Downtime with a Fun Project!

Haven't really posted anything here in a few weeks. The reason why is this is where I slow down on genealogy and enjoy the nice weather.

This is where I will be getting pictures together and documents together to work on when it gets colder out later in the year. One good thing with starting this blog is it made it a lot easier to share what I have with everyone, and with that said. I will be posting pictures for a while and leave the comment section open so anyone can comment on it.

 I am going to do this for a few reasons, one is to be able to say who is all in the picture and get closer dates if I don't have one, also for those to put comments of their memories of the people/themselves. Please feel free to comment any stories of the people in a photograph.

 I think this will be a great project and a lot of fun for those that want to join in on it, and yes we can say how goofy each other are too!

I will delete any comments that have vulgar language, rude or obscene comments. This is to be fun and joke around with each other, but also for great memories and stories. I am hoping to have this started by next week. So keep a watch, you may just see yourself and have an OMG moment.

Searching at LDS Family Research Center

Yesterday was a fun day, met up with a fellow genealogist and searched out some records at LDS Family History Library. Finally got to meet +Brian Zalewski from the Google community Milwaukee, WI Genealogy. We met up at the A&W had a bite to eat and chat, then we headed out to LDS, I didn't realize what time they had open their doors so we got there about 20 minutes early. So we chatted some more until they opened.

Once they opened their doors we signed in and started searching. Well I should say Brian did, Chris who is the volunteers husband started talking with me and we got on the subject of my other hobby. Motorized bicycles, so needless to say half of my time went there but he may have me build him one.

Finally getting to research I was not able to find anything, but I was able to weed out the a few things I had written down. So it turned out good, met someone new and cool, chatted about motorized bikes, and was able to remove a few "what if's" from the list. It is a lot better when you have another person their enjoying the same as you do and talk about what we find and don't find.

Here are a couple of pictures of the research area, it's not big but they have a lot of microfiche for the area.

 Behind the files are 2 rows of microfiche readers for everyone to use.

On the left are about a dozen or so computers for everyone to use.

If anyone wants meet us when we go again, let me know and I will keep you informed when we do go. It's at LDS Family History Library.
9600 W Grange Ave, Hales Corners, WI

Found 6 out of 8 records!

Today I went to the Milwaukee County Courthouse Genealogical Research Center looking for 8 specific records. Well I was able to find 6 of them, which means I may be taking a trip to Madison, Wisconsin and go to the Wisconsin Department of Heath Services and go through the vital records there. Was told they hold records for the whole Wisconsin area and might be able to find the records I am still looking for.

I was able to find my maternal Grandparents Marriage record. Come to find out they were married June 28th 1930 in Milwaukee. Paul Gigl 1909 - 1968 and Meta Wahls 1910 - 1989.

The second one I was looking for was my paternal Great Grandfather's Birth record. Andrew Memmel 1883 - 1939

Next was my maternal Great Aunt Birth record Mary Gigl 1913 - 1929.

Then I was told that my maternal 2 Great Grandparents marriage place was on Rose Schmegel (nee Memmel) 1874 - 1955 Death Record. Well unfortunately it was not there but I did find it and it is one less record I will need.

Was able to verify my maternal Grandfather Paul Nicaulaus Gigl's birth as well. As all his children, grandchildren and so on, always knew him as Paul Steven (Stephen, Steve) Gigl. Heck I was named after him! This was a shock when I was able to get his birth certificate. All his other records were under Paul Steve Gigl as well.  I think as I told people they were like myself and almost fell over in doubt till I posted the certificate online and there was still a little disbelief, I know there was for me any ways. Now that I have verified it with my own eyes and research I know I am able to accept it now.


The last record I was able to find was my maternal Grandparents Marriage record. Andrew Memmel 1908 - 1982 and Lorraine Zahn 1912 - 1995

The only two I was not able to find yet is my maternal Great Grandfather Paul Gigl's death record and then my paternal 2nd Great Grandparents marriage records. They will be found!

Getting ready for Researching at Courthouse

Today has been a day of gathering what I all have for each person I will be researching on Friday at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.  It's going to be a busy, wonderful and maybe a little frustration looking for these records.

Will be looking for maternal Grandparents Paul Gigl and Meta Wahls marriage information, along with double checking on Paul Gigl's birth record. Was told by my mother that there maybe a second birth certificate because of a fire that happened at the courthouse back then. So I will be checking April 4th and 5th of 1909 and see if there is any more information to be found there.



Next I will be looking for my paternal Great Grandfathers birth information Andrew J. Memmel Feb. 12 1883


Then there is my maternal 2nd Great Grandparents Georg Memmel and Maria Reiss's marriage information, the date we have is July 28, 1873 so we will see what we can find in that time period.

Next will be my maternal Great Grandfathers death information. This has been an ongoing search and hopefully will get resolved on Friday. All I have thus far is he died sometime between 1919 - 1926

Now we have my maternal Great Aunt birth information. All I have is 1913, this is pretty much the only thing I am missing for her.




Then we have my paternal Great Aunt Rose Schmegel (nee Memmel) death record June 17, 1955. I want to get this for a specific reason, according to her death record it states where her parents (My 2 Great Grandparents) were married. This should be an interesting find, because as far as I knew they were married here in Milwaukee, WI but on her death record it is supposed to state some where in Germany.


Last we have my paternal Grandparents marriage, there has been many conflicts with this so I am hoping to find the marriage certificate and finally get the correct date. The most common date is July 20, 1929, so that is where I will be starting.


If everything goes smooth and I have more time I have a few records I will be looking up for people as well, which I am guessing I should be able to. Fingers crossed.

Flipbook, 2 Great Grandfather and How to do it.

Today I did an online Flipbook about my 2nd Great Grandfather and his first generation of descendants.

Along with that I did a video tutorial about how I do it, I did the tutorial for a group I belong to in Google+ and we were asked to do a tutorial on something we use for genealogy purposes. These books are fun to make and it is a lot easier to read then a PDF file, I think any ways.

Here is the Flipbook:

Open publication - Free publishing - More family

Here is the tutorial on YouTube:

Wife Tomi's Interview with 97 yr. old Grandmother!

Today I put together a video about my wife Tomi doing an interview with her Grandmother yesterday. Her grandmother Hermina Balistreri (nee Schenk) was born  in Taunton, MN in November of 1915, she was talking to Tomi about how it was growing up in Milwaukee, WI around the early 1930's. She also mentions her mother Julianna Schenk (nee Togel) from Sternberg, Austria born April 27, 1889 and died June 30, 1966 here in Milwaukee, WI.

Hermina comes from a large family, her father Anton Schenk was married twice, and with his first wife Anna Vetter they had a total of 12 children and with his second wife Jullianna they had another 13 children which 1 was Hermina. Can you image having 25 children!

I was amazed when I was told about this and still am to this day, but than again things were different back in those days. I know even for back then this was a lot of children to have, but they were able to make it.

As Hermina says in the interview... 

"I don't know how we did it, but we did".

Here is the interview with Tomi and her 97 year old Grandmother Hermina!

More People Added and Using Google HAO Yesterday

Today was a day of adding people in the family tree, for a total of 1360 people so far. I have a lot more to go, about 10000+ yet. Getting there though and it is slow process but it is all correct this time around.

The last few days have been fun though. I set up a two Google Hangouts On Air (HOA) yesterday, one in the AM which I was able to chat with myself for the most part. I did get more people added in the tree while I waited though. Then I set one up in the PM as well, that wasn't to bad, had a relative visit here and there and got to chat with them for a little bit. Mainly saying hi's and how are you's and then explaining the different things you can do with the chat options. For the first chat though I was happy about it. I plan on doing more, maybe once a week and have them last for an hour or so. Guess that depends on who is all there and how the conversation is going, I can imagine there will be whole days of chatting with the family.

The chat is nice cause usually the only time we all see each other is at a funeral or something like that. This allows up to 10 of us to visit and chat at one time, and as one leaves others can join.

Also as you see in the picture you don't need a webcam or if you do you have the option of not having it on, and only use your mic. You can also mute your mic like I have done there so if you start getting an echo, or if it is getting loud by you. You can also turn it off and on as you want to talk.

Well time to get some more things done.