Thank You for 10,000 Hits

I don't think I really thought this day would come, but I just checked the stats for my Jim's Girl Family History Blog and was surprised to see that I'd passed 10,000 page views in the last few days.

Thank you to all my readers, particularly since I've taken a break from genealogy blogging since I was diagnosed with cancer.

For some reason, over 1,600 of the hits are on my "M is for Munster" post.  When I was doing the A to Z Challenge in 2011, I had planned to do an M is for Moynihan post, but I didn't have the time to do justice to the derivation and history of my surname.  "M is for Munster" was the quick substitute.  As it turns out, the photo map of the Munster province has proved exceedingly popular. 

Many of you are also coming to get my grandmother's recipe for genetti cookies.  Thanks for coming.  You can send me a batch any time!  (Yes, Cousin Sam, you already did and they were delicious!)

I am glad that so many of you have come to the blog for the "B is for Bannia" site.  I have had so many emails and comments from folks with roots in the frazione of Bannia.  This post has put me in touch with some really lovely people, including a second cousin I didn't know.  There are so many of us in Canada and the U.S., that it's hard to beleive there is anyone left in Bannia -- but I know they're still there and I hope they are visiting too. 

"O is for Oro alla Patria" is another popular post.  I hope I have helped others solve the mystery of their oro alla patria rings.

One of my favourite posts to write was "F is for Frank's First Marriage" about my dear Zio Frank and his mysterious first wife Annie.  I'm glad you readers seem to have enjoyed that post too.

Now that I am feeling much better, though still not ready to go back to work, I have restarted my genealogical research.  I hope to have the energy to blog more about my family and that of my Sweetheart.  10,000 page views may be just the accomplishment to push me to post more.
Thank you again.

It's Time to Give Back to the Genealogy Community

Now that I'm feeling better, I've had the time and energy to get back to some genealogy work.  I had been reading about the release of the 1940 U.S. Census at the beginning of April.  Only the census images have been released.  So, you can only find your relatives if you know exactly where they lived, or browse a community page by page.  The reason is that the census images have not yet been indexed.

What is indexing?  Well, if you started your genealogy in the last decade and went straight to Ancestry or Family Search or some other site and entered your surname in the search box, you were benefiting from the indexing efforts done by others.  Volunteers are indexing the 1940 census for Family Search, viewing each page and typing the names, ages and birthplaces into special software.  Once the indexing is complete, which involves several sets of eyes on each indexed page, the census images for that state will be searchable on Familysearch.org.

I know the thrill of finding my ancestors, with the click of a button, in an indexed census.  It's time for me to give back, and index someone else's people.  So far, I have indexed census pages from New York, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Louisiana.

If you are interested in contributing to the 1940 Census project, click here and then click the button "Get Started."  You will have to download the indexing software onto your computer.  And it's easy.  Well, not all the census enumerators had exemplary handwriting.  A few times, I've had to ask my husband and daughter to see if they could figure out some names.  We all stared at one woman's name for several minutes and were unable to figure it out.  The indexing arbitrators ruled that it was "Sue."  I never guessed!

Have you given back to the genealogy community?  Why not start today?

Feeling Better, but Changing Focus

Thank you to all who took the time to post messages of support after I let you know I was talking a blogging break due to my breast cancer diagnosis. 

Now that I have had a chance to process my diagnosis and am feeling a good bit better, I've found the energy to blog again.  I feel that I need to put my energy into breast cancer awareness, something I was not strong at before becoming sick.  I've created a new blog titled "Kate's Breast Cancer Awareness Blog" which you can find at http://katebreastcancer.blogspot.com/.  In addition to the awareness content, I will be using the blog to keep friends and family up-to-date on how I'm doing.  If breast cancer is part of your life -- or you want to keep it away -- please follow my new blog.

I hope that the new-found energy I have will translate into more family history posts as well.  As you know, I have a lot more stories to tell.