Posts By: whuskonen

Researching My Connection to The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia

A couple days ago, I asked the Chat feature of Microsoft Bing to write a short report on “Greenbrier Resort Through the Years,” Here is the result: “The Greenbrier Resort is a National Historic Landmark and world-class resort that has been welcoming guests from around the world since 17781. The resort is located in White

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My Introduction to ChatGPT

Today, I was introduced to the power of ChatGPT by my grandson who is an IT professional. He is convinced that it is an important demonstration of the power of artificial intelligence (AI). “ He signed into it on his iPhone and asked me to suggest a question to ask. I suggested: “What is Pymatuning

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New Online Databases Reveal WWII Cousin Casualties In Finland

OK, so the online databases I’m writing about aren’t brand new; they were just new to me. Finding them recently reminds me to check online from time to time for records of interest.Here’s the back story: In June of 2018, I visited Finland for the annual gathering of Finnish Americans known as FinnFest. It was

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Searching for Ada in the 1950 Census

Ada Stokes was a good friend of my mother, Mary Jane Dingman Huskonen. For some reason, I became interested in trying to find Ada in the 1950 Census a couple months ago. This was more of a problem than I expected. It turns out I didn’t recollect her family name correctly. My other key fact

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King Charles and the Western Reserve

Under normal circumstances, I do not pay much attention to the royalty in the United Kingdom or any other realm. But when Prince Charles ascended to the British throne as King Charles III upon the death of his mother a few weeks ago, I was reminded about the involvement of another King Charles in the

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I Found Myself in the 1950 Census

Today, April 1 2022, is the release day for the 1950 U.S. Census. Images of the enumeration pages were released by the U.S. Census Bureau in the early morning hours. I wasn’t one of the super enthusiasts who probably stayed up to access the census when it went live, but I did access it by

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Our Connections with Ukraine

Watching the news coverage of Putin’s War against Ukraine has reminded me of what my late wife Mary Jane said some 60 years ago about teaching elementary music at Thoreau Park Elementary School on W 54th St. in Parma, Ohio. She said that her music room was converted most Saturdays into a classroom for area

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1950 Census — The Biggest Yet!

The countdown is nearing its end until the 1950 Census is available for genealogists and family historians to search. According to the “72-Year Rule,” the National Archives releases census records to the general public 72 years after Census Day. As a result, the 1930 census records were released April 1, 2002, and the 1940 records

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Finding Your Roots for 2022 To Premiere Jan. 4

I just learned the details of Season 8 of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and I’m looking forward to watching every one of the 10 episodes. The series is set to premiere in January 2022 on PBS. Locally, it will appear on WCLV PBS IdeaStream. The 10-episode series will feature 21 guests,

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Andrew Betts and His Two Wives Named Catherina/Catherine

My fourth great grandfather was Andrew Betts, born about 1755 and died in 1823. I have attended Betts family reunions in the past and we often visited his grave marker in the State Line (Betts) Cemetery near Jamestown, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. That gravestone states that his wife was Catherine Sherbondy. I recently received a message

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