Genealogical workshop offered in Los Angeles
Once again Russell P. Baker will be giving an all day workshop in connection with the annual session of the Society of American Archivist - this time in Los Angeles, California.
The date will be Tuesday, August 19, 2004 in the Century Plaza Hotel. The title is Advanced Techniques for Genealogical Research. This series of lectures will be geared towards teaching advanced techniques in genealogical research, as well as researching urban genealogy and looking for records relating to the underclass and minorities. It will emphasize researching family history "outside the box."
For more information contact me at : Russell P. Baker, One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. Call (501) 682-6900. Or you may use the Internet at: www.ark-ives.com or russell.baker@mail.state.ar.us

I am looking for my patriot ancestor JOHN CAKE (Caig, MacCaig) , born ca. December 27, 1718, maybe in Scotland. He came to America in 1753. Help me prove that he was from Scotland. Please contact Dick Cake at 2840 N. Bay Drive Westlake, OH 44145 or email at wrcake@juno.com

How a piper "minds his manners!"
WARNING! The following may only be read if you love the pipes!
1. Always put your pipes down when embracing your fiancee.
2. When in church being married, ask the best man to hold your pipes while you slip the ring on your bride's finger. After all, this is her big day and you must make some sacrifice.
3. If you are dressing your pipe bag with treacle or honey on the dining room table, see that there are no crumbs on the cloth. If these get into the bag they may get onto the reeds with most undesirable consequences. Ask your wife or mother to put a clean cloth on the table.
4. When your wife is holding a ladies' meeting in the house do not play your pipes in the same room. The ladies will be too busy talking to listen attentively to your music.
5. Do not tune your pipes in the same room as others who are watching television. Wait until after the epilogue or when everyone is in bed.
6. When playing at a wedding do not stand in front of the bridegroom and play a lament. It is equally bad taste to stand in front of the bride especially if she is over forty, and play "When the Battle's O'er."
7. In competitions, do not approach the judges' table with a truculent swagger and say, "Right, Jock, get an earful of this." It is bad taste to affix your chewing gum to the underside of his table. It is far better to stick it to the ivory bit on the end of your chanter until the conclusion of your recital.
Thanks to the Clan Guthrie News.

Arlington National Cemetery adds 60 acres
Arlington National Cemetery is expanding by 60 acres to make room to receive another generation of honored dead. Yet at the nation's most famous cemetery, no one can say how many rows of white headstones will be needed by mid-century.
Workers felt the grounds tremble September 11, when a hijacked airliner smashed into the Pentagon just beyond the cemetery fence. Sixty-five of those killed have joined Arlington's ranks.
"We can't look at what may happen, whether or not there will be a war or disaster," said Superintendent Jack Metzler, in charge of finding room for the dead of the future. "We just deal with it when it happens."
Cemetery planners rely on demographics and topography to predict that the expansion will add 35 years to the life of Arlington cemetery, allowing it to accept fallen warriors until 2060. There should be room enough for 350,000 more veterans, dignitaries and unforeseen heroes, an average of 6,000 per year.
As millions of World War II's fighters age, burials are expected to increase over the next five or six years, covering large swaths of land before tapering off again.
Most World War II veterans will not end up at Arlington even if they meet the strict eligibility requirements. But those who do would help fill the cemetery by 2025 if it stayed at last year's size of 612 acres.
So Arlington has begun its first growth since the 1960s. Last month, the National Park Service turned over 12 acres of woodland behind the historic home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which is at the heart of the cemetery.
Thank you to Elmer's Genealogy Library News.

Look for Native American ancestors on-line
If you are researching Native American ancestry...be sure and visit: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native
This Native American genealogy site is 17 printed pages of information to aid in searching for Native American ancestors. Pages are divided into easy-to-use links and searchable databases. Topics include: State Pages; What's New or Updated; Quick Links; Free Databases; Rolls (examples include Reservation Roll of 1817, Armstrong Roll of 1830, etc.); Mailing Lists; CD's and Books; Research Tools; and Free Look-ups (of special material). This site is well worth investigating.
Thank you to the Southern Echoes newsletter.

Priscilla Alden's Apple Moyse
Apple moyse, as a term for apple pudding, appeared in the Middle Ages, and later as an early American recipe.
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
2 cups strained applesauce, well seasoned
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
Cook the bread crumbs, milk and butter until smooth. Add the honey, applesauce, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Chill and serve with cream or a well flavored boiled custard sauce. Serves 4.
According to tradition, Priscilla Alden flavored her apple moyse with sanders, an aromatic spice derived from the heartwood of the sandalwood tree.
Thanks to The Mayflower Quarterly.

Do you know about acorns?
At The Family Tree, we love acorns!  Obviously, acorns have a lot to do with trees...and your editor grew up reading about Mary Jane (the tiny little person who used acorns for soup bowls). It turns out that acorns have been beloved by people for a very long time. The Norse believed that acorns displayed on their windowsill would protect a house from lightening. The tradition has lasted until this day.
How?
Have you ever noticed that the pull ropes on traditional Venetian blinds that hang in our modern windows are in the shape of an acorn?   Many of them are! Isn't it amazing that the manufacturers of these pulls use a "carry forward" of the Norse tradition of placing acorns in a window!

Finally! A way to save those "found" recipes!
Most everyone has a little box or basket or file of recipes accumulated over time. I even have a little pile of scraps of paper, torn out recipes from magazines and newspapers...In my case, everything was stuck in a little crevice in the kitchen...and to find something, I had to take out the entire collection of scraps and bits...and paw through them to find what I needed.
Now, most of those little pieces of paper are organized and neatly entered into the new computer program called CookBookMakerTM 2000.
It was simple to install. It is simple to use. And, the good news is that the more recipes you enter, the easier it is! Each measurement or ingredient you enter remains in your "list" so that the next time you type the same thing...after the first few letters, the measurement or ingredient is automatically typed!
To make your own personal cookbook, just click "print" and that's all there is to it.
I'm still entering recipes...and have my little stack of bits and pieces by the computer so that I can add a few each day. Soon, I'll have them all efficiently in place!
If you'd like CookBookMakerTM 2000 to organize your own accumulated recipes...or to "do" a cookbook for your church, civic group or Scottish Clan...just contact Micro Computer Solutions, Inc., PO Box 309, Springfield, NE 68059. You may call 402-253-2382. You may email CEO Jeanine Wichman at jwichman@mcsomaha.com.