Like A Bad Penny...
Yesterday my brother-in-law asked me if I'd killed my blog. I didn't know what he was talking about because of course I hadn't, so I checked and, indeed, it appeared that my blog was gone. Obviously, having not chose to delete it, I got right on the folks at customer service and asked where the heck it is, and when I woke up this morning I had received an email stating that it's been fixed.
So no, I didn't kill my blog, and yes, it's fixed (and a big Tack så mycket to the folks in kundservice for fixing the problem so expeditiously). Know this for the future: in the event that I ever come to my senses and delete my blog, I will let you know in advance.
So no, I didn't kill my blog, and yes, it's fixed (and a big Tack så mycket to the folks in kundservice for fixing the problem so expeditiously). Know this for the future: in the event that I ever come to my senses and delete my blog, I will let you know in advance.
Cause Of Death
As you are, no doubt, aware, I am an avid contributor to Find A Grave (you can find loads of old posts regarding FAG, I'm not going to bother supplying them all). Part of the reason I do it is to help others, like me, who are avid genealogists, and the other part is purely selfish - I do it because I enjoy it. Call me bizarre, but I find cemeteries to be great re-energizers, and I've discovered that when I don't get to a cemetery for an extended period, I actually get rather cranky; but as soon as I go, I'm calm and relaxed for days (as evidenced by my nearly complete lack of road rage on the way to work today).
But part of the FAG experience isn't simply wandering around a graveyard, looking for people long dead, it's also creating the profiles for people who have, for whatever reason, thus far been missed. One of the resources I use to gather information about people before making their memorials is the Utah State Archives. They have a good number of death certificates digitized and available to the general public for genealogical purposes. Through this resource, I have been able to find the certificates for a number of my ancestors, as well as some of the dozens of random people I've come across in my FAG-ing.
If strolling around cities of the dead is interesting, reading their death certificates is illuminating. Not all, of course, as some people were lucky enough to die from very mundane causes. But four of my most recent discoveries were a bit special.
Two of these people, brothers, died from complications directly related to syphilis, and a third, a young boy, died from "intracranial...(hemorrhage)" as the result of a fall from a wagon and being twisted in the wheel (early auto accident??).
Apart from being a source of intriguing information, death certificates can also impart other information. The most obvious being parents names, dates and places of birth and death, and places of burial...or not, as the case may be.
Another death certificate I came across this weekend belongs to a fellow who was cremated...apparently by the University of Utah medical department. Which suggests that he was a body donor. Having gone through the Utah State University anatomy course, I am well acquainted with what happens to people who donate their bodies to science. But I had never, up until this weekend, come across the result of that donation, death certificate-wise. Having been in the program, the little bit of information that is provided on the certificate of a body donor makes sense to me - perhaps not so much to the uninitiated.
Through my volunteering with FAG, I have had the joy (and sorrow) of visiting many cemeteries, learning about people I never knew existed, and being a part of something that benefits both the living and the dead. And I truly love what I do.
But part of the FAG experience isn't simply wandering around a graveyard, looking for people long dead, it's also creating the profiles for people who have, for whatever reason, thus far been missed. One of the resources I use to gather information about people before making their memorials is the Utah State Archives. They have a good number of death certificates digitized and available to the general public for genealogical purposes. Through this resource, I have been able to find the certificates for a number of my ancestors, as well as some of the dozens of random people I've come across in my FAG-ing.
If strolling around cities of the dead is interesting, reading their death certificates is illuminating. Not all, of course, as some people were lucky enough to die from very mundane causes. But four of my most recent discoveries were a bit special.
Two of these people, brothers, died from complications directly related to syphilis, and a third, a young boy, died from "intracranial...(hemorrhage)" as the result of a fall from a wagon and being twisted in the wheel (early auto accident??).
Apart from being a source of intriguing information, death certificates can also impart other information. The most obvious being parents names, dates and places of birth and death, and places of burial...or not, as the case may be.
Another death certificate I came across this weekend belongs to a fellow who was cremated...apparently by the University of Utah medical department. Which suggests that he was a body donor. Having gone through the Utah State University anatomy course, I am well acquainted with what happens to people who donate their bodies to science. But I had never, up until this weekend, come across the result of that donation, death certificate-wise. Having been in the program, the little bit of information that is provided on the certificate of a body donor makes sense to me - perhaps not so much to the uninitiated.
Through my volunteering with FAG, I have had the joy (and sorrow) of visiting many cemeteries, learning about people I never knew existed, and being a part of something that benefits both the living and the dead. And I truly love what I do.
An Iron Forge For A Gilded Age
It all started when he was about 10 years old, hunting for spiders in the grass. He would collect the nails he found from the old local railroad tracks and make jewelry from them. Many years later, he upgraded to silver during an evening course, where his skill so impressed his instructor that it was recommended he go to the local goldsmithing school. From there, he was employed by a jeweler in his hometown of Söderköping, and now, more than 20 years after his first foray into jewelry construction, Mikael "Hrafn" Karlsson owns his own business.
That business, Smyckes Smedjan af Hrafn, began in 2010, when Mikael took over from long-time Finspång jeweler Robert Sundell. Since then, he has been busy doing mostly jewelry repair, but his real dream is to do more of his unique, custom pieces; and they are both unique and custom - in the time-honored tradition of a true goldsmith, Mikael's work is all handmade; with only a few pieces mass produced.
Mikael's personal interests come through in his work (he is the drummer for Death Wolf - if you haven't read my review of their self-titled album, you can find it here); he's recreated the claw of the animal for which he is named (Hrafn is Icelandic for Raven), and he's made a ring of the emblem that is both tattooed on the shoulder and hangs around the neck of his long-time friend and Death Wolf bandmate, Morgan Håkansson. He also enjoys making more non-traditional pieces, such as picture frames with themes, and belt buckles; using various materials, logos, and figures in conjunction.
But his interest in history has also lent itself to one unique piece - the city he currently calls home and in which he has a storefront, Finspång, was once the center of Swedish cannon-making. In the early 1900's the gun manufacturing moved to Värmland Bofors, but it left it's mark, and since Mikael re-introduced the cannon (one of his few "mass" produced pieces) to the city, several have already been bought.
BELOW: Finspång Kanoner.
Because Mikael's work is custom, prices will obviously vary (depending on materials and such), but if you find yourself at all interested in his work, you can visit his website Smyckes Smedjan af Hrafn, or look him up on Facebook, to see more of his awesome work and even order something!
That business, Smyckes Smedjan af Hrafn, began in 2010, when Mikael took over from long-time Finspång jeweler Robert Sundell. Since then, he has been busy doing mostly jewelry repair, but his real dream is to do more of his unique, custom pieces; and they are both unique and custom - in the time-honored tradition of a true goldsmith, Mikael's work is all handmade; with only a few pieces mass produced.
Mikael's personal interests come through in his work (he is the drummer for Death Wolf - if you haven't read my review of their self-titled album, you can find it here); he's recreated the claw of the animal for which he is named (Hrafn is Icelandic for Raven), and he's made a ring of the emblem that is both tattooed on the shoulder and hangs around the neck of his long-time friend and Death Wolf bandmate, Morgan Håkansson. He also enjoys making more non-traditional pieces, such as picture frames with themes, and belt buckles; using various materials, logos, and figures in conjunction.
BELOW: (From left) Raven's claw, Marduk ring, 3D Enslaved picture.
But his interest in history has also lent itself to one unique piece - the city he currently calls home and in which he has a storefront, Finspång, was once the center of Swedish cannon-making. In the early 1900's the gun manufacturing moved to Värmland Bofors, but it left it's mark, and since Mikael re-introduced the cannon (one of his few "mass" produced pieces) to the city, several have already been bought.
BELOW: Finspång Kanoner.
BELOW: (From left) Amazing rope chain with pendant, Harley cyclinder ring with logo.