Jan 092006
 

I created the new “Updates” category in order to track website updates more efficiently. While TNG offers the “What’s New?” page, that particular page doesn’t always account for all the behind-the-scenes activity, such as minor display error corrections or presentation improvements, or new users, or communications via email…just to name a just a few. I’ll probably back-post some of the tasks I knocked off since Christmas, too.

The website was registered with two other websites this morning in order to boost search rankings. Linking with other genealogy sites eventually moves us higher up on the list of websites offered by search engines when someone comes looking for the contenton this website. Of course, this makes it easier for other genealogists and cousins to find us and hopefully, share information. Expect to see links to the those in the next day or two. I just need to decide where the to put them.

On another note, I spent a few hours updating sources in the French Richert line. Those files were among the first I acquired from Rollie when I began to explore my ancestral lines. As a novice genealogist and a working mother, I often got lazy when it came to document my sources properly and a quick-and-dirty cut-and-paste into the “notes” section was the order of the day. It’s one shortcut that’s come back to haunt me, and I have hours of housekeeping to go in that department (yes, Rollie, I’m still doing laundry!). I edited the “La Famalie Richerdt” source to reflect its rightful author, and completed edits through the 4th generation.

Along those same lines, I’ve spot-edited place names as well, working towards my goal of getting all entries into the same format of “city, county, state”, dropping the word ‘county’ as a redundant term and spelling out the state name for clarification. For example, where a place used to be noted as “Hilbert, Calumet county, WI” or Hilbert, Calumet Co., WI” or “Hilbert, WI”, that entry will be replaced with “Hilbert, Calumet, Wisconsin”. Editing as such brings the records more in line with genealogical standards.

In the face-left department, I played around with the style-sheet that governs the display of the homepage, changing the active link colors from red to gray. My original purpose for doing so was to make the archived posts display more visibly on the calendar. Since that CSS tag governs all active links on either side, I was pleasantly suprised with the increased readibility when I made the change. Sometimes little things count.

ex animo, ~J

 

The Genealogy home page (as opposed to the main site home page) got a new face lift. Check it out: Genealogy Home.

The handsome young couple greeting you are my parents on their honeymoon at Eagle River “up” in northern Wisconsin. Ma said they stayed in a little out of the way motel that Al Capone was known to frequent and there were bullet holes in the walls.

Damn flatlanders :)

ex animo ~J

 

You might notice some individuals now have small pictures next to their names when you go to visit that page. The lightbulb went on when I read an email fom my TNGusers list where someone asked how to insert a thumbnail image in the page next to the name.

I couldn’t get it to work in the old-style way that the software author suggested, but I love to dabble in Photoshop. I just made my own 100x100px image, then selectively associated the thumbnail image as default to a person who had already had a picture associated with their ID#. Walla!

Check out Maria Johanna Sweere, baby girl of patriarch Theodorus. Isn’t she beautiful?

ex animo ~J

P.S. Maria’s family info has been added, Still need a few minor decscendent and spouse details to complete. And her story is linked over there on the left side, too.

Jan 052006
 

Added the following obituaries to Histories:

Romona Lee (Richart) Sweere
Brennan Zachary Sweere
Lucille Frances (Duren) Richart
Mark Martin Ritzke
John Anthony Sweere
Maria Anna (Margaret Sweere) Dykhoff
Cornelis Johannes Sweere (big Koss)
Cornelius Hendrickus Sweere (little Koss)
Harry Cornelis Sweere
Gertrude Hofland

ex animo ~J

 

As the longest night of the year passes and daylight slowly begins to grow longer I find myself reflecting on all the changes that came about in 2005.

The elf-scribes were busy here at Sweere.org, slaving away behind the scenes in an attempt to make this site more user friendly and hopefully a tad more interesting for cousins come to visit.

A new gallery has been installed and I’m excited over how well it turned out. There’s lots of work to do yet in that department, what with all the pictures that need to be scanned, resized and captioned, not to mention the scores of those already digitized that just plain need to be sorted through. If you’ve sent any on, be patient. They’ll all turn up here in good time.

I’m sure everyone is as busy as I am, but rest assured I’m still waiting for you to browse your part of the family tree and let me know what you can add to what’s already there. I know you’re out there and I have the data to prove it! If you happen to have any old pictures of Gramma and Grandpa, I need a copy :)

The guestbook crashed when I tried to install an update, so a brand spanking new version was put in it’s place and it’s ready for everyone to leave a greeting. Get on over there and speak your peace by following the link up there on your left.

In the meantime, I got to visit with Dick and Wilma up in the cities and on that note, I’m slowly but surely adding data for the “North Dakota Clan” of Sweeres which I’m copying straight out of a thick photo-copied version of “Our Family Tree” by Verla Mavis Davie, who is the proud wife of one of that clan. Imagine how long it takes when so many families have ten or more children, who have children, who have children…whew!

The elves are wanting new t-shirts and hoodies for the new year, so designs for those are in the making as well. I won’t make much profit on them but a dollar or two saved for a rainy day might keep this show on the road.>

Speaking of which, there’s another link up there you can follow if you’re if you’re feeling the spirit of the season and would like to support the future of this website. Every little bit helps.

Blessings to you and yours in the year ahead…

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