Above the Trees

WE'VE MOVED!!!

2010-03-04T21:28:00.000-08:00

You can find our new blog at http://www.photoloom.wordpress.com. Click here.

Bloggers & Tweeters & Chatters - Oh My!

2010-03-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

We just returned from an amazing couple of days in St. George, Utah, where we attended the Family History Expo last Friday and Saturday. As one of a small cadre of “Bloggers of Honor,” I spent much of my time Tweeting and taking notes, but I also made it a point to get to know a little more about my fellow geneabloggers. Let me tell you – I’m in pretty great company.

The Friday night banquet offered me a good opportunity. Themed The Wizards of Blogz,** banquet attendees heard from a handful of bloggers who spoke on the amazing family history resources to be found via social networking – there has never been a better time to be researching the past.

“Where else [besides the Internet] can you reach 50,000 people in a few seconds?” Arlene Eakle (Arlene Eakle’s Genealogy Blog) reminded us of the days when folks would post a surname in the hometown newspaper and wait, just hoping someone would find it and take the time to reply. Now, finding long lost cousins often takes nothing more than setting up a Facebook page dedicated to that surname, and boom! Tons of distant relatives are out there, ready and waiting to help, and hoping you can help them. It is no hyperbole to say that the Internet has changed the face of genealogy forever.

Our Master of Ceremonies, Jean Wilcox Hibbin (Circle Mending) entertained us with altered renditions of Oz classics and told us all about the care and feeding of a genealogy blog. I have an affinity for Jean because, though she is a dedicated genealogist, her passion is preserving music, and I love that. We all record the data for one reason or another, but when we keep the music and the stories and the images alive, we save the heartbeat of our people to pass along. There is something pure and beautiful in that.

Blogger AC Ivory (Find My Ancestors) also spoke. In a crowd where even I end up on the younger end of the age spectrum, AC is a baby. But he’s savvy about genealogy and media, and he offered solid advice and encouragement to family historians about how to get started blogging and tweeting. (If you want to follow Family History Expo blogger comments on Twitter, just do a search for the #fhexpo hashtag.)

During the dinner, I had a lot of fun sitting with Gena Ortega (of World Vital Records and Gena’s Genealogy Blog). She attended dinner with her two boys, and between them and Scott, at least a gallon of pink Kool-aid was consumed! Among her many responsibilities, Gena maintains GenealogyWise, a site she described in her remarks to the banquet crowd as “Facebook for genealogy.” That intrigued me, so one of the first things I did when I got home was join and set up a page for Photoloom. The site is very easy to use, and a nice alternative for family historians who want to avoid the Farmville/Mafia/Pirate crowd (which, by the way, you will only understand if you are already involved with the Farmville/Mafie/Pirate crowd). One of the cool features of GenealogyWise is its Chat Room, where you can ask questions, visit with fellow family historians, or attend a scheduled chats on a variety of topics and hosted by experts in the field. This Sunday I'm planning to attend a chat hosted by Jean that will focus on breaking into the genealogy lecture circuit. (Click here or on the sidebar to join the Photoloom group on GenealogyWise.)

One final blogger I wanted to be sure to mention is Denise Levenick, of Family Curator. What a nice lady! Like me, she's a writer in her real life, and "slips on a hat and veil and may be found writing classic tales of romance and suspense as Miss Penelope Dreadful" (for the Shades of the Departed online photography magazine.) The focus of Family Curator dovetails nicely with Above the Trees, so if you are reading us, you may want to check it out. I’m hoping to persuade Denise to write a guest blog for us.

That’s it for today. In the coming weeks, I’ll be making some big announcements about new Photoloom features and affiliates, adding a couple more installments to follow up the St. George Expo (On the Vender Floor; Class Notes), and gearing up for our first National Genealogical Conference, which at the end of April in Salt Lake City.

** The banquet couldn’t have been a more suitably themed – by the time we arrived in St. George, Holly Hansen and her crew at Family History Expos had survived a doozy of a twister – a fatal server failure that brought their website and email to a screeching halt just a week before the event. And yet, Holly emerged from the storm pressed, polished, ready for a world filled with interesting characters and face new challenges.

Contest Winner ~ Barefoot Memories

2010-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

We have a winner in our Photo Family History Contest! Congratulations to Sylvia Hott Sonneborn, of the Barefoot Genealogy Blogs (as well as the treasurer and newsletter editor of the Barefoot Reunion Association, Windber, Pennsylvania), sent us this wonderful entry. Sylvia will receive two free registrations at the St. George Family History Expo, a free one-year Premium Family Photoloom membership, and our genuine admiration!

Here's Sylvia's entry:

Some old pencil sketches and a handwritten note from my Grandmother Ella Hammer Krise give me a slice of life of my great-great grandparents. At a family reunion, one of the attendees brought pencil drawings of my g-g-grandparents, and I took photographs of the drawings. The bearded gentleman is Solomon Nunemaker Hammer, who was born 14 December 1812 in Jennerstown, St. Clair Twp., Bedford , Pennsylvania, United States, and he died 13 February 1890 in the same place.

His wife Elizabeth (Barefoot) Hammer was born 18 February 1813 at St. Clairsville, Bedford, Pennsylvania, United States. She died 17 September 1889 in Jenner Township, Somerset, Pennsylvania, United States. Together they had 10 children, and among them was my great-grandfather Joseph Sleek Hammer of Johnstown, Cambria, Pennsylvania, United States.

While I don’t know much about the Hammers, I found a handwritten note from Joseph Sleek Hammer’s daughter, my grandmother, Ella Hammer Krise, that reveals a little of Solomon and Elizabeth:

“Grandmother Hammer and Grand F. had their own riding horse. G.M.'s had a round full body, and short legs. Its name was Gin. G.M. had a very wide riding skirt and a side saddle. She raised flax and wove linen. She also spun wool, made yarn, colored it black, blue, red, and brown, knit stockings, wove cloth, flannel, and carpets. G.M. was a beautiful woman, always smiling. [This would have been Elizabeth Barefoot Hammer.]

"Grandfather's horse was a beautiful horse, black as coal, long legs, and ran off whenever he felt like it. No one could ride him except Gr. F. One day they hitched him up with Gin, to haul in some hay. He decided to run off. He ran up against a tree, and that was the last of him.

"G.F. was a large man. G.M. could stand under his arm.”

[Solomon Hammer died in 1890, so this information predates that as well as the pencil drawings and family photo.]

In addition, there is a very old photo of the Hammer Family. Solomon and Elizabeth are in the center with some of their children and their spouses surrounding them, circa 1885-1889.

Front Row: Ross Forward Hammer (abt 30), Probably their granddaughter and daughter of Mary, Mary Jane Cauffiel (abt 25). Row 2: Solomon Nunemaker Hammer (abt 73), Elizabeth Barefoot (abt 71), Louisa Foust, wife of David Hammer (abt 33), Malinda Galbreath, wife of John Hammer (abt 31). Back Row: John Colby Hammer (abt 40), David Mark Hammer (abt 35), Mary Hammer Cauffiel (abt 49), Charlotte Hammer Livingston (abt 48), Polly Spiegel Hammer, wife of Ross (abt 26).

Our thanks to everyone who entered our contest this time!

Serendipitree

2010-02-06T11:45:00.001-08:00

Photoloom has a new face! We've changed our color scheme and tweaked our logo. Now if you look closely, you can see a "tree" woven into our photo-corner ~ the perfect marriage of photos and family history!

Serendipity is my all time favorite word.

Last Thursday night, I was reviewing some updates our daughter had made to some of our graphics when Serendipity snuck up and stamped on my toe. All of a sudden, I saw “the tree,” right there in front of me. Sure, it was sideways and hidden, but it was there.

Has that always been there? Why haven’t I seen it before? Why did it taken me three and a half years to see something so obvious?

If you’ve been working on your family history for any amount of time, you’ve asked yourself these very questions. There you are, hunched over your desk, scanning the same document for the hundredth time, when suddenly something completely new jumps out at you. Something that HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE, just waiting for you to find it. And most of the time, this happens when you are all alone, and you want to jump around the room and hug someone and tell them about the cool thing you just discovered, but there’s no one there and so you have to just kind of squeeze yourself and smile a lot.

Or maybe that part’s just me.

Anyway, my point is, things don’t always happen like we expect them to. And sometimes that’s a good thing.

____________________
Have you entered our Family Threads Contest yet? Send us your favorite family history photo and a short description/story/memory about it! First prize is two tickets to the St. George Family History Expo at the end of this month.

Enter Our First Ever Photo-history Contest!

2010-02-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

We are gearing up to attend the St. George Family History Expo at the end of February, and in conjunction with that, I am pleased as punch to announce our first ever (da-da-da-dahh!) Family Threads Contest!!!

The Winner will receive these awesome prizes:

Two free registrations for St. George Family History Expo ($140 value)
One-year Premium Family Photoloom Membership ($39 value)
Publication of your photo & story

To enter, simply send a family history photo (.jpg or .png files only, please) along with a short personal essay, memory, or story about that photo to renee@photoloom.com. Be sure to include “Family Threads Contest” in the subject line of your email.

Check out our Family Threads series if you want to get a better idea of what we're looking for.

Nuts & Bolts:

Entries may be 100-500 words in length, and must include both a picture and a story.
Entries must not have been previously published.
Submission deadline is midnight February 16. Winners will be announced February 21.
No prize substitutions will be made.
Winners will be determined by highly unscientific, subjective methods, but if your story makes us laugh or cry, you'll have a better chance. The decisions of the judges are entirely their own, and are final.

Wordless Wednesday: Four Generations

2010-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Four Generations

Photoloom Affiliates with New FamilySearch

2010-01-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Big things are happening at Photoloom! Just for starters, we are now an official software affiliate with New FamilySearch, and are working to become “New FamilySearch Certified.”

With our upcoming 3.0 release, Family Photoloom members will be able to import information from New FamilySearch* and tag their pictures with New FamilySearch IDs, enabling their pictures to be associated with records stored in New FamilySearch.

What does this mean for you?

You can import your genealogy information into your Family Photoloom account directly from New FamilySearch, so you will no longer need to type it in.
You can help ornament the global New FamilySearch tree with your pictures and documents. You have complete control over what is kept private and what is made available to other researchers.
Together we are paving the way for a new generation of "image-enriched genealogy."

Call for 3.0 Beta testers: If you are a New FamilySearch user, we need your help! We are in need of Beta testers to help us polish our upcoming 3.0 release. Your efforts will take very little time and will help us immensely. All Beta testers will receive an expanded Free Family Photoloom account. Please contact us at support@photoloom.com, or call 503.628.1922 for more information.

* FamilySearch is a family history website provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It provides its resources free of charge to the public and is one of the most heavily used genealogy sites on the Internet. A new website, now known as New FamilySearch, that gives users the ability to edit data was launched in 2007, and is incrementally becoming available to genealogists worldwide. For more information, click here.

HASNBT6Z4U2Q (Ignore -test)

Tombstone Tuesday: Homestead Adventure, Continued

2010-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Gravestones of our Great Grand-uncle and aunt, John & Nancy Huskey, found near the Huskey School, in Hillsboro, Missouri.

Family Threads: Homestead Adventure

2010-01-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

The seed for Family Photoloom was planted fifteen years ago, when our family took a five-week family history trip. With daughters age 8, 3 and 2 the time, we flew from our home in Hillsboro, Oregon to attend a family reunion in London, Ontario, and then drove south through 2000 miles of sweltering Midwest summer heat to Fort Worth, Texas before returning home. The following is Scott’s account of one day on that trip.

We had heard stories about the Huskey School – of how Peter Huskey lead a wagon train to Missouri and started the first subscription school in the area. We traveled from St Louis to Hillsboro, Missouri, where, after knocking on several doors, we finally found distant cousin Dave Huskey, who gave us directions to the school.

“It’s up the hill. Just follow the fence on up, and when you get to the clearing at the top you’ll want to follow the fence. It’ll lead you right to it.” That’s when our adventure really began.

Loaded down with cameras, a tape recorder, a gallon of water, grass clippers, and a diaper bag we set off. We climbed the hill slowly, carrying Grace and Olivia most of the way, and by the time we got to the top clearing, we were very excited to find the school. I put down the child I was holding and asked my family to stay there while I searched around the clearing for a fence to follow, but after much looking could not locate it.

Leaving my family, I returned down the hill, where Dave gave me more detailed directions and pointers about how to find the fence. (His account doesn’t reflect it, but it was no short walk down and up that hill, and Scott was gone nearly an hour. The girls and I spent the time singing in a swath of Black-eyed Susans. ~ Renee)

When I returned back up the hill, we made our way to a back corner of the clearing that I had not explored completely. We found the fence!!! We followed it, and we saw…a house?!? No, that wasn’t it. We stopped, disappointed. Only Leisha and I went ahead. And then we saw it - about 25 yards ahead was the school house.

With yells of joy, we gathered our family at the school house. Just at that moment, we heard Dave coming up behind us on his tractor. He helped us find the tombstones of my third great grand-uncle, John Huskey and his wife Nancy, and told us about the ‘Huskey Gold,’ which legend says is still buried on the Huskey farm in a cedar box. He even let us have a few boards from the Huskey School as reminder of our trip.

We all loaded onto the tractor for a ride to the bottom of the hill, but when we arrived, we discovered that we had left our boards at the school house. Having come this far, I was not going to let our ‘mementos’ get away from us. It was getting dark, so I ran as much as I could, all the time swinging my arms wildly to swat away the huge thirsty horse flies, one or two of which escorted me all the way. At the top of the hill I grabbed our boards and said a quick prayer of thanks before jogging back down the hill with my fly escorts.

It was nearly dark when I neared the bottom of the hill, and I was greeted by beautiful fireflies celebrating my arrival. I jogged into Dave’s parking area with the boards held high above my head in triumph. I discovered that I was soaked! I had sweat clear through my clothes – even the money in my wallet was wet. There is the dark of the driveway, we shared our adventure and exchanged genealogy information with Dave and his family. Then with warm goodbyes, we packed up our car and headed back to St Louis. We topped off our evening with an alcohol sponge bath and a check for ticks (one had almost burrowed into my knee), followed by a meal at the local fast food place. We will remember this day now and always as “Our Huskey Homestead Adventure.”

Make a resolution now - this is the year to get your photos organized, and your family engaged in the grand adventure of family history. Visit Photoloom.com to learn more.

15-Minute Family History: Sweet Memories

2009-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

As a child, much of my time in the weeks preceding Christmas was spent in my mother’s kitchen, turning the handle of a little nut mill, while Mom and her friend, Betty, made cookies with intriguing names like Joe Froggers, Thumbprints, and Swiss Chews.

As we worked, Mom would reminisce about the holiday kitchen of her childhood – where she learned from her own mother, among other things, how to make a perfect pie. As a result, many of my treasured images of my maternal grandmother (who died when I was only three) come not from hazy memory or aging photographs, but from stories told in my mother’s kitchen, evoked by the aroma of warm walnuts and thick chocolate.

Holiday kitchens are filled with family history – heirloom recipes and family stories fold together as readily as melted chocolate folds into beaten eggs and brown sugar. Spend some time with your ‘family chefs’ this season: take pictures, write down “secret recipes,” record recollections – and add another rich ingredient to your family history.

Today, it is my eight year-old turning the crank of the little nut mill, surrounded by the smells of Christmas. Sitting on our kitchen stool, she listens to me as I tell her about baking Swiss Chews with her Grammi; and gaining, I hope, a few sweet memories of her own.

SWISS CHEWS
From the kitchen of Clella Mae Hancock

12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups walnuts, finely chopped

Melt chocolate over boiling water and let cool. Beat eggs and add sugar gradually, beating until thick. Fold in chocolate and remaining ingredients. Drop onto non-stick cookie sheet or parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container. Makes 2 dozen.

Tips for gathering heirloom recipes:

Watch and learn—For those with relatives from the “pinch-and-dash” school of cooking, time spent together in the kitchen offers a unique opportunity to gather family recipes that may not otherwise be accurately recorded – Grandma might “forget” to write down that extra pinch of a special something on a recipe card, but she’s sure to remember to throw it in when she’s making a batch with you.
Ask questions—Find out as much as you can about the history of the recipe. Ask, Who first made this? Do you remember the first time you made it? Why is this a family favorite?
Record it all in your Family Photoloom account. Try to take a picture of the item, and then record the recipe in the "Picture Notes." The picture and recipe can then be indexed (attached) to Grandma by using the "Other" field in the Relationship Setter.

15-Minute Family History: Make a Holiday Binder

2009-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Holiday photo-cards are a great source of heirloom-worthy photo-history. They chronicle the growth of children (and the aging of parents!), new marriages, new babies, and sometimes even include pets and home exteriors. For many, the annual holiday photo may be the only image from that year that includes everyone in the family. If you have access to a scanner, take a few minutes to scan these special images when they arrive. Then be sure to upload them to your Family Photoloom account so you can tag each person and link everyone - including friends and pets - to your family history.

But then what? In years past, I struggled over what to do with all those photo-cards once they were scanned - along with the collection of beautiful handmade cards and family letters that arrive in our mailbox every holiday season. In my perfect world, they would be painstakingly scrapbooked and on display in a satin-lined album with gilded edges, but in the rush of the season, they were lucky to make it into the “keep for later” box.

Then a few Christmases ago, I received a festively decorated binder as a gift from my daughter Laura. Filled with plastic sheet protectors and brightly colored paper dividers denoting a decade of Christmases to come, it offered a perfect, effortless solution for preserving our holiday treasures.

To make your own "Holiday History Binder," all you need is a 3-ring notebook, some acid-free and archival safe plastic sheet protectors, and a little imagination.

Decorating can be as easy as slipping a special picture into the front of a view-binder, or as involved as making a fabric-covered album like the one Laura made for me. Either way, once complete, it takes only a few minutes to slide those special cards, photos, and letters into the sheet protectors, and your holiday history is preserved, ready to share and enjoy for generations to come.

Family Threads: To Know Her Was to Love Her

2009-11-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

The story is told of how when my Grandpa Hans Patrick first saw this picture of Ella Mae Hughes, he fell in love with her before they ever met, announcing, “This is the woman I am going to marry!”

Though this picture does not show it, Ella Mae had strikingly beautiful auburn hair; however, her beauty went much deeper: Ella Mae was an extraordinary person.

Those who knew her well tell me that Ella Mae had an extremely caring spirit and she looked out for everyone around her. As the second oldest child (and oldest daughter) in a family of nine children, she was like a second mother to her siblings. And though she experienced much laughter and happiness, she was never light-headed. Many have shared with me that being with her was like being in the presence of an angel. Ella Mae loved everyone; you can see it in her face, you can read it in her letters, you can hear it in the stories that people tell about her.

Ella Mae died when my father was only sixteen, tragically killed when the car she was riding in was hit by a drunk driver. In fitting tribute to this gentle woman who was beautiful in every way, Ella Mae’s tombstone reads, “To know her was to love her.”

Though I never had the chance to meet Ella Mae, I too have fallen in love with her. And as I learn more about her and connect her story with mine, I feel reunited with this grandmother I have not yet met; it brings great joy to my heart to be able to share her life and story with others through Family Photoloom.

“Family Threads” is a periodic column in Above the Trees. If you have a photograph and family story that you’d like to share with our readers, please contact us today! All submissions are subject to editing for space and content.

Bicycle Boy

2009-11-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

From the time he could turn the pedals of his first bicycle until his death nearly 75 years later, my father, Robert Hancock, traveled thousands of miles across the the highways and hills of the Pacific Northwest on the seat of his bicycle.

In the early years of World War II, Daddy delivered telegrams for Postal Telegraph (a competitor to Western Union) in Portland, Oregon, riding the bike shown in this picture. Portland is now known as very "green" city, but Daddy went green long before it was fashionable or easy, riding to work nearly every day of his life. When he retired, he routinely rode at least 25 miles a day, and was a frequent participant in the 200-mile Seattle-to-Portland Classic (STP), riding his last STP at the age of seventy-four. But although cycling kept him healthy and active, just a few short years after that last STP, Parkinson's Disease forced him onto a stationary bicycle, which he rode until just a month before he died, in September 2006 at the age of eighty.

I am currently writing a historical novel for young adults based on Dad's time with Postal Telegraph, under the working title "Bicycle Boy."

15-Minute Family History: What's in a Name?

2009-10-29T22:50:00.001-07:00

This has been a pivotal week for our family (and our family history) - my oldest daughter gave birth to her first child, making Scott and I grandparents for the first time, and in the 50-some hours since baby Kyah Renee (the middle name is for me!) arrived, I’ve spent a lot of time holding her and feeling very blessed. These have been blissful, thoughtful moments, and I feel the generations past so very near, looking over my shoulder with great love and affection.

I’ve also had some time to think on less weightier, but nevertheless critical issues – like what I’d like my grandkids to call me. Now, I realize that there’s a better than even chance that at some point, a child, (maybe even this one) may hang an unexpected moniker on me, like Gigi or Mima or Gramma Buttons, but until that time, I don’t want to just be “the nice lady with the long hair who’s always calling us on Skype and sending weird little presents…yeah, Mommy’s mom.” I need a Gramma Name.

We interrupt our blog for this important announcement ~
Voting for Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs is almost over, so please take a moment right now to vote for your favorites. Of course, we hope you’ll vote for Above the Trees – we're listed in Photos/Heirlooms (Category #9). You can vote for just one blog, or as many as forty.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post...
Family names – that is to say, the names that we call one another within our own families – are an important (and often overlooked) piece of family history. Some are passed from generation to generation. Others come about from childish mispronunciations, or have a special story attached to them. Often they reflect ethnicity, heritage, or culture: in our family, for example, my son-in-law is Armenian, and so Kyah, blessed to live in a trilingual home, will call her Armenian grandparents “Papik” and “Tatik.”

Which brings me to this week’s 15-Minute Family History Assignment:
As family historians, we take great pains to accurately record each individual’s name, but do we take time to record their family names? Was your father “Dad” or “Pop?” Did your brother have a nickname? Did you? What did you call your grandparents? My maternal grandparents weren’t only Lester Alfred and Edna Fern – to me, they were and will always be “Poppy” and “Ma.” Take a few minutes to record those special family names, as well as any stories that go with them.

Family Photoloom Bonus:
Nicknames and universal family names (as in, everyone calls him “Buster”) can be recorded in Picture Notes on the individual’s icon picture, or in an Individual Record as part of their name (e.g., Carl “Buster” Bridgmon).

Two-generation family names (parent/child) are easy to record in the Relationship View. Simply drag an individual into the relationship setter and click on any other individual for whom a relationship has been set. Then record the Family Name in the space provided at the top of the screen. For example, when I put my mother in the center of the Relationship Setter and click on her father, I can record that “Lester is a “Pop” to Clella Mae” in the relationship information that appears at the top of the page.

Grandparent and other multi-generational family names can be recorded in Picture Notes, or in an Individual Record.

P.S. I’m staying traditional for now, and going with “Grammi.”

Wordless Wednesday: Just Call Me "Grammi"

2009-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our family history added a whole new generation yesterday. From two very proud first-time grandparents...

Wordless Wednesday: Georgia Goes to Telegraph School

2009-10-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

My Great-grandmother, Georgia Bradley Masters
Telegraph School ~ Iowa ~ Circa 1880

15-Minute Family History: Part 1 - Getting Started

2009-10-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of opportunities to talk with folks about their family photos, and one commom lament is, "I don’t have anything. It was all lost in a (fire/flood/tornado)." Or, "My third cousin 'borrowed' them all years ago, and we haven't seen them since." Or simply, "My family didn’t keep any family photos.”

Then we get to talking a little more, and I ask, "You have a picture of yourself, right?"

"Of course I've got pictures of myself."

"What about your parents? Do you have any pictures of them? Or your children?"

"Well, yeah, I've got lots of pictures of them. But I mean family history pictures. I don't have any OLD pictures."

Let's stop right there. Remember, the first word in family history is FAMILY. That includes you, and it includes now! And, as with anything, when you are just starting out, the best approach is start simple, and go from what you know (or what you have) to what you don’t know (or what you don’t have). So let’s start with what you do have:

Start your Pictorial Family History:

Make a list of your immediate family members – parents, children, spouse – and look to your own pictures to find an image of each person on your list. You don’t need to start with a lot of pictures – in the case of family history preservation, one picture is infinitely better than none.

If the images you have chosen are not already digitized, scan them, or have someone to scan them for you.

Add your grandparents and their other children (your aunts and uncles) to your list. Do you have photos of them? Scan those too. Also, make a list of what you don’t have. (We’ll discuss how to deal with that in an upcoming installment.)

Create a file on your computer labeled “Family History Images” (or something like that). Copy all of your family history images into that file. (If you have a lot of images, you may need to create sub files.)

Upload your images onto your free Family Photoloom account, and tag all the individuals. Then go into the “Relationship View” and drag each individual into the relationship setter. You now have a 3-generation chart complete with pictures on your screen, with the potential for literally infinite family lines and relationships.

Each of these steps should take you fifteen minutes or less. Do one a day for a week (with weekends off!) and you will be on your way!

Next week: Protecting Your Precious Family Photos

Free genealogy tutorials and classes for beginners:

GenTutorials (Great series of tutorials, presented by GenWriters)
Finding Your Ancestors (BYU Independent Study Course)

Do you have a great idea for our 15-Minute Family History series? Email it to me at renee at photoloom dot com. I’d love to hear about how you are getting your family history done, one bite at a time!

Wordless Wednesday: Ball-&-Chain

2009-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Clella Mae Masters (aka "Mom") & Mary Blanche Miller
Maryville, Missouri ~ Circa 1938

Happy 83rd Birthday, Mom!

Tombstone Tuesday: One foot In...

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

While attending a family reunion in Missouri, we took an excursion to visit a small family cemetery near Webb City. As we strolled among the gravestones, our host, Aunt Esther, reminisced about the various folks interred there. Pointing out one humble plot, Aunt Esther remarked, “That's where your Great-grandma Effie and her leg are buried.” She went on to explain, “Effie lost her leg to gangrene, and she had it buried in her plot. Poor dear – she went around for years telling people she already had one foot in the grave.”

15-Minute Family History: An Introduction

2009-10-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I attended the Salt Lake Family History Expo as a “Blogger of Honor” (cue the Baroque trumpets) and had the opportunity to attend a number of exceptional classes, taught by the cream of the family history crop. I returned home to Oregon all fired up and ready to start shooting out one blog entry after another detailing all the great information I gathered. But then…

…September started, and for anyone with kids at home, you know that what that means. Some days, I can’t find half an hour to call my own.

This all led me to an inspiration: At the Family History Expo, I attended a class called 15-Minute Family History, presented by Kim Woodbury & Deborah Lambert, both of FamilySearch. Kim & Deborah focused their combined knowledge on attacking family history one chunk at a time, and offered practical advice for breaking down this overwhelming lifetime project into achievable bite-size tasks.

That’s just what we need!

So, for the next couple of months, I’ll be exploring this idea, and particularly how it relates to photo-history, in a new weekly series, “15-Minute Family History.” (Can’t improve on that title.) Here’s a little incentive to stay tuned: If you use just one 15-minute idea once a week, at the end of the month, you will have completed a whole hour of practically painless family history work. What if you devoted fifteen minutes twice a week? Or every day? Think of the possibilities!

Want to get started right now? (Prepare for a shameless - but extremely relevant - endorsement of Family Photoloom.) In just fifteen minutes, you can open a free Family Photoloom account, upload a five or six pictures, tag the faces, set all the relationships in the relationship setter, and invite your family to share in their family history. Boom! Family history – 15-Minutes.

Next week: Part 1: How to Get the Ball Rolling

Do you have a great idea for our 15-Minute Family History series? Email it to me at renee at photoloom dot com. (Sorry, Spam-bots.) I’d love to hear about how you are getting your family history done, one minute at a time!

Follow me on Twitter @Photoloom

"Above the Trees" Nominated for Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs!

2009-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Geneabloggers all over the globe are celebrating the opening of voting for Family Tree Magazine's Top 40 Genealogy Blogs. And truth be told, I am downright gleeful that our blog, Above the Trees, is among the nominees! The field of geneablogs is rich and broad, and the geneablogger community is an amazing group to be a part of - generous with time and talent; willing to help and mentor at the mere notion of a need. It is an humbling honor to be counted among them. Thank you so much to all the loyal readers who nominated us!!

To vote for your favorite geneablogs, use the Voting Ballot at Family Tree Magazine. Of course, we hope you’ll vote for Above the Trees – you can find us listed in Photos/Heirlooms (Category #9), but there are many other great blogs to check out. You can vote for as few as one, or as many as forty.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to visit a couple of new geneablogs today – you’ll be amazed by what you find! FootnoteMaven put together a complete list of all the nominated blogs, organized by category. (If you visit a blog, be sure to leave a quick encouraging comment – we all love comments!)

And finally, since Above the Trees focuses on "the visual" part of family history, I wanted to share this with you: Vickie over at BeNotForgot created this beautiful Wordle Poster of all the nominated blogs. (Above the Trees can be found in the very top upper left corner.) Simply outstanding!

Good luck to all the nominees and remember to vote!

Sincerely,
Renee Huskey

Book Review: "Digitizing Your Family History"

2009-10-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

Digitizing Your Family History
By Rhonda R. McClure (Family Tree Books, 2004)

In her introductory acknowledgment, author Rhonda McClure invites the reader to “Remember to grasp technology.”

This resonates well. Computers have revolutionized genealogy research, and in this excellent guide, McClure extends the boundaries of this revolution to encompass the larger circle of family history.

Digitizing Your Family History offers an easy, interesting read; McClure weaves relateable personal narrative and relevant technical information, and the reader receives an education and appreciation for the way things used to be (and how far things have come) while getting up to speed on the latest technology.

Beginning with a chapter focusing on the new horizons that digitizing offers to the family historian, this practical how-to reference provides a good introduction to image editing, working with vintage photos, and digitizing audio and video tapes. Chapters are logically sequenced, and well thought out icons in the margins call attention to tips, techniques, and online resources.
Scanning photos, paper documents, slides, and negatives are covered in great detail, and an entire chapter is dedicated to helping the reader choose the scanner or digital camera that is optimal for his needs. Another chapter focuses on the “Imaging Road Warrior,” and provides all the essential information needed for digitally preserving history on the road.

A highly-experienced genealogy researcher, McClure takes pains to emphasize the importance of keeping research journals, and offers practical advice for doing this with the tools at hand. She also addresses the challenges of organizing, printing, and sharing digital family history, and provides insightful tips and advice for meeting those challenges. All in all, Digitizing Your Family History is an excellent choice, particularly for beginning and intermediate “Digital Family Historians.”

No More Fuzzy Faces, Part 2

2009-09-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Digital Pictures 101: Part 2 - Compression

Awhile back, we explored “resolution” in digital imaging, and discussed tips on how to choose optimal scanning resolution. We also identified the problem that optimal scanning presents, especially in the case of creating a digital archive: image files can be huge – and can easily fill up your hard drive. And although hard drives are getting larger and cheaper every day, the limiting factor might be your backup media – which in this day and age tends to be CD’s DVD’s or online internet backups. Image compression can significantly reduce this burden. As the name suggests, “compression” technology results in smaller file sizes. There are two major types of compression: Lossless and Lossy:

LOSSLESS compression (PNG, TIFF, BMP file formats)

Reduces file size with no loss in image quality.
Does not compress to as small a file size as lossy. (See Table)
Use when archiving and editing images.

LOSSY compression (JPG or JPEG file formats)

Reduces files size with some loss of image quality.
Allows for variable levels of quality (compression) to be
selected by the user.
Use when sharing images.

Popular Digital Image File Formats

JPG or JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group. Most digital cameras use this by default. Lossy compression.
TIFF - Tagged Image File Format. This flexible image format allows for many color depths, and can use Lossless or Lossy compression
PNG - Portable Network Graphics. Handles 24-bit (true) color, Lossless compression.
BMP - Windows bitmap. Not compressed.

The following MB Comparison Shart is based on a sample image that is 5400x3600 pixels:
The main point to take away from all this is that JPG (pronounced jay-peg) is simply amazing at compressing file sizes with very little loss in image quality. This is especially true when scanning images at very high resolution (300 dpi or higher) and saving files with high quality settings (about 90% of the maximum setting). JPG compression allows you to store and share hundreds of high quality images on a CD instead of dozens.

In these examples, the three cropped images above, cropped from the original, shown are (1) Low-Quality JPG, (2) a High-Quality JPG, and (3) TIFF file (no compression).

Another factor to consider is color depth. Color depth is the number of bits (or bytes) per pixel. More bits per pixel result in more available colors in the final output. Color depth also effects file size, so pay attention to scanner settings.

Generally an uncompressed image will be 1/3 the file size if it is scanned in 8-bit per pixel gray scale instead of True Color— a good thing to remember if you are scanning a lot of documents or black and white photographs and need to save hard drive space.

Typewritten or handwritten documents should be scanned with 8-bit per pixel gray scale.
Black and white photographs should be scanned with 8-bit per pixel gray scale unless you want to preserve the subtle sepia or yellowing; then choose True Color.
All other color photographs or color documents should be scanned using True Color.

Doing the right thing with image compression:

Archive using lossless compression. (Please!)
Experiment before picking a compression: Zoom way in to your compressed files to see how the lossy-compression is effecting the quality.
Choose a compression that allows your project to fit on the media provided.
Share excellent quality copies using compressed files.
Use 8-bit gray scale color depth for documents and black and white photographs to save disk space.

Wordless Wednesday: Where Dreams Began...

2009-09-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dad & Me, 1966
Camp Baldwin (BSA-CPC) Oregon

In honor of my trip last week to the Pendleton Roundup,
(which was, by the way, awesome).

Tombstone Tuesday: Cemetery Sleuths, Part 3

2009-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Cemetery Sleuths, Part 1
Cemetery Sleuths, Part 2

Congratulations, Detectives! Your CSI (Cemetery Sleuth Investigation) Team has identified the scene and you’re ready to gather evidence. Here’s a family-friendly method for making gravestone rubbings.

You will need:

Tracing Paper or Freezer Paper (works well even if stones are damp or wet) or Acid-free Vellum (for archival-quality rubbings)
Thick, dark-colored crayons with the labels removed
Soft bristle brush
Small spray bottle of water
Hand towel
Partner
Cardboard tube – for storing paper and finished rubbings

Procedure:
Select a solid gravestone and gently clean dirt and debris from the face using a soft bristle brush, and water if necessary. Have your partner hold the paper over the gravestone. (If using freezer paper, put the shiny side down.) With the flat side of the crayon, rub the entire area using gentle, even strokes. Before removing the paper, step back and check to see if you have completely rubbed all areas. When finished, it is a good idea to note somewhere on the rubbing where it was taken. Roll your paper up carefully so you don't crease it or smudge the tracing.

Cemetery Sleuth Code of Conduct: A good detective never disturbs the evidence. In other words, “Do no harm.” Always gain permission to do rubbings before you begin. Do not do rubbings on thin or unstable stones. Carelessness can cause damage to gravestones, and for this reason, some cemeteries do not permit gravestone rubbing.

Extended Relationships - What Are They, and Why Do I Need Them?

2009-09-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Just over a week ago, this picture of my friend Marilee and me on our first day of 1st grade appeared as part of another post. Now I'd like to tell you a little bit more about it, and what it represents.

Marilee and I have been friends for well over forty years. I hope we are friends for at least forty more. She appears in countless pictures and memories from my childhood, and my life might be completely different had I not experienced her friendship and her family.

But in a hundred years, when my great-great grandchildren look through my family history, will they find Marilee? Not likely, if I organize it with with the tools currently available: there’s no place for Marilee in traditional genealogy and family history programs, because she falls outside the fixed categories (i.e., mother, father, child, etc.) that they recognize. For them, Marilee doesn’t exist. Neither does my Grandpa Fred, or my birth-mother and her children (my siblings!), or Sheila, my cat of 16 years.

Family Photoloom is changing all that. Our Extended Relationship Indexing (patents pending) allows you to include anyone or anything that enriches your story in your family history – special friends, step and foster children, birth-family members, pets, family heirlooms, favorite vacation spots, secret family recipes…there is a place for every one with Family Photoloom. Here's how it works:

How to Set Extended Relationships with Family Photoloom
Relationship Setting means to attach one Record to another, creating a specific relationship between the the two. Setting relationships in Family Photoloom takes less time than it took to read this sentence.
Before you begin either option, be sure the individual you wish to index is entered in your Records (the left column). You do not need to have a picture of them tagged to complete indexing.

Go to the Relationship View, and select the Record of the individual you wish to be the focus. You can do this by clicking and dragging the Record, or by clicking the green Relationship Icon that appears by the Record.
Select the Record of the individual you want to "attached" to the Focus Record, and click-&-drag the individual into the appropriate field in the Relationship Setter (e.g., Spouse, Sibling, Child, Other).
Check the appropriate relationship boxes in the drop-down (Not necessary for "Other" field.) and customize the description of the relationship at the top of the screen.

Have some fun and experiment a little with your Family Photoloom account. (Get you FREE Family Photoloom Trial account here.) In coming weeks, I'll explain how you can organize images into categories, include things like memorabilia, and even organize your church wedding co-op (or any other groups).

Extended Relationship Indexing is something we all need it, because family history isn’t just about branches—it’s about connections.

Tombstone Tuesday: Cemetery Sleuths, Part 2

2009-09-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, in Part One of this three-part series on Cemetery Symbolism, we discussed how much information (or evidence) can be gleaned from even a simple gravestone. Today, I offer these common cemetery symbols - and their meanings - to help you decipher your cryptic cemetery gravestones.

Anchors often mark the graves of sailors, but they were also employed as a clever deception by early Christians, used by to guide one another to secret places of worship, or to disguise a cross.

Animals of all kinds are depicted on tombstones, and each has it’s own connotation:

A Fish indicates faith.
A Hart (male deer) represents faithfulness or thirsting for God.
Horses stand for courage or generosity.
Lion recalls the power of God and guards the tomb.
Lambs are used to identify the grave of a child, and represents innocence.
A Squirrel with a nut implies religious meditation or spiritual striving.

Angels symbolize spirituality. Depending upon what they carry, or how they are posed, angels suggest many different ideas.

Birds often represent the flight of the soul to heaven.

Doves, for Christians, embody the Holy Spirit. On Jewish graves, a dove represents a symbol of peace.
Eagles (one-headed and two-headed) are often featured on Military and imperial graves as a nationalist symbol. On Native American graves, it can represent a spirit guide.

Bibles may indicate the deceased was a cleric, or a religious lay person.

Books frequently indicate that the deceased was a scholar. Arabic characters signify that the book is the Koran.

A Broken Column can mean an early grief; a life cut short.

Butterflys represent the soul. The three stages of a butterfly’s life - caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly – correspond to the three stage of Christ’s life – birth, death and resurrection. A butterfly can also indicate that the deceased lived only a short time.

A Candle carved onto the gravestone stands for the spirit or the soul.

Chains reflect a medieval belief that a golden chain bound the soul to the body. Severing the chain meant the release of the spirit from the body. The International Order of Odd Fellows also uses a chain as their insignia. If the letter IOOF or FLT (Friendship, Love, Truth) is found inside or near the chain, you can be sure of the association.

A Chariot Wheel with six or twelve spokes is an emblem of the Buddhist faith. The U.S. Veterans Administration uses the Wheel of the Law to mark the graves of Buddhists.

Cherubs mark the graves of children.

The Circle is universally known as the symbol of eternity and never-ending existence. Extremely common on grave sites, it is usually depicted surrounding a cross. Two circles, one above the other, represent earth and sky. Three interconnected circles represent the Holy Trinity.

A Cross symbolizes Christianity.

A Crescent indicates that the deceased was a Muslim in life.

Doors and gates are passages into the afterlife.

Drapery over anything indicates sorrow and mourning.

Flame represents eternity.

Hands, whether clasping, praying, pointing, or blessing, show that the deceased's relationships involve human beings. Clasping hands often symbolize a marriage or other close bond.

Harps may be found on the graves of musicians, and represent the joy to be found in Heaven.

Hearts stand for the affection of the living for the dead. Two joined hearts on a stone mark a marriage. (The Sacred Heart is found only on the graves of Catholics, and represents the suffering of Jesus for our sins.)

An Hour Glass is symbolic of time passing.

Keys stand for spiritual knowledge or, if held in the hands of an angel, the means to enter heaven.

A Lamp stands for knowledge and the immortality of the Spirit.

The Menorah is an emblem of Judaism that predates the Star of David.

A Pitcher is a traditional Jewish (Levite) symbol.

Plants & Trees of numerous species are depicted on headstones, and each has its own meaning. Here are a few of the most popular:

The Dogwood represents Christianity, divine sacrifice, triumph of eternal life, resurrection.
Roses can mean many things, including love, beauty, hope, unfailing love.
Rosebuds are normally reserved for a child under the age of 12.
A partial bloom normally indicates the grave of a teenager.
A rose in full bloom normally signifies the death of someone in their early to mid-twenties.
A broken rosebud represents life cut short, usually found on a young person’s grave.
Grapes and Leaves indicate Christian faith.
Lily of the Valley means a return of happiness, purity, humility.
An Oak tree signifies honor, strength and liberty; often seen on military tombs.
Shamrocks are a sign that the deceased was most likely from Ireland.

Scallops were a symbol of the Crusades, and a traditional symbol of the Puritans.

A Scroll is a symbol of life and time.

A Ship marks the grave of a seafarer.

A Wheat Sheaf indicates that the departed lived to an old age, and had a fruitful life.

A word of caution: every good detective analyzes the evidence carefully, so take these explanations with a grain of salt. While headstone carvings can provide valuable insight into the deceased’s life and death, they should not be taken as incontrovertible evidence. In other words, if your Great-great-grandfather’s tomb is adorned with a rosebud lying beside a pitcher encircled with chains, do not immediately assume that, in life, he was a young Jewish child who belonged to the International Order of Odd Fellows. That said; good luck cracking the code on your family’s cemetery ciphers!

Family Threads: A Brother's Love

2009-09-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

My maternal grandfather, Lester A. Masters, with two of his six siblings,
Laurence and Hester (Hettie), Nodaway County, Iowa. (1902)

My Pop, Lester Masters, loved his little sister, Hettie. I can still remember the first time he showed me this photograph; how he ran his thumb around its edge, and how his eyes softened and his gravelly voice smoothed when he started to talk.

“Hettie was my only sister – I was three years older, but our birthdays were only a day apart, and we were awful close,” he told me. “Every day, I’d saddle up my little old horse, Dolly, and we’d ride off to school together. Then one year when the weather turned cold, it got to be too much for her and after that I had to go to school alone.” He paused, and we sat quiet for a moment before he continued, “Hettie died when she was twelve and I was fifteen. Last thing she told Mom before she died was, ‘Take care of Lester.’” Another pause, and then, “I’d’a done anything for her.”

I never met Hettie. But I know her. I look at this picture—Pop’s protective arm around her—and I hear her story whispering in my memory.

So now it’s my turn to pass on Hettie’s story, to weave the thread of her history with my own. And as I do, the fabric of our family becomes richer, and its connections more tightly entwined—not only between Hettie and Pop, but between us all; and not just for now, but for ever.

“Family Threads” is a periodic colemn in Above the Tree. If you have a photograph and family story (400 word max.) that you’d like to share with Photoloom News readers, please contact us today! All submissions are subject to editing for space and content.

Wordless Wednesday: Shiny New Fire Engine

2009-09-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Maryville Missouri Volunteer Fire Department, circa 1936
My Pop, Lester Masters, stands 4th from the right

Tombstone Tuesday: Cemetery Sleuths, Part 1

2009-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

"'Dum Tacet Clamat,’” I read. “What do you think it means?”

"I don’t know. Let’s collect the evidence and take it in for analysis,” my partner responded.

Back at the house, our team formed a tight circled around the table. “We spent all morning collecting evidence at the scene, Chief. It seems to confirm our suspicions.”

“Show me what you’ve got,” she said, unrolling the tight paper tube. The evidence appeared in relief – a gravestone rubbing showing a dove with an olive branch flying over a split log - and the legend, ‘Dum Tacet Clamet,’ and below; ‘JAMES W. MORGAN, NOV. 4, 1855 – JUNE 1, 1904. GONE FROM OUR HOME, BUT NOT FROM OUR HEARTS. HERE RESTS A WOODMAN OF THE WORLD.’

‘Dum Tacet Clamat’ – it’s Latin for “Though silent, he speaks,” the Chief translated. And so he does…

The modest cemetery monument of James W. Morgan speaks silent volumes about the man who rests there. From it, we learned his name, his age, his likely social standing and fraternal affiliation, and how those who survived him felt toward him: a simple walk through an ancestral cemetery plot yields a legacy.

Cemeteries provide a valuable, tangible link with the past, and a trip there presents a perfect opportunity to form your own family Cemetery Sleuth Investigation (CSI) Team and explore your cryptic family mysteries.

Grave markers reveal not only names and dates, but often offer data that in many cases can be found nowhere else; ethnic origins, occupations and affiliations, beliefs and values, manner of death, names of relatives, even personal traits that survivors held dear. And, as in the case of James W. Morgan, not everything is clearly etched in epitaph – gravestones can hold intricately carved hidden clues. We might have easily dismissed the phrase ‘woodman of the world’ as simply homage to the man’s pioneering spirit, had not the ‘dove & log’ symbol (associated with ‘Woodmen of the World,’ a fraternal society founded in 1890) been carved above.

When gathering ‘evidence’ at the cemetery, make sure to record accurate source information for future researchers. And once back home, remember to follow up on clues: it took less than a minute on a Google search to determine the origins of the symbolism on James Morgan’s gravestone and trace his connection to the Woodmen of the World, as well as reveal the society’s compelling history.

If you would like to investigate to the scene, but aren’t sure where your ancestors are buried, there are a number on online resources for finding information about cemeteries across the globe (start at FamilySearch.org); also, a cemetery directory (such as Cemeteries of the U.S.: A Guide to Contact Information for U.S. Cemeteries and Their Records) can assist you in determining which cemeteries are in the area of your ancestors’ last residence. Once the burial site has been located, the cemetery, if still in existence, can be contacted to schedule a visit and request copies of burial records.

Your efforts will pay off – you and your team will gain valuable information, and might even solve a family mystery or two... in a place where even the silent speak.
____________________________________

Family Photoloom Members: Tombstones are easy to index (i.e. attach to specific names so you can find them later):

Upload the tombstone picture to your Family Photoloom account.
Drag-and-drop the individual's Record Icon onto the picture. (The Record Icon is the little box by their name on the left.)

That's it - you're done. The tombstone picture now will appear in the Portrait Column on the right any time that individual is selected, along with any other images you have tagged of that individual.

If you don't yet have a Family Photoloom account, please sign up for your Free Trial Account today!

Wordless Wednesday: Back-to-School

2009-09-02T10:39:00.001-07:00

Marilee & Me

First Day of 1st Grade - 1969

P.S. We are still good friends.

The Chicken Walked Here

2009-08-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Salt Lake Family History Expo, Day 1

I occasionally read Beowulf in Old English. Out loud. For fun.

So when I saw The Chicken Walked Here: Principles & Procedures for Learning to Read Germanic & Scandinavian Gothic Script listed in the Salt Lake Family History Expo syllabus, I did a little happy dance. It spoke both to my Prussian roots and my Jeopardy gene.

This class was taught by Ruth Ellen Maness, AG, Senior Research Consultant, Scandinavian Reference at the LDS Family History Library, and quintessential expert on the subject. Ruth describes the principles driving the understanding of Gothic Script thus:

You learn to read Gothic Script by reading it.
You learn to read Gothic Script by writing it.

Deciphering Gothic Script (like reading Old English) takes practice and passionate dedication. But it's worth it, because there will come a moment when you realize that you are reading it, really reading it - fluently and effortlessly. The moment of “ah-ha.”

I love a good “ah-ha” moment, don’t you?

Here are few tidbits I from Ruth's class:

Use of the Gothic Script writing style, used primarily in the German and Scandinavian states, began in the 900’s, and continued well into the 1940's, when Adolf Hitler is credited with instituting a state enforced ban on its use.
Fun with Gothic Script...e's look like n's. K's look like R's. h's can look like f's. Q's & K's are interchangeable.
More fun: S's differ in shape and size based on their position in word – beginning, middle, or end - but are not mutually exclusive.

(Take that, Alex Trebek!)

That barely scratches the surface: Ruth thoroughly outlines her principles and procedures in 15 well-organized pages of notes, available on the Expo syllabus.

Speaking of the syllabus, I second the endorsement my fellow "Blogger of Honor" Gena Ortega made in her blog: if were you were unable to attend the Expo, I urge you to consider purchasing one. Expo syllabus is a treasure chest brimming with 400 pages of handouts and relevant information about each class, it also includes links to additional resources and expert advice by all the amazing speakers. You can purchase the syllabus online at Family History Expos.

Be sure to check out Gena's Genealogy for more on the Expo, Day 1.

Coming soon:
"Why I Need GOOGLE Voice Yesterday"

In the days (and probably weeks) to follow, I will be highlighting both the people and the lessons of the Salt Lake Expo, so stay tuned.

Wordless Wednesday: Beach Boys - Endless Summer

2009-08-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Photoloom founder Scott Huskey, with little brother Steven

California, 1967

People to See, Places to Be ~ Salt Lake Family History Expo

2009-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

In less than 72 hours, the doors of the Salt Lake Family History Expo will swing open, and the fun will begin. If you plan to go, here’s a few booths to put on your “Must Do…” list:

PHOTOLOOM [Booth 313] (Well, of course you need to stop at our booth!)

We love to meet people at the Family History Expos. We learn so much from the folks we meet, and are inspired by their experiences. This week, we will be rolling out a couple of exciting new Family Photoloom features, and we hope you'll stop by to take a look!

I’m excited to announce our Expo Special – we will be offering our Family Photoloom Premium Start-up Kit for just $19! (Reg. $39) Our Premium Start-up Kit is the perfect way to get started with Family Photoloom, and includes:

One full year of Family Photoloom Premium (including unlimited image uploads & unlimited guests)
Tutorial DVD
Start-up Guide
Friendly, Personalize Tech Support

Save even more! Buy a second Start-up Kit to give as a gift and get both for just $30! At that price, you can even get one for your favorite Aunt.

Can’t attend the Expo? Tweet or email me (renee@photoloom.com) and I’ll reply with a code that you can use use online to get same great price of just $19 for one year of Family Photoloom Premium. (Online offer does not include Start-up Guide or DVD.) Offer good Aug. 28 & 29, 2009.

Be sure to mention this blog when you come by our booth to receive a cool free gift!

GENEALOGY GEMS PODCAST [Booth 104]

Lisa Louise Cooke, the producer and host of The Genealogy Gems Podcast, is one of the warmest, most generous people you can hope to meet. Lisa provides genealogical resources and education through a variety of mediums, including video podcasts, and Genealogy Gems News blog.

Photoloom founder Scott Huskey talks with Lisa Louise Cooke at the Mesa FHExpo.

Lisa is also a “Blogger of Honor” at the Salt Lake Expo – be sure to follow her on Twitter, and tune in to her blog Genealogy Gems News for live updates from the Expo.

Stop by the Genealogy Gems booth ask for your free "I Listen to Genealogy Gems" badge ribbon to embellish your Family History Expo name tag. Then keep an eye out for others wearing the ribbon and give them a shout out as a fellow listener.

FLIXIFY [Booth 319 & 321]

Flixify is dedicated to helping people preserve, watch and share their home movies and digital photos. They don’t sell software – instead, they teach you how to get control of your stacks of home movies by showing you how to capture, edit, and burn them onto DVDs or share them on the web, all from your own computer. The entire process down has been broken down into easy, bite-size pieces, making the overall process very simple.

Flixify is offering a great Expo special – stop by their booth to learn more!

CIRCLEMENDING [Booth 621]

When I met Jean Wilcox Hibben awhile back, I was taken first by the fact that she holds a Ph.D. in Folklore (why didn’t I think of doing that?), and second, by her amazing dedication to preserving the music and traditions of our ancestors. As a collector of traditional folk music myself, I was fascinated by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, and I am looking forward to learning more from her at the Expo this week.

Jean, together with her husband, Butch, will be doing short demonstrations of the music of our ancestors, and offering a variety of great CD’s for sale. They also have something new this year: downloads of MP3 files onto a CD (or your own flash drive) so you can purchase just the songs you are most interested in.

Jean will be presenting a number of classes at the Expo, including “To Zion in Song," which documents the Mormon trek from Nauvoo to Salt Lake with the songs sung by the early Saints. According to Jean, “One of the most interesting songs we present is one that was written in 1946 by Myron Crandell. Crandell titled his song "This is the Place," after the prophetic statement Brigham Young made when he viewed the Salt Lake Valley for the first time. In its original form, this song consists of 7 verses which detail just about every major event from the departure from Iowa to the settling of Salt Lake City.”

Wordless Wednesday: Anchors Aweigh

2009-08-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Robert Hancock [age 17] Autumn 1943
My Dad

Calling All Story Writers & Photo Savers: This Family History Expo is for You, Too!

2009-08-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

I’ll admit it - before I attended my first family history conference, I was a little intimidated. Scott had been to many as our resident researcher and family history consultant, but I wasn’t sure what there would be for me: my leanings fall far more toward scrapbooker than genealogist – I’m all about the pictures and the stories.

Now, the Salt Lake Family History Expo is kicking off in just over a week, and I plan to be there with bells on. Because I’ve learned that one of the great things about Family History Expos is that they offer something for everyone – from the hard-core genealogist to the casual scrapbooker.

Since that first conference, I’ve met some amazing people who really know their stuff. Rubbing shoulders with them is both a privilege and an education. And the upcoming Salt Lake Expo promises some awesome opportunities: top genealogists from around the country, staff from the LDS Family History Library, and top industry leaders will all be in one place to teach us what’s new, what’s coming, and how to make the most of our time and dollars. Here are a few of the classes I’m planning to attend next week:

Facebook for Family History
Digital Photography for the Genealogist
The Chicken Walked Here (Learning to Read Gothic Script)
Serendipity and Other Miracles: Why You Need Family History
Digitally Enhancing Your Photos
To Zion in Song: The Westward Migration of the Mormons

Of course, there are classes on everything from Scottish research to Census Records to Researching in your RV. And FamilySearch is offering a number of classes, including one on using the new FamilySearch Family Tree. (Photoloom has joined the FamilySearch Developer Network, and plans to be FamilySearch certified soon.) In other words, there is something for everyone.

Come by the Photoloom booth (313) and mention this blog to receive a FREE gift!

The Nitty-gritty Details:
What: The 2009 Salt Lake City, Utah Family History Expo
When: Aug. 28 and 29, 2009, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: South Towne Exposition Center, 9575 South State Street, Sandy, Utah.
Why: Because it will be great and you know you want to!
How: Register online or at the door (7 a.m. on Friday & 7:30 a.m. on Saturday)
Parking is free.

Full conference details, including a complete class schedule

Can’t attend in person? We hope you will be there – but if you can’t come to us, we will come to you. Just follow the Blogger Team! We will be reporting live from the Expo via Twitter and our personal and company blogs. Have a question? Tweet it and you'll have an answer in moments. (Please include #fhx09-SLC in all your Salt Lake Expo tweets.)

Family Threads: Long Day at the Fair

2009-08-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I need to remind myself that even as we labor to gather, document, and conserve the history of our generations past, we must also remember to preserve the people and images of today. Family history is happening.

It was with this in mind that I chose the image for today’s blog post: Our daughter, Olivia, with Zane, her Welsh pony. In the summer of 2004, Zane was twenty years old, and stood about 12.1 hands. Livy was eleven and just a bit taller. Livy was a quiet, profoundly layered child, and Zane a good listener. It was a good fit.

The summer of ’04 was hot and dry, at least by Oregon standards. Every bootstep across the fairgrounds sent a little cloud of dust puffing out from under your heel, and the water hoses behind the 4-H barns were flowing non-stop – kids were giving their horses second and third baths just for an excuse to play in the water.

Throughout the week of fair, Livy competed in both Western and English classes, and even earned a Championship ribbon for English Walk-Trot. There were other wins and other ribbons, but I don’t remember them all now. (It’s astounding had quickly history can fade!) The picture here was taken on the afternoon of Showmanship trials, long after ribbons were handed out and hair was let down.

There is another image like this one, taken earlier in the day – one in which Livy is smiling, bright and combed, and Zane is standing square, head up, eyes dancing. And while it is a lovely picture, it is this image that holds my memory: this singular bond of girl and horse – this tie that will be never broken. He will always be her first love, and she his girl. A moment in our family history? Yes. But also, a portrait of the infinite, enduring threads that weave the fabric of our lives.

Family Threads: At the Knee of Grandma G.

2009-08-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Guest Blogger: Donna Cook (my very favorite 1st Cousin Once Remove)

I never liked history in high school. What I recall from history textbooks is a slew of names and dates I found impossible to remember. It was dry, boring, and bad for my test scores.

Then I grew up and encountered history in a completely new way. I encountered stories. You know, not just the long-winded chronologies in history books, but engaging, flesh-and-bone, pull-you-in stories. Suddenly the names from history became more than just names... they became people. Fascinating people. People I wondered about. What was it like to live back then? What was it like to go through what they went through?

I find myself asking the same questions about the people on my family tree.

For some of these people, I may never know more than the most basic information: where they were born, who they married. Still, when I see things like the death of several small children in a family, I wonder about them. I wonder what it was like for them. It makes them more real and they begin to feel like my family. If only they... or someone... had written their stories down.

For other people on my family tree, I have details that bring them to life. They're small details, I don't have any fabulous civil war diaries hanging out in my family tree like some people do. Even so, I love these small details: the great uncle who ran a grocery store (I even have a picture of him there), the widowed mother who brought her two young boys from Virginia to North Carolina so she could live with her sister, the great-great grandfather who was a preacher. It's not much, but it's enough to pull my heart in their direction. It's enough to make me wonder.

Not surprisingly, the people I know the most about are either still living, or died not that long ago. My favorite story is one about my great-grandma, "Grandma G" (pictured here at age 19). When she was in her 90's, I sat at her feet and she told me what it was like when she was a little girl like me. When she was young, her family moved from Cunningham, Kansas to Campo, Colorado... in a covered wagon. It was a long trip, and there wasn't a lot to do. She explained there were no TV's and no radios. I was genuinely astonished by this. "What did you play with?" I asked her.

"I had one doll to play with," she said, "and I was grateful to have that."

It was a teaching moment for me. To be grateful for one doll. It said a lot about the character of my grandma too, and I've never forgotten it. This is a story I've recorded for future generations to enjoy. It's not fancy. It's not much. But maybe one day my great-grandchildren will wonder what it was like for me to sit at the knees of my great-grandmother and hear a story like that.

It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

Wordless Wednesday: Arizona Heat

2009-08-05T11:06:00.001-07:00

My Aunt Virginia [nee Minnie] Hancock - age 16
with husband Luther Proctor
Arizona, circa 1928

Noting Photo History

2009-08-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Below is a screen shot from my personal Family Photoloom account. The picture in the main frame was taken on my Dad’s 80th birthday. We had just thrown him a surprise party – complete with balloons and cake and old friends – and, almost as an afterthought as we were packing up after the party, we asked my daughter’s friend Sara to snap a quick family picture. We even noted at the time that it was the only picture we’d ever taken of the whole family that included all five of my daughters. It turned out that it was also the last picture ever of taken of Dad – he died six weeks later.
The particulars surrounding the history of this picture make it all the more meaningful me, and I don’t want those details to fade with time. I want to be able to record them and associate them to this specific picture.

I usually find a way of getting what I want.

In this case, I know the developers of Family Photoloom pretty well, so when I asked last week if I could plan on posting my next blog about a "Notes" feature that didn't exist at the time, I was relatively confident that it would be up and running by the time I was ready to hit "publish post." They didn't let me down.

Our newly added Picture Notes couldn’t be easier to use: just pop open the Title Pane (indicated by the red arrows above) and type or paste up to 1024 characters (roughly a 170 words) into the window labeled “Picture Notes."
While we're on the subject, let's look at a few other notable features of the Title Pane.

The fields that are initially revealed when you click on the Title Pane are for recording specific data about the picture, and can all be edited. This includes Title, Location, Date, Source, and now, Picture Notes.

But wait! Click "More" and a second tier of fields appears below the Title Pane. These additional fields are automatically populated by Family Photoloom, and include revision information and unique image identification numbers.

Let's examine that last one. Note the green arrow in the image above pointing to the Picture URL. (No, not Oliver Queen.) Every picture uploaded to Family Photoloom is assigned a unique URL. This file name is encrypted, which allows you to do a couple of significant things:

Send a picture to someone without giving them access to your Family Photoloom account.

Blog - safely and confidently - using pictures from your Family Photoloom account, without the threat of someone hacking into your other pictures. Example: If one of your blog photos has a URL that has a Family_Vacation_23.jpg in the URL, it stands to reason that if I l change the 23 to a 22, I’m likely to find more of your pictures – maybe even ones you don’t want me to see.

Family Photoloom avoids this scenario entirely.

To wrap things up, let’s go back to the beginning. Last week, I asked you to find a picture of someone in your family - old or new, alive or long departed - and write down six sentences about him or her. That's it. One picture, six sentences. Did you do it? Yes! That's great!! Now, you are ready for this week's...(insert kettle drum-roll here)...

Family History Challenge O’ the Week: You guessed it! Go onto your Family Photoloom account and add those six sentences to a picture of that relative. How easy is that?

Register online for the Salt Lake Family History Expo today!

Remember to add me on Twitter - @Photoloom

People Get Ready - the Twitter-train's a'Coming

2009-07-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been hesitant to jump on the Twitter-train, the Salt Lake Family History Expo (Aug. 28-29) offers the perfect incentive to make the leap: using Twitter, you can participate in the Expo - from anywhere - in "real time."

Twitter is a service that allows users to send short messages from their cell phones or computers. Messages are limited to 140 characters in length, and are known as tweets.

Family History Expos has enlisted a capable team of family history and genealogy bloggers to cover the Salt Lake Family History Expo. In addition to posting blog entries about Expo happenings, these “Bloggers of Honor” will be using Twitter to communicate the highlights of the Expo as they happen. And bloggers won’t be the only ones tweeting. All attendees are encouraged to use Twitter to communicate about Expo activities, share photos, and link to blog posts.

Not able to attend the Expo in person? Then attend virtually! You can follow the bloggers and make comments on Twitter, all in real time. Have a question? Tweet it and you'll have an answer in moments. (Be sure to include the all important identifying hashtag #fhx09-SLC in all your Salt Lake Expo tweets.)

Creating a Twitter account is amazingly easy. All you need is an internet connection or a mobile phone that accepts text messages. Go to the Twitter site and enter your name, a username, email and password. That’s it!

Once your Twitter account is set up, you can begin to “follow,” or subscribe, to updates from other Twitter users. Twitter makes it easy to add people that you would like to follow. Be sure to add Photoloom first!

Family History Expos "Bloggers of Honor". Click names to follow on Twitter

Holly T. Hansen / President, Family History Expos
Anastasia Tyler / Ancestry.com
The Ancestry Insider
Arlene H. Eakle / The Genealogical Institute
Gena Philibert Ortega WVR Twitter / "Gena's Genealogy", World Vital Records, FamilyLink
Jean WIlcox HIbben / Circlemending
Lee R. Drew / "The Lineage Keeper," "Famhist"
Lisa Alzo / "The Accidental Genealogist"
Lisa Louise Cooke / "Genealogy GEMS News"
Renee Huskey Photoloom Twitter / Photoloom, "Above the Trees" (That's me!)
Renee Zamora / "Renee's Genealogy Blog" (Why didn't I think of that?)

Want to learn more about Twitter? Try these helpful links:

Twitter Cheat Sheet (Geneablogger)
How-to “Follow” on Twitter (eHow)
The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter (Web Designer Depot)
10 People All Genealogists Should Follow on Twitter (Geneablogger)
How Genealogists are Using Social Networking (A great article by Gena Philibert Ortega)

Family History Comes from Above the Trees

2009-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

The terms “family history” and “genealogy” are often used synonymously. However, if you are reading our blog, there’s a good chance you already understand that they are more like fraternal twins – alike in many ways, but with some important albeit subtle differences. Genealogy, by definition, focuses on the search and study of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors – the physical branches on the family tree, so to speak. By comparison, family history tells the story of the events of that person, family, or group. Family history is the rain and the sunshine that keep the family tree alive.

To illustrate, consider the genealogy of Lucy Fickling. Born August 1894. Parents Robert Glascow and Melinda (Rogers) Fickling. Married Wayne Hancock 1911. Nine children. Divorced 1927. Married Fredrick Roesner 1928. Died June 1982.

That’s a branch on a tree.

Now, meet my Grandma Lucy. (She's the distracted young woman on the far right. No pictures of Lucy as a child exist.)

Lucy Jane Fickling was the eighth of eleven closely-spaced children born on a central Texas sharecropping farm. Half-starved and rail thin, Lucy spent most of her childhood in the arid cotton fields, her tiny hands raw and her slight shoulders aching. Musically gifted, able to skillfully play any hymn she heard on the church piano the first time, Lucy would never even learn to read music.

Lucy left school at age eleven, barely completing the fifth grade, and at seventeen married a thirty-two year old itinerant preacher. Sixteen years later, she found herself abandoned, pregnant, and solely responsible for her seven – soon-to-be-eight – children, with no means of support and no family nearby. It was 1926 - the year my father was born.

Now, there's some sunshine and rain - and that's a tree with some life in it. Family history is all about the sunshine and the rain - because family history comes from above the trees.

There’s more to Lucy’s story, a lot more. But the point is, with one picture and six sentences, you now know more about my Grandma Lucy than many people will ever know about any of their own ancestors.

Which brings me to our Family History Challenge o' the Week - Try this: find a picture of someone in your family - old or new, alive or long departed - and write down six sentences about him or her. That's it. One picture, six sentences. (They don't even have to be long ones!) Bonus Points: Post the picture on your Family Photoloom account.

Next week: Adding Notes in Family Photoloom (or, How to record those six sentences!)

What!?! Don't have a Family Photoloom account yet? Well, why not? It's free for Pete's sake! It takes ten seconds to sign up, and you can start shoring your photos and family history with your family today!

Keep your family tree thriving - sign up for your free Family Photoloom account today!

One-Click Downloads

2009-05-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

When Cheryl called us recently to suggest a new feature for Family Photoloom, she probably wasn’t expecting to see it up and working in less than 24 hours. But it was!

Cheryl asked for a feature that would allow her to save a portrait she created in her Family Photoloom account to her hard drive, so that it could be used as the “key” picture for that individual in other genealogy applications. The result is our new One-Click Download feature.

Portrait Downloads: Each time you tag a face or anything else with Family Photoloom, a portrait is created. When you choose a record from your “Records” list, all the portraits of that individual appear in a “Portraits List” on the right of your screen.

To download a portrait for use in other applications, simply click the new ‘download’ button that appears on a portrait in the “Portraits List” when the mouse cursor is over it. You will then be prompted to save image to your computer’s hard drive.

Picture Downloads: One-Click Downloads have also been added to the group picture thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to make it easy to download a “full picture.”

Thank you, Cheryl!

One last note: When you contact us at Photoloom, know that we set the bar on Member Support high. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you like, what needs improvement, and what you’d like to see in the future. Who knows, you might even be the next “Cheryl,” and your new feature could be up and running by tomorrow.

You're Invited!

2009-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

"Photoloom gives the non-genealogists in our family something that they can understand; that will evoke memories...it’s something that draws them in. (Family Photoloom) is showing the connections between the faces in those pictures." ~Lisa Cook, Genealogy GEMS

Sharing family history with family and friends has always been one of our main goals, we've added a new feature that makes sharing even easier. Our new "Invite Button" allows you to invite others to view, browse (and even edit if you choose) your Family Photoloom account. Simply select someone from your “records” list on the left side of your Family Photoloom account screen, and then click the “invite” button at the bottom. Enter the individual’s email address and click “send.” You will see a preview of your invitation before it is sent, and can even customize it if you wish.

I took the opportunity to sit down with Lisa Louise Cook at the Family History Expo in St. George, Utah to tell her about this new feature and other recent innovations at Family Photoloom.

Visit Genealogy Gems to listen to more podcasts from Lisa Louise.

Family History in a Pinch

2009-02-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Let’s face it; times are tough, and we, like many people, are pinching our pennies. This year, even our family reunion fell victim to the economy. Every two years, we hold a Hughes family reunion, gathering the descendants of my great-grandparents, Willie and Effie Hughes, to swap pictures and stories, collect and correct genealogy information, and generally catch up since the last reunion. However, out-of-control fuel and travel costs forced the family as a whole to forego the reunion and hope for better days on the horizon.

But all was not lost: our reunion instead became a virtual (that is to say, an online) reunion. And it wouldn’t have been the same without Family Photoloom. Family Photoloom enhanced our online reunion by creating a virtual family reunion for our pictures. We have over 350 pictures focusing on Willie and Effie Hughes, spanning six generations. The face tagging and relationship indexing data stored in our Family Photoloom account connects our pictures exactly the same way that a family is connected. You can browse generation to generation or sibling to sibling. You can focus on a single person and see ALL the portraits for that person, or flip over to the relationship tab and see all the pictures of the complete family group. Family Photoloom enhanced our “Virtual Family Reunion” and enabled us to stay connected, even as we pinched pennies and stayed at home on our “stay-cation.”

FAMILY PHOTOLOOM – The Ultimate Family Deal

While we’re talking about saving money, let me take this opportunity to describe the financial benefits of our Photoloom business model for you. In addition to being family-friendly, Family Photoloom ‘pocket-book’ friendly as well. This is because one Premium Family Photoloom Account is all you need to support your entire family organization.

Here is how it works: The account sponsor signs up for the Premium Account, and everyone else signs up for a free trial account. The account sponsor invites all other family members to the family’s Premium Account. That’s all there is to it – a whole family that shares one Premium Account. (It is important to note that the sponsor of the Premium Account has control of not only of who has access to the account, but who has edit (or author) privileges.)

From a business standpoint, it may seem like a wild and crazy idea to allow people free access to a shared Premium Account, so let me explain why it makes good business sense to Photoloom LLC. Two words: Viral Marketing! Every core family is really a combined family: the husband’s family and the wife’s family and at each generation it doubles again. For example, the Willie and Effie reunion site does little for my mom, who is not from this family line; nor does it really meet the needs of my wife, who married into this group of nuts. Both are a potential new Premium Accounts for us. So while you see Free Accounts for all family members, we see Free Viral Marketing.

Times are tough, but we’ll get through them; we always have. We’ll come out stronger as we valiantly do our best to serve one another and help our families stay connected. Don’t let the economy ruin your family reunion – and let Family Photoloom help bring you closer, with a Virtual Family Reunion for your pictures.

Sincerely,
Scott Huskey

Coming next time: Learn about quick and easy Family Photoloom email invitations – it takes just one step to invite and add a new member to your account.

No More Fuzzy Faces, Part 1

2009-01-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Digital Pictures 101: Scanning Resolution

Do you have old family photographs that you’d like to bring into the 21st Century? Imagine the fun and excitement that would come from being able to share such treasures with your family, using today’s digital computer tools and networks.

To do this, you’ll need a scanner. But fear not; these days, a good quality scanner can be had for as little as $100. (This is fantastic, given that my first scanner, purchased in 1995, cost $1000.00!)

In order to use your scanner, you’ll need to understand “resolution,” and you’re in luck, because that’s what this installment of Digital Pictures 101 is all about.

Images scanned at low resolution (like the one on the left) often appear relatively clear and crisp when viewed as very small images or on a computer screen. Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem.

The reality is that printing images that have been scanned at such low resolutions will result in fuzzy faces and much frustration—print out a 5x7 copy of the photo above and all you’ll get is a sea of little gray squares (like the large image above).

So what is the best resolution to use for scanning family photographs?

Here’s a simple rule of thumb — if you are scanning an image to make a same-size printed copy of that image, scan it at 300 dots per inch (dpi). However, beyond same-sized copies, determining optimal scanning resolution gets a lot more complicated. One trick is to have in mind the final device or medium that will display your image. (See Table 1, below)

Table 1 - Suggested Resolution based on Final Destination

This works great when you wish to reproduce the item you are scanning at about the same size as the original being scanned. However, it all falls apart when you scan a tiny picture that you wish to display much larger. However, a better way of choosing the correct resolution is to have a target uncompressed file size in mind.

I like to think of my final destination medium as a storage device. Do I plan to view the image on a still TV, a computer screen, or a high-definition screen? Is the largest image I plan to print 5x7, or will I be printing a 10x14? And yes, a piece of paper is a storage medium—it holds 19 MB of color information at 300 dots per inch. Take a look at the following table:

Table 2 - Suggested Resolution Based on File Size of Popular Media*

It's ironic that just when we're starting to get used to the metric system, where "kilo" means 1,000, and "mega" means 1,000,000, those computer geniuses/ hackers/ nerds go and turn everything upside down!

After looking over the file size requirements listed in Table 2, you may be thinking, “Are you crazy? If I scan my photographs at the high resolutions that are needed to produce quality print images, it’s going to take up a huge amount of memory space on my computer! Where am I going to store all that image data?”

The first part of the answer is compression — which greatly reduces the amount of space needed to store a high resolution picture, albeit at some cost to quality. Compression will be the subject of the next installment of Digital Pictures 101.

The second part of the answer to the question of where to store all that image data is — Family Photoloom™ of course — the best place on the Internet to store and share your photo-history!

Coming Soon: Digital Pictures 101: Compression — A brief comparison of file types (TIFF, BMP, JPEG, and GIF); tips on scanning documents, including using digital cameras.

* Math Wiz Notes for Table 2
• It takes 3 bytes to store a color pixel (one byte for each of red, green, blue).
• There are 1024 bytes in a KB (read Kilobyte)
• There are 1,048,576 (1024x1024) bytes in a MB (read Megabyte)
• And a Gigabyte? 1GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes! (1024x1024x1024)
_________________
Excerpted from “No More Fuzzy Faces: The Secrets of Digitizing Family History”, originally presented by Scott Huskey at the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference, Provo, Utah, March 2008.

Family Threads: Uncle Lucky

2008-12-29T15:50:00.000-08:00

We lost our Uncle Lucky last week. Lucky was a man generous in every way, with a warm laugh as big as the great outdoors that he loved, and a heart even bigger. But last Saturday night, his great heart failed him as it had never failed anyone else, and by Monday he was gone.

Bound not by blood or marriage, but by faith and friendship, Lucky and his wife Brenda have been a part of our family for nearly two decades. Unofficial godparents to our children, Lucky and Brenda are the friends you hope to find once in a lifetime and the Uncle and Aunt most children can only dream of – steadfast, selfless, and full of fun.

When our girls were younger, our two families spent long summer weekends camping together. If I close my eyes, I can still see Lucky encircled by a ring of little girls – his and ours – fannies planted in the stream, faces streaked with mud-brown war paint, heads thrown back, water splashing, laughter and giggles and squeals rising through the trees, resonating through the forest. It is a golden moment.

Lucky embodied the spirit of service, always reaching out selflessly whenever and wherever he was needed. As recently as last month, when Scott and I attended the Family History Expo in Mesa, it was Uncle Lucky and Aunt Brenda who accompanied our 15-year old to her National Honor Society induction, bringing her a bouquet of roses that inexplicably lasted for nearly a month – almost as long as Lucky.

It was Lucky who spent hours with me in his cold garage in the winter of ‘91, carefully cutting out pieces of rock-hard black walnut for the cradle that we built together for my now 16-year old daughter. And it was Lucky, who, nine years later, fearlessly gave the same daughter a blessing of complete recovery after a serious and severe car accident, long before the doctors pronounced her miraculously healed. Somewhere in between those two events, Lucky also managed to bring a message of hope and redemption to our family for which we will quite literally be grateful to him for eternity.

In short, Uncle Lucky (or ‘Unka Hunky’ as one of our daughters dubbed him) is as much a part of our family as our own brothers and sisters, and has a place now and eternally in our family history – his love and faith will influence the lives of our family members for generation upon generation.

__________________________
At Photoloom LLC, we believe that one of the great purposes of family history is to extend beyond the boundaries of the genealogy chart, to bring light and life to the generations that came before, and humanity and hope to the generations that follow.

“Family Threads” is a periodic feature of “Above the Trees.” If you have a photograph and family story that you’d like to share readers - particularly one that highlights how Family Photoloom enriches your family history - please contact us today. All submissions are subject to editing for space and content.

'Tis the Season for Making Memories

2008-12-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

As our family grows and our children venture into the world beyond our doors, we find our holiday gatherings all the more special. In the coming days, we will be gathering our family together, even flying a couple in from out of state.

So much of our holiday revolves around photos – they draw us together. Through their images, we reminisce about old times – the stories shared, the lives lived, the loved ones lost and found along the way. And throughout each day that we are together, we create for new moments and capture new images – photographs of tomorrow’s memories.

The holidays are a great time to get help from your family with identifying people in your old photographs. This season, as you sip your eggnog or take a break from the traditional family Monopoly game, consider grabbing those old family picture albums, and share with your family the memories and stories that come to mind simply by browsing their pages. Open an album (or a shoebox) and you’re sure to hear someone saying, “I remember when…"

I have found that it is my great-aunts who are able to fill in the blanks when it comes to old photographs. This reminds me of a family reunion we had at Roman Nose State Park, Oklahoma, in the year 2000. I thought I had it made. I brought a scanner and laptop, a cousin provided a projector and a printer, and I had more great-aunts assembled than ever before.

We sat together, the great-aunts and me, looking through photographs one at a time. At one point, I came across an old school photo, an image of twenty or thirty children. My Great-Aunt Hyla shouted, “Stop – I remember when this was taken! That’s me in the third row!” Then she went on to name three or four more people in the photograph.

We thought we were so smart. We printed the picture out and asked her to write down the names of all the people she could remember, with a circle around each face and a line to their name. We did this for several other photographs. I wish I had had Family Photoloom back then. Because although these printouts captured the information I wanted, they were no good after I folded them up, put them in my pocket, and accidentally lost them. (arghhh!)

Family Photoloom was created just for times like these. Give it a try. Upload a few pictures of the family – even better if you are not really sure who is in them. Then take some time during your family gathering to bring up your pictures on Family Photoloom... and wait, just wait for someone to a say,“ I remember when this was taken! That’s me in the third row!”

With Family Photoloom, you are ready with the tools you need to capture this information right in the moment. Plus, you can immediately share it with others. No DVD’s to burn and mail (been there, done that too many times – perhaps another Blog topic). It feels so good to be able to share photos with your entire family; not only can they tell you who’s in the pictures, but also how they are related to each other. Help your pictures come alive by gathering your family around them, and capture some old memories while you make new ones.

Happy Holidays from Photoloom!

Photo-scanning Resources
Be sure to read our post January 5, 2009 - No More Fuzzy Faces.

A great option for scanning photographs is to use the services of a Utah-based company called Securing Memories. (Update 7/27/09: Formally know as Echo Media) They scan negatives, slides, and photos from any format. We recommend them because we have found them to be a good group of people who do their work well, and they have a great respect for the treasure that their clients entrust to them. If you use them to digitize your media, they will upload your images to your Photoloom account at no extra charge!

Mesa Family History Expo - It's All in the Family

2008-12-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts about being members of the Family History community is the people. We meet hundreds of people at conferences and classes, and everyone – attendees, speakers, and exhibitors alike – form a sort of extended family, anchored on common ground: we all share this almost instinctive passion for finding our roots and preserving the past.

For example, it was when we attended our first conference as an exhibitor last winter that we met Dusty and Sasha from Genetree. Boy, if you ever want to have a great conversation and feel welcome, just go visit Dusty and Sasha; they’ll make you feel like family from the moment you meet them.

Now, with the Thanksgiving holiday behind us, we want to take a minute to catch our breath and tell you about our recent conference – the Family History Expo in Mesa Arizona last month.

We had a great time in Mesa. There were about 1000 attendees at the conference, and about a quarter of them stopped by our booth to talk about Family Photoloom, pick up a brochure, or sign up for a Free Trial account.

The first day of the Mesa Conference was a banner day for us – November 14th marked the official launch of Family Photoloom subscription service. Our first customer was Mary, from Ward Nevada! Posting a confirmation email on the wall is not quite as satisfying as framing a first dollar, but we are excited that Family Photoloom is finally up and running. Maybe we can do a cash withdrawal for one crisp dollar bill to frame.

At the Mesa Conference, Scott gave a one-hour class that provided a thorough walk-through of Family Photoloom. And Lisa Louise Cooke from Genealogy GEMS interviewed Scott - we think she did a great job helping him get the message out about Family Photoloom - thanks Lisa!

The weather for the conference was super! We were amazed that they actually planned activities outside in November – something we would never do up back home in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. On the first day of the conference, we noticed a large group seated outside chatting. It didn’t even occur to us until the speaker began his address that they had been waiting for a class to begin!

Downtown Mesa is lovely, and the streets are filled with wonderful life-sized sculptures of familiar scenes. However, we did have a lot of trouble finding a place eat in the evening – apparently they roll up the sidewalks at about 7:00 pm on Saturday night – we were later told that after dark all the action is in a neighboring college town. We did find a great taco stand where they cooked carne asada outside and the air smelled like heaven. Very affordable and very good. But we’ll be smarter for the next Mesa conference, January 22-23, 2010.

On the last day of the show, we connected with three companies that we’d especially like to tell you about, because they each have the potential to enhance your Photoloom experience.

First, Echo Media. (Update 7/27/09: Echo Media has changed it's web location, and is now known as Securing Memories) We met up with Echo Media for the first time at a previous Family History conference, and we’ll soon have them up and running as a Photoloom affiliate. They play a vital role – Echo Media can scan negatives, slides, and photos from any format; especially useful for folks who don’t have the time, resources, or knowledge to scan images on their own. All the images come back digitizede and enhanced. If you use them to digitize your media, they will upload your images to your Photoloom account at no extra charge!

We also met Ken, Debra, and Kay from AGES-online. AGES-online is all about online-genealogy. They provide a web-service that lets you do all your genealogy recording online. Why do that? Accessibility and collaboration. These are the SAME benefits we offer to Family Photoloom site members through ONLINE picture sharing. Also because Family Photoloom uses only enough information from your genealogy to organize your pictures and tell your family history – AGES-online is a perfect match, giving you extensive genealogy capabilities.

Finally, LDSJournal really caught our eyes: you couldn’t miss them – they had a gigantic billboard on a truck driving around outside. Scott met with Nick, the founder, and talked about the LDSJournal service, a free service that is designed to help you record your personal history. LDSJournal is similar to Photoloom in that journals are generally kept private, available only to the individual; Photoloom keeps your content private, available only to invited guests. Both are used to record family history.

As I said in the beginning, the people are the best part of being a member of the Family History community. It was great to connect with Diane from Family Tree Magazine and catch up with Dear Myrtle. Our friend Sasha from Genetree even brought cake to celebrate Genetree’s first anniversary. And Dusty? Well, he wasn’t able to attend this time. He stayed home to share a little personal family history in the making, with his new baby, daughter Izzy. Congratulations, Dusty. We hope to see you in St. George this February.

We've Made the Leap!

2008-11-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

Communicating with our site users and members is at the top of our priority list, and we’ve made great efforts to keep the lines of exchange flowing since we started Photoloom two years ago. For the last year, we’ve published a traditional 4-page newsletter both online and on paper, and, overall, that's worked pretty well for us up until now.

(Except for the time when someone decided to mark our email as SPAM, which - long story short - resulted in our former Internet provider not only shutting down our server, but blocking our access to it as well. Well, we live and learn. Needless to say, we now have a new Internet provider and a dedicated server of our own.)

However, with the recent launch of Family Photoloom web-service to the public, we find ourselves entering a new phase, and our perspective on the best ways to communicate continues to evolve.

As you might expect, we attend a number of Family History conferences, and we have the opportunity to talk with a wide array of people in the Family History community . We are excited to see that a vast majority of family historians continue to embrace Internet technology with open arms, and, notably, blogging is becoming an increasingly popular and practical mode of communication for both family historians and the companies designed to serve them. We fall into both categories, so blogging seems a natural step forward for us.

With this new insight, our first thought was to simply discontinue our newsletter and rely exclusively on blogging to communicate news and information to our site users. Renee, however, being our in-house advocate for the technically shy (my words, not hers) convinced me that some of you, particularly those who still enjoy a good book made of real paper (her words, not mine), might not immediately make the leap into a blog RSS feed with us.

Well, we don’t want to lose you in that chasm between newsletter and blog, so we’ve come up with a hybrid solution! We will continue to offer a variety of instructional, informative, and enlightening articles to you, but each piece will now be published ‘blog style’ - one topic at a time. This means you won’t have to wait a whole month to read about new resources for family historians or receive information on new Family Photoloom features.

You can have articles sent to you in one of two ways (or you can choose both if you want!):

1. Subscribe to our RSS feed: To do this you will need an RSS Reader (called a “feed reader” or “aggregator”). Once you have an aggregator, simply click on the link we have provided.

2. Subscribe to our monthly digest: (No aggregator needed) This is a monthly digest of our blog content: with this option we will email you a quick summary of our content once a month.

* For more information about, or a list of, RSS feed aggregators, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator.

Speaking of receiving email from us, please take a moment right now to set up your email filter to accept email from News@photoloom.com. And PLEASE, PLEASE do not mark our email as spam. You will always have the option, right in the email, to be removed from our distribution list.

If you are new to blogging, learn more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging.

Our Pre-Blog Newsletter content can be found at Photoloom Newsletter Archive.

An Introduction

2008-11-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

At Photoloom LLC, it is our mission to create an easy-to-use, visually rich haven on the internet where you can organize and preserve your family photo-history; a secure setting where you can safely collaborate and share with family across the street or around the globe; and a fun, intuitive environment where you can finally connect all the threads of your family history.