Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Man Attends Own Funeral

CNN has a story that every genealogist can identify with: verifying the accuracy of death information is critical. Two weeks ago, on a day celebrated in many countries as the "Day of the Dead," Ademir Jorge Goncalves, a Brazilian bricklayer walked into his own funeral.

The sight of Goncalves alive shocked relatives, some of whom tried to jump out of the windows of the funeral home in southern Brazil.

An Interesting NASCAR Tombstone

The "My Good Life" blog is written by Mark Aubrey. He has posted some pictures from the Greenwood Cemetery in Greenwood, Johnson County, Indiana and one of them caught my eye. I collect pictures of unusual tombstones so I had to save this one. Perhaps you will also.

This tombstone shows a picture of a Mr. and Mrs. Davis with what probably was a major item in their lives: a stock car. Having the race car also pictured on the tombstone is a nice touch, in my opinion. However, if it was my tombstone, I think I would have left off the logo of one of the commercial sponsors.

Genealogy: Similar to Cocaine, Amphetamines, and Other Drugs of Stimulation

Slate, the online magazine, has a story about how searching the Internet and keeping up with events through instant communication can fulfill biochemical needs within our brains. Research has shown that anticipation and simply "wanting" can stimulate dopamine production in the brain, and an Internet full of answers plays right into that.

The story describes the searching for information, and I suspect that includes searching for genealogy information, both online and off. While not specifically stated in the article, my guess is that seeking and finding genealogy information also stimulates dopamine production. Don't you feel a "high" when you find genealogy information that has eluded you for some time?

Genealogy of the the King in the Wizard of Id

The Wizard of Id comic strip created by Johnny Hart and Brant Parker is one of my favorites. This week, the comic strip shows the King (or the Midget Monarch as he is sometimes known) commenting about genealogy. It is humorous. Due to copyright issues, I won't publish the comic strip here but you can view it by going to http://comics.com/wizard_of_id/2009-02-20.

No Census, No Feeling

Census enumerators (census takers) have a difficult job at best. Can you imagine The Three Stooges interviewing local residents?

In a 1940 Three Stooges movie, Larry, Curly, and Moe obtained jobs as census enumerators and were to be paid four cents per name recorded. I watched the movie today, and now I understand some of census records I have looked at in the past! I think this is the same group that visited my great-great-grandfather's house.

Tombstone Parking Meter

These pictures are making the rounds. No comment necessary:

Click on the image to see a larger version. Then click on "Continue reading" to see the next picture.

Make Your Own Online Tombstone

OK, you simply have to see this one! I've written before about web sites that will generate signs or pictures containing text that you enter. Now there's one of interest to genealogists: make your own tombstone.

You simply go to the web site, enter up to three lines of short text, click on the BURY IT button and a picture of a tombstone soon appears on your screen. The stone contains the words you just entered.

Computer Frustration

The above comic strip is used here with the permission of the copyright holder: blaugh.com.

Make Your Own Church Sign

Perhaps you've seen them while driving down the road - those backlit, block-letter signs in front of a church announcing the upcoming sermon or maybe just providing a thought for the day.

But why should religion get all the roadside fun? Now you can, too, with the online Church Sign Generator. Choose from five different designs, enter your text, and presto! A photo of your custom sign appears. You can save the photo to your computer at no charge, or, for a few dollars, order magnets, stickers, and coffee mugs printed with your message.

Medieval Help Desk

Struggles with technology are not new. We sometimes think of wrestling with word processors, spreadsheets, cell phones, ATM machines and other such devices as a new challenge, something that our ancestors did not have to deal with. Not so! In fact, technology has been both a help and a hindrance for centuries.

Beau Sharbrough, Senior Director of Content Strategy and Acquisition at Footnote.com, gave a hilarious and yet serious keynote speech at the recent New England Regional Genealogical Council conference in Hartford, Connecticut. He talked about many topics, including today's technology versus the future and the past. His speech was not recorded, but one example that he used is available online. Click on the icon above to see it

I Am My Own Grandpa

Can your genealogy program properly display these relationships? I published the lyrics to this song some time ago at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2005/01/i_am_my_own_gra.html. However, you can now watch the video. Click on the icon below:

Half Died

Yes, that's what the tombstone says. Actually, it seems to be an abbreviation. The tombstone pictured at http://www.waterlooogs.ca/halfdied.jpg says:

H.A.L.F.
Died
August 5th
1907

The Good Old Days

The bLaugh cartoon is republished here with the permission of the author.

It's Not About the Tree

Burr Morse writes about Americana, history, Vermont, maple syrup and other things that some of the rest of us may miss in our busy lives. The following article was written by and is copyright by Burr Morse and is not to be republished elsewhere without his permission:

Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks
Montpelier, VT
www.morsefarm.com

December 22, 2006

Hello again Maple People,

The words came out soft and under his breath, like we were dealing in something illegal: "I'd just as soon have a four footer--one that fits nicely into a corner and doesn't fight you all the way--keep that under your hat."

"My lips are sealed," I whispered.

Horse 'n Buggy Words

Note from EOGN newsletter editor Pam Cerutti:

Burr Morse is the seventh generation of Morse farmers at the Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier, Vermont (a delightful place to visit!). I met Burr when he took a rare day away from the farm to meet up with me and another Morse descendant, Jane Morse. We all trekked into the woods of Medfield, Massachusetts, to watch archeologists excavate the purported house site of our common immigrant, Samuel Morse. It turns out that Burr is also a wonderful storyteller with a wealth of local lore that he taps for articles about bygone days. I thought Dick's readers might enjoy one of Burr's yarns, and he graciously consented to this reprint. You can find more on the Morse Farm, its country store, and lots more at www.morsefarm.com.

The following was written by and is copyright by Burr Morse:

Gol dang that slang! Yup, that's what we say when we're plum fed up with all the four letter words and human expressions that get bantered about, overused, misused, and mistaken for something worthwhile. My wife and I are both Vermonters with roots as old as the hills and we prefer the words that our grandparents used. She suggested the other day that I write a column on the subject and I thought that sounded like just the cat's meow, speaking of an aging expression. My Grandpa Morse oft used that term, "the cat's meow," to mean something that's good and appropriate. I always thought it was great to credit kitty-cats with so much good stuff, in view of all the expressions that are demeaning to animals like "pig headed, slice of the squeal, shoot the bull, grease monkey, and snake-in-the-grass".