BB Boatin'!

Pastor Dad and I have had a wonderful week attending a conference in a nearby state. As a matter of fact, the state is so nearby that we didn't need to travel to be a part of it. The conference ended last night but we were not able to be part of the finale since we had services at our own church to attend.

On the following day the host pastor and wife traditionally entertain those who haven't returned to their own homes by showing them some of the local sites. Pastor Dad and I decided to participate this year as a way of getting better acquainted with other ministering couples. 

This year the tour consisted of a tour of the Ohio River aboard the BB Riverboats boat Belle of Cincinnati. It was a lovely day to be cruising on the river

The sun was shining and the temps were so warm that I never put on the jacket that I'm carrying.  And that gleam in my eye is the result of taking a day off to play!  Well, okay, it's really just a glare on my glasses, but I prefer to think of it in a positive way.  :)

After the boat cruise we crossed the river and had a late lunch / early dinner at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse Restaurant.  Mmm!  Mmm!  No pictures of this part of the tour but all the men were wearing bibs if you can picture that.  If not, picture me hitting the "Publish Post" button now and going upstairs to get my leftover ribs out of the refrigerator before the Bear or Pastor Dad beat me to them!  :)

Making A Grand Entrance

When I got up this morning my front door looked like this from the outside:

And this is what it looked like inside the house:

Late this afternoon this is what my front door looked like from outside:

And on the inside:

In review, from this:

To this:

Oh, yeah!!!!

With An Attitude of Gratitude

Those that gather around this hearth wish all that gather around yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

May the Lord of the Harvest continue to bless us as He did our Pilgrim forebears.

And may we never forget to thank Him, the Author of all blessings!

Researching Daniel Crossman Brings Cause for Thanksgiving (Case Study B)

In Case Study A I gave an example of how false information can be spread quickly via the Internet. In this one I would like to show an example of how this same medium can be used to make surprising discoveries!

At one time, Daniel Crossman was only a name found in an old genealogy book while researching another family line. He was mentioned incidentally as the father of Freelove, wife of Nathan Slater. (Source: Memorial of John Slafter, by Rev. Edmund F. Slafter, c. 1869, page 90.)

The next piece of information was also found coincidentally while researching Nathan's father, Benjamin Slater. Rev. Slafter's 1869 work noted that Benjamin was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. This led to research in the Daughters of the American Revolution Patriot Index which can now be found online as part of their Genealogical Research System (GRS) found here. Clicking on the icon next to the name of his descendant, Edith Mitcheltree, brought up her ancestry through another one of her patriot ancestors, Daniel Crossman and his wife, Alice Brett! Since the online transcribed application states that there are additional unverified generations that were not transcribed I purchased a copy of Mrs. Mitcheltree's application. (Source: DAR Application of Edith Luse Mitcheltree; Daniel Crossman, patriot ancestor. Notes: 1.This Benjamin Slater is no longer recognized by the DAR as a patriot. 2.Older applications such as this one cannot be purchased online and downloaded as more recent applications can.)

My Slater research now segued into the search for Crossman ancestors. Mrs. Mitcheltree's application contained the names of Daniel's parents, Joseph Crossman and Margaret Turner, which was the additional unverified generation. Having her full application in hand also let me see what proofs she used to document her lineage. These always provide clues for further research. One of the items she mentioned was a family letter which may no longer exist, but if it does, someone may post it on the Internet one day. That happens occasionally.

Armed with names and general dates and places for births and marriages, I performed multiple searches via books and on the Internet. The first find showed that Daniel and Alice married in 1778 as generally stated in Mrs. Mitcheltree's application but now the specific date and location of June 4, 1778 in Easton, Massachusetts were known. (Source: Vital Records of Bridgewater, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Volume 2, page 59. This book can be seen through Google Books here.)

Another reference pertaining to Nathan Slater stated that his wife, Freelove Crossman, was from New York, therefore more proof was necessary to ensure that this was indeed the right family since no one else in the Crossman family had any documentation to place them in New York.(Source: History of Butler County, Pennsylvania, c. 1895, page 811 found here).I consulted the 1850 census. It confirmed that Freelove, the wife of Nathan Slater, was born in Massachusetts. (Source: 1850 US Federal Census, Cranberry Twp., Butler Co., PA; page 138, line 24.)

A search of the birth records of Easton Massachusetts confirmed the names of Daniel's parents to be Joseph Crosman, Junior and Margrat [sic] with a specific birth date for Daniel given as Monday, 2 May 1757. However, no birth record for Freelove was located. (Source: LDS microfilm #1059951 entitled "Easton, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Births, Deaths and Marriages by Families, 1697-1847" transcribed by John A. Maltby, c. 2002, found here. Daniel's birth was originally on page 23.) Joseph Crossman, Jr. married Margaret Turner on February 26, 1756. (Source: Vital Records of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850, Volume 2, page 100. This volume can be read on Google Books here.)

But the search that truly surprised me was when I typed "Daniel Crossman" and "Alice Brett" into the Google search engine and found myself directed to the page for The Alden Kindred of America! After all, the surname "Alden" speaks for itself! (Source: website here. Note: When I checked the genealogy page at the Alden Kindred website recently,there was a broken link. An identical search would not generate the same results today.)

After further research in Plymouth Colony and Mayflower records, it was determined that one of Daniel's Crossman ancestors did marry one of the descendants of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. The analysis of this union is now included in the "Mayflower Five Generations Project" and the discussion by Alicia Crane Williams pertaining to the Crossman-Alden link is found here.

This is just one example of how the ever-expanding Internet has changed the face of genealogy for the better. Technology gives genealogists many reasons to be thankful.

Thankful Thursday

(Orange zinnias and decorative grass taken 10/10/2009 at the Cincinnati Zoo)

I love autumn! I also love winter, spring, and summer. I know! I'm so fickle! Or maybe I'm just thankful for each season that God gives as it comes along.

I remember reading or hearing a sermon by a famous preacher (Swindoll, perhaps?) that compared the earthly seasons to our journey of life. I was too young at the time to understand just how true that analogy is but I've lived long enough now to experience it first-hand.

Each season has its own trials and blessings. As a child progressing through the Springtime and as a young woman enjoying the Summer season I could never fully imagine the joys that come with having grown Blessings (that's my children) and my little Grandblessings (their children). If I had failed to grow older I would never have experienced this beautiful Autumn season of life.

As I contemplate my life's Autumn season a few things immediately come to mind for which I am thankful. Here are a few just for starters:

1. My parents and in-laws are in reasonably good health.
2. My life's partner has been with me since the early Spring season of our lives and he helps to divide my burdens and multiply my blessings.(Here the word "blessings" does not pertain to my children, although I can see how the multiplying of those blessings could apply here, too.)
3. My house has not been emptied of the sound of my own Blessings' feet. How nice not to have an empty nest yet!
4. We have a house on the hill (literally!) that shelters us from the elements.
5. My body's heater hasn't gone too haywire yet. (Note to you Summer girls: no blankets needed to keep you warm at night.)

And some that pertain to this literal autumn season:

1. The impatiens that survived the drought of summer (and picking by a certain grandblessing) are still showing off near the sidewalk. :)
2. The red geraniums are looking especially vibrant against the backdrop of fallen leaves.
3. The cups of coffee and hot tea are particularly appreciated now.
4. The beauty of the trees has not been as spectacular this year due to the lack of moisture but some of the maples were as gorgeous amongst their dull-colored neighbors as cardinals are beside winter-plumed birds at my bird feeder.
5. The summer chores are over and the autumn ones are under way but the shorter days and longer nights help to slow my body's busy pace just a bit. This might be mere perception, but it helps me transition toward sleep instead of thinking I must complete more chores before day's end.
6. The dark evenings mean more time spent snuggling with a good book instead of working in the yard.

Every season has its beauty and every season has its work. Some seasons require longer days and more stenuous labor to complete the tasks at hand and some allow more time for rest and reflection. I'm positive that the Lord that created us and the seasons designed us to enjoy everything in its time.

Reporting Live From the Hospital

Most of the waiting is over! The baby has been born!

Now we're just waiting to hug her, and squeeze her, and call her... Well, we don't know what we'll call her. Not only does she not have a blog name but she hasn't been given a real name yet either. As her sisters said with a giggle, "Well, we know one of her names anyway," meaning her surname!

This is a REAL Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday

There's so much to be thankful for this week and yet I have one certain something on my mind. I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it. Almost too embarrassed. It might sound silly,but I assure you that it is not.

I'm thankful that I found the little teeny-tiny cord for my laptop's cooling pad.

I just heard you snicker.

I don't care. I'm just so happy to have the teeny-tiny cord back after it was misplaced in the "stuff" when we left camp a month ago. We've looked at church and home for that silly little thing many times since!

I've got one of those cooling pads with a unique little cord that connects the pad to the computer. I couldn't order a replacement from the company because evidenty everyone else that owns this cooling pad model has also either misplaced or broken their connector cord and the company website says it is out of stock. I suspect what that really means is "discontinued."

We were at the office supply store today so I looked to see if they sold the cord separately. They don't. But they did have the identical cooling pad on sale for $25 which was marked down from the normal$40 price.

I gulped. Then I prayed. I asked the Lord to help me find the little cord so that I wouldn't be required to buy a whole new unit. I decided that if I didn't find it by the end of the week I would go to the office supply store to buy a new cooling pad while it was still on sale.

And guess what?! I wasn't in the church office longer than a few minutes when my prayer was answered!

I've worked in that office every week for the last month and have looked in that same location every week for the last month but never found that cord! Today I prayed and the cord was located.

Coincidence?

I don't think so. :)

Thankful Thursday

"Polly"

"Tigger"

"Sweet Pea"

"Fen"

Being able to see these sweet faces this week says it all!

Thankful Thursday 8/12/10

I am very thankful for the plentiful harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables. Thanks also to those who have shared your seasonal bounty with us. I will be making fresh salsa and peach cobbler later today and making mention of you in my prayers as I do so.

Our own tomatoes will be ready for picking soon. This year, thanks to the cicada netting that my dad put around our little garden, we will be the ones enjoying the fruits of our labor instead of giving the squirrels and raccoons that honor.

For what are you thankful today?

Thankful Thursday

I'm making an effort to count my blessings. It should be easy to do but some weeks it really does seem like more of an effort than what it should be. So in honor of counting my blessings I've declared today to be Thankful Thursday and it might be a permanent feature here.

We'll see. No promises.

So what am I thankful for on this Thursday?






Why, the Dog Days of Summer, of course! What did you think I meant?

Oh, and air conditioning, too. Definitely air conditioning!

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

(Rejoice! Comments have been enabled once more! Please leave one telling me what you are thankful for and why.) :)