I'm Officially 18 Years Old

Today's post will be a little different from most of my other ones. It is scheduled to post as exactly 7:50 pm EST on March 17th of 2018, my 18th birthday (and, of course, St. Patricks Day). So I thought I'd share a bit about what other familial events occurred on this day, certain aspects of myself which I have found other ancestors share, as well as a bit about these past 18 years.

On This Day In Family History

My birthday is by no means the only one in my family to occur on this March 17th. Here are some of the known births, marriages, etc. which also occurred on St. Patricks Day. 

1. March 17th, 1854, My 3rd great grandpa Henry Patrick Dwyer is born in Illinois, USA
2. March 17th, 1857, My 3rd great grandpa William Franklin Byers is born in Illinois, USA
3. March 17th, 1861, The husband of my 2nd great-grandaunt, Joseph M. Belina is born in Dlouhá Trebová, Lanškroun, Bohemia, Czechoslovakia
4. March 17th, 1872, My 2nd great-granduncle Gustaf Albert Teodor Gustafson is born in Adelöv, Jönköping, Sweden
5. March 17th, 1893, The wife of my 2nd great-granduncle Wilma A. Laughrey is born in Mitchell, Kansas, USA
6. March 17th, 1901, My 2nd great-granduncle William Benson Van Wert is born in Beach Lake, Wayne, Pennsylvania,USA
7. March 17th, 1917, My 2nd great-grandaunt, Effie Eleanor Ekeberg marries Gustav Reginald Freedlund in the Swedish Evangelical Church of Aurora, Illinois, USA
8. March 17th, 2000, My twin sister, Nicole Caroline Schmidt, and I, Renée Joanne Schmidt, were born. 

The Family's Twins

No, the Fact the Younger Generations Aren't Learning Cursive Doesn't Mean the End of Genealogy

Facebook is one of the most valuable resources any genealogist can have in their arsenal. So, naturally, I am a part of many genealogy-related groups on facebook. Normally they are very helpful, giving new insights into how a person should approach research as well as perspectives on the genealogy world as a whole. However, on occasion, these groups will have posts addressing the rest of the members as a whole to share their opinions on the topic of "the younger generations".

As a note, this post is not meant to demonize anybody or to rant without offering any solutions. Rather I'd like to open up discussion about how best to approach concerns as well as give suggestions on how to include the "younger generations" in such discussions. It is also not meant to take a swing at "how can we get kids into genealogy" queries because those are not only important but also include the kids and young adults in the discussion, instead of alienating them by saying some aspect of how they grew up is a problem. Who knows, maybe we can even come to view each other as more than just pre-internet and post-internet and recognize each other for the superb genealogists we all are. First, though I'd like to address some gripes.

Gripes

Cursive Handwriting

This is probably one of the ones that I see the most. Yes, it's true. They don't teach cursive in USA schools anymore. Before anyone dies from the horror of such a proposition, let me provide my perspective.

I actually was taught cursive in school, I had about a year of cursive instruction in 2nd grade, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I haven't written in cursive since that year. Despite this, I actually have no problems reading cursive documents. Well, I take that back. When I first started doing genealogy I had some difficulty with the old scripts. Luckily, there is a special skill that all humans have; the ability to learn. Since I already spoke English, the transition came pretty fast. And, contrary to popular belief, it's not difficult to read cursive even if you haven't had instruction. Most of the letters are exactly the same, just with connections drawn between.

Some letters written in Kurrentschrift (source)

A Comparison of FTDNA and MyHeritage Results Between Grandchild and Grandparents

The real value of DNA testing lies in the matches. DNA has done so many spectacular things for me, from solving a case of false parentage to revealing new photos of my relatives. However, one can not deny the novelty that comes with the ethnicity results.

It's important to remember that ethnicity results are not everything, and definitely not 100% accurate. They are usually fairly accurate on the continental level, but it's hard to distinguish Swedish from English, for instance. However, I thought it might be interesting to compare the ethnicity percentages yielded by different companies. I have tested myself, all four of my grandparents, and some great uncles and aunts. This post will compare not only ethnicity but also match counts.

My FTDNA Results

Main Ethnicities

My FTDNA Main Ethnicity Results