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23 Apr 2010 The NGS American Genealogy Home Study Course
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If you’ve wondered what I’ve been up to lately, I have been involved in taking the American Genealogy Home Study Course from the National Genealogical Society. It’s an intensive 16-lesson course and they give students 3 years to complete it.

I thought I could finish it in less than one year. Huh! Boy was I naive!

It’s been 2 1/2 years since I started the course, and I’m finally on the last lesson. It’s been a WONDERFUL learning experience. Each lesson concentrates on one particular area of study or a particular record group, such as censuses, vital records, tax records, land records, military records, wills/probates, migration, passenger records, naturalizations. Each lesson teaches how to use the “GPS”  – the “Genealogical Proof Standard” — for evaluating each source document.  It involves going on a research trip to a courthouse, library, or other source archive to find the information. It usually took me a weekend to do the research for one lesson, and another weekend to put all of the findings together into the lesson submittal. Sixteen lessons = about 32 weekends. It was a LOT of work, but is very, very worth it!

As I said, I’m on the final lesson, and am hoping to finish it up in May. Wish me luck!

12 May 2009 NGS 2009 Family History Conference - Raleigh, NC
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
NGS Conference 2009 - Raleigh, North Carolina

The NGS Conference this year is held in a much better location than last year! Raleigh is a favorable town, with loads of culture, southern hospitality, and historical items of interest.
 
The day didn’t start out well, for my flight was delayed for 2 1/2 hours due to some mechanical problem.  It figures, it was American Airlines… I have more problems with them! Anyway, after 2 hours of sitting on the plane at the gate, they finally decided to call it a wash, and gave us a different plane. I guess I’m glad they go through all of those checks though — it turns out that it was critial, for it was the navigation system that was causing the problem. Their computer kept saying “Pull up! Pull up! Terrain ahead”. Uh, yeah, I’m glad they made us wait and put us on a different plane :-}
After that rather nerve-wracking delay, I finally arrived in Raleigh. I checked-in to my hotel and then I headed straight for the NC State Archives.  On the way, I just happened to meet the Queen of England. Yeah, that’s right — the QUEEN! Well, actually, she was playing the Queen of England.  She and a group of actors were dressed up in very extravagant costumes — unbelievably detailed and amazing. They were promoting their upcoming play, “The Lost Colony”. 
 
The Queen of England from "The Lost Colony"
 
I would love to see their play, but unfortunately it doesn’t open until May 29th… long after I’m gone from Raleigh. Darn. It looked like it would be a fantastic play.  Here’s a link to it: http://thelostcolony.org/
 
Anyway, I did actually make it to the Archives, and after a quick  pre-registration, I was able to get into the records right away. I dove in and found everything I was looking for within my 2-hour time allotment.  I actually held in my hands the original documents that were signed by my own ancestors… 5th great-grandfather William J. FELTS, 5th great-grandfather John BROWN (it figures I’d end up with a “John Brown” in my family! ), 4th great-grandfather Isham Buell FELTS, and 3rd great-grandfather James Jabash MATHIS. Very cool indeed.
 
Tomorrow starts the Conference sessions. I’m hyped! 
07 Dec 2008 Memorial: Connie Sue (Kult) Nelson, my Sis
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My sis, Connie

My sis, Connie, on Oct. 4, 2008. We celebrated her birthday (Oct. 21st) while our parents were visiting us in Northern Illinois.

This has been a very sad time for me this past week. Connie passed away on Sunday. My other sister, Mary, and Connie’s daughter Christy, and I have all been trying to deal with those things everyone sooner or later has to deal with after a loved one passes. It’s a hard time for us all, but we will get through it somehow.

14 Aug 2008 Road Trip: Southern Illinois Peaches
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Thursday, August 14, 2008
 
It’s time for the annual Southern Illinois Peach Road Trip! I wanted to get away for awhile, so I went to one of my favorite places — southern Illinois. Of course, I just wasn’t going there for peaches… I had to do some Genealogy sleuthing! I’m taking the NGS Home Study Course, and I wanted to do some researching for that as well, which needs to be done at the Washington Co. Courthouse.
 
I first stopped at Mt. Zion Cemetery (yes, again) to check on the Lawhorns. While taking some very lame photos (it was still too early in the morning for good gravestone photos), I saw a frog next to Great-great-grandma Mary (Goddard) Lawhorn’s gravestone!
 
Froggie_N2086.jpg (800x615 pixels)
 
I went next to Ashley Cemetery, Beaucoup Cemetery, then St. Ann’s Cemetery too. I had always wondered if the Schultz’s who are buried in the same area as Grandpa Ed Kult were related… so I decided to check on that while I was in Nashville.
 
One of the quests I was on was to find August Hochschulz’s naturalization papers, or a clue as to where to find them. Guess what! I found a clue! His final papers are in Washington County Circuit Clerk’s records, but his application was supposedly applied for in Cook County and were lost. What’s kinda cool about this paper I found though, is that it has August’s signature on it.
 
SIGNATURE-SCHULZ-August_N2138.jpg (800x312 pixels)
 
Notice there’s no “t” in Schulz… Evelyn Piotrowski told me there was no “t” in “Schulz”, and according to August’s signature, she was right (although his gravestone has the “t”, spelled “Schultz”).
 
I also found the probate records for great-great-grandpa J.F.M. Lee, and great-grandpa Leonard Kult.
 
KULT-FARM-SALE_N2284.jpg (605x800 pixels)
 
I also found something somewhat disturbing which I won’t go into here, but it’s something I never knew before about my paternal grandmother. It’s a family skeleton that was hiding in a closet, and I think I’ll just keep it there for now.
 
After finishing up my research at the Washington County Courthouse, I decided to visit the Masonic Cemetery where JFM Lee and Walter Decker are buried. After that, I went back to St. Ann’s Cemetery, because I did find out that all of those Schultzs (with a “t”) are indeed related!
 
On the way back to the hotel, I decided to tour downtown Ashley and saw this interesting mural on the side of the post office:
 
Ashley-Illinois-w-frame_N2458.jpg (800x295 pixels)
 
All in all, a good GEN day!
 
13 May 2008 NGS Conference 2008 Trip: Kansas City, Missouri
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
NGS Conference 2008 - “Show Me the Nations Records!”, Kansas City, Missouri

I called the front desk this morning, and they had a cancellation, so it turns out I could keep my hotel room. At least I didn’t have to worry about that anymore!
 
But I have to reiterate, Kansas City still SUCKS big-time!! The traffic is horrid. And thank goodness for my GPS software, or I would have never been able to find the conference center where the NGS Conference was being held. Downtown KC is terrible to navigate! And then, the parking garage said it was $13.50/day to park there. Ouch! Turns out the hotel validates the parking ticket for 3-hours free, so it only was $7.25. Thank goodness.
 
The conference session today was the BCG Education Fund Evaluating Evidence and Documentation training sessions. It was gruelling, and I ended up being brain-dead by the time it was over. But I survived.
 
The trip back to the hotel was a nightmare, tho. Getting out of downtown was brutal. And the traffic on Rt. 70 was horrid again. I’m going to have to account for rush hour time in my commute to the conference…. I see that now!
 
Anyway, tomorrow is another day at the conference — I’m sure it will be a blast! Seeing the vendor area alone is worth the conference sometimes. I can’t wait to see folks like John Philip Colletta (my favorite genealogy lecturer), Elizabeth Shown Mills (author of “Evidence Explained”), Dick Eastman (EOGN), my neighbor from Long Grove Aaron Underwood (creator of GenSmarts software).
12 May 2008 NGS Conference 2008 Trip: The Old Phelps County Courthouse
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Monday, May 12, 2008

Today I went to the Rolla Health department to see if I could get Mom’s birth certificates, as well as Minnie Melton’s and Lewis Jesse’s death certificates. Unfortunately, they only have birth and death certificates from 1980 to present. They told me I had to go to the state level health department in Jefferson City. Argh.
 
However, not all was bad. One of the things the gal at the Rolla health department told me was that the county-level records may be at the “old” courthouse. Well, I went over to the “old” courthouse to find that a tour was going on for third graders of the old courthouse and the really old Rolla high school, which was across the street. What luck!! That was a great experience, to walk around in the same rooms in which my great-great-grandfathers once walked, where Judge Lewis Fields Wright once tried cases. Needless to say, I took LOTS of photos. They also had a room where they had authentic ladies dresses and clothes from the civil war era to the early 1900s. WOW! To stand so close (without touching) those dresses… I felt like I was back in time to the 1860’s.
 
MrLincoln_N1828.jpg (800x615 pixels)   OldPhelpsCoCourtroom_N1821.jpg (800x615 pixels)   RaisingConfederateFlagInRolla_N1849.jpg (800x591 pixels)
 
So, my stay in Rolla on Monday wasn’t a failure after all… it was indeed, awesome!
 
I was done with the tours of the old courthouse and the school at noon. I then headed back to Jeff City to go after those elusive birth and death certificates. I found out at the archives that I had to go to another site for them, and that they were $15 a piece. So, I bit my lip, drove out there, and paid $56 for two birth (Mom’s and Papa Case’s) and two death certs (Minnie Case & Jesse Collier).
 
All in all, it was a great day…. however, it took a downward turn as soon as I hit Kansas City. What a dump! This town is worse than Philly.
 
I got to my hotel to which I had reservations, and it turned out to be a real dump, and it was an “outie”. I hate outies — I don’t feel safe in them. They’re the kind of “motel” where the doors to the rooms are on the outside of the hotel, rather than going inside and down a hall. I didn’t know what to do, so I went back to my second choice on Rt. 70, the Best Western. But it was an “outie” too, and the Super8 next to it was an “innie”, but half the roof was gone from a previous storm that blew through the area.
 
So, when I struck out three times, I decided to get back onto Rt. 70. I saw a Holiday Inn Express at the next exit, so I followed the sign. But it turned out to not be favorable either (right across from a sports stadium). When I was heading back to Rt. 70, I noticed a Drury Inn… which had a room for tonight, but apparently there was a KC Royals baseball game in town, so they said they didn’t have a room for me on Tuesday. I got the room anyway… I figured I could get another room for tomorrow.
 
But I’ll think about that tomorrow…
11 May 2008 NGS Conference 2008 Trip: Sunday Cemetery Scamper
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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Today I went on a Sunday Cemetery Scamper. I toured Pilot Knob Cemetery, Brookshire Cemetery, Smith Cemetery, Old Edgar Springs Cemetery, Renaud Cemetery, Anutt Cemetery, and finally, Rhea Cemetery. I called Mom when I was in Rhea Cemetery, and told her I put pink roses on Granny’s grave. I think she was okay with that. J
 
KitchenLand_N1793.jpg (800x615 pixels)
 
After the cemetery scamper, I then decided to see what 3th-great-grandfather Judge Lewis Fields Wright and 4th-great-grandfather Anthony Kitchen’s land looked like (Anthony was Lewis’ father-in-law). And wow, I’m sure glad I did!! It was beautiful! No wonder Anthony and Lewis wanted to settle in this beautiful place on the Little Piney. It was so awesome! There was a huge clearing for grazing cattle on the south side of the Little Piney. On the north side, where I was driving, there was a bluff with water trickling down the rocks like a small waterfall.
 
WaterTrickle_N1796.jpg (615x800 pixels)
 
And then there were the pretty little hens taking a leisurely stroll next to the road…
 
Hens_N1812.jpg (800x615 pixels)
 
After touring great-great-great-grandpas’ land, I then went on to find a hotel — ended up staying at the Baymont Inn in Rolla.
 
Tomorrow, even more fun!
20 Apr 2008 Memorial: Uncle Donald “Bud” Case
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CASE-Bud.jpg (140x225 pixels)
 
Sunday, April 20, 2008
 
Today was a sad day, for Uncle Bud passed away from cancer. He had surgery over the holidays (2007) for a lesion on his brain, but apparently they didn’t get all of the cancer, because it came back. He was a smoker, so the cancer just got the best of him.
 
He was cremated, so therefore there was no visitation or service, apparently.
 
One thing that has impressed the heck outta me about my Uncle Bud — he insisted that instead of sending flowers for his funeral, that we all donate the money to the care of Rhea Cemetery, where his parents (my grandparents, Papa Case and Granny) are buried. I thought that was a WONDERFUL idea, and something I’m also going to put in my will. I think. I want flowers, though. :-)
10 Mar 2008 Memorial: Uncle Windel M. Kult
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                                                                               KULT-Windel2.jpg (120x142 pixels)
Monday, March 10, 2008
 
Today Uncle Windel passed on. I’m still in a bit of a shock about it… he was doing so well after his long recovery after his major surgery last November. But things happen in mysterious ways, I guess.
 
Dad is understandably upset, but when I talked with him he seemed okay. They’re going to make the trip up here, even though Mom isn’t feeling well and Dad’s knee isn’t in the greatest shape. I pray that they make it up here and back home okay and that they don’t overdo it. I worry so about them.
 
My sister Mary and her hubby Dude are going to drive down for the funeral as well. I guess we’ll all be staying in the same hotel. That will give Dad some comfort.
 
I hope Aunt Rosie is doing okay; Keith and Denise too. I guess I’ll find out when I see them on Wednesday for the visitation, and Thursday for the funeral. Irma Maxwell will be there as well - she emailed me to say that she’ll see me there.
 
Anyway, it’s late, so I’m off to bed - g’nite, and rest in peace, Uncle Windel. I love you!
 
30 Jan 2008 Serendipity Still Abounds
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Today was another breakthrough in my family history. I found a website which had the “Kuelt” name, however it was written in a language that I couldn’t decipher — it wasn’t German. I tried all sorts of translations on it, and finally figured out it was Hungarian. But I know nothing about Hungarian, so I put it on the back-burner… until today.
 
I had an all-day meeting at work. One of the members of the meeting was from Canada, and at lunchtime he was showing us his international keyboard, with special characters on it. And you’ll never guess which language his keyboard was designed for — Hungarian!!
 
Is that serendipity or what?????
 
His name is Gabor Moos, and he gladly interpreted portions of the Hungarian website for me. He didn’t do the whole thing, but he gave me enough information about the Kuelt family from Hungary. In short, he said that in 1748 there was a big fire in Hungary, which destroyed 24 homes, which housed three families, one of which was the Kuelt family (the other two were Lohnsinger and Weber). All three families moved to Bubsheim, Germany in 1750.
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