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.

Online Death Certificates and Records - USA

This webpage/blog post has moved. See:

Places to Find Digitized Death Certificates to Download Online - USA

Updated on 22 October 2021.

Death Indexes Website is Back Online

The Online Searchable Death Indexes, Records and Obituaries website is back online. Thank you.

Online Death Records and Indexes - New Additions and Updates

The Online Searchable Death Indexes and Records Website has been updated with links to the following items...

Arizona
- Arizona Death Records 1844-1957 (update: 1844-1877 and 1957 added)
- Miscellaneous Arizona Obituaries Index

Arkansas
- Craighead County Deaths & Obituaries Index 1885-2008 -- from The Jonesboro Sun

Colorado
- Pitkin County: Ute Cemetery Burials (in Aspen) -- includes some Civil War veterans

Indiana
- Putnam County Cemeteries - Listed by Township -- searchable by name (not complete)

Missouri
- Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1957 (update: death certificates for 1940-1944 and 1957 added)

North Carolina
- Macon County Cemeteries

Ohio
- Franklin County: Obetz Cemetery Burials - Columbus, Ohio

Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia City Death Certificates 1803-1915 from FamilySearch Labs (being tested)
- Westmoreland County: Latrobe Bulletin Obituaries and Death Notices Index, December 18, 1902-present -- from the Adams Memorial Library

South Carolina
- South Carolina Death Index 1915-1957 (update: year 1957 added)
- Dillon County: Extracts of Obituaries from the Dillon Herald 1940-2008

South Dakota
- South Dakota State Archives - WPA Cemeteries Search -- pre-1940s (not complete)

Tennessee
- Tennessee Death Index 1914-1924 (update: year 1924 added)

Texas
- Texas Deaths 1890-1976 from FamilySearch Labs -- includes text summaries with some information from the death certificates (being tested)

Virginia
- Newport News: Daily Press Obituary Index 1898-1988 -- from the Newport News Public Library System

Washington
- Washington Deaths 1907-1960 from FamilySearch Labs -- includes text summaries with some information from the death certificates (being tested)

See: Online Searchable Death Records Indexes and Obituaries

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.