Wednesday, November 24, 2021

GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Relative Race Season 8 Reunion!

 




The panel Melissa Barker, Bernice Bennett, Dan Earl, Laura Hedgecock,  Shelley Murphy, Mary Kircher Roddy, and I are joined by all four teams from Relative Race Season 8 for a reunion! We celebrate the end of the journey on day 10, talk about the food challenges and congratulate the winner of the $50,000.

Watch as we party with the teams and hear more about their experiences with each other and meeting family. 






What is your favorite moment from Season 8?

We'd love to hear from you!



Contact the Panelists:


Melissa Barker -A Genealogist in the Archives

Bernice Bennett-Geniebroots

Dan Earl-Family History Guy

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories

Shelley Murphey-The Family Tree Girl

Mary Kircher Roddy-MKR Genealogy

Cheri Hudson Passey-Carolina Girl Genealogy






Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode-please subscribe to my YouTube Channel!





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Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,



Sunday, November 21, 2021

Celebration Sunday~Genealogy Happy Dance!

 


You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection, or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.

                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. 
Share by scrolling 
down and add your story to the comments section or you may also put a link to a blog post telling about what had you dancing this week.





My Happy Dance Moment for this week: 

I made it through 5 cases and learned so much participating in the SLIG Fall Virtual Advanced Methodology Practicum over the last few weeks.

Each case helped me to learn new techniques,  be able to be more streamlined in my research, and gain more confidence in my abilities. 

Thanks to Angela Packer McGhie and all the case study instructors for another fabulous experience.

Can't wait to do it again next year!



What's your Happy Dance Moment?
Please share and let's celebrate together!






                                                                      

                                                                                              Share your discovery!
                                                                                  
                                                                                         Let the dancing commence!


Share the fun! Click below to tweet this post! 
https://ctt.ac/8bH8M



Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Season 8 Day 9 with Pamela!

 


Father's Day on Relative Race!

The panel Melissa Barker,  Bernice Bennett, Laura Hedgecock, Mary Kircher Roddy, and I welcome Pamela from Team Black to talk about Day 9 and the emotional journey she shared with her twin sister Christine. A very touching and history-making episode of Relative Race!

Watch as we hear about meeting their biological father and see the photo she shows us of them when they were babies with big sister Monique. Truly a special photo that she is grateful was saved throughout the years.  






Thank you so much for watching!


Links in this Episode:

Relative Race


Contact the Panelists:

Melissa Barker -A Genealogist in the Archives

Bernice Bennett-Geniebroots

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories

Shelley Murphey-The Family Tree Girl

Mary Kircher Roddy-MKR Genealogy

Cheri Hudson Passey-Carolina Girl Genealogy


Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode-please subscribe to my YouTube Channel!





Click Below to Share This Post!





Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,



Sunday, November 14, 2021

This Week On My Family History Calendar

 



Nov. 18~ 
  My paternal 3rd great grandfather, William A. Martin (1813-1887) died in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina 133 years ago. He is buried in Bethesda Presbyterian Cemetery in Statesville.




William A. Martin
Headstone
Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina

photo credit: Joy Steele. Used with permission




Who are you remembering this week?


Thanks so much for stopping by!
Heping you climb your family tree,



Celebration Sunday-Genealogy Happy Dance!

 


You know the dance. You know you've done it. The one every researcher does after finding something new. The one where you want to jump up and down and shout to everyone around that you found the document, contacted a cousin who has the family Bible, made a DNA connection, or found a whole new branch to your tree. The one that is met with glazed stares and eye rolls.

                                                          Celebration Sunday is a place to share your discoveries. 
This is a weekly series to enable everyone to tell about their Genealogy Happy Dance moment. 
Share by scrolling 
down and add your story to the comments section or you may also put a link to a blog post telling about what had you dancing this week.





 






My Happy Dance Moment for this week: 

So much fun presenting two lectures for two different genealogy societies this week!
First to the Grand Strand Genealogy Club and then to the Virtual Genealogical Association.
The attendees were wonderful and I appreciate their questions and comments.
Teaching genealogy topics and helping people understand methodologies and records groups always has me doing the happy dance! 


What's your Happy Dance Moment?
Please share and let's celebrate together!






                                                                      

                                                                                              Share your discovery!
                                                                                  
                                                                                         Let the dancing commence!


Share the fun! Click below to tweet this post! 
https://ctt.ac/8bH8M



Looking forward to reading about your Happy Dance moment!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Helping you climb your family tree,

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Lessons Learned-Finding Pop's WWII Memorabilia in Time for Veteran's Day

 




My paternal grandfather, Benjamin Allen Hudson (1918-1976), enlisted in the Army in October of 1940. He and my grandmother, Mary Baker Hudson had been married for about 2 /2 years. My father, John Allen Hudson wasn't born until March of 1941. 

"Pop" as the grandchildren called him, was a butcher by trade.
He served from March 1944-April 1945 as a cook for his unit.

Requesting service records for his time in the European Theater was returned with the infamous notice that the fire in 1973 at the National Archives in St. Louis destroyed his file.

So, I am thrilled to have anything that tells about his time in the Army during WWII.
I thought I had the few things that he kept, but much to my surprise, my son found a couple more items while cleaning out my father's office. Dad died a couple of years ago and we are still working on going through his room.  Dad was always happy to share with me anything he discovered about his father.
The discovery of two more pieces of memorabilia from his war days was a surprise!


His original registration card is in prime condition - it's over 80 years old!







A unit history of the 254th Infantry, 63rd Division published circa 1945 is in great shape.
I wish Pop was still living so I could ask him about this history and the part he played in the battles described. I was 16 when he passed away. I hadn't seen him since I was 12. My father, a member of the USAF was stationed in England and we lived there with him for 4 1/2 years. I didn't know I needed to ask, I didn't know I would have so many questions.  My dad didn't have any answers for me as I got older and wanted to know. Pop didn't talk about the war.  Did my grandmother know any tales from those days she could have shared? We heard about him being a cook and the story of the vases he brought back in his duffle bag, but where did his journey take him during his service in WWI?









Lessons learned? 
1-Never give up looking for memorabilia, documents, photos, etc. even when you think you have everything left behind.  You never know what may show up.
2-Talk to your family members. Learn their stories. Ask those who are still living about those that have passed on.  Once they are gone, so are their stories. 


Links to other posts about Pops service:







Wednesday, November 10, 2021

GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show-Relative Race Season 8 Day 8 with Team Red!



In this episode of GenFreinds Melissa Barker, Dan Earl, Laura Hedgecock, Shelley Murphy, Mary Kircher Roddy, and I welcome Team Red-Jarrell and Amauni!  It was so much fun to hear about their bond with the other teams, their thoughts on the family members they met and hope to meet plus how they felt about the challenges! We learned a little bit more about Jarrell's grannie as well! 


Watch as we discuss what happened on Day 8 and talk to Team Red about their journey on Season 8 and answer the questions they had for us!





What are your predictions for Day 9?

We'd love to hear from you!


Thank you so much for watching!


Links in this Episode:

Relative Race


Contact the Panelists:

Melissa Barker -A Genealogist in the Archives

Dan Earl-Family History Guy

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories

Shelley Murphey-The Family Tree Girl

Mary Kircher Roddy-MKR Genealogy

Cheri Hudson Passey-Carolina Girl Genealogy


Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode-please subscribe to my YouTube Channel!





Click Below to Share This Post!





Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,



Wednesday, November 3, 2021

GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Relative Race Season 8 Day 7!

 



Thank goodness for Golden Tickets! The panel Dan Earl, Laura Hedgecock, Shelley Murphy and I get together to talk about some fun family connections, the team's artistic abilities (lol), and the sad results. But wait,, there will be more! A Golden Ticket means being able to see a Team meet one more relative! Watch as we share our thoughts about all the happenings on Day 7!





Who do you want the teams to meet in the next couple of days?

We'd love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode of GenFriends!

Please subscribe!


Links in this Episode:

Relative Race


Contact the Panelists:

Dan Earl-Family History Guy

Laura Hedgecock-Treasure Chest of Memories-

Cheri Hudson Passey-Carolina Girl Genealogy



Thank you so much for watching!

Don't miss an episode-please subscribe to my YouTube Channel!





Click Below to Share This Post!





Thanks so much for stopping by!

Helping you climb your family tree,