Tuesday Trivia

While Genealogy is the study of your immediate family, ultimately it is the historical study of the migration of people and people groups. 



Who are the Welsh and Scotch people?  Where did this group of people originate?

Do you know?  Tell us your thoughts, then watch for an article on Sunday.

Monday Recipe Mania - Traditional Irish Stew

With Irish blood teaming through the veins of the Slocum, Cunningham and even the Gunter clan I would be remiss in not adding a Traditional Irish Stew to our Recipe Book here on FOOTSTEPS BEHIND ME.  There's a catch!  I found out that there are a multitude of  'traditional' Irish Stew recipes. It seems that every area and just about every family had their own 'tradition' when making the every popular Irish Stew.  So, I'm combining some versions I found on line and have created my own 'traditional' version. Being the 'Herb Lady' I will also be adding some herbs to season it up a bit.  I will be serving it with my attempt of making some Gluten-Free** Welsh Miner Cakes.

Irish Stew

serves 2-3

2 teaspoons Coconut or Olive oil or just use butter
1/2 pound lamb shoulder steak cut into bite size pieces
1/2 pound diced potatoes
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup leeks, finely sliced (my little store did not have leeks so I got scallions (green onions) and used them instead)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 teaspoon each, thyme, marjoram, rosemary
1 small bay leaf

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. In a frying pan heat half the oil to hot but not smoking. Add half the lamb pieces and brown all over. Remove the lamb and place in a casserole, cover with a half of the potatoes, onions, leeks and carrots.
2. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, heat again then add the remaining lamb and brown all over. Add to the casserole and cover with the remaining vegetables
3. Add the stock, cover with a tight fitting lid, cook in the oven for 1 hour. Add the cabbage  replace the lid and cook for another hour. Check from time to time to make sure the stock isn't reducing too much, if it is add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered by liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, cook a little longer with the lid removed. Season with salt and pepper

 This recipe would be great cooked in a slow cooker.

**HINT:  According to my Gastrointerologist if you are of Irish Descent you have much more likely to have Celiac Disease or at least be Gluten-Intolerant.  Consider it! For great Gluten-Free recipes and menu ideas see our sister blog:  www.grandmafarmer.blogspot.com

Conducting The Interview

Great!  You've scheduled an interview with some of your living relatives.  Before you go there's a few hints you need to know.

• Keep the interview short....1-2 hours max
• Take pictures with you or anything else that might help jog memories.
• Take extra paper and pencils/pens with you and be prepared to write fast!
• Take a video camera and/or tape recorder with you.  Be sure you ask first before you record anyone.  If they are uncomfortable, let it go.  You won't get a lot of info from someone who is uncomfortable with the situation.
• Type out your list of questions and take them with you.  Allow room to 'fill in' the information.

Here's a list of questions you can use to do an oral interview that I found at http://genealogy.about.com/cs/oralhistory/a/interview.htm

1. What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname?
2. When and where were you born?
3. How did your family come to live there?
4. Were there other family members in the area? Who?
5. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
6. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
7. What is your earliest childhood memory?
8. Describe the personalities of your family members.
9. What kind of games did you play growing up?
10. What was your favorite toy and why?
11. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
12. Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
13. Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
14. What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
15. What school activities and sports did you participate in?
16. Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
17. Who were your childhood heroes?
18. What were your favorite songs and music?
19. Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
20. What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
21. Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
22. Who were your friends when you were growing up?
23. What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
24. Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
25. How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
26. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
27. Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
28. What do you know about your family surname?
29. Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
30. What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
31. Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
32. Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
33. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
34. Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?
35. What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
36. When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
37. What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
38. Where and when did you get married?
39. What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
40. How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
41. What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
42. How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
43. Why did you choose your children's names?
44. What was your proudest moment as a parent?
45. What did your family enjoy doing together?
46. What was your profession and how did you choose it?
47. If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
48. Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
49. What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
50. What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?

Tombstone Thursday

Virgil and Mary Cunningham married in 1882 in Ohio and had a large family of eleven children.  They first showed up in Nebraska in the 1900 Census, living in Madison County, Nebraska.

Virgil was born in Adams County, Ohio.  His father James Perry CUNNINGHAM was born in Pennsylvania but by the time he was 9 years old was living in Ohio.  James father William 'Nur' CUNNINGHAM was born in Ireland.

Things we still need to know:  What year did Virgil and Mary come to Nebraska?  Virgil's father James Perry was actually also living in Nebraska in the 1950 census but he was living in Antelope County in the town of Neligh.  I'm wondering why they were living so far apart?  A trip to the State Historical Society is in order.  Some things can be done on-line but you can't do everything, when searching for information on your family, on-line. Sometimes you just need physical searching.

Tuesday Trivia

We've been working on the CUNNINGHAM Line for several weeks now and are going to continue to do so for the next six weeks as we learn more and more about this great big family.

(I was hoping to put the picture I have of the John Perry Cunningham family here, but I can't find it.  I will be looking for it this week.)

Today's trivia questions...........................

The Cunningham Family came to Nebraska from what state?  What year? To what Nebraska County?

The Cunningham Family immigrated to the United States from what country?  What year?

Give your answers in the 'Comment' section below or on our Facebook page (Footsteps Behind Me)


Watch for answers on Friday this week!  Let's see who is correct!

Monday Recipe Mania - BASKA "Sweet Easter Bread"

With Irish blood teaming through the veins of the Slocum, Cunningham and even the Gunter clan I would be remiss in not adding a Traditional Irish Stew to our Recipe Book here on FOOTSTEPS BEHIND ME.  There's a catch!  I found out that there are a multitude of  'traditional' Irish Stew recipes. It seems that every area and just about every family had their own 'tradition' when making the every popular Irish Stew.  So, I'm combining some versions I found on line and have created my own 'traditional' version. Being the 'Herb Lady' I will also be adding some herbs to season it up a bit.  I will be serving it with my attempt of making some Gluten-Free** Welsh Miner Cakes.

Irish Stew

serves 2-3

2 teaspoons Coconut or Olive oil or just use butter
1/2 pound lamb shoulder steak cut into bite size pieces
1/2 pound diced potatoes
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup leeks, finely sliced (my little store did not have leeks so I got scallions (green onions) and used them instead)
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 teaspoon each, thyme, marjoram, rosemary
1 small bay leaf

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. In a frying pan heat half the oil to hot but not smoking. Add half the lamb pieces and brown all over. Remove the lamb and place in a casserole, cover with a half of the potatoes, onions, leeks and carrots.
2. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, heat again then add the remaining lamb and brown all over. Add to the casserole and cover with the remaining vegetables
3. Add the stock, cover with a tight fitting lid, cook in the oven for 1 hour. Add the cabbage  replace the lid and cook for another hour. Check from time to time to make sure the stock isn't reducing too much, if it is add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered by liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, cook a little longer with the lid removed. Season with salt and pepper

 This recipe would be great cooked in a slow cooker.

**HINT:  According to my Gastrointerologist if you are of Irish Descent you have much more likely to have Celiac Disease or at least be Gluten-Intolerant.  Consider it! For great Gluten-Free recipes and menu ideas see our sister blog:  www.grandmafarmer.blogspot.com

HURRY! Run, Don't Walk! Contact Living Family Members

Living relatives can be an important resource for finding more information about your ancestors.  Perhaps you will find a family Bible.  You certainly will find some information that you never had

The most important reason you should contact as many living family members as possible is that these folks have information, first hand.  This is an opportunity you will NEVER HAVE AGAIN.  Once these folks are gone you will be left to only piece impersonal information together. You won't be able to hear the stories about the firey, red headed great-grandfather ever again.  These folks will be able to give you details no one else can give you.

Begin with the oldest living family members you can.  Do you have great-grandparents still living?  Aunts, Uncles, cousins?  Start with the oldest and go down to those even in your generation.  From experience my cousins had a totally different experience knowing my grandmother than I did. 
I know that my own intimacy with my grandmother, Marie Elizabeth REBENSTORF/DEBUS/GESCH has yielded more personal stories about her growing up years than any of my numerous other cousins.

How to Find Living Relatives

• Probably the number one tool today for finding living relatives is the Internet.  The Internet has opened so many doors and made the world infinitely smaller
• Message Boards are a collaboration of people in a 'room' type setting discussing and asking for help with family history searches.  Use them! (GenForm, Ancestry.com Boards, About.com Genealogy Message Boards, Genealogy Today Message Boards)
• Facebook and Google+.  These resources allow you to create groups for just family members, can send and receive videos, audio files, and that all important photo.  You can chat in real time on facebook also.
• Genealogy websites is most likely the most used tool for finding dead ancestors and the least used for finding living family, however with the popularity of DNA and the consequent matching by many of these sites living family members can be found.

The Approach

Approaching living family members can be key in just how much, if any, information you get.  The wrong approach can actually yield someone literally hanging up on you or slamming the door in your face. We live in a day when there are thousands of folks out there trying to scam folks and everyone knows it.  You don't want to give the appearance of being one of those scammers, especially if you have never met these folks before.

First and foremost, introduce yourself:  Give a brief history of your life such as where you live, who your parents and grandparents are/were.  Tell them how you think you might be related to them.  DON'T be pushy, you could loose this contact source forever.

Using the snail mail and/or email approach just might be the ideal way to make contact with a new family member if you have never met them before. The letter/message should contain information about you (see above), some of your family surnames, how you feel that you are related to them, and how they may contact you.  Basically you are putting the ball into their court and gives them some sense of control.

One thing you should be aware of.  Some people's history is painful and they might not want to talk about it. Please honor this and so not press them.  Simply go on to the next contact.  Keep in contact this them through friendly, how are you, notes or emails and maybe someday........

The ideal situation is to set us a face to face interview where the person can feel relaxed and can just talk memories.  The only other alternative is through mail/email questions or if they are now comfortable that you are who you say you are even phone interviews.

See our next post CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW.