07.15.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Poland, Niedzialkowski, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
My fourth great grandfather, Tomasz Niedziałkowksi, lived a relatively unusual life. He was born on 20 Dec 1750, he married for the first time at age 34, he lived in four different countries although he never lived more than 10 miles from the place he was born, he fathered children when he was 60, and he died just short of his 76th birthday.
Both Tomasz and his wife Cecylia Chotkowska were members of the nobility, and one might expect that the marriage between the two was arranged. If the marriage was arranged at the time of Cecylia’s birth in 1767 (when Tomasz was 16 years old), Tomasz would have had to wait 18 more years until Cecylia was old enough to marry.
The earliest known birth of a child to the couple was in about 1793, eight years after their marriage. Tomasz and Cecylia continued to have children until he was 60 years old and she was 44.
If any of my direct ancestors was born at the right time to see dramatic changes in his homeland, it was Tomasz. During his life, Tomasz saw his homeland ruled by four distinct governments: the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Duchy of Warsaw (with allegiance to France), and the Congress Kingdom of Poland (with allegiance to the Russian Empire).
Tomasz died on 17 Dec 1826 and, although he was just a few days short of his 76th birthday, his death record stated that he was 72 years old.
A timeline of Tomasz’ life shows the tumultuous political and military conditions of his homeland interspersed with events in his personal life:
- Age 0 - 20 Dec 1750 - Born in Klonowo, Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Age 21 - 05 August 1772 - First Partition of Poland
- Age 34 - 15 Nov 1785 - Married Cecylia Chotkowska in Krasne, Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Age 42 - 23 Jan 1793 - Second Partition of Poland
- Age 42 - About 1793 - Birth of daughter Maryanna in Powiat Ciechanowski, Wojewódstwo Mazowieckie, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Age 44 - 24 Oct 1795 - Third Partition of Poland
- Age 45 - 17 Feb 1796 - Birth of son Walenty in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
- Age 46 - 12 Jul 1797 - Birth of son Jan in Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
- Age 47 - 23 Jul 1798 - Birth of daughter Anna in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
- Age 50 - 05 Jul 1801 - Birth of son Józef in Mosaki Godacze, Kreise Przasnysz, Departement Plozk, New East Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
- Age 56 - 09 Jul 1807 - Formation of the Duchy of Warsaw (with allegiance to France)
- Age 57 - 24 Jun 1808 - Birth of daughter Ludwika in Mosaki Godacze, Powiat Przasnysz, Departament Płock, Duchy of Warsaw
- Age 60 - 14 Sep 1811 - Birth of son Antoni in Godacze, Krasne Gmina, Powiat Przasnysz, Departament Płock, Duchy of Warsaw
- Age 62 - Jan 1813 - Collapse of the Duchy of Warsaw
- Age 64 - 09 Jun 1815 - Congress of Vienna and formation of the Congress Kingdom of Poland (with allegiance to the Russian Empire)
- Age 75 - 17 Dec 1826 - Died in Mosaki Godacze, Powiat Ciechanowski, Gubernia Płockiej, Congress Kingdom of Poland
Written for the 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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07.01.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Poland, Danko, Carnival of Genealogy, Tropilo, Ukraine, Russia at 11:20 pm by Administrator
My research indicates that Katarzyna Dańko is probably my second cousin, twice removed. She was born 10 Mar 1879 in Nienadowa, Galicia (Austria Poland), one of 14 children of Józef Dańko and Marianna Chruścicka.
Franciszek Tropiło and Katarzyna Dańko Tropiło
SOURCE: Franciszek Tropiło and Katarzyna Danko Tropilo (Galicia - Austria Poland). Photographed by unknown photographer in about 1915.
On 09 Feb 1898, shortly before her 19th birthday, Katarzyna married Jan Tropiło. While most couples living in that time and place had large families, Katarzyna and Jan had only one child of their own, a son named Franciszek, born on 21 Aug 1904 in Nienadowa. Still, circumstances and fate provided Katarzyna and her husband with a second child, a baby girl left abandoned in front of their house. Katarzyna and Jan named the child Marysia and raised her as their own.
The family moved to a farm in Packowice, Galicia (now located in Ukraine) where they raised cows, horses, pigs, chickens, geese, rye, wheat, beans, oats, corn, barley, potatoes, and beets on 13 mórgs of land (about 14.5 acres).
With a large number of animals on the farm, Katarzyna earned a reputation as a veterinarian, although a literal translation from the Polish is closer to “quack veterinarian”. She was thought to have supernatural powers and some considered her a witch. When passing her house with their carts, the local villagers would quicken their steps “just in case”. One story relates an incident when Katarzyna and her son Franciszek were on their way to mass at the local church. As they approached the church, they noticed a large group of people standing with their backs to them. Katarzyna whispered to her son, “Watch. They will all turn around and look at us now”. At that very moment, everyone turned around to look at the pair.
Katarzyna’s husband Jan died in Feb 1930 and Katarzyna continued to run the farm on her own.
On 17 Sep 1939, at the start of World War II, the Red Army entered Packowice and, in 1940, Soviet Soldiers entered Katarzyna’s home to arrest Katarzyna and Marysia for “exile in administrative mode”. No reason was given for their arrest, but the family believes they were exiled because they owned a large farm. The two were sent to Omsk Oblast in southwestern Siberia where they were left to fend for themselves.
Katarzyna, suffering both in mind and body, died in Siberia in 1941. She was buried on the steppes in a casket purchased with her daughter’s most important possession - an eiderdown quilt.
Written for the 51st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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06.15.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Carnival of Genealogy at 7:28 pm by Administrator
For many years, my family never had pets other than goldfish and turtles. Although my sisters and I often asked for a pet (a cat, a dog, a pony) my parents were always insistent that we were not getting a pet.
That all changed one sunny afternoon when my mother was home alone. On that day, my mother was hanging the laundry on the clothesline that extended from our back porch to a tall post in the yard when she was startled by a black cat that jumped from the ground to the porch railing (a good six feet) and introduced himself.
By the time the rest of the family had returned home, my mother had served the cat a nice meal of tuna, and set up a place for the cat to sleep. We were utterly astounded that my mother had let a stray cat into the house.
We knew that we had to name the cat, but couldn’t settle on a suitable moniker. We decided to let the cat, itself, decide. My sisters and I called out all sorts of suitable cat names (Puff, Fluffy, Blackie) but the cat simply ignored us. Finally, we tried “Smokey” and the cat looked up. And so, we named the cat Smokey, even though the name was decidedly inappropriate for a jet black cat.
The next day, my mother let Smokey out of the house, thinking that he would find his way back to wherever he came from. He was probably less than a year old and in seemingly good health, so he must have had a home somewhere. Smokey, however, had decided to adopt us. Whenever my mother would let him outside, Smokey would faithfully return to our house when his wanderings were over.
And then, one day, Smokey didn’t return. We searched the neighborhood. No Smokey. We called his name. Still no Smokey. We posted notices of a lost cat. And still no Smokey. After he was gone for three whole days, we concluded that Smokey was either dead or injured, or perhaps he had simply moved on to a new home.
Another day dawned and my mother went out to the back porch to once again hang laundry. Smokey reappeared, jumping from the ground to the porch railing. He was a bit thinner, but still full of energy and ready for his lunch.
Years later, my parents told us that Smokey really hadn’t run away. Our parents had decided that they couldn’t afford to keep a cat, what with expenses for cat food, kitty litter, and vet bills. So, my father had carried Smokey to the car, drove some 10 miles from our house, and let the cat go. Somehow, Smokey managed to find his way back to our house.
Smokey
SOURCE: Smokey (Albany, Albany Co., New York). Photographed by Jane Danko about 1975.
In the following years, my parents adopted a number of cats, usually strays. Smokey, however, was the first, and he always had a special place in my family’s heart.
Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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05.30.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Niedzialkowski, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
As Summer draws near, it’s time for the Swimsuit Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.
Jane Niedzialkowski - 1942
SOURCE: Jane Niedzialkowski - 1942 (Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts). Photographed by unknown photographer in 1942.
Jane Niedzialkowski - 1944
SOURCE: Jane Niedzialkowski - 1944 (Worcester, Worcester Co., Massachusetts). Photographed by unknown photographer in 1944.
These photographs of my Mom don’t particularly show off what she considered one of her greatest assests - her legs. Nonetheless, I think these are great photos from the 1940s when Mom was 19 (in the Summer of 1942) and 21 (in the Summer of 1944).
At the time these photos were taken, the United States was engaged in World War II and Mom’s three brothers and future husband were either serving in the military or preparing to do so.
Also in this time frame, I believe my mother was using the name Jayne Nigel.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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05.15.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Danko, Niedzialkowski, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
I know very little about my mother’s education, except that she attended public elementary and high school in Worcester, Massachusetts.
I don’t know the names of the schools she attended or what her favorite subjects were. I do know she had an excellent command of the English language and an aptitude for mathematics. She also possessed an incredible attention to detail.
I do have two school photographs of her. I believe the first was taken on 06 Oct 1936, meaning that she was 14 years old and probably in the 8th grade.
Jennie Niedzialkoski in Elementary School - 1936
SOURCE: Jennie Niedzialkoski in Elementary School - 1936 (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts). Photographed 06 Oct 1936.
The second photo was probably taken upon her graduation from high school, meaning that it was taken in about 1940.
Jennie Niedzialkoski in High School - about 1940
SOURCE: Jennie Niedzialkoski in Elementary School - 1940 (Worcester, Worcester County, Massachusetts). Photographed about 1940.
Sometime, I’ll have to ask my aunt and uncles about my mother’s education. I suspect they’ll remember. After all, they probably attended the same schools she did.
In the 1940s, after graduating from high school, my mother worked for Graton & Knight Company in Worcester. Her job was variously described in the Worcester City Directories as Clerk, Computer Operator, and Keypunch Operator. I don’t know what business the firm Graton & Knight was in or why they would need to hire a Computer Operator or Keypunch Operator at a time when very few people even knew what these terms meant. Nonetheless, my remarkable mother was working with computers in the 1940s.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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04.28.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Poland, Carnival of Genealogy at 8:26 pm by Administrator
A couple of days ago, I translated the Słownik Geograficzny entry for the Polish village of Dylągowa, the seat of the parish in which I believe my paternal grandmother was baptized and married.
Since then, I’ve done some additional research on the history of the village.
The location was settled in 1484 and, at that time was called Vylagowa. In 1489 the village was called Dylagowka, in 1515 it was called Dilagowa, and in 1559 it was called Dyliągowa. Finally, in 1700, it assumed its present name: Dylągowa. The name apparently originates from the first settler, Johannes Dyląg, whose nickname dyląg means long man or stick.
Historical records first mention Dylągowa in 1484 and state that the place belonged to Piotr Kmita.
In the 16th Century, the local parish priest, Andrzej from Dynów, advocated the Reformation in his homilies and was excommunicated by the Bishop of Przemyśl. In 1552, the Roman Catholic Church in Dylągowa was seized and looted by Calvinists, led by Stanisław Stadnicki, who had also taken over the church in nearby Dubiecko. Stanisław’s son, Marcin Stadnicki of Żmigród, castellan of Sanok, granted a new endowment to the Roman Catholic Church in 1625.
In 1703, the church burned down and documents regarding the early history of the church in Dylągowa were destroyed. In 1706, Teofil Czartoryski and Stanisław Pęklaski endowed a new church. This church was built of wood and named for Saint Zofia.
In the years 1906-1911, a stone church, again under the name of Saint Zofia, was built in the Romanesque style on new ground by the Reverend J. M. Steliński. This church was 33 meters long, 15 meters wide, and 12 meters high. The main altar and two side altars were brought from the old wooden church.
The village of Dylągowa experienced hard times during World War II. Because of an attack on the command of Second Lieutenant Aleksander Grube (alias “The Vulture”) in the guard of the Ukrainian Police in Jawornik Ruski, a decision was made to “pacify” Dylągowa. The rectory of the church was taken by the occupying armies. Residents were sent to Siberia or to the German Death Camps. On 25 Apr 1944, any residents still in the village were imprisoned in the church and convicted to death. The church was to be blown up with the people inside. The Reverend Fr. Paściak prepared the people for the explosion and distributed Holy Communion. In the end, the lives of the residents were spared when the Reverend Father sacrificed his own life.
On 04 Oct 1945, Dylągowa and the neighboring villages of Bartkówka, Łączki, Sielnica and Pawłokoma were burned to the ground by the Ukrainian Rebel Army in retaliation for an attack on Pawłokoma.
Except for the church, everything in Dylągowa had been burned and many of the residents had been killed. The corpse of the Reverend Father was taken to the cemetery by sled and his body was buried there. On 01 Jan 1946, the parish in Dylągowa ceased to exist.
After the war, the village of Dylągowa was rebuilt. The Reverend M. Pawul and the parishioners reconstructed the rectory and restored the church. In the present church, on the main altar, new pictures of Saint Zofia, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a crucifix with the figures of Saint Jan and Our Lady at the Grave were installed. New pictures of Saint Antoni and the Mother of God were placed on the side altar. The Stations of the Cross are oil paintings that originate from the year 1888. In the steeple of the church there are two bells, a 300 kilogram bell named Jan and a 150 kilogram bell named Zygmunt.
A 17-voice organ was purchased in 1954 and was built by local craftsmen. Polychromes of Professor K. Szumczak were obtained in 1961. In 1963, the tabernacle was installed and the church was finally wired for electricity. Between 1978-1980, loudspeakers were installed, wood paneling was added, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the church, and a new roof was completed.
In the parish cemetery there still exist gravestones from the 19th century, including those of Aleksander Starzeński (d. 1831) and Roza née Zabielski Kamieniecki (d. 1843).
Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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04.13.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Carnival of Genealogy at 10:50 pm by Administrator
When showing people photos of my sisters, a common response is “I can tell you’re related”.
Quite frankly, my sisters and I see only the vaguest resemblance to each other, but perhaps we’re looking too closely.
Among our relatives, I’ve noticed instances where family members share physical attributes very closely. My cousin Jim looks very much like his father. My own father and his brother Joe look so much alike that there can be no doubt they are brothers.
In my family, my younger sister and I look more like each other than either of us look like our older sister. We both have blond hair that has darkened with age and a nose that we surely inherited from our paternal grandmother. We also share what my sister refers to as “Spock eyebrows” and I lovingly call “mad scientist eyebrows” that we must have inherited from our Niedzialkowski ancestors. Sure enough, a photograph of me with my three Niedzialkowski uncles shows that the four of us have the same eyebrows.
My older sister inherited her hair color, eye color, and nose from our mother. More than that, she inherited our mother’s predisposition for organization and orderliness.
While growing up, our family’s house was always clean and neat, with the possible exception of my bedroom which, after a certain point in time, my mother declared a disaster zone. My older sister’s house is likewise neat and clean, except after the grandkids have been to visit. We won’t even discuss the office in my home.
My older sister is calm, flexible, and friendly. She will go out of her way to help others and, for many years, was the primary caregiver for our Aunt Helen. She probably inherited those traits from my father who knows half the people in town and, at the drop of a hat, will strike up a conversation with complete strangers. My younger sister and I are a bit more tightly wound, but we’ve mellowed with age.
The one behavioral tendency that I’ve seen in many family members is an attention to detail. Certainly, my parents, my sisters and I all share an attention to detail, a trait that proves useful in researching family history. Even beyond my immediate family, many of my uncles, aunts, and cousins also share this trait. I don’t know if this attention to detail is inherited or if it’s a learned behavior, but it’s the one trait I’ve clearly noticed is common among my relatives.
Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 Stephen J. Danko
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04.02.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
My mother’s parents were called “Ma and Pa” by just about everyone. While I suppose it was natural for their own children to call them by those names, all their grandchildren also called them “Ma and Pa”.
Since Ma and Pa lived in Worcester, Massachusetts and my family lived in Albany, New York, we rarely saw them. The distance just seemed too great for frequent visits. Consequently, I never really got to know Ma and Pa as well as I would have liked.
Ma and Pa always took great care of their cars. Of course, it was Pa who took care of the cars. His first car was a Model T. He later bought a 1924 Hupmobile with the option of solid wheels (instead of wire wheels) and windows that were buttoned in. The windshield wipers had to be turned by hand.
1924 Hupmobile
Pa later bought a Buick which he called his ”Budick”, a pronunciation affected by his native language.
At the time he owned the Buick, Pa worked at Worcester Pressed Steel. He drove the car to work each day and he parked the car in an inside garage.
Although Pa was relatively well off compared to many of his neighbors, he couldn’t afford to buy antifreeze for the car. This presented a problem, since winters in central Massachusetts could be bitterly cold. He didn’t worry about the radiator freezing during the day, since he parked the car indoors while he worked. The big problem was how to prevent the radiator from freezing at night.
When Pa returned home at night, he would simply drain the radiator and, each day before starting the car in the morning, he refilled the radiator with plain water. Every day. And it seemed to work well enough. It was more important to keep food on the table than it was to buy antifreeze.
Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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03.15.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
J3036 was the number of my first library card at the Albany (New York) Public Library.
I distinctly remember the day I went to the Pine Hills Branch of the Albany Public Library to apply for my library card. My older sister, who had just completed second grade, had had a library card for a couple of years and, like many children, I wanted to do everything my older sibling did. At the time, there was nothing I wanted more than a library card.
My sister and some of her friends took me to the Pine Hills Branch on Madison Avenue, a three and a half block walk from home.
I don’t exactly remember the route we took to the library but, from our house on the corner of South Allen and Morris Streets, I think we walked a block along Morris Street, turned left at Emmaus United Methodist Church, and walked a short block along West Lawrence Street past the Central Market and Joe’s Butcher Shop to Madison Avenue. At Madison we would have turned right, continued past the Shell Gas Station, the Madison Theater, Clapp’s Bookstore, Stittig’s Soda Fountain, and a small drug store on the corner of Madison and South Main Avenue. After crossing South Main, we passed a row of white mansions with tall columns holding up the roofs above their porticos.
The library itself was located in a beautiful, old, two-story Victorian building adjacent to the elementary school my sister and I attended. Entering through the library’s wooden front door, a door so heavy I could barely open it myself, the first floor of the library housed the adult books. We did not remain on the first floor. Our destination was up a flight of creaky old stairs, well-worn from the shoes of countless others who had climbed these steps before, to the Children’s Section on the second floor.
The Children’s Section was a paradise of books with benches and tables scattered throughout. Shafts of bright sunlight filtered through wavy glass windows overlooking stately American Elms. My sister and I approached the librarian’s desk in the center of the library where sat a middle-aged librarian with dark, wavy hair flecked with gray, filing cards. The librarian spied at us over the top of a pair of quintessentially librarianesque half glasses connected to a gold chain around her neck.
“How can I help you?” the librarian asked. The name tag on her blouse read “Mrs. Katzman”.
“I’d like to apply for a library card,” I said, politely. Politeness was important in a library, I had decided.
“Are you at least six years old?” Mrs. Katzman asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Are you able to sign your name?” Mrs. Katzman probed, a hint of doubt in her voice as she sized me up, gazing first through her glasses, and then over them.
“Yes,” I answered.
Mrs. Katzman gave me an application to fill out with my name, address, telephone number, and date of birth.
“Someone else can help you fill out the form, but you must sign the application yourself on the back of the card. I can only issue you a library card if you can sign your own name,” Mrs. Katzman instructed. “Do you understand?” she asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
I took the form to a table near the encyclopedias. My sister promptly took the card from me and filled out all the information on the front.
“Now print your name on the back,” my sister instructed. “And remember to start your name with a capital letter.”
“Start my name with a WHAT?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what a capital letter was. “Do you mean a BIG letter?” I asked her.
“Oh, he can’t do it,” one of my sister’s friends said smugly. “He’s too little.”
“Here, just let me do it,” my sister said, and then she began to print my name on the back of the card where Mrs. Katzman instructed me to sign.
“But I’M supposed to do that!” I panicked. Mrs. Katzman was never going to give me a library card if my sister signed my name for me!
“There,” my sister said, finishing my name. “Now take the card to the desk and get your library card.”
“But I didn’t sign it myself!” I whispered.
“Just tell her you did,” my sister told me.
“You mean you want me to LIE?” I asked, incredulous.
“Just go,” she said, and she gave me a little shove toward the librarian’s desk.
I brought the forged application to Mrs. Katzman, who inspected the application to verify that all spaces on the card were properly completed. Then, she turned the card over and looked at the printed signature.
Mrs. Katzman knew the handwriting of a second grader when she saw it, and this was the handwriting of a second grader. There was no way a child who has only completed Kindergarten could print his name as neatly as his sister who had completed second grade. I was doomed. I would probably be banished for life from the library, my hopes of obtaining a library card crumbling away before my eyes like so many Autumn leaves.
“Did you sign this yourself?” Mrs. Katzman asked, sternly.
“Yes,” I lied.
“Well then, Stephen, I’d like you to sign your name again. Right here in front of me. In the space just above the place you signed the first time,” Mrs. Katzman said.
With a bit of uncertainty, I picked up one of the short yellow library pencils and began to print my name. Slowly and carefully, I printed a big letter “S”. Then, I carefully printed ”t-e-p-h-e-n” in small letters. Next, a big “D” followed by “a-n-k-o”, again in small letters.
I handed the application back to Mrs. Katzman. She looked at my signature and her mouth dropped open a little. She brought the application over to another librarian, whispered something, and showed her the card. I trembled a little and looked around for my sister. She was nowhere to be seen.
Mrs. Katzman returned to the desk, pulled out a little blue library card with the number J3036 printed on it. She wrote my name on the card, and said, “You may check out no more three books at a time. You may keep the books for two weeks. The books will be stamped with the date they are due back in the library. If you return a book late, you will be charged 2 cents each day the book is overdue”.
“Oh, I won’t be late,” I promised her.
“Very well,” Mrs. Katzman said, removing the half glasses from the bridge of her nose, allowing them to dangle from the gold chain. ”Welcome to the library, Stephen,” she said, now smiling.
I looked around again for my sister to show her my new library card. I may have lied to Mrs. Katzman but, in the end, I did sign the application myself. As I left the desk, I heard Mrs. Katzman say to the other librarian “I guess he really did sign it himself”. I looked over my shoulder and saw the two of them still looking at my signature on the library card application.
I spent a lot of time at the library over the next several years. Mrs. Katzman always remembered my name and often went out of her way to help me find books she thought I might enjoy. Even after I had advanced to the adult section downstairs, whenever Mrs. Katzman saw me, she greeted me by name. Over the years, more than anyone else, Mrs. Katzman instilled in me a joy for reading.
In honor of National Women’s History Month, I’ve written a biography of Mrs. Katzman in six words:
She taught children to love books.
Written for the Carnival of Genealogy.
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
Permalink
03.01.08
Posted in Daily Journal, Carnival of Genealogy at 12:01 am by Administrator
A decade ago, most genealogists could not have imagined how far genealogical technology would advance in ten years. New hardware, software, and websites have allowed genealogists to research their family histories more efficiently than ever before.
Jasia of Creative Gene has challenged genealogy bloggers to describe the technological tools that they find indispensible. Here are mine.
Hardware
Last year, I received an iPod shuffle as a birthday present. I was thrilled to have an iPod, especially because I had been thinking about buying one for quite some time. I immediately exchanged the iPod shuffle for an 80 GB video iPod. My friends laughed at me, insisting that I would never need 80 GB of storage. Nine months later, I’ve stored over 22 GB of files on my iPod, including many of my music CDs.
Even I did not anticipate that I would soon become dependent on podcasts. I regularly download the Genealogy Guys Podcast, Dear Myrtle’s Family History Hour, the Genealogy Gems Podcast, and the Irish Roots Cafe Podcast. I also download the Classic Tales Podcast, the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, Thistlepod, and This American Life. In addition to all this, I found that I could download lectures from the 2006 FGS Conference in Boston through Lulu.com and have easy and inexpensive access to genealogical training whenever I wish.
I found that, with a simple accessory, I could listen to the content on my iPod through my car stereo, enabling me to listen to my iPod while commuting. Even better, Susan Kitchens showed me an accessory that converts my iPod to a digital voice recorder, allowing me to use my iPod for recording oral family histories.
I use my iPod almost every day.
Software
Over the years, I’ve struggled with ways to store, edit, and organize digital images. I tried many different applications, none of which really satisfied me. A friend suggested Adobe Photoshop, but I balked at the price, whereupon he suggested Adobe Photoshop Elements, a much less expensive alternative that includes most of the most commonly used tools. I was hooked, so much so that I later purchased Adobe Photoshop CS2 and, more recently, Adobe Photoshop CS3.
I am still amazed at all I can do with Photoshop CS3, and I can perform many tasks with greater ease than I could with any of the software packages I initially tried.
Now, I straighten, edit, and crop all my photos and document images in Photoshop CS3. At some point, I should publish some before and after images to show the incredible results I’m able to obtain. I’ve been able to restore old, faded, and damaged photos, and I’ve been able to enhance digital images of documents and thereby convert an unreadable document to one that I can decipher quite well (although some insist that reading these documents would best be achieved by attending a seminar in translating unreadable handwriting).
The only problem with Photoshop CS3 is that I barely know how to use the software.
Website
My difficulties with Photoshop CS3 were solved, to a large degree, through online software training offered by Lynda.com. This website provides audio-video instruction in a large number of software applications including Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, FileMaker Pro, Blogger, Picasa, Search Engines, Garage Band, and many more.
A subscription to Lynda.com is $25 per month (less if an annual subscription is purchased, more if training files are included), and allows for unlimited access to an unlimited number of training files for the duration of the subscription. I’m currently working through the Acrobat and Photoshop training, and plan to continue with a few of the others once I’m finished with the first two titles. It may be a while before I’m finished with Photoshop CS3 training, though. There are over 135 hours of Photoshop CS3 training videos available.
The training videos at Lynda.com are professionally produced, entertaining, informative, and easily accessed (you do need the latest version of QuickTime installed on your computer but, fortunately, QuickTime is a free download).
So, these are my top three technology tools. I use all three on almost a daily basis. No wonder I never seem to have any free time!
Copyright © 2008 by Stephen J. Danko
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