Leaves of Heritage Genealogy

Happy Birthday, Robert Burns!

2013-01-25T10:31:00.001-08:00

January 25 is the birthday of the Scottish Bard and poet laureate, Robert Burns. Sots around the world host Burns' suppers in honor of him. They recite his poetry, enjoy some good Scottish whiskey and fair, and typically partake of the haggis.

Burns' so loved Haggis that he wrote an address to it. In his address he remarks about the wonder of such a food and he scorns how people can eat French ragout but look down on haggis. How those people are skinny and weak, but a Scot is hardy and strong because he eats the haggis.

Most people are familiar with Robert Burns' poem "Auld Lange Syne," which was set to a traditional folk song and sung in many countries around the world on New Year's Eve (Hogmanay in Scotland). The words roughly translate to "for old time sake."

Being of Clan Campbell on my father's side, I enjoy that Burns' wrote lyrics to a traditional pipe song called "The Campbells are Coming."

The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin to bonnie Lochleven,
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!

Upon the Lomonds I lay, I lay,
Upon the Lomonds I lay, I lay,
I looked down to bonnie Lochleven,
And saw three bonnie perches play.
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin to bonnie Lochleven,
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!

Great Argyle he goes before,
He makes his cannons and guns to roar,
Wi' sound o' trumpet, pipe and drum,
The Campbells are comin Oho, Oho!

The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin to bonnie Lochleven,
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!

The Campbells they are a' in arms,
Their loyal faith and truth to show,
Wi' banners rattling in the wind,
The Campbells are comin Oho, Oho!

The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!
The Campbells are comin to bonnie Lochleven,
The Campbells are comin, Oho! Oho!

Robert Burns was a lover of women, had several illegitimate children, and died young, at the age of 37. And his legend, and words, live on! Happy birthday, Rabbie!! For more info on the life of Robert Burns you can visit http://www.robertburns.org

Rule Breaker!

2012-08-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

I was enjoying my September issue of Better Homes and Gardens last night when I came across an article they did on breaking some traditional time-saving rules. The gist of the article was that these rules were actually myths that do not save us time, but in reality cause us to waste time; like multi-tasking.

The rule that struck a cord with me was "Finish what you started." Basically the point of this rule to break was that sometimes we need to walk away and come back to something later with a fresh perspective. We aren't quitting, just taking a break. The article says that sometimes "...stubbornly persisting can drain you of time and energy you could put to better use." So this is the rule I need to remember to break more easily while researching.

There are often times when no matter what avenue I travel down, the ancestor or information I am looking for just isn't there. Yet I will plug away for hours. By the end of it, I am exhausted and feel a bit defeated. If I practice walking away sooner, and returning later with a better sense of determination, I will feel better about the process and might be more successful in my search.

At what point do you call it temporarily quits??

Happy Birthday, Mom!! ** A sad read

2012-08-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Today my mother would have been 57 years old. But as it is, she will forever be 19.

Because my mother died at such a young age, myself being only 2 1/2 months old at the time, I did not grow up knowing much about her, or her family for that matter. It was easier for my dad to move on without the reminders, I guess. But when I was 18 and pregnant with my first child, I finally had the need to know.

My search began at the cemetery. I found her grave by the pond in a section of the cemetery called the "Freedom Lawn" in La Vista Memorial Park, National City, California. A couple of years later I called and spoke with a couple siblings of hers. I then drove to San Diego and met my mother's father, her aunt, and a bunch of cousins and other people I still don't know to this day. And eventually I wanted to know more about her death.

It was a warm summer night in July. My father had turned 22 that Friday and my parents got together with some friends for the weekend. My dad had been working on someone's motorcycle when they decided to take it for a test run. The bunch hopped on their motorcycles to take a spin. They were in Chula Vista, California, so they chose to drive by the lake. It was just past midnight, technically a Sunday now. They rounded a corner where the road ended at a T intersection at Wueste Rd and Otay Lakes Rd. Apparently my father didn't know there was a STOP sign, so my parents flew through the intersection, crossed the road and went down the embankment on the opposite side. My mother wasn't wearing a helmet (this was the 70s after all) so she sustained a fracture to the right side of her skull, as well as a broken right arm. My father shattered his right arm and broke his femur. Because his injuries were less life threatening, he was hauled away to the naval hospital (he was serving in the Navy at the time), but my mom was taken to some community hospital in Chula Vista.

My mother's injury to her skull caused major swelling in her brain. The community hospital made the decision to have her transferred to the naval hospital where they hoped she could receive better care. My mom lived for 4 days after the accident. She died on the afternoon of July 24, 1975 and was buried on July 29.

My point in telling this sad tale is that when I decided I wanted to know I contacted the sheriff's office and the California Highway Patrol in an effort to get a police report. I was told they destroy their records after so many years. I was eventually directed to the county coroner's office, so I got to order my first genealogical records: an autopsy report and the coroner's report.

Because of the accident, there was eventually a lawsuit against the county for lack of a stop sign warning. My father won the suit and I got some money in a trust fund. It wasn't enough to replace my mother's lost life, but it was a good amount, and more importantly, there is now proper signage warning everyone of the upcoming stop ahead.

Because I knew there was a lawsuit, I one day made my way to the county court and sat for an hour at the microfilm reader scanning the pages of the case. I didn't really learn anything because I was fairly rushed and had no time to absorb the contents of the film, not to mention I was a little numb at the time. But I made it to the court and know where to get the documents when I am finally ready to shell out the cash for them.

I pursued more information and eventually really got into genealogy. I have learned that my father's side of the family are all fairly new to this country (only going as far back as the mid 1800s in Vermont), while my mother's side has deep roots, including a line from the Mayflower.

Genealogy has been a great adventure, but at times I am saddened that it took my mother's death to get me into it. But that is usually how it's started, right? Someone is dead and we want to know more about them.

Happy birthday, Mom! And happy tree climbing, everyone else!

New Year's Resolutions: Humor

2012-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

My friend's dad sent this to me, and I thought I would share.

It is New Year's Eve 1852 and an ancestor sits at his desk by

candlelight. He dips his pen in ink and begins to write his New

Year's Resolutions.

1. No man is truly well-educated unless he learns to spell his name at least three different ways within the same document. I resolve to give the appearance of being extremely well-educated in this coming year.

2. I resolve to see to it that all of my children will have the same names as my ancestors have used for six generations in a row.

3. My age is no one's business but my own. I hereby resolve to never list the same age of birth year twice on any document.

4. I resolve to have each of my children baptized in a different church

-- either in a different faith, or in a different parish.

Every third child will not be baptized at all or will be baptized by an itinerant minister who keeps no records.

5. I resolve to move to a new town, new county, or new state, at least once every 10 years -- just before those pesky enumerators come around asking silly questions.

6. I will make every attempt to reside in counties and towns where no vital records are maintained or where the courthouse burns down every few years.

7. I resolve to join an obscure religious cult that does not believe in record keeping or in participating in military service.

8. When the tax collector comes to my door, I'll lend him my pen, which has been dipped in rapidly fading blue ink.

9. I resolve that if my beloved wife, Mary, should die, I will marry another Mary.

l0. I resolve not to make a will. Who needs to spend money on a lawyer?

Snapshot: Billy the Exterminator

2012-06-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

My friend's daughter loves watching Billy the Exterminator, so recently my own kids decided to look his show up on Netflix. We've been watching it for the last week now and love how Billy relocates the animals and uses environmentally safe products. Well, my husband mentioned that he heard Billy got into a bit of trouble not that long ago, so I did what I do and looked it up. I read what he did and wanted to know more about this guy, so again, I did what I do. There was almost nothing out there about him, so I dug deeper.

Here's what I found in a couple of hours of fun:

1. William Patrick Bretherton was born on September 18, 1968 in Harris County, Texas to William Lyman Bretherton and Donna Nell (Skaggs) Bretherton.

He went to Klein High School in Spring, Texas

U.S. School Yearbooks Record for Billy Bretherton 1984, Klein High School, Spring Texas

He went into the Air Force around 1988 and eventually studied biology and entomology while serving.

He was married, had children (don't have specifics), divorced, then married his current wife Mary.

He founded his company, Vex Con, and works there with his parents, wife, and brother.

2. Billy's father, William Lyman Bretherton, was born October 32, 1944 in Iowa to Edward Bretherton, Jr. and Helen Marie (?). He has a brother, Dennis Edward Bretherton, whom he traveled with from Guam to San Francisco, en route to Iowa Falls, Iowa in 1957, on board a US Naval Ship, Barrett.

Honolulu, Hawaii, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1900-1959 Record for William L Bretherton

3. Billy's grandfather, Edward Bretherton, Jr., was born July 3, 1916 to Edward Bretherton, Sr., and Lottie (?) in Orgeon [ possibly Portland]. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps (later recognized as having served in the Air Force) in Portland, Oregon in March 1943. He enlisted a second time in November of 1945 and served until 1963. He died in Elm Grove, Louisiana in August 1987. His wife, Helen Marie, followed in 2007.

4. Billy's great-grandfather, Edward Bretherton, Sr., was born in Alaska on April 28, 1894 to Bernard Joseph Bretherton and Mable Edna (Hatch) Bretherton. By age 6, his family had relocated to Oregon, where his siblings were born, and in 1972 he died in Topeka, Kansas.

5. Billy's great-great grandfather was his immigrant ancestor on this line. Bernard Joseph Bretherton was born in Cheshire County, England on January 26, 1861 to Edward Bretherton and Alice C (?) Bretherton. He came to America sometime around his eighteenth year, and later naturalized. He was a naturalist who helped catalogue and track many species of birds and mammals making many contributions to the publication The Naturalist.At some point he climbed Mount Olympus with a man named O'Neil, and later in his life he served as a lighthouse watchman. He died of tuberculosis in 1903 and was laid to rest in Coos County, Oregon.

I could have gone on with my hunt, but I have things I am supposed to be doing, so the search will have to wait!

I wonder if Billy knows about his immigrant ancestor and how he was a naturalist. I wonder if this is where Billy gets his desire and passion to save animals and preserve the environment. I might never know, but spending a couple of hours making these discoveries was, as always, a great adventure.

Happy tree climbing!

SCGS Jamboree 2012: The Events

2012-06-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I got back from Jamboree, and I feel recovered enough to write about it!

As I mentioned previously, I spoke at Kid's Camp this year. My presentation consisted of a Power Point with documents from the lives of W.D. Boyce (Boy Scouts), Juliette Gordon Low (Girl Scouts), Walter Knott (Knott's Berry Farm), and Walt Disney (All Things Disney). I explained to the kids that these documents had clues to the lives of these individuals. I asked the group why it mattered to look for these things for our own ancestors, and encouraged them to not just do this for their ancestors, but for any people in their lives that intrigue them.

After my presentation, and those of others, I sat at a table and spoke with some Boy Scouts about what a professional genealogist does. Learning about this, and other things, was part of their requirements for earning their Genealogy Merit Badge.

Before the event was over, I was approached by Geoff Rasmussen of Legacy Family Tree. He expressed that he enjoyed my presentation and asked if I had done it very often. I told him no, that was my first time, but that I had been a Girl Scout leader for 11 years and had run a camp for 200 plus girls for several years. Will he consider working with me in the future? I hope so. That would be cool!

On Friday night at Jamboree, SCGS in conjunction with Ancestry.com put on a 1940's themed Hollywood GALA. This was a pasta buffet, followed by a photo booth equipped with props, as well as two Hollywood stars, Carla Leammle (Dracula), and Margaret O'Brien (Meet Me in St. Louis) who were there selling autographed photos. Before the event, I had my daughter come and do my make-up and hair in vintage 1940's style. She gave me victory rolls and wings on my eyes, along with a deep red lip as was custom to the time. I was WAY over dressed (under dressed??) for the event with my clingy, long gown and three inch heeled Jessica Simpson shoes, and some people actually thought I was part of the entertainment! But, why not go all out, right?

Sadly, I was not able to attend any of the other SCGS sponsored events, such as the Genealogy Idol or banquets. One year I'd like to attend, but this year it just wasn't in the budget.

On Saturday evening, however, I met up with attendees who were ProGen Study Group alumnus or current participants. We met briefly in the hotel lounge where I distributed ribbons and had our group picture taken. Many then dispersed, while others stayed together and schmoozed a bit.

Front row (left to right): Jamie Mayhew, Gwynn Socolich, Stefani Evans, Denise Spurlock,Kathy Holland, Christine Green, Patricia Stanard, and half of me!

Back row: Dawn Carlisle, Elizabeth O'Neal, Sheri Fenley, Corey Oiesen, Jeffery Vaillant, Randy Seaver, J. Fonkert

Overall, I think things went really well. And of course, I am already planning for next year's Jamboree!

SCGS Jamboree 2012

2012-05-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

I will be speaking at the Southern California Genealogical Society's 43rd Annual Jamboree this year. Their theme is "Lights, Camera, Ancestors!" and centers on the glamour of Hollywood.

On Thursday, I will be helping out at the Kid's Family History Camp, so be sure and bring your children for this free and fun event! Then on Sunday, I will be teaching you about publishing your family history to DVD. Also, I will be helping solve your brick walls. You can sign up here to be seen by me, or another consultant, free of charge.

Join me on the red carpet Friday night at a special event hosted by Ancestry.com, the Hollywood GALA (info on all special events can be found here: http://scgsgenealogy.com/Jamboree/2012/SpecialEvents.htm ). Watch the SCGS Jamboree blog for more details about this and the other special events that are planned.

I'm looking forward to hearing my fellow genealogists speak on a number of topics. It should be another great Jamboree!

Happy tree climbing!

100 Years Ago This Year

2012-03-12T18:13:00.004-07:00

1912 was a very busy year!

On January 1, the longest consecutively run foot race in the world, what is now called the "Bay to Breakers," took place in San Francisco. It was won by a paper boy named Robert J. Vlught who attended St. Mary's College at the time.

Robert was born in Michigan December 2, 1890 to parents William and Jennie (Baker) from Holland. His family came to California and settled in Oakland sometime between 1895 (Robert's brother Leonard was born in MI in 1894) and 1902 (his sister Jettina was born in California in 1902).

At the time of the race, Robert is listed in the City Directories at Ancestry.com as living at 1071 30th (St.) in Oakland, California. Next listed is his father at the same address.

In 1917 Robert lived in San Francisco and was a bookkeeper for Fidelity and Casualty Company, but was also listed at his father's residence as working in insurance.

At some point he married a woman named Mary Elizabeth, and his name was changed from Vlught to Vellou.
He died in San Francisco, California on February 11, 1960 at 69 years of age. Though he is gone, he will be forever in the annals of San Francisco history.

On February 2, Frederick Rodman Law was the first person to jump off of the Statue of Liberty, then later that year he jumped off of the Booklyn Bridge and the Banker's Trust Building on Wall Street. Originally a steeplejack who repaired towers and steeples, F. Rodman Law became one of the first ever stuntmen.

Born in Massachusetts in January 1885, Frederick Rodman Law was the son of Frederick C Law and Sarah B. His younger sister Ruth went on to become a famous aviator, from whose airplane he had jumped.

In 1900, F.R. Law was living with his family in East Haven, Connecticut. By 1907 he was married to a woman named Florence, having a daughter, Kathryn, by 1908. In 1910, F.R. Law lived with his wife and daughter in Brooklyn, New York, where he was working as a structural engineer.

Frederick Rodman Law often going by F.R. Law, or Rodman Law, died in a U.S. Public Health Services Hospital in Greeneville, South Carolina on October 13, 1919 of Pulmonary Tuberculosis at 34 years of age. His death record states that he was buried in Chicago, Illinois, where it was reported that his sister and other relatives lived. According to a Huntsville newspaper, Law had been in Texas when he became ill and was later transferred to the South Carolina hospital. And the New York times had reported that Rodman had been sick for about 3 months before his death.

In 1920, Rodman's wife, Florence, and his children, Cathryn (12), William (9), and Virginia (3), were living in Brooklyn with the Gaskins family. This leads me to believe that perhaps Rodman was on the outs with his wife at the time of his death.

On March 12, Juliette Gordon Low made the famous phone call to her cousin Nina Pape announcing, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" and thus the Girl Scouts began in America.

Juliette Magill Gordon was born on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia to William Washington Gordon II and Eleanor Lytle Kinzie. She was quickly given the nickname Daisy, which she used throughout her life. Daisy attended schools in Savannah, Virginia, and New York.

She married William Mackay Low on December 21, 1886 at Christ Church in Savannah. The marriage was childless and unhappy leading to infidelity on William's part and the beginning of a divorce. In 1905, William Low died but left his fortune to his mistress. Daisy had to fight for her widow's share, but prevailed gaining his family's estate in Georgia and more.

In 1911, Daisy met Sir Robert Baden-Powell (later Lord) who had begun the Boy Scouting movement in England a few years earlier. Daisy loved the idea of scouting for girls and began working with Sir Baden-Powell's sister, Agnes. She started troops in London and Scotland before bringing the movement home to the states in 1912.

Daisy was diagnosed with breast cancer by 1923 and died of metastatic cancer of the liver on January 17, 1927. She was buried in her Girl Scout uniform with a telegram from the headquarters of Girl Scouts stating, "You are not only the first Girl Scout, you are the best Girl Scout of them all."

On April 15, the RMS Titanic sinks near Newfoundland. On this ship were friends of Daisy Low. In a letter dated May 9, Daisy writes home to her parents while aboard the RMS Baltic "...The Ryerson family (who Nellie saw [Nellie being her sister]) were wonderfully calm & did not feel cold at [sic] Titanic wreck, & both girls had to row & bail out the boat, because only one able seaman was aboard their lifeboat Susanne, who is as strong as a man, threw off her fur coat & got into the icy water to help boost up one man who was too cold to get in. They saved 19 men & two died after they got them in their lifeboat..."

The Ryerson family was composed of Arthur L. Ryerson and his wife Emily Borie Ryerson and their children John, Susan (Suzette), Emily, Arthur, and Ellen. Only Arthur, his wife, and three of his children were on aboard the Titanic. Son Arthur was not. All but Arthur Senior survived and were aboard life boat number 4.

Arthur Ryerson Senior was a lawyer, who attended Yale University. The family lived mostly in Chicago, Illinois, but had also spent time in Massachusetts and New York.In 1900 they lived at 59 Bellevue Place, Chicago and in 1910,were at Otsego, New York with three servants.

It has been written that the son, John, almost did not make it off of the Titanic due to him being a boy, as women and young children were being shipped off first. His father, however, apparently had words with the ship's officer and John, then 13, was allowed to escape death with his mother and two sisters.

On April 16, the fist American female aviator, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel, and sadly she died in New Jersey that same year at age 37 years of an airplane accident.

Harriet was born in 1875 to William Crocker and Ursula (Cook) Quimby. Though the exact place of her birth is debated, it is known that she was born somewhere in the state of Michigan. In 1870, her parents lived in Arcadia, Manistee County, and there is a small monument to her near this city, so it's safe to say that region has laid claim to her birth.

I could not find her in the 1880s census, but the family was in San Francisco, California by October 1890, as her father registered to vote. In 1910, Harriet's parents were living in New York, which is where Harriet began doing some of her work at the time.

Harriet began her career as a journalist, like her father, but became enamored with flight, which led to her becoming the first licensed female aviator in America.

MANY more great things took place in 1912, but I don't have time for all that research right now! Some notable quickies though:

National Genealogical Society published its first Quarterly
The Oreo Coookie was invented (though some people say they stole the idea from Hydrox)
The United States gained two states (New Mexico and Arizona)
Robert Scott made his last journal entry and died in Antarctica
AND
Woodrow Wilson won the Democratic seat for the presidential race.

** aside from my research on Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low, I do not have source citations for the above information. I have included links and mentions of the information I found, but in general, all info was found doing Google searches and using Ancestry.com.

Legacy Family Tree's Genealogy Idol

2012-02-03T13:51:00.001-08:00

Most of you know about or watched Legacy Family Tree's first ever Genealogy Idol contest, hosted by Geoff Rasmussen. The finalist were Marian Pierre-Louis, Michael Hait, Elizabeth Clark, and Elyse Doerflinger.

There were three rounds in which the contestants had to "strut their stuff". At the end of all three rounds, the audience got to cast their vote.

Round One: Three Minute Technology Tip

Marian Pierre-Louis presented her reasons for using Dropbox. She mentioned how she goes back and forth between her lap-top and her desktop computer and how it was difficult to keep her files straight when updating them. Using Dropbox has allowed her to update her files on one computer while syncing the information to her files on the other computer.

Michael Hait showed viewers how to format source citations using Microsoft Word. He walked us step by step through the process and explained how this would make report writing quicker and easier. He further explained that once a citation was formatted this created a template for other citations and that modifications were quick and easy to make.

Elizabeth Clark showed the audience how she uses deed mapping software to find where her ancestors lived. She demonstrated how to plug in the information to get a line drawing of the property, and how plotting the neighbors land information you can get a complete picture of your ancestor's property. She further showed us that we can apply maps from the USGS to show a real time placement of old time information.

Elyse Doerflinger explained how she uses Microsoft One Note for her note taking and organization of her genealogical data and more. She stated that she preferred One Note over Evernote, and explained that One Note gave search capabilities to the items added to it, such as pdfs.

And the winner of round one in my opinion: Michael Hait.
Although Marian had a great presentation, as always, I'm not interested in using Dropbox at this time. It is something I am aware of but not going to use anytime soon.

I already use One Note and love it, so even though Elyse did a spot on explanation of all the reasons to love it, this was not new or useful information to me.

I really loved the deed mapping information by Elizabeth. The only reason that she wouldn't have been number one in my book for this round is because I will not use mapping in all of my research. Therefore, Michael's tip on source citations in Microsoft Word was the most helpful to me, being that all research I do comes with the need for citations.

Round Two: Genealogical Serendipity

Marian shared with us how taking the roads less traveled with her father led to a discovery of a parish that her ancestors had once belonged. Inside the church was a memorial window for her family and other items of interest. Marian explained how after this visit she was contacted by someone who had found a family Bible. Though the Bible was not revealing in any new information, she said she was happy to have it.

Michael told of how he had been tracing an enslaved family along with the family of the slave owners. While doing research at a library in Maryland, Michael's wife called, so he went to the back of the library to quietly take the call. Once finished, he noticed a family history for the slave owner's family. In this book he discovered direct evidence of the ancestry of the enslaved family he had been researching. Michael said that when doing slave research, compiled family histories typically do not shed light on the slaves that are held.

Elizabeth shared the story of her father who had been a stamp collector and dealer. Elizabeth's father had passed away, but Elizabeth continued in his foot steps by researching stamps and such on ebay. She came across a letter with a stamp from the Isle of Thanet Philatelic Society that her father had belonged to. When the envelope arrived, she examined it and there was no address on it, but she said that when she held it up to the light she could see her father's handwriting and address. After contacting the seller of the item, Elizabeth was left with no more information about the piece other than the fact that the seller had no association with her father. Her father seemingly made contact with her from the other side.

Elyse told of how she and her mother had moved from Southern California to Oregon for a time to live with an aunt and then returned back to Southern California some years later, having left behind several boxes of items. After her mother's death, Elyse's aunt contacted her and asked what she should bring with her. Elyse felt that so much time had passed that there couldn't be anything of interest in any of the boxes, so she told her aunt to bring whatever. What Elyse ended up getting was a small lock box of family documents her mother had never shared with her.

And the winner of round two in my opinion: Elizabeth Clark
Elizabeth's story was very heartwarming and reminded me of similar things that have happened to me. The fact that she would have had no idea the stamped envelope had been in contact with her father had she not purchased it was truly shiver inspiring.

Marian's story spoke to me next. It is always wonderful when the dead lead us to the places they have been. It helps to enrich our knowledge of them and the past.

Elyse's story was wonderful in that she got all of those records, and though she didn't know about them, they were safely hidden at her aunts.

Michael's story was a little disappointing because he had stated how he had done all that he thought possible to research the enslaved family. However, he did not look at the compiled family histories section because of his previous experience of them not yielding anything of significance. My thought is that you look anyway in order for your research to be truly exhaustive. I could understand if he did not know who the slave owners were, but he did, and there they were, the Peach family, in a nice bound text, ripe for his plucking. I am glad that he was led that way and made the find, but Michael, leave no stone unturned.

Round three: Favorite Genealogical Website

Marian cheated a bit here in that she chose a group of websites to highlight social media use. Marian told of how she uses Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to acquire and share information with the masses in a faster capacity. She posed a question on all three sites about access to North Carolina records. All three sources netted her wonderful information, with Twitter's response being the quickest.

Michael highlighted the Library of Congress and the vast amount of material they have digitized for free public use. In addition to newspapers, they offer online map collections including Sanborn insurance maps, railroad maps, war maps, etc. The LOC website also has Congressional Documents and Debates which Michael explained is significant in helping us understand the laws that govern our records. Lastly, he mentions that there is so much more on the LOC website and that we should take a couple of weekends to browse it thoroughly.

Elizabeth presented Google Books as her favorite website. She went on to explain how she uses Google Books for finding Gazetteers and how that helps her to narrow down quite a bit of research time. As an example, she had been researching her great grandmother who lived in a place in Wales. After much research and a trip to the Family History Library, she learned that there were in fact two places by the same name, a fact she says that she would have found out much sooner had she used Gazetteers.

Elyse explained how Geneabloggers was her favored site because of all of the networking the site allows, as well as the general sense of community among the bloggers. She said that the site allowed her easy access to new blogs, saying that since there are so many they are hard to keep track of.

And the winner of round three in my opinion: Michael Hait
I use all of the social media sites that Marian shared, but with mixed results. Perhaps it is because of my lack of renown, but many of my posts will go unanswered. I do love being able to share my information through these sites, and on the occasion that I do get a response, I appreciate the ease of access to it. But, these are not the most useful sites for me.

I knew about the Library of Congress' website, and have used it several times, but Michael pointed out some resources on it that I was not aware of. I haven't taken the two weekends Michael suggested in order to explore the possibilities, but now I know there is more at the LOC than just old newspapers!

I am new to Gazetteers as a resource, but not to Google Books. I found Elizabeth's tip on merging the two things together to be very helpful. What I do disagree with is that Elizabeth said to ignore those results in Google Books that say snippet or no preview. I feel that these links should still be explored because they lead to links that show you where you can access these items. Not everything is online, so it makes sense to find the original or microfilmed versions in other repositories.

Geneabloggers is one of the first places I signed up for when I decided to go pro a year ago. I felt that I needed exposure and this was a good place to start. I have met several bloggers and exchanged information and good conversation. The website itself is a great place for information as Thomas has many links to useful information, blogs of interest, etc. Geneabloggers is like a corral keeping all of our blog links in one convenient place.

In conclusion:
So ultimately my vote went to Michael, but I wonder if others were split like I was. I also wonder if we had been able to vote at the end of each round if the results would have been different. In the end, it was a great way to spend forty-five minutes, and I enjoyed listening to all of the presenters.

Congratulations to Marian Pierre-Louis on being the Kelly Clarkson of genealogy! You rock!

My Genealogy Bucket List; A Meme by Geniaus

2012-01-26T11:31:00.001-08:00

Jill Ball (Geniaus ) has created The Genealogy Bucket List meme.

Here are the rules, the list, and my responses:

The Bucket List GeneaMeme

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you would like to do or find: Bold Type
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments after each item

The genealogy conference I would most like to attend is... RootsTech,NIGR, all of them
The genealogy speaker I would most like to hear and see is... Michael Hait
The geneablogger I would most like to meet in person is... Michael Hait, Caroline Pointer, and anyone who wants to meet me!
The genealogy writer I would most like to have dinner with is... Whoever is paying =0)
The genealogy lecture I would most like to present is.... 100 Years of Girl Scouting; The Life of Juliette Gordon Low
I would like to go on a genealogy cruise that visits.... Scotland, Ireland, Quebec, France, Germany, Italy...and so on
The photo I would most like to find is... one that talks to me, revealing all the secrets of that ancestor's world! Ok, that would be a little creepy, but...
The repository in a foreign land I would most like to visit is... Why is it always pick one!? Archives of all kinds in the places I said I wanted to cruise to, but definitely local history repositories in Kilmarnock, Scotland.
The place of worship I would most like to visit is... St. Joseph's in Kilmarnock, Scotland
The cemetery I would most like to visit is ...... wherever my journey leads me
The ancestral town or village I would most like to visit is...... Kilmarnock, Scotland and Cladybeg, Armagh, Ireland
The brick wall I most want to smash is... WHERE IS HARRY CARL SAMPSON, and WHERE IN IRELAND DID EDWARD AND BRIDGET COME FROM?
The piece of software I most want to buy is.... already purchased =0)
The tech toy I want to purchase next is ..... a new video recorder
The expensive book I would most like to buy is... Again, why just ONE? I want The Source (online at ancestry isn't good enough. I like book in hand!), Redbook (same note as before; book in hand!), Val Greenwood, and so forth. What I have is ProGen, the newest Evidence Explained and some smaller hitters.
The library I would most like to visit is..... Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Have yet to go.
The genealogy related book I would most like to write is.... I'm an editor, not a writer. What can I help YOU write?
The genealogy blog I would most like to start would be about.... Wish I had time to write on THIS blog!
The journal article I would most like to write would be about... Why Juliette Gordon Low's middle name is just Magill and NOT Magill Kinzie.
The ancestor I most want to meet in the afterlife is.... my mother.

Using Circumstantial Evidence as a Springboard for Further Research

2011-11-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

I recently watched an archived webinar by Marian Pierre-Louis entitled Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents, hosted by Legacy Family Tree. In this webinar, which was fabulous, by the way, Marian uses indirect evidence to support her supposition of who Nathan Brown's parents were. One thing she discussed was using naming patterns as evidence to include or exclude possible family groups from your research.

Today I was happily throwing away bricks from my recently demolished wall when I came across a stumble in the road; who were the parents of Hersey Gilbert? Doing the usual Ancesty and Google search brought me limited information about his birth. Everything seemed to point only to his marriage and subsequent children. I did come across someone who posted their family tree with parents assigned to my Hersey Gilbert, but as usual, I noted this in the back of my mind since there was no source citation.

I headed over to FamilySearch.org as I often do, and I plugged in "Hersey Gilbert." I pored over pages of listings for the name and found the births of 13 of his children in Littleborough, Maine, whom I plugged in to my tree. Then my heart stopped! I saw a listing by a Nathaniel Gilbert using the same name as my Hersey had given to his first child. The births were two years apart and in two different states, but I just felt that these two people were related and that the name had family significance. Otherwise, what a huge coincidence!

The name I found for both Gilberts was Judith Hersey Gilbert, meaning that the name Judith Hersey held the significance. I had read somewhere prior that Hersey Gilbert was named after a maternal grandmother's last name, but again, their was no source citation, so I filed the information for later examination. But here it was in front of me! When I read the name I got goose bumps. Now I was getting somewhere.

My preliminary search led me to a Judith Hersey who married first Isreal Vickers/Vickery, then subsequently Nathaniel Gilbert, supposed grandfather of my Heresy Gilbert and his supposed brother Nathaniel. Unfortunately, the information came from one of those lovely ancestral files compiled by individuals who didn't cite their sources, so I have no idea how they came to their conclusions. The upside is that although this does not serve as proof, or even strong evidence, it does provide me with a definite course of action where once I had none.

Don't bank on only circumstantial or indirect evidence, but don't throw it away either. You never know what treasure it might lead you to!

And don't forget: CITE YOUR SOURCES!

Happy tree climbing!

How Do You Let Go?

2011-10-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

I was seventeen and a half years old when I found out I was pregnant. There was no question as to whether or not I would have the baby. Over the months I watched my tummy slowly swell, and I felt the bumps and kicks as my baby grew. She would stretch her arms out and I would be able to see two little nubs, one on each side of my belly; a position that is still one of her favorites while sleeping.

At 32 weeks I went into labor. I had back labor pains that were horrific, but only tightening of my abdomen, no painful contractions. Needless to say I thought I was having Braxton Hicks, and thought nothing more of it until I lost my mucus plug. At that moment I began hyperventilating and panicking: it was too soon. We rushed to the doctor's where I received a shot of Terbutaline, and was told to go to the hospital. My contractions didn't stop, so I was given more Terbutaline and a shot of steroids in the buttocks to help mature my daughter's tiny lungs. When the Terbutaline still didn't work, I was eventually put on a drip of magnesium sulfate.

Day two of magnesium sulfate treatment showed progress in the hastening of my labor, but it caused my system to slow down, so much so that my digestive tract stopped all together and I vomited at least a day's worth of food. I also lost my reflexes, and my vision was extremely blurry. During this time I mostly slept as I felt so lethargic. The nurses came in at regular intervals and took my blood to ensure that there was no cause for concern with my treatment. At this point I was up to 4 grams of the magnesium sulfate, but my water hadn't broken, so a delayed birth was preferred.

I was sent home on day three with an order for bed rest until delivery. My daughter was able to grow for another three weeks until she demanded, again, to be let out into the world.

At the hospital I labored for 3 1/2 hours and three pushes. My daughter's head was barely out of my body before she gurgled her first cry. At 36 weeks, she was perfect.

I was a young mom, but I was a good mom. I loved my daughter deeply and took her on all kinds of adventures; museums, play dates, walks, etc. When she was sick I stayed up worrying, when she learned new thing, I reveled in my pride for her.

Eventually I married my daughter's father, but maritally things didn't work out. By the time my daughter was 3, we lived a part, he had a pregnant girlfriend, and my daughter and I had begun a new life together with our new circumstances.

My daughter gained a baby brother at 3 1/2, and rebelled out against me because of all of the changes in her life. Her father and I , with his new family, shared custody of her, so my daughter went between homes 2-3 times a week. It was hard on her, and boy did she let me know it!

I was a nanny during weekday mornings, a job which I could bring my daughter to. I home-schooled her during the day, then worked as a waitress on the nights she was with her father. During this time, I still took her on many adventures, including her first trip to Disneyland at age five. I had made plans with a friend to travel down to L.A. and stay with her uncle, then we'd all go to Disneyland. My friend had already canceled on me once, so when she canceled on me again, I thought about how I had told my daughter that we would be going right when I picked her up from Daddy's, and decided screw it! We're going!

I picked my daughter up in the wee hours of the morning and we drove all the way to San Diego, visited the cemetery where my mom is buried, then went to the zoo. I contacted a great aunt of mine whom I had only met once, and she allowed us to stay the night at her house instead of in my Honda. The next morning we went to Disneyland at opening and stayed until closing, then hit the road for the long drive home. I had to stop a few times to sleep, as I was beat, but we made it home by 10 a.m. the next morning with memories of a good time.

We plugged along for a couple of years before I met my husband. At first it was a long distance relationship as he was out of state finishing his time in the Marine Corps. My daughter wrote him letters and was excited at having a step-dad. She loved him from the start, which was a welcome relief. I was concerned that she wouldn't like him, that she would be jealous of my relationship with him, or that she would just have a hard time with another change. But luckily for me, they bonded well, and my daughter loved to spend time with him.

By 7 1/2 years of age, my daughter had another sibling on her dad's side, and a new sister from my husband and I. This was a difficult transition for my daughter, not only because of a new baby at Daddy's, but also because now she had to share Mommy. It had been her and I for so long, and now there was someone new. But my daughter loved her sister and was fiercely protective. Don't get me wrong, we had some rough patches, but we survived.

At 10 we moved from our home of 7 years to a new one an hour and half away. This was not only a huge change in my daughter's life, but it also added distance which made time with her father difficult. So now instead of going back and forth all the time, my daughter rarely saw her father.

Because of the years of going between homes, and all of the changes in her life, my daughter took it out on me consistently. I was her one safe place, and I dealt with the abuse as best as I could. Our relationship came to a head within the first few months in our new home, so much so that I was resentful and guilty. I made a hard decision and chose to have my daughter live with her father. This allowed me some distance from my feelings, which, in turn, allowed me to heal. I drove an hour every Friday to pick her up from school, then half an hour on Sundays to meet for an exchange to bring her back. One school year later, I brought my daughter back home with me.

Our relationship was so much better from here on out. My daughter still acted out on occasion, but it wasn't the constant rebellion I had known before. She had emotional highs and lows as do all teenagers, but again we made it through. We made it through another sibling, we made it through a serious boyfriend and all that entails (well okay, not all...THANK GOD!) and we made it through driver's training, high school, cosmetology school, and state board licensing, which she allowed me to be her model for. We made it through 18 years of love, laughter, and tears. We made it.

So now I sit here reflecting back on my life with my eldest daughter, and the journey we took together. She left this afternoon to begin a new chapter in her life; one that doesn't have room for a full time mom. Instead, she will just need an occasional "How do I do this," or "Let me tell you what happened." No more talks before bed, just occasional phone calls that will dwindle over time. No more daily hugs, now only once or twice a year if I'm lucky.

My job as a mom has now become a full time job of worrying if I taught her enough, or if I screwed her up too badly.Will she be safe? What if something happens? I won't be there fast enough. Now I'll have a full time of heartache over the empty room, and my empty arms, and sadness every time we do family outings because a part of my family won't be there.

People say that the pain will diminish over time, and I know it will. And no I don't want her chained at home for the rest of her life, so I cognitively know it's time for her to move on. But I love my daughter deeply and it is a change I don't think I could have ever been ready for emotionally. Her graduation from high school was really difficult for me. Then she turned 18, and that was hard too. But now the reality of the end of my daughter's childhood has hit...hard.

So how do I let go? I don't. I hold on to my memories, my pictures, my worries, my heartache, my hope, and my love. I hold it tight and wait for the day when I can squeeze my baby for a couple of minutes once again.

I love my daughter deeply, and I will never let that go.

I'm Speaking at the Northern California Family History Expo!

2011-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to be a speaker at the Northern California Family History Expo in San Mateo tomorrow. A bit nervous, but hopefully all goes well. I will be presenting "How to Publish Your Family History to DVD."

Speaker's Bio

Angela Kraft Angela Kraft is the owner of Leaves of Heritage Genealogy. She has been doing family history research since 1999, and is currently taking steps to become a certified genealogist. In addition to genealogy, Angela also does copyediting of fictional works and for those wishing to publish their family histories.

Saturday, October 08, 2011, Class Room 6 - Publishing Your Family History to DVD Publishing your family history to DVD is a creative and inexpensive way to share your story with friends and family. Learn to design the layout of materials, including images, sound clips, or recorded interviews and more.

http://www.familyhistoryexpos.com/speackerbrifdisc.aspx?cid=9927&eid=36

Wish me luck!

The Tech Savvy Genealogist's Meme

2011-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Found this posted at Thomas MacEntee's Destination: Austin Family Blog.

Another great meme this time about genealogy and technology and originated by Jill Ball of Geniaus.

The Tech Savvy Genealogists' Meme

The list should be annotated in the following manner:

Things you have already done or found: bold face type

Things you would like to do or find: italicize (color optional)

Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type

Feel free to add extra comments in brackets after each item!

Which of these apply to you?

Own an Android or Windows tablet or an iPad

Use a tablet or iPad for genealogy related purposes

Have used Skype for genealogy purposes (I've used Skype twice, but not for Geni purposes)

Have used a camera to capture images in a library/archives/ancestor's home

Use a genealogy software program on your computer to manage your family tree

Have a Twitter account

Tweet daily (I tweet sporadically)

Have a genealogy blog

Have more than one genealogy blog

Have lectured/presented to a genealogy group on a technology topic (Ok well this will happen at Family History Expo in Oct...publishing your family history to DVD)

Currently an active member of Genealogy Wise (Note: I am a member but not active)

Have a Facebook Account

Have connected with genealogists via Facebook

Maintain a genealogy related Facebook Page (Leaves of Heritage)

Maintain a blog or website for a genealogy society

Have submitted text corrections online to Ancestry, Trove or a similar site

Have registered a domain name (need to jump on that!)

Post regularly to Google+

Have a blog listed on Geneabloggers

Have transcribed/indexed records for FamilySearch or a similar project

Own a Flip-Pal or hand-held scanner

Can code a webpage in .html ( I know some html...but would love to learn more..anyone???)

Own a smartphone

Have a personal subscription to one or more paid genealogy databases

Use a digital voice recorder to record genealogy lectures

Have contributed to a genealogy blog carnival

Use Chrome as a Web browser (though I wish Flash didn't crashn all the time and that it worked better with ancestry.com's image viewer!)

Have participated in a genealogy webinar (Now, I did not teach it, just attended and asked questions)

Have taken a DNA test for genealogy purposes

Have a personal genealogy website

Have found mention of an ancestor in an online newspaper archive

Have tweeted during a genealogy lecture

Have scanned your hardcopy genealogy files (some individual items...many more to go)

Use an RSS Reader to follow genealogy news and blogs (I'm really inconsistent with reading them, though)

Have uploaded a gedcom file to a site like Geni, MyHeritage or Ancestry (I have yet to learn how to create one)

Own a netbook (it's really a laptop...gave the netbook to the teenager)

Use a computer/tablet/smartphone to take genealogy lecture notes (I prefer and am faster at pen and paper)

Have a profile on LinkedIn that mentions your genealogy habit

Have developed a genealogy software program, app or widget (Again...anyone wanna teach me???))

Have listened to a genealogy podcast online

Have downloaded genealogy podcasts for later listening ( my favorite way to listen!)

Backup your files to a portable hard drive (yes, but have to do more..have to get on this...so much to save!)

Have a copy of your genealogy files stored offsite

Know about Rootstech (wish I could afford to attend)

Have listened to a Blogtalk radio session about genealogy

Use Dropbox, SugarSync or other service to save documents in the cloud

Schedule regular email backups

Have contributed to the FamilySearch Research Wiki

Have scanned and tagged your genealogy photographs (some...but need to do more!)

Have published a genealogy book in an online/digital format

As you can see, I am semi techno-savvy, want to learn more, but still like to be traditional about a lot of things. I like technology, want to know how to use it, but don't always choose to use it.

Happy tree climbing!

Best Internet Resources for African American Genealogy Webinar

2011-09-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Geoff Rasmussen of Legacy Family Tree hosted a webinar by Angela Walton-Raji entitled Best Internet Resources for African American Genealogy. I am truly grateful that I took the time to watch this production. Angela is an engaging speaker who has fun written all over her voice. Her explanations were thorough, and the material she presented was very content rich.

Angela's topics expanded on the well known Freedman's Bureau records, Ancestry's and FamilySearch's collections, as well as mentioning slave narratives and more. She mentioned a myriad of other online resources, and reminded researchers that just because there is a place name attached to the record that might not pertain to your ancestor, check it anyway. There might be other records or information found in it that could open up other avenues.

In addition to specific websites, Angela talked about utilizing the resources available at universities, local and state historical societies and archives, museums, local and state genealogical societies and groups, and she specifically mentioned the value of a book entitled Finding a Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy.

You can watch Angela's presentation at Legacy Family Tree for free until September 12. After that you can buy it from the Legacy Family Tree store. Even if you watch the webinar for free, this is one that I recommend buying anyway. The purchased CD comes with a clickable syllabus for all the materials Angela presented...and there is a lot.

Thank you Angela Walton-Raji for a wonderfully enlightening webinar, and thank you Geoff Rasmussen for hosting this for free; something people who are fiscally challenged like me truly appreciate!

Happy tree climbing!

* I was not compensated for this review, nor do I make any money if you click on the Amazon link, because I live in tax happy California, and we can no longer participate in AdSense or Amazon Associates !!! =0)

A Cool New Genealogy Tool by RestingSpot!

2011-08-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

I was approached via email by Brett Atlas, co-founder of Resting Spot, about the new smartphone application he and his friend Scott Kroeger have developed. I've invited him for a Q&A to tell us more about this new tool. and website.

Give us some background on how Resting Spot came to be:

Last fall I was getting dizzy in the backseat of my dad’s car in Chicago, driving around and around the cemetery looking for my grandfather’s Resting Spot. We had a cemetery map and the assistance of cemetery staff (which frequently aren’t even around for some cemeteries). It was during that 45 minute search that I texted my friend Scott Kroeger (he’s been involved in developing multiple online projects) and said “There should be an app for this.” We started out to make a tool to solve the single problem of locating RestingSpots, but really fell in love with the idea of connecting people together through this permanent location. So RestingSpot is really 2 pieces: An incredible useful navigation tool and an online community that allows people to interact and share in the life of that loved one.

What exactly is Resting Spot?

RestingSpot is a service that uses the GPS technology in smartphones to help people locate RestingSpots in cemeteries. Once a spot is marked for the first time, it is instantly linked to RestingSpot.com online memorials for users to share memories, pay respects, post photos, etc. We’re really going to focus on improving and expanding the community aspect of the platform and we think people are going to love spending time there.

How does it work?
We’ve worked extremely hard to simplify the mobile app so that anyone can use it. There are essentially 2 options: Add and Search. If you take your smartphone to a cemetery and launch the RestingSpot mobile app, you can search for nearby spots or add a new one. To add, simply stand at the spot and enter the person’s name and relevant dates. That’s it. The app does the rest. Searching is the real key to the app. Once you select a spot to find, the app uses an overhead view, a pin marker, and a blinking dot (you) that guides you right to the RestingSpot.

What kind of devices does the app work for?

Right now, the app is available for download in the iTunes App Store. A key update came out today, which will provide a few design improvements and some bug fixes that users have reported. The first Android version should be available very soon, perhaps even as early as next week.

How does it benefit the genealogy community?

We think this is a natural fit for genealogists. It’s a tool that can help you locate RestingSpots not only for yourself, but for future generations. In addition, the online profiles linked to those RestingSpots will serve as a “home base” to link to for friends and family members. We’ve sought out the genealogy community right away because who is more interested or more passionate about honoring and remembering those who have come before? We want you to help us shape this entire platform. Tell us what can be done better, what is not necessary, what should be added. We’ve already changed the website and the upcoming app build based on feedback we’ve received from genealogists. We want this to be a regular and useful tool in genealogy research.

What kind of feedback are you looking for from users?

We want to know what needs improving, what can be eliminated, what should be added. Do you find it useful? How is the accuracy? Anything that can help us deliver an update that makes it easier or more productive to use.

Where can people go to get the app as well as find more information about RestingSpot?
The iPhone app is available right now in the iTunes App Store. The link is: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/restingspot/id455237705?mt=8

The Android build should be out very soon. It’s a lot trickier to build an app for the Android platform so it takes longer.

We’d love people to follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook page. We provide regular updates on new features added, news articles, new app releases, etc. Plus, they’re great places to share feedback and photos.

Website: http://www.RestingSpot.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/RestingSpot/217684168263834
Twitter page: http://twitter.com/restingspot
Blog: http://www.RestingSpot.com/blog

What if I don’t have a smartphone? How will RestingSpot benefit me?

Even without a smartphone, you can still use the RestingSpot.com website, and all the upcoming interactive features. Also, it would be fun to grab a friend or relative with a smartphone so you can share an afternoon marking the RestingSpots of loved ones together. A few group events have already been planned here in Omaha where groups of people get together to completely map a cemetery. Even without a smartphone, you can help organize those events in your area using your local church, synagogue, boy scouts or whatever organization you are close to.

So there you have it: the skinny on the newest genealogical tool to hit the Net..and your smartphone! This seems like it will be a great tool for Graveyard Rabbits and others who do cemetery research.

If you have more questions about RestingSpot, check out the above weblinks.

Thank you Brett for answering my questions.

Happy tree climbing!

*disclaimer: I was not compensated in anyway by Brett Atlas, Scott Kroeger, or RestingSpot for this post. As of now, RestingSpot is a genealogy tool available to the public for free.

A Few Ideas For Doing Genealogy With Children

2011-07-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

For the youngest of children, family history "training" should begin with family photos and picture books.

When you show your young child family photos, start by showing them pictures of relatives they are familiar with. Maybe tell a story about that person, or a fact that might be interesting to your child; "Aunt Jeanie loves chocolate just like you!" If you jump right in with a photo of a long dead relative, your child may not be able to put that person into the context of their own life yet. Build up interest by starting with "near" relatives, and don't forget to include yourself!

Picture books are another great way to teach children genealogical skills. Picture books give clues about the main character, either within the text or with the illustrations. After you read a book with your child, ask questions about the main character that can be deduced from the story. What was her name, what did she like or dislike, how do you know? This will help them to form a more complete picture of the main character. If the book is part of a series, say to your child "I wonder what happens next!" This will help to foster their curiosity and desire to learn more.

If you are creative, you might choose to use a felt board or other 3D prop to help your child see that the main character has depth. For instance, each time your child is able to tell you something about the character, you then add another layer to your visual aid until all the pieces are in place. You might also consider tying in a puzzle project with the elements of the story that have to do with time, place and events. For each event, date, or place, you add another piece to the puzzle until it is complete. This will help to foster context by showing that just because we have a character, we don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle.

For children 7-10 years old, a trip to the cemetery might spark interest that can be furthered by at home research.

If you visit the cemetery, have your children look at the names and dates of the deceased. What inscriptions are there, can they determine kinship with any neighboring graves? Find a grave that offers interesting clues that can be researched at home, such as military or local political service, etc. Take your information home and help your children learn about the time period that the person lived in. Research the item of interest you found on their grave (poem, military branch, etc.). Find information on the person's name, what it means, where it may be from. Lastly, ask your child what else they would like to know about this person and see if there is anything easily obtainable to help you, either from the Internet, or your local library or historical society.

For children 10 years and older, real documents and field research can be used.

When children reach 10 years of age, most are proficient in reading and writing, as well as being able to understand context. Now is a prime time to induct your child into the nitty-gritty. Invite your child to inspect family documents such as birth, marriage, and death records, letters, receipts, and more. Ask them what information they learned from each and what more they want to know about the person in that document. Talk about the situations that surround each event and have your child make inferences about what life would have been like for that ancestor. Have them compare now to then and discuss if they would have liked to have lived "back then."

Have your child develop a research goal based on the things they want to learn about a certain ancestor. Help them gather and organize the information that you already have available. Then talk to your child about the resources that will help him or her learn the information they desire. For instance, if they want to know where an ancestor lived as a child, you might suggest looking at census records and newspapers, etc. Explain to your child that sometimes the information is not on the Internet, and that you may have to take a trip to a local archive or other repository. Invite your child to go with you, but preface the trip with a talk about the rules (e.g. quiet voices, no grabbing, clean hands or no touching, depending on the records, etc).

When you have obtained the records that address your child's request, show your child how to read the document and what they can learn from it. For instance, on a census record (depending on the year) they can learn such things as occupation, age, place of birth, parents' places of birth, address, etc, or in probate records they can learn other relatives, location, and more. Help your child organize the new information into their ancestor's profile and be sure to discuss the findings.

Be sure to add context to your child's experience. Give reminders of the times and locations that your ancestors lived. Have them use Google Earth to plot addresses and see what those places look like now. Use historical maps, and read local histories for the times and places your people lived.

Help your child create a timeline that is a visual aid and helps to organize the events in an ancestor's life. Add important world and local events to it to illustrate what might have influenced the people during that time. Add images of places as well as your ancestors to help foster a deeper understanding.

The most important things in all ventures with children are to give your child the opportunities to learn, and to make the learning process fun and engaging.

**The above suggestions are meant to be a guideline, and not a hard and fast rule. Please adjust ages and activities to fit what is most appropriate to your child's abilities.**

Happy tree climbing!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Wedding of Rose Rondeau and Peter Campbell

2011-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

From a clip of an unknown local Massachusetts newspaper [ November 26, 1928, the date has been assumed based on the Massachusetts Vital Records Office certificate of marriage as there is no date on the clip.]:

CAMPBELL--RONDEAU

Aldenville Girl Bride of Easthampton Man at St. Rose de Lima Church

At St. Rose de Lima church in Aldenville [Chicopee, Massachusetts] this morning, Miss Rose M. Rondeau, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Rondeau of Aldenville, became the bride of Peter J. Campbell of Easthampton. Rev. J. H. Lamothe, pastor, performed the ceremony and used a single ring service. Music was **dered [rendered] by the senior church choir.

Miss Eva V. Rondeau, sister of the bride, was bridesmaid and Ernest Smalley of Easthampton best man.

The bride wore a brown transparent velvet with a hat to match and carried an arm bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums.

Peter Campbell and Rose (Rondeau) Campbell

The bridesmaid was dressed in tan transparent velvet with a hat in harmony and her flowers were pink chrysanthemums.

Peter and Rose (Rondeau) Campbell, Eva Rondeau, and Ernest Smalley in front of the Rondeau Residence in Aldenville, Massachusetts.

The reception and wedding breakfast was held at the Nonotuck. The bride's gift to her bridesmaid was a ruby ring and the best man received a gold piece from the bridegroom.

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell left this afternoon on their wedding trip to New York and Philadelphia. Mrs. Campbell travelling in a grey dress with hat to match and a black coat trimmed with silver fox. They will make their home at Easthampton.

The bride was born in Stafford Springs, Conn., and graduated from Chicopee high [sic]. She was employed at the National Blank Book company [sic]. Mr. Campbell was born in Scotland, received his education in the schools of Easthampton. He is employed by the Hampden company [sic] of Easthampton.

Front Cover of Rose Rondeau's Wedding Book

This book is bound by satin ribbon, is approximately 9"x6", has 8 pages plus inside front and back, and is copyright T.D.M. CO. Each titled page has a sketch of some sort just above the title.

The first page is all type written:

Greetings

To love, to wed, to live in serene and mutual enjoyment of conjugal union; to love with a love which is enduring, which is generous, which is full of charity and slow to criticize; a love which will sacrifice, suffer, defer to, and revere-- this is the love that promotes true marriage, the keystone of civilization, and foundation of society. This is life! To love, to laugh, to live! And leave behind a heritage of happiness-- 'tis aim enough for any mortal. May such happiness be yours.

August Dietrich Flower Shop

23 Center St. Tel. 1584 Chicopee, Mass.

Greenhouses:

Tel. 2970--Williamsett, MAss.

"Say it with Flowers"

Page two is titled Marriage Record. Then handwritten is:

Engaged- Oct. 1928

Married November 26, 1928 at St. Rosa [sic] de Lima's Parish in Aldenville

Page three is titled Attendants. Then handwritten is:

Mr. Ernest Smalley

Miss Eva Rondeau

Page four is titled Guests. Then handwritten is:

Relatives of the bride and groom

Page five is titled Gifts. Then handwritten is:

1 Bridge Lamp

set of dishes china dinner set

1 " " " " [assuming another set of china]

2 Silver Salt + Pepper shakers

6 silver tablespoons'2 pyrex dishes

1 serving tray

1 cake tray

1 toilet set

2 sets table linen [this was squeezed in at this point, and written in a different pen]

1 silver cream spoon

1 water set

towels

basket

1 bed spread

1 electric Iron

1 picture The Last Supper

6 knives + forks- silver

1 pitcher + six glasses

1 Mahogany table

1 imparted vase

6 hand painted pictures [ added in a different pen. The pictures referred to were probably painted by Rose's father, Samuel Rondeau]

Page six is titled Our Honeymoon. Then handwritten is:

was spent in New York

Page seven is titled Our Home. Then handwritten is:

45 Franklin St. Easthampton, Mass

4 room tenement $5.00 a week Furnished up to date

Page eight is titled First Callers. Handwritten is:

were our parents

Baby Mary Ann was born September 26, 1929 at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital

Weight 7 lbs

Eyes blue

hair dark brown

The back inside cover is titled Wedding Anniversaries and printed is the following:

First---Cotton

Second---Paper

Third---Leather

Fifth---Wooden

Seventh---Woolen

Tenth---Tin

Twelfth---Silk and Fine Linen

Fifteenth---Crystal

Twentieth---China

Twenty-fifth---Silver

Fortieth---Ruby

Fiftieth---Golden

Seventy-fifth---Diamond

I get the impression that this book was not filled out immediately, but was filled in based on memory. There is such a lack of details that a young, excited bride should have had. Perhaps she didn't begin filling it out until she was in the wonderful throes of pregnancy. That sure would have been enough to rub the luster off of my newly gained wedding vows!

In any event, this book, along with my photos, and the newspaper clipping offer me an insight into the life of my great grandparents. But it also leaves me a few areas of research. The newspaper clipping mentioned that my great grandfather worked at the Hampden Company in Easthampton. So far, in a preliminary search for this blog post, I have been unable to find any information on this company. The same is true for the place where the wedding breakfast took place; The Nonotuk. I do see reference to a Hampton Company, as well as to a Nonotuk Street, however. And of course there is just deeper research into the other places mentioned, so that I can put them into a historical perspective and get a better understanding of what my ancestors' lives were like.

Thanks for reading.

Happy tree climbing!

What happens at Jamboree...gets put on my blog: The Ice Cream Social and Pajama Party!

2011-06-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, the people from Geni.com hosted a special ice cream social for members of Geneabloggers. And they went full out! We had an ice cream bar with different toppings and flavors of ice cream, and the Geni team cruised through the room and schmoozed with us all. I got to meet and chat with Charles and Grant, and pretty much grilled Grant about the why and how of Geni (I will post on this later).

It got REALLY loud in the room, and a few people got a bit wild and crazy, though I won't mention names (Randy Seaver and Cheryl Palmer), by putting hula skirts on their heads and holding up Sheri Fenley's pinata, Peter the Parrot.

On Saturday night, Geneabloggers had a "hush-hush" PJ party in the coffee lounge. Though I wasn't sporting any nightwear, there were several very interesting outfits to be seen. There was a Colonial nightie, a crossword puzzle jammie set, and then the Seavers both in San Diego Chargers jammie pants with very funny t-shirts. Randy's explained how genealogy is like sex, and Linda's said something about being with the sexy genealogist...hysterical!

I was pretty tired so I lounged on the couch and chatted a lot with A.C. Ivory, Thomas MacEntee and George the Greek (sorry George, I don't remember your last name!). There were some yummy cookies and punch, as well as pilates on the floor by some fitness crazed bloggers! Then it was time to whack Peter...the pinata that is. So off went the big crowd to outside where few got to take a whack at him before his legs flew off and into the crowd. Then the gal who got the legs began to do some funny poses with them for the camera...I'll just leave it at that. Good thing I didn't really know anyone there, or I'd be dishing the dirt on people by name!

Anyway, it was a great weekend full of fun. I got to meet some wonderful people. Thanks to Gini and Steve Webb, Cheryl Palmer, and A.C. Ivory for being my tour guides to Jamboree and hanging out with me. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again!

What happens at Jamboree...gets put on my blog: The swag!

2011-06-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

I made it! I got to go to the Southern California Genealogical Society's 42nd Annual Jamboree. It was a wonderful experience filled with new people, educational classes, and SWAG!

The SCGS welcome bags were reusable shopping bags with the SCGS logo on it. They contained mostly informational handouts, but also had some very useful items such as a couple of "Genealogy at a glance" research cheat sheets put out by the Genealogical Publishing Company. I got one for French-Canadian research, and one for African American research. I'm excited to have both. Also in the bag was a gift certificate for a free social media class or 50% off of a methodology class through the National Institute of Genealogical Studies, a free subscription to Archives.com, a sticky note packet from the Ohio Genealogical Society, my Heritage Family Tree Builder software, and a Jamboree edition of The Searcher.

In addition to the SCGS Jamboree welcome bag, Geneabloggers also had a welcome bag. In it I got some fancy beads (as is their tradition, I guess), a one year professional membership to Geni.com, a 6 month trial of worldvitalrecords.com, a USB adapter outlet from FamilySearch.org, an offer for one free record or methodology class from the National Institute of Genealogical Studies, and a 10 disc webinar series from Legacy Family Tree!

There were several other things in each bag which I can't think of off the top of my head. Not in either of my bags, though, were the t-shirts I got from Wikitree.com and Geni.com. Cool deal!

Jamboree wasn't about the stuff, but it sure was nice to get it. I would like to thank all of the sponsors of the welcome bags, for both SCGS and Geneabloggers.

Thank you!

What happens at Jamboree...gets put on my blog: The classes!

2011-06-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Friday:

I started my Jamboree journey off by taking "Elusive Immigrants" with Warren Bittner. This lesson focused on exhaustive research and what exactly that is. Warren shared with us his research on two of his ancestors. The first case study proved fairly easy and the exhaustive research was not as exhausting as the second case study. In the second case study, Warren shared with us his story of the 3 brothers John, and all of the documents he had to procure in order to try and prove which John was his direct line.

I found Warren to be humorous and educational. He was clear and concise in his presentation, and made it clear just what exhaustive research is and just how exhausting it can be.

After Warren's class, I attended David Lambert's "Using AmericanAncestors.org" so that I could expand my research resources. David too was funny, and the class was much shorter than slated. Though I got to see visuals and hear someone explain to me how best to use this database, I feel that I could have just as easily learned from the syllabus, and should have taken a different class instead. But, live and learn.

For my last class of the day, I took John Schmal's "Research in Central Mexico." This was a very intriguing class for me as I didn't know about the many Native tribes of Mexico. Having lived in the States my whole life, and only having an interest recently in history, I was only familiar with the Native tribes of my own country, and then only vaguely so. The record finding process for research in Mexico is very similar to that in any other country, but John shed some light on historical events, timelines of available records, surnames that were originally from Spain, and more. He seemed very excited and knowledgeable about his subject, and I enjoyed his class.

Saturday:

Bright and early Saturday, I got to enjoy Cath Trindle's two classes on Irish and Scottish research. Though I was already familiar with many of the resources she shared, there were some that I was not. What I really hope she focuses on in future classes are the Scot-Irish, as she had mentioned they have a very involved history and course of research which she did not have time to cover.

Before lunch I enjoyed Tony Burroughs' lecture on the Freedman's Bureau. He explained that this is not just a "black" resource, but also one full of value for "whites." He told of the various records kept by the Freedman's Bureau and what to look for. Tony was entertaining and informative, however, I feel that he should have included materials from his Power Point in the syllabus material. With so much information coming at a fairly quick pace, it would have been very helpful to not have to cram to write so many notes.

After eating, I made the mistake of sitting in on a lecture about editing, designing, and publishing family history books. Though the speaker was engaging, the materials covered were not what I had expected. When I decided to take the class, I thought that I would actually be learning about how to edit, design, and publish a family history. Instead, the presenter showed us a little about how books are produced, told us we should find an editor, and that was when I tuned out. The rest was not pertinent to my endeavors. (By the way, in addition to doing genealogical research, I am an a freelance editor who is more than happy to help you work on your family history project.) I am sure that someone attending this class may have found it informative, but for me and the two people in my party, we felt it was time that would have been better served in a different class...like Lisa Louise Cook's "Google Earth's Virtual Tour of Your Ancestor's Home."

To end my day of educational ventures, I spent two hours with Kerry Bartels of the Riverside Branch of the National Archives Record Administration (NARA). This was another database I wanted to familiarize myself with. Kerry was fun to listen to and really gave some good information on how best to access the volumes of records that are available on the NARA website. For instance, if you search for the keyword "seamen" you will get vastly different results than if you searched for "sailor." It all depends on the name on the document. He shared with us some tips to really make our experience with the NARA website a more rewarding, and less frustrating experience.

Sunday:

By Sunday my brain was numb with exhaustion and information overload. But I trucked right on along and attended some classes. I took Lou Szucs "Court Records" class to begin with. This was a good class that explained the kinds of things that might be found in the courthouse. She shared samples of letters and such, and the information gleaned from such an item. Lou was enjoyable to listen to.

At 10:00 I took Kory Meyerink's "What Could Have Happened" class. This class focused on creating and proving a hypothesis. I felt that even though I "knew" a lot of what Kory presented, it really helped to have it laid out so clearly. I look forward to using his strategies in the near future.

After lunch, I sat in on Thomas MacEntee's "It Is Well With My Soul" which focused on how to find your ancestors amid disaster and misfortune. This was the class that had the best syllabus material. I had to write down virtually nothing (thank you Thomas)! As anyone who has listened to Thomas on Blog Talk Radio, or at a lecture, in a webinar, etc., knows he is entertaining and engaging. It was a great class that I'm glad I took.

Finally, I ended the day, and Jamboree with Tony Burroughs' class on funeral homes and cemeteries. Again, Tony was engaging and knowledgeable, but his syllabus material still did not match his Power Point materials which would have been far more helpful.

There were many other classes I wanted to take, but could not. Fortunately, however, I do have the printed syllabus from Jamboree which contains the information from each of the classes. Though I won't be able to learn everything that was taught, I will at least get a good idea of the materials.

To SCGS and all the lecturers, thank you!

The Face of Genealogy

2011-06-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Recently there was a small blurb in the LA Weekly about the upcoming SCGS Jamboree . Unfortunately the blurb wasn't that great, but worse was the picture chosen to depict the event, and genealogy in general. It was a picture of two toothless boys and some comment about inbreeding.You can view the picture at Geneabloggers, as the LA Weekly has since replaced it with a more suitable clip.

My thoughts are that someone was either trying to be funny, or that person really doesn't get what genealogy is all about. I submitted a letter to the editor as so many others did, but I also submitted the following "article" which I hope they choose to feature.

Genealogy: By Angela Kraft of Leaves of Heritage Genealogy

What is it?

There are several definitions for the word genealogy, but in my opinion, number four from Merriam-webster.com sums it up best; an account of the origin and historical development of something. When a genealogist researches your family and finds your ancestors for you, he or she is trying to account for the origin and historical development of your family. Learning information from the various records and verbal histories of our ancestors can truly help us understand the lives they lived. In doing so, we can develop a deeper understanding of who we are today.

But genealogy is not just about learning the names of our ancestors. It is about the geography and history in which they lived. For instance, growing up in the rural South during the Civil War is going to have a profoundly different effect on a family than if they had lived in the North during the War of 1812, or in the West in 1849. The land was different, the views of the times were different, and the mix of cultures was different. But knowing where our families lived, and what the times were like during that period in history, helps us know just what they struggled with in order for us to be here today.

Sadly, the misconception that stands in the minds of most people unfamiliar with genealogy is that it is something only “old fogeys” study. This is simply not true. While there is a large population of older folks who do love family history research, a survey done by Myles Proudfoot¹ revealed that the average age of participants was between 47 and 57 years of age. Being that I’m 36, I don’t think these ages qualify as old fogey material. Besides, what’s wrong with old fogeys anyway? I know some really cool ones!

Today’s genealogy is a techno-savvy and genetically advancing field. Get your DNA tested and you can discover if your family’s tale of “Indian” heritage is true. Or better yet, see all the people whom you share ancestry with, as well as the migration patterns of the people in your lineage².Go online and search endless records to see where your people lived and what they were doing.³Use the cloud computing techniques that Dick Eastman and Thomas MacEntee have talked about, using things like DropBox and EverNote. Don’t know what cloud computing is? See, we genealogists are cool like that!

Genealogy today offers webinars and podcasts. What are these? Webinars are web based seminars where you can learn online by watching classes or presentations. Roots Magic, Legacy Family Tree, Family Search, Ancestry.com, and Southern California Genealogical Society are just a few providers of free or low cost genealogy webinars. Genealogical podcasts share tips and information about developments in the field, as well as interviews with leaders in the industry. They can be downloaded directly from the host’s website, or usually from i-Tunes.com. Some of my favorites to listen to are Geneabloggers Radio, Lisa Louise Cooke on both Genealogy Gems and Family Tree Magazine, and the Genealogy Guys.

Did you know that Google is a treasure trove of genealogical help? Just ask Lisa Louise Cooke at Genealogy Gems or Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers. They will teach you how to use Google Earth to map out your family’s migration and hometowns, use Google Books for historical texts that may even name your ancestors, or use the timelines, i-Google gadgets, and so much more. Told you we are a techno-savvy bunch!

There are conferences, and societies, and online distance learning, all geared to help you in your quest to become a knowledgeable researcher. Some things require payment, but many are free resources. It has never been a better time to do genealogy than it is now.

Why is it important?

Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are? Maybe no one else in your immediate family understands why you do the things you do. Then one day you discover someone in your family tree who was just like you. That would explain a lot, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it also make you feel like you fit in the family a little bit better?

Side story; I have a friend whom I am doing his genealogy for. I came across a lady who was working the same line as his, and asked if I could share a picture she had. When I passed the picture along to my friend, he forwarded it on to his dad. Without reading what his son had written about the picture, the dad sent it out to his friends and family saying “This guy could be my relative!” And in fact he was! It was a picture of his great grandfather from the early 1900s. This, to me is fantastic, to see the family resemblance. Something that wouldn’t have happened were it not for genealogical research.

What about the family heirlooms that have been passed down, generation to generation? Wouldn’t you want to know about the people who owned or made those things? Don’t you ever wonder about the past and the people whom you came from?

For me, history was never exciting…until I began doing family history research. For the first time I was able to connect myself through an ancestor to the things that had happened in the past. I was able to find interest in the Civil War because my ancestor fought in it and was shot without trial by the enemy. Tragic, but exciting! And the brother of my direct descendant signed the Declaration of Independence! Now I’m interested; now I am connected. All thanks to genealogy.

All genealogists begin doing research for different reasons. Mine was due to the loss of my mother at a young age, and growing up not having known her family. But all of us, who do it, love it. So if you’re not interested in doing your own family history research, but you are curious about whence you came, find one of us. Some will do it for free, others for a fee. Either way, most of us adhere to strict standards⁴ which guarantee that the information we find for you will be accurate. Who knows what fabulous history is waiting to fall out of your family tree!

^1.http://familyhistory21ster.blogspot.com/

²http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genealogical_DNA_test

³Though some sites require paid subscriptions, many items of interest can be researched for free.

⁴http://www.bcgcertification.org/resources/standard.html

And, by the way, this is my face of genealogy and the whole reason I began my research:

Isn't she lovely?

Happy tree climbing!

Sentimental Sunday: Mothers

2011-05-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

There are the mothers who give birth to us:

My mother and father married in a simple civil service at the courthouse in January, I was born in May, and my mother died in July; three weeks shy of turning 20. It was a warm summer's eve, and my father and his friends had been working on one of their motorcycles, when they decided to take the bike for a test drive. So on the bikes they all hopped, including my mom on the back of the bike my dad rode. They took the road that ran along the lake and came around a bend to a "T" intersection with a STOP sign. My parents went through the unexpected STOP sign, crossed the intersection, and went down the embankment on the opposite side of the road. Both of my parents sustained extensive injuries, but my mother's cost her, her life. She held on for 5 days and finally left this world 6 days after my father's 22nd birthday. He once told me that on the night of the accident they had just made up from their first and only fight, and that on the night she passed away she came to him in his drug induced sleep and told him she was gone.

Tragic? For my father and those that knew and loved my mother, absolutely. For me? I was only 2 months old, how could it be?

Growing up I didn't know much about my mom. My dad stopped bringing me to see her family when I was about 2, and when I asked him questions about her I got vague, glorified answers. He held her on a pedestal. For me, she was never a real person, just a ghost in someone else's memory.

When I was 6 years old, my mother's chest of drawers was in my bedroom. It was filled with miscellaneous things, most of which I didn't know about. But out of the blue, I one day decided to look through the bottom drawer. This is when I saw the first picture of my mother, and learned her whole name and birthday. I had found her driver's license.

For me, the hardest part of losing my mother has been that I don't have any memories of her that are my own. I have second hand recollections that I try to fit together to flesh out my mother and make her real for me. The biggest problem is that everyone thought she was wonderful. That maybe true, but what else? And how was she wonderful?

My dad told me one other story, about how some girl came to their house or apartment one time and was basically trying to make a play for him. He said my mother chased that girl down the hall or street, or wherever. So this tells me she fought for what was hers. Okay. It gives me the sense that she was a bit feisty. Okay. He also told me she used to bite her lip. Okay.

After many, many years I finally got in touch with some of my mother's siblings. Their recollections of her are of the strong and wonderful big sister. They confirmed that she was a bit of a hellraiser, but not overly so. Okay. But what was her favorite color, or her favorite song? What about me is from her? Besides the similarities others see in our appearance, how am I like my mother, if at all? This is what I long to know, and sadly never will. The little things...the tiny details that define who we are...who I am.

Would I go back in time and change that fateful night? No. I am who I am today because of what happened, and who knows who I would have ended up marrying or where my life would have taken me. I'm happy where I am, and with who I am. But I do wonder sometimes, Mom, are you proud of me?

Then there are the mothers who raise us:

After my mom died, my dad was still in the hospital recovering from his injuries. My grandmother, my father's mother, flew in from Guam where she had been living with her husband who served in the Navy. She cared for me until I was 2 or 3 years old, and my dad was fully (physically) healed and ready to take charge of me. He and I chugged along for a bit, got a step mom for me, and eventually ended up back with my grandma when I was 8. Personally, I feel I should have never left, but then again, I wouldn't be who I am today,yada, yada, yada...

One time I had seen a record at the local music shop and decided that I wanted it. The next time that I knew my grandma was going to that store, I asked her if she would buy it for me. When she came home she gave me the album and told me it was X amount of dollars. Well, the price she had told me was more than what I had seen it for, so I told her I didn't want it. She told me I could take it back and I replied in a very snotty tone, "YOU take it back." Big mistake. Grandma was in hot pursuit of me all around the house, hitting me over the head with the very same album that caused this whole mess: "Don't YOU talk to me that way!"

Another time, when I was in high school, I had a verbal altercation with a teacher. I immediately called my grandmother from the pay phone on campus and let her know she might be getting a call from my school. You should know that I was a very good student; never in trouble, good grades, actively involved on campus, etc. That doesn't excuse my lack of decorum in dealing with my science teacher who was ignoring all of my attempts to speak with her, but it does give some perspective as to how things were dealt with. My grandma wrote a letter to my counselor explaining that with age I would gain the maturity and experience needed to deal properly with the sort of situation that had occurred, but that the teacher should have already possessed that maturity and experience and should not have ignored me in the first place. My grandma even went on to quote Newton's law of relativity in that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. My counselor brought the teacher in for a face to face with me, and it was determined that I could return to class or I could make the class up in summer school. Like that teacher was going to grade me fairly after that? Yeah, right! Summer school it was, where I earned an "A", thank you very much!

In my 8th grade year, my grandmother's father passed. When this happened, she inherited his all coveted 1966, powder blue Mustang. Damn I wanted that car so badly! Well guess what? Yeah right... NO I didn't get it! As a matter of fact, my grandma only let me drive it once on the way to my godmother's house, and only because she needed someone to follow her in a separate vehicle. But thanks Grandma, that was a good memory!

I got pregnant with my first child when I was young. I had her right out of high school. I can only imagine the disappointment my grandma must have felt when she finally tracked me down and I broke the news to her. But after our initial short lived conversation, and me living at a friend's for a few months, I came home and my grandma took care of me. A couple of months after my daughter was born I flew the coop, eventually married her dad, and eventually divorced him, thus leaving me as a single parent. Again, my grandma was there. She took my daughter on Friday nights so that I could work, or play, or just have a night off. Thanks, Grandma.

I brought my daughter over for a Friday night sleepover at Grandma's, but stayed this time, as I sometimes did, and we watched TV. My daughter, then 4 years old, mouthed off to me. My grandma jumped up off the couch, hand flying as she told my daughter, "Don't you talk to your mother that way!"(Sound familiar?) Now my grandma's touch was much softer than mine, but let me tell you how scary it was to have your loving grandmother snap and come flying unexpectedly at you: It's not something you forget easily! And I should know, as it happened to me!

My grandma has bailed me out when money's been tight, she's held me while I've cried, she's rubbed the cramps out of my legs, changed mine and my children's diapers, shared a million dirty jokes with me, and loved me as only a mother could. Over the years I have had several very real and scary dreams about losing her, so much so that I woke up already sobbing. And I know that everyday is a day closer to when I have to say goodbye. 20 years from now is still too soon, but it is imminent and I don't know what I will do when that time comes. But I hope that when it does, my grandmother goes knowing just how deeply I love her and how cherished she is.

I love you Grandma. Thanks for everything, always.

Mystery Monday: Where did all the kids go?

2011-05-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

One branch of my family, the Dions, came from Quebec and spent a large portion of their time in St. Bernard, Dorchester, PQ. They had at least 14 children (there are some gaps in time that need to be researched), but not all of their children were baptized at the St. Bernard parish. The neighboring parishes, Ste. Marie, St. Patrice-de- Beaurivage, and St. Elzear were all blessed to host the various baptisms of some of my ancestors. The sponsors (godparents) of most of these children were neighbors from the area where my family farmed.

On the 1871 census for St. Bernard, all of the children of my ancestors born up to this date are accounted for. However, in 1881 there are two children listed whose births I have not yet confirmed, but there are also 4 missing children. One of these children I have confirmed died 7 years prior to this census. Another of these children I have no record past the baptism, so this child too may have died prior to the census. But there are two children, my great great grandmother (who obviously lived to have children of her own), and one younger brother (who lived to be about 80 years old) who are not shown. This means that at least two children are unaccounted for on the 1881 census for this household.

My theory? The other children were probably at a friend's or family member's house at the time of the census. These children were both under 6 years of age at the time, and since my family farmed, it could be that it was harvest season and the children needed to be sent away for the duration. Being under 6, I don't imagine that there were many jobs suitable for the age. Or there could be a wholly different reason. I still have research to do about the time and place of this particular census, which will hopefully reveal some more juicy tidbits.

Another mystery that surrounds this census is why the youngest child listed, George, is reported as being 12 when in fact he would have only been 7 at the time. Is he yet another child who shared a name with a sibling, and one whose birth I need to confirm? Or did the family purposely report a false age for him? Or did the person reporting the information truly believe him to be older? But I digress!

After combing through all 37 pages of the 1881 census for my family in the parish of St. Bernard, I did not find the children. However, knowing that my family had their children baptized at various parishes in the vicinity, my next step will be to search census records for those areas. Hopefully some light will be shed on where all the kids went. And who knows, maybe I will find more people to add to my tree!

Happy tree climbing!

Sentimental Sunday: Peter Campbell

2011-05-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

My great grandfather Peter Campbell was a wonderful man. My grandma told me about how he ate at Joe DiMaggio's restaurant in San Francisco and approached the baseball legend, asking him for an autograph for my father. Another time, while working at the base on Alameda Island, he approached Lucille Ball who had been filming there at the time. When he asked her for an autograph for his grandson, however, she was not so inclined like Joe DiMaggio was. Her response was "If I do it for you, then I have to do it for everyone." Mind you, there was no one around at the time my grandfather asked. To each his own, I guess.

After I was born, my grandfather wanted to get me something special. While passing a department store display window, he spotted a brown teddy bear. He went into the store and asked to purchase the bear in the window. When the salesperson told him it wasn't for sale and was simply a prop, he asked to speak to a supervisor. I don't know how much of a stink he had to put up with the supervisor, but he ended up getting me my bear.

In January of my twelfth year, I got really sick. I missed school and went to the doctor's office, but he didn't know what was wrong with me. This lasted for a couple of days. I was lying on the couch in our living room when my great aunt called and asked me if I knew when the funeral was going to be. I had no idea what she was talking about, and she quickly realized her mistake. My grandma came home later that day and told me that my great grandfather had passed away. Though I was sad the next day, I was no longer sick.

I felt very guilty over his death. We would drive the hour it took to go visit him every weekend, and I was always bored while there. I loved my grandfather immensely, but I was a kid; what did I know about how precious time is? Needless to say, I hadn't visited my grandfather for many weeks before his death. So when he died, it made my sense of loss so much greater.

I attended his funeral, then at a gathering we had later at our house, I read a poem I had written:

" He had the hands of determination,

The face to hide his frustration.

He was an all around great man,

But what I miss the most are his smiling eyes of Scotland"

My grandma and aunt felt this was a fitting epitaph and surprised me by having it put on my grandfather's gravestone.

I know that my great grandfather loved me, and I sometimes feel him with me. I miss his overly tight hugs and his wonderfully bright face, but I will always carry him in my memory, and my heart.