Tika's Ready for 2013

Just like she's pulling and eagerly forging ahead on our snowy walks (and we have 8" of the white stuff), Tika is a great example to me of what I should do in 2013. First, make a clear and reasonable New Year's Resolution...... and I have:  I will throw something away every day. This might be cleaning a drawer or closet but it might also mean cleaning off my desk or cleaning out a file. Be inspired by Tika's example: eagerly forge on ahead and just DO IT.

Tika Likes Christmas Grandmas & Family History

Tika did not enjoy the 80-mile ride on Christmas to be with family. Notice the WHITE road, WHITE hills, WHITE sky and WHITE snow blowing sideways??  But once there, she was quite excited to see us two grandmas sharing family history stuff............

What a grand day for talking about, for asking about and for sharing family history! Rosemary and I share kids (her son married my daughter and we now share four grand-boys and two new grand-ds-in-law.) Rosemary had brought a nice stuffed box of genealogy papers and here she is asking me if I think the young woman in the one photo is the same as the older woman in another. (I did.) What a fun day we had with genealogy-yakking, good food, great company, present opening and Christmas cookie painting!   Tika happily and contentedly slept all the way home.

Maybe you might should arrange a similar rendezvous for New Year's Day upcoming???? Tika says "YES!"

Tika & Wind In The Pines & MyHeritage

These are Ponderosa Pines and they can grow 50-feet tall. On a clear, sunny blue day the pines in our yard are wonderful, majestic and beautiful. BUT today, in a howling wind, these enormous-gigantic trees are twirling, dancing and swaying in the wind...... in a cold, snow-driven wind. It's not a nice day. Tika says "I'm staying put!"

But, I said to her, "You cannot just sleep all day." And she said, "Let's explore MyHeritage and Mocavo today!"   Such a smart little dogger. And so we will!

Tika & The Map

Tika often wonders why I collect old license plates. I try to explain to her that Handy Man makes roofs for birdhouses from these old metal plates. I've collected many from states where I've visited and from where my ancestors lived and the license-plate-roofed birdhouses line my fence.

In a gift catalog I spied this wonderful map made from license plates from all 50 states! It only cost over $1000 dollars so Tika will not be getting this for me for Christmas but it surely is neat-neat-neat. Have you ever seen anything like this? For real? 

 

Tika & the "Elephants"

This is how Tika keeps watch for elephants who dare to enter our yard.... and she'll loudly bark when she even thinks she sees one.......... quite a dog, eh? 

I wish she would bark like that when an "elephant" of a mistake appears in my family history researching. Or at least would she alert me when an "elephant" of an erroneous online posting appears. Case in point:  Handy Man has a Smith line which I thought went back into Viriginia. Doing a search in the Family Trees at Ancestry.com, I found his line traced clear back to John Smith who married Pocahontas. Wow. But............

Good grief. Every student of U.S. history should know that John Rolfe married Pocahontas, NOT NOT NOT John Smith. Yet, there it is bold as sunshine, posted on Ancestry.com for all to find.

Does that discredit Ancestry? Not at all. Does it cast shadows on the person posting that mistaken lineage correction? Greatly so! And how will it affect you, the researcher? You can accept what you find or reject what you find........... or better yet, do your own research to confirm or reject what you find, even on Ancestry.com.   

Or teach your dogger to bark and alert you to the presence of elephants in your family tree. Good luck! 

Tika & Thanksgiving

For Tika, Thanksgiving is not a joyful time. She'll get hauled 80 miles and then have to interact and be forced to be nice to her cousin dogs........ Dolly, Cody, Bently, and OneSpot. And now Dozer!

 And this was taken last July! Dozer (short for Bulldozer) is close to 100 pounds by now. 

Tika better remember her small size and keep her distance but you know doxies. She keeps telling me "WHY???" And "you better make it worth my while!"  Doxies!!

Tika & The Doctor

We have had snow! Some four inches in the last 24 hours! Tika loves it..... but does not want to stay outside in it for very long. Good thing for I need her help to finish up a project. For EWGS (www.EWGSI.org) I'm finishing up my project to learn what I could about Dr. John George Gundlach, a Union Navy Civil War veteran buried in Spokane's Greenwood Cemetery. 

John Gundlach was born in 1849 and grew up around Baltimore Harbor in Maryland. He was not able to join up (due to his age) until 1864 when, finally, his mother signed for him. He served from 1864 to 1869 and was 19 when he was discharged from the Union Navy. I'm guessing he observed medics or corpsmen or doctors (whatever they were called then) on board his several ships and determined that medicine and helping others was what he wanted to do with his life. 

In 1883, he became a licensed Allopathic Doctor from the Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri at St.Louis. By this time he was married to Sophia and had Alpha, Helen and Georgiana. Thanks to Google Images for a picture of this college. 

Alpha was his uncle's name and Uncle Alpha Gundlach was a dentist in Spokane. Soon John and Sophia moved their family to Spokane was he is listed in the City Directories as a doctor and on the census as a physician.  Dr. John Gundlach died here in Spokane in 1910.

The real point of this story, Tika wanted me to stress, is that I knew very little about John George Gundlach except some of the high points of his life. I wanted to know what his young life as a sailor might have been so I Googled "Civil War Union Navy" and found several pages of helpful background material. I had not a clue as to what homeopathic medicine was or an Allopathic Doctor. Again thanks to Google, I learned that Allopathic medicine was practiced by homeopathic doctors employing natural herbs and simple home remedies to effect cures. 

Tika reminds us all that there is so much background material that we can find on the Internet about our ancestors........ you just have to come in out of the snow and go Googling. 

Tika's Adventure

Tika, Handy Man and I went on a mini adventure over the weekend..... we went to a cemetery!  I had heard that our local Greenwood Cemetery is the site of recurring and nationally-known paranormal activity........... these marks on the sandstone of the old Elks mausoleum are thought to be scratched by ghosts........... what do you think?

I don't know much about ghosts but I do know that I regard cemeteries as interesting places to visit, to walk about in and to learn about. Our Greenwood Cemetery welcomed its first burial in about 1890 so by "eastern standards" it is quite young. Nonetheless, to me it is full of stories just waiting to be explored. 

Tika thinks so too. She strained at her leash, bounding from one spot, one tombstone to another (she is a girl dog and does not piddle on them) telling me "This one! No, this one!! Tell the story of this one!!" 

We will, Tika, I promise.

Tika & The Avocado

Tika and I have a friend living in Miami who often sends us a box of HUGE avocados from the tree in her back yard. I'm sure these #3 monsters have a specific name but when I asked Tika, she said she had not a clue. After we enjoyed the last one, we decided to see if we could sprout one.......... you see how big it is by how it fills up a normal drinking glass. Think here in Spokane (Zone 5, -20 degrees) that we will ever see it grow to produce fruit?

This wonderful avocado got me to thinking........... first I was thinking about hubby's ancestors who lived in Georgia and other points south. Did they enjoy these huge avocados? Or is this a modern hybrid? Which caused me to wonder further....... how many "regional" foods do we know of that were NOT available to our ancestors? 

For instance, peanuts are synonymous with The South but did our pre-Civil War ancestors grow peanuts? What about peaches? Pears? Onions? We know they did not eat tomatoes, believing them to be poisonous.  Did they regularly eat meat from animals that we would avoid today? Like opossum? Squirrel? Anybody have any ideas about this??

(And no wonder English is so difficult to learn!  The plural of avocado is avocados,  no "e."  The plural of tomato is tomatoes, with the "e."  Go figure. Tika just says try barking and woofing all you want to say!) 

Tika and Fall Days

This is how Tika, and her big sister Dolly, prefer to spend their fall days...... snoozing in the sun through the windows........ with even their bone ignored..... doing not much of anything. 

While that's okay, it's not very productive and I choose not to follow Tika's example! I'm happy for these inevitable fall days with "outside" no longer calling to me, to work on my several genealogy projects. Mostly I need to begin my cleaning off my desk...... there are piles everywhere and piles on top of piles. Would be fun for you and me to compare lists: who has the most unfinished projects? Maybe we should trade projects :-) 

I have gathered into a box the story of my Dad's Air Force career and this waits to be scanned in for sharing. I want to write our obituaries and ideas reside in a folder. I want to take all my genealogy T-shirts and cut off the logo and create a sort of vest or jacket to wear to conferences; that's in a pile on the floor (complete with pattern). I want to write up some stories for our local society publication, our Digital Digest  ( www.ewgsi.org  ).

Anybody wanna trade projects??? And Tika is no help at all, snoozing in the sun.

Tika & Mountains

Tika knows that Mt. Spokane dominates the skyline northeast of the city of Spokane; in fact she's been in car rides up there to take fall walks. She does not realize (nor care) that Mt. Spokane has an elevation of 5880 feet .  Thinking of mountains, I was reading to her the other day about Mt. Everest..... in 1856 the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India established the height of Everest at 29,002 feet. The name came in 1865, given in honor of Sir George Everest, the first surveyor general of India. Remember those trivia facts for Thanksgiving dinner!

And what does this have to do with genealogy, my Tika is asking? Maps and mountains are important to your family history. Picture or plot your family on a topographical map..... where was the nearest church of their denomination? where was the nearest county courthouse?  and did they live near a large stream or a river...and how did they get across? how many miles did they have to go in their horse and buggy or on foot?

Point is, our ancestors may have lived in Jefferson County but may have attended church or tended to their official business in Madison county because it was easier to get to. Such imaginary lines as county lines meant little to them. Ditto for newspaper coverage. It was the custom of oldtime newspapers to fill their pages with local gossip (national or world news was hard to come by). The local newspaper might have been the Madison County Journal but would have included the doings of Jefferson County's residents because Jefferson County was in their readership area.

Tika says, "well, alrighty. Can we go for a walk now?"  

Tika & Treats

Even a sunny sleeping dog will wake up for a homemade peanut butter doggie treat made by Maureen!  She again says Woof-Woof-Thank You!!

And today's genealogy message? Wanna know how to "awaken" your family to all the family history you've found..... especially your children and grandchildren? Find and offer them a "treat"....... an ancestor story that really will pop their eyes open. And (sad to say) if you look, really look, you will find such a story.

Quote:  "Ever found an ancestor hanging on the family tree?"

Tika & A Good Friend

Maureen is one of Tika's best supporters and friends. She lives in Chelan, Washington, and I was just to that beautiful area and great little genealogy society last Saturday. Maureen makes special little Peanut Butter Doggie Treats and sells them at the local farmers' market. They're put into these  white bags which her 99-year-old mother stamps with doggie designs. Of course I had to post a photo of one of Tika's best friends........... and Tika says "the treats are yummy and thank you very, very much." 

And the genealogy connection here? Maureen is either the 3rd or 4th generation in her family to live in this area; her pioneering family is written up in all the local history books. And two weeks ago when I was in Kelowna, BC, I chatted with a new friend that was 14th generation Canadian she proudly told me. And I guess my happy point here is this: in probably any local area there are folks who know the local and family history there because their family lived it! So it's vitally important that if you need local help, contact the societies in that area and ask for their help. They are the ones who know. 

Needing help in the Chelan or Douglas counties are of central Washington? Contact the Chelan Valley Genealogical Society!

 

Tika & Civil War Ancestors

Tika quite enjoys sitting on my lap and listening to stories. And lately, I've been full of Civil War stories. Our local genealogical society  ( www.EWGSI.org ) has been awash with Civil War stuff. We just had our third annual Walking with Ancestors in a local cemetery.... we chose one where many Civil War veterans rest.... and it was a resounding success. I portrayed the great-great niece of Dr. John Gundlach, who died in 1905 here in Spokane and who served as a teenager in the Union Navy during the Civil War.

Our Society is also wrapping up a year-long writing contest for members, "My Civil War Ancestor." We've had a goodly number of submissions and it will be a judged contest with a years' subscription to Ancestry.com as the prize. Those stories will eventually be published in our Society's Digital Digest (on our website but under Members Only).

And there have been Civil War related stories in our local paper, The Spokesman Review. www.thespokesmanreview.com .

John Caskey gave a very informative presentation to the members of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society a few months ago wherein he detailed all the varied and various reasons why Civil War vets came west and so many of them ended up in Washington state. A primary reason was land.

"Not my ancestors!" sniffed Tika. "I come from Idaho, remember..... and maybe far-back from Germany." Ah, Little Tika........

Tika & Bigfoot & KDGS

When I told her about it, Tika was very glad she did not go with me to Canada this past weekend..... for I saw Bigfoot!!!

Going west from Spokane and turning northwest to follow the Okanogan Valley into Canada, Hwy 157 takes you over Disautel Pass and on the summit there he was!!! To be fair, it was a huge metal sculpture but it was way cool. "No matter that he wasn't real," chirped Tika, "he'd eat me." Well..............

The reason for my going was that I'd been invited to be a speaker (a minor speaker) at the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society, headquartered in Kelowna. It was a beautiful place, right on fantastic Okanagan Lake....... I think I could live there (if I could get Tika past Bigfoot). I enjoyed chatting with folks who are 14th generation Canadaian; genealogy so very different from my own. If any of you have research needs in this area, do contact KDGS.org for they are a busy, happy, knowledgeable group and I know they'd furnish excellent help to you.

(You noticed? It's OKANOGAN in Washington and OKANAGAN in Canada........ and we're talking about the same valley.)

Tika Congrats Us

Tika was right there barking her congratulations to me when Handy Man gave me my 51st Anniversary present....... a brand new shovel! And it was what I needed and what I wanted and what I requested. Tika barked, "well done!"  over and over. And then we went out for an anniversary dinner........... and brought home Prime Rib scraps to our Tika.

There was another Momentous Occasion this last week........... Tika had her 4th birthday and it went pretty much unheralded. We got her a brand new collar, does that count?

With fall knocking on the door, Tika is hearing the owls hoo-hooing in the pre-dawn darkness and never fails to bark at them. We both wonder why they are hoo-hooing at this time of year? Also we had a deer jump over our fence and knock loose the top rail and it happened when Tika was outside and did she ever bark then! I think both Tika and I are ready for fall and working on indoor projects. I have a huge dishtub of genealogy notes and it's my goal to get those notes into the family files where they belong. Tika is a big help; she snoozes right near my feet and we both listen to public radio as I work. So fall? Bring it on!

Tika & The Wolf

I've read that even the tiniest dog is a wolf at heart and I do believe it.

Humm, do you see any resemblance?  But Tika surely acts the part! Let her catch a whiff of an elephant, a garden snake or some coyote poop and she's instantly on Guard Dog mode, barking enough to scare the critter into the next county.  And if larger-sister-dog Dolly attempts to reach for a treat before Tika is handed hers, Tika will growl her into backing off right smartly.  

The "genealogy point" here is that even you and I, "little genealogy people," can have great knowledge and great insight and solve tough genealogy problems just like the "big genealogy people."  What's the difference between us?  We certainly can do what they do with enough time and effort and knowledge (and money). Except easily read Norwegian or Chinese! 

By the by, Tika has her fourth birthday next Tuesday;  Happy Birthday little Tika. I've saved a special treat for you for that day.

Tika & Twilight & Forks

Tika did not accompany me to Port Angeles last weekend where I attended the annual conference of the Washington State Genealogical Society. It was a double-whammy visit for me as my son and family live there. After the conference we drove out to Forks, Washington........... ring a bell? That's where the Twilight stories are based, although there is little actually in the town that really appeared in the movies. But knowing vampires and wolves could be abounding, I left Tika safely home!  We went through the Quileute Reservation to get to the beaches (our destination) and I took these photos to show Tika why she was left safely at home..... doesn't this just look like vampire and/or wolf territory???

The beaches.... Rialto, First, Second and Third Beach....... are all fantastic even on a typical drizzly, wet, cold, rainy Forks day.  (You know the story; that's why the Cullens settled in Forks....vampires do not like the sun.) Yes, Tika would have loved to run on this beach but the misty dark woods were just too close.

One last note, if you were to Google vampire genealogy you would be amazed, astonished and flabbergasted at the vampire family trees posted online.............. "a list of 2615 known vampires." Scary.

Tika & Morning Moon

Tika is always eager to get up and get out and get going first thing in the morning....... in fact I've told lots of friends that get a dog if you need to be motivated to take a morning walk........... as we walk out to fetch the morning paper, we talk about what needs doing that day. Tika is a great sounding board and she listens intently....... when she's not sniffing something.

When I walk in the early, beautiful, mornings, I do not need earbuds and a gizmo and the news from public radio or even music.  I like that quiet time to talk to Tika, talk  to God, and ponder my genealogical problems as well as to plan my day. Tika nods in agreement to that sentiment.

My photo this morning is titled, Dahlia Moon Setting To The West. Does it make you smile?

Tika & Stuff That Sticks

Again, a boating-water day but this time Big Trouble. Walking Tika along the beach, she tangled with the most horrible, most sticky, most nasty weed that just snagged into her fine fur and stuck all over. Despite the pretty yellow flowers, it was an awful mess and we could not fully clean her up until we got home to her comb and the nasty stuff had dried. (The driftwood pieces are "project treasures.")

So what does Tika's sorry plight have to do today with genealogy? How often do the wrong or incorrect ancestors get snagged into our genealogy? We might try our best to pluck them out but there they stick. Simple solution: do not add them into your family history in the first place. (Had I been aware of that nasty bush I would never have let Tika near it.) And "that's hard to do" you say? Well, yes, but if you do good research and verify everything, every link, every ancestor as a "for sure" ancestor, that won't happen. Too many of us wander through online family trees and allow "bad" ancestors to stick to our tree. No good. (I'll be watchful for that plant now and never let her near it.) Let's all just do good genealogy and find "good" ancestors to stick to our tree.