Feels so good when I stop hitting my head against the wall!! I’ve added two-hundred-fifty-one individuals to my Ancestry database–and dozens (and dozens) of individuals were “merged” with folks already in my database.  All this because of the story about the “Deadliest Place in America.”  Some information was easy but some was terribly difficult to locate. There is a strong desire to be a detective so I keep searching until I have satisfactory answers to my questions.

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It’s a beautiful, sunny afternoon and I’m planning to go outdoors for fresh air and exercise. I’ll ride my three-wheel bike to stretch my swollen (from too much sitting) legs.

The other day, I wrote about a “change of pace.”  That didn’t last very long because I was drawn back to documenting family (yesterday) when I received this story via email: Deadliest Place in America. My Ancestry.com family tree is devoted to “Dunkard Brethren,” Old German Baptist Brethren, Church of the Brethren, et al. As I read the story, I recognized names and then the moment when I exclaimed: “Cousin Daniel Cripe.”  For more than nine hours, I expanded documentation of his (and my) extended family members. I added one-hundred-fifty-five family members but many more to add. I finally forced myself to go to bed at 12:35 AM.

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As I documented… I reflected on the family I have known (by name) for more than thirty years. Some of Daniel’s extended family moved to Southern California and settled near LaVerne. I listed those relatives in my publication titled LaVerne Evergreen Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions. For the record, I didn’t know they were relatives (in 1988) but the Brethren Church family surnames have lingered in my brain.

Then documentation took me to Illinois and a name caught my attention: “Oh, he married my Traxler cousin.” That reminded me of a hard-to-believe experience. In 2004, I was traveling in my mini-motorhome, from Lancaster, California, to Ohio, for an Old German Baptist Brethren Annual Meeting. I would start driving at daylight and then stop for coffee (and stretch my legs) at about ten o’clock. I chose McDonald’s because I could get “Senior coffee.” I picked up a newspaper laying on the table and glanced through it. My eye caught the obituary of my cousin Rosemary Traxler. Long story short: I spent time in the community; I went to the viewing that evening and the funeral the next day. I had an opportunity to visit with the family. (My genealogy travels have included several “hard-to-believe” experiences.) ~~~~ I have been exceedingly blessed documenting family since 1987. Believe it or not, I knew nothing of my ancestry prior to that time. ~~~~

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All day on the extended family of Daniel Albert Crist–a continuation of yesterday’s experience. It’s almost 10:00 PM and I’m heading to bed. Extreme mental gymnastics today!! Seventy-three individuals added to the database–and many “merges” with folks already in my database. It took time to create the following chart. There isn’t enough information about this fourth cousin’s parents and I tried to understand the extended families.

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Why do I do what I do?? Because there are too many careless errors in Ancestry Member Family Trees. I question whether other folks spend two days on one family (and the extended family). I shake my head in disbelief when I do my comparison with other Member Family Trees.

Here is the introduction to a book we all should read? I’ve commented on my  “mental gymnastics”  but I’m lax on physical exercise. “Too much sitting”  is my frequent lament. Watch the interview on CBS Sunday Morning.

2:00 PM Postscript: Exceedingly valuable video Preventing cognitive decline.

Here is the link to the second program, second video.

I repeat something I said the other day: “I need to be nine people!!”  Not only obituaries…, but requests for information also arrive in email and the U.S. mail (“snail mail”).

Dr. Oz TV program, Friday, January One, Twenty-twenty-one.

This old lady encourages you to watch this Dr. Oz program about memory loss due to the Coronavirus. My prayer has been “Father God, please don’t let me lose my memory.”  I’ve said that prayer for many years because I’ve believed I have meaningful tasks to fulfill. I’ve hoped that challenges encountered on Ancestry would be sufficient “mental gymnastics” to ward off Alzheimer’s disease. Now a new concern for all of us?!

Happy New Year 2021.

11:45: Time to focus on something other than “climbing the family tree”? A little old mouse brought me to a stop and signaled  it’s time for a “change of pace.” The “mouse” doesn’t require batteries–it’s attached to the CPU. I didn’t know they could “wear out.” Silly as this sounds: Guess I’ll have to go shopping at Walmart!! Groceries–and a “mouse.”

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Postscript at 1:35: I have three computers so I can still “compute.” The large monitor—with the desktop computer—is my favorite.

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Less Ancestry(?), more “everyday” necessities?

An old adage: “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.”

I was forced to resort to “screen capture” and that is “second best” to a link to the story. The story will appear in the April 2021 issue of Mennonite Family History.