Project Update Aug. 31, 2010

Once again my silence has been golden; for me, at least.

I've been diligently working on editing the reports for my publication and still have "the story" out to my proofreader. The full hard-copy document is about 180 pages at this time and I'm not planning on making it much longer. The printed edition will have fewer pictures than the digital one for financial reasons.

With the printed edition well underway, I'm planning to change my focus to the CD/DVD version. I'll be using Passage Express ( I have no connection with this company except as a user of the product) which will make organizing the contents and creating a "front page" easy for me to do. With all the reports, charts and "the story" already prepared, most of my work is done. I'll just need to pick out more pictures and documents and organize them into folders to be brought into the software.

Right now I'm feeling good about getting the project finished on time. Hopefully, the end product will be worth the effort!

Eliphalet B. Miller - Wordless Wednesday

Eliphalet Barber Miller  - 68th Reg, Co. C, Indiana Vol.

1840-1887
Little Salt Creek Cemetery, Rush, Indiana

If It Was Easy It Wouldn't Be Fun

Well, I’ve finally finished translating (as best I could) and transcribing – probably more accurately described as abstracting – the French civil records I mentioned in my last post. I still need to take the time to compare the information through the years to see if I can trace some of the individuals through time. One difficulty is that over the fifty year period I’m using the same given names are used over and over and over again.

Another major difficulty for me was the change in language. I took French in high school and, though I was a bit rusty, I managed to handle the first forty years without too much trouble. But the last ten year period (1863-1872), due to France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War – was prepared in German. Not just any German either – oh no – old German script. On top of that the given names are teeny tiny!!

I would so much rather deal with the French.

Anyway, at least that’s done and I can go back to concentrating on putting my project together. Hmmm, maybe I’ll just let the next generation of family historian do the comparisons. Oh sure, like I’ll be able to put this away without studying it!!

Always the Way!!

Just when you think you're at the finish line something new and inviting comes along. As I mentioned in a previous post, my story of the adventures of Charles and Salome (Siegler) Ruch is in editing and I'm pulling together the pictures, reports and charts to complete the publication. In other words, I'm calling a halt to additional research on this line. I mean you have to stop somewhere, right?, or you'll never get anything published.


But, then, I was reading Facebook posts the other day and the Family History Library announced that French Civil Records were available online from the French Library System. Well, of course, I had to go check to see what I might find from Bouxwiller, France. I wasn't too worried because I'd already gleaned lots of records from the LDS microfilm several years ago.


Lo and behold, there were Decennial Tables which I had never seen before. A decennial table is basically a ten-year alphabetical index to births, marriages, and deaths which have been registered at the town hall. Even though I'd decided to make only cursory mention of the family information from Bouxwiller, I certainly couldn't just ignore these wonderful papers. So, for hours I reviewed and printed many pages of these documents to compare to my files as well as find possible updates.


Now, of course, I need to take the time to transcribe the records pertinent to the Ruch and Siegler families. I'm sure this effort will be helpful down the road.


So, here I am still working on finishing this project before year's end but continually, if accidentally, finding new (to me) and interesting records. Isn't technology grand!

Three Ruch Girls - A Treasure on Tuesday

I've been absent for a few days because I've been spending my time scanning and preserving originals from a couple of photo albums I borrowed from my father-in-law. Some of these I had already scanned some time ago but I had placed them on diskettes, not in folders on my computer. Even though I updated the diskettes to CDs and DVDs, some of the files were damaged or the scans from my old scanner just didn't cut it. This time the pictures are in my family files as well as my Family Tree Maker media files as well as on a back-up drive.

However, the process allowed my to gather even more photos than I had before. Among these was a picture of three of the Ruch girls which I find very interesting. The picture is of Julia, Emma and Mary Ruch probably taken sometime in 1899 after the death of their sister, Alice. Note to pins at the neck of each dress; I think the girls are wearing a picture of Alice for whom they are in mourning. What do you think?

Julia, Emma and Mary Ruch 1899

Julia and Emma (in the back) are twins born 21 Nov 1874 in Erie, PA.

Mary (not a twin) was born 21 Nov 1878 in Chicago, IL.

Yes, they were born on the same date but four years apart.

Julia was married in 1901 and Emma in 1903; Mary came to own a restaurant on Ogden Ave. in Chicago and did not marry until 1922.

Gathering Photos - Ruch, Gehringer, Bouchonville, Budzynski, Marthinsen

Way back when, I borrowed photo albums from my mother-in-law and scanned the Ruch family pictures I found there. There weren't too many but at least I had something. Now that I'm gathering up the photos for my publication, I find that my scans were terrible. The digital pictures are really small and when enlarged they they get terribly out of focus.

So, this morning when we visited with my father-in-law I borrowed the albums once again and am trying to do a better job this time. Mostly, the photos are from one family gathering in 1938. There is one photo of the men, one of the women and one of the two sets of twins who attended.

My mother-in-law unlike so many people actually did put the names on the back of most of the pictures. Bless Her Heart!! Maybe some of our collateral lines are out there researching; if so, I hope they find this post and enjoy the pictures.

Left to right:
Twins: Eva (Ruch) Bouchonville and Caroline "Lean" (Ruch) Gehringer

Twins: Emma (Ruch) Higgins and Julia (Ruch) Brown

Left to Right Standing: Andrew Bouchonville, Francis "Happy" Higgins, Clarence Gehringer Jr., Dilwyn Gehringer, Edward Budzynski, Ira Gehringer, Charles Higgins
Left to Right Sitting: Louis Bouchonville, John Gehringer, Clarence Gehringer Sr. 

Left to Right Standing: Emma Higgins, Mary Gehringer, "Lean" Gehringer, Virginia (Gehringer) Budzynski, Julia Brown, "Dollie" ?, Eva Bouchonville
Left to Right Sitting: Loyale Bouchonville, Eva "Tootie" Marthinsen, "Frankie" Gehringer, Alice Higgins

Project Progress

Well, the "story" is being edited and proofed!! Now I'm concentrating on what reports I want to include and sort through a few pictures in hopes of finding some I haven't scanned. Pictures for this line are scarce and pictures do make such a difference. Oh, well, one can only do what one can.

I already prepared some of the charts and reports. So far I've done a Pedigree Chart for both Charles and Salome which at least shows the Alsatian families. I've created a three-generation Register Report for Charles Ruch. Also, I've made Family Group Sheets for Charles and Salome, Gottfried and Salome (so little Henry is included) and. then, for each of the children. Since Alice Ruch died young, I've done an Individual Report for her.

I still have lots of proofing to do on the reports but I'm feeling really good about getting this finished for Christmas this year. At the moment, my thoughts are leaning towards the type of publication. Do I want to print everyone a book or should I just create a digital publication? Should I print some books - donations to libraries - and do the rest in digital format?

I could do a nice presentation using Passage Express which I've used for some smaller projects in the past. If I got a microphone, I could even include some narrative on the few pictures I do have which should add interest. However, some in the family aren't computer savvy so paper may be the way to go, at least for them.

And the debate in my mind continues...