Yea, I got Reunion 9 for Christmas! Reunion is a family tree application for Mac. Apparently they’ve made quite a few updates–all of them very cool, but a bit overwhelming. 
So I was aimlessly wandering through the preferences to see what was what.
In genealogy research, it’s common practice to hide personal data for living relatives, especially when posting your research on the web. Reunion 9 looks like it has a great filter for protecting this private data. One of the pertinent preference panes is for “sensitive child status.” You don’t want to inadvertently tip of a cousin that he’s adopted or illegitimate, you know. 
I had a WTF moment then a hearty chuckle when I discovered that “alien abductee” is common enough to make it as one of Reunion’s default sensitive child statuses.
Rhinos and rain forests aren’t the only endangered treasures of this world. So are human stories. Even languages and relatively recent dialects. Reading this article on a disappearing German-Texan dialect gave me an appreciation that it only takes a generation or two before a social context is completely gone. Dust in the wind.
It’s easy (and beneficial) to look beyond ourselves for what needs to be maintained or fixed. But closer to home, we shouldn’t forget that once lost, a story is gone forever. Every time I visited my grandfather (Pawpaw), I’d kick myself on the drive home for not bringing an audio recorder. Pawpaw loved telling stories and was a font of knowledge about our large extended German-Texan family. And I have a lousy memory–I shudder to think about how much he tried to pass on to me and how much of that I’ve forgotten. I think this is one reason why Story Circle Network appeals to me so much. I wish I knew the women my ancestors were. When Pawpaw passed away, his inimitable storytelling was one of the first things I knew I’d miss. Thank goodness that’s a trait he seems to have passed on to Daddy.
Sharon Lippincott asks in her blog “if we don’t tell our stories, who will?” Indeed, it’s important to chronicle our life and the journey we took while living it. But it’s also important to encourage our loved ones to do the same.
Through several different avenues yesterday, I received notes that Ancestry.com has a new military records system.
Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online resource for family history, today announced it has launched the largest collection of U.S. military records available and searchable online, featuring more than 90 million names that span more than four centuries of American history from the 1600s through Vietnam. A highlight of Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection is the only complete online collection of WWII United Newsreels from 1942 - 1945.
Beginning now through June 6th (D-Day), Ancestry.com will make its entire U.S. Military Collection free to the public. To search Ancestry.com’s U.S. Military Collection, visit http://www.ancestry.com/military.
[source]
I’ve been surfing this military records site off and on since yesterday, and I have yet to scratch the surface. And I love that Ancestry.com is making it open to the public for a while. Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick, but it’s a beneficial one for the public.
Talk about a glimpse into a totally different lifetime. Watch some of the news reels. Closer to home, I found an enlistment record for an Ideus ancestor. The address line says “3 miles north of Weesatche.” Can you imagine a time without addresses?! This is so fun!
But, as almost always happens with genealogy research, these records have opened more questions than they’ve answered. That’s a common affliction for genealogists!
Word from the Indianola area has it that the hideous bench has been removed from the historical marker site! Looks like common sense has prevailed! But don’t stop writing! Let the Texas Historical Commission and Calhoun County Historical Commission know that there should be processes that prevent this from happening again.
And thanks to The Genealogue for linking to the story!
Please join a group of concerned German-Texan genealogists in our campaign to save the Indianola historical marker. The marker, erected in 1936, commemorates the town site of Indianola, a vital port in German immigration to Texas. Recently, a structure has been added to the monument site that has outraged those who care about the monument.
Related web sites:
If you are interested in joining our e-mail campaign, please contact:
You can write a letter to the THC and send it to:
P.O. Box 12276
Austin, TX 78711-2276
Here is a sample letter to get you started:
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to you regarding Texas Historical Marker #4938, the monument marking the site of the town of Indianola. As a German-Texan, the port of Indianola is an important part of my family’s history. Though the marker remembers the town site, it serves German-Texans as an honor to our immigrant ancestors who entered Texas through the port of Indianola. Indianola is but one of the many pieces of our past and one of the many reminders of immigrant hardship and hope as they started a new life in Texas.
It has come to my attention that a new structure has been added to the site and I write to voice my strong disapproval for its placement. The marble bench honoring Roland and Victoria Cain is little more than an eye-sore in its current installation. German-Texan immigrants held strongly to their culture, and one of their strongest traits was a sense of community. We pride this trait still. The Cain bench is an offense to that community by promoting the remembrance of one family over all others. This bench detracts from the monument rather than adding to it.
I understand that benches will be erected for the public as encouragement for pause and reflection and this is a positive thing. I also understand from conversations with other German-Texan genealogists that there are plans to add additional benches to the site. I urge you to support a plan that highlights the Indianola monument as the centerpiece of the experience with individually-funded benches placed appropriately at the perimeter of the site. Please consider a bench design that is more aesthetically similar to the monument. The grey granite and black marble are such different designs that it makes the site feel out of balance. Additionally, the wording on the bench does not make it clear that it is there for the purpose of reflection. It appears to be another monument, rather than an individually-contributed piece of the site.
Thank you for your consideration and your dedication to preserving the heritage of Texans.
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