Designing Your Own Genealogy Charts

Really working hard trying to put my family history book together. I tried to make a pedigree chart using my gedcom file and saved it as a PDF. When I tried to upload it at Lulu the file wasn't accepted. I then turned to designing my own chart. Since my focus in the book is the Forgey line designing my own chart really is the best solution anyway. I decided to make a basic hierarchical chart beginning with my grandparents in two rectangular boxes, with my great-grandparents boxes going down the page. Not sure about how colors and fancy formatting would translate as far as publishing at Lulu, so I decided to just go very basic. Hopefully, Lulu will accept this PDF. Lulu does not accept PDF's without embedded fonts.
Looking at several videos at the Microsoft Charts page I see you can really create some interesting personalized charts. With time and creativity you can produce a work of art. I like the idea of making unconventional charts that will display well in a book format, or on an 8x11 piece of paper.
You can see my entire chart here https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwF6-JJ2FtA1Vm52QUZuY3U5T2s
In other news I received an email from someone descended from the Forgy family of Pennsylvania and Ohio. He took the FT DNA Family Finder test. This family did not match my line as far as the Y test goes. This may have been due to a non paternity event in one branch of that family. I am curious as to whether this person's Family Finder results may show a relationship to our family? Since this is an autosomal test it may not pick up a relationship that far back in time?

Searching for John and Nancy Forgey in Maury County, TN

The search continues for John and Nancy Forgey documents in Maury County, Tennessee. I thought I might find them in deeds records. I sent a request to Maury County Archives and asked for a search of their indexes for the Forgey/Forgy surname. They did not find them listed in the deeds. I might search myself eventually because it's always possible the name was badly misspelled. I should also check the deeds records for Giles County, TN. Numerous entries were found for the Andrew and Eleanor Forgey's children.
So far I've only seen John Forgey listed with Andrew Forgey on Taxlists for Giles and Maury County, TN the 1820 Census for Maury County. We know that John Forgey was in the Giles/Maury County in 1810 when he was appointed Militia Captain. He also appears to have been involved in a lawsuit in 1813:
 "Giles County TN 1813-11-16

On motion of Isaac SAMS by John WHITE his atty. and it appearing to the satisfaction of this court that the said Isaac SAMS has paid as security for John FORGEY, the sum of $11.23 on an execution which issued in pursuance of a judgment rendered at the last term of this court in favour of William BALL against said FORGEY & AMS, it is considered by the court that plft. recover against said deft. the aforesaid sum. (Judg. & Clks. fees paid) GI Cty. Ct. Min. 

John is not mentioned in any records for Maury County after 1820. Although, I believe this 1822 Maury County Deed book entry probably refers to John Forgey, because I have not found a John Forney living in the area at the time:

Maury County Will abstract

 I have not found Nancy Forgey mentioned in any records in that area.

This is the deeds Index for James Forgey the Maury County archives Clerk sent me:

Join the Marines see Nicaragua??

I've been collecting family pictures and scanning them for a Family History book. When I found a song at YouTube called Nicaragua I knew I needed to make a photo video (just click above to watch).
My grandfather Charles Lynn Forgey was a US Marine. He joined the Marines in June 1916 (he was actually under age at the time so he lied about his age). First stationed at Mare Island Alameda, California he shipped out to Nicaragua in 1917.

Isis Forgey death record

My grandfather met and married my grandmother in Nicaragua. He remained in Nicaragua after his June 1920 discharge. He worked in the Chontales Honduras gold mines and for the Asotria Mahogany Comapny which was based in New York. Two children were born in Nicaragua. Isis Forgey (misspelled Hayses in her birth record) and my mother Edna Forgey. Isis was the oldest and sadly died a few months after her birth in 1920. According to the death record she died at half past 2 am on May 13, 1920 of an acute Gastrointestinal Infection. My mother was stung by a scorpion as a toddler and had to learn to walk a second time after that.
The family left Nicaragua in 1925 aboard the mail steamer Venezuela. My mother recalls leaving Nicaragua. She rode on a mule or donkey to the ship. She remembers monkeys trowing twigs. She threw one of her shoes overboard once they got on the ship. She also remembers the cabin steward was Chinese. Most of the passengers were American. They stopped at Mazatlan Mexico where passengers were taken off in baskets for site seeing.
They landed in San Pedro California where the family lived a short time.

Forgey family Passenger list (my mother didn't come over stowed away on a banana boat as my father said lol).

A Software Generated Family History

I've been comparing software generated Family templates for creating a Family History. I started out by using my own Rootsmagic program. I used the modified register report and added more photos for family members. It produced a nice layout, with lots of detail included in the family group layout. It also produced an index which is so helpful.

I also downloaded a free trial of The Family Historian software. I created another modified register here. It produced a slightly different layout. I believe that company is based in the UK where they have a different protocol for the arrangement of the data. Rootsmagic provided more details for individuals at the family group level whereas Family Historian only gave date ranges and no spouse info at this level. I could not manipulate the pictures in the Rootsmagic program but could with Family Historian. I was able to make the pictures small, medium and large. I could also move them. I later found out I could change the size of the pictures at Rootsmagic by going into setting then options and resizing them. I don't think you can move them in Rootsmagic?

I like the uncluttered, neater, layout Family Historian produced. It's easier for family members to read. Genealogists would probably prefer a more detail oriented layout like Rootsmagic.

Interchangeable Ancestors? The Family Search Tree

Musical Ancestors?

The game I've been playing at FamilySearch Tree . First an explanation of the situation at FamilySearch Tree. I am not sure whether this is now open for everyone to look at? If you have access it is the Tree which is displayed when you sign into FamilySearch and click the link to your own tree. This is the shared Family Tree created by FamilySearch which merges info that you may have contributed with contributions from other researchers. FamilySearch is also attempting to combine duplicate entries. All this merging has led to the merging of separate individuals, with the same name, being merged into one person.  So when you display your ancestor's individual profile you might see something like the profile to the right. What's the matter with that info? Well could someone born in in 1732 have been a resident of Calumet, Pike, Missouri in 1850? Also Andrew Forgey died in 1809. So obviously two separate Andrew Forgey's are being referred to in this one profile.
Another problem is disagreement among researchers regarding facts. If several separate facts are available for an ancestor all remain attached to the person. This can be useful. Research can then focus on resolving these discrepancies.
The biggest problem is once we have solved these discrepancies the bad information remains posted. The visible information may be changed to that verified with documentation as correct, but all of the bad information remains and can be added back at anytime.

Here is an example in my own family. There is a disagreement among Forgey Family researchers regarding the father of Andrew Forgey b. 1794. Some believe his name was James Forgey. I've done extensive research and believe his name was Hugh Forgey. Some researchers will never accept this. The parents I found for Andrew Forgey when I looked at the New Family Search Tree were James Forgey and Margaret Caldwell. We have their bible, and they didn't have a son named Andrew Forgey listed. According to his date of birth he does not fit into the birth order of their children; unless, Margaret had twins born 6 months apart?  I was able to add the parents I believe to be Andrew's parents at New Family Search (apparently you cannot add parents at the Family Search Tree).  You can see in the example image that Andrew Forgey now has four possible parents. These can switched be at anytime; hence, musical ancestors. I guess if you get tired of one set you can switch. Seriously though, this creates a muddled family tree with contending relatives switching parents back and forth. Hopefully, an arbitration situation can be created in the future where only the ancestors proven by a preponderance of the evidence can be displayed.