So, I just came from an outdoor festival with a great band and great dancing!  Now I’m taking some time to reflect on my mental dancing or “wiggling.”

I spent my day at the Indiana State Library analyzing and sythensizing the information I have been gathering.

I have been synthesizing the information collected through personal strories, Arkansas history/geography and online databases with geneology records.   The validity and reliability of documents have been measured in different ways.  I also used my essential questions as a checklist to asssure that I had found the resources I intended to.  Callison notes that checklists or rubrics “focus on the essential criteria and performances” (518).  Checking to see that my information answered the questions I planned to answer helped me stay on focus when bombarded with so much information (databases, books, and the sundry of family members whose ancestry I could further investigate).

Personal stories:  These are stories passed down to my father and also verified by other relatives.  These stories also confirm information I found in PDF versions of census records accessed through Ancestry.com.  For example, my father told me my great-grandfather, Homer Cross, was adopted by the Cross family around 1890 in Arkansas.  Before that, his last name was Dobbs.  I found census records that show that a black, Homer Cross was adopted by Washington and Fannie Cross in 1890 in Richmond, AR!  The only one in the state!!

Arkansas History: Old books reprinted regarding Arkansas history confirmed with Arkansas.gov records

Arkansas Geography: Maps on front of old reprinted Arkansas history books confirmed with current Mapquest and Google maps.  Stories from families about Arkansas hometowns confirmed with census records on Ancestry.com.  For example, my father discussed our family coming from Blytheville and Forrest City, AR.  I located how far that was on the map in comparison to census records stating where my ancestor had come from.

Journals: Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society confirms information about 19th century African-American culture that I have heard about before.  For example, I found a fascinating article where former slaves in Tennesse are searching for their family members after the Civil War in the local paper.  The families list their last names and the names of their former owners, and many of their names are the same.  I had heard that blacks had done this, but this article in the journal confirmed it.

I don’t want to post all the great PDFs I found at the State Library today, but at the bottom of the posting are some PDF screen shots from my work today!

Callison suggests using questions and statements as a basis for analysis and synthesis, offering questions like “Based on the analysis of your obvervations, what do youpredict witll happen next” and ” taking into account an analysis of the audience and other elements of the final presentation, plan the manner for most effectively and efficiently conveying the inteded message” (546).  After working through these questions/statements, I’m planning to create a timeline that shows my family over time with records and information.  I will be able to share this with class, but also in a way my extended family can easily open and understand if I send it to them via e-mail.