* Sightseeing Sundays: Riding The Coney Island Cyclone

If you haven't been to Coney Island, I suggest you add it to your summer to do list. It's such a fun time. A main attraction of this seaside playground is the Coney Island Cyclone.

This wooden roller coaster first opened June 26, 1927, 84 years ago today! To preserve the historical impact of the Cyclone, it was declared a New York City Landmark in 1988 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Three years ago Steve and I took our first trip to Coney Island. Not to miss the majors, we stepped up and took a ride on the historic coaster. It was quite a ride! A little rocky for my neck and nerves, but overall a fond summer memory. Of course we couldn't pass up the souvenir picture.

 I love summer!!!

* What is the American Community Survey?

As I went through a large stack of what seemed to be junk mail, I opened a large envelope from the Census Bureau. Turns out my household was randomly selected to respond (BY LAW) to their American Community Survey. For many people this might seem like a pain- but I'm thrilled! I don't see census surveys to be a burden or an invasion of privacy, the information is valuable for our decision makers to understand the makeup of the areas they represent. From a family history perspective, it helps us have a greater understanding of our community and track social change . I feel honored to be able to leave my mark in society! This survey is particularly important because it helps fill in the long 10 year gap between the US Censuses, which is not frequent enough for our rapidly changing country.

What is the American Community Survey?

The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey that provides data every year -- giving communities the current information they need to plan investments and services. Information from the survey generates data that help determine how more than $400 billion in federal and state funds are distributed each year.  (US Census Bureau Website)

This annual survey is sent to a random sample of about 3 million households. 

Visualize Survey Results

I've shared my love for mapping genealogy and infographics, so you can imagine how excited I was to find this awesome interactive map from the NYT "Mapping America: Every City, Every Block". You can search any city, zoom in/out, and view different types of maps. The 4 different map categories are: Race and Ethnicity, Income, Housing and Families, and Education. The data is from the 2005-2009 American Community Survey results. Remember! The data represented is from a sample of the population, providing estimates for the whole. I encourage you to see what the survey results say about your community! You can also view thematic maps created by the Census Bureau from survey results.

What does the survey ask?

The beginning of the survey reminded me of the 2010 Census, covering basic personal questions about age and race. The second part was about housing, I had to include my monthly rent, how many rooms (excluding bathrooms) my apartment has, and last month's electricity and gas bills. Wouldn't it be nice if they let me know if I'm overpaying in my community?! The final section asked detailed questions for each person living in the household, education, employment, disabilities, income...view the 2011 survey.

One question I found interesting: Personal Question #13- What is your Ancestry? There is a box for you to write in your answer, with a few examples to give you an idea of what they are looking for. A guide came with the survey and for this question it gives the following definition of Ancestry:

"Ancestry refers to the person's ethnic origin or descent, "roots", or heritage. Ancestry may also refer to the country of birth of the person of the person's parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. Do not report a religious group as one's ancestry. Persons who have more than one origin and cannot identify with a single ancestry group may report two ancestry groups (for example: German, Irish)." 

I'd love to see results from this question, I couldn't find a simple breakdown of ancestry results. I remember reading somewhere that many people describe their ancestry as "American". It was hard for me to narrow it down to 2, my ancestry has quite a mix! Might be helpful if there was a box for paternal ancestry and maternal ancestry.

Worried about the confidentiality of your information? According to the Census Bureau, all of their employees take an oath of nondisclosure. If broken, the individual would be subject to a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both. I just hope it doesn't get lost in the mail!

What are you feelings about census surveys? Do you fill them out?

* Treasure Chest Thursday: Old Stock Certificates from Butte and Western Mining Company

In today's technological revolution, we have digital copies of pretty much everything. But I always wonder how our ancestors decided which documents and papers to save and how these pieces of survived for so long. I was intrigued when I found 4 old stock certificates for the Butte and Western Mining Company at my parents house. Each certificate was for 100 shares in the company and the front is dated April 1923. I starting digging...

Click to read more ...

* start your genealogy pursuit with a picture: draw your family tree!

If you're wondering how to get started with your genealogy research- DRAW out your tree!! Having a visual sketch of your family tree will help you absorb and organize new information. As you will see from my examples, I am an avid family tree sketcher. There are so many ways to draw your family tree, each perspective is unique and can help identify new clues and relationships. You don't need any fancy tools...I use wrapping paper!

It must run in the family.  These are 2 handwritten family trees found in the "box of old family stuff". These trees have given me so many amazing leads! ONE TIP: get credit for your hard work, leave your name and date somewhere on the tree! I don't know who wrote either of these trees, but I have passed them around to some family members for handwriting comparisons :) Someone in my family tree was interested in this great pursuit!

 My Genealogy Charts- get inspired!

 First Drafts

The first thing I do when I'm looking at a new family is sketch out their tree. This chart will be so much help for you while you're researching records. Expect to make mistakes, cross out information, and sometimes get confused...don't worry that's why you are drawing it out. A visual will give you some orientation. At first don't worry too much about making it pretty, you want it to be useful.

 Refresh and redo

Once your first draft gets a little too busy, you might want to consider drawing a fresh copy. When I did this I created a coding system with different colored markers and symbols. This way I could fit more information and keep it looking organized. To get an idea of what I used for encoding vital information, click here. 

Connect or Eliminate Leads

My grandfather, his grandfather, and his great grandfather all shared the name Joseph Kirkbride Wright. In an attempt to knock past a brick wall, my gggg grandfather Joel Wright born 1782, I tried to find a connection through this namesake. There was a well documented Joseph Kirkbride also from Burlington County, NJ with connections to Wright lines. I made this chart as I navigated through his family lines looking for a lead. For the most part this is a resource I can reference while I research new leads to see if I have already ruled out their connection to my line.

I made the chart below after researching a friends great grandfather. The witness on his naturalization shared the same last name, address, and was also a barber. After looking into this witness I found another male barber with the same surname living next door to the witness in the 1910 census record, another potential relative?  I needed to work through the information to see all the connections. Work in progress.

Step outside the box! Look at your family from different perspectives, get creative, and start drawing out your family tree. *don't fold them like I did, roll up the paper to maintain your work!*