Lastest Carnivals are Posted!

poster courtesy of the footnoteMaven

Yesterday, Jasia of Creative Gene published the annual Resolutions theme of the Carnival of Genealogy (87th Edition). She also had some important changes to announce for future carnivals which you won't want to miss.

Jessica published the 25th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy on Hanukkah and Christmas traditions today. The 26th Edition will be a carousel theme and submissions are due February 18th.

And Evelyn announces a delay in the publication of the Festival of Postcards (theme: "White") due to technical difficulties. Stay tuned!

The Carnivals Are in Town!

The December Carnivals have arrived here in town! For those who are new to the term "blogging carnival," think of a magazine (carnival) whose articles (posts)--all on a theme--are written by many authors (bloggers) at their home blogs. The table of contents for this digital magazine appears at the host's blog.  Each month, there are at least half a dozen genealogy carnivals available to read, or to contribute to, if you're a blogger. I list each upcoming carnival at my Calendar of Events posts, written on the first of each month. You can refer to each month's Calendar as much as you want, for whenever a new carnival is published, I update the post.

The 7th Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival has a Carousel (choose your own) theme. This carnival is always interesting even to those who may not have Canadian ancestors!

The 86th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy was a "two-fer"; in other words, it had two themes: The "Other" December Events, and Our Wish Lists for Genea-Santa. There were 17 submissions for the first theme and 22 for the second.

The 19th Edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival has been published at Shades of the Departed. With "The Gift" being a theme, there were a record-breaking 62 submissions! Wow! My own story, Christmas Gifts, was also written for the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories, as were many other submissions.

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As for upcoming carnivals, be on the lookout later this week for the Festival of Postcards (theme: White). Jessica is extending the deadline for the the 25th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy (Christmas or Hanukkah Traditions) until December 28th, and submissions for the January 2010 Edition of the Graveyard Rabbits Carnival (Final Resting Place) are due December 25th.

Other holiday events include the Holiday 2009 Geneabloggers Cookbook (free) and the annual Blog Caroling Event hosted by the footnoteMaven. And Donna has republished "'Twas Just Days Before Christmas" to the amusement of all!

Click on the Image Above to Adopt a Needy Child or Senior in Your Community

The 24th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Has Been Posted!

Al Wierzba of Al's Polish-American Genealogy Research is the host of the 24th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, whose theme is "Tips, Tricks, and Websites for Researching Central and Eastern European Genealogy."

Nine articles were submitted by the same number of authors. Even if you don't have ancestry from Central and Eastern Europe, these posts are well worth the reading for general tips and ideas that can help with any research!

The 25th edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy will be hosted by Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal. The topic for this edition will be Christmas/Hanukkah traditions. Does your family have any unique Christmas or Hanukkah traditions? Articles on topics such as food dishes, decorations, traditions, etc., of Central and Eastern Europe are welcome. The deadline for the submissions will be December 18, and Jessica will post the edition on the 20th. Please submit articles through the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy website.

FYI: the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy accepts submissions on articles relating to the territory now governed by the following modern governments: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Russia Federation, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

The 15th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is Posted

Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal has just posted the 15th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The theme for this carnival was "History Books," and four bloggers submitted some good historical reads, non-fiction and fiction, that focused on this part of the globe. My submission was The Zion Covenant Series. If you are looking for some interesting winter reading take a look at these posts.

Jessica writes:

The topic for the next edition will be a carousel, so all articles that focus on genealogy and Central and Eastern Europe will be accepted. Submissions are due on February 22, and the edition will be published on the 24th. You can submit your article here.

For those of you new to genealogy blogging or blog carnivals, a carousel edition is a "choose your own topic" one. I'd like to challenge those of you who have never submitted a post to the CCEEG to do so next time (think about that New Year's Resolution you made to participate in more carnivals)! Do you have ancestors who once lived in territory now governed by the following modern governments: Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Russia Federation, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, the Ukraine, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina? If you don't have ancestors from these locations, have you ever visited any of them--or wanted to? Are you interested in any of the history or art or architecture or foods or cultures of these locations? Have you a fascination with any of the ancient empires, such as the Byzantine Empire or the reign of Peter the Great of Russia? See! I'll bet you've already come up with some good ideas for posts for the next carnival!

If you're feeling very brave, you might like to contact Jessica at her blog and sign up to be a carnival host for future editions. She's very busy during the school year with her college courses and really could use a hand. Let me tell you, being a carnival host is a great way to get a lot of readership to your blog (hint, hint)!

The Zion Covenant Series

As part of teaching me about my heritage as a child, my parents purchased many books about the Netherlands for me. These included some books about the Dutch resistance during World War II and about how the Holocaust affected Dutch Jews, even though my Dutch ancestors had all immigrated to the United States by 1885. As an older child and especially as a teen, I enjoyed reading both true stories and fiction about the Allied Resistance during World War II, especially when it involved hiding Jewish people from the horrors of the Holocaust. As a young woman, I heard about a new historical fiction series called the Zion Chronicles, set in Palestine in the late 1940s. This series was written by a husband-and-wife team, Brock and Bodie Thoene (TAY-nee) and chronicled the struggle to create a Jewish homeland by survivors of the Holocaust. However, I really didn't read any of the books in that series until much later, when I stumbled across another series of theirs, the Zion Covenant.

The Zion Covenant series was written after the Zion Chronicles series, but went back in time with the same characters to the era of World War II. This series really defined the heart of the Thoenes and the passion they had to bring the horrors of the Holocaust to the world to remind us that we can never let this happen again. Brock Thoene was a professor of history and also has a degree in education. Bodie Thoene "began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as 'a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!' She has degrees in journalism and communications." Their telling moment came one day while sitting in a park and seeing a woman with a numbered tattoo on her wrist. Striking up a conversation with her, they discovered that she was a Jewish survivor of a concentration camp in Europe. This conversation in turn led to research and the eventual writing of many historical fiction books (45 as of this date) that stemmed from this encounter and eventual friendship with the Holocaust survivor.

As I said, I did not appreciate the Thoene books until I discovered the Zion Covenant. Most of my reading about World War II and the Resistance was set in cities of Western Europe. The Zion Covenant series has nine books, five of which are set in major Central or Eastern European cities. The characters at the center of this series are all Jewish musicians. Some have been able to conceal their heritage because of their Aryan-looking features, while others must go into hiding because of the threat of the Gestapo. Through it all, the Thoenes weave the rich history of each of the cities into the story line, focusing on the architecture, art, historical figures and events that shaped each community, as well as how each dealt with the effects of the Nazi terror.

I learned so much about these places and times that unfortunately have been ignored or passed over for larger events or Western cities in the history books. Some of the facts that were blended into the story lines included discovering that many Jews fought for Germany in World War I and were awarded medals for their service. These individuals were then stripped of their credit, their dignity, and eventually their lives during the reign of the Third Reich. Another tragedy was the loading of ships with Jewish passengers escaping German-occupied countries, hoping to find sanctuary in Western countries during the early part of the war. Turned away at many ports--including American ones--by governments in fear or apathy of "getting involved" before being swept by necessity into the war, these ships crisscrossed the Atlantic, avoiding German submarines and running low on fuel, food, and fresh water, before being destroyed or being forced to dock at unfriendly ports and having their passengers arrested and deported to concentration camps. Probably most compelling was learning how some who survived the Holocaust either by out-lasting their enemies in concentration camps or by spending the War in hiding, ended up being killed in Palestine by terrorist attacks as they tried to create a peaceful homeland after the War.

While it's definitely important to read history from original documents and non-fiction texts, sometimes reading historical fiction written by those with great knowledge and passion for history helps frame it in a comprehensive and comprehensible way. From this vantage point, it becomes easier to understand more complicated non-fiction texts as well as understand current events that have been shaped by past ones.

If you enjoy historical fiction, I know you will enjoy these books. One pleasant surprise has been how the Thoenes have woven the same family and heritage into each of their seven major series, so family historians will appreciate these as well. This series is available online or at major booksellers.

Written for the 15th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - "History Books".

The 13th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is Posted

Elizabeth of Little Bytes of Life posted the 13th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy on Thanksgiving Day. The topic--not limited to those of Central or Eastern European heritage--was "What Resources are You Thankful For in Your Genealogical Research?"

There were ten submissions with gratitude expressed ranging from Polish resources to local genealogical societies to the Internet to family members. My own submission, "I'm Thankful for These Genealogy Resources," is located here.

Elizabeth did a great job as first-time carnival hostess! The 14th Edition's topic will be "Christmas Traditions of Central and Eastern Europe" and will be hosted by Jessica Oswalt back at the carnival's home blog, Jessica's Genejournal. Participants do not have to have Central or Eastern European ancestry to participate. Submissions are due on December 21st, and the Carnival will be posted on December 23rd.

I'm Thankful for These Genealogy Resources

The topic for the 13th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is "What Research Resources are You Thankful For?" Submitters need not have Central or Eastern European ancestry to participate. While I will not be sharing specific resources--such as books or websites--or tips, I would like to highlight four assets that have enriched my research life and brought me unexpected resources and treasures.

My local genealogical society - the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society is a research resource unto itself...a living, breathing resource. If I get stuck on a problem, or need to know where to look, or if someone comes to me with a question I can't answer, then I go to my fellow members at EWGS. Many of them are people who've been doing research longer than I have been alive...the hard way: in dusty repositories, by snail mail, and through cranking through thousands of rolls of microfilm. They know what puzzling legal jargon or Latin terms mean, or whether something significant is meant by missing information in a document. Furthermore, our society librarians and historian know where to find just about anything hiding in Spokane County, whether it's in the courthouse vault or in an index in an obscure book in the genealogical collection of the public library. My life is enriched by these warm, caring people, and I can't imagine a finer society anywhere!

The Family History Library and Family History Centers - Imagine doing research without the existence of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or its branch libraries, the Family History Centers (wouldn't it be awful!) The LDS Church takes seriously its mission to provide resources through the FHL and FHCs, and considers this a way of blessing the inhabitants of the globe. I couldn't agree more! For people like myself who live far from our ancestral locations, obtaining records via microfilm at a Center or being able to visit the Library is a wonderful experience. I frequent my North Spokane Stake FHC so often that I am on a first-name basis with many of the volunteers and consider the director a personal friend. We share our research successes and challenges and always look forward to the newest wonder available through FamilySearch...like the Record Search pilot site. I receive the gift of hope whenever I research at my local FHC...hope that the records I order and view will provide the next piece of evidence for which I've long been looking!

The Internet - It's so wonderful to be living in this time in history! Thirty years ago as a little girl--or even 15 years ago--I could not imagine the daily wonders I discover online. And to the people behind it all, whether volunteers or paid employees working to provide research lookups, transcribe data to a genealogical subscription site, scan images of books to be viewed online, or use their amazing intelligence and gifts to create wonders like the many faces of Google, I'm tremendously grateful that I am able to access all this information and knowledge!

My family - I've been honored and privileged to be recognized as the family historian and archivist, a responsibility I take seriously. Entrusted by family members with the care of photographs, documents, and mementos from the past, I strive to take measures to preserve and catalog them to the best of my ability so that future generations will know, memorialize, and understand those Who Came Before. I've been touched that my family blesses me with these dear treasures!

As a family historian and genealogist, for what are you thankful?

Carnivals Galore!

It's that time of year! The nights are cooling off, and the days are mild and pleasant. Leaves are beginning to turn, and mums are blooming in gardens. It's the perfect time to take a break from raking leaves and pine cones or cleaning gutters and enjoy a favorite virtual magazine or two. In the past few days, three carnivals have been posted, providing us with a plethora of enjoyable and pleasant reading for the weekend!

poster courtesy of footnoteMaven

The 1st Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival was published on Wednesday at Kathryn Lake Hogan's Looking4Ancestors. "My Ancestor Was Canadian, Eh!" was the topic, and nine ladies submitted eleven posts describing their Canadian ancestors. Mine was a mini-series, with two posts describing my own Canadian heritage, and one describing my husband's. I know I'm repeating myself here, but I'm so excited to see the genesis of this carnival, because my focus this past year has been to learn more about and break down walls of my Canadian ancestors! This carnival will allow me to network with and learn from my fellow researchers from the land up north.

The topic for the next edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival is "My Famous Canadian Ancestor". Was your ancestor a famous Canadian hockey player, actor or politician? Tell us about famous Canadians in your family. Don't have a famous Canadian ancestor in your family tree? Not to worry; choose a famous Canadian you admire and share why you would like to have this person as your ancestor. Deadline for submissions is December 7, 2008. Submit your blog article using the carnival submission form.

Steve Danko hosted the 11th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy at his blog, Steve's Genealogy Blog, also published on Wednesday. Eight participants wrote about the given names of their ancestors: naming patterns, nicknames, saint names, and name changes. I've always been fascinated by the way Eastern European names variate, with one name having the possibility of a dozen (or more) nicknames! Even if you're like myself, without much or any heritage from this corner of Europe, you'll enjoy the interesting articles submitted to this carnival.

Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal will host the 12th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern Genealogy, and has put out the call for submissions. The topic will be folklore, myths, legends and ghost stories, traditions or festivals of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The submissions do not necessarily have to be a part of your family tradition; it could be a submission on a historical event or it could just have been a part of the culture of your ancestor. The deadline for submissions is October 29. You can submit your articles here.

On Thursday, Lisa of Small-Leaved Shamrock posted the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture. It was the "Back to School" edition, with nine bloggers submitting their Irish genealogy research goals and cultural and heritage education plans for the coming school year. Three additional submissions on Irish heritage were also included. Celtic roots or not, you'll be inspired by the ideas submitted here; perhaps you'll read something that will help you in your own research goals.

The 9th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture will be hosted by Bill West of West in New England:

Halloween (or Samhain as it was known among the ancient Celts) is approaching and what better time to tell us about your family’s Irish superstitions? Perhaps you have stories about strange coincidences and events that might have been passed down by your Irish relatives, or even know of some favorite legend or haunted place in Ireland. Share them with us in the next edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture.

Deadline for submissions for the Irish Superstitions edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture is October 25th.

Aren't these great? I hope that you'll take the time this weekend to browse through these virtual publications and consider submitting a post to at least one of these fascinating genealogical writing challenges! I'm sure that, like myself, you'll discover a blog or two that's new to you and add it to your favorites or your feed reader. Congratulations to submitters and hosts alike for providing a wealth of information, heritage, and quality writing for so many to enjoy!

September Is...

...Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15)

September 1: Labor Day (United States)
Labour Day (Canada)
("Labor Day and Ancestral Occupations" by Carolyn L. Barkley)

September 1: Ramadan begins

September 7: National Grandparents' Day (U.S. and Canada)
Father's Day (Australia and New Zealand)

September 11: Patriot Day (United States)

September 15: Independence Day
(Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua)

September 16: Independence Day (Mexico)

September 19: Independence Day (Saint Kitts and Nevis)

September 22: Autumnal Equinox (Northern Hemisphere)
Vernal Equinox (Southern Hemisphere)

September 29, sunset: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)

Do any of the above events feature in or affect your heritage, culture, or family history?

September Carnivals and Events:

Posted September 4 - the 55th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Show and Tell

Posted September 14 - Family Heirlooms Meme

Posted September 15 - the 5th Edition of the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival - Crowning Glory

Posted September 15 - the 9th Edition of the Cabinet of Curiosities

Posted September 17 - the 56th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Ten Essential Books in My Genealogy Library - Part I and Part II

Posted September 24 - 1st Edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival - My Ancestor was Canadian, Eh!

Posted September 24 - 11th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - First (Given) Names

Posted September 25 - the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture - Back to School

September 1 - Data Backup Day

It's Data Backup Day
by Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family

Don't Be Blogged Gone: Tips for Keeping Your Blog Backed Up and Secure
by Elizabeth O'Neal of Little Bytes of Life

Scanfest: Sunday, September 28th, 11 AM - 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

Go here to learn how to join Scanfest and our group of chatting, scanning family archivists, historians, and bloggers!

Go here to add the above deadlines and dates to your Google Calendar,
courtesy of Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family.

The 10th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy is Posted

Jessica Oswalt of Jessica's Genejournal has just posted the 10th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The theme for this carnival was a carousel one (choose your own topic), and there were five submissions by five bloggers. Congratulations to Jessica on this milestone edition! Ten carnivals are really quite an achievement, and I know sometimes it's been difficult to get submitters, mainly--I believe--because of what is perceived to be a limited scope of ancestry about which to blog. I'd like to remind my readers that Central and Eastern Europe covers a large variety of countries, cultures, and ethnicities, so consider writing a post and submitting it for a future carnival. I've participated in the past, even though I have no Eastern European heritage and very little Central European ancestry (just a drop of German in these veins!). Be sure to drop by and read the carnival posts and--oh, yes--say "Happy Birthday!" to Jessica while you're at it!

[The 11th] edition will be hosted by Steve Danko. The topic, as suggested by him, will be on: "First (Given) Names: Did any of your ancestors have an unusual given name? Have you discovered the meanings behind the given names of your ancestors? Did your ancestors use any naming patterns for their children? Are there any given names that are particular common in your family history? Did any of your ancestors have given names that you particularly like or dislike? Does your family celebrate "Name Days"? Did your immigrant ancestors change their given names after they arrived in America? Tell us about the first (given) names in your family. You can concentrate on one name, a few names, or you can go wild and write about the first names of all your ancestors!" Submissions for the next edition are due on September 21, and the edition will be posted on September 24. You can submit your article here.

August Is...

...National Back to School Month (United States).

...Holiday Month (many European countries).

August 1: Anniversary of the 1st U.S. Federal Census
Swiss National Day

August 2 - 3: Twins Day in Twinsburg, Ohio
(Do twins run in your family?)

August 6: National Salvadoran-American Day (United States)

August 7: Purple Heart Day

August 8 - 24: 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing, China
(Any Olympians or athletic champions in your family tree?)

August 9: Singapore Independence Day

August 10: Ecuador Independence Day

August 14: Pakistan Independence Day

August 15: Korea Independence Day
India Independence Day

August 17: Indonesia Independence Day

August 21: Hawaii Statehood Day

August 25: Uruguay Independence Day

August 31: Malaysia Independence Day

Do any of the above events feature in or affect your heritage, culture, or family history?

August Carnivals:

Posted August 2 - 53rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Carousel Edition

Posted August 5 - The Genea-Bloggers' Picnic

Posted August 13 - 4th Edition of the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival - My Favorite Photograph

Posted August 18 - 54th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - The Family Language

Posted August 23 - 10th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - Carousel Edition

Submissions for the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture are not due until September 22. Read more here.

The Cabinet of Curiosities is on summer holiday until September. Tim Abbott is looking for hosts for future editions.

August 1 - Data Backup Day

Julie Miller writes on how to create a genealogy disaster plan.

Scanfest: Sunday, August 24th, 11 AM - 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

Scanfest will be held one week early (usually held the last Sunday of the month), due to August 31st being a part of Labor Day weekend.

Go here to learn how to join Scanfest and our group of chatting, scanning family archivists, historians, and bloggers!

Go here to add the above deadlines and dates to your Google Calendar, courtesy of Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family.

It's Carnival Time!

Two carnivals were posted today. The first was the 9th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy, whose topic was "Research Experiences and Techniques." Jessica Oswalt has hosted this carnival at her blog, Jessica's Genejournal. There were seven submissions by five bloggers, including a first time carnival submitter. (I was not a participant this time.)

poster courtesy of footnoteMaven

The other carnival was the 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, whose topic was "Age." Lisa of 100 Years in America hosted this edition, which had 29 submissions by 28 bloggers. My post, "What's Age Got to Do with It?", can be found here; but alas! apparently I was so excited about getting my post finished a day ahead of the due date (instead of the day of, as usual for me), that I forgot to submit it in time. Oh, well! Lisa was so kind to squeeze in my entry! By the way, "well done" to both Lisa and Jessica for all the work they did on their respective carnivals!

The topics for both of these next carnivals will be a Carousel Theme, which means the bloggers may pick their own topic. The due date for the 10th Edition of Carnival of Central and European Genealogy is August 4th; submissions can be entered here. The due date for the 53rd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be August 1 and you can enter your articles here.

Now go enjoy some great reading!

July Is...

...not a month that has a particular heritage associated with it. However, there are a number of national holidays and a historical celebration during this month:

July 1: Canada Day

July 4 - Independence Day (United States)

July 9: Independence Day (Argentina)

July 14: Bastille Day (France)

July 17 - Constitution Day (South Korea)

July 20: Independence Day ( Colombia)

July 24: Pioneer Day (observed by the State of Utah and members of the LDS church)

Do any of the above events feature in or affect your heritage, culture, or family history?

Carnival Deadlines:

Posted July 4 - 51st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Independent Spirit

Posted July 14 - 3rd Edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival - Celebrate Home

Posted July 18 - 52nd Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Age

Posted July 18 - 9th Edition of the Carnival of Central and European Genealogy - Research Experiences and Techniques

Posted July 28 - 7th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture - Summer Reading Challenge

The Cabinet of Curiosities is on summer holiday until September. Tim Abbott is looking for hosts for future editions.

July 1 - Data Backup Day

Ken Spangler of Beyond Fiction shares his close call in "A Very Scary Last Few Days". Don't let this happen to you!


Scanfest: Sunday, July 27th, 11 AM - 2 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

Go here to learn how to join our group of chatting, scanning family archivists, historians, and bloggers!

Go here to add the above deadlines and dates to your Google Calendar, courtesy of Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family.

Carnivals Galore!

This past week has seen the publication of four of my favorite carnivals. I've been--sadly--too busy to submit any posts to these, but I sure have enjoyed reading them as I snatch little moments here and there!

On Sunday, April 27th, the Cabinet of Curiosities #6 was posted by Jessica Palmer of bioephemera. You'll recognize one of our prominent geneabloggers, Janice of Cow Hampshire, as one of the submitters. Not necessarily a genealogy carnival, many geneabloggers submit their unusual finds they come across while researching their family trees.

Jessica of Jessica's Genejournal posted the 6th Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy on Monday, April 28th, which had a carousel (pick your own) theme.

Wednesday, April 30th, Lisa of A light that shines again posted the 5th Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture with the topic of "Irish Gaelic Names and Words."

And Jasia of Creative Gene just posted the 47th Carnival of Genealogy with the topic "A Place Called Home". This ties in nicely with the National Historic Preservation Month's theme of "This Place Matters"!

Happy Reading!

April Is...

...The Great American Photo Scanning Month. Go to ScanMyPhotos.com to see how you can get 1,000 4" x 6" photos scanned and put on DVD for only $19.95 return shipping. Also, see my notes on Scanfest and Spring Break Scan-a-thon at the bottom of this post.

...National Volunteer Month. See my post on being a volunteer back during Random Acts of Kindness Week.

...National Jewish-American Heritage Month.

April 6 - National Tartan Day (USA)

Sunset of April 19th - April 27th: Passover

April 27 - May 4: Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Week)

Does the above feature in or affect your heritage, culture, or family history?

Carnival Due Dates in April:

April 1: 45th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - Cars As Stars

April 9: 3rd Edition of the "Where Were You?" Carnival - the Civil War (and also here)

April 15: 46th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy - "What Traits Run in Your Family?"

April 21: Cabinet of Curiosities #6

April 27: 5th Edition of the Carnival of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture - Irish Gaelic Names and Words

April 27: 6th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy - a Carousel edition (choose your own topic)

Scanfest:

April 1 - 6 (continued from March 29th): Spring Break Scan-a-thon

Part of Scan-a-thon includes extra Scanfests: Tuesday, April 1 and Thursday April 3 from 3:00 - 6:00 PM, PDT

April 27th: Scanfest, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time

The 5th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy Is Posted

Jessica at Jessica's Genejournal has just posted the 5th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. The topic is Traditional Dishes, and there were four submissions. Be sure to have a napkin handy, because these tasty posts are sure to make you drool! My own submission was Alaskan Russian Foods. I encourage you to take a gander over to Jessica's Genejournal and check out the articles!

The 6th Edition of this carnival will be a carousel edition, which means submitters get to choose their own topics. Submissions will be due April 27th, and entered here. I hope you'll join us!

Alaskan Russian Foods

As many of my readers are aware, I was born and grew up in Alaska, living in five different communities. The "city" where I was born was Kodiak, on Kodiak Island, where the Russian influence can still be felt in the culture, religious practices, and surnames of the Native Alaskans living there. While Kodiak is near the top of the Aleutian chain of islands creating the Southwest panhandle of the state, the Southeast panhandle--where I spent most of my childhood--also felt Russia's hand and can be seen in the architecture of the old Russian Orthodox churches in Sitka (the capital under Russia) and Juneau (the current state capital). However, the Native Alaskans of the Southeast panhandle were more religiously influenced by the Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, and Salvation Army churches.

Russian Church, Kodiak, Alaska


St. Michael's Cathedral, Sitka, Alaska

(For more views of beautiful Russian Orthodox churches
in Alaska--onion domes and all--click here.)

Two wonderful Russian dishes I remember eating as a child were pirok and kulich. Pirok is a fish pie that my mother would make as a simple, filling main dish, using canned or fresh Alaskan salmon. It is especially tasty topped with a tomato-based cocktail sauce, such as what you would eat with shrimp. Kulich is also known as Russian Easter bread, and is a delicious treat, made sweet from candied fruit and heavy with many eggs (made of course, to celebrate the end of Lent and self-denial). Dad was usually the one who made kulich, and our favorite way to eat it was lightly toasted with lots of butter! In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to haul out my breadmaker and make a loaf this weekend to eat with Easter breakfast!

I believe the following recipe is from Alaskan Cookbook for Homesteader or Gourmet by Bess Cleveland; Berkeley, California: Howell-North Books, 1960.

PIROK

Pastry for double-crust pie
2 c. cooked rice
1 onion
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 can salmon or 1 lb. fresh salmon, deboned
salt and pepper to taste

Line pie with pastry. When steaming rice, add 1 chopped onion. When done, mix with canned salmon, including juice. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put 1/2 rice and fish misture in unbaked pie shell. Press quartered hard-boiled eggs into mixture, top off balance of rice and fish. Cover with piecrust, seal edges well and cut steam vents. Bake 1/2 hour (1 hour for fresh salmon) or until well browned. [A temperature is not given; I cook mine at about 425° F.] This is a dish brought to Alaska by the early Russian colonists, and was first made with salt salmon.

Traditionally, the kulich dough was braided, then baked. However, when Dad made this, he would bake it just as he and Mom did our sourdough-raisin bread: in greased coffee cans, creating a nice round load, easily sliced and able to fit into a standard toaster. While the sourdough-raisin bread, which was our everyday bread, was made in two-pound coffee cans, the kulich, more of a dessert than a sandwich bread, was usually baked in one-pound cans. I am adapting my Mr. Coffee bread-maker's recipe for a one-pound dried-mixed fruit bread, which yields a similar result.

KULICH

1 egg plus enough water to equal 1 c.
2 c. + 1 T. bread flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. honey
1 T. dry milk
1/2 c. bran cereal
1/2 c. chopped candied mixed fruit
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. yeast

Place ingredients into your breadmaker according to its suggested guidelines and use the Whole-Loaf (as opposed to Dough) Sweet Bake setting (setting 8 on Mr. Coffee breadmaker). Yield: 1 one-pound loaf.