Ken's Travels in January and other musings

Jan 5, 2009
Well, it has been a week and no one has posted to my blog. Guess folks have nothing to say.

I am headed to Sapelo Island, Georgia this week (Jan 8-11) for the annual gathering of the Coastal Study Group that has gone there for 21 years now. Once I get back I will repack and head to Washington, DC area for the Inaugural activities as a spectator, this will be the 7th Inauguration I have been to, starting back with Jimmy Carter in 1977.

For those who read my Genealogy column in the AJC, I have just sent those of January 18 and 25 to the staff.

Genealogy Tidbit for the week- be sure to consider checking Confederate Amnesty and Pardons for your kin, as you might find some records you did not expect. The higher level pardons I think are on Footnote.com. Several books include the higher level pardons as well.

I am lecturing on January 13 at the Georgia Archives, Lunch and Learn, on Presidential Visits to Georgia a new topic for me but it has been fun to work on and I have learned a lot about how many people get the story wrong or repeat it wrong. I am surprised that some presidents we don't think much about, such as W. H. Taft (1909-1913) spent a lot of time in Georgia, both before he was President in Augusta, and on several important visits while he was president.
Have spent a good bit of time researching this topic and creating a Power Point show on it.

Helped to return a Family Bible to its family last week- the Lewis Bible that Brent Holcomb of Columbia, SC had gotten from a distant relative but was not a descendant. By power of the Internet we found a descendant- big clue came via her late mother's short wave radio license which was still posted on line with her home address where luckily another family member still lived.

KHT