2010 in Review and the Ancestor Approved Award

I am a little slow posting this, but I'd like to thank Travis over on TLGenes for the Ancestor Approved Award he passed to me in early December.  This may also be a good time to reflect on 2010.

The Ancestor Approved Award comes with two requests:

1. List ten (10) things that you have learned about your ancestors that surprised, humbled, or enlightened you.
2. Pass the award to ten (10) other genealogy bloggers.  (I'll do this in 2011, after I've caught up in my blog reading.)

In 2010 while tracing my ancestors I have learned:

1. Roots run deep!  I'm constantly amazed at how geographically close my family lines have lived and continue to live.  I have cousins from different sides of my family that knew each other growing up.  (Check out the map in "It's a Small World After All" post)
2. Label all pictures!  While boxes of unlabeled photos elicit some pretty neat conversations and lots of memories, labeled photos provide a much nicer collection of family treasures.  Grandma Leola (Workman) Crapser had a nice collection of family photos and treasures. Even after several rounds with my grandpa and his cousins, the subjects of many of the photos are still unidentified.
3. Neighbors Aren't Nosy!  They're just detectives in disguise. You may find that a former neighbor may be able to provide clues to the lives of your ancestors.
4. Read All About It!  Small town newspapers are notorious for sharing little bits of information about all the people around town.  You may find your ancestors visiting a cousin or friend and this information may just lead to more research for you.
5. Readin' and Ritin' weren't as Important in the Past!  Check all possible variations of a name's spelling.  Was that "Jorenby or "Gorenby"?
6. The Informant is as Important as the Information!  Take note of the sources of the information you are collecting.  The census and the church baptismal record are guaranteed to provide you with different birth dates.  And the census taker's informant may not have remembered all the details with precision. 
7. Running in Circles Can Be Fun!  Elusive ancestors need to be found. While researching those elusive ones sometimes the only data you can find leads you to data you already know in a different format.
8. Back Up Your Data!  After losing my data in a computer disaster, I learned the hard way to back up the data.  Also store a copy of the data in another location or in a fire-proof safe.
9. Keep in Touch!  When meeting cousins for the first time, be sure to trade contact information to share future discoveries.  The wave of social media - Facebook, blogs, instant messages, and even Ancestry.com - should help genealogist keep tabs on cousins.
10. Give and Take! I mean SHARE!  Share your research with your cousins.  Take research shared by others, but give credit where credit is due and double check the facts. Give of your time and talents to aid other researchers.  Opportunities exist everywhere to do a little discovery for the good of genealogy.  Join us over at the Ancestry World Archives, if you have some time to spare.

As we reflect on 2010, let us dream for 2011!

A Norwegian American is ...

The following snippet was found in the  Wicks family tree book put together by Irene Jacobsen around 1980.

A NORWEGIAN AMERICAN IS

...someone who sings "Jeg er so glad hver julekveld" at Christmas-time and says "Uff da meg" all year around.
...someone who can eat krumkakke without shattering it on the first bite.

...someone who eats lutefisk, but only at Christmas.

...someone who wears a Norwegian sweater for a parade in July.

...someone who shudders when you call kringlas "pretzels".

...someone who can butter lefse without tearing it.

...someone who ascribes minor disasters to trolls, mediocre ones to Swedes, and major ones to God.

...someone who has to have real butter on his or her flatbrød.
...someone who gets a little misty eyed over the exhibits in the Norwegian American Museum.

...someone who talks about Leif Erickson on Columbus Day.

...a Lutheran who's patron saint is Olaf.

...someone who rarely says "ja" without attaching "sure, you betcha".

...part of a group that names its ball teams "Vikings" and "Norseman" in hopes that Thor and Odin will notice and remember the good old days.

...someone who names his or her children: Knut, Ole, Jake, Tom, Chris, Kristina, Inger, Margit, Solveig, Gunhild.

...stubborn.
...someone who thinks Nordic Fest is more than a summer reunion.
...someone who enjoys "Scandinavian Days".
...someone who can eat dessert after "Kumla"
...someone who eats KUMLA!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends and fellow genealogists! (Not that genealogists aren't friends!)

I'm thankful for my family, for without them I would not be here or have anything to share on this blog!

I'm thankful for family, friends, and fellow bloggers who listen/read and provide additional information or suggestions to aid in new discoveries.

I'm thankful for the Geneabloggers group for providing inspiration in my research, writing and sharing of genealogical tidbits.

And I must not forgot to be thankful for the folks who take the time to transcribe, digitalize, locate and share genealogical references.  Without those kind folks, I would not be as far along in my research!

Happy Turkey Day!

Share a Story

As you gather around the table this week to share that turkey, I encourage you to also share a story of days gone by. 

Here are a ideas for topics:

• What did you do for the holidays?
• Where were the holidays celebrated?
• Who did you visit?  Who came to visit?
• What traditions does your family have?
• Which foods were made?  Who made the food?  Is there a special recipe?
• What happened while everyone was sitting around the table?
• Was someone known for stealing food off of someone else's plate?
• How did the weather affect your holiday plans?

I also encourage you to write the story down or record it so it can be shared with future generations. 

Olympus Digital Voice Recorder (VN 6200PC)