Wordless Wednesday - 29 July 2009

Today's theme is "Wordless Wednesday", and the idea is to post a photo without any text. I can't resist just a brief identifier, however. My photo is the wedding photo of my great-grandparents.

Tombstone Tuesday - Christopher Truby

Today's blog subject is "Tombstone Tuesday." Below is the tombstone of my ancestor, Col. Christopher Truby. He is the ancestor under whom I am applying for DAR (Daughter's of the American Revolution) membership. He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1736, and died February 20th, 1802 at the age of 66. He is buried in the German Cemetery, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The tombstone below reads:

"Here lies the Body of Colonel Christ. Truby, Esq. who departed this Life ye 20th day of February 1802. Aged 66"

His wife, Isabella, who died August 24th, 1801, aged sixty-three years is laid to rest next to him. Isabella and Christopher had seven children; four sons and three daughters. There is no known likeness of him in existence, but he has been described as "wearing red-topped boots and his hair in a black silk bag." Col. Truby was very active in public service. In addition to his military service, Col. Truby was appointed Commissioner for Westmoreland County in 1774, and on June 11th, 1777, he was commissioned one of the Justices of the Peace for Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Col. Christopher Truby is my 6th great-grandfather. It has been very fascinating learning about his life.

A Festival of Postcards (3rd Edition)

This is my first post for a blog carnival. This carnival is called "A Festival of Postcards", and this month's theme is signs. The assignment is to post a postcard depicting a sign, such as a road sign, store front, etc. I have been collecting postcards since I was a kid, so I thought this would be a great first carnival to participate in. I have collected both vintage cards and souvenir cards from vacations. I learned from this carnival that the technical name for someone who collects postcards is a deltiologist.

The postcard I have chosen depicts the main street square in Columbiana, Ohio, where I have many ancestors. There are street signs and storefront signs in the picture. Notice that the sign just above the bush says "Drive on the Right". Guess drivers had trouble with directions even back then. ;-)

So, without further ado, here is my postcard:




To see the other entries in this month's carnival, go to the site of "A Festival of Postcards."

GeneaBloggers Group

I recently joined the GeneaBloggers Group on Facebook. GeneaBloggers is"For those who blog about genealogy or family history and those who are their devoted readers!", as quoted from their Facebook page. After getting my blog all set up to post on Facebook, I decided to check out the GeneaBloggers Website. While browsing the site, I found that you can submit your blog to be included in their blog list, as long as it is a genealogy or family history-related blog. After your blog is viewed and approved, it will be included in the next "This Week’s New Geneablogs" post, as well as being permanently listed on their blog list. What a great way to help advertise your blog!

Geneabloggers also sponsors various events for their members. These events are geared toward helping bloggers post to their blogs on a regular basis. One of these events is the "Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt", which gives a new subject to write a blog posting about every week. If you lack inspiration, or have writer's block, this is a great way to get your creative juices flowing again.

Genealogy Blog Carnivals are another great event that GeneaBloggers provides for bloggers. What is a blog carnival, you ask? Well, a blog carnival is a collection of links to blog postings on a specific subject. The host chooses the topic and collects the blog links from all the bloggers. The host then compiles the links and posts them along with an introduction and conclusion that describes the subject being blogged about; kind of like a magazine article. There are carnivals on many subjects, but to give you an idea, here are some subject examples: Festival of Postcards, Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture, and Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy.

I think GeneaBloggers is a great group, and I plan to participate in their events. So, expect to see posts from me, using their subject prompts and carnivals in the very near future.

8 Answers about Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

On this Independence Day, want to learn more about Lady Liberty? Well then, read this article in the New York Times that answers questions about Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. This is the first in a series of articles by Barry Moreno that allows you to submit your questions about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Barry is a librarian and historian at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and he also is the author of "The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia."