Memory Boxes

Remember the 5/25/09 blog ("One Track Mind") where I talked about the boxes of original material to document the copyright for [books] Frantz Families--Kith & Kin, and LaVerne Evergreen Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions?? I'll probably have to haul those boxes around until I die!! Well, I also have other boxes that will be around until I die: "Memory Boxes."

Many, many years ago I started filling boxes with "memorabilia" for my children and grandchildren. Several boxes are pictured in a photo along the left side of this blog web site (and pictured below). Originally I bought attractive cardboard boxes, with designs. They are (or were) available from Target. After several moves (from California), the boxes fell apart!! Now I have the contents in super-heavy-duty boxes, labeled for the recipient.

What do I have in the boxes?? This is my favorite illustration: A bicycle-built-for-two Christmas ornament for son David. We had individual bicycles when the boys were growing up, and we rode them frequently. About ten years of age, David bought a tandem bike for the two of us, with his own money. I made costumes and we rode it in the local parade!! The minute David unwraps that Christmas ornament it will trigger memories of those events. (Can you see the ornament to the right of the three volume set of Frantz Families--Kith & Kin??)

Likewise, other small items that have sentimental value (to me). I won't go into details. Suffice to say, gifts that illustrate my love and devotion to my children and grandchildren. "Memory Boxes" that will (hopefully) go to my loved ones after I go to be with the Lord.


I'm not "downsizing" Memory Boxes, and I'm not stripping items from them to donate to the Senior Center for door prizes. I'm destined to keep many boxes of family history, and documentation for copyrights. I started counting boxes today and have over 125. Yes, over 125!!

I'd like to find a new home for a large variety of collector plates. I started collecting before the Bicentennial (1976). So I have plates that relate to this nation's early history. And I have plate replicas of Norman Rockwell paintings. I love Rockwell's...!! Imagine, if you will, the number of boxes with plates in their original shipping cartons.

You're right!! It was absolutely insane to move all these things from Lancaster, Los Angeles County, California, to Shelby, Cleveland County, North Carolina!! (And boxes of VHS cassettes (!) and audio cassettes (!), LOL.)

Today it just seemed the day, and time, to elaborate on my "Walking Down Memory Lane" and "downsizing" project. I'd appreciate your prayers for me as I trek down this path. (For the large picture about my project, read my blogs forward from May 24th.)

Tracing Your Family's Roots

(A topic that is dear to Lorraine's heart, and I wanted to share this with you.)

Tracing Your Family's Roots, by Brad and Debra Shepp

What makes learning about family history so fascinating? In a world that seems ever more rootless, tracing your genealogy leads to a sense of connection with the past. Knowing more about "where we came from" brings a deeper understanding of who we are now. For children, who learn best by story-telling, exploring their family tree makes the sweep of history personal. The Internet has made researching our ancestors simpler than ever. Once you uncover places, people, and facts through your research, you’ll want to take a road trip or two to visit relatives, and also check records not yet available through the Internet.

Learn the 10 ways to trace your family tree.

Brad and Debra Shepp are the authors of "The Online Genealogy Handbook" (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.). For more information, visit http://www.bradanddeb.com/.

Start with What You Know
Write down everything you can remember about your parents, their parents, and their siblings. Think back to all those family gatherings when you were small. Be sure to include details about the jobs they had and the neighborhoods where they lived.

Talk to Older Relatives
Track down members of your family who are older than you. Schedule a visit. Ask them about their childhood memories, particularly any memories they may have of older family members. Ask about marriages, military service, and even neighbors. Try to pin down dates and places. And don’t forget that tape recorder and camcorder.

Ask for Documents
Ask your family members for any family documents they may have, such as birth records, wedding certificates, cemetery records, naturalization records, and probate records. Tell them you would like to photocopy these. Do so at your earliest convenience--and return them promptly.

Select a Software Program
There are more than 40 genealogy software programs available. Your goal is to find a program that allows for easy data entry, easy navigation, easy report creation, and direct access to the Internet. For the PC, one very popular program is Family Tree Maker. Or for the Mac, consider Reunion, which is the best-selling program for that platform.

Visit Your Library
Your library probably provides free access to databases and other research tools that could help you with your research. Some databases you’ll need to use right there, such as Ancestry.com, which often sells licenses for in-house use only. Other databases will be available for patrons to use remotely. Your reference librarian will be only too glad to assist you.

Say Hello to the Historical Society
If you still live near your family’s ancestral home, visit the local historical society, the court house, and the public library's archive collection. There you may find old maps showing your family's homestead, their neighbors, and details of their social and professional lives.

Keep It All Organized
As you amass details of your family's history, you'll need to use certain forms to keep everything straight. These may include research logs, probate record checklists, and ancestral charts. Some websites that provide a variety of useful and free genealogy forms include:

Family Tree Magazine’s Downloadable Forms (www.familytreemagazine.com/freeforms/)

Bailey's Free Genealogy Forms (www.cs.williams.edu/~bailey/genealogy)

Free Genealogy Forms (www.free-genealogy-forms.com)

Check Out Helpful Websites
If you do, we’re sure you will want to return to them again and again. They contain the most information that’s geared to beginning genealogists, and are thankfully very well organized. One warning: When you are checking them out be sure you’ve set aside enough time to explore them thoroughly.

Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet (www.cyndislist.com). This should be the first stop for any budding genealogist.

About Genealogy—A Genealogy Research Guide (http://www.genealogy.about.com/).

This site provides something for all genealogists: both hobbyists and professionals.

FamilySearch.org—Family History and Genealogy Records (http://www.familysearch.org/).

This is a nonprofit service with the largest collection of free genealogy, family history, and family tree records in the world.

Verify the Details
Don't assume that written records or family stories and legends represent the truth. A fact isn't a fact until you can confirm it from another source. Memories fade, handwriting may be hard to decipher. Confirm details with alternative sources, such as church records, newspapers (for obituaries or birth announcements), land records such as deeds, mortgages, applications for homesteads, and other property records. They can all provide the names of relatives or further clues about where you can learn more.

Connect with Other Searchers
It’s likely that there are others worldwide who are also working on your family tree. They may be just climbing a different branch. Places to connect are:

CousinConnect (http://www.cousinconnect.com/). Post your questions there and get ready for some answers!

OneGreatFamily (http://www.beliefnet.com/sitecore/Documents/www.onegreatfamily.com). There is a charge to use this site but it offers some great features you won’t find elsewhere. For one thing the site will merge two online family trees automatically when it finds a common ancestor listed in each one.

OneWorldTree (www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/trees/owt). From Ancestry.com their system can find probably matches in names and then shows the records in a consolidated way in a worldwide family tree.

Now it’s your turn to look ahead and decide what comes next! Ultimately this is your journey, and we’ll leave you with the hope that your genealogical travels will be endlessly rewarding.

Lorraine here: My "travels" were very rewarding!! I have an extremely interesting ancestry!! If you Google Lorraine Frantz Edwards you will find many of my family connec-tions. The bulk of my vast library was donated to the Brethren Heritage Center, Brookville, Ohio. My publication, Frantz Families--Kith & Kin, is in major genealogy libraries, and on microfilm from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline...."

"One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline —
and that's the important half, for without discipline
you wouldn't know what to do with luck."
— Carl Zuckmayer: Was a German dramatist

Consider this fact: Seventy percent of lottery winners end up squandering away their winnings. The reason: They had tremendous luck yet no discipline. But when you live with discipline, you'll almost always win the lottery. It will come some day in the future through your career and personal achievements.

Above copied from Nightingale.com

In the wee hours of this morning, I wondered what I would comment on for my "blog." Reading my many messages (before my first cup of green tea), I saw the merit of the above words (in an e-mail advertisement). Example: It takes discipline to build a network marketing business. I spent two hours last night, on the phone, listening to a successful marketer share details regarding creative Internet tools. I could have been watching TV or playing Taipei.

I spent years "climbing the family tree." I was disciplined, I completed my project and published Frantz Families--Kith & Kin. I feel it was a personal achievement. (I'll never win the lottery because I never buy a ticket.) Google my name and you'll find lots of references to me and my genealogy hobby. I also edited, and published, La Verne Evergreen Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions. I only mention the books to emphasize the value of "discipline" when it applies to something we're passionate about.

At this time in my life (for a good many years, actually), I am passionate about health and nutrition. I could conceivably win the lottery, I could be wealthy; I could have fame... but it would have little value if I did not have my health. This is not meant as a "sales pitch" but I'm enthusiastic about the Max products: MaxGXL, MaxWLX & Max N-Fuze. Quality supplements "do" work to repair the damage our body experiences from processed foods, water contamination, air pollution, and (let's face it) growing older. Visit my web site at http://SeniorSecurity.MaxTrax4u.com/
Until next time, Lorraine wishing you excellent health and much happiness.