Snow Day Activities

It's been a few years since snow has fallen in abundance in middle Tennessee so when it started falling on Friday morning I was not expecting too much. However ....... 4-5" by the middle of Saturday (maybe more) was not to shabby and looks crisp, sparkly, and lovely.
Then the phone calls and e-mails started :) This is cancelled, that is cancelled, put this one on hold, we'll be re-arranging the date, we will be closed etc. etc. etc.
There is no church today and I was scheduled to co-teach the 5th Sunday lesson about Genealogy and Family History to prepare for the next few weeks of Sunday School lessons.
So what's a person to do with that block of free time? I decided to visit a genealogy blog (while listening to General Conference DVD's) which turned into a blog hop and it's all Sue's fault http://excavatingformyroots.blogspot.com/ Her blog is very simply laid out but once I got into the links section it took me all over the place and proved quite fascinating.
So here I sit listening to Elder Scott and his beautiful talk about genealogy and temple work and reading (about dust bunnies at) http://yougogenealogygirls.blogspot.com/ I confess it was the title of the blog that got me hooked and I will be visiting again.

Scottish Miners

There's a long tradition of mining in Scotland. Dangerous and labor intensive work. A number of my ancestors were miners so when I found http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/ I was happy to see a decent site related to the subject.
Early miners, and their families, were "bound" to the colliery and owner by an Act of Parliament set in 1606. This basically meant a miner could not move from one colliery to another without written consent from his "master". If he did try he could be reclaimed within a year and a day.
Owners of mines could also apprehend those they considered to be beggars and vagabonds and put them to work in the mines.

Mining was not initially an underground profession. In it's formative years coal was quarried above ground and often near salt-pans. Often the whole family was involved in the mining process with the older members hewing the coal and the younger carrying it away in baskets.
Young children did not receive much in the way of formal education, usually being removed from school between the ages of 7-9.
There's an interactive museum, The Scottish Mining Museum, at Newtongrange near Edinburgh http://www.scottishminingmuseum.com/ which I've been told is an interesting place to visit. Look in the links section of the web site for lots of information and places to contact.
The largest collection of coal mining records can be found at http://www.nas.gov.uk/guides/coalmining.asp
The photograph is from "The Industries of Scotland Their Rise, Progress, and Present Conditions" by David Bremner (1869).

National Trust Names

So here's a fun activity.
Most people associate The National Trust with historical buildings and gardens but did you know you can name search?
http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/
Click on the link, search for a surname, pick the year and surname. What happens next? Try it and see. I loved it. Might be a fun page to add to my family history project.

One World One Heart Event - Magic Carpet Ride

There is a super worldwide event going on over at A Whimsical Bohemian and I have decided to join in. Starts today and runs through 15th February.
One World One Heart is the brainchild of Lisa Swifka who, in 2007, had the idea to host an event linking bloggers together. It has grown with each year and attracts a diverse group of people willing to share their talents and get to know each other.

Have you ever wanted to find out more about your ancestors but don't know how, or where, to start?
Let me help you with a gift of 10 HOURS OF ASSISTANCE.
I'll help you get started and show you some ways to organize your information.
You need a computer available to do this.

All you have to do is leave a comment for a drawing AT THIS POST ONLY with your e-mail address so I can contact you. The winner will be announced on 15th February.

Genealogy has taken me on my own "Magic Carpet Ride" over the years. I've found, and been found by, relatives in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, South Africa, England, Ireland, and other places round our wonderful planet. It's been a joy to interact with them and learn more of my heritage along the way. I recently met one of my New Zealand cousins when we were both in Scotland at the same time !!!!!! Fabulous experience.

So journey on over to http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/ and join in the fun. Then hop on your magic carpet and explore some wonderful sites.

Update - Hi all thanks for visiting. My entry is now closed. The winner will be announced on Monday afternoon.

Census 2010

Happy New Year and welcome to a new decade.
To kick things off it's time for another US census to happen. Short form.
13 "Portrait of America" buses started touring today (4th January) with information and will show up at events until April.
http://2010census.gov/2010census/index.php