Genealogy & Ancestry.com

Yesterday I mentioned installing the latest Family Tree Maker program on my computer.  I have been using a very old copy of FTM and been happy with it, but wanted to see what new features the latest changes have been made to the program.  So far, there a few thing I don't like about it such as the reliance on being connected to the internet all the time.  They also want you to load your data to their databases and you lose control over the information when you do that.  It helps others see what you have, but there is a lot of information in my system that I don't want to share with everyone.

I did find an entry for a sister of my grandfather who left the area in Illinois many years ago and eventually moved to California.  I had heard that she moved but could not find anything on her.  I thought she must have married and I didn't know her married name.  That wasn't the case though, she never married and I found where she had passed away in Los Angelas, CA in 1959.  I an not 100% certain that she is the sister, but the death record strongly indicates that it is her.  They mistakenly entered her father's last name as Columbus, when it fact it was his middle name.  Easy mistake to make.

Today I received a message from a LISH family researcher who had been trying to contact me for a long time.  He had an old email address that I haven't been using for the past 6-7 years.  He had used a lot of my information to search for more family data and has done a good job finding information.  Maybe I can get off the dime and fill in some blanks and sketchy areas in my ancestors.  The LISH line were early Mormon pioneers and were in Utah in the early 1850s.  He moved around a lot and had three different wives with one passing away, divorce and I'm not sure of the other.

We had a nice dinner with Judy & Steve who are preparing to leave here Friday morning for Texas.  They are seeking warmer weather and want to see what it is like in the RGV.  (Rio Grande Valley)   It will be interesting hear how the like it down there and their impression of the area.  The RV park they are planning on staying at for a couple months borders the Rio Grande River and Mexico is just across the river.  The Border Patrol uses the dock at the park to launch their boats so they should be well protected.  Good luck guys and happy travels.