The Witch at the Window

Halloween morning when I was five started out just like any other kindergarten day at Smith Road Elementary. We turned in our nickels for snack time and said the Pledge of Allegiance. We sat in a circle on the rug and listened while the teacher read us a story. At rest time, we laid on our mats (it seemed like forever), and afterwards we got little cardboard cartons of milk.

But that day we were all excited about our Halloween party. As we changed into our costumes in the coatroom, I wondered what the party would be like. Would we get candy? Would there be games and prizes?

All at once we heard a loud rapping sound. We turned, looked…and screamed. There was a witch with a pointy black hat banging her broomstick against our window! Where did she come from, and what did she want? After a few minutes, the witch went away. But before we could settle down, she reappeared—right at our classroom door.

I huddled with my friends as the witch came in. She was a real witch all right. She wore a long black dress with a cape, and had a big wart on her nose. She talked in a high, cackly voice. She swept through the room, and then, thankfully, she left.

When I got home at lunch, I told my mom about the witch at school. It was all my best friend, Holly, and I could talk about as we ate our grilled cheese sandwiches and waited to go Trick-or-Treating.

Late in the afternoon I put my white bunny costume back on and went to Holly’s house. Her older sister, who babysat me sometimes, was taking us around the neighborhood, because my mom had to stay home with my little brother. We ran from house to house as best we could, trying to keep up with the older kids. Little pieces of candy rattled around in my plastic pumpkin. I couldn’t wait to eat them, and snuck one whenever I got a chance.

Finally we got to my street. My house was on the corner, so it was first. I wanted to show mom how much candy I had. There were already some kids in the driveway. I started to go around them—then stopped cold. The witch had come back, and she was on my front porch! She looked even scarier in the dark. She was stirring a big pot with steam pouring out, and calling to the kids to come take a look. This was terrible. Were my mom and brother okay? Why was she here at my house, of all places?

A few brave trick-or-treaters ventured up to see her and peek inside the kettle. They came back with little treat sacks, then ran off to the next house. Holly’s sister coaxed us to go up there, too. I really didn’t want to, but it was my house and I was worried. We slowly made our way forward.

When Holly and I got to the porch, the witch’s voice softened. She said we had nice costumes. She asked if we wanted to look in the kettle, but all I could see was steam swirling around. Finally I got up the courage to ask where my mom was. She said, “Why, don’t you know?” When I shook my head, she said, “It’s me, honey.”

The next year, she made me my very own witch's gown and hat, just like hers.

Judy Ballenger donned her witch’s outfit and filled her cauldron with steaming dry ice every Trick-or-Treat night for the next twenty years, even as we moved to Berwick, and then to Bexley. Our house became well known in each neighborhood, and parents would drive their kids over just to see her. She never lost her delight in playing the role.

I wonder if she still has her costume? I know I have mine. What I'd love to find is a picture of her sitting there on the porch. So far that's eluding me. In my memory, though, it's magic.

--Shelley

Do you have a memory to share? For Family History Month 2017, Ol' Myrt invites you to participate in her Share a Memory Contest. Enjoy! 

Thoughts on January, Goals, and Preparing for SLIG

I love hanging a new calendar on the wall. There’s something about seeing all those days, all those fresh possibilities, ahead. Give me a new planner and a few colored pens and I’m happy as can be. No matter that I know it will soon be as fully packed as the last one—it’s still bright and clean, and hope abounds.

In the past I’ve written out goals for the year, but this January I decided not to. Things change so much in the course of a year that I typically find myself disappointed in December that I didn’t accomplish what I said I intended to, in spite of how much I actually did accomplish.

Instead, I’m setting a few specific quarterly objectives that take into account deadlines for articles, presentations, and projects I already have on my schedule. That way I may have some reasonable chance of achieving them and feeling good about it. I’m only doing the winter objectives to begin with. It’s a short, manageable list, designed to keep me focused.

The advantage of this quarterly approach is that I’ll have the chance to set new objectives three more times this year. Gives me a clean slate at the start of each season. I like that.

One objective on my winter list is to learn more about my ancestors from Virginia. I have two clusters of Virginia ancestors: the Roush family in Shenandoah County, and the Ballenger, Adams, and Nalley families in Prince William, Fauquier, and Fairfax counties. My primary focus is the Revolutionary War period and the decades following it, as my direct ancestors were all in Ohio before 1840.

To do this, I need to learn how to find, interpret, and use some of the lesser-known historic records that may hold evidence of them. That ties in with my upcoming trip to the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) from January 22-29. I’m taking a course called Virginia from the Colonial Period to the Civil War, taught by Barbara Vines Little and Victor Dunn. I’m excited about this opportunity and hope it opens some new doors for me.

Naturally, I want to work in as much research time at the Family History Library as possible. But because my time outside the classroom is limited, I need to do some prep work ahead of time. That’s what I’m working on now. I’m identifying questions I have and the record groups that might provide answers, and looking up microfilm numbers and print resources in the FamilySearch Catalog. That should help me hit the ground running in Salt Lake City.

Identifying and finding resources in the FamilySearch Catalog is not that difficult, but it’s not altogether intuitive, either. Want to know how I do it? I outlined my step-by-step process in an earlier post, Tips for Planning Your Trip to the Family History Library. This is my go-to strategy in preparing for a successful research trip.

Researchers study roll upon roll of microfilm at the FHL

As a bonus, the post also includes a packing list of items you just might find invaluable when you get to the FHL. Referring back to it is saving me time this week as I’m getting my suitcase and research bag ready. I guess one of the perks of having a blog is that it occasionally reminds you to take your own advice!

SLIG is always a great opportunity to connect with other genealogists and make new discoveries. It’s an energizing way to begin a new year. If you’re going to be there, please look me up—I’d love to see you. If not, I wish you success with whatever it is you hope to accomplish this winter. Happy New Year!

-Shelley

NGS 2016 Conference Photo Recap, Part 2

Previously I wrote about my experiences the first two days I was in Fort Lauderdale for the NGS 2016 Family History Conference (see NGS 2016 Conference Photo Recap, Part 1). I continued to enjoy the conference programming, the Florida weather, and the camaraderie of fellow genealogists the remaining three days. Here are some of my favorite presentations from Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7:

Chromosome Mapping Workshop with Angie Bush (T200)—It takes a real enthusiast to get me into a lecture hall at 8:00 am to do science and techie stuff for nearly three hours, but Angie has that magic touch. She started by explaining what chromosome mapping is, what criteria we should use, and how mapping can show genetic relationships. Then she gave us step-by-step instructions to make our own chromosome maps, using data from known cousins and Kitty Cooper’s Chromosome Mapping Tool. I used data from my mother-in-law and her first cousin, hoping to identify the DNA segments they share through their maternal grandparents. And guess what? I did it! By the end of the workshop I had a colorful chromosome map and a new confidence in my ability to use this tool on my own. How cool is that?

“Going Beyond the Bare Bones: Reconstructing Your Ancestors’ Lives,” by Tom Jones (T226)—Tom raised some excellent points in this lecture about weaving information from genealogical records together to develop an ancestor’s story. He talked about the importance of understanding records (such as probate, land, court, and military records) in the context of your ancestor’s life, social groups, and local and national events. If you’re thinking of ordering audio recordings from PlaybackNGS, this one would make an great choice.

I enjoyed visiting with a number of colleagues at the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) luncheon, where J. Mark Lowe was the guest speaker.

Shelley Bishop, Angela McGhie, and Carla Cegielski at the APG luncheon

“An Ancestry for Robert Walker of Rockingham County, NC,” by Pam Stone Eagleson (T241)—Pam presented an intriguing case study involving multiple pieces of indirect evidence, which she analyzed and correlated with DNA evidence to establish the parents of Robert Walker. Like many complex cases, it required a thorough investigation of siblings, in-laws, associates, and neighbors. l always enjoy hearing about the process of solving challenging problems and the research behind a NGSQ article like this.

“Dissection & Analysis of Research Problems,” by Elizabeth Shown Mills (T251)—Elizabeth outlined a clear 10-step process to dissect tough research problems and develop plans for solving them. Her syllabus included worksheet templates to use with each step. To drive home the importance of not only citing but also appraising sources, she asked audience members to make a pledge to appraise every source they use. Her 10-step process offers valuable insight into her workflow, and it’s powerful stuff indeed.

Elizabeth Shown Mills answering audience questions

“Reasonably Exhaustive Research: The First Criteria for Genealogical Proof,” by Elizabeth Show Mills (F302)—To illustrate the first tenet of the GPS, Elizabeth likened reasonably exhaustive research to a bulls-eye target. You typically start by focusing on the center ring: evidence on the person of interest. You then expand your focus in increasingly widening rings to encompass the person’s FAN club, less obvious sources, topical studies, and more. Elizabeth walked the audience through a particularly involved case that required 900 hours and the outermost rings of the bulls-eye to prove. Her step-by-step methodology made the concept of reasonably exhaustive research seem more tangible and approachable. This session was live-streamed and is still available as part of a video package from PlaybackNGS.

“How to Use GEDmatch.com to Optimize Your DNA Testing Experience” by Ginger Smith (F353)—Ginger gave a great overview of using GEDmatch to analyze data from autosomal DNA tests, beginning with how to upload your results from AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, or 23andMe. She discussed running one-to-one, one-to-many, and X-chromosome comparisons, then went on to cover phasing and more advanced utilities. I appreciated that she used simple terms to explain the value and limitations of each tool that GEDmatch offers. The crowd that surrounded Ginger after her talk testifies to the need for more of this kind of information.

Ginger Smith fielding questions about GEDmatch

“Using Griffith’s Valuation to Identify Your Ancestor’s Origins: A Case Study” by Donna Moughty (S409)—Donna’s fast-paced yet thorough discussion of the valuations of Ireland was exactly what I needed to finally understand these often cryptic records. In addition to explaining how and why the valuations were done, she interpreted them column-by-column. She also talked about related records and databases for finding Irish families. I’ve made some progress with my husband’s Irish ancestors lately, and after Donna’s talk I’m eager to look for them in Griffith’s. Note: this session was not recorded.

“20^th and 21^st Century Research: Resources, Methods, and Skills” by Debra Mieszala (S412)—Debra reviewed methods of finding living and recently deceased individuals who may be hard to trace due to modern privacy barriers. She talked about databases frequently used by forensic genealogists. Given an interest in finding living relatives for possible DNA comparison testing, I see an increasing need for this kind of specialized skill set.

“I Rest My Case: Constructing a Convincing Proof Argument” by Vic Dunn (S421)—Vic’s presentation concentrated on the last tenant of the Genealogical Proof Standard: a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion. He discussed formats, approaches, and usages of proof summaries and proof arguments. To illustrate his points, he shared how he constructed a proof argument for a published article, and offered tips for effective writing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the NGS conference and felt it was well worth my time and money to attend. I go to genealogy conferences for two primary reasons: to learn and to connect. The learning occurs in seeing presentations, reading the syllabus, and talking to vendors in the exhibit hall. The connecting happens informally as I gather with colleagues and friends at lunch and after hours to share thoughts and news. I also enjoy meeting new people whenever I can.

I’ve seen a number of comments that the 2016 NGS conference didn’t draw as many attendees as previous ones have. I’m sure that’s partly because the southeastern coast of Florida isn’t exactly a central location for most of the U.S. In all honesty, though, the sheer number of people in attendance at a conference doesn’t factor that much into my overall experience.

What matters most is the quality of the learning opportunities, as well as the enjoyment I get from making and renewing friendships with others who share my passion for genealogy. And on both of those accounts, I felt NGS 2016 was a success. It takes an incredible amount of work over a long period of time to host a major genealogy conference like this. Thanks to all the planners and volunteers who worked so hard to make it happen. 

--Shelley