Geneaolgy and Chess Game

                                    Chess

Recently I read the book"Queen of Katwe" A true story of a very young chess champion.  Has me thinking.

How many of you have played or still play chess.  In family history are we not kinda doing the same.  The King is the elusive Ancestor.  We are moving around, could be physically or sitting on your bottom using the internet.  Seeking out that ancestor who we believe is the right one.

Ah how happy we are not to have taken a DRAW,  that when we actually win this very long tedious game of ancestor chess we are successful in adding the correct name into our tree.

I learned chess when I was a teen babysitting for one of my regular babysitting jobs.  The mom was German.  She had been teaching the children.  The daughter Brenda, set me on the road to chess.  I could not get my siblings interested.  There were no chess clubs at school.  I learned as much as I could I tried to improve my game by reading the extremely boring old people chess book. 

I would teach what I knew mostly to children, it was great when they could surpass me.

Then when I had my own children I taught them to play chess .  My older son excelled in it. 

I have not played in a long time on a board,  cause now I play the ancestral game of catch the ancestor.

Essexville Michigan SUGAR BEETS

My family from Essexville Michigan 

were Sugar Beet Farmers

Spiegel Family was sugar beet farmers

Sugar beets became a cash crop for the area.  With the lumbering age at it close and cleared land what to do but plant Sugar Beets.

above pictures from: http://www.michigansugar.com/about/history.php

 

above pictures from:  http://www.sweetbeet.com

Since I grew up in Michigan we had Beet sugar.  Then when I moved back east to Boston, I could not find beet sugar all they had was cane sugar. 

DNA The Ultimate Truth Equalizer How many More Truths to yet be revealed?

Our Ancestral mothers are they holding secrets!  DNA the ultimate reveler of these truths.  

If we are looking for it or not!  It's there soon to be discovered. 

 If such a case exist in our tree.

all pictures are from google search.

Life has many lessons in store for us.

  A big one that we can be blindsided from,

 Just might be from a DNA test.

OK your not adopted!

 No just because it says your 33% of ______you fill in the blank. does not mean your adopted. 

  Almost like finding out you blood type. 

 But then Why does your DNA not validate your Paper Tree?

Oh No! Cause there's a secret some where 

in your tree.

  I recently heard a statistic that says 50% of men raise children that are not their own.

Here you are with 10 plus years of research, you decide to take a DNA test just for the fun of it. 

 But the DNA is telling you a new story.  
You find yourself asking yourself how can this BE???

 

All your Grandparents are long gone, your Uncle well he's no help. Who do you turn to? 

 You might wonder who knew about this?  

Did anyone? 

 What about the great "Grandmother"? 

You may need to ponder for some time as to what to Do.

  You have no need to jump in feet first.  

Your the only one that knows right now.

You can keep it to yourself.  Why not?

 The woman ancestor who may be one that was 

taking against her will. Like in the Film "Rob Roy" 1995.

Then in the film "All the Fine Young Cannibals"  where the gal is already pregnant and marries a rising educate man, 

who has alot to offer her.  She never looks back.

Just know its all in the family

LIFE NEVER GETS DULL FOR LONG

Perhaps it was not a Dragon that needed slaying but it was the mans rival who made off with his intended wife.  While unbeknownst to him she was already with child.  No calenders to keep the dates straight for most, so when the child came he just assumed it was his. 

Our mothers from ancient days till the one who birthed us.  

They all had their role in furthering  the Generations. 

Bringing us to who we are today. 

 We can always be be assured of her direct maternal line. 

 So maybe that s why in some cultures you are only related on your mothers side.

  

Then there is that culture in Asia where there are no men called Father or Grandfather. 
 That there are Uncles, Aunts, Brothers, Mothers & Grandmothers, however n
o Fathers. 

 Very very different from most cultures in the world.

So we must not judge these women.
 Because with out them guess what you would not be here. 
 They did the best they could for their circumstance.

With new found knowledge we may learn that the paper trail and the DNA do not match. 

 Well then who are you??

You have some new choices to make. 
 Proceed with caution.

To me you are still your fathers son or daughter he raised you, or your male ancestor raised another of your ancestors.  

You belong to those that you knew as your Family. 

Hey since only you know,  well then the secret can stay with you.  You may want to leave a nice long explanation for further generations to understand why you left it alone.

 So you can now rest no pressure. 

 If you so choose to seek out those you are DNA related to. 

Do so with caution. 

 You may learn some things you may not have ever wanted to know. 

           
Hats off to the man that still raised and loved the child as his own,  when he knew.

DNA discoveries to or not to?

In using the photos and pictures in this post I add them as illustrations as to the fact that this can happen to any one, crosses all cultural lines and time lines.

Lake Erie Ship Wrecks From Long Ago

http://www.google.com/imgres Lake Erie Ship Wrecks

Mayflower Descandants

Are you a Mayflower Descandant?  

How do You Know?

Do you have Old New England roots?

I did not think I would discover Revolution Patriots in my Ancestry.  But alas I did indeed.  So then as I search tru more and more of my ancestors trees I then begin to wonder is the Mayflower possible?

I say it is possible for all Old New England descendants to have roots in the Mayflower passage.

I have just read that if you go to Plimoth/Plymouth you will not be able to see the Mayflower replica.  It is in dry dock for repairs.  I was fortunate to have seen it in June 2010.  Being in the vessel it was cramped quarters at best.  Not much room for privacy.

While I was in Plimoth that day i picked up the book by Nathaniel  Philbrick "Mayflower".  Amazing research he put into the book.  To  me its a must read for Mayflower descandants.

What books to use in French Quebec Research

On my very first trip to the Manchester French Canadian Genealogy Society (not really sure of the name).  I found this french Families of Quebec Dictionary   
Which list all the French families that arrived in Quebec from 16?? early up to 1730.  About 100 years.  The longer your family was there more generations are listed in the Dictionnaire Genealogique des familles du Quebec.  
However this book is written in French. However not to had to use.  There are guides in the beginning pages that let you know the symbols for the Birth Marriage & death dates.  As well when they arrived in New France.

Then for all in English research. 

 Finding the book with your Ancestor is your first task.  Then you can read a delightful story about them in this series.

Haldimand County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

Welcome to the Haldimand County Branch,
Ontario Genealogical Society

You're Invited.

Tuesday June 4, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.
Haldimand County Museum and Archives
Open House and
Announcement of Haldimand County Branch
receiving grant from The Ontario Trillium Foundation
more information

Founded in 1991, the Haldimand County Branch is a non-profit organization for people with a shared interest in genealogical and family history for people in the County of Haldimand. We are located on the north shore of Lake Erie.

We assist people whose ancestors were residents in Dunnville, Canborough, Moulton, North Cayuga, South Cayuga, Oneida, Sherbrooke, Rainham, Seneca, and Walpole Townships.

The Haldimand Branch

• offers assistance to individuals interested in learning about how to research their family tree.
• publishes and sells transcriptions for cemeteries in Haldimand County.
• compiles and sells obituaries, death notices, memorial cards, death registrations.
• has regular branch meetings with guest speakers
• has research information on census, family trees, books on marriages, War of 1812 and more.

This web-site is owned and operated by Haldimand County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society.
© 2006 - 2013 Haldimand County Branch, OGS

Can you count all of your cousins???

I thought I knew all of my possible 2nd cousins.  Guess what I was incorrect, yep  cause according to Ancestry.com  I have a new 2nd cousin.  Still don't know where we connect.  

My sister is so busy doing her best to sort it out.  

You too can have a genealogy advantage  check out this test:  http://ldna.ancestry.com/aboutDNA.aspx

You too might find lots of relatives,  or at least someone who might have clues so you break down a brick wall.

Good Luck on your Ancester Hunting.   

Not My Ancestors For Sale

  There I was in the Antique Mall of my city.  In one of the stalls.  I could not believe it.  There was indeed old photos for sale.  Someones instant Ancestors.

How is it these photos end up in an antiques place with no near relatives having them in there photo albums or hung on a wall?  

So for $10.00 you could have yourself Instant Ancestors.  Amazing

December 21 2012

Here it is 21 December 2012

We are all still Here

Mayan calendar has not changed anything for us.

Well except all know when a calendar ends it is not the End of the WORLD!!!

What To DO????

What to do with your DNA results when you receive them?

I do not have an answer for you.  It will all depend on where you had your DNA test done and which one you did.

I have shown you the possibilities with Ancestry.com. 

My suggestion is to find out what every DNA lab offers you with your results.  Then compare what they offer, find the best deal for your money, go for it.

To me you can’t go wrong with your DNA results.  It opens new doors for you, hopefully breaks down a brick wall or two.

Your Ancestors are waiting for you to find them.

Bay City Spegiel Family Reunion Circa 1920

Irish DNA

Love Twitter and all the great information you can gain, without doing the searching.

DNA  Irish  DNA  English  DNA Scottish  DNA

check out this site: http://www.irishorigenes.com/
Its about pinpointing your heritage.

Good Luck  

Descendants of Mayflower

I so enjoy it when I can help someone discover a bit more about themselves.  Who does not want to know more about themselves?  As in the case of one of my clients that if you keep reading you will certainly find out.

  Some times a client will bring me only a small amount of their family history.  While others will have 3 complete generations to work with.

Now my story about being a Mayflower descendant:

 My client, lets call her JanieSue, first gave me her info on her husbands family.  I quickly found his lines out.  Old New Hampshire family lines.  It was quick.  I kept having to ask her about her father & mothers lines.  She had a family trip already planned.  She took her trip and came back with information for her fathers side. 

   I took the information she gave me.  I had one lead after another.  It was great finding out that she is a descendant of the Military Leader on the Mayflower Myles Standish.  
She was so excited to find this out.  I was most happy to have given her the news.