Thrifty Thursday: Using Twitter as a Genealogy Resource

Cover photo I use on my Twitter acount

I’ll have to admit that I was drug kicking and screaming (well, not literally, but certainly in my head) onto Twitter a couple of years ago by a tech-savvy friend of mine. She convinced me that I should have a presence there to promote my new genealogy blog.

I certainly felt like a duck out of water because I’m truly not as knowledgeable as I should be about technologically-related venues. I will admit to being intimidated by new things, but I will also admit that once I get the understanding of something new under my belt, I’m fairly good with it.

Thus, I started my adventure on Twitter. At first I would post my own blog, and then re-tweet other posts, until I eventually built up a small following of fellow genea-friends, as well as a few others, too. I had wandered into other areas of personal interest that include history, archaeology, antiques and collectibles (shabby chic and vintage styles in particular), as well as books, libraries, museums, news, politics, and well – you name it! I’m one of those people who are interested in way too many things…a true Gemini, for sure.

In the beginning, I would only check Twitter every few days or so. Of course, that always left me behind on things, so I began to check it more often. In fact, today I can say without doubt that I’m a true twitter-holic; maybe a twit-holic? Perhaps twit might be a better description!

At first I found myself following everybody under the sun that I admired or in whom I had ever had any interest; you know, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, and well, the entire cast of every Star Trek ever made. Important stuff. Seriously.

Before I personally had even 800 followers, I evidently exceeded the 2,000 number limit and was told one day that I could not follow anybody else until I got a particular number of followers myself. What? Well, of all things!

Needless to say, I began to pare down the list of people whom I follow. I had to make some tough decisions, but I will say that Patrick and William still remain on the list…naturally!

Through it all, I began to realize one major thing: I was truly learning more about the genealogy world, and I was being steered towards some wonderful research sites and opportunities that I would not have known about had I not been on Twitter. Twitter not only gave me the chance to learn new things, but it also allowed me to keep up with what was going on in the genea-world. I also ‘found’ some wonderful genea-bloggers.

So, I’m a firm believer that Twitter is indeed a thrifty approach to learning more about genealogy. I especially love the news ‘dailies,’ those online newspapers that some people put out each day that highlight what others have posted, whether it’s someone’s blog post, or some other news about genealogy, history, archaeology, and so many other subjects.

I generally take a few minutes every day to look at a few sites that post history, archaeology, or genealogy related articles. When I find something interesting, I’ll share it on Twitter. I’ve found that some of the articles I’ve found about archaeology have even made it into the genealogy news dailies. Of course, all three of those subjects are so irrevocably intertwined, I really should not be surprised.

Do I know what I’m actually doing on Twitter? Not really. But two years on, I do feel more comfortable about it, and I know I’m learning new things every day in all of my areas of interest. Somehow I’ve managed to accumulate over 1400 followers on Twitter, and I’m not even sure how that happened, especially since I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing myself.

Perhaps twit was the best description for me personally after all. But thrifty resource is the best description for Twitter by far.

Try it. You just might like it!

@2014 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland 

Sentimental Sunday: The Sad Demise of a Family Tradition

Birthdays were always special times in our home when I was a child. One of the most unique parts of the day was that each child (and even the adults!) always had a dime hidden in his or her slice of the birthday cake when it was cut. My grandmother baked the cakes for us, and I was always amazed at how she was able to make those dimes magically appear in just the right slice. (I didn't figure out that little trick until I was much older.)


I was also amazed when I found out that none of my friends had dimes hidden in their birthday cakes. How could that be? I thought that everyone got dimes in their cakes. A dime was a great deal of money for a kid in the 1950s. My brother and I could go to the little grocery store next door to our apartment building and buy sticks of peppermint, or maybe some gum, or any number of other goodies with that little dime.


My grandmother was Lorena Grace Sanford Wallace Werkhoven. Her mother, however, was Elizabeth Dorothy Zeigler Sanford, "Miss Libbie," as I always thought of her. Her ancestry was German, and according to family tradition, she was an outstanding cook. She passed those abilities along to each of her daughters, including my grandmother - who, unfortunately, did not pass them along to either my mother or to me!


I specifically remember calling my grandmother after I first got married to ask her a question about cooking a particular dish. I was always an avid reader and had determined that I could read a cookbook and therefore, I'd be able to cook. No problem. Boy, was I wrong! Things were going particularly bad with this meal, so I called her in desperation. Her answer? "I did not raise you to have to do that." "Well, thanks, Grandmother," I replied. "Your little girl can't cook, and I'm in a big mess!" (And what exactly did she mean by that, anyway? I failed to ask her that question for fear she might actually tell me.)


The "not-being-able-to-cook" eventually turned into "not-being-able-to-cook-very-well." And the idea of baking a birthday cake? Forget it. It was "store-bought" for me with all of my children. I remember when my oldest was truly old enough for me to consider putting that thin dime in his birthday cake. I actually took that "store-bought" cake and tried to get one in there. What a mess that was...and I never tried it again.


Consequently, my children missed out on that wonderful tradition. I regret that, but I did tell them about it over the years. I guess that counts for something. Luckily, I had all boys and didn't feel quite so bad about not passing along any cooking skills. My second husband is the best cook in the world, and he managed to do that quite nicely, thank goodness.


When I began my fervent research into my family's history years ago, I began to wonder about that special tradition that had sadly ended with my line. I wondered as to its origin, and I did find a source that confirmed that it was a prevalent practice in Europe over the centuries. The Germans, in particular, often placed a coin in a cake during special celebrations.¹


I truly wish that I had been able to pass down that tradition to my children. However, writing about it now is my way of keeping the tradition alive, so I'm passing it along - to them and to you.

¹Spicer, Dorothy Gladys. Festivals of Western Europe. (The H.W. Wilson Company, New York, 1958), 55.

@2014 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland 

Wordless Wednesday: My Father Meets His Son for the First Time (1946)

@2014 Copyright by Carla Love Maitland