The past couple of days I just so happened to stumble upon two great finds. For a few days now I have noticed a friend of mine has posted several comments on facebook about her adventures on ancestry.com. How funny she's even admitting that, I thought. Then I finally broke down and decided to check it out. She is not a boring person, there must be something worth checking out there if its captured her attention for so long.
I went to the website and had no intention of buying anything. They allow you two free weeks, of course you have to put your credit card number in before you get those free weeks. But no problem, I wrote down all the information I needed to cancel before that point and put it in a safe spot as well as added it to my calendar so I wouldn't forget in two weeks.
Then I began by adding all the information I know about everyone I know in my family. Then things start popping up on those people. If someone else had ever entered the same person in their tree, ancestry.com lets you know what they entered as that persons parents, spouse and children. Then once you've entered those people, things pop up on them that others have entered. They also look for documents on the people you entered; things like births, deaths, marriage, federal census, social security, draft registrations and immigration records. Most of these documents are scanned in too, so you can see the real thing, with their actual handwriting! I mean, did you know that my great-great-great grandfather was a 69 year-old retired-farmer with an 8 year-old daughter and another one, 31 years-old who's job was listed as "at home?" Neither did I, but thanks to the meticulous census that was taken in 1870 and ancestry.com, now I do! After a little more time on the website, you will soon find yourself 12 generations back, in the 1500's and in England, WOW!
But then you wonder, how sure am I about this? Well this is where it got interesting, for me at least. My dad's family grew up in Ithaca, New York; where Cornell University is located. At some point in my dad's family line, it hits the Cornell name. I was told once that in some way we are related to Ezra Cornell, the founder of Cornell University. Huh...and here's the Cornell name? So I tried randomly just going through the different Cornell family members and checking their children and children's children for the name Ezra, all with no such luck. I got so frustrated I nearly gave up on trying to find him in my family tree.
But not without trying my good friend google first. Google didn't disappoint. I found in Cornell University's digital library, the Ezra Cornell Papers had a digital book called "Genealogy of the Cornell Family: Being the Account of the Decedents of Thomas Cornell of Portsmouth, RI." Thomas Cornell is in my genealogy! So I read probably a good half of the 400+ page book, which turned out to be quite interesting. Probably only because it was people I am related to and the stories of their lives, or what is known of them. Of course, I checked the information I had in ancestry.com with what the book had. It was impressively in sink with each other, which felt reassuring (of course there were a few things different, but not enough to feel the need to discredit either one). But the bottom line is, I did solve the mystery of how I was related to Ezra Cornell. So here it goes: Ezra Cornell's great-great grandfather is also my nine time great grandfather. Nothing too big, not like I'm getting a free ride to Cornell or anything. We are linked, though very little, but we are linked!
I did nearly have a heart attack when I read in my google search that Ezra Cornell was related to Benjamin Franklin. I checked that out thinking I was going to end up with an even better ancestor only to find that Franklin came from Ezra's mother's side, where I come from his father's side. Dang, so close. Though, I am still hopeful that I will stumble across someone big, maybe someone from further back in the day...haha.
Trust me, ancestry.com is addicting. I have a bit of the feeling like I did back in my snood playing days of college. I am not sure if anything, other than drugs, will ever be more addicting than snood. But, I am certain that ancestry.com comes in at least a close second to snood. So there, you have been warned. But that being said, you should try it out sometime, when you have a little time, at least. Who knows, maybe YOU will be related to Mr. Franklin???
My second great find, you ask? I'll try to keep this one short. I hate, with a passion, getting my oil changed. I have a Volkswagen Passat, which, apparently is not the easiest car to get the oil changed on. They either A) Don't have the tool to do it, B) Don't have the filter to replace, or C) Are not anywhere conveniently located by me (being the case of the dealership). After trying what I thought was all of the oil changing facilities within a 15 mile radius of my house, I have but one that can change my oil. The problem is that it costs $80 (it is synthetic) and they are always telling me I need something replaced on my car that is always at the minimum cost of $50. I have only replaced one of those items and, knock on wood, my car seems to be running fine still. So I feel like they are always trying to "take me" because I am a girl that doesn't know anything about cars.
Well yesterday, while on my way to my dreaded oil change, I saw an oil change facility I have never seen before! So I took the next exit, made a u-turn and went straight there. Now get this, they 1) Change the oil in Volkswagens, 2) Charge $20 less to do it, 3) Didn't try to sell me anything extra, 4) Were very nice people and 5) Just to put the icing on the cake, they always give their oil change customers a free run through their car wash! Goodbye old oil change place, hello new and better oil change place!!!!
What great finds!
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