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The Life From The Roots blog topics have changed several times since I began this blog in 2009. I initially wrote only about the family history I had been working on for 20 years. Years later, I was into visiting gardens, historical homes, churches, libraries that had genealogical collections, historical societies, war memorials, and travel/tourism places. I also enjoy posting autographs and photos of famous people I've met or have seen.

Along with my New England roots, other areas include New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Please check out the labels on the right side for topics (please note, they need work). Below the labels and pageviews is a listing of my top nine posts, according to Google. Four of them pertain to Lowell, MA. These posts change often because they are based on what people are reading.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Boston Athenaeum and my connection

You must wonder why I am writing about this. Well, from 1856 to 1869 my gg-grandfather was the Librarian of the Boston Athenaeum. Thought I would share the Boston Globe article dated November 15, 2009. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/11/15/with_membership_dwindling_boston_athenaeum_steps_up_marketing_itself_to_a_new_generation/?page=1


I wrote them almost 11 years ago, and their reply is below.  I wonder if I will ever get there.


Follow-up: I did visit, a few months later. Please see my post.

Cemetery List in Google Spreadsheet

When I began my quest to find certain cemetery stones, it was almost like a rain shower, each cemetery had so many of my direct ancestors, plus siblings and other children. Back then I didn't have a digital camera, as a result, I only took photos of my direct ancestors.  The process was to buy the film, take it to be developed and return later to pick them up. Then had enlargements of my favorite shots made as 8 x 10s. My husband and I went all over Massachusetts, Connecticut, a few places in New York and Quebec.

I had to get organized before I forgot every cemetery name and who was buried where. I still don't have anything written on the backs (sure is hard to admit that), but it was a blessing that I decided, from the beginning, to do the chart below. Since I had Microsoft Access, that is what I used, and decided to add a few additional bits of information, not usually found on a chart like this, or at least I don't think so.

But, I had problems last week with this chart, because it was on my XP, which I rarely use, and I wanted the chart on my Vista, which doesn't have Access or Excel. There was absolutely no way I was going to retype these 129 names, plus an additional 15 or so. What to do? Then I thought of Google documents spreadsheet, and tried it. First opened a new spreadsheet on the XP, then went to the Access chart with my cemetery list, selected the table and pasted it to the new spreadsheet. So quick and simple.  Went immediately to the Vista computer and opened Google docs and there was the whole thing, just waiting for me!  Almost like it flew from one machine to the other, no disks needed, no wireless needed and no cost.


What you see below is the alphabetical list, but I can at any time change it to list all cemetery names together, locations or relationships to me, or anything else.

Now with all these photos in a huge messy pile, I need to organize them as well. I have no desire to keep them, so my project very soon is to scan them and enter them on FindAGrave http://www.findagrave.com/, which I have done with a few already. And, I will probably put everyone on this blog for Tuesday Tombstone. I hope somebody will find a name or two that is familiar, and if you do, please let me know. This was printed on November 18, 2009 and there are about 50 cemeteries listed. Since that date, I probably visited 15 new ones.