A list of famous descendants of John Alden. A dear friend contacted me with details about her ancestry—and sent the link to a list of famous descendants of John Alden. This topic started with Thanksgiving greetings from a cousin and was discussed in the blog message titled Surprise ancestry information. ~~~~ This winter, residents of the United States may have to experience an austere Pilgrim (or pioneer) lifestyle. Shortages of heating products, etc, etc, but I won’t begin a conversation about political situations. Sincerely, from my heart, “make America great again”  is my prayer and not a political statement.

The chart, and interesting information, arrived before Thanksgiving. Before I forget…, today I prepared the collage and saved it with my personal information in Ancestry. I work with so many surnames, I easily forget “whom” I documented a week ago.

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This “taste” of history prompted me to review a booklet I prepared thirty years ago. It is titled 1992 Coffin Family Reunion & Our Island Ancestors. Reading it… held my attention all afternoon. Now this lament: I found an error. I am obsessive-compulsive about accuracy. I “proof” time and time again so mistakes don’t find their way into print.

POSTSCRIPT to share an Email message that makes me extremely happy.

Time has been spent “climbing the family tree.”  It is so fascinating!! I love to create images that are attached to the subject individuals.

…but torrential rain in Waco, Texas (8:30 AM).

I’ll watch the parade and hope the rain stops before the potluck Thanksgiving dinner here in the RV Park. I don’t know how I’d juggle the crock pot with green beans (seasoned with bacon and onion), a pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and chocolate brownie pie.

Postscript @ 12 noon: I confess to being “an old fogie.”  The parade was a big disappointment to me. I didn’t enjoy the music–or the dancing. ~~~~ When the rain stopped, briefly, I took the pies to the clubhouse. Later, I’ll take the crock pot with green beans (and the RediWhip). Dinner is scheduled for 2:00 PM and twenty-five residents have expressed their intention to be there. (Only approximately half of the residents.)

Trivia: “Macy”  is a family in my family tree. I’ve visited that store. I’ve also visited Nantucket (twice) where the President is spending the holiday. Macy, Folgers, Sears, and other familiar surnames all had a beginning on Nantucket—and I’m related to all of them.

…received from a cousin.

A long detailed email message that required four screenprints “patched” into a collage. Ina Bird Smith Showalter is my maternal grandmother.

Information is documented in each dot but I was unable to read it—or enlarge it. I include it because “cousin” sent it. Hint: Click on the chart (with dots) several times and it will enlarge the image. Perhaps you can read the information too small for this senior citizen’s eyes. ~~~ Oops, “enlarge” worked one time but failed  (me) thereafter.  ~~~ Maybe this link will work?

Autogenerated-Vandiver-John Alden 14.pdf 17K View as HTML Scan and download

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“Grumpy” because I planned to go grocery shopping but it was a cold, rainy day. Yesterday, I made my plans but today I abandoned them. I alternated between the easy chair—wrapped in the Slanket—and the computer. I’m composing stories and creating images, in an effort to steer folks toward the correct information. (Exercise in futility?)

You’ve read my complaints about the change of format documentation on Ancestry. I don’t know whether “they” returned to the old format or perhaps “a fluke.” When, unexpectedly, I had the “old format,” I tripled my time and energy documenting extended family members. Here is an illustration.  In one day I added one-hundred-nineteen individuals plus adding sources to dozens of individuals already established in my database.

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It has been a long day; I’m weary. I’m walking away from the computer (at 9:00 PM). One-hundred-forty-eight added today plus adding sources to dozens of individuals already established in my database.

Look at all the duplicates. Careless documentation–by Ancestry subscribers–is so frustrating to this researcher. ~~~~~~~~~~ I reached 82,000–in my Ancestry database–early in the day but documentation (image) had to wait several hours. Residents of this RV Park were decorating with Christmas lights. I’m the unofficial “check the strings of lights” person. Gratefully, it was an indoor job because it is”too cold,” outdoors, for this wimpy old lady.

Cold weather, chilly-cold old lady, lack of sleep. Yours truly alternates between the computer and the easy chair wrapped in the Slanket (blanket with sleeves). ~~ It’s a delight when I link families in my tree. See how the relationship changed after a few “hints” from Ancestry. Regrettably, many subscribers to Ancestry “copy” from another tree rather than search for sources. Currently, I’m involved with another “janitor” project (cleaning up messes).

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Postscript @ 5:00 PM: A ray of sunshine on a drab, cold day. By adding a few “sources” (a few “hints”), the relationship changed.