* Do you know your family health history? Family Health Portrait Can help!

Documenting your family health history can often be forgotten when researching your family. Knowing and having access your family health history can be vital for doctors to properly evaluate your health needs when faced with sickness or an emergency situation.

A new FREE online tool from the Surgeon General, My Family Health Portrait, can help you record your family health history. You fill out the easy to use form and it creates a pedigree family health history chart. When you are finished you can download the chart and save it to your computer and share it with family members or your doctor! Family Health Portrait is completely private and secure, the data you enter is not saved on their site and no government record is created. (HHS Privacy Policy Notice) If you already have a Microsoft Health Vault account you can copy your records to your Family Health Portrait and then save the new information added to your Family Health Portrait can be saved to your Microsoft Health Vault Account.

The holidays are a perfect time to talk with your family about genealogy and family roots, why not take this opportunity to start the conversation about your family health history. I know I will be talking with my family about our family health history. Cheers to a happy and healthy holiday season!

* sightseeing sundays: all aboard the queen mary!

Introducing a new weekly post - Sightseeing Sundays!

The Sightseeing Sunday Series will highlight my visits to historical or genealogical landmarks sitting on my never ending to do list. A list of places to see (historical, genealogical, personal, out of the ordinary) is in the works and each week I will share the latest sightseeing experience.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the Queen Mary permanently docked in Long Beach, CA. My cousin Bernice, a long time resident of Long Beach, had never been and suggested we make a visit. GREAT idea!!

A little history: The Queen Mary was originally designed for Cunard White Star luxury cruises from Europe to the United States in the 1930's; after the maiden voyage in 1936 she became the first class standard for ocean liner travel. During WW2 the country called on the Queen Mary and she was converted into a military transportation vessel for US troops. Currently The Queen Mary is a floating museum with daily themed tours, self guided tours, monthly special events, hotel with 314 original First Class Staterooms, and numerous restaurants and lounges. With the difficult economy and constant financial struggles for many preservation projects, The Queen Mary could definitely use some admirers! 

May 27, 1936- THE QUEEN MARY departs Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City.

June 1, 1936- Arrival at Pier 90 in New York City Crossing time: 5 days, 5 hours and 13 minutes.

August 1936- On her sixth round-trip voyage, THE QUEEN MARY wins the Blue Riband for the fastest North Atlantic crossings from the French Line's Normandie. The Normandie won the honor back in 1937.

March- May 1940- Painted gray and fitted as a troop ship.

May 1942-  First time more than 10,000 persons had traveled on any ship (9,880 troops, 875 crew)

My visit:

 I really loved this attraction!! A unique and interesting way to explore history. With our General Admissions Passport (Adult: $24.95, Senior (55+) & Military: $21.95, Child (5-11): $12.95) we were able to check out the Ghost and Legends Tour and a self guided tour of the ship.

You have to do the Ghost and Legends tour! The guide gives a cheeky comedic performance as the group is led through the most haunted spots on the ship. One stop was the first class pool located well below the main decks and Queen Mary haunted First Class Poolit wasn't long before the fog machine and sound effects were on full speed. At times it was a little cheesy but overall the tour was informative and definitely creepy!

If you are in the area I would definitely recommend visiting The Queen Mary!

Next Sunday I'll share a hometown gem from Saratoga, NY.

* organizing and sharing genealogy news: exploring GenealoGee

The genealogy community is growing with new technology and our influence has a far greater reach than ever before. This global audience demands technology to organize and deliver new information as quickly as possible. It's challenging for me to stay on task when overloaded with updates from twitter, newsletters, feeds, wall posts, emails, comments, new blogs - I just can't help myself! There are so many interesting things going on! A free membership with GenealoGee has potential to streamline the information overload! GenealoGee facilitates bookmarking, exchanging, and promotion of relevant genealogy news through member submitted content from all over the web.

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* investigating draft registration cards

I love finding a matching draft registration record, these little forms cover a broad range of information giving you a great snapshot of your ancestor. The forms vary slightly by draft registration period but all contain basic vital information, address, signature, a contact person (usually a spouse or parent), occupation, employer, physical descriptions (height, weight, complexion, hair and eye color), and any physical ailments or disabilities. You never know what you'll find.

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