How to Pronounce the "G"

There is a huge debate over how to pronounce the letter “G” in the acronym "GIF." GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format, and is the filetype for many images on your computer. (Other common image filetypes are JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group, and TIFF - Tagged Image File Format.)

Since GIF is an acronym for Graphics Interchange Format, #TeamGiff argues the “G” should be hard like the “G” in "Graphics."

Members of #TeamJiff follow the advice of Steve Wilhite, the engineering Lead of the team that developed the format. He says it is supposed to be pronounced with a soft "G" – to mirror the peanut butter brand, "Jif." (“Choosy developers choose GIF.”)

#TeamGiff responds that once a word or acronym enters the language, the inventor has no say in the matter. And a hard "G" makes more sense linguistically.

I say, computer images aren't only used by speakers of English. In Spanish, when the letter "G" is followed by an "I," it is pronounced with the hard “Ch” sound, as in the German composer's name, "Bach." This is also the case for the Spanish, "J."

1) I am a big supporter of this phoneme in whatever language it appears in.
2) Furthermore, since in Spanish "Gif" and "Jif" would be pronounced identically, this should satisfy the peanut butter fans in #TeamJiff, as well as the linguistic purists in #TeamGiff. So I am in #TeamKhiff

***

In the Genealogy world, I have heard there is some discussion on how to pronounce GEDCOM. GEDCOM is an acronym for Genealogical Data Communication and is used for the file format for genealogy databases.

#TeamJedcom argues that the "G" is for "Genealogical," so should be a soft "J."

#TeamGedcom prefers a hard "G" for some reason. [Members of #TeamGedcom are welcome to leave their explanation in the comments.]

I do not know how the developers of the GEDCOM pronounce it. This may be a closely held secret of the LDS church.

As you might have guessed, once again I fall back upon Spanish pronunciation, because, why not? In Spanish, when the letter "G" is followed by an "e" it is also pronounced with the hard “Ch” sound. I am in #TeamKhedcom

***

Hopefully, this post has been helpful. It's time for me to find a tall glass of iced chai.

Top Ten List of Top Ten Lists

When the family history blogger is unsure what to write about, there is always the ever-popular Top Ten List. Here is my Top Ten Top Ten List Ideas for Top Ten Family History Bloggers.

1) Top 10 Online Databases
2) Top 10 Genealogy Software Programs
3) Top 10 Research Tools
4) Top 10 Research Suggestions for (Geographical Location/Historical Event)
5) Top 10 Books on (Geographical Location/Historical Event)
6) Top 10 Discoveries I have Made in my Research
7) Top 10 Brick Walls I Have Yet to Topple
8) Top 10 Embarrassing Mistakes I Have Made in my Research
9) 10 Female Ancestors with the Highest Ahnentafel Numbers
10) Top Ten Words Family History Researchers Use that Generate Blank Stares From Others

Fossils and Genealogy

Today's webcomic from XKCD

Just like fossil evidence might give scientists of the future an incomplete picture of spiders, genealogists have to remember to ask ourselves what's missing, when looking at documents we find in archives. There could be important information about our ancestors (such as spider webs) that hasn't been preserved.

Surname Saturday: Genealogy Filk

Bill West of West In New England recently announced the Second Geneabloggers' Just Make Up the Lyrics Challenge 

1. Set the names of your ancestors to the music of any song. It can be
any number of names, any song. Just remember to mention what song
you are using so we can all sing along as we read!

More info

While I posted a comment on the first round of this back in 2009, apparently I was unable to come up with a contribution, which surprises me. I love writing filks, and what could possibly have caught my attention more than a genealogical filk challenge?!

I hear a few head scratches. What's filk?

One definition: A popular or folk song with lyrics revised or completely new lyrics and/or music, intended for humorous effect when read, and/or to be sung late at night at Science Fiction conventions.

While the term was invented for the science fiction community (some say it was originally a typo for 'folk' music) there's no reason its use can't be broadened to include any similar parodies.

I may have passed on the 2009 challenge, but I'm not passing this time around. (the lyrics of the final verse below are very close to the original, but the original lyrics worked quite well.)

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Lyrics by John Newmark, 2014
Sung to the tune of: Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious, by The Sherman Brothers, 1964

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
Even though our surnames, yes
We often can’t remember
If we say them long enough
We’ll know them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Because I was confused as heck
When I was just a lad
My father taught a little trick
It wasn’t quite so bad
“Our surnames might be bothersome
But I bet you didn’t know
String all our names together
And this is how it goes:

NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer”
Even though my surnames, yes
I couldn’t quite remember
When I said them long enough
I knew them by December
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
Um diddle diddle diddle um diddle ay
So when your names you can’t recall
There’s no need for dismay
Just string your names together
In any sort of way
But better do it carefully
Or it could change your life
One night I taught this to me girl
And now me girl's my wife!
She’s WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
WallaceGoberTaylorBlackmanFulkersonAndSchrock
I’m NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer
NewmarkCruvantFeinsteinLichtmanAdlerDeutschAndDenyer

Tombstone Tuesday: Seen in Southern Illinois

My wife and I explored Southern Illinois this weekend - stopping at several of the hiking paths and other sites along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. In the Alto Pass area, we spotted the below tombstone.

We had to stop to take a picture, but we didn't ask directions.

If anyone is interested in a similar exploration, I can recommend a bed and breakfast to spend the night. The accomodations at Von Jakob are very comfortable, the food is excellent, and they have a nice selection of wine, beer, and mead to taste.

Google Analytics: Searches that Led Here

I visited Google Analytics, and went through the search results that led people to my blog in 2012. It’s fascinating reading. Some people found what they were searching for. Others, I suspect didn't.

• “Cognatus Ergo Sum” (10 people) 

I thought I had a unique idea when I created that Latin phrase for a poem I wrote. Apparently it has been used often to describe an African emphasis on community.

• “lessons from splitting the red sea for bar mitzvah” (3 people) 

I’m pleased if the transcription of my Bar Mitzvah speech helped any kid with theirs (hopefully they took ideas, and didn't just 'borrow' the entire speech) – however, I am slightly concerned since all three searches were exactly one week prior to this year’s reading of that passage. I am hopeful they were researching a year in advance, and not a week in advance.

• "married her grandson” (2 people)

I bet they were as shocked as I was to discover this fact about Lucille Ball. But Ancestry’s OneWorldTree confirms it.

• “tree” (2 people) 

I wonder how many pages of search results they had to go through before they found my blog? 

ProTip: be a little more specific in your searches. [Maybe this was an 'image search.']

• “since no one has ever heard of my grandparents surname please tell me how the last four letters of their name is prounounced in hungarian – kats” (1 person)

Perhaps not that specific.

• "1900 Cluj Porno" (1 person)
• "Cluj 1900 Porno" (1 person)

I am unsure why a link shows up to this blog post for these two searches. The entry only contains two of those three words. I can only imagine whoever performed those searches was disappointed by my transcription.

• “Frases de Sid Wyman” (1 person)

Sid Wyman was a cousin of mine, however, it appears someone was searching for some quotes from him, in Spanish. I don't know if he knew Spanish. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He spent much of his adult life in Las Vegas.

• “Hot amanuensis” (1 person)

An intriguing combination of adjective and noun. I'd expect to see it either on a restaurant menu ("I"ll have a hot stack of amanuensis, covered in syrup, please?") or a single's page (SWF seeking Hot Amanuensis to transcribe her dreams and fantasies. Must know cursive.)

• “Is sir name Cruvant French” (1 person)

The surname, “Cruvant,” is Lithuanian. It comes from the town, Kruvandai.

 [I hope this was a young cousin of mine, for whom I can overlook the spelling error.]

• "What color is a black swan?" (1 person)

Black.

• “Where was my family from?” (1 person)

I wish it were that easy.

Wordless Wednesday: Critical Thinking Test

The questions and answers on this "Critical Thinking Test" are circa 1960s.

(Answers below the fold)

---

Gamer's Guide to Genealogy (repeat)

A repeat of a post from 2009
You may be familiar with just the traditional 6-sided die. And when someone says "dice" that is the image that comes to mind. However, those who play Role Playing Games (RPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons are familiar with a number of other variations:


The common shorthand for each is dX where X is the number of sides, so the traditional 6-sided die becomes known as a d6.

It occurred to me that when I reach a point where I am not sure what to do next in my genealogy research, letting the dice decide might be appropriate, or at least fun. So I came up with a system using a d20, and two rolls. (A d6 doesn't have nearly enough choices.)

First Roll - Selecting an Individual

To come up with 20 options, I started with the 16 Great-Great Grandparents, numbers 16-31 ahnentafel. So if 1 through 16 are rolled I allow myself to choose the ancestor listed, collateral descendants, or one of their ancestors.

I've listed mine below, along with their Ahnentafel numbers (binary and decimal)

1 Samuel Newmark (10000 – 16)
2 Rose Cantkert Newmark (10001 – 17)
3 Moshe Leyb Cruvant (10010 – 18)
4 Minnie Mojsabovski Cruvant (10011 – 19)
5 Selig (Dudelsack) Feinstein (10100 – 20)
6 Annie Perlik Feinstein (10101 – 21)
7 Morris Blatt (10110 - 22)
8 Beila Wyman Blatt (10111 - 23)
9 Abraham Deutsch (11000 – 24)
10 Sarah Weiss Deutsch (11001 – 25)
11 Israel Lichtman (11010 – 26)
12 Betty Adler Lichtman (11011 – 27)
13 Samuel Van Every (11100 – 28)
14 Abigail Stuart Van Every (11101 - 29)
15 Ebenezer Denyer (11110 - 30)
16 Sarah Hartley Denyer (11111 – 31)

I rounded out the 20 with four remaining categories:

17 Paternal Grandparents
18 Maternal Grandparents
19 Parents
20 Myself

Roll 2: Action

(I came up with ten actions, so I repeated each one. But a d10 could be used. Or maybe you can come up with ten more.)

1. Google Search (google.com ; books.google.com; news.google.com; groups.google.com)
2. Subscriber Site Search (e.g. Ancestry, Footnote, GenealogyBank)
3. Search for online databases in related locales that are new, or you may have missed.
4. Check Source Citations (Verify all data on individual in your database has a cited source.)
5. Interview someone about the individual (or write down your own recollections)
6. Write to a cousin descended from the individual
7. Transcribe a letter/document from, to, or about individual
8. Research the time/place the individual lived.
9. Scan photos/documents related to individual
10. Blog about the individual
11. Google Search (google.com ; books.google.com; news.google.com; groups.google.com)
12. Subscriber Site Search (e.g. Ancestry, Footnote, GenealogyBank)
13. Search for online databases in related locales that are new, or you may have missed.
14. Check Source Citations (Verify all data on individual in your database has a cited source.)
15. Interview someone about the individual (or write down your own recollections)
16. Write to a cousin descended from the individual
17. Transcribe a letter/document from, to, or about individual
18. Research the time/place the individual lived.
19. Scan photos/documents related to individual
20. Blog about the individual

Naturally, if you roll a combination that results in an impossible task (e.g. You don't have any letters to transcribe relating to X) roll again.

If you don't know where the closest store is where you can find a set of dice, you can find them online. Gamer's dice are usually sold in sets of 7: a d4, d6, d8, 2 d10s, a d12 and a d20. (the 2 d10s are numbered 1-10 and 10-100). You may be able to find many uses for these die for things in your life you are willing to randomize a bit.

Example, with a d6:

1) Do laundry
2) Clean bathroom
3) Feed dog
4) Feed kids
5) Check Email
6) Hit the snooze bar

If you feel 20 choices isn't enough, they do sell d100s.

What to expect if... (repeat)

A repeated, and slightly revised post from 2007
What to expect when your favorite genealogical conference merges with a local SF convention.

1) Possible panel/seminar topics:
a. Homer Simpson’s Family Tree
b. Genealogy references in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: from Nature's Nobility to graveyard visits.
c. Did your great grandparents read science fiction? An introduction to First Fandom for Young Adults.
d. Did your ancestors get eaten by Grendel? Where would they be buried if they were?
e. Making whoopee in the 17th century, were there any differences? (midnight panel)
f. Podcasting for the Genea-blogger.
g. Heraldry – What your local branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism has to offer your local genealogy society – and vice versa. With a potentially lively discussion on their 'accuracy.'
h. The 1891 and 1901 England Census are online? Is HG Wells listed? (Yes - ancestry.co.uk, image)
i. Which cancellation resulted in a greater loss to television: Who Do You Think You Are (US) or Firefly?

2) Genealogy Guest of Honor: (live via time machine) Alex Haley. Huge line for autographs, but a smaller subset of attendees will turn their nose up, claim the writer was a hack, and refuse to get in line, even if they’ve read all his books.
3) Media Guest of Honor: LeVar Burton - (Geordie LaForge on ST:TNG; Kunta Kinte on Alex Haley's Roots)
4) There will be a masquerade. A chance to dress up like your ancestors – or your future descendents! Prizes will be awarded.
5) Art Show will have new categories for Coats of Arms and family photographs.
6) Free alcohol in the room parties after hours will lead to genealogists logging on to OneWorldTree and adding entries to prove they are descended from Isaac Newton or Beowulf.

Friday Five

Five names from various census databases related to a particular theme


Allen Wrench - 1930 Census - Quitman, MS - Age 26
Allen Key - 1900 Census - Comanche, TX - Age 5
Jack Hammer - 1910 Census - Manhattan, NY - Age 11
Philip S. Driver - 1880 US Census - Sacramento, CA - Age 17
Brad Neil - 1920 Census - Duluth, St. Louis, MN - Age 26

Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly sing about their family trees

I shared this back in 2007, but there are probably one or two current readers who missed it, and others might enjoy listening to this again.  This is probably from The Julie Andrews Show (1965). 
 
Part I



Part II



On a personal note, back in 2007, I recall wondering whether I was going to end up like Gene's "Uncle Jim." Happily, that isn't the case; my fiancée last weekend was #1 on my list of things to be thankful for. For the second year running.

Genealogy Research - a poem

Genealogy Research

I was kneeling in front of the gravestone
Wearing a faded pair of jeans
I had forgotten to bring my digital camera
But had remembered the charcoal and paper
I rubbed the grave, and read the results
November 11 1819
November 13 1820
The child would have been
One year, two days old when he died
The stone had to be wrong
This was the grave of my ancestor
I looked at the death certificate
I had found on the state website
And brought with me to the cemetery
1820 should be 1870
I stood up
And walked over
To my computer desk
Which was incomprehensibly situated
Between two nearby stones
I entered the data
Into my family tree
And then entered
My ancestor’s name
Into a database
The name of which I don’t recall
But I knew I had never seen it before
There was one result
And following the link
I was reading the diary
Of my fourth great grandma
Where she mentioned the name
Of the ship on which the family traversed
The Pacific ocean
I had thought they came from Europe
But apparently
They came by a more
Circuitous route
I entered the name of the ship
Into Google
And learned the passengers
Were ex-convicts
Exiled to Australia
Who commandeered a boat
And sailed to America
By way of Argentina
I returned to the diary
Of my fourth great grandmother
Only to discover
Someone had deleted it
From the database
And I hadn’t yet downloaded it
To my desktop

I woke up, clichéd sweat
Covered my forehead
I grabbed pen and paper
And wrote down everything I’d learned
Fully aware my dream
Was as reliable a source
As most of what I find
On the Internet
My only concern
I didn’t know the proper
Citation format

© John Newmark, 2011

Some prior attempts at poetry

• A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July
• Where I'm From
• Ode to Sarah Hartley Denyer Foster
• E Pluribus Unum; Cognatus, Ergo Sum 
• Divergent Yet Intersecting
• Ode to a Microspatula

Does the I Ching have the answers I seek?

For his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Randy at GeneaMusings suggested we seek help from the Online IChing.

• Go to IChingOnline.net and ask a question relating to your genealogy research. You can "throw the coins virtually" or "throw the coins by hand." You have to click the "throw" button six times, then click on "Read."   

I threw the coins virtually.

• Report the question you asked and the answer you received, in the form of the Cast Hexagram (which explains the situation you are now in, or what has gone before), to your readers.

I decided to ask a specific question:

Where will I find the record of my great grandmother Bertha's birth?

The answer I received:

 45 - Forty-Five

Ts'ui / Gathering

The Lake rises by welcoming and receiving Earth's waters:
The King approaches his temple.
It is wise to seek audience with him there.

Success follows this course.
Making an offering will seal your good fortune.
A goal will be realized now.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

This is an important Convergence, and you must be part of it.
Look for the Center of this convergence.
Like waters running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the sun, you should let the gravity of this Center draw you near.
Others are also drawn to this Center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits.
This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose.
You will no longer be alone.

• Does the answer make any sense to you? How do you interpret the answer? 

This makes some semblance of sense.  Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark referred to her father as Moshe Leyb the King.  It was a joke likely based at least in part on his initials (M-L-K) spelling the Hebrew word for King.  Is the I Ching telling me I need to figure out the synagogue my great great grandfather attended, and if it still exists, perhaps they might have some records?

What kind of offering do I need to make?

The Center of Convergence I should seek might refer to the local genealogical society.  Others are certainly drawn there.  I've been a member previously, but I have let my membership lapse.

Onion Radio News: Sixth Grader's Family Tree Fails to Hold Up to Scrutiny

One World Tree

I've had some fun before posting strange relationships from Ancestry's OneWorldTree

Lucille Ball being the grandmother of her husband, Desi

Catherine the Great being the 19th great grandmother of Henry David Thoreau (even though less than 100 years separate their births.)

But doing some 'fun' research for a friend I came across something new.  This is the supposed relationship of my friend's ancestor Aaron Baldwin, with Henry David Thoreau.  (One line of the genealogy chart ran off the page -- Aaron and Henry would have been next.)

If you click through the empty boxes, you get a message something like, "this person doesn't exist in One World Tree."

Apparently, OneWorldTree allows you to say Person A is the grandparent of Person B, and indicate that a non-existent person fits inbetween.  And as you can see on the right, they also allow "great-grandparent."  I wonder what maximum number of 'missing steps' are permitted.

(Note: Aaron Baldwin's middle initial is most definitely M, but the parents of Aaron P on OneWorldTree match my research.)

How Genealogy and History Can Determine Your Age - 2011

This fun mathematical post has become sort of a tradition here.

I started it in 2008, updated it for 2009, and then updated it again in 2010.

A close comparison of posts will illustrate what needs to be changed each year, and the comments in 2009 included a mathematical explanation by someone on how this works, for those who are curious.

***

This takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read .

Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
(Because, you know, that spoils the fun.)


1. How many Great-Grandparents do you have full name, date of birth, and date of death for?

Secondary spouses don't count. Only (pardon the redundancy) direct ancestors count.

2. Multiply by the number of biological parents you have, regardless of whether or not you have any information on them. (Everyone should have the same answer here. 2.)

3. Add the number next to your paternal grandmother on your ahnentafel table or list. (Once again, everyone should have the same number. 5.)

4. To honor the year the Roman Emperor, Claudius, adopted Nero -- Multiply it by 50

5. To honor the nuptials of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - or, if you wish, the birth of Henry Shrapnel, inventor of the shrapnel shell - add 1761.

6. If you haven't had your birthday yet this year, subtract 1.

7. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this is the number of great grandparents you have all that information on!

The next two numbers are:

YOUR AGE

Don't deny it!

Note: This will not work if you are at least 100 years old. (But, congratulations!)

Xmas in July

As Wikipedia says: "Christmas in July celebrations may be held in July to provide a second joyful celebration in the year."  Many of those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate the arrival of winter weather commonly associated with Christmas, and many of those in the Northern Hemisphere start to miss that winter weather, as they are sweltering in the summer heat.

While the comic below originally appeared in December of last year, I find it a perfect fit for this post. 



Click on the image to go to the comic, and read the "mouseover" text.

I should note, the comic doesn't fit 'me' very well.  I do observe the gift giving aspects of December's Christmas, and I'm not a physicist, but I still find it humorous.

For those interested in understanding the physics behind the comic:

• The Observer Effect
• Schrödinger's Cat

"Schrödinger's Cat" shouldn't be confused with "Schrödinger the Cat" -- who, when I last observed him, was sitting on a chair a few feet away from me.  Yep, still there.

Last year's Xmas in July posts

When Traditional Methods Fail?

Charles Peden is a psychic medium (and an animal communicator)

He writes of two cases where he helped clients reconnect with ancestors, and solve some family mysteries.

All of this has led me to believe that when used properly, a good psychic medium can become an invaluable resource when researching ones family tree. When you really think about it, it’s incredible … the ability to connect with long lost relatives, discover true causes of death, unravel family mysteries and unearth “skeletons” in the closet.

It's conceivable some may not consider psychics one of the 'high quality sources' referenced in the Genealogical Proof Standard.  However, while I have only been researching for three years, I can see where a good psychic could be useful.

Would the source be primary, secondary, or derivative? 

[image: "Crystal Ball", by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)]

Genealogy Shocker: Lucille Ball married her grandson

Every genealogist knows that everything in the Family Trees uploaded to Ancestry.com is undeniably true.

So it's a fact: Lucille Ball married her grandson

Since you have to have an account on Ancestry to view the page, I have converted it to graphic form. Apparently Desi is related to a whole bunch of people -- I only show the first of six pages below. They are all undeniably true.

Ignore the warning box Ancestry includes in the upper right.

How Genealogy and History Can Determine Your Age - 2010

Since I did this back in 2008 and 2009 I made the necessary revision for 2010.

A close comparison of posts will illustrate what needs to be changed each year, and the comments last year included a mathematical explanation by someone on how this works, for those who are curious.

***
 This takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read .

Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!

1. How many Great-Grandparents do you have full name, date of birth, and date of death for?

Secondary spouses don't count. Only (pardon the redundancy) direct ancestors count.

2. Multiply by the number of biological parents you have, regardless of whether or not you have any information on them. (Everyone should have the same answer here. 2.)

3. Add the number next to your paternal grandmother on your ahnentafel chart. (Once again, everyone should have the same number. 5.)

4. To honor the year the Roman Emperor, Claudius, adopted Nero -- Multiply it by 50

5. To honor King George III, ruler of Great Britain when the US revolted, add 1760, the year he ascended the throne.

6. If you haven't had your birthday yet this year, subtract 1.

7. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this is the number of great grandparents you have all that information on!

The next two numbers are:

YOUR AGE

Don't deny it!

Note: This will not work if you are at least 100 years old. (But, congratulations!) This will also have to be tweaked, just a little, in future years. Only one step will have to be changed, though. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which one.