Tag Archives: research

Facebook Has Genealogy Based Game

Facebook is filled with dozens of games that you can play. Personally, I enjoy playing several of these games with my relatives who are on Facebook. Now, there is a new genealogy based game on Facebook, called Family Village. I figure it’s only a matter of time before one of my relatives sends me an invitation to start playing that one with them. If I had to guess, I’d say that the most popular game on Facebook is Farmville. Somehow, the idea of growing virtual crops is one that appeals to a lot of people. I started playing this game … Continue reading →

Genealogy Research Can Be Confusing

Putting together your family tree can be confusing. I think this is one of the reasons why many people who are new to genealogy become frustrated. Sometimes, it can be like trying to put together a puzzle. Except, you don’t actually have all the pieces to this particular puzzle. You haven’t seen the full picture of what it should look like after it all comes together. This might be your very first time attempting to put together a puzzle of this type, and there are no instructions to be found. It’s no wonder that this confuses people! Your family tree … Continue reading →

Mystery Solved!

My great grandfather was born to a single mother in 1898. She never disclosed who the father was, or if she did, it was kept secret by anyone who knew. She married a man within a few years of my great grandfather’s birth, and my great grandfather assumed his stepfather’s last name. It is unknown if he was ever officially adopted. I first became aware of my great grandfather’s illegitimate birth when I first began diving into my genealogy. There were a few theories as to who the biological father was: a traveling businessman, a married man, or even a … Continue reading →

Research & Presentation (Part 3)

If you missed parts 1 and 2 you should click here and here to catch up. For those of you who’ve been keeping up lets move forward in our quest of researching and presenting! Last time we equated the notion of telling a story with structure. If you tell a story about the research you’re instantaneously creating something interesting because stories are interesting. We want to know “how things turn out” or “why things turned out the way they did” (especially if we already know the ending… like the film Titanic). The boats gonna sink… people are gonna die, but … Continue reading →

Research & Presentation (Part 2)

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If you missed Part 1 of Research & Presentation be sure to read that here. At any rate (where was I? Oh yes!) I was talking about note taking and the dual-crucial skills of Structure and Importance. Now, note taking is just one area where these two skills are important. It turns out that they are important for a wide variety of activities (both in school and in the “real world”). One of those areas is for giving a presentation. Today I’ll be talking about prepping for a presentation. You know that whole saying about first impressions? If you’re thinking … Continue reading →

Research & Presentation (Part 1)

This is going to sound really boring but today I gave a thirty minute presentation on nineteenth century copyright law. Phew! Okay… before you click on the closest link you can find (in order to get out of here) I want to assure you that I won’t be writing about the nineteenth century or copyright law in this post but I WILL be writing about researching and presenting on what others might perceive as a boring topic. Still reading? Okay. Let’s begin. I’ve got to tell you one of the benefits of being a “theatre person” is that I am … Continue reading →

Library Time

Generally I’m going to be the one to tell you to go online to find anything you need. I’ll generally tell you to use the latest digital tool to get that new task done. I’m the one who doesn’t want a phone call but an e-mail, a digital file instead of a print out, and in general the newer instead of the older. This can sometimes get me in trouble with people who don’t do things like I do. With the proliferation of computer use it is getting easier though. Now, when doing research it’s important to leave no stone … Continue reading →

China Adoption Book Review Series: China Ghosts

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Like Karin Evans, author of The Lost Daughters of China, Jeff Gammage is a journalist. His memoir, written seven years after Evans’, is entitled China Ghosts: My Daughter’s Journey to America, my Journey to Fatherhood. The title is apt: while Gammage credits Kay Ann Johnson, author of Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son: Abandonment and Orphanage Care in China with helping him understand the context of his daughter’s story, his own book focuses much more tightly on his story and his daughter’s. Gammage and his wife Christine adopted a two year old in Aug 2002. His memoir is valuable for … Continue reading →

Types of Family Tree Charts

There are several different types of family tree charts. Among the most popular types are traditional and graphical family tree charts. Other common types are medieval and heraldic family tree charts. A simple family tree chart starts with the person of your choice, usually yourself, and branches out to the right showing your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on. Popular heraldic family tree charts are those for the UK, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Mexico and Scotland. These charts feature a coat of arms on the chart. Graphical family tree charts are probably what most people think of when they think of … Continue reading →

Help Further the Cause of Adoption Research?

White parents who have adopted Asian children are being sought for a research study about adoptive families conducted by the University of Maryland at College Park. The survey is being conducted by a professor and a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University. The study, approved by the University’s Institutional Research Board (IBR) aims to help researchers learn more about international adoptive families and about the challenges faced by White parents in raising a child of a different race/culture. This is a one-time survey, completed on-line, which takes about 20-40 minutes to complete. I completed my survey … Continue reading →