New Year's resolution--DAR applications--CARPENTER family research

My New Year's resolution is to write in this blog on a more frequent basis. My aim is for daily entries. That of course means I may stray from genealogy more than I have in the past to throw in life with my grandchildren and at work. If it gets too boring, PLEASE tell me. I had a massive project to get done at work last week, so only took off Christmas Day itself. When I finished my project on Thursday my son Michael and I drove the 200 miles to the farm to see my mother. Michael wanted to go home the next day, but I stayed until Sunday to spend more time with Mom, then took the train home. While there I was working on DAR applications for my nieces who are interested in joining. They should be simple with mine approved, but are not. National in approving mine changed a number of my entries. Only problem is: I can prove mine are right and theirs are wrong. Not wanting to perpetuate the error, I am trying to figure out how to correct it. I got most of the corrections done and proven, so hopefully this weekend will be able to complete the applications. I also have various other applications to complete for DAR chapters, but got behind when my hard drive died. At least all my information was retrieved and moved to the new hard drive! As part of my application process I started what I am currently calling a "Documentary and Photographic History of the Direct Descendants of Samuel Carpenter of Philadelphia through [name of individual for whom I am doing the book] [DPHDDSC]. These books were planned as simple DAR applicatons for my siblings and their children. However I have never learned to leave well enough alone, so every final proofread results in Betty and I deciding more stuff is needed. These DPHDDSC loose-leaf notebooks started as Christmas presents for my siblings and nieces and nephews. They still retain that category. As they are individually made for each recipient, they are also very expensive to produce. I would be happy to do them for other family members whatever the relationship but must be reimbursed for a fraction of my cost. I wish I were independently wealthy and didn't have to do this, but no such luck. If anyone is interested in purchasing an individualized copy for $50, or has photos or documents to add, please contact me at BarbaradeMare@yahoo.com I spent last night reading Quaker minutes from Hinshaw's Encyclopedia finding many more interesting items to add to the DPHDDSC (I think we need a contest for a better anacronym). After getting through most of those I started on the Journal of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey. The latter had a very interesting article on our Pile ancestors which will require closer scrutiny. I was using CDs for these searches, which are not my favorites, but get me in the right direction. Take for example the Quaker CD. The minutes of the Quakers were kept comtemporaneously, although some were copied over into books. Hinshaw came along about a century ago and abstracted these minutes. I have previously given my opinion of abstracts--things get lost in the interpretation. Thereafter the set of Hinshaw books was republished by Genealogical Publishing Co. Most recently the GPC book has been converted to a searchable CD. The chances for errors to slip into this chain of ownership and rewriting is enormous. The CDs do give a good starting place to find original records, however. Every volume states the location of the originals so that the researcher can skip back to the beginning to verify the information on the CD. Next time I have a free day I will have to do this. I would really love to obtain photos of the 17th and 18th century Carpenter ancestors. I start each section with a photograph, and have such things back to Thomas the revolutionary ancestor, who I am missing. I am also missing Preston Carpenter and Samuel Carpenter II. The other items am particularly seeking are old letters with some family history, deeds, college or other academic information, the patents of James Carpenter, etc. Anything which would tell the story of the Carpenters through documents and pictures. I must bring this project to an end, and start another if this one is successful. I have zillions of ideas in my head for different ways to tell particular parts of the family history. I intend to experiment with several and see which one or ones are most popular.