Thankful for Scanfest!- Tombstone Tuesday

In my determination to continue onward with several projects (one which involves putting many family photos- the older the better- into a digital frame for my parents as an anniversary gift) I decided that I couldn't miss the opportunity to participate in Sunday's Scanfest sponsored by Miriam Robbins Midkiff on her blog AnecStories: The Stories of My Ancestors.

Scanfest is typically held the last Sunday of the month, and the future dates (as they stand at this moment) are actually listed on The February 2011 Organization Checklist at DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog. I would highly recommend taking a look at those lists, even if you have utilized last years' because she revamps them as neeeded,and as we all know, genealogists always need more organizing.

Anyway, Scanfest was fantastic for me on so many levels. I connected with some  new people, have a list of more resources to check, got advice for ways to scan different items such as an old journal and suggestions for documents (the consensus is 300 to 600dpi and always in tif, not jpg, by the way), and just the camaraderie of it all kept me at the scanner the whole time. As a result, a mystery in my family was solved.

My paternal grandparents are buried in a little country cemetery as big as most current families house lots called "Little Prarie" in White County, Illinois. There are few markers in this little place in the middle of nowhere. Bbecause the family was so poor they couldn't afford to engrave the stones and instead attached a metal sign to the front of them.

Over time those signs have gone away, and I have not known which stone representated my grandmother and which was my grandfather-until I happened to find a few photographs among a file that I decided at the last minute to scan.

Even as I placed the photo on the scanner I didn't realize that my answer to the question was in front of me until I got out  my magnifying lupe to see, but now I can proudly place a photo on this blog for Tombstone Tuesday of my paternal grandparents:

Flora Maude McDaniel (left)    Clarence Lemuel Tucker
Little Prarie Cemetery  White County, IL

Fearless Women

I have missed my blog, and I have missed my newly found blogging community!!!  The community and Blogger has drawn me like a flower has drawn in a hummingbird with its nectar, and I already find myself feeling a better sense of calm as I write this. Maybe its the untapped writer within me clammoring to be sprung again, or its the million words that are zipping around in my head along with the voices of my ancestors, but it just feels good to be back on the keyboard and to be looking at all the great recent posts from all of you. Whatever it is, I am glad. Hard to believe that there was a time I thought that blogging was a foreign word and too "out there" for me. However, I have found many other "out there" (big smile) individuals in these past several months and you all have helped immensely. Your ideas have given me insight for further research on my family, your connections have led me to new cousins, and your writing prompts have given me the impetus to stay focused on my ancestry and forwardly (not a word, but it works for me) marching in the process.

Given all that, I think its time to get back to one of newfound loves- blogging, and with that I am going to start mid stream on the series of posts designed by Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/ titled "Fearless Females."  She has a different post for each day this month in honor of Women's History Month, and for today we are asked to write a six-word memoir for one of our female ancestors.

I chose 2 women in my life:

Jettie Weaver Raley (my maternal grandmother)  Fantastic Cook. Devoted to Family, Church.

Flora Maude McDaniel (my paternal grandmother)  Lively. Hard worker, Harder life.

Clarence TUCKER & Flora MCDANIEL

This is Clarence Lemuel TUCKER & Flora Maude MCDANIEL, my paternal grandparents. I love this picture of them because it is one of those rare moments when they are relaxed and laughing. So many photos of our ancestors find them in such a formal manner, especially in those days of early professional photography. Although this photo has damage on the side and not perfectly designed it gives me a glimpse for just a moment into their relationship and I treasure it since they both died years before I was born. In the next few days I will write some of their lives, but for today- I just wanted to treasure their laugh.