Calendar/Venues

WELCOME TO CIRCLEMENDING, WEBSITE OF JEAN WILCOX HIBBEN; PhD, MA, WHERE WE TRY TO MEND THE FAMILY CIRCLES.

WE ARE EXCITED to welcome Sara Cochran into Genealogy Journeys® as one of our podcast presenters. PODCASTS BEGAN in 2016 (usually posted twice monthly, about the 2nd & 4th Sunday afternoons). These are pre-recorded so you can listen when you want. To read a listing of each podcast already recorded, please go to the Calendar page here and click on the “Geographic” link. To read what our listeners have said about the podcasts, check the Accolades page on this site. (Please note: We are slowly bringing this project back and creating a new blog; stay tuned. All podcasts can be heard without any cost at this time.)

Access by going to http://genaandjean.blogspot.com any time where resources for past podcasts are listed. You can also access the podcasts, without blog extras, at genjourneys.podbean.com. At this time, all podcasts are FREE.

GENEALOGY JOURNEYS® IS DOING PROGRAMS AND PODCASTS ON TERRA FIRMA THESE DAYS

For the latest information, get on our mailing list by emailing me at genjourneys(at)gmail.com. Sara Cochran is now on our “journeys”; Check out her website: The Skeleton Whisperer.

Greetings,

This is the web site of Jean Wilcox Hibben, family historian, national speaker, folklorist, and troubadour (bio below) and the “home” of Lynn A. (Butch) Hibben’s Living Legacy Project (click link to be rerouted there, where his bio, photo, handout link, and information resides). As many are aware, Butch has been dealing with a few health setbacks. To keep up with that situation, check at CaringBridge.

If you have found your way here, you most likely have an interest in genealogy and/or family folklore, are involved with a family history center or historical or genealogical society, or a combination of these. To view the Privacy Policy, click here.

In 2008 I completed my doctorate in folklore and am now taking clients, on a limited basis. If you are looking for help in your roots pursuits, I would be pleased to hear from you. Contact links can be found throughout this website or go to Your People.

Most of this site is devoted to the lectures and programs I present: See an abbreviated listing below or click on Topic Categories. There is also a page listing my own genealogical research: check out My People (perhaps we are related). As I become more involved in the genealogy community, and continue my involvement in the folk music community, I am getting more “web presence,” courtesy of those with whom I have interviewed. To check out the podcasts, news stories, etc., go to the Sights & Sounds page.

Also included here is the list of my available CDs and links to order them: go to CDs. That is the same page where you’ll find info on ordering MP3s, for those who want to put their music into the 21st Century.

If you are interested in being added to my mailing (“fan club”) list to receive quasi-quarterly notification of my presentation schedule and latest CD releases, please send an email request to circlemending (at) gmail (dot) com.

Doing background research for television shows has been an interesting addition to life in the past few years, but I think I still prefer the one-on-one research where I can truly delve into a family’s history. Of course I continue to write articles that combine my various interests. In October 2012 I finished and published (as an e-book) a historical novel on the story of my g-g-grandmother Elisabeth, now available (check that page on this site for information). It is currently going through a rewrite and I hope to have hard copies of the novel for sale by mid-2018.

Finally, I can be found and friended on Facebook (a note referencing this website would help me identify you; send as a message when requesting to be friended):  http://www.facebook.com/Circlemending. I also want to call attention to my blog (yes, I have decided to get into that, too, though that element is not updated very often) – click blog to go to that off-site location to read my comments about how music was part of our ancestors’ lives, along with other items of genealogical or historical interest, such as my posts that review of some of the microfilm collections in the holdings of the National Archives, Pacific Region (Riverside County). These are lesser-known and under-utilized resources that may have genealogical significance to researchers. I encourage people to check out these informational blogs . . . who knows, you just might break through a brick wall! (I have to confess that, while I started out doing regular blog posts, other writing obligations have side-tracked me; I do posts for others, occasionally – see my page here on Writings for more specifics on that – and try to post on mine as often as time allows. My favorite blog post series is my father’s auto-biography. His was a fascinating life and I am pleased to share it at that location.)

Click the following link for a printable copy of my press release and shortened version of my bio to use for introductions

Click here to download press release-as of FEB2020

photo by Pam McComb-Podmostko, © 2009

LISTING OF PRESENTATION TITLES (CLICK THE LINK OF THE TOPIC CATEGORY TO BE DIRECTED TO THE DESCRIPTION PAGE)

INSTRUCTIONAL LECTURES

Selected lectures (noted * below) available on recordings from various seminars from Fleetwood Onsite (search by “Hibben”), JAMB, Inc. (search by conference; see details on topics for assistance) or Conference Resource, LLC (Jamboree order form). For specific program identification, see details on the description pages for these presentations. Recordings are for personal use only. Titles that are links will take you to a FREE viewing of the lecture on FamilySearch; search by lecture title (note: FamilySearch often makes changes and may remove lectures when outdated; if a link is broken, please send me notification, thank you). These, too, are designed for personal use and should not be displayed at genealogical society meetings without prior permission. Thank you for respecting that.

Beginning to Intermediate (Experienced)

• • America: Land of the Farm, Home of the Plow

• • Beware! The Enchanted Forest: Perils & Pitfalls of On-Line Trees

• • Civil War Research: Learning about Your Union Veteran Ancestor

• • Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family over Time and Miles*

• • County Websites: An Overlooked Resource*

• • Deliveries in the Rear! Getting Family History Information through the Back Door* (revised with new material in 2015)

• • The Devil is in the Details: Missing Minutiae can Create Lineage Limbo
  • Epidemics & Pandemics: Issues of Politics, Religion, and Economics (new)

• • Family History: Research & Results for the Beginner

• • FamilySearch: A Live Tour

• • Federal Census Records: Brick Wall Battering Rams* (parts 1 & 2)

• • Folkways & the Family: Your Ancestors were More than Statistics (new)

• • Fun with . . . Citing Sources

• • Historical Societies: Bridges between People and History

• • It’s NOT about Zombies! Finding the Dead in Cemeteries

• • Need Direction? Try City Directories!

• • Reboot Your Brain (formerly Yes You Can!) (click link to view this at FamilySearch)

• • This is not Your Grandma’s Genealogy: Making the Move from Paper to Electronic Record Keeping*

• • The 2 Sides of Interviewing (click link to view this at FamilySearch)
  • Up Close and Personal: Doing On-Site Research (click link to view this at FamilySearch

Intermediate (Experienced) to Advanced

• • Avoiding Fallacies in Family History: A Key to Research Success (new)

• • Dead Language/Dead People: Translating Latin Records from the Catholic Church*

• • Deduction v. Induction in Genealogical Research: Applying Logic Theory to Family History*

• • How Do You Do That? Practical Suggestions for People Who Want to Do Genealogical Lecturing*

• • Hunting for Joe Ovalle: A Case Study (new)

• • I ♥ New York: A Look at the Connections between and Communities of the Mohawk Valley and Jefferson County

• • Is Your Brick Wall Topped by Barbed Wire? Researching Ancestral Prisoners

• • It’s about Time! Pacing the Presentation*

• • Life on the Farm & the Records it Generated

• • Mob Action: Getting and Staying Afloat (for genealogy societies)
  • Mom Liked You Best! Doing Sibling Research (new)

• • Researching German Records When You Live in America and Don’t Speak German

• • Shaking the Myth: Proving/Disproving Family Legends*
  • Special Delivery: Using US Postmaster Documents in Family History Research

• • Thinking INSIDE the Box(es) and Reading Between the Lines (under construction)
  • Who is That? Why Your Ancestors Associated with Apparent Strangers*

All levels

• • Chicago Rises from the Ashes: The Columbian Exposition Gives Perspective to the Family Historian (new)

• • City Directories: More that Address Books

• • Come All Ye! Social Media for our Illiterate Forebears (new-requires Internet connection)

• • Communicating in your Ancestors’ Homeland: Understanding Other Cultures can Make or Break Overseas Research

• • Doing Background Research for Genealogy Television: It’s Not Like it Looks on TV!

• • FamilySearch LIVE TOUR (changes frequently and is adapted to your group’s needs)

• • The Games People Played: Leisure Activities of Our Ancestors
  • Genealogy on Wheels: Is RVing Right for You?*
  • The Great Lakes: The Role They Played during Prohibition (new)
  • Hints for a Successful Research Trip to Salt Lake City (under revision)

• • How the Music and Instruments of Your Ancestors are Relevant to Family History Research
  • Means, Motive, & Opportunity: The Sad Saga of George Richards (case study)
  • On, Wisconsin! The 24th Infantry, 1862-1865, Brothers Forever (new)
  • Re-Remembering: The History of Military Headstones and Obtaining One for Your Ancestor
  • Turning Genealogy into Family History: Creating Stories from Stats (click link to view at FamilySearch)

• • What Our Ancestors Feared Most: Diseases & Their Treatments

PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS All levels (interesting for non-genealogists, too)

• • Arriving in the New World: How Our Immigrant Ancestors Coped in their New Home

• • Family Traditions: Cultural Guidelines for Life

• • Making the Dead Live Again: The Value of Family Folklore

• • Mob Action: Working as a Group to Tear Down Brick Walls
  • RootsMagic®: Live Tour (parts 1 & 2 – as audience requires & requests) (Internet required)

• • Say What? How did Your Ancestor Pronounce those Names? (available soon)

• • Society: Support and Share Discussion (requires active participation from attendees or panel of people from different societies)

• • Tattle Tale! Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Genealogists

• • Understanding Gothic German by Learning to Write it

• • What’s in it for Me? Reasons for Researching Family History

• • Why/How to Become a Professional Genealogist (discussion)
  • Words & Phrases of Bygone Days (formerly “Cut & Paste”)

NARRATIVE PRESENTATIONS All levels

• • Breaking the Ties that Bind: One Woman’s Story of Leaving Family to Settle New Frontiers

• • Elisabeth: The Story of a German Immigrant

• • Forget me not: The Story of a Milwaukee Pioneer

• • John Adam Hollaender: Survivor
  • Nathan Wilcox: The Story of a Union Soldier and His Family

SONGS & STORIES OF HISTORICAL EVENTS All levels

• • Appalachian Ancestors: Their Lives, Legends, and Lyrics

• • Bringing Your Civil War Ancestor Back to Life: Songs & Stories of the War of the Rebellion

• • Byproducts of Battle: War-Inspired Christmas Songs & Their Stories

• • “Dark as a Dungeon”: Songs of America’s Miners

• • Erin Go Brach: Music & Myths of Irish Immigrants

• • “. . . Excavating for a Mine”: Songs & Stories of the California Gold Rush

• • From Slave to Freed Man: How America’s Music has been Influenced by African Americans

• • “Gather at the River”: Gospel Hymns and Histories of Early America

• • “Get along Little Dogies”: Songs and Stories of the American West

• • “Ghosts of Christmas Past”: Tunes, Tales, and Ancestral Traditions

• • “. . . hear the Whistle Blowing?” Songs of America’s Rails

• • “Hi-Ho the Derry-O”: Songs of America’s Farmers

• • Jolly Ol’ England: Songs from Across the Pond

• • Lifelines of a Growing Land: Songs of Inland Waterways

• • “Once upon a Time . . .”: The Rhymes and Rhythms of Childhood

• • “Rock-a-bye Baby”: The Songs Our Foremothers Sang

• • Songs of Floods, Fires, and Fury: Was Your Family Touched by Disaster?

• • To Zion in Song: The Westward Migration of the Mormons
  • “Way, Haul Away”: Shanties and Songs of the Sea

BANQUET TALKS/KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

• • Ancestors as Heroes

• • Before the Victrola: Songs Your Ancestors Sang

• • “Come Away with Me”: Time Travel Set to Music

• • Doing Family History to Heal Family Present on Behalf of Family Past (bring tissues)

• • Everything I Need to Know about Doing Genealogy I Learned from Doing Jigsaw Puzzles

• • Graveyard Gumshoe: Lessons EnGRAVEN in Stone

• • A Mile to the Mailbox: How Children Learn their Family History

• • On the Contrary, Dead Men (and Women) DO Tell Tales!

• • One Step Beyond: Synchronistic Findings in Family Research

• • Remembering the Past for the Future: Listening to Grandpas instead of iPods

• • Remembering Homemade Music

• • Sherlock Homes: Investigating Your Ancestor’s House
  • What are the Odds? Genealogy Oddities
  • You are NOT Alone: The Quest for Family History Transcends the Grave (under construction)

PERSONAL PROFILE

After moving from the Chicago suburbs to Southern California in 1973, I obtained my bachelors and masters degrees in Speech Communication and worked as a professor in the field for 13 years before leaving academia to pursue my passions: folklore and family history. I received my doctorate in folklore in 2008. I have been involved in family research for over 40 years and have traced my origins to Germany, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Holland, England, and France. Check the link on this site to see the names of My People. I am the former Director of the Corona, California Family History Center, in the Corona Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and am still involved with work and teaching classes there. I am also occasionally found at the National Archives, Pacific Region (Riverside County).

I have been on the board of the Genealogical Speakers Guild (more biographical information is available at that website) and recommend that site to see the listings of other speakers in the field of genealogy. I was a Board-Certified Genealogist for 10 years (2006-2016 – I elected not to renew), I served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists for four years and am currently the President of its Southern California Chapter. I am also past President, current 1st Vice-president, and webmaster of the Corona (Calif.) Genealogical Society; and formerly the First Vice-President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors. I have recently completed my application for the Daughters of the American Revolution and have been accepted into that respected and long-standing institution, being a member of their Aurantia Chapter in Riverside County, California.

I have been playing guitar for over 50 years and have added other instruments to my repertoire over the decades. I use a number of these in my musical programs to give folks a feeling for the music their ancestors might have sung and played. To read more about that and the CDs I have recorded to date, please check out the pages on Details on Songs & Stories of Historical Events, Sights & Sounds, and CDs. I am active in a number of Southern California music groups, including the Riverside Folk Song Society.  I live in the Lake Mathews area of Riverside County, CA; am married; have 4 children, 25 grandchildren, and over 20 great-grandchildren. And some of those people are actually interested in family history; plus, with all the descendants that keep joining the clan, I figure that the odds are in my favor that one or more will eventually be taking the baton from me! Contact me via email  Thank you for your interest.

photo by Pam McComb-Podmostko ©2009

MISSION STATEMENT

My goal is to assist others in their efforts to connect generations (past to present), completing the family circle.

PHILOSOPHY

I believe that who we are is a compilation of our experiences and associations as well as our biological connections. When we understand our ancestors, we can better understand ourselves. By doing this, we can complete and appreciate our family circles. “Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by? There’s a better home a-waitin’ in the sky, Lord, in the sky!” – Trad.