Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Occupation: "Worn Out Minister"

While looking at the 1880 census for my 1st cousin 4x removed, William A McKay, I had to smile when I saw the occupation of the next head of household. At 71 years old, Riley E Anderson was a "worn out minister." Hopefully, he told the minister that mainly in jest!

1880 US Federal Census for Utica, Venango County, Pennsylvania, image 2 of 7 on Ancestry

Just in case someone might be related... William A McKay's mother, Jane Eliza Close, was a sister of my 3rd great grandmother, Julia Ann "July" Close (1826-1905), who married John W McClintock (1825-1890).

Do we share common ancestors? I'd love to talk! Please leave a comment or write me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Preserving My Wedding Photos... from 22 Years Ago Today

On April 28, 1993, twenty-two years ago, I drove from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet my fiance. He worked half a day and then we met at his house before driving to A Chapel by the Courthouse to get married. Yes, we were eloping and only the minister would be present for the tying of our knot.

After performing the wedding ceremony, we handed the minister our camera and he took four photos. Each photo was dark, blurry, or both, but those are the only images we have of that precious day. And, where have those photos been for the past 22 years? In a magnetic photo album being touched by both acid and glue and possibly PVC.

My wedding photo, 28 Apr 1993
This weekend, I thought about those 22-year-old photos and decided I needed to do something about them. Since we moved less than a year ago, I had to dig through a few boxes and piles before I found the album that contains not only these four photos, but also photos of our honeymoon, a wedding shower, and a wedding reception that my husband's church held about a month later.

What kind of condition are the photos in?

Our honeymoon in South Padre Island, Texas
(there's a 'matching' photo with my husband
Actually, the photos don't appear damaged... yet. But, you can see how the pages of this magnetic album are beginning to yellow. On some pages, the yellowing has actually crept beneath the photos. 

It really won't take much time to remove the hundred or so photos and transfer them to an acid-free album. Then, I'd love to both scan the best photos and create a scrapbook. But, for now it is a quick and easy job to put these photos in an album where they will be safe and preserved for many more decades. 

Color Clustering: Top 25 Fourth Cousins

For more on Color Clustering & DNA, please visit my new website at: www.danaleeds.com  For another look at how Color Clustering works...