Wedding for my mom's brother (my uncle). I was the flower girl
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Carnival of Genealogy: My Top 2 Websites for Digital Scrapbooking Resources and a few of my own pages
Today's post is Part 1 for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Before genealogy took a hold of me, scrapbooking was my primary passion. I've spent many days and many hours scrapbooking, taking scrapbooking classes, watching scrapbooking tutorials and videos, and reading scrapbook themed blogs. I used to post my scrapbook pages on Scrapbook Flair (find me as curlymelb4 on the site) but I've spent so much time on my genealogy research, I haven't created a lot of new pages lately. If you are interested in doing digital scrapbooking, I'd highly recommend Scrapbook Flair. Through Scrapbook Flair you can upload your scrapbook pages, download free images to use on your pages, participate in challenges and discussion boards, and comment on other peoples pages. If you do a search for the keyword "heritage" on Scrapbook Flair, you'll get a lot of great ideas and hints on making your own pages. My favorite use of Scrapbook Flair is the ability to print your pages, so you can add the pages to a traditional scrapbook for usually $0.99 for a 12x12" print (which is one of the cheapest and best quality prints I've found over the last two years)
My second favorite site for digital scrapbooking is Two Peas in a Bucket. Similar to Scrapbook Flair, you can upload pictures, download free and purchased elements for your pages, participate in discussion boards, and view other pages. Unlike Scrapbook Flair, the site also features traditional (paper) scrapbooking and card making. The site also has great lessons and tutorials. Again, a search for the keyword "heritage" is a great place to start.
You don't need Photoshop or a fancy image editor program to start digital scrapbooking (I started by using Microsoft Power Point). Digital Scrapbooking is a lot cheaper than traditional scrapbooking as you don't need to buy the paper and elements or print out pictures. There are many free resources available online for downloading elements, backgrounds, and word art for your pages.
CAUTION: Digital Scrapbooking is extremely Addictive! (don't say I didn't warn you...)
The pages I share below were created in 2009 using Photoshop.
My paternal grandpa, 1931
My paternal grandpa, abt 1948
My paternal grandpa's mom, Ruth M. Brown, abt 1930
Tombstone Tuesday: Honoring Pvt 1st Class Michael J Vitraelli
Photo taken by me, World War I Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2008
Today's Tombstone Tuesday post is to honor my maternal grandfather's brother (my great uncle), Private First Class Michael J. Vitraelli. Michael "Mike" was born July 27, 1923, son of Leonard and Lucy Vitraelli (nee D'Orazio). Michael, US Army Service #36638490, was a member of the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, and was KIA during WWI, October 21, 1944 in the Phillapines, and is buried in Mt. McKinley (aka Manila American Cemetery) in Manila, Phillapines (Plot A, Row 13, Grave 152). Michael was awarded the Purple Heart.
While I've only been to Washington, D.C. once, while on travel for work, I was able to pay my respects to my great uncle at the World War I Memorial.
Photos taken by me, World War I Memorial, Washington, D.C., 2008
Article from the Chicago Tribune about Michael's participation in WWI:
Article from the Chicago Tribune, 1944
Michael's Obituary:
Chicago Tribune (IL)
Pvt. 1st Class Mike J. Vitraelli, Oct. 21, on Leyte Island, son of Lucy and Leonard Vitraelli, brother of Conceatta, Nunzio and Mary. Mass will be said Dec. 15, 9 a.m., Blessed Mother Cabrini church.
Mt. McKinley (aka Manila American Cemetery), Milano, Philapines
Picture from findagrave.com
Quilting your family history
I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing 4th of July weekend. Of the many things I did this weekend, the one I enjoyed the most was finishing my t-shirt quilt. I started this quilt last summer, and other projects (a quilt for my dog, Millie, and digital scrapbooking) seemed to take precedence.
Why a t-shirt quilt? I started “collecting” t-shirts starting when I was in grade school. Every event I attended, every trip I took, and every school I attended resulted in a t-shirt. Soon there was no room in my dresser or closet, and the t-shirts I could stuff into the dresser never got worn. The t-shirts contained a lot of memories, so I didn’t want to throw them out and I didn’t want to give them away. I read a couple of articles online about creating a t-shirt quilt, and I thought it was the perfect idea. What started as a small project turned into a love for crafting and quilting.
How I made my quilt:
From my stack of about 20 t-shirts, I chose 12.
Requirements for the twelve shirts were:
1) ability to fit the image onto a 12X12” block
2) not too worn
3) didn’t clash completely with my color scheme.
For my background colors, I chose the colors of my family room, burgundy and dark blue. I found the backing at Crate and Barrel Outlet store for $10.
The first half of my t-shirt quilt was sewn by hand….I had never used, nonetheless owned, a sewing machine. Finally, I gave in, read some reviews online, and bought a Brother sewing machine at Wal-Mart for under $90. Using some online video tutorials, I taught myself to use the sewing machine, and finished the quilt. After cutting, piecing, sewing, binding, and quilting here’s the end result:
What does quilting have to do with genealogy?
I never intended for my t-shirt quilt to be a genealogy project. The end result changed my mind. (Hoping my quilt will be passed down to my future children) Each of the twelve “t-shirts”/blocks tells a pretty good story about my background, interests, and hobbies.
4) Disney’s Mickey Mouse playing baseball
5) Butler University Marching Band
6) Central Middle School
7) Butler University
8) South Dakota Badlands
9) Central Middle School Volleyball
10) Bowl for Kids' Sake
11) Chicago Bulls Championship Shirt (I’m still wearing my Chicago White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks championship tees….couldn’t cut those)
12) Grade School Softball Jersey
My descendants could use the following adjectives to describe me just by looking at this quilt:
Why a t-shirt quilt? I started “collecting” t-shirts starting when I was in grade school. Every event I attended, every trip I took, and every school I attended resulted in a t-shirt. Soon there was no room in my dresser or closet, and the t-shirts I could stuff into the dresser never got worn. The t-shirts contained a lot of memories, so I didn’t want to throw them out and I didn’t want to give them away. I read a couple of articles online about creating a t-shirt quilt, and I thought it was the perfect idea. What started as a small project turned into a love for crafting and quilting.
How I made my quilt:
From my stack of about 20 t-shirts, I chose 12.
Requirements for the twelve shirts were:
1) ability to fit the image onto a 12X12” block
2) not too worn
3) didn’t clash completely with my color scheme.
For my background colors, I chose the colors of my family room, burgundy and dark blue. I found the backing at Crate and Barrel Outlet store for $10.
The first half of my t-shirt quilt was sewn by hand….I had never used, nonetheless owned, a sewing machine. Finally, I gave in, read some reviews online, and bought a Brother sewing machine at Wal-Mart for under $90. Using some online video tutorials, I taught myself to use the sewing machine, and finished the quilt. After cutting, piecing, sewing, binding, and quilting here’s the end result:
I never intended for my t-shirt quilt to be a genealogy project. The end result changed my mind. (Hoping my quilt will be passed down to my future children) Each of the twelve “t-shirts”/blocks tells a pretty good story about my background, interests, and hobbies.
The 12 blocks include:
1) Niagara Falls
2) Central High School Softball Jersey
3) Disney World’s Splash Mountain 4) Disney’s Mickey Mouse playing baseball
5) Butler University Marching Band
6) Central Middle School
7) Butler University
8) South Dakota Badlands
9) Central Middle School Volleyball
10) Bowl for Kids' Sake
11) Chicago Bulls Championship Shirt (I’m still wearing my Chicago White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks championship tees….couldn’t cut those)
12) Grade School Softball Jersey
My descendants could use the following adjectives to describe me just by looking at this quilt:1) Traveler: visiting Niagara Falls, Disney World, and the Badlands in South Dakota
2) Sports Enthusiast: softball, baseball, volleyball, basketball
3) Musical: Played the Saxophone, member of the Butler University Marching Band
4) Student: Central Middle School, Central High School, and Butler University
5) Athletic: Played softball from grade school through high school
6) Volunteer: Bowl for Kids’ Sake
7) Chicagoan: Chicago Bulls
8) Creative
9) Quilter
10) Dog lover (all the remnants of dog hair on the quilt from when Millie tried to help me by sitting on the quilt…)
While these adjectives don’t describe me completely, these words describe me a lot better than my census, birth, or marriage record.
Have some old t-shirts? Give this project a try! If nothing else, it’ll give you a warm blanket to put over your legs while doing genealogy research on those cold nights.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Surname Saturday: Henry Hanxleden, civil war ancestor
In honor of the 4th of July, I am writing today about the family in my tree that has been in the U.S. the longest. I'd always thought my family were recent immigrants, coming to the U.S. in the late 1800's or early 1900's, so imagine my surprise when I found out one of my ancestors fought in the Civil War.
Henry Hanxleden (also found as Hanxladen, Hauxleden or Hansleden) shares a birthday with me, born August 30, 1819, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died March 19, 1889 in St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois. Henry married Catherine Maas on October 1, 1946. They immigrated to the U.S. in June 10, 1852.
Nine years later, Henry became a member of the 8th Illinois Calvary (at age 42) until he mustered out July 17, 1865. Henry's calvary fought at Gettysburg among many other historic battles. Henry was a member of the G.A.R. (G.A.R. is the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War).
In, Passing in Review: Reminiscences of Men Who Have Lived in St. Charles, Pliny A. Durant writes about Henry Hanxleden:
Henry's daughter, Elenore (Laura) Hanxleden married Killian Krapf. Their daughter, Emma Amelia Krapf, married Albert Ruebensam, my great great grandpa.
Henry Hanxleden (also found as Hanxladen, Hauxleden or Hansleden) shares a birthday with me, born August 30, 1819, Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany and died March 19, 1889 in St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois. Henry married Catherine Maas on October 1, 1946. They immigrated to the U.S. in June 10, 1852.
Nine years later, Henry became a member of the 8th Illinois Calvary (at age 42) until he mustered out July 17, 1865. Henry's calvary fought at Gettysburg among many other historic battles. Henry was a member of the G.A.R. (G.A.R. is the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War).
In, Passing in Review: Reminiscences of Men Who Have Lived in St. Charles, Pliny A. Durant writes about Henry Hanxleden:
"Born in Koln, Germany, in 1819, this hard-working son of the "Faderland" became a citizen of St. Charles in 1852. He never seemed able to master the intricacies of the English language, and as long as he lived it was nearly impossible to understand him when he spoke. His own language was so peculiar that the very best German scholars in the community with great difficulty understood him. He was an honest, upright man, and during the War of the Rebellion, served his adopted country faithfully. In after years he was a member of the local G.A.R. post and always seemed proud of his record as a soldier. He performed many a day's labor on the streets of St. Charles and always seemed to have a special friendship for John F. Elliott, who somehow had a knack of understanding him, which others lacked. Poor Henry was laid away at last, and another of the characters of the place has since been missing."1885 St. Charles, Illinois city directory:
St. Charles North Cemetery:
Henry's daughter, Elenore (Laura) Hanxleden married Killian Krapf. Their daughter, Emma Amelia Krapf, married Albert Ruebensam, my great great grandpa.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Thank you! Gen Wish List and Chicago Family History
Thank you so much to Tina Lyons at Gen Wish List for featuring my blog on her Follow Friday post. Gen Wish List: Follow Friday - Pawprints Guiding Me to the Past . I truly appreciate her kind words.
A big thank you to Jen at Chicago Family Feature for also featuring my blog on her Follow Friday post: Follow Friday - Two Great Blogs.
Thank you to those of you who have come to check out my blog because of their posts.
A big thank you to Jen at Chicago Family Feature for also featuring my blog on her Follow Friday post: Follow Friday - Two Great Blogs.
Thank you to those of you who have come to check out my blog because of their posts.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Treasure Chest Thursday: Blogging helped me find my great grandfather who was "lost" for 80 years
In a previous post, I described my search for my great grandfather Raymond Mason Peterson. A comment from hummer led me to find Raymond Peterson. Her comment included the World War II Army Enlistment Record for a Raymond M Peterson Jr. Looking further at the record and details, I figured out that it was indeed the Raymond who I've been looking for! I've searched ancestry for the last 6 months for him, and hummer found him in less than a day. This record led me to discover more information about Raymond and his family. I was able to add two more generations to that line on my family tree. (stay tuned for more information....)
There are a couple of lessons I learned:
1) Blogging really does help you connect with other family members or other people in the genealogical community who are willing to help. Genealogists and Family Researchers are the friendliest people I've ever worked with or met. Have an ancestor mystery? Don't have access to a specific database? Blogging about your brick wall may help you discover the past of your secret ancestor.
2) Sometimes it helps to have someone else look at your tree and search for records. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own research we forget to look for things....like a world war II enlistment record. Sometimes we're "stubborn" with our searches.....narrowing our searches down to Peterson, when the census taker might have written it down as Petersen......searching for the surname Morrison when the cursive writing made it look like Monison or Marrison....or thinking there's no way an ancestor could have been born in another city or state....or there's no way an ancestor was married previously...(just a few of examples from my research). Whenever Brenden or I get stuck or have a brick wall, we'll ask each other to search for the ancestor. 99% of the time, when I look for his ancestor or he looks for my ancestor, we find what we're looking for.
3) Sometimes two letters make all the difference. Discovering that my Raymond Mason Peterson was a Jr. was the key to discovering his past and where he ended up.
4) It's a small world.....Raymond Peterson died in Sun City, Maricopa County, Arizona.....fifteen minutes from my grandpa's house in Arizona where they moved a few years ago.
5) The smallest details from your family's stories (or the details they forget to tell you) may be be the key to your next discovery. When my dad told my grandpa that I found Raymond Peterson and his father who was also Raymond Peterson, and they shared the middle name Mason, my grandpa said, well, that's because Raymond's dad was a freemason....we had never known that fact. The fact that he was a mason helped me verify an obituary belonged to Raymond's dad.
A BIG thank you to hummer for helping me find Raymond Peterson!
There are a couple of lessons I learned:
1) Blogging really does help you connect with other family members or other people in the genealogical community who are willing to help. Genealogists and Family Researchers are the friendliest people I've ever worked with or met. Have an ancestor mystery? Don't have access to a specific database? Blogging about your brick wall may help you discover the past of your secret ancestor.
2) Sometimes it helps to have someone else look at your tree and search for records. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own research we forget to look for things....like a world war II enlistment record. Sometimes we're "stubborn" with our searches.....narrowing our searches down to Peterson, when the census taker might have written it down as Petersen......searching for the surname Morrison when the cursive writing made it look like Monison or Marrison....or thinking there's no way an ancestor could have been born in another city or state....or there's no way an ancestor was married previously...(just a few of examples from my research). Whenever Brenden or I get stuck or have a brick wall, we'll ask each other to search for the ancestor. 99% of the time, when I look for his ancestor or he looks for my ancestor, we find what we're looking for.
3) Sometimes two letters make all the difference. Discovering that my Raymond Mason Peterson was a Jr. was the key to discovering his past and where he ended up.
4) It's a small world.....Raymond Peterson died in Sun City, Maricopa County, Arizona.....fifteen minutes from my grandpa's house in Arizona where they moved a few years ago.
5) The smallest details from your family's stories (or the details they forget to tell you) may be be the key to your next discovery. When my dad told my grandpa that I found Raymond Peterson and his father who was also Raymond Peterson, and they shared the middle name Mason, my grandpa said, well, that's because Raymond's dad was a freemason....we had never known that fact. The fact that he was a mason helped me verify an obituary belonged to Raymond's dad.
A BIG thank you to hummer for helping me find Raymond Peterson!
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