Explosion!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng.com

After an amazing week in Las Vegas at the NGS 2013 Family History Conference, I'm back at  home and settling into my usual routine. Right? 

Um, no. 

As it happens, during the conference, D. Joshua Taylor sent out this tweet: 

Little did I know (or him for that matter!) the level of excitement this idea would generate. 

Thankfully, we certainly were not the only people thinking about doing something like this. The wonderful Kassie Nelson had already started a Facebook group for the very same thing. However, as a full time student and Mom, it was tough getting things moving for her. We banded together, and I am extremely excited that The NextGen Genealogy Network (NGGN) now has over 120 members! 

Just another Facebook group? Hardly. 

The organization is doing just that: organizing. We have filed incorporation papers and while we wait for that process to be completed, we are working on creating our structure, finding volunteers to fill those necessary roles to make everything click, and generating ideas for projects, goals and other objectives. 

What exactly is NGGN? 

Well, our mission statement should give you a pretty good explanation: 

"The NextGen Genealogy Network exists to foster the next generation’s interest in family history and engagement in our community through digital channels which virtually connect members throughout the world."

Yes, virtually. Our meetings, conversations, educational programs... everything will be online. We are truly hoping to reach those genealogists and family historians that do not carry a typical schedule because soccer games and scout meetings get in the way. Those folks that are interested, but are trying to get to their Biology 101 class on time. The people that cannot necessarily afford to join their local society, or feel out of place in that environment.

If that sounds intriguing to you, I invite you to do any one of the following three things:


Join our group on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Fill out this Membership form to let us know you want in! 


As we continue to collaborate, we'll keep everyone posted on our progress. We do anticipate officially taking members sometime around the first week of July. Hope to see you online!

All of this is certainly keeping me busy, but it's such a good busy. I'm loving every moment of it. I am a proud, almost-card-carrying member ('cause we still have to make some cards!) of this organization, and I cannot wait to see what happens tomorrow!

Working with your Peers

Breckenridge, Colorado. That's home. We love it here, and aren't planning on going anywhere else, anytime soon. But living in a small community (population hovers right around 3,000 people year round) has its drawbacks. For example, we don't have a genealogy society or club.

Sure, we have a couple history groups.

It's just not the same.

I've managed to identify and acquaint myself with a handful of people in the community that are interested in the various aspects of genealogy, but no one really wants to sit around a cup of coffee hashing out my brick wall problems, and theirs. I miss that. I miss the collaboration, the camaraderie. I miss knowing that I can walk into a group of people with a new find, share it with them, and all of us being jumping for joy that "we" finally did it!

I get a little from my online folks, but it's not quite the same.

mommyposh.com

So when a friend of a friend stated on Facebook that she wanted to start a Peer Group aimed at supporting stay at home Mom's that also happen to be small business owners - "Mompreneur's" she called us - I was all in. (Oh, and apparently, that term has already made it to Wikipedia, and a magazine, so I guess I'm behind.)

We had our first meeting last week, and even though there were only four of us, I was so happy to be there and be participating in this group of like-minded women, I could have danced my way through the entire 90 minutes.

We got to know each other a little, we talked about goals, what we wanted from the group. We're lucky to have a "life planner" in the group, and she's good at keeping us on task. We talked about our businesses, we talked social media, blogging platforms, and even compared notes on a few business and motivation books.

It's not exactly a genealogy group. They don't appear to be overly excited about what my great great grandmother was doing during the Civil War. But, its obvious they are interested in my success, their success, and our success as a group. I walked away with several new ideas, and a few new goals.

So, maybe they don't spend their extra time in the cemetery. That's ok. 'Cause now, I have a group.

This is my way of saying, get out there. Find a group. Any group. Become involved and start talking. See what happens!

Lastly. One of my monthly goals with this group is to grow my blog audience by ten people. So, spread the word, will 'ya? I'm at 74 as I write this. I need to be at 84 by the time November 8th rolls around. If you like what you're reading, please help me out. I'd appreciate it. If you leave a comment with your blog, I'll be sure to follow you as well. Thanks!

http://momtrepreneur.blog.com/2012/05/28/working-mom-burnout/

Woodmen of the World

Before moving to Colorado, I had never heard of the Woodmen of the World fraternal organization. Around here, though, they were shoulder to shoulder with the Masons, I.O.O.F. and the Improved Order of Red Men (I.O.R.M.). You can see their current status as an insurance provider on their website. They still have two active lodges in Colorado, both in Castle Rock.

The Woodmen were founded in 1890 by Joseph Root, here in Colorado. It was an offshoot of the Modern Woodmen of America, and has always been a benefit society, which means that it provided insurance to its members. For a member of good standing, the organization would provide $3,000 at the time of death in 1890.

Their main principles included hospitality, service, loyalty and protection. They used a tree stump as their lodge altar, and for many members, it was their headstone as well. The female equivalent was the Women of the Woodcraft. 

I recently found this example in the Valley Brook Cemetery in Breckenridge, Colorado. The marker is a tree stump, approximately ten inches in diameter. The inscription is flaking apart, so some is hard or impossible to read. 

There are at least three names on this
Woodmen of the World headstone,
 with deaths beginning in 1880.
Photo Credit: Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys
2012.

The tree stump is about two feet tall, and has
branches extending out. It is easy to overlook, and blends
with the surrounding environment.
Photo Credit: Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys,
2012.

There is a wonderful example of a Woodmen headstone in the Evergreen Cemetery in Leadville. It is unusually wide, with a diameter of nearly two feet, and very short. The story I was told was that it was made especially for a short, heavy man, and the stump correctly represents his stature in life.