Research Junky

For anybody who has followed the blog for a while, you'll know I'm a research junky. I love combing through old records and books to find interesting information. My quest to figure out our house's builder led me to find a long-neglected Laurelhurst neighborhood wiki, started several years ago. Since it was neglected, it was full of spam posts and users, but Jeff and I spent many evenings cleaning it up, so it's much better now.

In the last few days, I've been adding Oregonian articles dating back to the time the Laurelhurst neighborhood was established (1909). It's slow going though, because I have to use a reader to convert the pdf articles into text and then I have to spend quite a lot of time cleaning up the many mistakes.

But it's been fascinating to learn so much about this neighborhood we live in.

This couch potato project has, unfortunately, not been good for our productivity when it comes to working on real house projects. I had a good day yesterday sanding in the entryway and I think I'm about ready to declare it done. I just need to clean up the wood and get it prepped for staining.

We're off to a Halloween party tonight, so we're trying to throw together some not-entirely-lame costumes today. Most of our clothing and halloween gear is still buried in storage. Someday we'll be entirely moved him. I hope next year.

Working on Genealogy Records Today

I've been growing more and more disappointed with myself on the genealogy front. I totally immersed myself into family research last fall and I gathered (borrowed) all these family records and then when I started school again in September, I just dropped the project flat. Partly because of school, and partly because the computer hooked to the scanner died and my Mac isn't set up to use the scanner yet.

So, now I have two large stacks of records/pictures from family and they're just sitting there. Today, therefore, I am planning to start sifting through the pile. If necessary, I will make copies of the items I've borrowed and return the originals. I've got to get through this project and not have to deal with it while we're packing boxes. Also, my membership to Ancestry.com runs out in April, so I need to finish by then. =)

I did actually accomplish a lot last Fall. I found the marriage record and a photo for my great-great-grandfather Henry Samuel Darknell who came to America from Wiltshire in the 1850s and I believe I found the census records that show he was born to Samuel Darknell and Rachel Case (along with several other sons). Unfortunately, Samuel (Rachel's husband) died fairly young and his children ultimately ended up dispersing throughout the globe which makes it hard to track all the connections. Unfortunately, the good census records only go back to 1837, so finding proof earlier than that is difficult. But I have made some great progress with the excellent records available through Ancestry.com and other sources.

I'd really like to visit Wiltshire in Mere County in England and meet the Darknell family there and see if they have any better records than I've been able to acquire from internet sources. But it may be a while.