Bluebonnet Country Genealogy

I’ll bet we’ve all transcribed an old document and played the jump-back-and-forth game between the image that we were transcribing and the program we were using to transcribe the document, such as Wordpad or OpenOffice.org Writer. Maybe you’ve even tiled the 2 windows on your machine, which will work but still leaves a lot to be desired. The solution?

I happened across a really neat program this morning called Transcript 2.3:

“Transcript came into being because of my dissatisfaction with using a seperate editor and picture viewer when transcribing digital images of old documents. I always had to switch between the editor and my image viewer when I needed to move the image so the next part would be visible.

I thought that it should be easier when this could be done from within one program. I couldn’t find a program that did this though, so I decided that I would try to write such a program myself, and here is the result.”

The basic version is a freeware program and is perfect for my needs. Here is a screenshot of a contract between my 3rd great-grandfather Dr N B Kennedy and the Confederate States Army from 1862, as seen in Transcript 2.3:

No more bouncing back and forth between text editor and document image!

Or should I say all of the family…

A couple of years ago, I created a genealogy-themed Christmas gift for my aunts and grandmother. I downloaded a freeware program that creates collages, then I went through all of my files and found the images for as many family members, past and present, that I could. Then I entered them into the collage program, printed out the final result and framed it. The perfect gift!

The offer for the free 1-yr subscription to Ancestry.com expires 31 Jan 2009! So, if your can find the program, be sure to get signed up before 31 Jan 2009.

Sunday night is the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas is only a few days later. I am finished with most of the shopping, I hope to get the rest done today. A digital camera for my granddaughter, a TCU wallet for my daughter Sarah and a Dallas Cowboys money clip for my son-in-law and soon-to-be new pappa Justin. I still need to get something for my getting-toaded-up-with-child daughter Debbie (she has to eat constantly to keep the morning sickness at bay!) and my co-worker for the party Saturday evening. I gotta get my Dad’s package in the mail today (it’ll probably be late, I know. Thank goodness that Hanukkah has 8 nights!).

So, what did I get for myself, you say? Well, how about a year’s free subscription to Ancestry.com!

How did I manage that? Well, it’s all Randy’s fault!

Last fall, Randy posted about a site where he bought Family Tree Maker vs16 at a very low price that came with a free 1-year subscription to Ancestry.com. So, a bunch of us genea-fans bought that software and got the free subscription, too. A fantastic deal, I think the software was $17.99.

My free subscription ran out in October, and I’ve been wanting to subscribe again, but the $155 is a bit steep for me. The solution? eBay!

eBay has a feature where you can save a search, which basically means that you can set up a continuing search for a particular item, and eBay will notify you by email anytime that item is listed. I set up my search about a month ago, and was notified about a week ago that Family Tree Maker vs 16 Collector’s Edition (including the free 1-year subscription to Ancestry.com) had been listed!

I checked out the item, emailed the seller to make sure the subscription was still available, then monitored the auction. By the time the 7-day listing was almost up, the bid had risen to $38. Certainly beats $155! I decided first what my maximum bid would be (it’s too easy to get carried away with the thrill of the hunt if you don’t set a limit and stick to it!), then waited until the auction had less that 10 seconds to go, and placed my bid. It’s called sniping and it’s perfectly legal with eBay. Anyway, when you wait that late to bid, hopefully any other bidder doesn’t have time to change and submit their bid before the auction expires. Nerves of steel, let me tell you! Actually, it’s a lot of fun! Recently, another bidder beat me by sniping, but it’s ok, all part of the game.

To make a long story short, I got the $155 subscription for $44.52 + $3 shipping (69% off!)!

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, everyone!

Space Shuttle Endeavour

Naval Air Station- Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth (TX)

11 Dec 2008

Photographer- Ruth Stephens

Robert Lee Kennedy

(infant son of Dr & Mrs Nathan B Kennedy)

21 Jun 1877

Hillsboro, Hill, TX

10 Feb 1878

Hillsboro, Hill, TX

***

Hillsboro City Cemetery

Hillsboro, TX

Tags: Kennedy

Dear Mom,

I hope you’re having a wonderful birthday! I know you’re spending the day with Granddad and Uncle Mike and Uncle Dick. I’ll bet Schatzi and Sugar Babe and Samantha are there, too. And Garfie and Silly, as well. Watch out, ‘cuz you know Schatzi will be in the middle of your birthday cake, if you don’t keep an eye on her!

We’re all fine here. Dad is doing really well, he seems to have adjusted to life post-cardiac bypass pretty well. I think it’s all about pacing oneself. I know he wishes you were with him. I think 10 years is like yesterday to him, and me, too. That Thanksgiving 1998 seems like just a couple of weeks ago.

I’m doing good, keeping busy with work and Sarah & Deb & Stacie. Deb is going to UTA now, studying criminal justice. She wants to be a crime scene investigator. Sarah will start college in January for a computer degree. And Stacie, she is something else! She doing great in school, still in the Gifted and Talented Program. I think she’ll be a computer person, too, when she grows up. She can do anything with a computer!

And guess what, Mom? You’re gonna be a great-grandmother, again! Deb is expecting, probably around the first part of April. We’re all so excited, even Stacie is finally getting used to the idea. She’ll be 12 by the time her little bother or sister arrives, kinda spoiled being my only grandchild. But she’ll be a big help to Deb. Stacie really loves little kids. She gets such a kick out of watching Justin’s twin neice and nephew. Oh, yeah, Justin has twins in his family. Several sets, I think. April might be pretty interesting…

Nanny is doing well, too. She’s adjusted very well to nursing home life, seems quite happy, if just a bit goofy with senility. But she’s happy and that’s what matters!

Well, I guess I’ll let you go, for now. I just got home from work and gotta fix some dinner.

I hope you enjoy your birthday, and know that we all think of you often and miss you so much.

We love you!

Ruth, Sarah, Debbie & Stacie

12 Dec 1935

18 Feb 1999

Tags: Hall, Stanley

Reread:

“It’s beginning to smell a lot like TURKEY…”

“Dear Mr. Genea-Santa,

I hope you’re having a nice day. I am, too. It’s getting very cold in North Texas, I hope snow is coming tonight! Can you take care of that, Mr. Genea-Santa?

I have been a very good girl this year. I have tried really hard to document all my sources, backup my work and share my finds with my Genea-Pals.

I only have a few things that I would like this year, Mr. Genea-Santa, if that’s ok.

First, I’d really like my great-grandfather William Earl Hall to send me a pretty picture frame to go with a photograph of his headstone. By the way, Great-Grandfather Hall, can you please send me a picture of that headstone?  I guess I don’t even know where you’re buried at…

Next, I promise I’ll be an extra-good girl next year if my 3rd great-grandfather Dr Nathan Blunt Kennedy could get me a little diary book with a lock on it. Kinda like the one I bet he kept when he was in the Civil War. As much as he liked to write doctor stories after the War, I just know he musta had a diary during the War. (Maybe you could just send my your diary, Great-Grandfather Kennedy, instead. Pretty please!)

Just one more thing. Can I please have a pet pig, like my great-grandmother MaMaw Stanley had when she was in the convent when she was a little girl. I promise I’ll feed it and keep it clean and take it for  walk everyday and play with it and love it! Oh, please, Mr. Genea-Santa!

Love, Ruth

P. S. Please give Rudolph a hug for me! And I don’t have a chimney, but if you could leave my presents on the back porch, next to the lawnmower, I’m sure they’ll be ok.”

(This post is for the Carnival of Genealogy, 62nd Edition: 3 Wishes!)

Jennie Margaret Melton

wife of Francis Lee Turner

(my great-granduncle)

born 21 Mar 1864

Blooming Grove, Navarro, TX

died 21 May 1887

(her 5th wedding anniversary)

Axtell, McLennan, TX

also believed to be buried here is her infant son Claude Turner

born 18 May 1887

Abbott, Hill, TX

died 25 Jan 1888

Abbott, Hill, TX

Graham- Mason Cemetery

Hill County, TX

(Frank Lee Turner was the father of Martha Rebecca and Lizzie and baby son Claudie. Grief stricken in losing his baby son and beloved wife Jenny, Frank left home in desperation. His little girls were sent to live with relatives. Frank was never heard from again.)

Tags: Turner