Happy Independence Day America!

 

As I re-read the histories of my Ancestors who fought in the American Revolutionary War, I'm impressed at how willingly these men fought for an ideal. Our Nation, in its infancy, was a cause worth dying for.  

My 6th Great-Grandfather, Christian Hollinger, an immigrant from Switzerland, and his son, a first-generation American Colonist, both served in Battalions in Pennsylvania.  I think of the eclectic group of men from so many different countries fighting in these battalions - can you imagine all the different accents? That's assuming they spoke English to each other.  It's amazing the language barriers alone didn't keep them from loosing the War.

My 5th Great-Grandfather, Daniel Hullinger fought at the battle of Germantown near Philadelphia, in October 1777.  As he was petitioning for his pension he mentioned he had his age recorded in his father's (Christian) family record book, "a book prepared and kept by him for the purpose of a Family Record Book."  Oh, how I wish we had access to that book now!

What a great thing it is to know my family history is so deeply steeped in American history! From William Brewster on the Mayflower, to these two Revolutionary War ancestors. Not to mention those who crossed the plains to settle the West, those who fought for the North in the Civil War, others who fought in both World Wars, and those who have done and still do countless things to contribute to the American life we now enjoy!

Happy Independence Day, America!

In case you'd like to singe the Preamble...

Share More, Share Often, and Inspire

You may not know, but I am a Family History NUT.  I love it.  I find that the more I search, learn, read about, etc. the more I want to scour those resources available to me to find MORE!

I even keep two simple family blogs (one for each side) where I add pictures, stories, histories, or whatever I can get my hands on.  You see, family history is so much more than collecting names and dates to add to a chart.  It's about stories, and individuals.  It's amazing how their lives become so much a part of your own when you take the time to piece together their stories.

In my life, I've been blessed with some amazingly talented friends. None more so than my friend Crista a professional genealogist and Ancestry.com's "Barefoot Genealogist."  I've been lucky enough to spend time learning invaluable insights from her.  When I get the chance to see her, our conversations always turn to genealogy.  She's helped fan that flame with new ideas - and if you've done any family history, you know that "flame" I'm talking about.

She recently wrote a short article for Ancestry.com called "Seven Reasons To Share Your Family History" It's a quick read and may even give you a jump-start to get going on your own family history! Click over, read it, and get started!

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• Crista is a Professional Genealogist to high profile individuals and "The Barefoot Genealogist" for Ancestry.com.  She broadcasts every Tuesday and Thursday at http://www.livestream.com/ancestry if you'd like to learn more about how to do genealogy. You can also view archived presentations on YouTube. 
•  If you'd like to check out my family blogs you can visit the Probst blog here and the Hullinger blog here. (Don't judge me for not updating in a while. It's been a busy year! I'm so far behind with so much information!)

Genealogy Fan Chart - Martha Stewart

 Years ago, like the mid-90's, I made a family history fan chart for my parents as a Christmas gift.  I was interested in family history, and I knew our family already had extensive records so when I saw this Fan Chart in the Martha Steward Catalog, I purchased TWO of them.

With one of the charts I carefully penned each name into their corresponding generation box. Then I had it framed and wrapped for Christmas.

The second chart - oh, I wish I knew what happened to the second fan chart.  I suppose one day I may find it in the abyss of stuff I still have floating around my parents home (along with all my empty CD cases).

source

Martha Stewart has long since stopped making these fan charts.  Which is a shame, they were such a beautiful and simple way to view your ancestry.

As it turns out, there happens to be someone else who liked this fan chart as much as I do.  She's even gone so far as to create one in a jpeg format for FREE! 


 http://www.csh.rit.edu/~thfemale/family_tree.jpg

It's meant to fit a 20x28 inch frame.  I would have added it to this post, but blogger didn't like the size of the picture.  So, if you have any trouble finding it from this link, let me know, I'll email it to you.

I'd like to see if I can add the names in photoshop and then send this off to have it printed on canvas. Wouldn't that be cool? 

The chart I made for my parents still hangs in their home.  I think we've all been surprised at how often we look at it, and use it as quick reference to our ancestry. 

Happy Hunting!