose Designs) format from her Life Book II project and challenge. She has done such a superb job in guiding scrappers through a difficult project what I want to be her when I grow up ... er, I mean, I will follow her example!! :oops: :oops:

So, we will be starting with our first chat on Tuesday evening at 9:00 Eastern time as we have done in the past. Remember to adjust for a different time zone, I'm in Eastern so I'm using that as the reference point. Each Tuesday before the chat, I will make a posting about the topic we will be studying for the week which will coincidentally be the same sort of topic that we will be scrapping the following week in Vicki's Life Book challenge! See how cool that will work out - she will start her topic and we can all say that we are totally prepared to start our layouts with all kinds of background information!! We will be right on top of things!!

What I am going to be posting is mostly links to or excerpts from various websites. I will post for both genealogical type information and historical type information. Maybe you already know all the pertinent facts about your Life Book person so you can skip that part and go right into the historical portion to find little tidbits and interesting facts to add to your story. If you don't know the family facts about your subject, you will have links to sites that may help you find those facts. If you have totally hit a brick wall with the personal facts, maybe you can supplement your Life Book with some historical information regarding the subject for that week.

During the chat time, we will discuss any questions you have or even any particular details about your Life Book person that you may find puzzling. I also will try to have a weekly freebie for attendants to the chat and a prize for a random winner from those posting a layout or story about their findings for the week!

All and all, we should have a fun-filled two nights each week!! And your Life Book should be filled with interesting layouts documenting not only names, dates, and places, but also historical background to round out your subject's life and times making your Life Book a family heirloom to treasure for many generations to come!!!

Life Book II Starts at Heritage Scrap!!!

Important message from Vicki at Victorian Rose Designs!


Hello Life Bookers!

We had planned to begin Life Book II on August 31st, but due to the death of my brother in law on Aug. 28th, followed by my Dad having a serious stroke for which he was life flighted to Cleveland Clinic on Aug. 31st, we postponed the start. Last Monday was Labor Day, so now that Summer is "unofficially" over in the US, we are ready to settle into a Fall routine, and we hope you will make Life Book a part of your weekly routine!

So, let's get started...

The Life Book II schedule will be slightly altered this time around. I will be explaining this in more detail in the first chat on Monday, Sept. 14th at 9 pm EST. You can join the chat by going to the Heritage Scrap Chat Room.

When the site opens, you will be asked to log in. Please use your Heritage Scrap Username. The chat room requires Java, so please make sure your computer is Java enabled and you have the latest version of Java on your system.

Once you are logged in, the chat box will open. Please click on the "Rooms" tab in the right column, and choose Weekly Life Book Challenge by double clicking it. Now, you will be ready to start chatting with the other "Life Bookers" who attend the chat. You can see a list of those in the chat room under the "Users" tab.

To chat with the other Life Bookers in the chat room, simply place your cursor in the bottom window, type what you want to say, then click "Send". There are lots of fun sounds and smilies included in the chat room, as well as the ability to change the color of your text, etc. You might want to spend some time checking out all of the features the Chat Room has to offer!

WHAT'S NEW in LIFE BOOK II?

In this round, the format will be changed slightly. The new week will begin in the weekly chat on Monday Evenings. In that chat, we will discuss what the topic will be for the week, and some ideas for scrapping it. Immediately following the chat, I will post the topic information in the forum, and I will also include some sample layouts and kits that might fit well with the topic. (These are just suggestions, not requirements.)

You will have from Monday following the chat to Chat time the following Monday to get your layout finished and uploaded to the gallery. Just before the chat begins each week, I will choose a random winner from the new layouts in the gallery for the week. I will announce the winner at the beginning of the chat so we can all congratulate them! :D

As often as possible, I will try to have a Freebie for all of the chat attendants. As you can see, the chat is a big part of the Life Book Challenge. It's sort of like the weekly meetings at Weight Watchers - you could do it on your own, but it's so much easier hanging out with other people facing the same challenges each week! :D

The Chat Schedule will look something like this...

9:00 - 9:10 pm (EST): Meet and greet (welcome new members and chat until everyone gets there)
9:10 pm: Weekly Winner Announcement!
9:10 - 9:30 pm: Discussion of weekly topic along with suggestions and ideas for layouts
9:30 pm: FREEBIE!!
9:30 - 10:00 pm: Random chatting about whatever...

REQUIREMENTS for the WEEKLY DRAWING

Each week a winner will be chosen randomly from the submissions in the weekly gallery. I use random.org to choose a number and I will count from the top down to that number to find the winner. The more layouts you submit each week, the greater your chances of winning.

To be eligible for the drawing, you must:

1) Not be a member of the Heritage Scrap Creative Team or Design Team; and
2) Use Heritage Scrap Products for at least 50% of your layout; and
3) Include which Heritage Scrap Products were used in your description on your layout.

We look forward to seeing you all there, and hope you will make Life Book part of your routine! Please tell other digiscrappers and/or genealogists about this challenge! It is a great way to get an album done for an ancestor or loved one in your life!!

Please check the Life Book II forum for details of "What is a Life Book", and the "Life Book II Schedule" for more information!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

New Message from Theresa aka ForgetMeNots

Hello Everyone,

As you probably already know, Vicki of Victorian Rose Designs, does a wonderful job with the Life Books Challenges. If you don't, you'll need to check it out. By the time you have completed the challenge (about 6 months) you will have made some new friends, received some cool designer freebies AND completed a heritage album about one person's life!

We all had so much fun doing it the first time, we're going to do it again! The only problem is that there have been some bumps along the way. Vicki's family has experienced more loss and suffering this week and there is only so much that one pregnant Mama of 7 can do! Since, this Monday also is a U.S. National Holiday, we have decided to postpone the beginning for one more week. We hope you will understand under the circumstances.

The plan is to have chat on Monday, September 14, 2009, 6 P.M. Pacific Time in the Heritage Scrap Chat Room.

During the first chat, Vicki will be introducing the Life Book Challenge and discussing some of the changes and improvements she has made. It would be a good time to meet her and other participants and "try it on for size".

Life Books make great gifts, especially for milestone birthdays and anniversaries and can be a real blessing at memorial services. Don't put off what you've been thinking about doing for quite some time. Working together is more fun and gives us incentive to keep going. We would love to see you there!

Thanks for your time today. Remember to check out the new kits at the Heritage Scrap store too.

Theresa, aka ForgetMeNots

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Another Meaning of *Heritage Hunting*

Hello Heritage Hunters!!

When we first started Heritage Hunting at Heritage Scrap, we talked about different meanings of *Heritage*. Of course there were at least as many different meanings as there were Hunters in the discussion! It means something different to each person. But as I was looking at photos posted by my Friends on Facebook, I found another meaning of *Heritage* as seen through the eyes of my good friend Bonna Kelley, aka Wuvie at DSP.

Wuvie has an incredible imagination! Some of her layouts at DSP have left me awe-stricken that anyone could even conceive of such wonderful and beautiful things. She has always been an inspiration to me. This layout that she posted on Facebook just grabbed me and said *Look here! This is what is happening in our society NOW! This is tomorrow's heritage!* What do you think??


When I read her journaling, I felt like I was reading about my own life! I love to read and I think it started with my mother reading to us each late afternoon while we were waiting for Dad to get home from work. Supper was usually simmering on the stove so the house was filled with scrumptious smells; we were all sitting close together on the couch by Mom being very quiet and listening to her beautiful voice inflections telling us some amazing story. It was heaven on earth to me as a young child. The Bobsey Twins, Black Beauty, The Night Before Christmas, and so many of my life-long favorites were shared back then.

Both of my parents have always been voracious readers also. I've read since then that reading as your own hobby in front of your children is one of the best ways to help them acquire their own love for reading. When I saw my parents reading every evening or saw books laying near their bed or their chairs, I always wondered what adventures I was missing! As I got older, I read ALL the time! I couldn't get enough of it! By the time I was an adult, I was reading for pleasure at least an hour or two each day. I had lists of books I wanted to read and kept it handy for when I went to the library. Later, when I had a ceramic shop with my folks and we would work all day, every day making products to keep the shop full, we would listen to books on tape instead of the radio while we worked. That continued for me after I was married and had an hour commute each way every day. Why waste time listening to commercials on the radio when you could listen to a good book!

Now it has all changed again! I read so much each day on the internet that I barely have time to hold a book in my hands and read for pleasure! If I'm not reading emails, blogs, or forums, I'm scanning over something it seems. When I finally get down to scrapping, I again turn to audio books or books on CDs. I am never very far from a good tale!

This next layout Wuvie has so generously agreed to share with us, is what I call *Future Heritage*. One day her son's children and grandchildren will be so thrilled to see this! My own kids just love to hear stories of when my husband and I were their age - the things we did, the things we learned in school, all about our aunts and uncles, and so forth. We should all keep heritage for future generations in mind while we plan our layouts. Isn't this layout so sweet?!?


Take a look at Wuvie's gallery at DSP - it is full of truly inspirational layouts. I'm sure you will love it! And thanks so much Bonna, for sharing your amazing talent with us!!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The United States Census

The United States Census

There are a lot of people in the United States, and it's not easy keeping track of them all. But one agency tries to do just that: the U.S. Census Bureau. Every 10 years, as required by the U.S. Constitution, the Census Bureau conducts a head count of all the people in the U.S. and asks them questions to help learn more about the country as a whole: who we are, where we live, what we earn, how many of us are married or single, and how many of us have children, among other topics. The data collected isn't trivial, either. It is used to apportion seats in Congress, distribute federal aid, define legislative districts and help federal, state and local governments plan for growth.

The United States Census is an extremely valuable tool in genealogy research. Several censuses give not only names, ages and birthplaces, but also state the relationship of people within a household. Depending on the questions asked in that particular census, you may also learn when your ancestors came to the U.S., if and when they were naturalized, how many children a woman gave birth to and other vital pieces of information.

Background Information

In the U.S., a census has been taken every 10 years from 1790 through 2000. All censuses taken after 1930 are still confidential and the information they contain is not open to the public. The census from 1790 through 1840 only named the head of the household and the numbers of people in categories — 3 males over 16, 2 males under 16, etc. The census from 1850 through 1930 lists each member of the household and usually gives the relationship to the head of the house. It also gives age (later years give birth month and year) and place of birth (usually just the state or foreign country). The 1890 census was almost totally destroyed by fire so there is a 20 year gap between 1880 and 1900.

Utilizing the Information

Before searching an index or searching for a particular census image, it may be a good idea to print blank census forms for each of the census years. These forms will allow you to review and see what information is actually available for each of the census years. There are also free spreadsheet type charts that allow you to track several census years for a particular person or family.

The census gives a lot of information and you should try to find your ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Take note of the names near your ancestor's. Sometimes people would adopt a nickname or middle name at an early age and use that exclusively throughout life. If you were not able to find a birth record for Hank Smith, you may find that as a 2 or 3 year old child he was listed as Charles Henry Smith. This indicates that the birth was probably registered as Charles and you won't ever find a record for Hank. Looking at as many returns as possible may also give you a pattern of migration. The oldest children might be born in Pennsylvania, the second 2 in Ohio and the younger ones in Indiana.

Dealing With Errors

Keep in mind how the census was taken and how the indexes were created. It was a very inexact science! The census enumerator took the information orally. He was probably in a hurry, many of the foreign immigrants had heavy accents and most families were large. He didn't always ask how to spell a name — and many people were illiterate.

The census taker usually interviewed at least one person in the household, but if no one was home and the farm was a long way from his home, the enumerator may have obtained the information from a neighbor. In any case, the person supplying the data may not have known the facts. The neighbor may not have known the children's ages or birthplaces or a husband may not have known his mother-in-law's place of birth. Many, many people are recorded as being born in the wrong state. Anyone may assume a person was born in the U.S. because he or she has no accent when actually the individual may have been born in a foreign country and come to the U.S. as an infant or young child. When an individual was asked when he came to the U.S., he probably searched his memory and said "oh, about 1883". He didn't consult records and the actual year may have been 1887. They probably recited their children's names rather quickly and son Georgie may have turned into daughter Georgia. Many people could be recorded as the wrong sex if they didn't have traditional names. A child who had gone to stay with a relative for a month, perhaps to help out with a new baby might be counted twice — or not at all. Because of all these potential human errors, it is important to check as many censuses as possible.

Unable to Find?

If you cannot find your person in an index and you feel reasonably confident that he should be there, or if you have no other leads, do not hesitate to check the whole county if it is a rural area. If you are looking in a large city, it is very difficult to check the entire city. You should use city directories and street indexes to try to narrow the area. If the people belonged to one ethnic group, a history of the city will tell you what areas which nationalities settled in.

Once you have checked all census returns back through 1850, the census becomes less valuable but still can provide evidence. Slaves were recorded by numbers, usually without names, and Native American (Indian) censuses are a separate set of records.

Other Censuses

Many states also had their own census, sometimes at more frequent intervals. There are census returns in other countries also. Canada and Great Britain have census for every 10 years since 1841. Because of their 100 year confidentiality rule, only 1841–1891 are open to the public. No matter what area you are researching, one of the first resources you should look for is a census.

Links

United States Census Bureau

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Census Record Abstracts (free for printing)

Census Tools - Free Genealogy Spreadsheets

Genealogy Guide to the US Census

Which Census Year Should I Check First?

What Do All of the Census Abbreviations Mean?

Clues in Census Records, 1850-1930

Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840

Nonpopulation Census Records


Native Americans in the Census