I am a Lifetime Collector and my Family's Genealogist.
When I became a Blogger, it wasn't easy to separate my Two Passions
and choose which one to share as a Blogger.
So, I have THREE Blogs...
CollectInTexas Gal
Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors
Tracks of My Texas Ancestors
How I got started in Geneology is a topic that you can read about in 'May I Introduce To You' Interview by Gini of Ginisology and GeneaBloggers.
You are welcome to browse through CollectInTexas Gal,
Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors and
Tracks of MyTexas Ancestors via the SideBar Links, Blogger Pages and Posts.
My GeneaBlogger Interview, GeneaBlogger Posts, Blogs of Interest and Tags are listed below. If you are a Begining Family Historian or a Seasoned Genealogist, you will find lots of Information and Folks who are willing to Share, Support and Promote your Genealogy experience.
Thanks for visiting and Ya'll Come Back...Sue
CollectInTexas Gal Interview on GENEABLOGGER
by Gini of Ginisology
October 2011
How Sue Got Started in Genealogy
Sue hails from Monahans, Ward County, Texas and currently lives in San Angelo, Texas.
In 1996, Sue purchased the Family Tree Maker program and began The Pittman Family Tree, “I began building the tree with information that my Aunt Irene had researched, collected and shared with family members through ‘novella letters’ written during the 1950’s and 60’s. The letters alone were fantastic reads with daily recordings of life in California, which to us small town Texans may as well have been from another planet. My Mother saved all those letters with Ancestor Logs, Lists, and Notes sandwiched in between the Planet Hollywood details, and along with a box of black and white pictures my Ancestor Adventure began. What an adventure it was with a DOS based Family Tree Maker and being Personal Computer Clueless. However, I accomplished enough to create Family Trees, a Relationship Index and a Kinship Account for Six Family Scrapbooks. Then the PC crashed before I got to the part about SAVE DATA on DISK!”
Sue’s Family and Her Blog
“First I have to explain some of my Family Members’ PC/www/Technical knowledge. My brother thinks a Hard Drive is getting a Mac Truck up a steep hill. When I told my sister about my computer crashing, she asked, ‘did anyone die?’ And my Mother, bless her heart, wanted me to be sure and take aspirin and drink lots of fluids for that awful virus.” Sue does have one sister who is pretty PC savvy and enjoys reading her blog and commenting . . . anonymously.
“Blog to my Grandkids translates as ‘IDK . . . what ewrr nana . . . 4 sur 2 bor u 2dth.’ The two year old would be interested if CollectIn Texas Gal were a Smart Phone Sponge Bob YouTube app. I think that about does it for what my family thinks about my blog. Oh, except for HiHoney . . . that’s my husband on CITexasGal . . . he’s in ‘ShockNAwe’ that anyone could possibly be interested in a Bunch of Dead Texas Outlaws! Just kidding . . . he’s my Rock and they are InLaws!”
How Sue Follows the Rest of Us
Google Reader is Sue’s choice to keep up with her blog reading. “ . . . Like my blog is a ‘MishMash’ of collections, so are my Blog Lists. I read and view all kinds of Blogs. I usually start with my Sidebar Blog Lists and go right into their latest post so I can leave a comment. Many of these Bloggers have been on my lists since I started blogging in 2009 and have become very ‘Special Blogland Friends.’ I try to reciprocate to the folks who are Followers of CITexas Gal, and I read most of them on Google Reader where I can quickly drop in and leave a comment. One thing that helps in leaving a comment in a timely manner is if the comment box is Word Verification Free. Being a newbie in the GeneaBlogger Community, I find I spend a bit more time browsing Ancestor/Genealogy Based Blogs, reading posts and checking out InfoLinks. I often have a Tool Bar full of ‘Open New Tabs’ from links found on one blog. It’s one of those ‘One Thing Leads To Another’ . . . I just love that about Genealogy.”
Sue knows that some of her “Blogland Friends” follow her because they have CITexas Gal on their sidebar lists. Several of her “Real Life Friends” read and comment or call Sue to thank her for a, “Good LOL . . . I like that I bring a smile to readers! I assume that those who Follow on Google probably read like I do . . . on Google Reader. Ya’ll already know about my Family from the question above.
When I first started blogging, ‘The Number Stats’ were pretty important to me and I celebrated having ‘This Many Followers’ and ‘That Many Posts’ and a Blogiversary and so on. Don’t get me wrong, I still appreciate The Numbers, but I’m more impressed and inspired by the generosity of time and self that Bloggers give to read, comment and come back to CollectIn Texas Gal and Tracks of My Texas Ancestors. I’m flattered and pleased that my regular readers leave comments saying how they are inspired by my Blog to begin their own Ancestor Adventures.”
Sue is an “early morning” person and typically will write and post while getting her “caffeine fix.” “That’s about the only thing ‘typical’ in my daily Blogging. I pop in and out of Blogland throughout the day and sometimes in the evenings, so I haven’t tracked that stat yet. I might suggest that to Blogger . . . Please Follow my Blog Hopping and include it on my STATS Tab . . . I can see their eyes rolling now and saying ‘Oh phaleeze, lady . . . Seri ous ly!!!”
Sue’s Thoughts on Blogging
Sue’s blogs came about after the “No Data Disk Disaster.” She took what hard copies she had along with her aunt Irene’s Novella Letters and put them “outta sight outta mind.” In the meantime, “I inherited my Great Grandmother’s Photo Album with the most amazing photos from the late 1880’s through about 1910. The Album had been in possession of my Great Aunt and then passed to her son, my First Cousin, once removed. He knew I was interested in our Family Genealogy and gave me the Album in hopes I would be able to identify the family members . . . only three photos of the twenty or so had names on the back . . . and he knew that on of my TSO’s was a PhotoRestoration Artist which requires one to be a ‘Detective of Details.’ So with the photos, DDDisaster Hard Copies and stories I’d written over the years, I added Tracks of My Texas Ancestors to CollectIn Texas Gal. It seems to fit right in with the rest of my Lifetime TSO’s.”
How Sue’s blog title came about, “ . . . I’ve always described myself as ‘A Jack of All Trades and Master of None,’ which led to collections from all the ‘Trades/Subjects/Objects’ that held my interest long enough to ‘Fix It or Figure It Out!’ So when a friend introduced me to the Whole World Wide Web Thingy and Blogland, I couldn’t pick just one Thingy from all my TSO’s. So I just Chunked Em’ all together and called it Collectin’. The Texas part was a no brainer and Gal, well it just kinda fit. So there you have it . . . CollectIn Texas Gal.”
Sue’s biggest blogging concern was, “Putting my NAME out there on the World Wide Web! For at least the first couple of years, I was CollectIn Texas Gal with the first name Sue used occasionally. I use my maiden name on Tracks of My Texas Ancestors, which works well since the focus is on my Father’s Surname Ancestors. I am very careful to protect the privacy and security of Living Relatives on my Blogs and Genealogy Sites even though my Now Generation Family’s Names are ‘So Out There’ on
Facebook. So much for my ‘biggest fear!’
Basically, I am a traditional, organized, competitive and gregarious person who ‘Flies by the Seat of My Pants.’ Sometimes my Airborne Britches Mouth overloads, and what I think is purposeful, poignant and funny is misunderstood or just plain ‘Falls Flat.’ I hesitated to put my ‘Contradictory Personality’ out there when I started blogging. However; no matter how hard I tried to show my traditional, organized, good grammar and good girl self, the Airborne Britches Mouth would not be quiet. And truthfully, I don’t know where that comes from. My Mom says I got it from my Dad. So now I don’t hesitate . . . too much anymore . . . to let the ABMouth speak, misspell and embellish on behalf of my Pittman Ancestors.”
What Sue Loves Most About Genealogy
“It’s hard to say what I love MOST . . . I LOVE IT ALL. I really enjoy being SueLock Holmes and the ‘Discovery Factor!’ HiHoney and I have always been interested in Old Cemeteries, so that’s become a favorite part of the experience . . . diggin’ up the dirt/info . . . I’m talkin’ figuratively you understand. As an Educator/Artist and Photographer, I’m drawn to the history lessons and the idea that a ‘Picture is worth a thousand words,’ which is often the inspiration for my Fact Fiction and Folly Stories. And last but not least, I love Texas, it’s rich history and the part my Texas Pioneer Ancestors played in it’s colorful past. I’ve fallen in love with the States of Georgia and Tennessee as I’ve visited the roots of my Texas Ancestors.”
Sue’s Time Capsule Message
“When you start the climb up your Family Tree and begin counting back in time, the years become decades, the decades become centuries, and before you know it time seems to stand still. Every person in your Family Tree is Significant in Time for ‘there is no such thing as a life not meant for the person living It.’ ~ Louis Simpson
So the Present and Future Generations I say, ‘Life is short . . . live it to the fullest and regard with esteem the name you were given with praise and renown that it should endure.’
***
Please take a moment to visit Sue’s blogs. Leave her a comment to let her know you stopped by. Welcome Sue, it’s great to have you here! © 2011, copyright Gini Webb
Gini Webb lives in San Diego, California and manages her own blog, Ginisology, while also researching her own German heritage, recently retired, enjoying life with wonderful husband Steve and visiting with her now seven grandchildren!
Are you a genealogy blogger who would like to be interviewed for the “May I Introduce To You . . .” series? If so, contact Gini Webb via e-mail.
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My Collection of Genealogy Stories, Photos and Posts
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Thank-you for your interest in My Three Blogs, the Stories I write and the Photos I share.
I hope you are inspired to Research your Family and tell their Stories for....
Every person in your Family Tree is Significant in Time for
‘there is no such thing as a life not meant for the person living It.’
~ Louis Simpson ~
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To Visit Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors Blog...click on my Great Aunt Savannah.
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To Visit Tracks of My Texas Ancestors Blog....click on my Great Grandmothers Broach.
