You may have noticed my website has a few hiccups.  An upgrade was installed the end of July, and ever since, I’ve been having problems.  I’m getting frustrated and just about ready to call it quits and just have my blog.  Of course, that would mean I would have to be much better about posting on my blog!

Jack and I recently renewed our wedding vows for our 40th wedding anniversary.  We decided to have the ceremony at Fort Street Presbyterian Church in Detroit because of the history the church hold’s for Jack’s family.  The church was founded in 1850, with Jack’s 3rd great grandparent’s being one of the founding members.  James and Letitia (Campbell) Elder’s children who were born after 1850, were baptized there. 
The other day, I was looking through some photos that were in Mary (Elder) Berry’s person photo album.  I had not looked at these photos is years, but now I realize that one of the photos was of Fort Street Presbyterian.

I think that John Gayfer Berry and Mary Letitia Elder may have been married at this church in 1867.  I plan on pursuing this later this week.  I have never been able to find the marriage record for them.

The inside of the church is all black walnut and just beautiful!  If you are ever in Detroit, it is certainly somewhere worth taking the time to visit.  Until 1906, it was the tallest building in Detroit.  The steeple is VERY tall.  Here’s a few shots the photographer took when we renewed our vows.



If you’re wondering why no one is there, we kept it private, with just our immediate family.  It was fun and emotional, and I’m so glad we did it.  We had dinner at the Whitney which is also an old historic mansion that has been converted into a restaurant.

Until next time…
   Happy hunting,
Dianne
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     When I was a kid, my Grandfather Sinning had the neatest clock.  It was shaped like a house, and on one side, there sat an old gray haired lady who would rock back and forth in front of a fireplace.  There was a light inside to make the room light up, although the light was red! He kept it in his shed, where he used to sit and listen to his baseball games.  I suppose it was nice and quiet out there in the shed, away from all the children and grandchildren.  They bought the clock in the 1930’s from the Fuller Brush man.  Remember him?  I remember him coming around in the ’50’s!  After my grandfather died, my grandmother gave the clock to my brother.  A few years ago, my brother gave the clock to me.  It wasn’t running, and when I took it to get repaired, I was told it needed a new motor, and they didn’t make them anymore.  The other day, I told my husband I was going to take it somewhere to see if they could make it battery operated.  Instead, Jack thought he would see what he could do.  Turned out it just needed a good oiling and some TLC.  Granny is once again rocking and I’m a happy camper!  Nothing like made in America!  Eighty years old and still tickin’!

Granny is a little blurry because she’s rocking!  Great clock, don’t you think?
     I’ve been trying to get all my genealogy paperwork organized and posted on my website and in my family tree program.  What a job!  When I first started research almost 20 years ago, I didn’t document anything.  BIG MISTAKE!  Now, I’m trying to go back and make sure everything is correct and list my sources.  I don’t post my sources on my website, other than ones that went on automatically when I first transferred the gedcom.  If someone contacts me, I’ll be glad to give them my sources though, now that I have most of them!  In between, I’m working on my article for the next issue of Michigan Scrapbooker.  I’m usually done at least a month before the deadline, but I’m way behind.
     Happy hunting,
Dianne
~

     On April 1, 2011 our family lost a loved one.  My cousin, Harold Biggs Orrell, Jr passed away at age 64.  His Mom, Betty Orrell (nee Sinning) was my Dad’s sister and his Dad, Harold Biggs Orrell, Sr., was my Mom’s step brother.  Both of Harold Jr’s parents are still living and it is so heartbreaking when parents have to bury a child, no matter how old that child is.  Harold Jr. also had 3 brothers and it is a very close knit family.  I don’t think I ever heard Harold say a bad word about anyone and the entire family is one of the most fun families you would ever want to meet.  Harold was buried with military honors in the military cemetery in Holly.  I’m very proud to have had him as my cousin.
     When I was a kid, I always thought they were rich because all their furniture matched!  I know, I’m a bit odd, but I was just a kid and kids think that way.  I don’t know if I ever told my Aunt Betty & Uncle Harold that or not.  They had slot cars, too, which I thought was just the greatest.  They had it set up on a big table in the basement, and I loved playing with those with my cousins. 

This is a picture taken in 1950.  From left to right are my brother Billy Sinning, cousin Harold Biggs Orrell, Jr, cousin Mike Orrell and cousin Mary Sinning.  I wasn’t born yet!  Notice the bandaid on Mary’s knee!  I love this photo.  Don’t they look like the “Little Rascals?”  Harold is really making a fashion statement with the stripe shirt and the check shorts!  Just too cute!

     Once again, a cemetery has been vandalized.  This time, it was Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit.  Some of our Berry ancestors are buried there – Charles and Mary Ann Berry, nee Turner, and Ann Berry, nee Gayfer.  I don’t understand what makes someone what to destroy old monuments.  I wish they could understand how important these memories are to the families and they cannot be replaced.
     I have been watching the news about the earthquake in New Zealand.  One of our Berry ancestors immigrated to New Zealand from England in the 1800’s.  Some of the family lived in the Christchurch area where the earthquake hit.  All the people of New Zealand are in my thoughts and prayers.  Many of the Berry descendants still reside there.  Last year, I received a photo of John Gayfer Berry, my husband’s second great grandfather, from relatives in New Zealand.  It’s a photo of him in his Civil War uniform, which I had never seen before and didn’t know it existed.   It’s odd how no one in the US had it and someone in New Zealand did!
 
The quality isn’t the best, but considering it’s from the 1860’s, I think it is great!  John was born in New York in 1837, shortly after his family arrived in the USA from England.  The family lived in Ontonagon County in the UP of Michigan, but after the Civil War, John lived in Detroit, married, then moved up to Vanderbilt, Otsego County, Michigan.  He died in 1923.
     We have 10″ of snow here in Michigan.  I hope it’s warm and sunny where you are!
Happy hunting…
Dianne
~
  

     I must be the worst blogger!  One of these days, I just might get better and post more often!
     The new issue of Michigan Scrapbooker magazine is out and available in your local Michigan Scrapbook store.  Remember, it’s only available at independent stores, not big box stores, which is where you should be shopping anyway, right?  I have a “Sew Easy” on order at Remember When scrapbook store in Chesterfield Township.  I hand sew on layouts quite often, so I’m hoping this will make it a bit easier making all those little holes!  I’ll let you know.
     I don’t have Ancestry at home anymore, as I usually use it at the library being I’m there so much.  Sometimes, I check things I haven’t checked in ages.  I decided to see what was available for my grandfather, George Henry Sinning, who was born in Warburg, Germany in 1888.  I have checked WWI draft registration for other ancestors, but never checked for him being he wasn’t a citizen at that time.  Sure enough, there he was, April 5, 1917, living on Hale in Detroit and working at Standard Tool Mfg on Lafayette in Detroit.  Between the time he arrived in the USA in 1913 and he married my grandmother, Bertha Anna Rickert in 1919, he traveled to California and worked as a bartender.  My Dad told me they filmed silent movies in the back of the bar and my grandfather met Fatty Arbuckle and he wanted to be in the movies with him.  He never was.  Exactly when my grandfather was in California is something I haven’t been able to find out.  But, I like the story.
     I checked an old 1951-1952 Mt Clemens City Directory at the library.  My grandfather was listed there, which I already knew, living at 66 Fessenden.  My great grandparents owned the home first, Moritz Rickert and Fredericka Behrendt.  They both died in the house.  My grandmother was born in the house, as was my dad, Albert Frank Sinning and his siblings.  My grandfather, George Henry Sinning also died in the house.  My grandmother lived in the house her entire life except for the first few years of her marriage, when she, George and their children lived on French Road in Detroit.  The house burned down a few years after my grandmother passed away.  The directory also listed my grandfather’s employer as a company called “Ironrite” on Cass Avenue in Mt. Clemens.  They manufactured these huge automatic ironers that had a big roller to iron with.  My mom had one.  She sat down in front of it and I remember her ironing bed sheets.  I wonder what ever happened to that thing.
     Happy hunting,
Dianne
   ~

     Several of the genealogy blogs this week have mentioned different decorative family tree charts that are available.  Some are free and some can be quite costly.  My Family Tree Maker program has a few to choose from, although I have never really looked at them to close.  As for myself, I make my own.  Being I’m a scrapbooker, it only makes sense that I would do it myself rather than pay someone to do it for me!  So, this is mine:

The best part about this one is that as I make new discoveries, I can make changes.  Since I made this chart, I have found out more information for 5 people on the chart.  As soon as I have time, or maybe I should say when I take the time, I will just remove the paper name plates and make new ones.  How easy is that?? 
     Next fall, I will be doing this chart at the Mt Clemens Public Library
I will be doing it as a workshop during one of the Macomb County Genealogy Group meetings.  The only cost for anyone attending will be for supplies, which will be about $5.00, and it will be open to the public, but you’ll have to register so I can have everything cut for you.  Your chart will be handwritten, as it would be impossible for everyone to do it with computers in a workshop atmosphere.  If you want more info, just email me.
     Tomorrow,  I’m going to Lansing with a couple of other MCGG board members.  The seminar we are attending is Saturday, but we’re going a day early to spend the day at the Library of Michigan doing a bit of family research.  Yeah!!  My favorite kind of day.  Good friends, good library, good research:)
     Happy hunting…..
Dianne
~

     I’ve been doing some scrapbooking this past week.  One layout was for Michigan Scrapbooker Magazine, so you will have to wait until summer to see that, but the other one was for my Sinning/Rickert Family album.
     The photo came from my Dad’s cousin, Mary.  The photo is from about 1916, and is of my grandmother, Bertha Anna Rickert, and her two friends, Helen Ratzow and Marianna Schinkai.  Marianna ended up being my grandmother’s sister-in-law.  They married brothers, George (my grandfather) and Johann “Fred” Sinning.

     I didn’t purchase anything new for this layout.  I decided a while back that I had to start using up some of my “stash,” so I only occasionally buy an embellishment that I spot and absolutely have to have.  The paper is MME and the cardstock is Prism, which is now being sold my Bazzill.  I cut the title and the leaves and branches from my Silhouette, and as always, I applied a sheet of Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L Adhesive Sheet to the back of the cardstock BEFORE I ran it through my silhouette.  It’s so much easier to have the adhesive already on the cardstock!!  Whenever I cut on my Silhouette, I copy & paste so it cuts my design through twice, otherwise, I have found it doesn’t always cut through my heavy cardstock.  I “painted” Perfect Pearls on the leaves in 2 different colors so the wouldn’t look like regular diecuts.
     The flowers are layered with 2 different ready made flowers, then one punched flower.  I glued a pearl in the center and sprayed the flower with gold Glimmer Mist.  The large flowers is also sprayed.  I used Foam Squares under some of the flowers.

     It’s supposed to be a rainy weekend in Michigan, so maybe I will do some more scrapbooking.  I have a lot of catching up to to!
Happy Scrappin’
Dianne
~

     The last time I went to the Family History Library in Utah, I spent day after day in the basement where the microfilm for England is located.  I thought I was going to turn into a mushroom.  Now, because of the generosity of MANY volunteers, many of the records are going online on the Family Search Pilot site.  It’s just like looking at microfilm in the library, only I’m sitting in my livingroom, with my laptop on my lap, my feet propped up and I’m drinking my diet coke.  What more could I ask for?  Parish records for Norfolk county, England are now on the site.  They are images only, no indexes.  I actually prefer the images, as I like to do the hunting myself.  All the fun is in the hunt, y’know.  What’s the fun if someone else does all the work?  I’ve found the christening record for Louisa Augusta Fisk, born in 1822 in Lakenham, Norwich, Norfolk.  She was my 3rd great grandmother.  I also found a brother for her.  No luck on a marriage for her parents, so I still don’t know her mother’s maiden name, so for now she is just Mary “Unknown.”  With all the parishes in Norwich, I could be hunting for weeks, but that’s OK.  I’m always ready for a good “dead people” challenge.
     Later…..
Dianne
~

     I’ve finally decided to do my part, and I’ve started volunteering at the Mt. Clemens Public Library.  I’m working on Wednesday afternoons, 12-3, in the Local History Room.  I’m not quite sure why we call it “Local History” as it’s much more than that.  The majority of information is from Macomb County, but there are records for Oakland and Wayne County, too, and information to help you regardless of where your ancestor came from.  All the cemeteries in Macomb County have been read, and the databases are there.  Lots of city directories!  There is a set of books that has information on every Michigan Civil War soldier, and I happen to have two ancestors that are in those books.  French Canadian information, immigration, information on all the wars, Detroit News and Free Press, Heritage Quest, Ancestry, Footnote, and on and on……..
    If you want to check to see if your ancestor’s house is still standing, here is a website a fellow researcher gave me.  It’s called VPike.  It’s similar to Google earth, but it takes you directly to the house rather than the mapping first.  I was looking for houses in England and checking out the neighborhoods there, the ones I didn’t have a chance to visit while I was over there.  I looked for my own house, but my entire street hasn’t been filmed.  I need to go back to the site and see if there’s a way to print the pictures I find.
     Happy hunting….
Dianne
~

     Today, I received my library card to the Mid-Continent Public Library.  For a $20.00 charge for a library card, I can now have access to their on-line databases, which include America’s Genealogy Bank, America’s Obituaries & Death Notices, Archive Finder, Biography and Genealogy Master Index, Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970, Heritage Quest and ProQuest Obituaries.  I think that’s quite a bargain!!  I can see I’m going to be very busy the next several evenings!  By the way, the library is in Missouri, and I’m in Michigan, which is why I paid for the card.  If you would like to get a card, send your name, address, phone number, email address and date of birth, along with a check for $20.00 made payable to Mid-Continent Public Library to:

Assistant Director
Mid-Continent Public Library
15616 East 24 Highway
Independence, MO 64050
     Tomorrow I head to Sam’s Club and get some of my England photos printed so I can start scrapbooking them.  I’ve been getting some great ancestors photos from very generous distant relatives, also.  I better get scrappin!!
     Until later…
Dianne
~