Geneamusic

We all respond to our family history in different ways.

I received this message from Mike earlier in the week "Hi Jill, I just discovered your blog and website and thought you and your readers may enjoy a new song and video produced for my Gibson Family reunion this past June.  I have never been a great journal keeper but have recently started sharing my family history through music."

Well I often ignore this sort of request but I was curious. I found Mike's song, that was illustrated with family photos, really touching. What a lovely way to share family stories.

Here is Mike's song on Youtube: 

A Flea in my Ear

After reading Jennifer Jones' #AtoZChallenge blog post about Yarrawonga the other day I started singing the chorus of a song that I learnt over 40 years ago and I just couldn't get it out of my head, it became an annoying flea in my ear.

Mr Google helped me find the lyrics for "I'm going back again to Yarrawonga" here, and what I discovered was that I only knew the chorus. The original words and music can be seen here in Trove on the National Library of Australia website.

The song by Neil McBeath, a corporal in the AIF in WWI told the story of a Digger who after spending time at the front was returned to Australia. After reading the lyrics I thought it appropriate to bring it to your attention in this ANZAC week.

An early version of the song can be heard by following a link on this page: http://alldownunder.com/australian-music-songs/back-to-yarrawonga.htm

Slim Dusty used perform the chorus of this song but I much prefer the earlier recording.

Come Back to Erin

Over the green sea, Mavourneen, Mavourneen,
Long shone the white sail that bore thee away,
Riding the white waves that fair summer morn in',
Just like a Mayflower afloat on the bay.
Oh! but my heart sank when clouds came between us.
Like a gray curtain the rain falling down,
Hid from my sad eyes the path o'er the ocean.

These few lines from the popular Irish Folk Song, Come back to Erin, make me think of the ancestors I will be chasing when I visit Ireland later in the year. I imagine that my ancestors' parents' hearts also sank when they farewelled their young adult children to the land down under and far, far away.

The home my great-grandmother, Mary Kealy, left behind in Ballyfoyle, Kilkenny

My two DNA tests confirm that I am more then half Irish - Dad's side is all Irish while Mum has a famine orphan and a convict from County Down.

As I prepare for my pilgrimage I am concentrating my clean-up/do-over efforts on the Irish branches of my tree that have been sadly neglected and relegated to the too-hard basket. This is a time consuming task as, years ago, I was not to so particular about recording my sources and now I am paying the price. So I am spending my days finding those sources and checking out new resources that have come online. I have been able to find several records in the National Library of Ireland's Catholic Parish Registers but scrolling through these is very hard on the eyes.

I only have ten days in Ireland which Mr GeniAus has agreed can be totally focused on family history. Working out an itinerary that fits in with the repositories I want to visit is proving to be quite a challenge. I also want to revisit ancestral towns and villages, wander through a few cemeteries and find some living cousins. That's a tall order for ten days!

Meanwhile I'll go back to cleaning up the files I have on my Irish immigrant ancestors:

Catherine Connolly, Mary Cregan, Patrick Curry, Eliza D'Arcy, Mary Kealy, Catherine Maxwell, Michael Molloy, Ellen Moore, Bridget Ryan, Denis Tierney.

I'll need the Luck of the Irish to sort this lot out.

A Connected Genealogist's Christmas Song

The other day in a post by David Pogue I found this seasonal song. I have replaced a couple of phrases to make the song appropriate to family historians like me who enjoy searching the internet for family connections.

HAPPILY ADDICTED TO THE WEB

(To the tune of “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland”)
Doorbell rings, I’m not listenin’ ;
From my mouth, drool is glistenin’
There’s beard on my cheek,
Same clothes for a week,
I’m happily addicted to the Web.
All night long, I keep clicking,
Unaware time is ticking;
I’m happy — although
My boss let me go,
I’m happily addicted to the Web.
Friends come by, they shake me, sayin’ “Yo, man!
You wouldn't be moved by a bomb?”
With a listless shrug, I mutter, “No, man —
I’ve just discovered Ancestr dot.com!”
I don’t phone, don’t send faxes;
Don’t go out, don’t pay taxes.
Who cares if someday
They haul me away?
I’m happily addicted to the Web.
Happily addicted to the Web.
Happily addicted to the Web!
Happy high-tech hollydays, everyone!

A Biologists Mothers Day Song

The Rootsweb blog post this week mentions "a fun little video and song from Cadamole, a biologist who sings a song for Mother's Day with a fun scientific twist, including mentions of genealogy!

I am not a great fan of genealogy videos but, like Thomas MacEntee's Christmas Song, this song appeals to my quirky sense of humour.

Database 2.0

This song posted on Youtube written by educator, Joyce Valenza, and performed by her daughter, Emily expounds the value of 2.0 style databases.

It's what genealogists want too.

What were they listening to when you were born?

The #1 song on this date in history site allows one to search by date for and listen to Billboard's #1 song on a specific date in history back to the 1890's. In order to hear the songs one needs to have iTunes installed on the computer.

I found that searching for songs for dates such as children's births, weddings etc.triggered my memories for the times these events occured. When I was married the #1 was "American Woman/ No Sugar Tonight" by The Guess Who and when I was born the #1 was "Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)" by Vaughn Monroe.


What songs were at number 1 on important dates in your family history?