December 19 2019

Reflection & Anticipation

The frantic pace of November and writing 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo comes to a close. Then the frantic pace of gearing up for the holidays replaces it. I find myself pondering what I want to accomplish in the new year. It seems odd to me that I don’t even consider what I might yet accomplish THIS year, but instead turn my thoughts to the bright shiny new year and pin my hopes on it instead. Now to be fair, part of that is due to this being our busy season at work because it is also giving season and I find it difficult to consider adding even one more small thing to my overly full plate in the last month of the year. I am already working fifty, sixty or even more hours each week trying to get all the work done before year end.

The hours I am putting in this month mirror, in a magnified way, the hours I put in last month while writing. It is a different kind of busy and tired. The company I keep, the crazy pace I am keeping and the end goal has changed, but it is also similar in a way. Misery, and I hesitate to actually call it that because I have chosen these tasks, loves company. Company is what makes what otherwise might indeed be a miserable task, seem less so. I dare say the company I keep is what drives me on to do these seemingly crazy things and what helps me to actually continue doing them to completion. Many hands make light work fits in this case because at work we have a team of temp workers to share the load and make the burden more bearable for the rest of us. The load for November cannot actually be shared as each of us must write our own 50,000 words to complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, but this task is made easier because we know we are not alone in this madness we chose to take part in.

So, why do I put myself through this madness, you ask? Well, because I CAN, I suppose. Because I enjoy challenging myself to achieve what others say I cannot, dare not, should not. It is kind of like a double dog dare as we called them when we were kids. I find the work enjoyable for the most part and while not exactly fun when I am doing it, it gives a sense of accomplishment knowing it has been done, once it HAS been done. In the case of work, I feel like I am making a difference. I am helping to process the grants that others have made possible through their generosity. It gives me a sense of wonder when I become discouraged with the negativity and bad things that happen in this world. It gives me hope to see that there are so many truly generous people giving to the causes they hold dear. The causes are many, they are varied in scope and the donations are anywhere from fifty dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars being given to help charities fulfill their missions. A few will close for one reason or another, but new charities will open too. There are so many people being helped because I put in the time along with my coworkers so that the accounts can be opened and the money can be donated and the charities can be supported. It isn’t all work. This year their is a committee trying their best to help us enjoy ourselves a little and take short breaks from the constant onslaught of work. This is not a time of dread that the work is piling up, instead it is a chance to get to know some new friends and appreciate all that we have learned over the past year. It is a chance to learn new skills and help with different tasks. No dull monotony to be found here. Each charity we vet and the due diligence we do is slightly different. It may be similar to something we did an hour ago or a week ago, but it is slightly different which keeps us on our toes and keeps the work from getting dull and monotonous.

One of the coolest things I have found about the company I work for is their willingness to listen to us if we have an idea for how we could do a task faster or more efficiently. Any idea that might shave off a few seconds is tested and many are implemented to save us all time or share an easier way of doing something. With each new temporary employee comes a new set of experiences to draw from and we learn from each one whatever they can teach us. Our jobs are ever changing and evolving and this too keeps things from getting dull and boring.

So as I get closer to the end of this year and the beginning of the next I am thinking constantly of what goals I might want to set or what tasks I’d like to accomplish next year. Do I want to continue using my bullet journal? Do I want to try more of a prefab way of keeping track of things? If so, what should that look like? Do you do an end of month or end of year review to go over what worked and what didn’t? I have been considering this and would love any recommendations or suggestions you can share.

Right now, I am just trying to work as many hours as I can and not get completely overwhelmed by the preparations for the upcoming holidays. I can work the crazy hours this week knowing there will be days to rest next week. In another few weeks, the busy season will have slowed and most of our new temporary helpers will have moved on to other opportunities. For now though, I intend to enjoy their presence and get to know them. Hopefully, a few will get to stay and get hired on.

How do you prepare for the year to come? How do you keep it all together this time or year. Do you have an organizing tip to share with us? Don’t keep it all to yourself, share it with us, teach us what you have learned so we won’t need to repeat any mistakes you made along the way. While we are at it, is there a topic you’d like me to address here? Do tell. What do you find useful, what would you like to see less of? I won’t promise to take your suggestions, but I can promise to read and consider all of them before deciding on any changes in the new year.

Happy Holidays!

Category: Blogging, Goals, Organizing, Planning | Comments Off on Reflection & Anticipation
September 5 2019

Labor Day Research

I’m not sure what you did on Labor Day, but I remembered that it was the last day of the free census weekend on MyHeritage, so I got to work and labored for hours searching the census for both the US and Canada. I wasn’t exactly sure what I should look for because I had been away from my research for a long while. I decided that since I had never seen the Canadian census I should search it for a couple of the surnames I thought I could find on it. I methodically went through each year they offered searching for the two surnames and saving everything I found for a more in-depth look at a later time. I didn’t want to waste the little time I had left on this great day of free-ness.

After I ran out of Canadian census to search, I began by looking for my great-great grandfather, Thomas SOLON, in each census he would have been in the US for (1860-1900). I had seen most of them before, but didn’t have them saved in digital format, so made quick work of finding them again. I then decided to do the same for John SOLON the man we think was Thomas’ older brother. It turns out I had made a note on one of my genealogy websites about not being able to find this family in the 1870 census, but they were right there when I looked, so that was a win. I then decided to try to find John’s eldest son, Thomas, who was with the family in 1860 but then we knew nothing about him until he died in 1915 in Oklahoma.

1860 US John and Ellen SOLON Du Page, Will County, IL

Now it might be important to note that in 1860, the census listed John and Ellen as being born in Ireland, Thomas in England and James and Michael in Illinois. So we can estimate that John, Ellen and Thomas came to the United States sometime between 1850 and 1857. Also we can estimate that John and Ellen were likely married in Ireland or England before 1850. The census also indicated that John and Ellen cannot read or write and that John is a farm laborer with no real estate and a personal estate valued at $200.

When I found the family in the 1870 census, Thomas would have been about 20 and was no longer in the household with his family.

1870 US John and Ellen SOLON Colfax Twp, Champaign County, IL

I was able to search the census for any SOLON born in 1850 give or take five years either way. I found one that seemed like a possible fit. The age was about right and he was in Indiana instead of Illinois.

1870 US Thomas SOLON Washington, Daviess County, IN

On the 1870 census, this Thomas is listed as born in Indiana and he of all those in the house is not marked as having parents of foreign birth. As the head of the household is listed as a hotel keeper, we can guess this was a boarding house or hotel of sorts, so perhaps Thomas was either new to town or had no reason to build a home yet.

So, now I have a viable prospect for John’s son, Thomas, in the state next door to the one his family lived in and not so very far away really. Lets track this Thomas and see what happens to him.

1880 US Thomas SOLON Washington, Daviess County, IN

Looks like he stayed in the town of Washington, Indiana and was a shoemaker from the 1870 census until the 1900 census. In 1880, he lived at 130 South Street in what appears to be a boarding house. It says Thomas was 28 and born in Indiana with both his parents born in Ireland. The 1890 census was destroyed many years ago, so we cannot track anyone using that record, so we must move on to the 1900 census and see what it can tell us.

1900 US Thomas and Mary SOLAN Washington, Daviess County, IN

If you look at the rest of the info on the 1900 census it tells us that he owned his home, had a mortgage and it was a house, not a farm which makes sense for a shoe maker. It tells us that Thomas was born September 1846 in New York and Mary A. was born September 1843 in Maryland and that they have been married 10 years.

Looking back at some info I had sorted by location I found this among the records I had extracted years ago.

I found a couple more census I wish I had gotten copies of while I had access to them:

1850 Census Extraction

Washington Township, Daviess County Indiana 1850 census 
==========================================================================
Name             Age        Occ.           Birth      Twp.
==========================================================================
Solon, John      35         Canl/Digger    Ireland    Wash

 

1870 Census Extraction

CENSUS YR:  1870  TERRITORY:  IN  COUNTY:  Daviess  DIVISION:  Alfordsville  PAGE: 32/246b
==========================================================================================
LAST	FIRST		AGE	BIRTHPLACE	OCCUPATION
==========================================================================================
SOLAN	John		52	Ireland		Farmer
SOLAN	Mary		50	Ireland		Farmer
SOLAN	Thomas		21	New York	
SOLAN	John		18	Indiana		
SOLAN	Catherine	17	Indiana		(school in year)
SOLAN	Bridget		14	Indiana		(school in year)
SOLAN	James		11	Indiana		(school in year)
SOLAN	Mary		 9	Indiana		(school in year)
RILEY	John		16	Indiana		(school in year)

Extracts from the Indiana WPA Indexes for Daviess County

BIRTHS 

Child Name		 Father		Mother		Birthdate	Original Source
=============================================================================================
SOLAN Catherine    F W	 Jno		Emma CHURCH	Feb 14, 1906	Book  H-5   Page 20 
SOLAN ---          F W	 John		Emma CHURCH	Feb 14, 1906	Book CH-2   Page 32 

MARRIAGES 

Name		Spouse		  Date		Original Source
=============================================================================================
SOLAN James  	DUFFEY Catharine  21 Jun 1882	Book 5, Page 310, Fiche 3881
SOLEN William C	MATTINGLY Iola M  30 Jan 1917	Book 15, Page 418, Fiche 3881 (DOB 19 Dec 1894)
SOLEN John	GUIRE Mary M	  15 Nov 1855	Book 1, Page 447, Fiche 3881
SOLON Catherine	SUMMERS Wm Ed	  16 Sep 1884	Book 6, Page 1, Fiche 3881
SOLON Bridget	CAVANAUGH Owen	  14 May 1884	Book 5, Page 551, Fiche 3881

DEATHS

Name		 	   	Age	Deathdate	Location	Original Source
===========================================================================================
SOLON, Mary		F W 	75	Sep 05, 1900	Washington	Book  H-18  Page 81
SOLON, Katherine F	F W 	45	Oct 27, 1901	Washington	Book CH-6   Page 69 
SOLAN, Mary		F W 	75	Aug 08, 1903	Washington	Book CH-6   Page 87
SOLAN, Mary Ann		F W 	76	Apr 24, 1918	Washington	Book CH-7   Page 100
SOLAN, Emma		F W 	39	Feb 02, 1920	Washington	Book CH-8   Page 13

I also found the following newspaper reference:

The Daviess County Democrat
Vol. 17, No. 7. Saturday, January 5, 1884 also this same notice was in Vol. 17, No. 8. Saturday, January 12, 1884

PAGE 2
"LEGAL"
NOTICE TO THE TAX-PAYERS OF DAVIESS COUNTY"
Greenwood	Richard H.	Treasurer of Daviess Co.
"SHERIFF'S SALE"
Solon		John
Source URL: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~koliver/DaviessCountyDemocrat_01051884.txt

Now lets go back to what we know about John and Ellen’s son Thomas.

Oklahoma Land Patent Records
(http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/)

Patentee Name  State  County 	Issue Date Land Office 	Doc. Nr. Accession/Serial Nr.
===================================================================================== 
SOLON, THOMAS  OK     Comanche  5/4/1909   Lawton  	02836  		   59338  (see it)


So we know from the death certificate that we have the correct Thomas. His younger brother Michael was the informant. This doesn’t do much to tell us where Thomas was all those years. I will need to look at some other census records, try to find marriage records, death certificates, obituaries, etc for Thomas and Mary SOLON who lived in Daviess County, Indiana and see what those documents can tell us about this shoemaker and his wife. The death certificate lists Thomas as single, but his brother apparently didn’t know him well enough to know his birth date, so perhaps he\wouldn’t have known if Thomas had married later in life and been a widower when he died.

I found digging into the census records to be an awesome way to spend the day. The fact that I could do the research without any additional cost was purely a bonus and a huge nudge to get me back into researching my family tree. To see more on the SOLON family as well as other lines I have researched, please visit Karen’s Kin. I have many many hours of work preserved there including virtual cemeteries and photos. If you have any info that might help me solve the mystery of Thomas SOLON and his ancestor, PLEASE get in touch with me so we can sort it out. What do you think, is the shoemaker the missing son of John and Ellen? The timeline looks like it fits or could fit, except there may be a different John SOLON who fathered the shoemaker according to the census extraction for 1870 that I haven’t got the real copy of yet. We shall see…stay tuned for further updates.

 

 

Category: Genealogy, Learning, Organizing | 1 Comment on Labor Day Research
August 15 2019

Organize Your Brain

Have you ever found yourself making the same mistakes again and again? Maybe you bought something you were sure you were out of at home only to find that you have three on the shelf in your pantry when you were unpacking the items you just bought. Not to worry, it happens to everyone at some time or another.

Perhaps you just need to organize your brain. Well, maybe not exactly your brain, but all the things your brain is in charge of like remembering what was on the list you left on the desk when you walked out the door. There are ways to train your brain to remember things when writing them down is not an option. You have probably already used a few of these methods. Remember the game you likely played in the car on those long family road trips. The first person says something like, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples.” Then the next person says, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples and bananas.” The next person says, “I’m going to the grocery and I’m going to buy apples, bananas, and chocolate.” You get the idea. Maybe you repeat your list out loud all the way to the grocery store desperately hoping you don’t forget anything you really need.

So there are a few ways to fix this if you just don’t trust yourself with the memory game method. You could write out a list on a piece of paper and actually remember to take it with you when you leave the house. As a member of the over fifty club, that second part of that one is the toughest. You can also download and use one of the many free apps on your smart phone to keep track of your lists. Many of the chain grocery stores build this right into their app hoping your will remember to use their app in the store or shop only at their store since they made the list thing so easy for you. Again, there is the problem of making sure your phone has enough battery life to get you through the shopping trip.

Maybe your solution is to shop online and have your groceries delivered thereby avoiding the likelihood of losing your list before you get to the store. You could do one of my personal favorites and just slowly meander down each aisle tossing anything and everything that strikes your fancy. Please note you will save a lot of money if you eat BEFORE you use this method.

Maybe the issue is not forgetting what to buy at the store but forgetting appointments or to buy gifts for the occasion you remembered but not in time to actually get and wrap a gift. This one is easy enough to solve if you remember to add it to your phone calendar and turn on a couple of reminders while you are in there. Suppose you have been invited to a party in a couple of months and know that you will need to take a dish to share. When I add this sort of event to my calendar, I set up a reminder for two weeks before so I have time to think about what I want to make and take. Then I add a reminder for one week before so I remember to buy the things I need to make what I am taking. Then I set a reminder for one day before so I can actually make the thing I am taking. Depending on how long it takes to get there, I set a reminder for one hour before so I can gather everything up and loaded up and out the door in plenty of time. I set a reminder for five minutes before I need to leave so I can make the requisite trip to the restroom before leaving the house and another for the time I need to leave in case I get sidetracked and lose track of time so I won’t be late.

Alright, so now you think I am a senile old lady who sets a million timers for everything, and if that is what you want to think, I am fine with that because honestly it is not all that far from the truth. But hey, I have to do what works for me. This method works well for busy mothers who get involved in things and might forget to leave early enough to pick their kid up from school on time or other notable mom blunders. Setting timers and letting your technology remember things for you frees your brain to relax and actually fall asleep at night or to remember other more important things.

The most import life lesson here is to find a system that works and makes sense for YOU. If what you are doing isn’t working, try again with a new system until you find something that works. You can’t organize your brain but but you can make it feel more organized by not asking your brain to remember everything.

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Again
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

Category: Five Minute Friday, Organizing | Comments Off on Organize Your Brain
July 18 2019

Organizing Your Computer

When was the last time you replaced your computer? When you switch computers, whether it was by force or by choice, you usually find yourself wishing you were more organized. I knew a new computer was on the horizon eventually, so I had to make a list of the programs that I use regularly that do not come as standard issue on most computers. It helped that I could look up my registration key or license code on the old computer while I was setting up the new one. Sometimes it is a matter of remembering your username and password to log into a website and download the software.

I was more than willing to make the switch and endure the trials and troubles that might come while setting up the new computer because none of our computers was less than six years old, so it was past time to update. One of the first things we did was setup Dropbox and One Drive. This gave me access to backups of my files once I got the programs installed. Downloading all the software took some time. I want to be very organized with the new computer because I know that history dictates that the new computer and I will have the next five to seven years minimum to become good friends. So I am trying to set up folders and files in a logical way. I realize it would be easier to just copy the old computer hard completely, or at least all the non-system files, but I know this is also a perfect time to make sure everything is backed up to our external hard drive and only add the files I will actually use on the new computer. There is no point in moving digital clutter with me to the new device.

Are your digital photos saved in a safe place? Are they organized by date? Subject matter? Person? Place? Event? It doesn’t really matter how you sort them, or even if you name all the files. What is important is that you DO sort them by some method that makes sense to YOU. It doesn’t have to happen all at once. This is a project you can work on over time when you have a few minutes. Backup all the ones you have stored on all your devices into an external device or location on the cloud. Start with a clean slate on your new device. When you download new photos on the new device, sort just that batch into some semblance of order. If nothing else, create a folder called “Photo Backup July 2019” then when you have some extra time, go into that folder and rename the files to something that tells you what you will find when you open the file. Maybe these folders will be the start of your whole photo storage system. If you don’t think the system you set up to begin with is working for you, you just change it the next time you add photos to the computer. Any system, as long as it isn’t dump them all in a big folder together with generic names, will be better than nothing.

Have you ever organized your email into folders? I have a folder called Receipts Emailed and another calls Memberships. Guess what goes into those folders? You can have three guesses and the first two don’t count. Sometimes I create a folder for a new group I am joining so I have a place to put the few emails I think I must keep for that particular group. I have a folder called Cooking where any email with a recipe, cooking idea, or tip goes. Speaking of recipes, I have a folder on every computer I use called Recipes. Inside that folder are loads of other folders with names like Chicken, Pork, Beef, Sweets, Vegetables, etc. If I save a new recipe, I decide right then and there which folder it goes in and save it there. On rare occasions, I save a second copy in another folder because I couldn’t decide which category the recipe fit into. It could be a chicken recipe that cooks in the crockpot, so it goes in both the chicken and the crockpot folder. I am willing to use a little extra storage space to make it easier to find by putting it in both folders when appropriate.

How do you organize your digital files? I am always willing to entertain new ideas, so please share in the comments below. Are you willing to organize your digital files and photos?

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Willing
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

Category: Five Minute Friday, Learning, Organizing | 2 Comments on Organizing Your Computer
June 27 2019

Organize Your Summer with Lists

It is that time of year again, summer, here in the northern hemisphere. If you are anything like most North Americans, then summer means at least one trip on the calendar. If not a trip away then perhaps you have an event to plan for. It might be a Fourth of July cookout, in which case you need to plan the menu and make a list of all the foods and drinks you plan to make. Before you can make the foods and drinks, you will need a grocery list or maybe even a to-do list to help you get everything done in the right order and in a timely manner.

Maybe your summer plans involve a trip away for a weekend or longer. First, you need to decide if you will be away long enough to need to do laundry during your trip or if you have enough clothing and luggage space to pack clothing to last you the entire time you are planning to be gone. Once you have that done, you can either be very general like I was in the list below or get super specific planning each day’s outfit down to shoes and accessories. You do you. Whatever works. Make a list and reuse it each time you go on a trip to save time and help you not to forget anything.

If you think of something you forgot to pack while you are away, add it to the list so you will remember it next time. My hubby has what he calls vacation rules. Basically, if you forgot to pack something that you really need, you have permission to go out and buy it. He joked about forgetting to pack the car when we flew someplace on vacation. I told him that was over budget. We have been known to go out and buy jackets while we were on a beach vacation because we forgot the evenings might be chilly. On that same trip, we decided we needed clothespins because it was so windy the beach towels were in danger of flying away. Unfortunately, the grocery store we went to didn’t have clothespins so we bought a bunch of chip clips with magnets on the back instead. We still have and use those chip clips to this day, so it was a good investment and certainly cheaper than replacing the beach towels would have been had we let them blow away.

When it comes to making lists, I really like using Google Keep. The list below is an example of a list with checkboxes. When you have added the items to your luggage, you can check the box. The items go down below the list and when you need the list again, you just uncheck the boxes. I use this sort of list for my grocery list all the time. You have the ability to drag the items to rearrange the order of the list. You can tag the list with search terms or color code it, like make the background green if it has to do with money or whatever you like. Lists are very handy for helping you organize your summer activities. What is your favorite listing apps?

 

Category: Organizing, Planning, Travel | Comments Off on Organize Your Summer with Lists