Do You Want To Have An Interesting Cragun Research Challenge?

Hey there Cragun's, to many of us our ancestor Patrick Cragun is a folk hero. We read about his coming to America without his family at age 15. We read he was in the Boston Tea Party.

He is a fascinating figure with much we don't know. Most of his life is undocmunted. There is likely many more interesting facts which we don't know about.

I invite you to make this a hobby, or encourage your parents to jump in to learn more through different facets of research on this historic figure.

I post here a middle portion of an article on Cragun Cragun Family Genealogy Research Blog Click here for the full article.

I believe if we all put a little time together, we can solve this puzzle and more.

The quote:

I have a form that says, "I want to know", "I already know", and "I conclude that" Here is one of the questions in my "I want to know column". You are welcome to help.

Did he serve in the revolutionary war? Here are reasons I would love to have this answer: Patrick is about 35 years old when he shows up in Sullivan County, Tn. Sullivan County is named after the Revolutionary War hero General John Sullivan. General Sullivan ended his career with his battle against the Iriquos in that area of Tennessee. Patrick would have been about 22 when the Boston Tea Party. If he participated in that, where was he between that Boston event and age 35 in Tennessee? Is it possible that as Sullivan served part of the war in Boston that Patrick was one of his soldiers, and followed him to fight in Tennessee, liked the beautiful area and returned to live out his adult life?

General John Sullivan: From Wikipedia:
John Sullivan (February 17, 1740 – January 23, 1795) was a American General in the Revolutionary War, a delegate in the Continental Congress and a United States federal judge.
Sullivan, the third son of Irish settlers, served as a major general in the Continental Army and as Governor (or "President") of New Hampshire. He commanded the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, a scorched earth campaign against the Iroquois towns that had taken up arms against the American revolutionaries. As a member of Congress, Sullivan worked closely with the French Ambassador the Chevalier de la Luzerne
After the British evacuated Boston in the spring of 1776, Washington sent General Sullivan north to replace the fallen John Thomas as commander in Quebec. He took command of the sick and faltering invasion force, sent some of those forces on an unsuccessful counterattack against the British at Trois-Rivières, and withdrew the survivors to Crown Point. This led to the first of several controversies between Congress and General Sullivan, as they sought a scapegoat for the failed invasion of Canada. He was exonerated and promoted to major general on August 9, 1776.

Long Island

Sullivan rejoined Washington and was placed in command of the troops on Long Island to defend against British General Howe's forces about to envelop New York City. But then, on August 23, Washington split the command between Sullivan and General Israel Putnam. Confusion about the distribution of command contributed to the American defeat at the Battle of Long Island four days later. Sullivan's personal bravery was unquestioned, as he engaged the Hessian attackers with a pistol in each hand; however, he was captured.

Expedition against Iroquoia

Main article: Sullivan Expedition

James Clinton and John Sullivan

In the summer of 1779, Sullivan led the Sullivan Expedition, a massive campaign against the Iroquois in western New York. During this campaign, troops destroyed a very large Cayuga settlement, called Coreorgonel, on what is now the southwest side of Ithaca, New York. To reach the enemy homeland, Sullivan's army took a southerly route to western New York through northeast Pennsylvania, which required creating a new road through lightly inhabited areas of the Pocono Mountains, which still exists and is known as Sullivan's Trail.
He pushed his troops so hard that their horses became unusable, and killed them on this campaign, creating the namesake for Horseheads, New York. The lukewarm response of the Congress was more than he could accept. Broken, tired and again opposed by Congress, he retired from the army in 1779 and returned to New Hampshire

Counties in New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Missouri were all named for him, as was Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan

All We Irish Can Do This

Time Line Charts Help The Confused

Yesterday I spent hours researching for Patrick Cragun in Virginia as new family search had some of his children born there.

Today I found in Cindy's list an excel template for a genealogy timeline. By inserting the facts as presented, about Patricks family in America, it became obvious these children were either not his, or were born in Indiana.

I conclude, timeline charts help the confused. Here is how mine looks now.

Perhaps The Best Genealogy Blog Application Is As A Research Blog

The good news is that since blogging is easy to setup and execute you can easily publish blogs with different focuses. I do have many reasons to write this blog and I intend on continuing. (Click here for my short power point on that).

Originally I had no intentions of writing a research blog. However, Kathleens conviction of that being a value got me started. Now I think I am more excited about a research blog than any other.

Not all, but most of my research to date has been on line. I have often come across things that are interesting but too time consuming to copy.

That isn't a problem with a blog.

I have developed the habit of having two windows open, one being my research blog.

When I find something of interest I simply do a copy and paste from where the article is, to my research blog. I should and do provide a link to the article I am copying from for sourcing process. That is also proper copywrite eticate. (Also, don't take the whole article, just up to 1/3 of it).

I tag the article. I activate the labels widget and give it the name of "Categories". This provides me the ability to later just click the label (Illustrated in the red arrow section in the left of the photo below) and those are the articles that are delivered to read.

Handy, on the right sidebar (purple arrows) are the titles of the articles by date published to peruse.

It takes a little more time to add a photo, but sometimes it is valuable to do so. (Blue Arrow)
In summary: I am recording many more things I see online because it's so quick and simple to do.
Also, I am actually creating an organized record of what I find searching. Not all I post on the research blog will be really valuable, but it's now mine to go back to and evaluate.

I still need my research logs, but I now am noting on them the date I posted something I found and published. So, now my research logs are interacting with my blog. They are becoming more meaningful.

I am also hoping that others who find my blogs will find it of value, perhaps even do as already has happened - recriprocate with info I can use.

Here is a link to my Cragun Family Research blog for your review: http://cragunfamilyresearchblog.blogspot.com/

By the way, I notice that the Cragun researcg blog, as I have been creating so many articles I copy and paste or comment on, that this blog is becoming real powerful in Google searches. The reasons: so many entries a day on one topic - Cragun for example - that Google is delivering it as a credible site.

Google is another reason not to copy the whole article and to link to the source article. Google notes duplicate content and punishes them both as spam sites.

I Share With You One Of Those Rare Memorable Experiences

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

I try and limit my postings to a max of one per day, to not be so in peoples face they stop following.

Today is an exception. I need to share this morning with you. I love the El divo hymn, Amazing Grace. I posted it and then left with Kathleen to do a good thing, attend the Sunday Morning broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

My vote is for doing good things and being in good places. You are likely to be blessed in surprising ways.

This morning was an illustration of that concept for Kathleen and me. We  have been to the Mormon Tabernacle Sunday Broadcast before and always left feeling lifted up. We decided today would  probably be a another good day to attend as they likely would perform a Memorial Day program.

They did. It was stirring. It was even emotional. But the surprise of the day brought Kathleen to tears, and Kathleen doesn't cry.

It began before the broadcast began. We arrived early as we must to be seated, but the building was so full we had to sit near the rear. Our views were somewhat blocked by one of the giant pillars.

To the right we noticed a man who was likely a street person. His hair was greasy and standing up and out in numerous different directions. He looked like he hadn't bathed for months which seemed confirmed by how he kept picking at his ear and his neck, picking off cooties I thought. It had been raining outside and I thought this was a good retreat from the street, warm and dry, with a performance as a reward. 

He seemed out of place among those dressed in nice clothes, even many in suits. I noticed he wore decent shoes and white gym socks, a tattered heavy coat; I was glad he had good shoes.

But it also went through my mind he might be here for the same reason we were, it was Memorial Day and the program was likely to be special.

If I could only describe how special, I'll try.

The choir and orchestra were at their best.  Even  Lloyd Newell, who provides the "Spoken Word" selected an emotional script: "To Fallen Soldiers Let Us Sing". It is a hymn written by Randall Wallace and was performed at President Ronald Reagan's funeral.

The final hymn, The Battle Hymn Of The Republic was thrilling. I know we all felt it, all of us. Toward the end of it I looked left at Kathleen and she was sobbing. It was great, but Kathleen rarely cries, never sobs. Seeing my look she leaned over and said, "look he's standing up and waving at the choir".

Our man from the street was up and waving, was he a veteran? Then it culminated with the answer. Lloyd Newell asked, "in honor of those who served in the armed forces for our" "Freedom", would those of you who served please stand to our thanks and applause?  Like several, our man from the street stood up proudly. There were others around him, like us, who had noticed him and wondered. It was obvious we all now felt an endearing emotion and a gratitude, that we were seated in the back to witness what we witnessed, to feel what we felt, to see him wave proudly in a moment of glory.

This was his moment, more than shelter from the rain, it was brief, but this his warm moment. He was soaking it up and so were we.

Afterwards, many went to him, to clutch his hand, to put their arm around him, and to thank him. As I shook his hand he said, "U S Army", and I felt the real spirit of this Memorial Day, I was the blessed one.

As we walked away from the Tabernacle Kathleen still in tears wondered aloud about what price our soldiers really paid, what happened to him that brought him to the Streets of Salt Lake City?

It doesn't seem enough, but to those like our street friend who served, thank you.

Amazing Grace Like You Have Never Before Heard It!

A Searching Tip

Some Keyboards don't have an Fn key - Use F3 then

In doing on line genealogy searches you are likely to end up with a result that is a book. This happens in Google Books for example. Mocavo, the genealogy search engine frequently takes you to a large document such as a book from a library, a university, or another that is old an lengthy.

Rather than labor throught the book for a single use of a name you can quickly scan the book. It works similar to a Google search.

To do that book search, or document search, merely push down the Fn key and the f key. It opens up a box and to the right of the box tells you how many matches for the word is in the document.

It takes your screen to the first instance. Just hit enter to move to the next instance. It's really handy.

I have been searching for my ancestor from Ireland, Patrick Cragun. Cragun has about  100 versions of spellings, none in Ireland using C R A G U N. At least none so far. I am keeping a log I have created for each search and each version of the name.

It's grueling task, but this shortcut helps me a lot.

If your keyboard doesnt have the Fn key, try using F3 to get the same result.

Mormon Pioneers, Porters, Binghams, and Craguns Included People Of Great Faith



Some Pushed and Pulled Handcarts

Pioneer John R Young quotes in his journal, "We outlived the trying scenes. We felt contented and happy. The songs of Zion resounded from wagon to wagon, from tent to tent, the sound reveberated through the woods, and its echo was returned from the distant hills; peace, harmony, and contentment reigned in the habitations of the saints.

The God of Israel is with us, and as we journey, as did Abraham of old, to a distant land, we feel that, like him, we are doing the will of our Heavenly Father and relying upon His word and promises and hope, and that the great Jehova is our God.

J R Porter, traveling in the Charles C Rich Company spent the winter before their trek across the plains at Winter Quarters, (now Florence Nebraska) on the west bank of the Missouri River. Even here education was important and a school was formed to teach the chidren. Great grandfather J R was too young to attend yet, but no doubt he found amusement in wathci such tings as the thousand of head of cattle taht were driven across the river. Good swimmers would climbe upon the backs of some of the strongest oxen andslapping them on the sides fo the tfaces wuld guide them into the current.  Soon a string of animals would reach the other shore.

J R's mother Nancy, was not in good health. When they left Winter Quarters to cross the plains she was pregnant. With two children under 3 years old, traveling in a coverd wagon was very difficult, however, most of the Porter clan and the Rich clan were in the same company, paternal and maternal grandparents. the stron among them would help bear the trials of the weak.

Along the trail the children saw many animals, but the most exciting were the buffalo.



Sometimes thousands of the huge animals stampeded and would run madly across the plains, leaving the air full of dust clouds. The wagons had to stop; and there was always the danger that the herd would run right across their camps. Sometimes they would come so close to the wagon trains that it was difficult to keep the cattle and horses of the camp from mixing with the buffalo.

Continuing postings from Joseph Rich Porter Descendants and Ancestors by Bertha Cragun

Porter Family Migration To America

Some information on the Porters is here in a continuing research story by William Arthur Porter Sr. It is an example of what it took to cross the Pond.

A Cragun grandfather, Patrick Cragun is said to have been a 17 year old runaway from Ireland, traveling at a similar age. He too was in danger of capture into servitude by the ships Captain. He too had issues on the sea. His was different in that his ship was a sailing ship and went 40 days with no wind. They ran out of food and water.

It appears the Porters had a lot in common one family to another, the thirst for freedom being one, the spiritual inclination being another.

I have found no connection to Sanford Porter and Peter Porter, but with some extra research may just find a common ancestor. More effort on that later, or you can do that. If you find the common ancestor, please report back.

From Mr Arthur Porter Sr.:

Many Porters immigrated to America before the revolutionary war. The U S Government census report of 1790 gives the first names of 575 heads of Porter families. Moreover, since several volumes of this census were destroyed by the British in the War of 1812, there are many names missing. No doubt there were many more than 575 Porter families in America by 1790.

Today there are tens of thousands of Porters in America. Many descended from the families that were here in 1790; many from those that have since come from England. The lives as led in the early day by those by those Porters were very similar: I have gathered data about the life of the First Porter immigrant. I refer tot he life data of Peter Porter, the family's first American Immigrant. 

Peter Porter landed in Virginia in January, 1622. He was an English youth and, at the time, was just turning seventeen years of age. Peter had left England on September 21st, 1621, and so, had spent four months on the voyage. The trip across the ocean had been made in a small 40 ton vessel name "Tiger". On board the "Tiger" were 40 persons including several maidens for wives: the boat was in the charge of Captain Nicholas Elford.

His voyage across the ocean "was rough and beset with many dangers." As stated above, the "Tiger" had left England in  September. She sailed in consort with a larger ship named "Warwick", a vessel with 160 ton capacity.

Copeland says, "the Tiger" became separated from the Warick and was driven by ill weather so far as the North Cape, fell into the hands of the Turks on her way, who took most of her supplies, and ll of her serviceable sails, out of their power, so as she escaped that danger, and arrived safely in Virginia with all of her people, two English boys excepted,for which the Turks g  ave them two others, a French youth and an Irish. Copeland goes on to say, "Was not here the presence of God printed, as it were, in Folio, on Royale Crowne paper, and in Capital Letter? She arrived in January prior to the departure of "George". I have never been able to find out the nature of the strange accident that delivered them from the hands of the Turks.

England And Wales Births Deaths Marriage on line Cragun Bingham Everyone

British Houses Of Parliament

Anxious to learn to be better researchers Kathleen and I attended another 3 session Genealogy Saturday Seminar at The Riverton Family History Center. We have always learned great things here, always!

One class was about the awesome site FREEBMD. In 1837 the British Houses of Parliament passed laws requiring all births, marriages, and deaths be recorded. That information was available in books you could search until a few years ago. If you had an ancestor that were either born, married, or died in England or Wales between the years 1837 and 1946 those records were made public and you could have ordered certificates to document those events.

They were then removed and were no longer public.

Once again that amazing spirit (some know as the spirit of Elijah) caused good people to, at their time and expense, arrange to index and put on line those records. The project is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the FreeUKGEN family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers). To search the records that have so far been transcribed by FreeBMD click on the Search button.

If you had an ancestor that were either born, married, or died in England or Wales between the year so much of the project is complete you will likely find your ancestors. It is an important site.

I have Porter, Bingham, Cragun, and many other lines from there and I am beginning to do research on this website.

You might try it also, it's easy to use.

Erastus Bingham Grandfather and Pioneer

I have really begun to appreciate what our pioneer ancestors went through. My fathers mother, Blanche Rebecca Bingham, is a great grandaughter of Erastus Bingham.

Reading this gives me the chills.

Life History of Erastus Bingham, Sr.the son of Sarah (Sally) Perry [and Elisha Warner Bingham], who was the daughter of Capt. David Perry [and Anna Bliss]

Erastus Bingham was born in Concord, Essex County, Vermont 12th March 1798 and baptized 11 November 1833, at St. Johnsburg, Vermont, a direct result of early day missionary work in New England. With his wife, Lucinda Gates Bingham, his eight children and Willard Snow, Joel Harvey and their families, and others, he traveled to Far West, Missouri, via Kirtland, Ohio, arriving in Far West the 4th of November 1836.

After the Extermination Order of Governor Boggs, the Bingham family moved to Hancock County, Illinois, on a rented farm between Carthage and La Harpe, remaining here from April 1839 until the Spring of 1845.

According to family records, the martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum, caused great concern to the Bingham family, and like other Saints in the Carthage area, desired to situate closer to Nauvoo. It is evident from circumstances and conditions at this time that a Mormon family was in grave danger of being mobbed. With this and the fact that the Brethren were pressing a speedy completion of the Temple, it gave motive enough for Erastus to move his family to a spot near er Nauvoo.

In the spring of 1845 Erastus bought a farm of 160 acres about 20 miles West of Nauvoo, Illinois, which was extensively cultivated during the spring and summer. After the crops were all harvested, he labored night and day with others to complete the Nauvoo Temple. (Bingham, Belnap, and Scoville, Life of Erastus Bingham and Family, p. 8.)

Little is known of the activity of the Bingham family while at Nauvoo except evidences of their assistance with the Temple.

In January 1846, the family records show that one of Erastus' sons, Erastus, Jr. , was chosen to go with an advance group "to make roads, build bridges, and plant crops at various points", assisting those to follow in the general migration from the city.

The remainder of the Bingham family followed on the 6th of May, (the 160 acre farm, improvements, etc., were sold for enough 'to buy a team of horses'.) and continued to Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, arriving in mid-summer.

From here we pick up the movement of the family "in a company of about 200 wagons in command of Bishop (George) Miller. Erastus Bingham was made Captain of one hundred. They traveled Westward until they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa. Prior to their arrival at Council Bluffs, the United States Government asked for 500 volunteers to fight in the war with Mexico. Two sons and a son-in-law of Erastus Bingham volunteered, Erastus, Jr., Thomas and Elijah Norman Freeman, husband of his (Erastus') daughter, Mary; and they were recruited in the Mormon Battalion in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

(Erastus, Jr., who had been chosen for the advance company from Nauvoo had shortly before joined his family and now enlisted with the Battalion. He traveled as far as Santa Fe with the main group and under orders from Col. P. St. George Cooke retired to Pueblo, Colo., remaining there to give assistance to the sick during the ensuing winter. He entered the S.L. Valley July 29th 1847 with the "Mississippi Co." and the others from the Battalion who wintered at Pueblo. On August 26th he set out with the Brigham Young Company returning to Winter Quarters and met his family, on the Sweetwater, returning with them to the valley.

Thomas Bingham, Erastus' third son was unable to continue on to California with the Battalion and wintered in Pueblo, Colo. The strenuous march to Santa Fe caused a reoccurrence of the ague and fever. He, with his brother Erastus, Jr., arrived in S.L. Val1ey on July 29, 1847.
Elijah Norman Freeman married Erastus' eldest child, Mary, in Nauvoo in 1843. According to Church Chronology, page 32 by Andrew Jensen, "He was buried, four miles south of Secora on the Rio Grande," having succumbed to the strain and hardship of the march with the Battalion to San Diego.) Erastus Bingham had the care of the families of these volunteers. After resting a few days until two companies were organized, one called Brigham's Co. , and the other Heber's Company, they started traveling westerly according to the directions of the Twelve Apostles . . . . They traveled up the Platt River until they came to Loop Fork, Nebraska, where they overtook Bishop George Miller and his company. When they arrived at Loop Fork, a messenger on horseback brought word from the president of the Twelve, Brigham Young, that they should not venture farther for fear of deep snow or hostile Indians, but should locate a good camping ground for the winter.

The captain, Bishop Miller, was not in favor of obeying this order. He was anxious to push on, as the prospect of several months delay in the journey was not a pleasing one.

They remained three days considering and discussing the problem. At this juncture a number of Indian chiefs of the Ponca Tribe passed by on their way home from an Indian Council. They were very friendly and invited the travelers to go with them to their camping ground to a place called Swift Water near the Missouri River about 150 miles above or north of winter quarters . . . . The Indians said the camping ground was good, with plenty of water and wood and feed for the animals which the white men were welcome to share.

Erastas Bingham stood up on his wagon wheel and talked to the Saints, telling them that he proposed to obey the council of President Brigham Young, that he and his family would remain until spring and invited all to join with them in accepting the invitation of the Indians to share their camping ground. About one half of the company remained with Erastus Bingham; the others decided to attempt the journey westward with their commander, Bishop Miller.

Another Journal says this about the journey with the indians: There were a few surprises. Upon starting their journey, one of the men asked the Ponca Elders how far it was going to be. “Three sleeps” was his answer. Unfortunately, pioneers travel slower than Indians. It was 150 miles and took 11 days.

and

With the Ponca company was Newell Knight, who was one of the first members of the Mormon church. Newell Knight and about 16 others died of pneumonia while camping on the Niobrara and are buried there. A large monument is erected near the site in their memory. Apparently, Robert and Fanny had a baby die here sometime during the winter of 1846-47.

Bishop Millers company pushed on westward but met with a great many losses. Indians stole some of their animals; and they suffered considerably from cold and lack of food and were finally compelled to return, some of them camping near Erastus Bingham's camp.

In the spring of 1847 Erastus Bingham and his family returned to Council Bluffs where he was chosen a member of a committee to go into Missouri and secure wagons and supplies for the journey west and across the plains. He bought provisions to last his family eighteen months. On the 11th of June, 1847, they left Council Bluffs; and after getting across the Elkhorn River, they started on their journey westward. They traveled up the North side of the Platt River in a company of 666 wagons consisting of Daniel Spencer's group of 100, Ira Eldridge's 50, Jedediah M. Grant's 50 and Erastus Bingham's 10, together with other groups. The company was so large that it was organized with captains of tens, fifties, and hundreds to maintain and guarantee the best of order. Yet it was very unpleasant because it would be so late before the last wagon could start from camp in the morning and so late at night before it could get into camp. Two wagons traveled abreast, making two roads.
The company divided near Laramie, Wyoming, and Erastus Bingham and family were with those in the lead.

They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on the 19th of September, 1847, much sooner than some of the others. Erastus built a log house and made preparations for the winter. In the spring of 1848 he was allotted a farm in the Holiday district; and in addition to the farm, he acquired a grazing permit in what is now known as Bingham Canyon, Utah.

An interesting story in connection with these grazing activities, is told of Sanford Bingham and his family:
"In August, 1848, together with his brother Thomas, he (Sanford Bingham) took charge of a public cattle herd about 18 or 20 miles South West of Salt Lake City, in Bingham Canyon. September 1, 1848, his first child was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and from the first of October, 1848 to July, 1849, his wife and baby resided with him at the herd house. In the spring of 1849, a band or tribe of Indians came and camped near the herd house. one day while he and his brother Thomas were out with the cattle, there being no one in the house with his wife and baby except one of his younger brothers, a couple of young Indians carrying guns came into the house and sat down on a bench. The bench was by the side of the bed, on the side of which she had spread some clean clothes to air, that she was ironing. The Indians laid back on her clean clothes. She tried by signs and motions to tell them to get off the clothes, but they would not move; so she caught them by the hair of their heads and yanked them off and then went about her ironing. The Indians cocked their guns and made some threats in their own language which she didn't understand, but when they found they could not scare her they went away and never came back into the house again." ( Bingham, Belnap, and Scoville, Life of Erastus Bingham and Family, pp. 21,22.)

While tending the herds in this area these two brothers found some copper ore. On discussing this find with President Young, they were advised "not to attempt to pursue mining, as the lives of the people depended upon farming and stock raising."

Expansion into other parts of the region followed very shortly after the entrance of the first companies into the valley, however it was not until April 1850 that the Bingham family moved from Great Salt Lake City. They "located on the property where the City (Ogden) and County Building now stands, farming the property as far south as 28th Street and North to 22nd Street.

"Sunday, January 26, 1851, President Brigham Young and party held meetings in the South Fort of Ogden, Utah. . . Erastus Bingham was made Bishop of the North Ward (Weber Stake) . . . " He remained in this capacity in this ward and later the First Ward for 17 years.

In the same year the City of Ogden was laid out and the Bingham property purchased. They then moved to a spot north of the Ogden River known as Farr's Fort. Later, in the spring of 1851 they situated in a spot known as the "Lynn District, " and here "Bingham's Fort" was built and occupied, the homes being on the inside of the walls for protection and the farms in the immediate vicinity for easy access.

Besides functioning as a Bishop, Erastus was called to other jobs, of a civic nature.

Click here for another article with more Bingham Pioneer details

The Next Genealogy Milestone

If you want to know where the next Genealogy Milestone will be, watch this video.

I have seen this live and it's exciting.

If you want to watch one of the most exciting presentations regarding the future of Genealogy watch this video.

Many have asked when stand-up comedian Ron Tanner’s 2012 RootsTech lecture “Future of FamilySearch Family Tree” will be available online.

It is now up!

You can watch his entire recorded lecture for free online. Here is the link: http://rootstech.org/videos#video-player.

Scroll down and find Tanner’s lecture in the Saturday, 11:00 am slot.

So come let Mr. Tanner’s lecture make you feel good about FamilySearch Family Tree.

Thanks to his cousin James Tanner’s Genealogy’s Star blog for this update.

Sanford Porter, An Example of A Legacy.

Origonal Portervile Church -It is for sale

As I spend time researching ancestors I have become totally aware of the importance of having at least a small life history or special experiences of our ancestors.

When Sanford Porter, who joined the Mormons right after the church was organized, took the time to dictate pages and pages of his lifes experiences he created a legacy.

His devotion to the Bible, his concern about his own being after being totally rebuffed by the local Christian ministers, and the miracle of his prayers being answered - how they were answered is a treasure to we his multi generation grandchildren.  Not being miraculous but also important to me is discovering in a library a several page story of his son John President Porter. John President was my great great grandfather Porter. What I gleaned from John President's story was a similarity in his personality to mine. He provided for his family but always lived with the believe there was gold in the Hardscrabble hills of Morgan County.  He stuck to that belief until days before he died. That's my nature.

What about you. Yesterday Kathleen and I joined about 100 people at the Riverton Family History Library. What a neat day. Glen Rawson of the Joseph Smith Papers T V Show spoke about family stories. He shared a few pioneer stories that were brief but inspiring.

I had never heard of some of the people he read us about. That was one of the points. If I were a descendant of any of those people, I would have treasured the story.

We are building a legacy for our grandchildren and great great grandchildren to feed upon. We too may not be historic figures, but to our descendants we are part of them. They will want to know us. Just as Sanford or John President, or any of my ancestors and their stories are treasures, so will our stories as we write them down.

Truly Sanford Porter is an example of a legacy. Join me in the commitment to leave mine.

It's Sunday Again, How About A Sermon From President Reagan?

Do You Drive A Jag?

In our missionary zone we start each day with a short devotional - a prayer, song, and spiritual thought.

Recently Sister Peck shared this neat story: A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar.

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "what the heck are you doing"? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.

Why did you do it? The young boy was apologetic, "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,". He pleaded, "I threw the brick because no one would stop... "with tears dripping down his face and off his chin,the youth pointed to a spot just around the parked car. "it's my brother, he said. He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words,the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door.

He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention?" God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, he has to throw a brick at us to get our attention! It's our choice to listen or not.

Ulster, County of Armagh Is Consistant

I'm starting to research about the plantation movement which Caleb Cragun was said to be a part of. Check out the Cragun research website where I am posting my research for all to see. click here

What Is The Correct Spelling Of The Cragun Family Name?

View from Craigendarroch, Ballater

This is a view from Craigen, Darroch, Ballater by blackeastson on Flickr.

Craigen is one of the spellings that could have led to the common spelling now of Cragun.

Here are 5 different spellings of our name and some explanations of their origination. It's interesting.

1. Creggan. A town land in what once had been the Barony of Upper Fews, County Armagh, Ulster, Northern Ireland. It is here that proprietors settled Scottish and English prote stants on their estates to work the land. Through this area flows a small stream called Creeg an River. Creegan is also the name of a road in Derry, Londonderry County, Ulster.

2. Creagan. The name of a town land north of Oban, in Lorn, Argyll, Scotland. Here the name i s descriptive of the land: high and rocky.

3. Croghan. The name of a mountain (6,000 ft. high) west of the city of Arklow in County Wick low, Eire. The name is likely derived from the Gaelic word which is anglicized as croaghaun m eaning: a little pile of stones.

4. Cregan. A surname found throughout Ireland. One notable of that name is Martin Cregan of C ounty Meath, 1788-1870. He was portrait painter to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Francis Jo hnson, and was at one time president of the Royal Hibernian Academy.

5. Craigen. In 1272 the Church of Cragyn (now Cragie) in Kyle, Scotland was confirmed to the monks of Paisley by Thomas de Cragyn, who assumed his name from his land.

I wonder if one of these spellings is more romantic, authentic, or significant than Cragun, just wondering. With scenery like this I'm beginning to be fond of Craigen.

More about Craigendarroch from Royal Deeside Website, click here:

Ballater, scenic capital of Deeside, nestles, Alpine style, at the foot of Craigendarroch Hill in what must be one of the most beautiful settings in Scotland. Few can fail to be impressed by the magnificence of the scenery surrounding this quiet, unspoiled village.

Craigendarroch is a remnant of the ancient plateau surface which was deeply dissected by the glaciers of the last ice age. The name is derived from two Gaelic words - "Craig" for crag or hill and "darroch" meaning oak. The name is entirely appropriate for the hill is a time capsule harbouring one of the last stands of oak on Deeside. Before the influence of man and his need for agriculture, the oak was the dominant climax vegetation in this part of Deeside. Now only a few stands remain and Craigendarroch is one the finest examples. However, it is thought even these oaks were planted by man although, of course, the hill must at one time have supported a natural oak wood. The first recorded use of the name "Hill of the Oaks" was in the early 18th century, but oak trees are known to have been present on Craigendarroch for well over three hundred years.

The pattern of the present wood suggests that it has been planted and managed as a coppice. The cuttings were extensively used in the local leather tanning industry, but prior to that full grown trees were felled to provide timber which was used to build ships. Some were also used for pews in a church in Aberdeen.

The commercial exploitation of the wood ceased towards the end of the 19th century - most of the present trees are approximately 120 years old. Now the wood remains as the jewel in the botanical crown of the flora of Deeside. It is a reminder of things past, a place to be enjoyed from within and from afar, a haven for a myriad of flora and fauna, but above all, a safe and delightful walking place for all who come to Ballater.

These features have been recognised nationally, leading to the designation of Craigendarroch as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and all of Royal Deeside as a National Scenic Area.

To those doing research there are several new research postings on Patrick Cragun on http://cragunfamilyresearchblog.blogspot.com/

Historical or Should I Say Histerical Tech Suppport

Mocavo Genealogy Search Engine Found By Attending A Webinar

Everyone Likes To Share

Mocavo was recommended to me yesterday. http://www.mocavo.com/

This is a search engine, like Google, except it is focused on filtering out the non genealogy sites.

You do have to register your email address and name, no big deal.

Here is a testimony they placed on their website. Dick Eastman

"All my future genealogy searches will start on Mocavo.com. I've been using the site for a while during its testing and have been very impressed. I suspect you will always have better luck searching for your own surnames of interest on Mocavo.com than on any other search engine."

I did a search on Mocavo for Patrick Cragun and found it only pulled up results that were directly related to Patrick. Pretty cool. 

For me, it was one of the many jewels that came out of a webinar. It is truly fabulous how many people are willing to share tips and information.

There are many webinars coming up and I can't imagine you not finding one that you can benefit from.

The process is easy, register, and you will get an email with the link to login and watch the webinar.

You will need to turn your volume up on your computer or phone into a number you will be provided.

I go to the website you will find linked on the right side of this blog: http://blog.geneawebinars.com/p/calendar.html Here is a pretty good directory of upcoming webinars.

For example if you have an Ancestry.com account you might benefit from this webinar:

Wednesday, May 23 8:00pm

Your Unofficial Guide to Ancestry.com: Tips, Hints and Hacks for Finding Your Ancestors

Always double check the time zones:

I think this is the next one I will attend: Wednesday, June 20 2:00pm

 Marriages and Anniversaries. Mining newspapers for engagements, marriages, anniversaries.

What would be cool is if someone could hold a webinar on one of my ancestor lines: Cragun, Porter, Bingham, or Salinas.

My experience is that expos, or conferences, are an awesome way to expand  your genealogy enthusiasm. The first one  I attended was sponsored by 2 LDS Stakes. It was awesome. Even a mini conference such as the monthly 3rd Saturday at the Riverton, Salt Lake City area, family history library event is one I try to never miss. I asked a speaker, while attending the South Davis Family History Fair, how many she spoke at - 2 per month was the answer. Now that would be just cool.

Here are some upcoming expos I just found out about.

Upcoming Events from Family History Expos


Colorado Family History Expo 2012

Crowne Plaza Colorado Springs

2886 South Circle Drive

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906


June  01  - 02, 2012




Northern California Family History Expo 2012
Crowne Plaza Sacramento Northeast

5321 Date Avenue

Sacramento, California 95841


July  06   - 07, 2012



Illinois Family History Expo 2012
Crowne Plaza Springfield

3000 South Dirksen Parkway

Springfield, Illinois 62703


August  03                                                     - 04, 2012




Midwest Family History Expo 2012
Holiday Inn Convention Center

110 South Second Avenue

Kearney, Nebraska 68848


September  07                                                     - 08, 2012




October Salt Lake City Family History Library Retreat 2012
Salt Lake Plaza Hotel

122 West South Temple

Salt Lake City, Utah 84101


October  22                                                     - 26, 2012




Georgia Family History Expo 2012
Gwinnett Center

6400 Sugarloaf Parkway

Duluth, Georgia 30097


November  09                                                     - 10, 2012

Family Search the Website

Family Search.org, through a social media marketing firm "97th Floor", contacted me asking if I would like them to produce an article for this blog. I consider that an honor. It is my plan to encourage participants of common families or of products and websites I like to post here.

I especially encourage that on the research sites I am publishing. You can find those in the right hand column.

Currently I am serving in the training zone. We give each new Family History Church Headquarters Missionaries two weeks of one on one training. In that training they are taught that the first place they go to search is http://familysearch.org/

The article below is the guest article. Enjoy.

Researching Your Roots

Family historians can be found throughout the world quietly working from their home computer while trying to piece together their past. You can receive tremendous satisfaction when you discover your family origins and how your ancestors have impacted the kind of person you are today.
If you’re ready to begin your personal historical journey, there are numerous places to find information from the comfort of your own home. Online resources abound, including the free website FamilySearch.org, which contains data from the 1940 census release.

Beginning Your Search

The best way to begin is by gathering details and records concerning your family. There are several ways you can accomplish this enjoyable task:

• Go to FamilySearch.org and other helpful websites. You may find answers to some questions have already been researched by other family members. Use that information as a starting block while confirming its truth on your own.
• Talk to relatives and ask specific questions. You will want to develop a timeline, but don’t underestimate the importance of discussing each person’s values. You may find that some of the things you believe in have deep roots. Also, find out about family traditions. Consider documenting your interviews by audio or video.
• Start with interviewing your oldest living relatives first so that vital information isn’t lost when the person passes away or has memory problems.
• Look for all types of legal documents such as death certificates, marriage certificates, licenses, school records and real estate transactions.
• Don’t be shy! Call or write your extended family members for help.
• Attend family reunions
• Read diaries and journals
• Visit hometowns and cemeteries
• Look for memorabilia. Ask your parents or grandparents if you can go through basements, attics and sheds.

What’s Available on FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch.org offers a wealth of data including online genealogy training courses, access to indexing and creating family trees for your personal family history work. If you’d like to contribute to the genealogical cause, you can assist in indexing the 1940 census that was recently released.
FamilySearch.org also hosts family search forums where you can ask a multitude of questions and connect with people from around the globe. Their Research Wiki is a great resource for free family history research advice. It contains information provided by community members for anyone else in the community.

Start Today

With all the information available at your fingertips, start your family history work today. Whether you’re interested in indexing the 1940 census release or finding out what happened to a long-lost relative, you and your descendants for generations to come will benefit from the family history work you do now.

No U S Nuclear Accidents, Don't Believe It!

The Arco Desert

When you are a teenager you miss the importance of certain events that take place, right in front of you. My father had shared this story with our family many times. When he was in his 80's I encouraged him to dictate it to me so I could create some sort of book on this event. I guess I waited too long, as he couldn't stay focused, only reiterated some of what I write here. Dad did know from the day of the event I describe that what the world knew about nuclear accidents wasn't what he knew. He lived it. When I was 16 years old my father had cancer in the groin. He lost a testicle and spent months in radiation treatment, killing every cell in the groin area, thus killing the cancer. I now wonder did his heroic work cause the cancer.

Every work day for over 10 years my father, Royal Wilby Cragun drove from Pocatello, Idaho to the Arco Atomic Energy Site. He was a journeyman electrician from Pocatello Electricians Union local 449. I remember his co-workers Roland Helm, Ronnie Dransfield, and others would car pool. They were electricians and my father told me they were building a prototype for the The Atomic Submarine Nautilus. This was a duplicate of what the seagoing Nautilus would be. The companies mentioned below were common in our dinner conversations.

From WikiPedia: Nautilus was powered by the S2W naval reactor, a pressurized water reactor produced for the U.S. Navy by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Argonne National Laboratory, together with Westinghouse, developed the basic reactor plant design used in the USS Nautilus after being given the assignment on Dec. 31, 1947 to design a nuclear power plant for a submarine.^[6] Nuclear power had the crucial advantage in submarine propulsion because it is a zero-emission process that also consumes no air. The physics critical experiments supporting this design were performed at Argonne. This design is the basis for nearly all of the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine and surface combat ships, and was adapted by other countries for naval nuclear propulsion. The first actual prototype (for the Nautilus) was constructed and tested by Argonne at the S1W facility in Idaho.

My father and his buddies had an air of pride about what they were involved in constructing. One day they returned home very late. Dad was in a state of shock. There had been a terrible accident. Three men had been killed.

For their safety there was always a process, of having on their person a device that measured the radiation level in the ship and on their bodies. They couldn't enter or leave certain areas without those devices measuring safely. The possibility of being contaminated was real. Also, there were instruments all around they could see performing the same function. This day they my father witnessed a terrible accident, a nuclear accident.

As dad told it, a nuclear explosion took place in a portion of the sub. It created radiation that permeated a portion of the ship. My father and Roland Helm were close to the event but safely out of harms way. Another man near the explosion panicked, tore off his protection suit, headed for his car and drove toward Idaho Falls. Two men near the explosion were locked in the area and soon died. 

My father and Roland were either asked or volunteered to enter the contaminated area to retrieve the bodies.

They were scrubbed down before and after and received all of the precautions safety standards would demand. Dad told me they retrieved the bodies, and I sensed he felt he and Roland had performed an act of bravery.

He told me as they returned to Pocatello that night they witnessed their co-worker who ran, in his car, the worker dead, and the car being buried there in the desert.

Why my father did not write this story during the time of the event, he was in his  40's, I do not know. Perhaps he was told not to. At times I heard our government brag about our never having a nuclear accident causing deaths. I would confront him, his story was always the same and his hesitation to put it in print real.

I know three men died one day in the Arco desert. I know my father and Roland Helm retrieved the the bodies of two of them. I know that a third man, and his car were buried in that desert. I know we cannot say no one has died from a nuclear incident in our country. I also know that our government, and certain people that worked  at Westinghouse Electric Corporation and the Argonne National Laboratory know.

I have no motive to disparage any nuclear program.  I just in honor of my father and Roland Helm, who are both dead now, want what few facts of the story I have been given, be published. Here, it's done.

After posting this I found WikiPedia referring to the accident. I also found this video:



I also found this on Encylopedia of Earth dotcom:  The NRTS was also the site of the first fatal nuclear accident in the U.S. which killed three men on July 3, 1961. The men were working in the experimental reactor Stationary Low-Power Plant Number 1 when one of the control rods was removed from the reactor improperly. This led to a core meltdown and eventual explosion of the reactor.

I guess there is confirmation that supports this story. The news stories that say there were no deaths are wrong.

U S S Nautilus

Denny Hancock = A Great Story

Even though Denny can't fly like some superheroes because of a childhood brain injury, he's still saving the world one person at a time with an old carpet truck full of food for the hungry and a little piece of home for the homeless. He also provides a home for abused women. He and his wife are awesome.

Sometimes Our Parents & Grandparents Hid The Truth, Even My Grandmother Blanch Bingham?

Our Grandmother Blanche Bingham had a rough life at times. I wrote previously from her writings as an old lady, how she said she was lonely. Click Here We have other writings where she said how happy she was. We are told things we are having a hard time verifying. Her first husband, Grundy, seemed to be a bigomist, so the story goes. I was told as a young person this marriage was anulled. We see in her writings the word divorce. Then she married Cragun and it seems those were hard times. Simeon Cragun, my grandfather died. At that time my father, Royal Cragun was the oldest at home. He was a responsible type person and went to work, foregoing any higher education, to support Grandmother and his younger siblings.

Yesterday, my sister Nancy called. Being the bloodhound detective she is, and prompted by the recent Who Do You Think You Are show, decided to check out the bigamy story.  She called and asked me to go to Ogden, where many of these events likely took place. It seems the dates of marriages, births, etc. aren't matching up.

Seeing the document beats hand me down stories.

Ahah, I have one of Grandmothers marriage certificate in things I got from Mother. It saves a lot of effort to have the documents easily at your fingertips. So now I refer you back to the article: Be Ye Therefore Organized, click here for that. It's really a great feeling.

Here is one of the documents you wanted me to research, Nancy: front and back. Click the link below the certificate to go to SlideShare.net where you can, and I did upload the document. A larger photo is at that site.

Kent Smith Blanche Bingham Marriage cert

View more presentations from Larry K Cragun is on a family history mission

Kent Smith Marriage Cert

View more presentations from Larry K Cragun is on a family history mission

2 Key Things To Know About Genealogy Research

Perhaps Your Ancestors Are Close By

1- Your Ancestors want to be found and to be remembered. Death isn't the end it is the next step. You can help them and they will help you.

Do you love the hunt? It gets that way as you proceed.  Are you good on the computer? Then do research. Did you know your grandparents, attend reunions, live in the same place, or know the facts in the pictures you have? Then write the story.

You develop an amazing love for your ancestors as you engange in Genealogy.

2- Keep in mind that records are kept in a specfic place. Your job is to find that place. Locate the office or source of the original record. It may be in a City, County, Church or Government location. They may be in vital records, a cemetary, a census, be a land record, a church or military record, naturalization records, probate, or a newpaper or school record.

Find or make a log sheet, keep each family in a file so you have a record of which of the above you searched. "Be Happy, Find Granny"

An interesting article on DNA by Michael R Maglio

   Don’t get me wrong. Autosomal DNA testing is a very valuable tool. A match has the possibility of breaking through some very significant genealogical brick walls. It’s important to understand what a match means or doesn’t mean.

In a nutshell, we all have 46 chromosomes, 23 from mom and 23 from dad. Two of those chromosomes are the sexy kind, X and Y. We’ll ignore those for now. In an autosomal test, the DNA sequences in your chromosomes are compared against everyone in the testing company’s database. The goal is to find long matching sequences. Depending on how long the sequences are and the total number of matching sequences, a calculation predicts the cousin relationship.

Click here for the full article.

A Story About Being Kind

There are MANY kind people 'out there'. We know ONLY TOO WELL how true that is, because we have been fortunate enough to have experienced SO MANY thoughtful, kind actions! We never DREAMED the 'golden years' would become 'tarnished'....but we express OUR thanx to EACH of YOU, who have contributed FAR MORE to us than you even REALIZE...!!! Huggies and 'God Bless' --
                                                                                                         The Howard Craguns 'He' and 'She'
   A NYC Taxi driver wrote:
     I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. "Just a minute" answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
    After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it (like somebody out of a 1940’s movie). By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard  box filled with photos and glassware.
    "Would you carry my bag out to the car?"’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
     She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It’s nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated."
     "Oh, you’re such a good boy", she said.
      When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown? "It’s not the shortest way," I answered quickly. "Oh, I don’t mind" she said. "I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice".
      I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don’t have any family left," she continued in a soft voice, "and the doctor says I don’t have very long." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.
      For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom, where she had gone dancing as a girl.
     Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building, or corner, and would sit staring into the darkness...saying nothing.
     As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I’m tired. Please, let’s go now."
     We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. I felt they were expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
     "How much do I owe you?" She asked, as she reached into her purse. "Nothing", I said. "You have to make a living!" she answered. "There are other passengers," I responded.
     Almost without thinking, I bent down and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "THANK YOU!" I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
     I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift, I just drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
      On a quick review, I don’t think I've done anything more important in my life!
      We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Tip On Research: English Christenings

 

  Christenings Not Done Immediately

Christenings in England were  often done as much as a year after the child was born.  If you see a Christening days after a birth, and you have no death date, it is probably an indication the child died at or near its birth. 

No Proof Patrick Cragun Was In the Boston Tea Party.

Today I researched the Boston Tea Party at The Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I was hoping to find the names of the participants and find our Patrick Cragun named as one of them.

Good luck and bad luck for the story of Patrick.


The complete articles is here:

Is Our Grandfather Salinas A Descendant of Louis VIII, King of France?

Our grandfather, Thomas Salinas, from Mexico, a descendent of King Louis VIII?

He just might be. Check out the Pedigree Chart I posted on the Thomas Salinas Research Blog. It connects Thomas to Royalty and then to Louis the VIII, King of France.

There you will also find a couple of stories about Thomas and Nancy Athena Porter. Click here for the newly started research blog site.

I think I remember that King Louis fathered a lot of children.

These connections were made in http://new.familysearch.org/

Inserting A Photo Into Your Article

The first option, uploading from your computer, is the same process as attaching a file to your email. You click the photo icon above and a browse box will open up as below:

Another box opens up for you to locate your photo from your computer. You will select the photo and it will upload it to a box. The final step is to click the add selected  button at the bottom right.








The second option is to locate and copy HTML from a website such as Flickr. The below slide show describes those steps.

Capturing a photo from flickr

This Slide Show was created as a Power Point Document, then uploaded as a PDF to http://slidesharedot.net/ . I then took the HTML and inserted it here, similar to the photo process. LinkedIn recently announced it was purchasing Slideshare. Slideshare is similar to Flickr, except it is a place to host documents, PDF's,a nd Power Point Presentations. 

Cragun, Bingham, Porter, & Salinas Research Blogs

Think of all the genealogy information hiding in plain site, deep within the covers of books and publications in libraries like this.

Think of how much time is spent searching them.

Think of how much data has been stored on microfilm, with libraries such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints Salt Lake City Family History Library shelves, and in the granite vault.

Genealogy is even more hip now, people are catching the spirit. Some youngsters are choosing Genealogy over video games.

The search is on, and you might be a part of it.

I don't want you to waste your time duplicating someone else's research. My main family lines are in the title of this post. If you are from the same ancestors, you are welcome to join with me in focusing on common family lines.

If you are a Cragun Bingham Porter or Salinas lets get together and attack both our dead ends and our fables.

I'm not interested in credit or being possessive, I'm interested in results.
So join me. My sister Nancy has been awesome. Nancy if you have things to post, I welcome you to be a contributor. Other cousins known and unknown also. If you aren't related, get with the concept on your family lines. If you think you can't do this you are wrong, anyone can do this if they can do email. It's about that easy to blog. We are wrapping up the last of a four session series of training. We hope to do more of these and expect that will happen.
I have setup four research blogs. Cragun is here Porter is here Bingham is here and Salinas is here.

Today I was with a new Family History missionary today at the Salt Lake City Family History Library. Her ancestors came to Australia from England. We were able to find real good copies on microfilm of births in the county of England with children having the same last name of that ancestor. The first thing I instilled within her in her training was to use research logs to record the results. As I get more focused to being back on my research I will post the research I do on the research blog  of that family.  Back to the concept of why duplicate each others research. There is so much not yet indexed, on microfilm, in books, in journals, and in family records. I sincerely believe in, and want to be a promoter of families working together so they don't waste time duplicating each others work.

I guess that makes me a Mormon Evangelist.

Cragun Traits

Eva Cragun Heiner wrote a few things in her book, Patrick Cragun Descendants in America 1744-1969 a few things that just have to be wrong about the Craguns.

I'll share a couple: 1- "A Cragun would rather argue than eat". Now that might have been true about my dad, Royal Cragun, even his brother Howard - oh no, not Howard = he's still alive. Sorry Uncle. But their brother Glen, now that guy loved to argue. He was a good guy though. O K, I can prove that this Cragun never got into arguing. Not in the past, not now, not ever. Obama is a Marxist.

See that lady in the photo above. Do you know why she is crying? It's simple, she knew that I should have won it with the title Mr. Blog USA. I got rooked. Her final question was a setup. They asked her a question where she could answer, "World Peace." And my question was a dopey one - How many games did the Seattle Supersonics win last year.

2- She also wrote that it could never be said, "like father like son", for if the father was a farmer the sons did something else. Now this is plain idiocy. My father was an electrician and a refrigeration mechanic. He was always tinkering with things. It's not my fault that my sister Nancy got all the natural mechanic and engineering skills. Pure coincidence Eva, not temperament.

Oh, and to prove Eva didn't have things right about we Craguns, she claims "we never stay in the area where we were born". I was born in Shelton, Washington. We left for Pocatello when I was about 7 years old. Now the fact is, that I did return to Shelton once 18 years ago. My not settling there had nothing to do with what Eva was implying, it's just that Shelton is a dead town with nothing exciting to do. And for Pocatello, hey, no one stays in Pocatello. It's too close to Inkom. We used to identify it with a saying: Inkom Stinkum.

Don't go buy the book. It's dead wrong. And besides, it's out of print. The real Cragun's can be identified by my character

 Take a look at this cute picture. You can tell, smooth natured, easy going, sweet, never argues, friendly, and the kicker, I have only owned and resided in 5 different homes in the last 14 years. So there. Lar