Mamma Mia! and the Joy of Choosing Your Own Ancestors

Yesterday I went with my mom to see the movie Mamma Mia!. I am such a good son, taking my mother to see this completely ridiculous campy musical extravaganza. I also saw the Broadway musical version last year with my mom and two other friends. And now I'm going to admit that I'm an Abba fan. I've liked them since I was a young sprog and they were still together making records. And all married to each other. And I honestly thought I would hate Mamma Mia!. But I admit I liked the thing. It's just so silly and uplifting and fun. And it's filled with Abba songs. Tons of them. The movie is just about as much fun as the stage musical. And Meryl Streep looks like she's having a blast throughout.

So now I know what you're thinking: What does Mamma Mia! have to do with genealogy? C'mon theatergoers, it's soooo obvious. The girl has three dads! And she doesn't know which one is really her dad. Sophie's mom had brief affairs with three men right in a row some twenty years ago. And now Sophie, who's about to be married, wants to know who her dad is. So she invites all three to the wedding. And they all show up. Mayhem and Abba songs ensue. C'mon if you had three dads wouldn't you dance around and start singing "Voulez-Vous" for no reason? While most of us are trying to figure out who our great great great great grandparents are, this poor girl has three potential dads lined up in a row and she doesn't know which one is the right guy. Hey, even own her mother, Meryl Streep, doesn't know. Now before you can say, "DNA test," please consider this: there are no Abba songs about DNA. Nope. Nothing about genetics either, or genealogy, or having three dads. And consider this: Sophie's dad is one of the following...

1. Remington Steele
2. Mr. Darcy himself
3. Some sea-faring Swedish guy

Er, actually that would be:

1. Pierce Brosnan
2. Colin Frith or Firth I can never remember which
3. A fine Swedish actor whose name I can't spell

Now would you have a DNA test, or perhaps just choose Mr. Darcy? Personally I think I'd run off with Sophie, who is just as cute as can be. Er wait a minute I've gone off track here. So pretend for a moment that you get to pick your ancestors. It would make genealogy sooo much easier. Yeah, I'm not sure if I'd want that Jane Austen dude as an ancestor, so I'm going with Remington Steele. Even if he can't sing. And for my grandparents... hmmm... let's see...

All right now back to some real genealogy. Everyone go click on some links over on the right side.

20 Things That Make Genealogy Fun

This is intended to be a bunch of silly nonsense. So please don't take it too seriously.

1. In Germany all the women are named Anna Maria and all the men are named Johann. This was done to confuse genealogists.


2. In Mexico all the women are named Maria and all the men are named Juan. This was done to confuse genealogists.


3. In Ireland all the women are named Mary and all the men are named James Patrick O'Connor. This was done for "fun in the pub."


4. In New Mexico the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "Juan Baca Game." No one knows who Juan Baca was, but everyone in New Mexico can trace their ancestors to him.


5. In Boston the "Kevin Bacon Game" is called the "James Patrick O'Connor Game." And you're only allowed to play with a Boston accent. For tips on fine tuning your Boston accent see the Academy Award winning Martin Scorsese film, the Depahhted.


6. The record you need is always at the end of the microfilm roll.


7. The records at the beginning of the roll are clear and easy to read with beautiful penmenship. By the time you scroll to the end of the roll where the record you need is located, everything is a blurry mess.


8. Oh nevermind. They're gonna digitize all of it soon anyway, right?


9. You actually know what M237 means. You freak.


10. All of your ancestors settled in Chicago. Whenever you can't find something about them you curse Mrs. O'Leary's cow.


11. That same cow is probably responsible for the loss of the 1890 census.


12. Stupid cow.


13. You wonder why a non-profit religious organization can distribute National Archives microfilm better than the National Archives.


14. You wish the founding fathers had thought up Social Security so the Social Security Death Index would begin around, oh, 1780 or so.


15. When someone first tells you their last name you immediately convert it into a Soundex code. This kind of behavior is so not normal. Er wait a minute, since everything has been/will be digitized we don't need Soundex codes anymore, right?


16. Your ancestors did not swim to America.


17. You are not a Cherokee princess.


18. None of your ancestors knew Jesse James.


19. But my Apache princess ancestor knew Billy the Kid.


20. So yeah, my ancestors are cooler than yours. Well of course everyone thinks that... Ok, number 19 is not really true.

Your ancestors really did swim to America. Perhaps alongside one of these ships: Finding Passenger Lists 1820-1940s (arrivals at US Ports)

Your ancestors are named Anna Maria and Johann. You'll love it here: German Roots: German Genealogy Resources

Your ancestors are named Mary and James Patrick O'Connor: Irish Genealogy Resources

You've been playing the "Juan Baca Game..." New Mexico Genealogy Resources

Don't know what M237 means? You do now... National Archives Microfilm Publication M237: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY, 1820-1897, which of course, has been digitized.

The Fate of the 1890 Census Stupid cow!

This is a revised and reduced version of my original "25 Things that Make Genealogy Fun" list. So yeah basically I stole this from myself. Please don't bother with the original one. Note lack of link.

Happy Birthday, Genealogy Roots Blog!

Oops! While I wasn't paying attention, the Genealogy Roots Blog quietly turned 2. Yesterday was the blog's second anniversary. My first post, about the Missouri Death Certificates Index, was on April 18, 2006.

So a humble and slightly late happy birthday to the Genealogy Roots Blog. A big thank you to everyone who reads this.

Also, we have some new subscribers who are coming over from the old Genealogy Roots Newsletter, which is being shut down and replaced by this blog. The newsletter that inspired this blog goes back to 2001. So welcome new subscribers. Thanks for dropping by.

Hello to Randy Seaver and Megan Smolenyak, who also started genealogy blogging in April 2006.

Season's Greetings - Happy Winter

Happy winter celebration. Happy Christmas. Happy 2008. -Joe

Illinois Genealogy: the Musical - Well, Sorta

Come on Feel the Illinoise!
Some thoughts on the great state of Illinois, having Illinois ancestors and an album called Illinois (this is actually a wacky CD review with a bit about genealogy - yeah, sneaky, I know)...

In 2005 a rather obscure musician/songwriter named Sufjan Stevens released an album called Illinois that is slowly making its way toward underground classic status. Apparently Mr. Stevens would like to make 50 such albums, one for each state, but he has quite a ways to go. In 2003 he released one for Michigan. And now just 48 states remain between him and immortality.

The first song on the Illinois album is called "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois." And now you know that Highland is the Roswell of Illinois. My great great grandparents, Frank and Mary Appel, came (separately) from Germany and settled in Highland, Illinois in the middle of the 19th Century. Frank was briefly on the first Highland city council, but he didn't like it that pigs were roaming around everywhere, so he and the other councilmen passed a law banning livestock from the city limits. The local farmers didn't like this at all and Frank was not re-elected to the city council - he received a mere 6 votes in the election. Let this be a lesson to all you politicians out there who do stupid things. Instead he opened a saloon, which was probably frequented by space aliens and drunken pigs.

My favorite song on the Illinois CD is "Chicago" which is about the city where my brother was born. Ok, he was actually born in Cook County, in a place called Des Plaines, which is also where Ray Kroc started building his McDonald's restaurant chain.

The best thing about the album really, aside from all the melancholy songs and quirky arrangements, is the weird song titles. Here's one: "They are Night Zombies!! They are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh!" That's really one of the titles. It's an Illinois thing. You'll understand if you once lived there or live there now. Or if you have saloon-keeping great great grandfathers from Highland, Illinois, who were not liked by zombie pig farmers.

And if you're going to rhyme "Decatur" with "alligator" like Mr. Stevens does, well, I'm going to think you're cool. And I'm going to write a non-sensical genealogy blog post that has nothing to do with genealogy, but actually kinda does...

-former Cook County resident, Joe B.

You might be interested in...

• Online Illinois Death Records, Indexes, Obituaries and Cemetery Burials


• Illinois State Archives Online Genealogy Databases


• Illinois CD by Sufjan Stevens

Memories of McDonald's

When you were a kid or perhaps when your children were kids, McDonald's restaurants looked a little different than they do today. Back then the Golden Arches were part of the design of the building. Today they're just a logo, something you see on the sign or the doors.


The first McDonald's I ever went to was on Broadway near Orchard in Littleton, Colorado (just south of Denver). It looked kind of like the picture above, but it didn't have a dining room - you ordered your burgers at the counter and ate in your car, or brought the food home. I'm convinced the basic McDonald's hamburger was the same then, although I'm sure they've made changes. It came with mustard, ketchup, a pickle slice, and some chopped-up onions, just like today. The Big Mac hadn't been invented yet. But the biggest difference has to be the French fries. Back then they left the skin on the potatoes - today's fries just don't compare. The cool McDonald's on Broadway later moved down the street and now it looks just like any other modern McDonald's.

I took the photograph at a retro McDonald's on Alameda near Federal here in Denver in January, 2007. You can click on the photo for a larger view. Or click here for a nighttime view: the Golden Arches at night

The Origin of the "Wee-Monster" Genealogy Website

Update: The "Wee Monster" genealogy website has moved. It is now at: German Roots - German Genealogy Resources

Some popular pages on the Wee Monster genealogy website with links to where they are now:

Online Birth and Marriage Records Indexes (USA)

Genealogy Records, Indexes and Databases on the Internet (USA)

What Passenger Lists Are Online?

Online Searchable Naturalization Indexes and Records (USA)

The Origin of the "Wee-Monster" Genealogy Website...
A bunch of genealogy bloggers are "tagging" other genealogy bloggers (as in "you're it") to get them to write a blog post where you list 5 things about yourself that your blog readers probably don't know. I've been tagged 3 times (!), first by Randy Seaver, then by George Morgan and Rick Crume. Since the main purpose of this blog is to help people find their ancestors I see no point in boring you with this sort of silliness.

But! I did come up with one thing you may not know about me that might indirectly help you find something about your ancestors: I used to have a dog named Monster.

So how is that going to help you find your ancestors? Well... when I first signed up for some web space back in 1998 I named it "wee-monster" after my dog. The website is actually called "German Roots," but the URL originally had the phrase wee-monster in it. Here's where the wee monster website is now: German Roots - German Genealogy Resources

The idea for the website was to help Americans with German ancestors find their roots, but the site soon went a little off the original topic, and it now has a few sections devoted to American genealogy in general. My Death Indexes and Records website was originally a single webpage on the German Roots website that got out of hand. Same thing happened with my Military Indexes and Records website. The Online Passenger Lists webpage is still there on the German Roots website. See? Maybe my dog was able to help you find something about your ancestors (insert smiley face here).

Here's a picture of the wee Monster contemplating her legendary status. As you can see, she was a totally ferocious beast so you better be afraid (insert another smiley face here).

Now go find some ancestors!

This article was updated on 9 September 2010.

Live Long and Prosper - How Symbols Influence Pop Culture

The Cemetery Symbols Blog has a recent post about the Jewish symbol of the Priestly Blessing, which can sometimes be found on tombstones of people with a priestly lineage. The Hebrew word for priest is Kohen (or Cohen). As a child, actor Leonard Nimoy saw the Priestly Blessing in a synagogue and later adapted it as the Vulcan hand greeting in the Star Trek television series. For more see: Kohanim or Cohanim Hands - Priestly Blessing at the cemetery symbols blog.

U.S. Population Now at 300 Million

Americans... today you are 1 of 300,000,000. The U.S. Census Bureau
has reported that the total population of the United States reached
300 million at about 7:46 (EDT) this morning. The U.S. reached the 200
million mark in 1967 and the 100 million mark in 1915. Presently in
the United States there is one birth every 7 seconds, one death every
13 seconds, and one international migrant is added every 31 seconds.
This adds one person to the U.S. population every 11 seconds. You can
see the Census Bureau's population clock at: U.S. Population Clock

What does it cost to count you?
This webpage lists what it cost the U.S. government to take the decennial federal census for each of the census years: The Cost of the US Census and Population Figures 1790-2000

Maria von Trapp in the Social Security Death Index

Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born matriarch of the famous singing von Trapp family of Sound of Music fame, passed away in Vermont in 1987, and she can be found listed in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) ...

Name: MARIA TRAPP
Birth: 26 Jan 1905
Death: Apr 1987
Last Residence: 05672 (Stowe, Lamoille, VT)
Last Benefit: (none specified)
Social Security Number: 009-32-2317
Issued: Vermont

Note that her surname lacks the "von" part and her death date is given as April 1987 without a specific day. Maria actually died on 28 March 1987 as can be seen in this listing from Ancestry's Vermont Death Index -- See: Vermont Death Indexes and Records ...

Name: Maria Augusta Von Tropp
Gender: Female
Death Date: 28 Mar 1987
Birth Location: Austria
Place of Death: Inpatient
Death Location: Morristown, Lamoille

You can view Maria von Trapp's death certificate online here from FamilySearch (requires free registration)

A typed index card of her husband's death record can be viewed here: Captain George von Trapp's death record from FamilySearch (requires free registration); Be sure to view the next image to see the back of the card.

While Maria died in a hopsital in Morristown, her death certificate shows her residence as Stowe, VT. Her usual occupation is given as "author" and her business or industry as "entertainment." The informant (person who supplied the information) was her son, Johannes von Trapp. Note the spelling of her surname in the index - Von Tropp) - it does look like Tropp, rather than Trapp, on the hand written death certificate.

When using the SSDI if you come upon a month and year only for the death date you can usually get the correct date from other sources such as the person's death certificate. Try the online death records directory for some online indexes and sources.

Also, when searching for surnames that contain more than one word you might try different variations like... Trapp, Vontrapp or von Trapp.

Maria von Trapp is buried in the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, along with her husband, Georg Ritter von Trapp, who died on 30 May 1947, and Hedwig von Trapp (1917–1972), daughter of Georg and his first wife, Agathe. (The photo at left: Maria von Trapp, 1944.)

Georg and Agathe (Whitehead) von Trapp had seven children, all born in Austria: Rupert, Agathe, Maria, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina. Agathe von Trapp died in 1922 of scarlet fever. Georg and Maria (Kutschera) von Trapp, who married in 1927, had three children: Rosmarie, Eleonore, and Johannes. The first two were born in Austria. Johannes was born in Philadelphia while the von Trapps were visiting Pennsylvania on a singing tour. The family later settled in the United States.

Sound of Music Fun
In the Sound of Music movie, the real Maria von Trapp, along with one of her daughters and a granddaughter, did a "walk-on" and can be seen briefly in the "I Have Confidence" segment behind Julie Andrews.

More von Trapp Genealogy
For more information on genealogy records related to the von Trapp family see: Immigration Records for the Singing von Trapp Family

This article was updated on 18 April 2023.

Passports of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio

"Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our Nation turns its lonely eyes to you..."

I'm sensing a new trend. Buddy Holly's passport was recently sold at auction. And now a sports memorabilia company has put passports for Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio up for auction. Marilyn Monroe's dates from 1954 and was issued to "Norma Jean DiMaggio known as Marilyn Monroe."

I'm no expert on memorabilia or auctions, but as a genealogist I like looking at old records and things like passports. You can have a look at these two famous passports at...

Joe DiMaggio's Passport - Auction Listing

Marilyn Monroe's Passport - Auction Listing

For information on obtaining passport records see the Passport Application Records section on the Finding Naturalization Records webpage.