Oh Clarissa, What Will We Do Without You?

by Nancy Maliwesky

Clarissa Stallknecht was already a fixture on the Central New York Genealogical Society board when I signed on in 2012. As President and Hospitality Committee Chair, she not only voted for my crazy idea to start a biennial New York State based family history conference in Syracuse, but she volunteered to be on the planning committee. She put together the Conference’s first budget, attended weekly meetings, kept me organized and focused, helped me navigate the event planning with the venue staff and handled all the registration materials and the fine details that often slip through the cracks. She then took on a larger role with the 2015 and 2016 Conferences, coordinating our vendors and exhibitors.

She did this while working full-time, volunteering for the Brewerton Fire Department, acting as treasurer for the New York State Council of Genealogical Organizations, acting as Historian for the Fort Brewerton Historical Society, pursuing her own genealogical research, being a hands-on mom and grandmother and caring for an elderly neighbor.

Clarissa lived her life. She put her money where her mouth was, and supported the many organizations and people that she cared about. She never let anything stop her from doing what she felt needed to be done. She had health issues, but she didn’t talk about them. She just kept on going.

She didn’t seek out accolades; in fact, I think she preferred working out of the spotlight. She gave her friends her time, her advice, her thoughtful concern and her great sense of humor. She would tell me when she thought I was biting off more than I could chew, and she was usually right. I always knew she had my back.

If I have learned anything from knowing Clarissa, it is to live your life. Live your life. Do what you can, do what you think you can’t. Surprise yourself and never settle. Move forward with no regrets. Live your life.

I will miss you, my friend, and I look forward to catching up one day. I know you will have some great stories to tell me. Until then, come down to Dover, it’s warmer here and the birdfeeders are full. I’ll be keeping an eye out for you.

So fly, on your impossible wings
Be true to who you are in everything
Don’t settle for what doesn’t seem right
And raise your fists to this beautiful fight

I see you, big as a bird’s heart
I see you, brave as the day’s start
I see you, true as the North Star
I see you, beautiful as you are
I see you, I see you, I see you.

©2016 Nancy Maliwesky

Nancy Maliwesky, past Central New York Genealogical Society Board Member and Chair of the New York State Family History Conference worked as a professional genealogist with the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association for ten years. Recently retired, and now living with her husband in Dover, Delaware, she continues to pursue her passion for genealogical research and writing. She is also a singer/songwriter (the self proclaimed "Singing Genealogist") and an artist.

The Telephone Call from Neiffer

by Barbara Leiger Granato

Note: This blog is a continuation of my earlier one entitled “Excuse Me, Can You Tell Me Where Neiffer Is?” If you are confused, please re-read that blog and that will explain it all.

It was one of those beautiful sunny summer days in 1992 in Whitesboro, New York. Anyone who resides in this area and who works the typical Monday-Friday daytime job can truly appreciate how rare those sunny summer days on a weekend can be! To heck with the housework – my husband and I opted to lounge on our deck, bask in the sun, and play a few games of Backgammon while the children were playing with friends.

1992 was a time when we didn’t have cell phones; we didn’t have computers. We still pretty much relied on the good old U.S. Postal Service to send and receive letters, and we had to deal with long-distance telephone calls and pay for each one we made.

The ringing of the telephone interrupted our Backgammon game, and my husband Joe went in the house to answer the phone. And then, he called out to me – “Hey Barbie (he’s the only one I allow to call me that name), there’s a man on the phone who wants to speak to you. He said his name is Fred Neiffer.”

WHAT???? I made it to the telephone in record time. When I returned from our trip to find Neiffer, Pennsylvania, I wrote letters to all of the Neiffer families whose names I had found in the telephone book in that area. But – I never included my telephone number; I had only included an SASE (for those who may not remember that term – a “self-addressed-stamped-envelope”). I was hoping to get a reply from at least one of the Neiffer families.

I picked up the phone and nervously said, “Hello?” Was this person calling to yell at me for sending him a letter? And I never even gave him my telephone number! He had to call directory assistance to look it up. Yup – that’s another thing we could do back in the early 1990’s.

“Is this Barbara Granato?” the man asked.

“Yes, it is,” I replied.

“Barbara, this is Fred Neiffer. I just received a letter from you regarding information for your great-grandmother, Sarah Neiffer.”

“Um…I hope you don’t mind me sending you that letter,” I replied. “I really don’t know very much about her, and I was wondering if you might have some information.”

Not only did Fred have information – but the next thing I knew, we were talking like old friends. Well, after all, we were related! Fred told me that Sarah was the oldest of 11 children. Fred was a descendant of one of Sarah’s siblings. It seems that Fred was quite the family historian, and I hit the jackpot! He was able to tell me the names of Sarah’s parents, and even more information about the family. Before our telephone call ended, I got my calendar, and the next thing I knew, we were invited back down to the Neiffer area to meet the Neiffer family in person!

I not only received a telephone call from Fred, but I also received one from George Neiffer shortly after that! And so, just two weeks later, we returned to the area of Neiffer and met both families.

I have the George Neiffer family to thank for making copies of family photographs for me, which I placed in a beautiful collage. Among their family possessions of honor is a 50th Anniversary of the Civil War banner which had belonged to my great-grandmother Sarah’s father – Augustus Neiffer. I learned about the Civil War stories for Augustus – but that’s a whole other blog to be written.

I have the Fred Neiffer family to thank for inviting us to share a fabulous dinner with them, and then for a spectacular car ride through Neiffer territory and surrounding areas – and then learning exactly how far back some of our family went in that area (but again – that’s another blog to be written).

There was just one thing that was still unanswered, though. Is, or was, there ever a town called Neiffer? And what happened to it???

Well, the story about that is that my great grandmother Sarah Neiffer’s father was Augustus Neiffer. He had a brother named Samuel Neiffer. They lived in a very rural area. While Augustus was a carpenter and was well-known for making wooden pumps in the area, his brother Samuel owned a General Store on the four corners in a very rural area on Neiffer Road. That general store also served as a post office. When the U.S. Postal Service began to use zip codes, the Town of Neiffer was given the zip code of 19468. Today, the General Store is no longer there, but as far as I know, the zip code still remains.

I learned so much information about that branch (and other branches of those branches) from this trip. I remained in touch with the Neiffer family for several years, and one year attended a Neiffer family reunion. Although the years have gone by and we have lost touch with each other, I have many fond memories of that trip. I look at the photos that were given to me that I carefully placed into the framed collage, and it brings a smile to myself. One of those photos is priceless. It is a picture of my 2nd great-grandfather Augustus (the Civil War soldier) petting a cow. But this wasn’t just any cow – this was Rosie the cow! Yes – the Neiffer family even knew the name of the cow in the photograph!

And to think this wealth of information all began with a letter and a phone call!

Lessons Learned –

• Sometimes a good old-fashioned letter can lead to new family discoveries.
• Sometimes it is good to remember that people who are alive can give you more information than the ones we find in the cemeteries.
• Write down questions that you are trying to answer; sometimes the people you meet have information and family artifacts that have been passed down through the generations…information that could never be found elsewhere.

©2015 Barbara Leiger Granato

After retiring from her job as a secretary at Mohawk Valley Community College, Barbara Granato had more time to pursue her love of genealogy. She is a member of the Oneida Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, currently serving as the chapter Registrar and Vice-Chair of NYS Lineage Research for DAR. In addition to teaching Beginning Genealogy classes, she is a Board member of the Central New York Genealogical Society, as well as a Board Member for the Oneida County Historical Society. She also is a member of the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica and serves as a tour docent to the mansions on Rutger Street in Utica, and writes murder mysteries which are performed at one of the historic mansions once a year. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists as well as the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.

Who Are Your Genealogy Facebook Friends?

by Nancy Maliwesky

I like to spend a few minutes in the morning reading, drinking coffee, and checking my e-mail and Facebook page. I got to thinking about all the ways we now have to communicate that our grandparents and their grandparents couldn't even imagine. What with the internet, social networking, cable television and satellite radio, the world has truly become a smaller place, and as I scroll down the shared posts and videos on my Facebook page the enormity of this global impact astounds me. It is not unusual anymore to see a video with over 1.5 million views. Can you imagine sending out a post looking for family information that has the potential of reaching 1.5 million people?

I follow a number of genealogical society and professional genealogists' Facebook pages. I have also started a few genealogy groups and pages on Facebook. It is always nice to see genealogy posts scattered throughout my morning read and I love the ones that get my mind working in ways I hadn't previously considered. Blaine Bettinger, The Genetic Genealogist, just posted a chart where he is tracking his DNA matches and their minimum, medium, average and maximum shared DNA by relationship (cousin, sibling, grandparent, first cousin and the requisite "removed"s). When I first looked at it, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, but upon second viewing, and reading the comments, it started to make more sense, and may be an idea I should think about exploring. Thanks Blaine!

I've also been very impressed by the activity on the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Association's group page. Oftentimes, when you start a group, you feel like you're the only person posting on it, and you wonder how successful it is. This group has really taken off, and the shared knowledge of the many participants makes for exciting dialog and a treasure trove of information. It's exciting to see what lines people are working on, what genealogy vacations they are planning and having a place to share photos of relatives and shared ancestral locations is quite compelling. It really gives me a sense of community, and I'm not even a Pomeroy (OK, I stand corrected, but it's through marriage only!)

So, how do you grow your genealogy friend and family base? Well, starting with like-minded family members is probably the easiest way. Next, you might like the page of a genealogical society you belong to or that is in an area you are researching. Many times people post genealogical finds on these pages, including family bibles, photographs, their own research or links to their blogs. If you have been to a conference and were impressed by the speakers there, you might want to look them up to see if they have a page on Facebook. Many businesses and entrepreneurs use Facebook as a marketing tool and will post interesting information on their pages which will be added to your newsfeed if you "like" their page. You may also wish to see if the surname(s) you are researching has a Facebook group. If one exists, ask to join it, if one doesn't, consider creating a group. All you need are a few appropriate pictures to give the page interest, and the ability to post frequently about topics that would be of interest to your target audience.

Well, my coffee is getting cold, and I've got a New York State Family History Conference call in a few hours, so I guess I'll wrap up my latest rant. Enjoy your day and give a thought to increasing your genealogy presence on Facebook! I hope to "see" you in my Facebook newsfeed tomorrow morning!

©2015 Nancy Maliwesky

Nancy Maliwesky, one time Central New York Genealogical Society Board Member and Chair of the New York State Family History Conference worked as a professional genealogist with the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Society for ten years. Recently retired, she continues to pursue her passion for genealogical research and writing. She is also a singer/songwriter (the self proclaimed "Singing Genealogist") and an artist.

Where is Neiffer?

by Barbara Leiger Granato

My previous two blogs on this site were about discovering the true story of my 2nd great-grandfather, Sylvester Spare. During our trip to the area northeast of Pennsylvania in 1992, I not only discovered the story of Sylvester’s life and demise, but I also discovered a little more about another branch of my family from that area.

My mother’s father was named Amos Milton Spare. His father was John Spare, and John was married to a woman named Sarah Neiffer. Nobody in my family seemed to know too much about Sarah’s family history, but my mother and her sisters did tell me a lot of stories about her. She and John had a farm in a tiny town named Royersford, Pennsylvania, and together they had four children – my grandfather Amos being the third child born to them.

Sarah was remembered as being a very strict, stern woman who loved to instill fear into others. Quite by contrast, she also was a mid-wife and delivered several of the babies in that small town. She had to do something to raise money; her husband John had a silo fall on him when the children were young, and he had to be institutionalized after that for the rest of his life.

But this blog is not supposed to be about John – it is supposed to be about Sarah. Nobody in my mother’s family seemed to agree on the spelling of her maiden name. Everyone knew how to pronounce it, but was it “Knifer?” Or was it “Nifer?” Or was it “Neiffer?”

When I was studying a map (yes – in 1992 they did not have GPS systems!), I focused in on an enlarged detailed image of the area in which the Spare family lived. And then, I did a double-take! I suddenly knew how to spell Sarah’s maiden name. There was a little dot on the map that said “Neiffer.” OH MY GOSH!!!! Well, Sarah’s family must have been important if there was a town named after her family! Upon closer examination of the map, there was not only a “dot” named Neiffer, but there was also a “Neiffer Road!”

And so, after we had learned all we did about Sarah’s father-in-law, Sylvester, we decided to pursue learning more about Sarah Neiffer. My 10 & 12 year-old children were suddenly interested again. It was almost like exploring a map to find buried treasure (no pun intended!).

We drove down the “main” road until we saw a street sign that said “Neiffer Road.” “Take a left,” I told my husband, and then I told him to stop so I could get out of the car and take a picture of the road sign. After that we drove up the road until we reached the end, and we were in town called “Obelisk.” Somehow, we missed the little dot on the map that said there was a town named “Neiffer.”

But, at the end of that road when we got into Obelisk, there was a church on the right-hand corner with a large cemetery next to it. And right there, very visible to passersby on the road, stood some very large tombstones with NEIFFER on them. I took photos and tried to make notes about the writing on the tombstones, but it was difficult because they were written in German.

We not only found several tombstones with the name of Neiffer on them, but we also found Sarah (Neiffer) Spare buried next to her husband, John Spare. Thankfully, their tombstones were written in English. After making note of exactly where their graves were located and photographing them, we returned to the car. We drove back down Neiffer Road again, but this time we were a bit more cautious. We came to a small intersection, but there really wasn’t anything of significance there. We were so confused.

There just HAD to be a town somewhere. After discovering Neiffer on the map, I also learned that Neiffer even had its own zip code – 19468! We had apparently gone right through that zip-coded area without realizing it!

It was such a hot, humid day that we decided to return to the hotel so that the kids could go swimming in the pool. I had to contemplate this puzzle a bit more to find out if my great grandmother Sarah was connected somehow to the 19468 area and Neiffer Road. It was 1992 – we did not have the Internet.

So, I did the next best thing – I consulted the telephone directory in the hotel room. I looked for the name “Neiffer” and sure enough, there were about eight families listed with that name. I wrote down every name, address, and phone number, and when we returned home, I wrote a letter to every single one of them, explaining who I was and that my great-grandmother was Sarah Neiffer. Did they know anything about this woman? I also included a self-addressed stamped envelope in each letter that I mailed.

And then my wait for a response began….

To be continued…..

Lessons Learned:

• Never discount the value of a good old-fashioned map.
• Don't assume that tombstones in this country are written in English.
• Phone books can be very good resources.

©2015 Barbara Leiger Granato

After retiring from her job as a secretary at Mohawk Valley Community College, Barbara Granato had more time to pursue her love of genealogy. She is a member of the Oneida Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, currently serving as the chapter Registrar and Vice-Chair of NYS Lineage Research for DAR. In addition to teaching Beginning Genealogy classes, she is a Board member of the Central New York Genealogical Society, as well as a Board Member for the Oneida County Historical Society. She also is a member of the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica and serves as a tour docent to the mansions on Rutger Street in Utica, and writes murder mysteries which are performed at one of the historic mansions once a year. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists as well as the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.

Tell Me A Story, or My Latest Genealogy Obsession... Podcasts!

by Nancy Maliwesky

I'm ten years old, in the back seat of our family car with my older sister, and we're returning home from a long day in the City. The scenery isn't terribly compelling, and it's getting dark. I'm bored. My dad has the radio set to WOR, an early news/talk radio format whose target market is definitely NOT children! Then Jean Sheppard comes on (of Christmas Story fame) and I am enthralled. In a soft, slow, compelling voice, he unfolds a gentle story, and I am suddenly in that story, not in my parents’ car, and I am hooked. That hour is pure magic.

Fast forward six years to another trip home from the City, in my parents' car. I'm still in the backseat, now with my older sister and younger brother. The scenery hasn't gotten any prettier. I'm bored. My dad is, as usual, in charge of the radio. Then Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" comes on, and my dad doesn't change the station. Consider my teenaged mind blown. I am again transported and enthralled. As my grandnieces and nephews say, "Good times."

I am now considerably older. I have a computer, wifi in my house, a Kindle, an iPad, I manage a website and a few Facebook pages, I even have a ReverbNation site. I have a dumb phone. My cellular phone contract does not include a data plan. I can text, but I don't. I have a Twitter account, which I don't use. I consider myself tech savvy, but not tech centric. I had heard of podcasts, but considered them just another way to suck up my time, while connected to an electronic appliance. Hey, I'm middle aged! Then my cousin sends me a link to his podcast “Taking the Leap!” My cousin, Sean Howard, is a photographer with a great big heart, and he has been writing a book and has started this podcast to help others follow their creative callings. He has a wonderfully compelling voice, and you can hear his enthusiasm and love as he interviews fellow artists about their experiences. He also has great taste in music and I look forward to hearing the musicians he features on each podcast. I have now officially put my big toe in the podcast pool.

As with so many obsessions, my podcast obsession started innocently enough. I had just finished listening to the latest episode of “Taking the Leap!” and I wanted more, so I started poking around iTunes for something else to listen to. My first search was NPR (National Public Radio). NPR had turned a long drive from Key West to Syracuse into a treasured get away for my husband and me about a year ago. After listening and subscribing to a few of their podcasts (I highly recommend “Invisibilia”), I got to wondering whether there were any genealogy podcasts available.

My first find was “Fieldstone Commons, Northeast History and Genealogy Radio” by Marian Pierre-Louis. Each episode is about an hour long and focuses on Marian interviewing an author or expert on New England and New York history and/or genealogy. I have already downloaded and read three of the books she features on her podcast, and they were fantastic!

I then started listening to “The Forget-Me-Not Hour” by Jane E. Wilcox, which focuses on New York State history and genealogy. Jane interviews some top-notch genealogists and authors and is also a genealogy lecturer. In fact, she will be featured at the 2015 New York State Family History Conference this September in Syracuse, NY.

One note of warning, podcasts can vary widely in length. For instance, my latest podcast obsessions, “Stuff You Missed in History Class” brought to you by Holly and Tracy of HowStuffWorks.com, is a comfortable 30 minutes or so, while Dan Carlin’s “Hardcore History” is a three to four hour commitment. So, if you like to listen while doing household chores, you may want to do some cleaning calisthenics before embarking on a “Hardcore History” housecleaning session!

I certainly hope you give one or more of these podcasts a listen and that you branch out and find others that interest you. The options are endless… kind of like our winter we’ve been having!

©2015 Nancy Maliwesky

Nancy Maliwesky, Central New York Genealogical Society Board Member and Chair of the New York State Family History Conference worked as a professional genealogist with the American Pomeroy Historic Genealogical Society for ten years. Recently retired, she continues to pursue her passion for genealogical research and writing. She is also a singer/songwriter (the self proclaimed "Singing Genealogist") and an artist.