Sun, 14 December 2008
GEM: Name That Tune I'll See You In My Dreams was a big hit for Cliff Edwards who also performed it on the ukuele. In fact he was known as "Uulele Ike." If you think you know the name of today's mystery song, please email me call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021.
Dec. 24, 1968 In 1968 the three man crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans in history to orbit the moon. Their hastily-planned mission saw them enter lunar orbit on Christmas Eve after a three day voyage from earth. In one of a number of scheduled live TV broadcasts from the spacecrafts, the crew pointed their black and white camera at the lunar horizon and read the first ten verses of the Bible's book of Genesis.
History of British Christmas Traditions I thought it would be fun to ask my friend James Mowatt of the Historyzine Podcast to tell us alittle bit about the history of Christmas in Britain, and describe how our British ancestors might have celebrated the holiday.
From 1940: Princesses Elizabeth and Margaretâs Christmas Speech
From 1917: Christmas, Christmas, Blessed Blessed Day
From 1916: Christmas Eve Music Box
From 1913: The Bells of Christmas
From 1911: A Christmas Classic â The Awakening of Scrooge |
Mon, 1 December 2008
Welcome all the NEW listeners who discovered the show at the Family History Expo in Mesa, AZ. We're so glad you"re on board! Watch this video to learn how to use the free iTunes software (you don't need an iPod to use it!), and subscribe to this podcast for free. Then watch this video to learn more about how to use the podcast website. Watching Family History Expo TV is like your own Video Conference! If you were lucky enough to go youâll get to see the folks you may have missed and get refresher info from those you did hear, and if you werenât able to attend, this is your chance to get some great tips and ideas from the experts who were there. The next Family History Expo will be in St. George Feb 27 & 28, 2009 Lisaâs Classes: And while I was in Mesa AZ, I finally got a chance to sit down and interview Dick Eastman. Dick is always the one doing the interviewing and blogging, and I just thought it was about time I sat him down and got him to tell us his story. And you can hear that interview in itâs entirety in Episode 5 of my other podcast Family History: Genealogy Made Easy. Subscribe for free to Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast in iTunes. I love getting to talk to genealogy experts up close and personal and I also have really gotten a lot out of going through the genealogy research process step-by-step. Itâs a great refresher for me as well as hopefully will help folks new to genealogy get started. Itâs a lot of fun! Fun at The Genealogy Gems News Blog The Genealogy Hoe Down featuring genealogy blogger Miriam Robbins Midkiff, Genealogy Podcaster DearMYRTLE, Family Tree Magazine Editor Allison Stacy, and managing editor Diane Haddad. Blog Post: Genealogists Run, Donât Walk, to Google! Houston Public Libraryâs Fantastic Collection Coming Online. Listen to my interview with Susan Kaufman manager, Houston Public Libraryâs Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research in the October 2008 episode of the Family Tree Magazine Podcast. Subscribe to The Family Tree Magazine Podcast free in iTunes. New at Ancestry: Search the U.S. City Directories database Sign up for the free Genealogy Gems Podcast Newsletter Calling all Norwegian researchers! The folks at Family Search are going to start indexing the 1875 Norway Census! In the first week of December, they will start indexing the 1875 Norway Census. This will be a large segment of the census for rural areas of Norway, but not the entire census. FamilySearchâs Historical Family Reconstitution unit has joined forces with the University of Tromsà in Norway to complete this project. The university is indexing the census records for the urban areas of Norway. Pass the word along that anyone interested in Norwegian genealogical research is encouraged to help by volunteering as a FamilySearch indexer. New Google Gadgets: Read Listener Phil Hayesâs blog post about his musical mom Jeanne T. Lewis. GEM: Interview with Curt Witcher, of the Allen County Library I got a chance to talk to Curt while attending the Federation of Genealogy Societies Conference in Philadelphia, PA this last Sept. 2008. Curt explains about the wide range of census records that many genealogists aren't taking advantage of. Name That Tune! The Darktown Strutter Ball Sheet MusicThe Darktown Strutter Ball Sheet Music You can even watch Guy Lombardo and Royal Canadians doing the Darktown Strutters Ball in the 1950s (video below) If you think you know the name of Mystery Song #3 that Lisa played on this podcast episode email the answer or call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021 so your answer can be played on the show. A No Cost Way to Support the free Genealogy Gems Podcast. The holidays approaching and thereâs an easy way for you to get your online shopping done while supporting this show. By accessing websites like Amazon.com through the links on the Genealogy Gems homepage and throughout the website, Amazon gives The Genealogy Gems Podcast credit for your purchases. It doesnât cost you anything more, but by using the links on our website, you do a lot to help keep the free Genealogy Gems Podcast coming. Thank you! Visit the the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel where you can watch lots of great genealogy themed videos. Join the Genealogy Gems Podcast fan page at Facebook. Catch up on what's going on in the world of genealogy at The Genealogy Gems News Blog. My Podcast Alley feed!{pca-b2d94e87bc16bcfd5226cfc6f3aaeee5} |
Sun, 2 November 2008
Episode 54 I am very happy to announce that I just launched my brand new podcast called Family History: Genealogy Made Easy. The new show really captures two areas of focus that are really sort of outside the focus of this show. First, I wanted to do a show that anybody could stumble upon and with absolutely no prior experience in genealogy be able to listen to and enjoy and that would walk them step by step through the process of doing family history research. It's like a long term free seminar that you can listen to and work along with! The other area Iâve wanted to focus on is success stories and words of wisdom from experienced genealogists. As I travel around going to conferences and as I read my email, I hear so many great stories. I wanted to have a show where I could really showcase these stories and the wisdom of experienced genealogists. Newbies to genealogy will get a sense of what they can look forward to, and more experienced genealogists like you guys can enjoy hearing personal stories from those that you have probably heard of in the world of genealogy. So thatâs what youâll find at Family History: Genealogy Made Easy â Personal conversations and stories from the experts, and a genealogy how to course all wrapped in to one. No matter what experience level you are at in genealogy I hope you will subscribe to the new show this week. Itâs a weekly half hour show and you can find it in iTunes right along with this podcast. Flash Alert: I recently received a prompt to upgrade the free Flash player on my computer and have had nothing but problems. Iâve been checking into troubleshooting websites and there is quite an uproar about all the glitches it causes. Please be careful, and note that you will very likely have troubles with the click to play buttons on the Genealogy Gems website if you do elect to upgrade. Iâll keep you posted when I hear more about fixes. It appears that capability to view HD is the main focus of the upgrade, so if thatâs not a high priority, you may way to stay with the player you have for now. GEM: Profile America GEM: Interview with Colleen Fitzpatrick, The Forensic Genealogist GEM: MacGenealogist GEM: Quilting Family Traditions
Lee wrote me to say "Seeing your own love of quilts, you know how precious these handmade creations will be to our descendants throughout the generations. And so it goes, passing on skills, love and enjoyment across the generations through the use of sewing needles...â Great Family Tradition & Heirloom Ideas from Lee and Connie Drew:
Whether youâre really artsy or donât have a creative bone in your body, thereâs a project out there for you that will allow you to express yourself, and promote lasting family traditions. More Resources:
GEM: Linguistic Bit by James Mowatt GEM: Name That Tune The Library of Congress American Memory Website had the old original sheet music. The song is entitled Hush-a-bye, Ma Baby with a subtitle of the Missouri Waltz. Lyric by J. R. Shannon. music from an original melody procured by John Valentine Eppel, and arranged by Frederic Knight Logan.
Thanks to those who wrote and called in for identifying the song for me!In this episode I play another song in the hopes that youâll be able to do it again. Mystery Song #2 - NAME THAT TUNE! If you think you know the name of that song, please email me or better yet call and leave the answer on the voice mail line at 925-272-4021. There are lots of ways to contact me: |
Mon, 20 October 2008
October is Family History Month
Genealogy Gems Halloween Greetings Halloween Haunts Podcast by WHRO FM radio: Stories based on ghostly legends and lore of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Thanks to my friend Michelle Gabriele-Harrell producer off the Halloween Haunts podcast. In iTunes: iGoogle Update 7 part iGoogle Video Series walks you step by step on the computer screen through set up to getting the full potential. It's just one of the things you get when you become a Genealogy Gems Premium Member. Sign Up Today Family History Expo WorldCat: I also wrote a blog recently called Getting the Most Out of WorldCat and I wanted to mention that there is going to be a Free seminar Oct 28 at 2PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific online sponsored by WorldCat so Iâll have a link to that posting so you can read all about it. MAILBOX: Kerry Steward called in about some comments I made on Genealogy Gems podcast Episode #40. Here are two articles about Henrietta Pruisner Tesch and Katherine Tesch Rugg's families. GEM: Profile America - Oct. 13 Navy Month
âHit hard, hit fast, hit oftenâ Admiral âBullâ Halsey (above) GEM: Interview with Yvette Arts, Director of Content Partnerships at World Vital Records Strategies for getting the most out of World Vital Records from Yvette Arts: First-time users/browsing: Perform a Basic Search. Youâll get the largest search results by just searching by last name. Look over the results to narrow down all the possibilities. Try adding first name next. Some combinations of first and last names are more difficult to find exact matches for than others (e.g., John Smith). But if you have an unusual name like Jared Quackenbush the search will only return a few results. Next, if you know the location enter a full state name in the Place search. There are some results in their databases, such as for Google Books, that may not come up via the geographic. Donât forget to try alternative spelling for a surname. If you descide to subscribe, I hope youâll do so here which helps support this free version of the podcast. Additional Search Tips: Entering a date is best when you only give a year. If you already know a lot about an ancestor and now want to know specific information, try the Advanced Search. Use broad search terms, not an exact year of birth. Although you may know this information, mistakes may have been made in a document, or a first name may be abbreviated (e.g., Geo* is a good search term for George or J* may bring up a John that is otherwise listed as Jn). Excluding a source from a search because you have exact knowledge about an ancestor could lead to less accurate search results. Sign Up For Genealogy Gems Premium Members Only Podcast Episodes & Videos GEM: Profile America - Oct 24 is the anniversary of Chips the U.S. War Dog being awared the Distinguished Service Medal A Dog Called Chips by Mary Ann Whitley at the U.S. War Dogs Website GEM: The MacGenealogist - In todayâs MacGenealogist Minute with Ben Sayer, Benâs continues his reviews of Genealogy software for the Macintosh computer with a review of iFamily for Leopard. GEM: Name That Tune - I need your help. Several months ago I received a reel to reel tape that was recorded by my husbandâs Grandfather and Grandmother Cooke. Iâm going to play one song on each episode in the hopes that one of you dear listenerâs will recognize the tune and email me with the name. Or leave a voice mail at 925-272-4021. Thanks! Support the Show: With the holidays approaching thereâs a wonderful way for you to do your online shopping while supporting this show. By accessing websites like Amazon.com through the links on the Genealogy Gems homepage and through the website, Amazon gives The Genealogy Gems Podcast credit for your purchases. It doesnât cost you anything more, but by using the links on our website, you do a lot to help keep the free Genealogy Gems Podcast coming. Thank you! Visit the the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel where you can watch lots of great genealogy themed videos. Join the Genealogy Gems Group on Facebook Catch up on whatâs going on in the world of genealogy at The Genealogy Gems News Blog. |
Mon, 6 October 2008
"And this year I hit the jackpot when I was able to track down one of his long lost cousins who had a treasure trove of family history tucked away in the rafters of her garage." (Below: Bill and cousin)
Premium episode all about how to tap into your inner private eye to find those long lost living relatives. Albert Farrington and chorus from 1914 sing "Rule Britannia" GEM: Interview with Rick Crume British National Archives and in itunes Ancestral Quest - new interface with New Family Search. Family Tree Magazine Podcast military records interview Genealogy Gems Premium: Sign Up Now and use Coupon code SAVE20 to get 20% off the anual membership GEM: Interview with Dr. Christopher Watts
Below: Harry Cooke's Apprenticeship Record, 1872
Additional Gems From Over The Pond: Lisa's Interview with Feargal O'Donnell of the Irish Family History Foundation. View the 2 part video series: British History Podcasts: Binge Thinking History with Tony Cocks Historyzine Podcast with James Mowatt More Ways To Stay In Touch:
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Mon, 22 September 2008
Sept 16, 2008 Blog about my trip to FGS. Sign up for the FREE Genealogy Gems Newsletter I enjoyed hanging out at the Family Tree Magazine booth in the Exhibit Hall with editor Allison Stacy and Managing Editor Diane Haddad. September 2008 Family Tree Magazine podcast News from the Blogosphere Video My article âHitting the Heirwavesâ is now out in the November 2008 issue of Family Tree Magazine. GEM: Interview with Jim Beidler â Chair of FGS 2008 Conference GEM: Profile America â ice cream cone Become a Premium Member Today: GEM: MacMinutes with Ben Sayer, The MacGenealogist
In todayâs MacGenealogist Minute with Ben Sayer, Benâs reviews Reunion 9, the leading Mac genealogy application. GEM: Podcaster Favorite Sayings Montage GEM: Census Abbreviations - Census Abbreviations page at the Ancestors Search website. |
Fri, 15 August 2008
Welcome to the 50th Episode of the Genealogy Gems Podcast! GEM: Profile America GEM: A Little DayDreaming with Genealogy Podcasters GEM: Interview with Tim Russell of the Prairie Home Companion Tim Russel of A Prairie Home Companion radio show
Listen to Tim on Minnesota's news station, 830 WCCO Radio website where he is the entertainment editor weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m.
Profile America â August 20, 1920: One of the nationâs first radio stations began broadcasting in Detroit GEM: Handwriting Analysis with Paula Sassi Genealogy Gems Premium Members are eligible to submit their ancestors handwriting for possible analysis by Paula on the show. Members should email a handwriting sample, a paragraph telling about the ancestor and why they would like to have the handwriting analyzed, and a photo of the ancestor if itâs available. Minnesota State Fair Podcast presented by MN Public Radio Announce Best Bals Dolls Winner: Melissa Baker Catch Up With Lisa At One Of The Following Conferences: The Digging For Your Roots Seminar, Concord, CA, Sat. Oct. 1, 2008 The Family History Expo, Mesa, Arizona, November 14 & 15, 2008
The Song: The Family Tree featured on this episode is courtesy of the band Venice. See Venice LIVE at one of the following Concert Dates: Friday, September 12, 2008 European Dates: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Friday, November 14, 2008 |
Sun, 13 July 2008
Episode 49 SHOW NOTES Coming in August: Want to know what it was like to work with Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and one of my favorites Lily Tomlin? Then tune in next month to episode 50. I'll be chatting with Tim Russell the wonderful voice actor from the radio show and movie A Prairie Home Companion. Above: Tim Russell and Garrison Keillor We talk about his love of family history and antiques, his amazing career in a very nostaligic profession of being a radio actor and of course his work with Garrison Keillor and al the folks at A Prairie Home Companion. Below: Watch a clip from the movie A Prairie Home Companion YUMMY GEM: Lisa's Peach Pie...Just out of the oven... GEM: Genealogy Society Booth at County and State Fairs. There are many things we do as members of genealogy societies, but I think this was one of the best activities I've come across. Genealogy society members from neighboring areas come together to introduce the public to the joy of family history. NEW: Family Tree Magazine July 2008 podcast episode Podcasting Primer article including instructional video by Lisa Louise Cooke. The article will appear in the November 2008 issue, but is available now free online. All together it's a great resource for your friends who havenât yet tried podcasts. Share these resources with your friends and genealogy society. Email this link: http://familytreemagazine.com/podcast/podcast_howto.asp MAILBOX: Premium Member Maureen Stephan shares a valuable Gem she recently found. GEM: Train Robberies 7/18 U.S. Census Bureau GEM: Part Two of my Interview with Kathy Lennon In this episode Kathy talks about the tragic death of her father, and the strength of character of her mother and the values she passed on to her eleven children. She also shares some insight into being a famous Lennon sister, and tells us all about her newest venture which has a family history twist to it.
Premium Members can submit ancestor handwriting samples to be considered for an upcoming handwriting analysis by Paula Sassi, Certified Graphologist. Iâll be selecting ones that I think will be interesting to all the listeners. More information in Premium Episode #7. Now through July 31, 2008 Premium Members enter to win a pair of Best Pals dolls in a Best Pals tote bag, autographed by Kathy and Janet Lennon of the Lennon sisters. Members should head over to the Members Forum to post a story of an ancestorâs best pal, or a memory of one of your own best pals.
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Sat, 28 June 2008
July 4, 2008 EPISODE SHOW NOTES: This special episode of the Genealogy Gems Podcast is dedicated to the men and women serving in the U.S. military Patrick Henry's speech performerd by Harry E. Humphrey on Edison Blue Amberol, 1912 The Continental Congress - The You Are There radio show took historic events and dramatized them with "live radio" coverage style. C1947-1950 The Star Spangled Banner performed by Thomas Chalmers and chorus (including Elizabeth Spencer). Edison Records, 1915 Washington's Farewell Address performed by Harry E. Humphrey for Edison Blue Amberol 1912 If Washington Should Come To Life performed by Billy Murray on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1906 Thomas Jefferson March performed by United States Marine Band on Edison Standard Record, 1909 Under Freedom's Flag performed by Edison Military Band on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1908 Fourth Of July Address at Hyde Park, NY by President Roosevelt (4 Jul 1941 My Country 'Tis Of Thee performed by Edison Male Quartette on Edison Gold Moulded Record, 1903 Edison recordings courtesy of the University of California, Santa Barbara |
Sat, 14 June 2008
GEM: Another look at the Handwriting of Our Ancestors
GEM: An Interview with Kathy Lennon Listen to Part One of my exclusive interview with one of America's Sweethearts, and let me tell you, she is a gem! You know Kathy Lennon from her more than 50 years with the Lennon Sisters, but you may not know that she is also an avid family historian. The Lennon Sisters Website CONTEST - Premium Members post your stories in the Forum for a chance to win a pair of Best Pals Dolls! Who Were Your Best Childhood Pals? Genealogy Gems Premium Members are invited to come share your stories of childhood best pals, your own story or perhaps one about an ancestor, and be entered in our Best Pals contest for a chance to win a beautiful pair of Best Pals dolls, each with their own signed certificate of authenticity, and delivered in a Best Pals Tote Bag. It's over a $60 value! You may enter as many stories as you wish. The winner will be contacted by email on July 31, 2008.
The Lennon Sisters upcoming performances: NEWSLETTER UPDATE: The free Genealogy Gems Podcast newsletter will soon see a new, colorful email publication. Iâm so happy to finally get the newsletter updated and I hope you enjoy the photos and the much easier to read format. If youâd like to receive the free new and improved email newsletter drop me a line with you name, state and how you first heard about the podcast. Or head to the website. And very soon, you will be able to sign up right on the website without having to send a separate email. I hope you enjoy this much more visually creative version of the newsletter! |






































