Wednesday ugh

[altivo]

Sorry, no story update tonight. I wasn't able to get enough finished to post.

Typical Wednesday, as predicted. A meeting in Woodstock, complete with flickering lights that made me think there was a thunderstorm only there wasn't, then back to Harvard for the evening shift, the highlight of which was convincing a genealogy researcher that there was not going to be an easy way to find her great-great-grandfather's name given the information she had. She may be able to get it eventually, but it's going to take a lot of tedious hunting or else a stroke of luck.

Hope to write one more chapter before MFF, but that depends on how long it takes me to do other stuff that must be done tomorrow. We'll see.

Comments

[baphnedia.livejournal.com]

As an experienced genealogy researcher (well, I haven't done it in ~10 years but hey); was she trying to find the name at the library, or in public records?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Woodstock? Right on man. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Both. She had a folder of census and vital record copies, but seemed rather disorganized. She had apparently just been to the county clerk and obtained a copy of her great grandfather's death certificate, and was quite frustrated that the spaces for his parents' names were blank. (Not unusual, alas. Worse, I find that death certificates often have spurious information in that area.) She was looking at the library for an obituary, which was reasonable since we have the Harvard newspaper microfilms for the period in question, 1909, and she had the certificate information that he died in Harvard and a date in 1909.

She has only vague information about where he was born, from the census so it's just the state of Pennsylvania, and he has a pretty common sort of name, William McConnell. I explained the usual options to her, but she wasn't too pleased with them.

I realize now that I neglected to ask her if she had checked the Mormon records that are online. Sometimes those offer at least a clue for 19th century stuff. What she needs is his marriage record, which may answer a lot of questions for her, but she doesn't know a date or place. I'd start by looking for that, based on the birth date and location of the eldest child.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, Woodstock, but the wrong state. That was New York.

Woodstock, Illinois' claim to fame seems to be the fact that it was the site for the filming of Groundhog Day (1993), with Bill Murray. There are even little brass plaques set into the pavement around the town: "This plaque marks the spot where Bill Murray stepped into the puddle during the filming of the 1993 hit film, Groundhog Day." ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

You know I've only seen two movies twice in the theatre and that was one of them :)

And besides man Woodstock is in everyone maaan ;)
Anyhoo when I was a kitten the only woodstock I knew of was the little yellow bird on "Peanuts"

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Seeing that film twice is almost as bad as being in that film. It gives a whole new meaning to the words deja vu.

Actually, I agree, it's a funny film. But I think the way Woodstock, Illinois clings to it as a point of fame is pretty pitiful.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Well yes, but I guess you go with what you've got, and if you're remembered for one thing go with it till you've got a better one.