BEFORE I WAS YOUR MOTHER CHALLENGE!

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Comment by Wenda Top on October 21, 2010 at 11:28am

https://www.backupmytree.com/ BackUpMyTree, a free online backup service for your genealogy files launched on September 13th.

Right now the service is FREE and has no file size limits.

The software scans and finds your family files and backs them up. Right now it does not back-up any media items [photos, video, etc], but may in the future [for a subscription fee?]

Comment by Wenda Top on October 21, 2010 at 11:22am

Here are some great resources that I use:

USGen Web Project http://usgenweb.org/
Info by state and county.

Find-a-Grave http://www.findagrave.com/
searchable by name, or state, or cemetery

Family Search [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints/LDS] http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp
searchable by name

Alabama Dept of Archives and History http://www.archives.state.al.us/
Tons of information

US Department of the Interior http://www.doi.gov/index.cfm
Land Records and much more.

Comment by Wenda Top on September 27, 2010 at 11:05am

AnceStories: The Stories of your AncestorsI found a website that is just packed with information! I haven't had time to really go through it, but I wanted to give you the link in case you hadn't heard of this site either. If you scroll down the right hand side of the blog you'll find various states mentioned. She hasn't done all of them yet, so if your state isn't there, keep checking. What she does is list all the online information available for each state. There's alot more here besides the state information as well. Poke around, you'll be glad you did!

Comment by Wenda Top on September 27, 2010 at 11:00am

OLD OCCUPATIONS
---------------

Another great addition to family stories & family histories is learning about
the occupations of our ancestors. Sometimes we learn what someone did for a
living, but have no idea what that WAS.

The following is a list I received via one of the Rootsweb mailing lists in a
post written in Oct 2004. The list was created by someone else and had been
seen on yet another Rootsweb list. The poster contacted the author, and
permission was given to freely distribute the information.

My Source:
1) Post made to NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com on 14 Oct 2004. You can read
the original posting in the Rootsweb archived messages for that list.

The poster's source & permission of the original list compiler (Dan Burrows)
was included in that posting & is included here.

Old Occupations by Dan Burrows

Accomptant - Accountant
Almoner- Giver of charity to the needy
Amanuensis - Secretary or stenographer
Artificer - A soldier mechanic who does repairs
Bailie - Bailiff
Baxter - Baker
Bluestocking - Female writer
Boniface - Keeper of an inn
Brazier - One who works with brass
Brewster - Beer manufacturer
Brightsmith - Metal Worker
Burgonmaster - Mayor
Caulker - One who filled up cracks (in ships or windows or seems to make them
watertight by using tar or oakum-hem fiber produced by taking old ropes apart
Chaisemaker - Carriage maker
Chandler - Dealer or trader; one who makes or sells candles;retailer of
groceries, ship supplier
Chiffonnier - Wig maker
Clark - Clerk
Clerk - Clergyman, cleric
Clicker - The servant of a salesman who stood at the door to invite customers:
one who received the matter in the galley from the compositors and arranged it
in due form ready for printing; one who makes eyelet holes in boots using a
machine which clicked
Cohen - Priest
Collier - Coal miner
Colporteur - Peddler of books
Cooper - One who makes or repairs vessels made of staves & hoops,such as casks,
barrels, tubs, etc.
Cordwainer - Shoemaker, originally any leather worker using leather from
Cordova/Cordoba in Spain
Costermonger - Peddler of fruits and vegetables
Crocker - Potter
Crowner - Coroner
Currier - One who dresses the coat of a horse with a currycomb;one who tanned
leather by incorporating oil or grease
Docker - Stevedore, dock worker who loads and unloads cargo
Dowser - One who finds water using a rod or witching stick
Draper - A dealer in dry goods
Drayman - One who drives a long strong cart without fixed sides for carrying
heavy loads
Dresser- A surgeon's assistant in a hospital
Drover - One who drives cattle, sheep, etc. to market; a dealer in cattle
Duffer - Peddler
Factor - Agent, commission merchant; one who acts or transacts business for
another; Scottish steward or bailiff of an estate
Farrier - A blacksmith, one who shoes horses
Faulkner- Falconer
Fellmonger - One who removes hair or wool from hides in preparation for leather
making
Fletcher - One who made bows and arrows
Fuller - One who fulls cloth;one who shrinks and thickens woolen cloth by
moistening, heating, and pressing; one who cleans and finishes cloth
Gaoler - A keeper of the goal, a jailer
Glazier - Window glassmanHacker - Maker of hoes
Hatcheler - One who combed out or carded flax
Haymonger - Dealer in hay
Hayward - Keeper of fences
Higgler - Itinerant peddler
Hillier - Roof tiler
Hind - A farm laborer
Holster - A groom who took care of horses, often at an inn
Hooker - Reaper
Hooper - One who made hoops for casks and barrels
Huckster - Sells small wares
Husbandman - A farmer who cultivated the land
Jagger - Fish peddler
Journeyman - One who had served his apprenticeship and mastered his craft, not
bound to serve a master, but hired by the day
Joyner / Joiner - A skilled carpenter
Keeler - Bargeman
Kempster - Wool comber
Lardner - Keeper of the cupboard
Lavender - Washer woman
Lederer - Leather maker
Leech - Physician
Longshoreman - Stevedore
Lormer - Maker of horse gear
Malender - Farmer
Maltster - Brewer
Manciple - A steward
Mason - Bricklayer
Mintmaster - One who issued local currency
Monger - Seller of goods (ale, fish)
Muleskinner - Teamster
Neatherder - Herds cows
Ordinary Keeper- Innkeeper with fixed prices
Pattern Maker - A maker of a clog shod with an iron ring. A clog was a wooden
pole with a pattern cut into the end
Peregrinator - Itinerant wanderer
Peruker - A wig maker
Pettifogger - A shyster lawyer
Pigman - Crockery dealer
Plumber - One who applied sheet lead for roofing andset lead frames for plain
or stained glass windows
Porter - Door keeper
Puddler - Wrought iron worker
Quarrier- Quarry worker
Rigger - Hoist tackle worker
Ripper - Seller of fish
Roper - Maker of rope or nets
Saddler - One who makes, repairs or sells saddles or other furnishings for
horses
Sawbones- Physician
Sawyer - One who saws; carpenter
Schumacker - Shoemaker
Scribler - A minor or worthless author
Scrivener - Professional or public copyist or writer; notary public
Scrutiner - Election judge
Shrieve / SheriffSlater - Roofer
Slopseller- Seller of ready-made clothes in a slop shop
Snobscat / Snob - One who repaired shoes
Sorter - Tailor
Spinster - A woman who spins or an unmarried woman
Spurrer - Maker of spurs
Squire - Country gentleman; farm owner; justice of peace
Stuff gown - Junior barrister
Stuff gownsman - Junior barrister
Supercargo - Officer on merchant ship who is in charge of cargo and the
commercial concerns of the ship
Tanner - One who tans (cures) animal hides into leather
Tapley - One who puts the tap in an ale cask
Tasker - Reaper
Teamster - One who drives a team for hauling
Thatcher - Roofer
Tide waiter - Customs inspector
Tinker - An itinerant tin pot and pan seller and repairman
Tipstaff - Policeman
Travers - Toll bridge collection
Tucker - Cleaner of cloth goods
Turner - A person who turns wood on a lathe into spindles
Victualer - A tavern keeper, or one who provides an army,navy, or ship with
food
Vulcan - Blacksmith
Wagoner - Teamster not for hire
Wainwright - Wagon maker
Waiter - Customs officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in
Waterman - Boatman who plies for hire
Webster - Operator of looms
Wharfinger - Owner of a wharf
Wheelwright - One who made or repaired wheels; wheeled carriages,etc.
Whitesmith - Tinsmith; worker of iron who finishes or polishes the work
Whitewing - Street sweeper
Whitster - Bleach of cloth
Wright - Workman, especially a construction worker
Yeoman - Farmer who owns his own land >>

Compiled by Dan Burrows

"I put these 130 items together from many sources and used it as a handout for
our local Orange County (NY) Genealogical Society. I was asked by many
recipients if the CHART could be forwarded to other lists or used in local
newsletters. The answer is yes -- please share this information."
Dan Burrows - dburrows1@juno.com
{originally posted here}

Comment by Wenda Top on February 20, 2010 at 10:38pm

A beautiful dedication by Pat Klassen
This is a book I just did up for my mom who passed away on November.... I miss her terribly! She was my biggest supporter of my storybooking business.

Comment by Wenda Top on February 2, 2010 at 1:27am

Books I'm oogling over this week!
"How I became Your Gramma!"

"How I became Your Grampa!"

Comment by Wenda Top on September 25, 2009 at 9:53am

#6 - What were your favorite things to do as a child? What interested you? What were your talents and hobbies? What kinds of games did you play?

You could add an extra page here about your spouse's favorite things too if you wish.

#7 - How did you and your spouse meet? What attracted you to one another? What kinds of activities did you enjoy doing together?

#8 - How did your spouse propose? Where did you get married and when? Any special thoughts and memories you had on your wedding day.

#9 - create a page or pages about making a living and building a home. What jobs did you and your spouse have when you were married. Write about your first home, include photos if you have them.

Comment by Wenda Top on September 25, 2009 at 9:45am

#4 Write about your early childhood - before going to school. You can include photos and journal about any character traits, just anything you want included about your life before beginning school.

#5 - Going to School - journal about your elementary school, favorite subjects, favorite teacher/s, how school was different for you than it is and/or was for your kids now. You may also want to journal about triumphs or disappointments.

Comment by Wenda Top on September 15, 2009 at 7:50pm

The first part of your challenge is:

#1 - your Album Front Cover - A photo of yourself, as a baby, child, or adult, whichever you choose

#2 will be your first page - Page 1 - A baby photo of yourself - you might want to scan your birth certificate or footprints, any memorabilia you had at the time you were born, include the date, time, your weight, length, parents, etc.

#3 - Page 2 - I thought it might be interesting to make page 2 a journaling page, although you can add photos if you wish.

You might want to visit D'Marie's Time Capsule
http://dmarie.com/timecap/
where you can find information such as Headlines, famous birthdays, top songs, TV shows, top toys, top books on the date you were born.

You could also do a search for images that you might want to include on this page if you don't have photos of certain things you may want to include.

Please post your layouts in the Template Gallery! Have fun! Your next assignment will be in 1 week.

Excited to see what you come up with!

Wenda

Comment by Mary R. Bresnock on August 27, 2009 at 9:49pm

Hopefully I'll actually do this. You have all been so inspiring.

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