Fighting windmills?! Below is an illustration of a “challenge” I find almost every day.  Yes, I covered the name of the culprit. There’s a feature in Ancestry where I can compare my file (my individual) against that of other members. I shook my head in disbelief because “the culprit” didn’t see the duplication of information. ~~ Personally, I’m a novice when it comes to creating a collage. To capture the entire image, I had to “screen capture” three times. So I, too, have the duplication of Jacob. ~~ I wrote a polite note to “the culprit”–one of many “polite notes” I send to folks with an obvious problem.  ~~ In this case, this is the husband of my great-grandaunt so, for my part, I’m fighting for 200% accuracy!!

I have to lecture myself to “NEVER GIVE UP” because it feels like I’m walking through wet cement. The weather is so hot (82 degrees outdoors—hot and humid—at 8:40 AM). I don’t have the needed energy to work in the garden–or work on “downsizing.” The only thing I’m good at (imho) is family history. Yesterday—for many hours—I was attempting to accurately document a great-grandaunt—and it was mental gymnastics!! Finally, I found the marriage records with three husbands but only “by God’s grace.” The spelling of the three surnames had seven alternate spelling! ~~~ Speaking of spelling: Did you see my spelling error? I was “so tired” last night (when I prepared those images), I typed “fifth” rather than “fifty.” It will require too much energy for me to “redo” that image. “To err is human…”

Speaking of “mental gymnastics,” Ancestry is constantly making changes to their program; I’m always challenged as I maneuver around. Here is an example of a change that I dislike!! I preferred the total number of individuals at the top of the page rather than the bottom of the page. The provider for my blog messages makes changes, too, and limits my efforts!! “Never give up….”

A gal’s gotta do what a gal’s gotta do!!  I ventured into the heat and humidity to water the plants. OMG, what’s this powdery white stuff on my rose bushes? I searched the Internet and found this answer. ~~ Take my word for it: 92 degrees at 10:55 AM (and I won’t bore you with a picture of the indoor-outdoor thermometer).

I’ve been “at it” all day and I’m still “at it” at midnight. I just read my email messages and this story about an Old German Baptist Brethren Church destroyed by fire. By “at it,” I mean family history. I know that area, and quite possibly I have “cousins” who worship at that Church. Two days ago, I was documenting family members from that community. It’s a small, small world.  https://dayton247now.com/news/local/church-damaged-in-saturday-morning-fire-in-darke-county ~~ I also received another obituary (and he is in my Ancestry database) but I recognize that I can’t approach it tonight. I must go to bed (at 12:40 AM)!!

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, Darke County, Ohio (WKEF) — As many as 15 fire departments responded to a fire at a church early Saturday morning.

The fire at Shiloh Old German Baptist Brethren Church on Delisle Fourman Road in Darke County was reported about 6:30 a.m.

Tracy Mong, Pitsburg Fire Chief, said that the building is a total loss. Their volunteer department immediately called for aid from a second department. Before even arriving at the church, Mong said they had called a second-alarm, which asked for help from another department.

“It was going good when we got the call,” Mong said.

The chief said this four-alarm fire included departments from four counties. Other departments involved in the fire included Phillipsburg, Brookville, Arcanum, New Madison, Greenville Township, City of Greenville, Laura, Ludlow Falls, West Milton, and Gettysburg.

Mong said that strong wind was a factor in fanning the flames. And, with its rural location, water had to be trucked in, which complicated the attack.

Crews were about to try to make entry to fight the fire when Mong said the roof collapsed and their efforts became defensive in nature.

When asked if the fire might have been caused by a lightning strike, Mong said that investigators were on scene to try to determine that.

Evelyn Shellbarger, a member of the church, said she learned about the fire when her son, who is a firefighter, called her with the bad news.

She said that the building is just three years old, and because of COVID-19 restrictions, they had not even gotten used to the place.

Shellbarger remained optimistic, even as fire crews continued putting out hot spots inside the church.

“Well, disappointing, but I think something good will come out of it eventually,” Shellbarger said. “It will pull us all closer together, hopefully.”

There are about 80 members of the church, with about 60 children, she said.

She said the church had been built largely by donations and much of the work was done by members.

When asked what’s next for their church, Shellbarger didn’t hesitate.

“Oh, we’ll rebuild, that’s not a problem,” she said.

Mother and grandmother.

I hate holiday weekends!! Everything is all about “family.”

Yesterday, all day, at the computer. I “hit a snag” and could not find the answer on Ancestry.com.  I moved across the room and took a book off the shelf. The title is “Old German Baptist Brethren Obituary Summaries from The Vindicator” (prepared and self-published, in 1990, by a dear OGBB cousin). I found my answer—and I was surprised to find a “Frantz” that I did not recognize. All-day on one extended family–and a portion of today.

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No, you don’t see anyone with the “Frantz” surname but they are part of the Denlinger family.

…I tried!!

Seriously, I tried to work in the carport and storage but it was just too hot!! Yesterday I did an Internet search for antique stores in Waco, Texas. There are several… and I plan to visit them one by one. I’ll decide which establishment I want to donate the items to. Yes, I’ll just “donate”…

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Postscript: Hot and humid all day.

At long last, the Big-Y-DNA test has been completed–and delivered to my email address. I was so eager for this information because I anticipated it would help me identify the ancestry of “Mr. Red”—the owner-manager of this RV Park. Eventually, I may understand… but right now “It’s all Greek to me.”  Undoubtedly, all those numbers mean something but I was hoping for names and dates.

Handing paperwork as I approach “downsizing,” I came across this poem AGAIN.