Dycusburg News: Jan. 21, 2010

Submitted by Matthew T. Patton

Mary (Linzy) LeFan was the honoree of a surprise 80th birthday luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Christian Activities Center at Mexico Baptist Church, with approximately 40 in attendance. Mary was the daughter of Ray and Vada (Ralston) Linzy. Her late husband is Sanders "Cotton" LeFan.

Attending were her sons and their wives: Philip and Jeretta LeFan; Dennis LeFan and Jamie King; and Kevin and Vivian LeFan; grandchildren: Jessica and James Gibbs; Paige and Daniel Adams; and Alison LeFan; and her siblings: Lafe Linzy and wife Inez; Juanita Green; and Betty Young.

Other family and friends included Donna and Larry Haire; Rita and Mike Templeton, Hunter and Molly; Phyllis O'Neal; Deitra Beavers; Marilyn and Katie Jones; Mary Helen Christian; Ella Mae Mitchell; Anna Lois Campbell; Mabel Campbell; Linda McGuckin; and Bro. Tim, Joyce, Jonathon and Lydia Burdon.

The Dycusburg Grocery will now be open for adjusted winter hours: Tuesday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Normal hours will resume in the Spring.

Michelle Henderson and Makanda Rolfe went on a week-and-a-half vacation to visit Dan Henderson and Jason Smith while they are working on a job in Corpus Christi, Texas. They also visited with John, Pati and Emily Floyd from Texas and some other friends from Illinois. They visited South Padre Island and toured the aquarium and the U.S.S. Lexington. On the return back home, they stopped in Hot Springs, Ark.

Birthday wishes are extended to: Livinia McGinnis (Jan. 11), Jason Smith, Jr., (Jan. 14), Levi Burris (Jan. 13), Travis Sosh (Jan. 16), Ethan Paddock (Jan. 21), James Artist (Jan. 24), Cheyenne Burris (Jan. 24), Jenny Patton (Jan. 26) and Gina Noffsinger (Jan. 29).

We extend our sympathies to the families of Betty Glenn and James Robert Dorroh.

Please share your community news by e-mailing news@dycusburg.com.

Obituary: Betty Glenn, 70

Betty Lou Glenn, 70, of Marion died Thursday at her home.

Mrs. Glenn was a member of Seven Springs Baptist Church.

Surviving are one daughter, Tammy Brantley of Marion; two sons, Kenneth Penn and James Penn, both of Marion; two sisters, Loisteen Canada of Princeton and Thelma Lynn Brown of Marion; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Virgil Glenn; three brothers; and two sisters.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Seven Springs Baptist Church. Burial will be at Asbridge Cemetery.

The family will receive visitors from 5 to 9 p.m. today at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Seven Springs Baptist Church, 219 Seven Branch Church Road, Marion, KY 42064.

Source: The Paducah Sun, Jan. 16, 2010

Digging for Roots: Local Residents Provide Genealogy Tips

By Matthew T. Patton

Fredonia resident Pamela Faughn has always been interested in family history and enjoyed hearing her grandparents tell stories about their own childhoods.

“I always loved projects in school where you had to make a family tree. I was so excited to go to my parents and grandparents to get names of people I wished I could have known personally. I always thought someday I would learn more about them. But with other life obligations, I never seemed to get around to fulfilling that wish,” she said.

In 1994, with a little push from her mother, Dot Rogers, Faughn’s wish came true. That year, First Baptist Church of Fredonia was celebrating its 100th anniversary. Rogers was compiling a booklet about the charter members of the church for its centennial celebration.

“I agreed to help her research the charter members. I remember my first trip to the George Coon Library Genealogy Room in the basement of the library. I loved finding bits and pieces of history about our charter members long hidden away,” Faughn recalled. “As soon as I finished the research for the members, I began researching my family nonstop. I spent every spare minute at the library, cemeteries, courthouses and on my computer. It was this great big puzzle, and I thought I had to find every piece.”

Faughn is among the thousands across the world known as genealogists, those who study families and trace their lineages and history.

Getting Started
Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG, is a certified genealogist and avid Caldwell County researcher who has authored several books on the county and region, including compilations on marriages, births, deaths, vital statistics, court orders, wills and estate records.

To begin, Jerome suggested asking questions of older family members. “Record everything you are told and list who told you, where (by phone, in person at what location), and the date plus the age of the person,” she explained. “This may play a part in the validity of the information.”

She noted other documents may provide a name, date or location (such as a Bible record, school report card, newspaper obituary or baby book). “Always begin with yourself and obtain copies of all records (e.g., birth, marriage, confirmation records). Then work backwards to your parents and then grandparents to get started. When you have done as much as possible on your own, it is time to start checking census records,” Jerome said.

Most importantly, Jerome stressed new researchers should not believe everything family members say. “Oral tradition often is based on a bit of fact, but you will need to do some research to learn what is fact and what is not,” she said.

Jerome also suggested beginners “write down where you found every bit of information.” She recommended rather than writing something generic, like “Marriage Record, Caldwell County” that researchers instead document the book and page number and the title of the book, plus the location of the record. “If the record was in the county clerk’s office, state that. If the record was read on microfilm at the library, state that,” she said.

Additionally, genealogists should photograph tombstones and record every word of the inscription, along with the date of the photo. “Old tombstones have a way of disappearing and you never know if the stones for your ancestors will be there later,” Jerome said.

Faughn added that one of the best pieces of advice she received is to always validate Internet information.

“The Internet is valuable and gives us access to much more information than researchers could access years ago. However, there is a much greater likelihood it may not be accurate,” she said. “It is imperative to document the sources for every piece of information you find. I have seen information printed in books for which I have documents to prove its inaccuracy. But once the error is out there, it is perpetuated by others for generations.”

She also warned against “chasing rabbits.” In other words, don’t get sidetracked when you’re researching. “Have a plan when you go to the library or courthouse or archives and stick with it,” Faughn said.

Rewards and Progress
When it comes to repositories for local genealogical information, Caldwell County ranks high among Kentucky’s counties, according to some historians and genealogists. Understandably, maintaining its treasure chest of material requires teams of both paid and volunteer genealogists.

Linda Ward is a Caldwell County genealogy assistant at the Glenn Martin Genealogy Center along with Jane VanHooser. “We both help people research their family history. We also answer questions and help search for pictures and historical facts concerning this area,” Ward said.

She also offered tips for beginning genealogists. “Don’t try to walk before you can crawl. In other words, start with what you know: yourself, your parents and grandparents and then continue working back. Remember, only to a genealogist is a step backwards considered progress,” she said.

For Faughn, progress is “when you discover a missing piece of the puzzle or when you find a photograph of your great-great grandfather or when you discover, as I did, an ancestor who has the same name as you do. Those kinds of things are adrenalin rushes for a genealogist.”

Meeting new cousins is also rewarding. “Through genealogy, I’ve met countless people who have turned out to be distant cousins I would never have met were it not for being a genealogist,” Faughn said.

Ward did offer up a caveat. She said beginning genealogists should understand information about your ancestors may not be revealed through documents. Agreeing with Faughn, she reminded, “Everything is not on the Internet, and what is there is not always correct.”

Ward also gave one final warning: “Beware. Genealogy is addictive.”

Matthew T. Patton descends from the Lamb family, one of the earliest families to settle in Caldwell County. He is a journalist living in Philadelphia and has written several books on his family and the local area.

Genealogy Query: Yearout/Stinnett

I am trying to find where Harriett Stinnett was after the 1870 census in Crittenden Co. She and her husband Wm. Stinnett had gone to the Union area to visit her brother and family (My g grandfather John Joseph Yearout) and were there during the time of the 1870 census.

I then find William back in Blount Co., TN on the 1880 census rolls, but nothing anywhere on Harriett at all in Blount Co., or Seiver Co., TN. No obits, burial records, nothing. It's like she disappeared off the face of the earth, so I thought I would try here and see if maybe she had passed away in Crittenden Co., while out here visiting g. grandfather, and maybe was buried out here.

If any one might have any info where I might start to look I would really appreciate it. This has become a big "thick brick wall" for me. My e-mail is one.lynn@yahoo.com.

Thank you in advance for your help.
Martha Stokes

Waiting for 3G

By Adam Shull (ashull@paducahsun.com)

Having an iPhone and not having 3G service for it is like having a Ferrari but not the keys.

At least that’s how Alex Roman of Paducah feels.

“You can still do all the same stuff on your phone but with the 3G it’s so much better,” Roman said.

But iPhone users, and other AT&T customers, in Paducah will have to wait a little longer for 3G to come around.

Paducah and the surrounding area does not receive 3G service from AT&T and won’t until sometime in 2010, according to Cathy Lewandowski, AT&T spokeswoman.

“We plan to launch 3G in Paducah in 2010,” Lewandowski wrote in an e-mail. “We’ve been working for several years to bring 3G to our customers in Paducah.”

Lewandowski said she couldn’t comment on exactly when the service will be available in Paducah.

She said part of the reason it is not offered now is because of Federal Communications Commission guidelines that kicked in after the merger of Cingular and AT&T Wireless in 2005.

“We would have launched Paducah sooner, but we were required by the FCC to divest part of our spectrum, at the time of the Cingular-AT&T Wireless merger, and we did not have enough spectrum remaining to launch 3G even though Paducah was high on our priority list.”

Cell phone companies pay for rights to use the finite spectrum of wireless frequencies, and the FCC regulates how much of the spectrum companies own as part of anti-trust laws.

The 3G service from AT&T is available in most major cities, and as close to Paducah as Hopkinsville, Madisonville and Cape Girardeau, Mo.

It takes its name from being a third generation telecommunications service. It allows people to download and upload photos and video via the Internet with their mobile phones at speeds consistent with a cable modem. It also uses a larger network of cell phone towers to prevent dropped calls and enhance the voice quality during calls.

Verizon Wireless began offering 3G service in Paducah in November 2007, according to Michelle Gilbert, Verizon Wireless spokesperson.

But the iPhone, created by Apple, is only offered on the AT&T network. The phone revolutionized the way people access the Internet and share multimedia data with phones, which is what drew Roman to the iPhone.

“I bought my first (iPhone) in early 2008,” Roman said. “I work at Regions Bank and use the mobile banking where I can go online (on the phone) and check my balance and send e-mails.”

Roman can access the phone’s functions without 3G, just at much slower speeds.

“Speed is the biggest issue,” Roman said. “When you go to Nashville (Tenn.) or Atlanta, which have 3G, the Internet works so much faster. It’s so much nicer.”

Some iPhone users in the area are particularly irked since their phones, costing between $100 and $300, are marketed to take advantage of Web applications and Internet browsing, functions that require longer download times if not operated on a 3G service. One iPhone model even carries the 3G title in its name, the newer Apple iPhone 3GS.

Matthew T. Patton wouldn’t have an iPhone without 3G service.

Patton, who lives in Philadelphia, visits family in Crittenden and Lyon counties.

“I travel home to Kentucky to visit my family several times a year,” Patton wrote in a message on Facebook.

“The lack of 3G service (on his iPhone) is incredibly frustrating when I’m there. It’s nearly impossible to conduct any type of data transaction like sending an e-mail or uploading a photo to Facebook.”

“Certainly, if I moved back to Kentucky, I think it would be impossible to have an iPhone since I’m so used to using it with a 3G network.”

The good news for Patton and local AT&T customers is that 3G is coming sometime in the next 365 days.

Lewandowski said AT&T will also either upgrade or install new equipment in the Fremont area and just southwest of Lovelaceville in 2010 to enhance cell phone coverage.

Contact Adam Shull, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.

(Source: The Paducah Sun, Jan. 2, 2010. Photo by John Wright. Used with permission).