Walking on Humpback Bridge

Last week, my husband and I traveled to Southern Ohio. My father’s paternal lines, former Virginians and Pennsylvanians, for a time made their homes in Ohio’s Appalachian region during the nineteenth century. Within that region lies the least populated of Ohio’s 88 counties, Vinton County. Vinton County is made up of forests, rolling hills, country roads, and small villages. In the spring it is a beautiful place to visit. Its southern most township is Wilkesville, which is home to a small village of the same name. It is here, in this township and village of the same name, that my Smathers, Cope, Thacker and Marcum families made the connections needed that would eventually produce me. The township is also the location of an unexpected treasure, a covered bridge. 

Vinton County boasts five covered bridges within its borders. One of these, nestled on a forgotten stretch of township road in Wilkesville Township is the Ponn Bridge. The bridge, which crosses Raccoon Creek, was built in 1874 by Martin E. McGrath and Lyman Wells. It has three spans, and is a combination of Burr Arch, King Post and Whipple truss designs. It is believed to be the only bridge of this kind still in existence in North America. The Ponn Bridge, or the Humpback Bridge as it is also known, replaced another bridge that had been built in 1870. The older bridge, The Barnes Mill Bridge, caught fire a month after it had been completed. The Humpback was not completed until four years later at a cost of $1898. The bridge, no longer open to local traffic, is unfortunately a magnet for graffiti artists, as you can see clearly in the photos below.

 

I tell you, there is something magical about walking through an old covered bridge that you know your great grandparents, as well as their parents and their grandparents would have also walked upon. I know – totally sentimental and sappy. But I loved every step taken, and my trip was all the more rewarding because of it.

 

Until Next Time – Happy Ancestral Digging!

© 25 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Ancestry Offering Military Databases Free – For a Limited Time

Just in time for the long Memorial Day Weekend – Juliana at 24/7 Family History Circle is reporting that Ancestry is offering free access to its military database until May 31. If you don’t subscribe to Ancestry but are in the mood to do a little research from home, here’s your chance. Click on this link and get started! 

Maybe my mind is a little fried but I don’t remember seeing Michigan databases available on the FamilySearch Labs website, so if you already are aware of this – just excuse my tardiness on reporting this item. Below is a list of Michigan databases currently offered: 

Michigan Births 1867 – 1902 

Michigan Deaths 1867- 1897

Michigan Marriages 1868 – 1897 

These databases have linked images – no relying on another’s abstracting abilities. You can see the pages for yourself! 

I was surprised to find some of my Bettsville family members listed in the marriage index. It actually created one of those “ah ha moments” when I found my great grandmother’s brother, Ross Feasel, marrying his former wife. There had been a huge gap between their first child and their remaining children – now I know why. 

The databases do not indicate how complete they are, which leads me to suspect that FamilySearch is merely at the beginning stages of adding to these databases, so you will want to keep that possibility in mind. Seriously, if you have not checked out the FamilySearch Labs website lately, you may be pleasantly surprised at the number of databases that have been added. 

Until Next Time – Have a Safe Weekend!

© 24 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Wordless Wednesday - From Ohio's Appalachian Country

What's better than a carnival coming to town - two carnivals!

The Carnival of Genealogy has been posted by Jasia at Creative Gene . This edition's topic was, "Mom, how'd you get so smart?" A pretty fitting topic considering last week's special holiday. 

Jasia, bless her heart (does using that phrase make me an honorary Southerner?), let people know that I now have an RSS feed. Thanks, lady! 

A carnival that posted last week on Mother's Day was my friend Footnote Maven's Smile For The Camera - A Carnival of Images on her new blog, Shades of the Departed. The blog was inspired by FM's own collection of vintage photographs. For those of us who love old photograph's this blog is a special treat. Mosey on over, and check it out! 

Until Next Time - Happy Ancestral Digging!

© 18 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Because I Can

So, I'm writing this at 1:00 AM Saturday morning, mostly because I CAN. Not only can I write this post, but I can actually post it - to the Web - on my blog - on the weekend. Now, that might not seem like much to you, but since I started blogging online for the News-Messenger, I've had to wait patiently (okay, not so patiently) for the editor to have the time to post to my blog. This was a definite buzzkill, especially when I had three or four posts stacked up, circling out there in email land, waiting to land on my blog. 

However, the system did have its pluses, like attitude-drenched missives from a certain editor and the fact that I'm pretty sure he knew how to spell the word, "gardener" whereas, obviously, I do not. (Okay, I finally saw the error, but something like 24 hours later. I'm now using my Merriam-Webster to check the spelling of about every third word. But the good news - I can edit my own blog and fix the sucker.) 

I also now have RSS Feed. For those of you who don't know what RSS Feed is, don't worry, neither do I, or at least I don't understand what it is when it comes to the technology behind it. But what it means is that people, like you, can subscribe to any blog and if you have a reader, like say the Google Reader, anytime a new post is added to that blog, it will be shown in your reader.

Right now, this very instant, I subscribe to 49 different sites - most of them blogs. It sounds like a lot. Well, it is a lot, but the reader helps keep me on top of things. It's kind of like the secretary I've always wanted, but I don't have to buy it a Christmas present or give it a yearly bonus.

If you already have a Google account for Blogger or Gmail, you already have access to the Google Reader, it's just a matter of setting it up. If you don't have a Google account, and want to set one up along with the Google Reader, I have found a blog that covers the topic in a step-by-step manner with pictures! Just click on the hyperlink found on the phrase "a blog" and it will take you straight to the website where Meg of "Dipping Into The Blogpond" lays out all the details. 

Meg's an Aussie, but I don't think you'll mind crossing this international line. My suggestion, print out the blog post so you can follow it step-by-step. I subscribe to The News-Messenger's local news which is a handy, quick way for me to keep abreast of what's going on locally. I can easily pick and choose which articles interest me at a glance. 

Until Next Time ...

© 17 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Thank You, Ninja Gardener

Back in the cold wintry days of January, I fantasized about the warm, flower filled days of May. Every year I eagerly await May with all the sunshine, the budding trees, and the fresh cut grass it brings – until it gets here. Then I’m like all “atchoo,” what was I thinking?

I suffer from allergies. Each year the doctor asks me what I’m allergic to, and each year I tell him, “I don’t know – everything?” This year my big mistake came in April, on an unusually warm day when a birthday party met outdoor cookout and a high pollen count met me.


My sinus cavities swelled up, leaving my eyes like little slits – all very attractive, I can assure you. This led to a raging sinus infection, which led to three doctor visits, the last of which was caused by a mysterious, non-itching rash that we think ( I say we meaning my buddy doc and I) may have been the result of antibiotics.


This in turn led to teeth problems, because my teeth were all like – “quit worrying about your sinuses – we’re here, we promise we’ll keep you busy worrying!”


So this past Monday I had oral surgery, and at a point when I was in never never land, you know the place where all those wonderful pain meds have worn off and it’s about an hour before you can safely take the next batch,, my husband turns and says to me, “Terry, have you been pulling weeds?”


Pulling weeds, indeed!


And then, a few minutes later he says, “I think somebody planted flowers.” We both look at each other, and the same name popped out of our mouths.

A very nice somebody, whom we shall call, Ninja Gardener, had paid a discreet visit to our house while we were away and had planted three perennials and several annual flowers for my benefit.





This was made all the sweeter because Ninja Gardener had sometime ago been blown by a very harsh, cold wind into what I will describe as a deep crevice in the cliff of life. He had managed, sometimes with the aid of others, and sometimes just through his own grit and determination to finally, finally, climb his way out and stand on solid ground.


So, on a crappy day, in what was becoming a crappy month, my Ninja Gardner friend not only managed to bring beautiful sunlight into my day, he also managed to let me know that not only was he walking on solid ground, but that he found the ground to have it’s own beauty and charm. .By planting those flowers, those plants he had shared this found beauty with me.


Thank you, Ninja Gardener, I am both humbled and honored by you gift.

© 15 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Desktop GenealogistCivil War Pension Index - Free! Free! Free!-

Just a quick note. I saw this reported by Kimberly Powell at her About.genealogy. She reported that you no longer have to register to have access to Family Search Labs. One of the new databases - Civil War Pension Index. I checked, the index is said to be 90% complete. Right now this is a free and open website, so go on over and check out all the lovely goodies this site has to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised! Great heads up Kimberly!

Until Next Time!

Note: This post first appeared on Desktop Genealogist May 14, 2008.

© 14 May 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder