RootsTech 2013 Here comes Genedocs!

     I am sick today (Arggh) but Finally!  I have managed the funding to attend this one of a kind meeting of genealogy users and application designers.  I am fortunate to be finishing up school and get the $39 student registration rate too!
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Priceline.com walluped regular posted air fare websites from $1,055 down to $394 also!
Sadly, with my focus on schoolwork, I missed the deadline to formally present.  I will be unofficially viewing on my laptop with all the Genedocs tools for others walking by to be in sheer awe of, but there is always next year for the formal stuff.  I will surely see what demand is generated from those seeing it to guage more innovative additions and business applications.

Unexpected War With Mexico Ancestor!

Just when you think you have Googled an ancestor to the ends of the earth and no more can be revealed about him or her...BAM!  You suddenly have a hit completely out of left field that astounds you entirely.

    Today I Googled 2nd great grandfather "Edward Alexander Gause" once again and my heart stopped as I found myself reading a never before seen entry about his service in the War with Mexico uder Captain Elmore, etc.  (screenshot below).  Why it is so astounding a discovery is detailed below the image.

           So Edward Gause had a 2nd wife Elmira, but the absolute last thing I ever expected was to find her application for a widow's pension for Edward's service in the War with Mexico under Captain Elmore out of AL detailed above in the fifty-ninth Congress' message.  This alone is a phenomenal find given Edward was not considered.    However, when combined with the previously discovered sources indicating 2nd great grandfather Edward A. Dawes who also served briefly during the War with Mexico out of IL.  The odds of these two men having practically the same full names and serving in the same war is astronomical and thus very important to note.

    Keep your eyes peeled and your Googling on the straight and narrow :-)

     I really do need to get in a blog more often, but with school, full time work, and Genedocs at facebook, I need to ensure I get some sleep and showers sometimes ;-).

    Anyway, I am back in today for my 15 followers to share a fascinating find on ancestry.com/institution found during break today at The National Archives.  Here are the images for starters...



At the left in the 1839 Sophomore class of Kenyon Theological Seminary College near Columbus, OH you will find great grandfather Edward Alexander Gause listed in his rightful place (alphabetical by last name). 

The Houston County TX mug book on Edward and family lore stated he was appointed Postmaster of Crockett,TX through the influence of his college classmate and later U.S. President James A Garfield  - today that was proven wrong after no luck finding Edward at Hiram where Garfield attended.  However, the page below of Freshmen Class for 1839 at Kenyon clearly lists Rutherford B Hays who was later elected as the 19th U.S Preesident and is likely the actual influence behind Edward and his son-on-law John's later appointment as postmasters in Crockett for several terms in the 1880's, 90's, and beyond.

This is a great research example where in less than 10 minutes on Ancestry )Searched full name OH and b 1819 only) and wikipedia (for Rutherford B Hays education details) can get you well past the speculation and even recorded errors in a County History book to the truth we genealogists crave so much! 

Thank you great Grandfather Gause (above) for attending this school, leaving record of it, and befriending a prominent official and notable man in much of susequent U.S. History.

Thank you President Rutherford B. Hays (above on his 1851 wedding day) for befriending my great grandfather and later finding him worthy of appointment to the postmaster position as did you for his son-in-law J.T. Dawes.

Most interesting are Hays words in retirement that reflect so much of present day sentiment:

"In retirement, Hayes was troubled by the disparity between the rich and the poor, saying in an 1886 speech that "free government cannot long endure if property is largely in a few hands and large masses of people are unable to earn homes, education, and a support in old age."^[203] The following year, Hayes recorded his thoughts on that subject in his diary:

"In church it occurred to me that it is time for the public to hear that the giant evil and danger in this country, the danger which transcends all others, is the vast wealth owned or controlled by a few persons. Money is power. In Congress, in state legislatures, in city councils, in the courts, in the political conventions, in the press, in the pulpit, in the circles of the educated and the talented, its influence is growing greater and greater. Excessive wealth in the hands of the few means extreme poverty, ignorance, vice, and wretchedness as the lot of the many. It is not yet time to debate about the remedy. The previous question is as to the danger—the evil. Let the people be fully informed and convinced as to the evil. Let them earnestly seek the remedy and it will be found. Fully to know the evil is the first step towards reaching its eradication. Henry George is strong when he portrays the rottenness of the present system. We are, to say the least, not yet ready for his remedy. We may reach and remove the difficulty by changes in the laws regulating corporations, descents of property, wills, trusts, taxation, and a host of other important interests, not omitting lands and other property.^[204] " "- Wikipedia

First My apologies to followers for a few quiet months here.  As promised, facebook gets more attention daily so please friend /subscribe to the Genedocs Wetpaint profile for up to date activities.

             "It is not that I haven't been inspired by family research
              discoveries so much lately as it is that I lack the eight
              tentacles only an octpus has to deal with it all in a
              timely maner."  - Founder of Genedocs

Today's Texas three day Genealogy Conference in Fort Worth is off to a great start!  This morning was spent with leaning more on familysearch.  So many of us delve only deeply into the search aspects of familysearch.org that we remain oblivious to the restof the sites awesome power to find, preserve, and network our amazing family tree.

Thank you so much for your patience!!

OK - I clearly took the summer off of blogging since it has been two months since the last post!

I blame statistics, personal family priorities taking the front seat, and moving tens of thousand of boxes at work.

     Anyway, I do apologize to my 14 followers sincerely and hope to get a bit more of a routine going as I do with facebook and my writing on genealogy related topics.

I also clearly need to get back into the lab for some neat new stuff!

Why is there a FREE Life Legacy Changing Forms Series among the Genedocs Featured Forms?

1. Death is as real as the life we live every day.  As surely as each breath we take occurs, one day it will all stop for every person on earth (and in space).

2. We really need tools to deal with the reality of death as it pertains to the most deeply impacting events on our family's life.

3.  I have used the emergency wallet card since death knocked on our door and welcomed our mother from this life to the next, followed by our father 4 months later, our maternal grand mother 2 months after that, and finally our maternal grandfather and last living ancestor 13 months later. 

.......In an emergency or after your next family member death, it is wise to have a card to help know who to call/notify, have key information that will be needed on hand, and have as identification for minor children not old enough to carry a driver's license.

4.  I have seen far too many people sitting in a funeral home without a clue about the vital statistics of a lost loved on that are required to get a death certificate which is the key to unlocking every much needed benefit after a death.

5.  I have drafted four family obituaries for my closest four ancestors and know the value of including pertinant genealogical data within that will apply to researchers generations from now.

6.  I have dealt with the pain of a lawsuit  and inheritance hijacking all stemming from when one family member over planned and their ancestor under planned and under communicated leaving your and your siblings a huge mess to try and straighten out on the worst days of your lives and know estate planning is about solutions not problems, financial planning is about future dreams not past bumblings, and your legacy is worrth fighting every day for whether it be millions of dollars or just one priceless ancestor's photo that dozens of cousins will be spending decades looking for.

7.  I know you love your family enough to want to leave the most loving an meaningful legacy you are able to.

IT is FREE so PLEASE USE IT AND SHARE IT!

8-)

Thanks to my Statistics Class, Planning a June Vacation, and a busy work schedule, I have clearly been a bit understandably derelect in my duty as a blogger.  I do apologize and now that Summer is here, I hope to manage a few more moments for this forum of Genedocs that several people really enjoy.

     Make no mistake, I took Genedocs and other projects with me on vacation and actually made some research headway like:


   - Locating my father and his family in the 1940 US Census covering Hot Springs, SD.

   - Working out new Genedocs Designs

   - Deciding on a long walk with my sister that it is about time Genedocs became a successful business(finally! - the time and effort invested in our best work needs to generate a worthwhile return on that investment) 

   - Playing my newer music on my brother-in-law's baby grand.


I also realize that the improvements made need collaboration with others to be brought to full fruition - like the necklace shared below by a female freind on facebook.  It is a great adaptation of the same concept the pocket photo pedigree was designed for - sharing generation of ancestors photos, yet, in necklace form, it clearly needs not be stored 95% of the time in your pocket, wallet or purse so bravo to the ladies helping me realize this legacy jewelry concept!