Family Photos - Arggggh!

Everyone knows that I love photographs of our ancestors. Seeing the
family resemblance in a photograph taken a hundred years ago sends
chills up my back. Once, in wondering if a branch of the family was
really mine, I stumbled across a photo of a civil war soldier and
there, as if looking me straight in the eye, was the spitting image
of my kid brother Shane. Wow. I had no doubt, we had to be related.
Recently, however, they've been testing my patience. The photos, not
the ancestors.
During the last couple of times I have tried exporting the Heycuz 
database into web pages, one of the photographs has caused my system 
to crash. Each time I attempted to export the files, it would go for 
15 hours and 23 minutes and right at that point, bam, everything 
would fail. I'd have to rebuild the file, another couple of hours and 
try again.
I use Reunion, a Macintosh computer application for genealogy. 
Normally, I can't say enough about this software. I've used a lot of 
the different programs but Reunion stands so high above the others 
that its no question that this is the program of choice. I do keep a 
copy of Family Tree Maker installed on my son's PC, but I've used it 
maybe twice this year and only to convert submitted FTM files into 
gedcoms and opening them up in Reunion.
So, I posted my problem on the Reunion Talk board hoping someone had 
similar problems and solved it, but I didn't get one reply. Come on! 
You're telling me I'm the only lucky one to have such a problem? So, 
I tried again and noticed that it crashed right about the point that 
it started to export the photographs. It must be a rogue photograph 
then, I assumed. So, I tried to export only the people that had 
photographs to test the theory. That was only about 6,000 files, 
compared to the 90,000+ people on heycuz. Halfway through the 15 
hours it still took to export the file--Why so long?--I realized that 
if it crashed it still wouldn't solve the problem. Even so, I waited, 
and sure enough it got to the "exporting images" sequence and 
crashed. After rebuilding the file for the umpteenth time, I decided 
to export only a few files with photographs and see if that would 
help. This time the export went much faster, exporting 300 people, 
but it still crashed. So, I tried turning off all photos and it worked.
So, I knew it was a photo. Then, I went back and exported only 50 
people with photos. Drum roll, please....Tada! It exported with no 
problems. So, I tried 100. It went. I tried 200, it didn't go. I 
theorized that it must be one photo and if I could just narrow it 
down to that one photo I could take it out or fix it and then solve 
the problem. So, I went through the entire database and exported 
every one, 100 people at a time. It took a week. However, it still 
didn't solve the problem. If I exported the files in 100 increments, 
it would work every time. Unfortunately, if you do export the family 
file in 100s, the links no longer work and the result is a useless 
bunch of html pages. The good news is the photo files do export. So, 
what I ended up doing, eager to get the updates uploaded, is exported 
all the files as though there were no problem. Of course, when it 
came to the exporting images it crashed, but then I just merged all 
the photo files from my 100-people experiment into their correct 
folders and checked to make sure that the correct photos linked to 
the right people. I believe it worked. I know its a temporary fix, 
but at least I got the updates done.
After spending a week uploading all the files of course, I'm still 
left to resolve the problem. Anyone with a bit of computer knowledge, 
is probably thinking that the problem has an obvious cause. Memory. 
Well, I have twice the amount the software requirements call for. I 
have a processor that is three times the minimum speed recommended. 
The photographs are all small jpgs. Well, I did notice that there 
were a couple of .tiff formatted photos so I converted them to jpgs 
but that didn't solve it. Besides, it had always worked before the 
last few months. The only thing that changed is of course, 
corrections, and there was a software update. Unfortunately, I can't 
back track and use the older version of software because then it will 
no longer open my file. Since my system isn't the most up to date I'm 
hoping that if I finally upgrade the Computer system software it will 
fix the problem. If not, at least I know that I can export the pages, 
100 people at a time, but that means I will be doing updates less 
often as it takes such a long time to update. So, if you're wondering 
why your corrections take so long to get up on the web, now you know.
On a semi-related note: Apple recently switched its server to "The 
Cloud" and, once again, lucky me, I was one of the 1 percent of 
people who lost email service. So any one who tried to write to my 
Mac address, which is the address I use for Heycuz members, didn't 
get through. I have other email addresses, so for the first week I 
didn't notice it. Then, someone forwarded a note that my email was 
undeliverable and checking with Mac's website, I found out why. It 
would take another week for Mac to get its act together and get mail 
service back. I can't believe they could do that and still run 
commercials about how much better everything is.
Anyway, with "The Cloud" and the problems with my software, I will be 
down once again, hopefully not for too long, while I do a clean 
install of Mac OS Leopard. Wish me luck!

1940 Census, Doomsday, and April Fool's (It's no Joke!)

Genealogists have long sought the early release of the next census and, with the additions to the questions asked on the 1940 census, this one promises to be a doozy. That is, if your grandparents didn't boycott it. The new questions, income and fertility for example, raised the ire of many, causing Senator Tobey of New Hampshire to lead the call for a boycott of the census. Still, I've been sitting on pins and needles to get my hands on it.  I believe that solving the riddle of my father's biological father's line lies on that census. My father's father, Harry Brooks's death certificate says his parents are Henry and Florence Brooks. In the 1930 census, no Henry Brooks who matches the description can be found. However there is a Harry Brooks at the correct age, the correct place, who's living with a Florence. Problem is she has a different last name and the census taker wrote that the young Harry Brooks was her nephew, not her son. As genealogists go, we're a pretty patient folk, calmly scouring page after page of microfilm in a blackened musty back room, 'til we finally uncover that one sentence, that one line in a ancient document that "proves" a relationship between one person and another.
Although the 1940 Census is scheduled to be released on April 1st, 2012, (no, it's not an April Fool's day joke), according to many the world will end on December 21st, 2012. According to a program on the History Channel: "There are prophecies and oracles from around the world that all seem to point to December 21, 2012 as doomsday." (Luckily, some Mayan historians, say the day is actually December 23rd, but by that time I don't know if two days will matter.) The History Channel program goes on to say, "The ancient Mayan Calendar, the medieval predictions of Merlin, the Book of Revelation and the Chinese oracle of the I Ching all point to this specific date as the end of civilization. A new technology called 'The Web-Bot Project' makes massive scans of the internet as a means of forecasting the future... and has turned up the same dreaded date: 2012. Skeptics point to a long history of "Failed Doomsdays", but many oracles of doom throughout history have a disturbingly accurate track record. As the year 2012 ticks ever closer we'll speculate if there are any reasons to believe these doomsayers."
Even Wikipedia has set aside the date and lists all the references to that day as the end of the world. It's list of those who indicate the end of the world -- ranging from the Prophecies of Nostradamas to Richard C. Duncan's book, "The Peak of World Oil Production..." -- is too long to give here, but if you're curious go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012
So, if the world ends on December 21st, that gives us genealogists only a short eight months to index, scan, and discover our deepest genealogical questions! I've downloaded the forms, which you can already get online at http://www.1940census.net. I've made a list of who I want to look up and where they are, because since there won't be any index then I'll need to look in a specific area, but all that is probably besides the point.
Now that I've moved to the boondocks, its not easy  to just run down to the National Archives to wait in line for the 1940 census on April 1st, 2012, which is a Saturday so even if I could get to the Archives would they have them on a Saturday? Do government workers work on Saturdays? Since I probably can't get close to the archives any way, I'll be one of those people who have to wait til Ancestry or whoever battles it out to get rights to index it first so that they can bring it to the general public (who's able or willing to pay for membership on Ancestry). So,  I'm crossing my fingers that the doomsdayers are, once again as always, blowing smoke or that the Bureau will take into account that the world is ending and give us genealogists a break and release the 1940 census early. What do you say, Uncle Sam?

April

P.S. To let me know what you think, please click on the comments link below.

Netiquette

Recently, my mother included the Heycuz newsgroup in the address list in an email. An easy mistake given my email address is similar, april@heycuz.net. The problem was that the email contained a political message, favoring Democrats. The fallout from our right-leaning members was intense and she subsequently left the group, which is especially sad considering that the foundation of the heycuz database was built around the genealogy that my mother had done. My mother was wrong to have posted it, she knew the rules. But, hey, she's my mom and knowing her personally, I knew that her heart was in the right place. However, this brought up some past issues for me. I have received a number of comments over the years from people who've left the group over issues that have nothing to do with genealogy but with the way they were treated. Whether imagined or not, they felt un-welcomed. I would never want someone who came to visit my home, leave feeling like that and, similarly, as the founder and moderator for what I thought was a family group, that hurts. 

Because of the way this group started, heycuz consisted mostly of non-computer people. Those who only wanted to share information and talk with distant family. Some hadn't yet developed a tough skin for handling the occasional not-so-courteous answers or feedback. For some it was their first time using the computer so there were many times I had to explain some things that are second nature to us geeks, like how to attach a photograph to an email. Yet because we were all family, it was only natural that our guidelines were sparse. All that we asked were that we act like we were at a family dinner, keep your elbows off the table and never discuss sex, religion or most importantly, politics. In my family there are both Republicans and Democrats so this rule was almost always abided by. On Heycuz, for the most part, this has worked and I'm not going to change it now. 

But, I do want to give some netiquette tips that many have forgotten or were simply never told. You can start by taking all of the "manners" that your mama taught you and apply it to your online communication. That said, here are the most important "rules" to ensure a happier and more successful time online:

1. BE CONSIDERATE. The first, and most important thing to remember is the golden rule. Remember that there's another person(s) on the receiving end of your post or email. It sounds obvious, but sometimes when you're looking at an electronic monitor, its easy to forget. Also remember that your "humor" may not be recognized because we cannot write voice in-fluctuations, etc, as well as we can hear them. Being considerate is especially more valid on Heycuz than elsewhere on a seemingly anonymous web because here we are family. Some of us are eccentric, some stoic, some just forgetful, but regardless of that we are all cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

2. "IF YOU CAN'T SAY SOMETHING NICE..." One of the shortcomings of schools is that they don't spend more time teaching people how to argue. How many times have you had to figure out the ratio of a circle in contrast to the number of times you had an argument? I'm just saying, they should re-prioritize the educational requirements proportionately to life's requirements. If you disagree with someone don't, ever, make it personal. Not only is it hurtful, but it doesn't work in swaying others to your side of the argument. I remember once when I was a child, my sis and I were having an argument and she realized she was losing. At the end of her rope, she appealed to my mother with "MOM! APRIL'S STUPID!" The result was that everyone, my mother included, erupted in uproarious laughter. 

A side note: A lot of boards and newsgroups tell you to continue the argument off the list. I'm not going to tell you that because people come away with a false sense of anonymity. There is none. Some think that there's only two people reading a so-called "private" email and so they can say the darndest things. But remember you have no control over what the receiver does with your email and now with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or rather the current abuse of the act, a server can be ordered to hand over all of your correspondence as well. In addition, I have my email backed up from 1987/8 til now. At any time, I can pull up the correspondence from others and blast it across the internet for all to see. I'm telling you right now, give up the idea that there's any privacy involved in the internet. Any lawyer will tell you, "Never put it and writing." And, speaking of privacy, I want to politely decline any further correspondence that include the words "for your eyes only" or "not for publication." What do I do with that? Are you implying I like gossip?

3. DON'T WASTE OTHER'S TIME: Realize also that others might not want to hear you drone on about the same thing (especially if it has nothing to do with our topic of family history). This coincides with one of my biggest pet peeves, the forward button. Don't use it. OK, you might use it once or twice, but only use it if you add some information or some comment or any text at all. Otherwise, consider taking the forward button off your menu bar. You can still find it, if you need to, in the "message" part of the menu. If it says "Pass it On," don't. My filters already put those emails right where they belong, directly in the trash. I belong to a lot of genealogy boards, so I get thousands of emails a day and it makes me feel like a heel when I get messages titled, "I better get this back." If I spent my time responding to those I wouldn't have the time to answer all the legitimate queries I get. In that same vein, never post "dittos." If you have nothing more to add and you're not answering a survey, a "me too" is useless.

4. ANSWER YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL: If someone has taken the time to write to you personally, answer them. Even if all you can write is, "I'm busy right now, I'll try to write more later." And with that I add be patient for a reply and if you don't get an answer within a reasonable time period, like say 14 days, then send a gentle reminder. Perhaps, a "did you get this?" and repost your message. Many times, it can take me weeks to write an answer, though I try to keep the time down to a couple of days. 

5. ALWAYS SIGN YOUR POST: especially if you're giving information. In genealogy this is SO important. Facts are irrelevant if they have no source. How many times have you passed up unsourced trees on rootsweb or other sites. Why? Because, if there are no sources given, typically, they are so full of error's they are useless. If you're not willing to leave your name, then you're just a lurker who has nothing to add. Sorry to be so crass, I'm pointing out how others view your posts.

6. QUOTE: Give me some idea of what you're responding to or talking about. Familiarize yourself with the copy and paste keys on your keyboard. It's really exciting when I get an email responding to a post that I put up on a board 10 years ago. But, realize my memory's not that great! I need to know what my question was that you so kindly are responding to. This applies to emails also. Figure out how your email software or email website handles quoting. Sometimes you have to highlight the person's message, sometimes you have to set your program to do that. If the message was long, remember you can just "quote" the part you're responding to and delete the rest, but at least quote something. If you are talking about a web page, give the url. I really, really, and I mean, really!, appreciate people letting me know about a broken link or a error on the heycuz.net. However, please understand, that at last count there were 282,000 pages on our website. Help! (To give the url, highlight the text in the url box at the top of your browser go to edit, go to copy. Now, when you go to your email, go back up to edit then to paste.)

7. CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE. This is especially true on web boards because many times the search engine crawlers only search by subject line. You took the time to respond, now take the time to make sure the right people see your message. On yahoo, which is the server Heycuz is on, it seems to only search by subject or email addresses. So, if a person is looking for a particular subject, and the subject hasn't been changed, those emails are missed. Changing the subject line is an easy thing to do. When you click reply, pop back up one line and write a short description of what you're writing. 

8. BREATHE! Before you hit the send button, look over your reply. Seriously consider whether you'd want to receive the message you're sending. Are you clear? Would you talk like that to someone if they were standing in front of you? We get all caught up in the speed of this new internet thingy, or the thrill and excitement that we found a new cousin, that we don't realize the web doesn't have to dictate the speed of our reply. Recently, some college did a study they called The Good Samaritan. In it, they discovered that the one thing that dictated how "good" people acted toward each other was related to how much time pressure the person was feeling. Those who were rude or unhelpful felt rushed. So, remember to breathe. You're not rushed. We can wait for your words of wisdom. 

This blog is probably way too long, and gives too much emphasis on the negatives. The last thing I want to do is scare away newcomers to our family tree. Honestly, negative posts on Heycuz are rare. We truly are one big family, and now, doing genealogy, I've realized that applies to more people than I could have possibly dreamed. We are all related. To me, family means, embracing the differences in each other and I welcome them. I love them, in fact. I'm astonished by and proud of the level of talent in our little group. My final comment is a request: If I don't treat you like you're my family, please do what my father would do, kick me in the rear and tell me to get with the program.

Your cuz,

April

Welcome

As the webhost, I get a lot of queries and while I try my best to help find your missing ancestors, I am only one person. Here's a chance to increase your odds by posting your queries directly to all of the members of Heycuz, some who've been doing research for over 50 years. While I've named this section, Wanted, it is not limited to that. If you've been looking for anything on your ancestor, like a photograph or a burial spot, feel free to ask about that too.

The reward may be only finding another cousin to share research with. Then again, you just might find your Most Wanted ancestor. Thanks for contributing!

April

Thanks for Your Patience

Thank you all for bearing with me while the site undergoes a major overhaul. I've received a lot of letters from members about links not working and I apologize for that. I hope to have it all fixed soon. While it has been inconvenient, I believe the changes will benefit visitors to the site. The first thing I hope to do is make the site more organized so finding the information you need will be easier. I also hope to make the pages more interactive by adding a number of improvements. One of the improvements includes a photo gallery that will allow members to add their own photographs and have them viewable instantly. Members will be able to also download high-resolution copies of your favorite photos or entire albums with a single click. Your photos download as full-size JPEGs (highest resolution) or images optimized for 16-by-20-inch prints (smaller file size).
Another improvement will be our Wanted Board. I get a lot of queries and I try to answer them as quickly as possible. But, I am only one person, if you put your Most Wanted queries on the board you'll have more people see your query and can help you out.
There are also a lot of changes being made to the Heycuz database. Right now, I'm uploading corrections, but there are many more still to be completed. Thank you all for your assistance in sending me updates and corrections. I especially want to thank Rev. Thomas Henry Sullivan who has been working now for several months on going through the Heycuz database and fixing, updating, and correcting broken family lines and catching errors, and very importantly adding sources to each fact on individual ancestors. For instance, he'll write that a birth came from a delayed birth certificate, Bible, or a Family History. His attention to detail has really cleared up a lot of questions on some of our most puzzling ancestors. Unfortunately, he's not online right now, so if you want to thank him, you'll have to do it when you run in to him at a library in Dickson, Hickman or Williamson County, TN.
The changes will be complete soon so thanks again for your patience.
April

MERRY CHRISTMAS, CUZ!

This Christmas, I thought I'd get you something you'd really love! I tried to get all of your corrections and additions done and uploaded before Christmas. Alas, another lot of corrections came in and I was not able to finish it up. In the past couple of months, I've made over five thousand corrections to the familiy tree. Thanks for your contributions. Your help is really appreciated. I realized I had to just post all of the corrections done so far. I should be all caught up on the corrections made up through Thanskgiving. So, if you have sent in your family files--either by email or CD--and the changes are not made yet please send me a reminder by email, just to make sure I did receive it. As I write this, the pages are being updated.
As you know, I lost both of my grandmother's this year and I'm finding it very difficult to feel very Christmasy. Still, I have them to thank for all the traditions and happiness that they brought me. Family is one of the most important parts of Christmas and I'm so thankful that I was able to share the family traditions that I inherited with my son and I'm sure he'll pass them on to his children. Just today, while we made our family's Magic Cookie Bars I was taken back to when I was a child and couldn't wait to bite into those gooey, chocolately concoctions.
Santa List

It's a little late to make changes to your letters to Santa Claus, but if any cash is left under the Christmas tree for you you might want to consider a couple of purchases for yourself:
One of our cousins, Dennis Lampley, has written a book: CAPTAIN ED BAXTER & HIS TENNESSEE ARTILLERYMEN, CSA. My ggg grandfather William Sullivan, fought under Capt. Baxter in the Civil War, and if your ancestor was in Dickson or Williamson County during that time maybe yours did too. If you're related to William Sullivan, check out the Share the Wealth Section here and download his muster rolls, pension application, and letter to Capt. Baxter, if you haven't already done that already.
Another book that came out this year, The Heritage of Dickson County, Tennessee. The book requires a good chunk of change, $77.50, but is definitely worth it. I'm learning a lot from it, not the least of which is learning how much I didn't know!
Another really neat thing to get for yourself as well as your descendants is a family album. So many sites these days offer ways to help you create one, but it does take a little time. You can go to Snapfish, Kodak Gallery (kodakgallery.com), Flickr.com, or many others, ranging in price from $6.99 to $69.99.
I even converted my photos into a nice Calendar for my parents using a very convenient service at Apple.com, and even if you're not a Mac user a lot of the photo website above offer the same types of calendars. They turn out really nice. I even put on it all the special days to remember of all the kids and grandkids.
Anyway, I want to thank you for all of your help in keeping our group active and keeping me up to date on your genealogical research.

Merry Christmas!

April

A Truly Golden Thanksgiving

Tomorrow will be a really special day! Yes, because it's Thanksgiving but also because it will commemorate 50 years of marriage for my parents, Jim and Donna Heath.

Looking through my photo album I'm amazed at how young and innocent my parents looked. I can't help but be astounded at how far we've come when I look back at the events that happened in 1957: Russians launched Sputnik 2 (NOVEMBER 3, 1957); An unknown singer named Patsy Cline wins on CBS' Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program with a rendition of the song "Walking After Midnight." The Top Ten Songs on the Radio: 1. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," Jerry Lee Lewis; 2. "Jailhouse Rock," Elvis Presley; 3. "Peggy Sue," Buddy Holly; 4. "You Send Me," Sam Cooke; 5. "Come Go With Me," The Del-Vikings; 6. "School Day," Chuck Berry; 7. "Lucille," Little Richard; 8. "Little Darlin'," The Diamonds; 9. "Blue Monday," Fats Domino; 10. "Wake Up Little Susie," The Everly Brothers; The worst Tornado Outbreak ever recorded across US, at least 9 separate tornados hit the Louisana/Texas area; Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps make their US television debut, performing "Lotta Loving" and "Dance to the Bop" on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show A very young Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel make their first TV appearance on ABC-TV's "American Bandstand" (NOVEMBER 22, 1957) Mickey Mantle wins AMERICAN League MVP (most valuable player) (NOVEMBER 22 1957) After getting married my parents promptly began their life, not even taking the time to have a honeymoon. My Dad joined the military and after several moves, ended up in California. There, they reared a family of six kids. While we weren't well off in the financial sense we were very blessed with lots of love for each other. My parents dedicated themselves to their children with Scouts, Little League, music lessons, camping trips, swimming lessons, school plays, fishing excursions, dancing festivals, school sports, all while working full time--all the usual activities that fill up a life time. And now, during a time where they should be living a quiet retired life, they are raising a second family with three rambunctious teen-aged boys! For some time, it has been a trend to blame our parents for all that's wrong with us, but when I look back at our lives I have to admit that my parents not only did the best they could, they did a HECK of a lot. I look at my brothers and sister and am so proud of how they turned out and, while we each have faced challenges, we've been able to meet them with determination and graciousness. All of which is due to my Mom's and Dad's parenting skills, who taught us that it is our differences that make us valuable and that no matter what happens we are family first. Even though it's been a very difficult year for all of us with the loss of both my grandmothers, both of my parents' mothers, I realized I have a lot to be thankful for on this special day, starting first with my parents. So, tomorrow, when I say my prayers of thanksgiving, they will be at the top of my list! Happy Thanksgiving Every One!

Love, April