Sunday 27 July 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Ahnentafel Roulette

It's time for another round of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, well Sunday morning for me! This week's challenge from Randy at Genea-Musings is Ahnentafel Roulette.

Here's the challenge:

1. What year was one of your great-grandfathers born? Divide this number by 80 and round to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

2. Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an "ahnentafel" - your software will create this - use the "Ahnentafel List" option, or similar). Who is that person, and what are his/her vital information?

3. Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the "roulette number."

4. Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook status or a Google Stream post, or as a comment on this blog post.

5. NOTE:  If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then "spin" the wheel again - pick a great-grandmother, a grandfather, a parent, a favorite aunt or cousin, yourself, or even your children!  Or pick an ancestor!

Here's mine:

1. Dividing each of my Great Grandfather's birth years by 80 gave me either 23 or 24.

2. This led me to a couple of unnamed people. Instead, I picked my Great Great Great Grandmother Matilda 'Tillie' Gowan (1840 - 1908) who married John Young (1836 - 1888) in 1860 in Mississippi, USA.

Matilda 'Tillie' Gowan Young
Approx 1880's
[Source: Personal Collection]
3. Three facts about Matilda 'Tillie' Gowan Young

a) She was born on December 18, 1840 in Mississippi, USA to Richard Gowan & Susan Peacock. She had 9 siblings.

b) She and John Young had 7 children - Emma Rosalie Young (1861 - 1868), Matthew Garret Young (1864 - 1933), Mary Gowan Young (1867 - 1927), Susie Fannie Young (1870 - 1928), Matilda May Young (1873 - 1936), Terri Pearl Young (1875 - 1959), & Frank Richard Young (1878 - 1958).

c) She is buried in White Church Cemetery, Blooming Grove, Texas. Her grave says she died on August 20, 1908, but her death certificate says she died on August 21, 1908.

Grave of Matilda 'Tillie' Gowan Young
White Church Cemetery, Blooming Grove, TX.
[Source: Personal Collection]

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Look out Rootstech! I'm coming!

Last year, I made it my goal to attend Rootstech in 2015, and now it's happening! I'm going to Rootstech! Two weeks ago my Aunty & I booked our hotel room at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel. Currently, my Aunty is coming with me to Salt Lake City and she will do her own thing while I am conferencing it up. 

I am so excited y'all!!! Booking the hotel room has made it all so real. This is actually happening. I am going to be at Rootstech! You can expect many blog posts and videos about my preparation for Rootstech. I am also going to be needing lots of advice from you all too.

I want to meet as many of you as possible! I know it's going to be a blast and I want to soak up the experience as much as possible. DearMyrtle mentioned in her latest Mondays with Myrt that she is excited to meet me and will have to do another open house like she did this year. Woo! :D  


Here's my video that I did right after the hotel room was booked. I'd only woken up about 45 minutes prior, but I was like, I need to tell you all right NOW.


I am just so excited. And to see my family in Texas too of course!