Memory Monday: Queens For A Day

My high school friend Bryn and I are "Queens for a Day" as we celebrated our 42nd birthdays in 2005 with a tea party at her house with a few other high school friends. We are both September 1963 babies.

We spent the afternoon sipping hot tea and ice tea, eating fruits, veggies, mini quiche, pigs in the blanket weiners, and various cookies and desserts.

What a spread we had at our Big Girl Tea Party. Everything was delicious and a good time was had by ALL.

Happy 46th Birthday to Me!

It seems like just yesterday that I celebrated my 40th birthday. But that was six years ago in 2003 and I gave myself a 40th birthday party. My how, time flies (smile). So, today I turned 46. Wow!

I have not done anything yet to celebrate. Much of my day on Saturday was spent at a festival where I also did a presentation. This morning, I attended a work related ceremony. The rest of this birthday will probably be spent resting and the celebrations will come later. One upcoming celebration will be with my high school friend Bryn, who will celebrate her birthday on September 30th. We have been celebrating our birthdays together since we turned 40.

This morning, when I got up, I said "Happy Birthday" to myself. Then I began thinking about my favorite version of the "Happy Birthday Song," which is the one by Stevie Wonder. His version of "Happy Birthday to You," was written during the 1980s in dedication to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Since that time, Stevie Wonder's hand-clapping, foot-tapping version of the song has been sang at countless African-American birthday celebrations. And so to the rhythm of Stevie Wonder's song, today I sing "Happy Birthday to Me."

You can hear the song in the video below which contains a few personal photos as well as photos of various cakes, balloons, and birthday party items. Although I probably won't do much to celebrate today, I have purchased cake and ice cream to eat with dinner.

I also wish other September 27th birthday babies a Happy Day--my cousin Janet and friend Angelique, and the many others born on this date.

Hampton, the Birthplace of Black America?

I am looking forward to attending the celebration of the 390th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans to America on tomorrow, September 26, 2009.

History books indicate that the first Africans arrived to America at Jamestown. However, Hampton History Enthusiast, Calvin Pearson says that Hampton is the birthplace of black America. (Read more on this story)

Stay tuned…I will report more about this historical celebration next week.

From Slavery to Freedom Festival - Speaking Engagement

I will be speaking at the “From Slavery To Freedom Festival” on the topic of Genealogy. This event celebrates the 390th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in America. I will be the first speaker on the program. This program was previously scheduled for Saturday, August 15th at Gosnold Park, but was cancelled due to rain.

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009

Time: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Place: Mill Point Park, 100 Eaton Street, Hampton, VA 23669

Event is sponsored by the City of Hampton


Directions: I-64 exit 267 - Downtown Hampton. Right at the stoplight onto Settlers Landing Road. Follow Settlers Landing over bridge to Eaton Street. Turn right onto Eaton Street the park will be on the right.
I-64 West exit 267 - County Street. Left at stoplight onto Settlers Landing Road. Follow Settlers Landing over bridge to Eaton Street. Turn right onto Eaton Street the park will be on the right.

For more information about Mill Point Point, vist the website of
City of Hampton Parks and Recreation

Creating a Digital Video – Tony Burroughs

Tony Burroughs, author, professor and genealogy expert is interviewed by Matthew Poe. Tony shares an overview of creating digital video, getting started and directs the viewer to some wonderful resources.

For more information on Tony Burroughs, visit his website .

The Power of Communication Technology

Today, during my lunch break, I sat in my office listening to a radio interview of my friend and fellow Blogger, Linda Mose Meadows, of The Blessedness of Believing blog. I was smiling from ear to ear as if it were my interview. I was so proud of my friend.

The interview was conducted by WUFO 1080 AM, a radio station in Buffalo, NY where Linda was born and raised. Linda and I both live in Virginia and she was able to do the interview via telephone and I was able to hear the interview by accessing the radio station’s website. I learned about this technology earlier this year when one of my genealogy friends, who lives in California, invited a group of other genealogist to listen to his radio interview. I was amazed that I was sitting in my home in Virginia listening to a radio interview from California.

When Linda first told me about her interview, I told her that the technology should be available to listen to her hometown’s radio station anywhere via the Internet. I check the Internet, and yes, her home station had this technology on their site. Just a few years ago, who would have imagined being able to listen to a radio station from another state. Thank God for technology!

The radio interview focused on Linda’ book, The Blessedness of Believing: A Devotional Journey of Life’s Lessons and God’s Promises, and she was thrilled for the opportunity to connect with her hometown via radio. I was excited for her also.

As I listened to the interview in my office, I also taped it using my digital voice recorder. There were a few glitches with the computer slowing up, but the interview still came through loud and clear. The digital recording was converted through Windows Movie Maker so that it could be heard on the web.

Enjoy!

Sacred Sunday: The Cross Choir

The Gospel Spreading Church, a church organization founded in 1919 by Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux, (1884-1968) has a tradition of the Cross Choir, where white-robed choir sit in a cross formation. This is a beautiful site to view.

Thomas MacEntee on Family History Blogging

Lisa Louise Cooke of The Genealogy Gems Podcast at Genealogy Gems TV interviews geneablogger Thomas MacEntee of the Geneabloggers blog about how to blog, his many blogs, and genealogy. The interview was filmed at the Southern California Genenealogy Jamboree.

Memory Monday: Table Decor at Carroll Family Reunion

This week's Memory Monday posting is in the form of a video. Last week, I learned how to convert a PowerPoint file into a video which can be played in the RealPlayer media player, posted on a website or blog, or on YouTube.

I have written several postings about the 2009 Carroll Family Reunion. This week's posting focuses on the table decor at this reunion. Below are links to previous postings about this family reunion.

Finger Lickin’ Good Food at Family Reunion

Carroll Family Reunion

The Spiritual Legacy of Bessie Bullock Carroll (1901-1991)

This video was made using Microsoft PowerPoint and Windows Movie Maker. For more information on how to make a video using these software packages, visit this webpage on my PowerPointer's Blog: Converting PowerPoint to Video. For MAC users, the video mentions websites with instructions for PowerPoint and Movie Making on a MAC. In Movie Maker, you can add video, still photos, music, and narration (voice using a computer microphone). In today's video, I converted my PowerPoint slides to still photos (.jpeg format), and added narration.

I still have a lot to learn abou video making and am excited about using this technology to enhance my blog and to be able to upload PowerPoint files onto the Internet. I encourage other bloggers to try this technology.

Cooling Board Posting (Revisited)

I have a sitemeter added to my blogs which enables me to not only see the number of visitors to my blog, but also how they access the site, whether through a Google search, or by a direct link. I can also see what specific postings they are reading. One of the popular postings is the one on the Cooling Board which I posted on April 26, 2008.

Although there have been many visitors to this blog posting, I received two important comments. One is from a blog reader (Cookie) who has a cooling board as one of her family heirlooms. Imagine receiving such an heirloom! Another blogger (thelwaiting) heard about the cooling board through her family’s oral history.

Cookie said...

I was fortunate enough to inherit a "cooling board" that was used in Gulrock NC...my grandmother had been given it and when she died i received it (April 28, 2009)...ours is not as fancy...no legs, no wheels, no case..just a plank of Carolina pine that was placed between two ladder back chairs...the first time to allow the body to leak out the fluids upon death....then it was cleaned up and the person was dressed and placed back on the board for the showing before burial. I know for sure that it is from the 1900's or earlier and it has 9 marks on it...so we know at least nine member of the community used that board...one is dated 1919 as my grandmothers youngest sister Delores Mason who died in infancy, they say of lockjaw, was buried on it....my grandma and I were one of a kind we thought the history of the board was fascinating....
June 29, 2009 2:48 AM

the1waiting said...

What a magnificent piece! Even though I hate attending funerals, I felt it was important to see this film. I am a genealogist who hear my African American elders speak of many things such as the "cooling board". Seeing this film is a highlight in my life. Thank you for the experience. I love it.
August 28, 2008 12:33 PM

Interview of Genealogy Blogger Randy Seaver

Hear the voice behind the blog! Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems Podcast interviews genealogy blogger Randy Seaver of the Genea-Musing blog about blogging, family history, conferences and research. This video was filmed at the Southern California Genealogical Jamboree 2009.

I love the “Geneaholic” t-shirt, Randy. I’m a “Geneaholic” too.

Tour of Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room

I am preparing for a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana to attend the Black Genealogy Summit in late October. While there, I plan to do some research in the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Room. These two videos give an excellent tour of the facilities.

Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part I




Genealogy Center, Allen County Public Library, Part II

Little Lamb Grave Site

Here's another interesting gravesite in Pleasant Shade Cemetery. I took the photo from a distance, but assume that this is the gravesite of a child. Perhaps during another visit, I will take a closer look at the grave site.