:: C R E A T I V E G E N E ::

New Year's Resolutions Past and Present

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:24:40 PST

I'm not always successful in achieving my New Year's resolutions but in 2011 I was. My resolution for 2011 was to "fill in the holes" in my family tree. I didn't expect to fill in every hole of course, and honestly, I filled in more than I expected to. My crowning achievement was finding Julia Laska and knowing that my cousin Ray was doing the happy dance in heaven when I did. Julia was just one of many new names, dates, places, and/or events added to my family tree in 2011.

I like that kind of past-year review! :-)

Now it's time to look forward. I've been giving my genealogy some thought and much as I like researching, it's time I set a goal towards getting some of what research I've already done better organized. With that in mind, my New Year's resolution for 2012 is to get some of the digital audio recordings of my mother transcribed. I'd like to get them all done, of course, but I have no idea how long it will take me to do them so I don't know if it's reasonable to expect to get them all done this year. Therefore, I'm going to play it safe and just say "some".

Just curious... has anyone tried using voice recognition software on digital audio recordings? I'm wondering if it would work for my purposes. If you've had success with this, please let me know what VR software and microphone setup you used. Thanks!

Carnival of Genealogy, 113th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:02:19 PST

Welcome to the January 4th, 2012 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for today's edition is, "A Dickens Christmas". We're all taking a look at Christmases past, present, and future. Charles Dickens was a genius story teller and his timely work, A Christmas Carol, was the inspiration for our posts included here. I know you'll enjoy reading about these little vignettes of Christmases then, now, and yet to come! So without further ado, pour yourself a glass of eggnog (if you've any left ;-) and let's take a peek at where the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future will take us...

Dorene Paul presents A Dickens Christmas: Christmases Past, Present, and Future posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from Ohio recalls Christmases past with a big family and Christmases present and future with an even bigger extended family."

Wendy Littrell presents A New Type of Christmas Ghost posted at All My Branches Genealogy, saying, "Follow me on a journey to discover the Ghosts of Christmas Past that began before I was born, continuing through my childhood and the childhood of my children, up to the present and what I believe the Christmas that has yet to come holds for me!"

Janet Iles presents Carnival of Genealogy: A Charles Dickens Christmas posted at Janet the researcher, saying, "Janet recalls visits with her grandparents at Christmas and dreams of a Christmas with all her family."

Karen K presents COG: Christmas past, present, and future posted at The Road Backward, saying, "A Christmas Carol, with a twist: Christmas of 1992, 2011, and 20??..."

Donna presents Christmas: Then and Now posted at What's Past is Prologue, saying, "Donna Pointkouski shows us what a difference 40 years makes in Christmas: Then and Now."

Becky Wiseman presents kinexxions: Christmas :: Past - Present - Future posted at kinexxions, saying, "70+ people for dinner, caroling by telephone, and perhaps a future Christmas in Hawaii... past, present, and future!"

Apple presents Ghosts of Christmas posted at Apple's Tree, saying, "Traveling through the mists of time the past is a bit cloudy, the present sharp and clear and the future just a shadow."

Dawn Westfall presents Christmas Past, Present & Future posted at Wisteria, saying, "I didn't just write about a Christmas future, I posted a photo of the future!"

Cynthia Shenette presents An Interview With My Grandmother posted at Heritage Zen:, saying, "A local newspaper interviewed my grandmother in December 1954 about her Christmas traditions. I thought the clipping I had of her interview was lost, but didn't serendipity strike! I found it a week before Christmas! The Spirit of Christmas Past was with me that day!"

Jasia presents My Dickens Christmas posted at CreativeGene, saying, "It's fun to look back, celebrate the present, and dream of the future. Christmas is a magical time of year and almost anything is possible. Come read about my holiday!"

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I sure enjoyed reading about all those Christmases past, present, and future! The Christmas holiday is the perfect time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday, the people from our past that we've shared the holiday with, and how we're celebrating Christmas now. And one can always dream about Christmases to come! Thanks to all the writers who participated in this edition. You are much appreciated!

Call for Submissions! The topic for the 114th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: The 5th Annual iGene Awards! For those not familiar with the iGene Awards, you can see the previous years here, here, here, and here. We'll announce our best blog posts from the previous year (in this case, 2011) in the following 5 categories: Best Picture (that would be a photograph), Best Screen Play (story you would make into a movie including the cast), Best Documentary (investigative research), Best Biography, Best Comedy. Write up a blog post with links to your best articles in these categories and submit it to the COG! Feel free to use the iGene graphic if you'd like. The deadline for submissions is February 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks for the poster, fM!

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My Dickens Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:28:03 PST

Holidays come and go. Years go by. People move away or die. Memories are what bring them all back to us. I treasure my memories of Christmases past and the people who were a part of them. I also wish I could have spent a Christmas with some family members who I never knew. I had a very nice Christmas this year, surrounded by family and friends and together we made more memories. I can't help but wonder what Christmas will be like in the future. Come along with me as the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future take us visiting...

First, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes us back to a Christmas before I was born. That would be the Christmas of 1952...

This photo was taken in the parlor at my grandparent's house in Detroit. By Christmas 1952 my grandparents, Wincenty and Sophia, had been living here in the U.S. for 40 and 39 years respectively. Walerja (Wincenty's sister) and Waclaw (Walerja's son) had just immigrated to the U.S. They were DPs (Displaced Persons from Poland) sponsored by my grandfather. This was their first Christmas in America and they were living with my grandparents at the time. The photographs on top of the television are of my mom and her sister Helen. Those pictures were taken in the early 1940s. I never met my grandfather. He died 6 days before I was born. I never met my Grand Aunt Walerja either. She died in 1966 but my family had lost touch with her by then.

I have a few precious memories of my grandparent's house in Detroit. My grandmother died when I was 14 but she sold the house and moved out of Detroit two years prior to that. This parlor room was in the front of the house just off the dining room. In later years, this room wasn't used as a parlor. The dining room was used as the parlor/living room once my grandmother stopped entertaining (she went blind).

"I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time." - Charles Dickens

And next the Ghost of Christmas Present comes for a visit and takes us to the dining room of my current home for Christmas 2011...

Those of you who were following my blog back in 2008 will notice that I've redecorated since then! Here is my dinner table on Christmas Eve just a few hours before everyone arrived. The guests at our Christmas dinner table this year included my son and his girlfriend of 3 years, my daughter and her boyfriend of 8 years, my brother and sister-in-law, my best friend (who moved to Alpena, Michigan just a month before Christmas), my husband and myself. We had a wonderful evening, lots of good company and good food followed by Mass at a local church. I do believe that Christmas Eve is my favorite evening of the year!

I was blessed to be together with my family and friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was celebrated with my husband's family at his younger brother's house. It was also a lovely day but with 5 nieces and nephews aged 10 and under it was a bit more boisterous. OK, maybe it was more than just a bit more boisterous... how about down right raucous, lol!

"I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens (A sign with this quote on it hangs on the wall to the right of the Christmas tree in the photo above.)

So that leaves us with a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future... as we look at Christmas 10 years from now here's the picture I'd like to see...

My husband and I are living in a condo having moved from our current home. Joining us for Christmas Eve dinner will be our two children and their spouses, 4 grandchildren, my brother and sister-in-law, and my best friend. We will celebrate Christmas Day with my husband's younger brother and his family and his sister and her family. There will also be a Grand Niece in attendance. Kaj, Vladi, and Josie will be a part of our holiday celebrations too. Everyone will be healthy and leading happy lives. It will be a white Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The U.S. will not be at war. The economy will be fully recovered and unemployment rates will be very low. Solar energy will be the main source of power for our homes, businesses, and automobiles. We'll all be using the Internet2 at broadband speeds 10 times what they are now. And the entire country will have free WIFI coverage for our computers and cell phones. Oh what the heck, as long as I'm dreaming this scenario up lets say the politicians in Congress have learned to get along and play nice and have adopted a spirit of cooperation too!

"And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, every one!" - Charles Dickens

[Written for the 113th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, "A Dickens Christmas"]

Let It Snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:07:43 PST

It's that time of year again, time for blog caroling at footnoteMaven's place. I always enjoy seeing which carols people like listening to. I've shared a few of my favorites in the past and this year I'm sharing another favorite... Let It Snow!

I'm a Midwestern girl and in these parts we like snow for Christmas. I can do without it the rest of the year but when it comes to Christmas, I like mine white!

Let It Snow : Lyrics

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.
The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

[written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne in 1945]

My latest favorite version is by the cast of Glee! You can hear it and sing along to the lyrics on YouTube:

Merry Christmas!

Carnival of Genealogy, 112th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 02:44:00 PST

Welcome to the December 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. We're writing about Thanksgiving holidays of yesteryear and we have some GREAT stories here! This is a terrific edition of the COG but I must warn you, when you read these articles you're likely to suffer from cravings, smiles, belly aches, snacking, and of course, your mouth will start to water. It's unavoidable. But you'll love them! Thanksgiving is America's most food-centric holiday so it goes without saying that these stories are about good eats. But that's not all. Come along then and see what I mean. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine, (I believe it's white that goes with poultry, no?) and pull up a chair up to the dinner table. The Carnival is back in town!

Bill West presents EATING AT THE KIDS' TABLE posted at West in New England, saying, "Some good memories about childhood Thanksgiving, and one teenage memory of a forgotten turkey"

Kristin Cleage Williams presents Thanksgiving - 1991, Idlewild, Michigan posted at Finding Eliza, saying, "Memories of our snowy Thanksgiving in the Michigan north woods. Fifteen people, a 29 pound turkey with all the trimmings and lots of passionate discussion. Does Thanksgiving get any better?"

Heather Wilkinson Rojo presents A Most Memorable Thanksgiving posted at Nutfield Genealogy, saying, "It was a Thanksgiving full of power outages, uncooked turkey, and bad weather, but it ended up being everyone's favorite Thanksgiving (except for my Mom, the hostess, who remembers it with great horror!)"

Dorene Paul presents Aunt Alpha hosted the Steen Family Thanksgiving in 1927 posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from Ohio reflects on the Steen family Thanksgiving in 1927, which included families from both the city and the country."

Julie Goucher presents Carnival Of Genealogy 112 - An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving posted at Anglers Rest, saying, "Imaginings of a First Thanksgiving."

Denise Olson presents A Tale of Two Turkeys posted at Moultrie Creek Gazette, saying, "In our family, turkey used to be a staple at both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Not anymore! Here's why . . ."

Jasia presents Thanksgiving in Detroit posted at Creative Gene. Most people think of automobiles and Motown records when they think of Detroit but we are also known for one heck of a grand Thanksgiving Day parade! Come read about my childhood memories of the parade and Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Oh, and I've got pictures! :-)

Karen Hammer presents Ancestor Soup: Pink Bowl posted at Ancestor Soup, saying, "The Pink Bowl has been a constant at our holidays dinners since the late 1950s or early 1960s. So far, five generations have eagerly anticipated whatever the cook placed in it."

Katie Pirolt presents Thanksgiving Traditions posted at Katie's Grove, saying, "I interviewed my mom, aunt and uncle about what Thanksgiving was like for them growing up. The family was very large and my grandmother and great grandmother worked and prepared for a week to make the dinner special. The big traditional thanksgivings lasted from the 50's all the way up to the late 70's until the children all moved out and started traditions of their own."

Carol presents An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, the 112th Carnival of Genealogy posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, "Old fashioned or traditional, or both? A review of our families and our "traditions" reveal some that are old fashioned, and some that are new. New, old, traditional, old fashioned, all that really matters is giving thanks. Of course, we really enjoy the food part of our traditions, don't you?"

Charles Hansen presents An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving for COG 112 posted at Mikkel's Hus, saying, "Sine I do not like pumpkin pie I got my choice of pie every year, most times apple, but sometimes mincemeat. mmm"

Frances Ellsworth presents An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, the 112th Carnival of Genealogy posted at Branching Out Through The Years, saying, "Good memories."

Joan Hill presents COG 112 - An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving: 1960, The First Thanksgiving At Hungry Hollow posted at Roots'n'Leaves, saying, "Tho the year was 1960, in many ways it felt like 1860 -- a time when we seemed to value the simple ways of country life."

Cynthia Shenette presents Holidays Are Like People... posted at Heritage Zen:, saying, "People change and holidays change the way people do, so I decided to write about how my Thanksgiving holidays have changed over the years."

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Well, didn't I tell you it would make your mouth water? I just love this edition. The authors all deserve a big round of applause for recording all the memories of old fashioned Thanksgivings. Bravo! )( )( )( )( I laughed, I sighed, and my mouth watered. Great writing, all!

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the COG will be: A Charles Dickens Christmas. We're going to borrow Charles Dickens' idea and have some visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. First show us a photo from a Christmas/Hanuka/Kwanzaa past and tell us what you know about it (or just share a story about a past holiday if you don't have a photo to share). Then share a photo from your Christmas/Hanuka/Kwanzaa celebration this year (it can be a photo of holiday lights, a tree, etc., it doesn't have to have people in it) and tell us something about how you'll be celebrating the holiday this year. And lastly, write about a future Christmas and how you'd like to celebrate it. (Feel free to let your imaginations go on this one!) Write up your visits by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future and submit them to the Carnival of Genealogy. The deadline is January 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks for another wonderful poster, fM!

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Thanksgiving in Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:58:05 PST

Long before I was born a Thanksgiving Day tradition was started in Detroit. That tradition was a parade. The first parade was put together in 1924 and there has been one on the streets of Detroit every year since except for 1943 and 1944 when it was suspended because of a materials shortage due to WWII.

In the early years, the Thanksgiving Day parade was sponsored by Detroit's J. L. Hudson department store. It was first broadcast on radio in 1931 and on television it's been carried nationally since 1959. Every year there are common elements... floats, marching bands, clowns, and Santa Claus. And each year there are changes to the floats and marching bands. Big balloons and paper mache heads were added also.

J.L. Hudson sponsored the parade until 1979 when it was handed over to the Detroit Renaissance Foundation. They then handed it over to the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation in 1983. It is put on every year with help from many generous corporate sponsors and more than 4,000 volunteers. The warehouse where the floats and costumes are stored gives tours throughout the year.

The parade route has changed a few times over the years. I believe it has always had Woodward Avenue as a part of its route. I know that some of my grand aunts and uncles attended the parade because I've see their photographs of the parade in family photo albums. I believe many of my cousins have attended the parade in person too. I went to the parade for the first time on Thanksgiving of 1973 and didn't attend in person again until this year, 2011. But I've watched it on TV every year as far back as I can remember.

As a child, I used to look forward to watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV. At the end of the parade Santa Claus was greeted by the mayor of the city and presented with "the key to the hearts of the children of Detroit". This marked the official beginning of the Christmas season, my favorite time of the year! Children all throughout the city and the metro Detroit area knew that starting then you had to "be nice" or Santa wouldn't bring you what you wanted for Christmas.

When I was a child, you never saw Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving! Not on houses, not in stores, and there was no Christmas music played on the radio yet either.

I can remember my mom cooking in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning and popping into the living room (the only room in the house that had a television) to check on the parade. I still remember the smell of her sauteing onions, celery, and green peppers for the stuffing... what a wonderful scent! Mom would play up my excitement with questions like, "Any sign of Santa yet?", "Did you count the marching bands? How many so far?", or my favorite comment, "Let me know when you see Santa. I don't want to miss him!" And sure enough, when I called out to her to announce Santa, she'd come running. We'd always judge how good a Santa he was, if he looked real or fake, and if he had a friendly face.

My dad and brothers weren't into the parade or Santa. I don't remember them ever watching the parade with me or being a part of my parade experience.

Just about the time the parade was over (about 11am), mom would pop the turkey in the oven. She'd have stuffed it with her traditional sage stuffing, using a recipe from her Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Then she'd take a break from the work in the kitchen and we'd look through the 3" thick stack of sale ads that always came in the Thanksgiving Day edition of the Detroit News (which we had home delivered). Oh how I loved looking at all the toys in those ads!

In the afternoon I'd "help" my mom in the kitchen. I didn't do much, really, but she'd find something for my little hands to work at. Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of turkey, stuffing, gravy (made from scratch, of course) with mushrooms, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, dinner rolls, and cranberries in the form of canned Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce. After smelling that turkey cooking all afternoon we all came to the table with our mouths watering. Mom was a really good cook and the food was always fantastic. For dessert she always made pumpkin chiffon pies with made-from-scratch whipped cream in the shape of snowflakes on the top. Oh man, my mouth is watering just thinking about those dinners!

Sadly, I have no pictures to share with you from my first visit to the parade in 1973. I know I took some photos but I have no idea what happened to them. I do, however, have a few photos to share with you from this year's "America's Thanksgiving Parade" as it is now known. I only stayed for half the parade but when I got home I turned on the TV and watched the second half. I think mom would have loved this year's Santa. I think he looks great! What do you think?

The crowd cheered as the parade began.

The first balloon this year was a new one, Kermit the Frog.

Lots of clowns!

Horses are always a crowd favorite.

These uni-cyclists got lots of oohs and ahhs.

Local marching band.

More happy clown faces.

It wouldn't be an all-American parade without Uncle Sam.

New float this year, from Art Van Furniture. The biggest ever!

Here he is, the jolly ole man himself!

Plan to be Remembered, Revisited

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:25:58 PST

I'm reposting an article I wrote 5 years ago at this time of the year. The information is still relevant so I thought I'd give it another go around...

I've spent a lot of time (years) on genealogy research and one of the most significant things I've come to realize in the course of my research is that most people don't plan to be remembered. Think about that for a moment and you'll realize how simple and profound that is. If people planned to be remembered we wouldn't have half the trouble we have finding them or learning about them! I don't think most people want to be forgotten when they die, so why don't they put some planning into being remembered?

The obvious reasons that come to mind are: thinking about one's mortality is uncomfortable; too busy living to think about dying; I haven't done anything important enough to be remembered for; too much bother, or in the case of those with immense egos... I don't have to try to be memorable, I already am! But there are other reasons why people don't plan to be remembered.

In the old days, the options for preserving something of one's self were much more limited than they are today. Take my ancestors for instance. They were were all poor peasants (is there any other kind?) in a poor country (Poland). Literacy was not an option for them (pretty much until my grandparents' generation). So they couldn't write their family history or an autobiography. Cameras, especially in the early days of photography, were only for the wealthy. So how could the common man preserve something of them self? Some could sketch or paint. Some could carve, sculpt, weave or sew. The rest? They would likely only be recorded in history as entries in their church parish registries for baptisms, marriages, and deaths. And in the case of Poland, such vital records weren't kept for common folk until the late 1700s. If they were lucky, they might get a tombstone and a grave that their family essentially rented for a time. Then they faded into obscurity when the next generation couldn't afford to pay their grave renewal fees.

These days things have changed dramatically. We have all sorts of ways of preserving something of ourselves to be remembered by. Even the poor farmer (modern day peasant) in Poland can read and write (Poland has a very high literacy rate (99.3%). So writing something becomes the most basic of options. Beyond that, in many countries around the world even the common man now has the ability to record themselves digitally in audio, video, or static photos. And while having a grave and tombstone may still indicate status or wealth in some areas of the world, in other areas it's not as important a way to be remembered as it used to be. More and more often people (at least in the U.S.) are choosing alternatives like cremation and opting for having a "foundation" created in their name, or a brick dedicated to them at a public venue.

But even with all the new options available for preserving something of ourselves many still won't do it. They'll leave it to their loved ones to remember them in an obituary or with a donation to their favorite charity. They'll hope that they'll be remembered kindly. They won't get it unless they've been involved in genealogy research... if you don't go out of your way to deliberately leave something of yourself to be remembered by you'll become just another of thousands of names on someone's tree. Future generations will look at your name and life dates and wonder about who you were and if they look like you or enjoy the same hobbies or talents.

As genealogists we know how much we would treasure an audio recording of gg grandma chatting merrily with her sisters or daughters in the kitchen while cooking up a holiday dinner. Wouldn't you just love to have that!?! Or how about a video of gg grandpa sitting around the table with some of the guys from the village at a simple Saturday night card game discussing the condition of the fields, the likelihood of rain in the next week, and their concerns about their lazy teenage children who want to sleep till noon? How precious that would be! And yet if you'd asked gg grandma and grandpa if they wanted their conversations recorded while they were cooking or their pictures taken while they played cards they probably would have laughed at the idea and probably protested too. But if you'd asked them if they would prefer to be remembered as real people, ordinary though they may be, or forgotten as anything more than just a name and date on the family tree what do you suppose they would answer?

Ordinary daily events can become real treasures if we just take the time and effort to record them. The thing is, we as genealogists can recognize this. We get it, in a way that others don't. It's up to us to carry our cameras, video and/or audio recorders with us when we have a chance to spend time with our loved ones. We need to find a way to get those photos that nobody wants taken. If we can't be so obtrusive as that than at the very least we can come home and write up a summary of the visit.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming soon. They are great opportunities to get together with loved ones and create a time capsule of sorts. All you have to include is a brief write up of who was there, perhaps their ages if known, the topics discussed over dinner, a short list of the foods served, a synopsis of the weather, and perhaps some personal reflections or observations. At a minimum we can all do that much.

If you have a camera, consider making a photo diary of the day. Record the images you might not normally think to photograph such as:

the environment/weather of the day
the home/restaurant you will be gathering at (even if it's your own!)
the food on the table
a family pet
the place where you go to worship if you do so
candid photos (mom in the kitchen, dad in front of the TV watching a football game, etc.)
maybe a photo of something new in your community, like a new library or restaurant that just opened (anything to mark time)
and don't forget to turn the camera on yourself!

For people with a digital camera this is virtually cost free. But even those with film cameras can capture the day with one roll of film. Even with developing costs it can be less than $10 for a genuine keepsake!

A collection of photos and a write up of the day, maybe throw in the front page of a local newspaper (or a screen shot from a news agency web site) and/or a podcast of CNN international news and you have one dandy, quickly and inexpensively put together time capsule that will preserve not only something of yourself but of everyone you spend holiday time with. Whether you burn your time capsule elements to CD/DVD, upload them for online storage, or print them out and stick them in a special file folder (or do all three), you can preserve something of yourself (and others!) with a little planning. You might consider burning a copy of your time capsule to DVD as a gift for the host/hostess. What a thoughtful and creative gift that would be! Heck, you might even want to make additional copies to send to friends and family out of state or out of the country. Just make sure you keep a copy for those family members in the future who will be looking at your name on the family tree and wondering about you. Genealogy is so much more than just names on a tree. Plan to be remembered!

Wishing a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving holiday to all my friends and acquaintances online!

Jachowicz, Poet of Poland, Poet of Children

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:11:19 PST

SUNSET

The sun went down, with it one more day has passed away;--
The church-bell heralded its death through the twilight grey;
Tomorrow, at the same time and hour, with bell-tones clear,
Another day shall disappear:
And after that a third, and so
Our whole life day by day shall go
An old man thought, --up and down he paced with feeble tread.
What does the old man mutter? the thoughtless children said.

The Old Man

Gaily with your pastimes you amuse yourselves today,
But your life is fleeting imperceptibly away.
See you the sunset, children fair?
Only look! see over there:
The clouds with red and gold inwrought,--
Their play a moment was forgot.
And while they looked with earnestness
The old man spoke of sinfulness
Repentance and a saving grace,
How swiftly day to day gives place;
And of the vanities of earth,
They understood not then its worth.
In riper years alone their might
The sunset shone upon their sight.
They thought of what the old man said many years ago,
And finer feelings filled their hearts all with a holy glow.
The world's snares deceived them no more,
Love of wealth and glory was o'er;
Flown away as if with the wind,
And if for earthly joys they pined
The old man's sunset crossed their mind.

-- by Stanisław Jachowicz (1796-1857)

I've chosen this poem for the Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge because the author, Stanisław Jachowicz, was born and spent his early years in the same section of Poland (Galicia) where many of my ancestors lived. I feel a tie with him.

Jachowicz is best known and revered for his poetry for children. "His fables and proverbs can be found in almost every house in Poland." The heroes of his stories and poems were not animals or trees but children. There is much wisdom to be found in his words, as is evident in the poem above.

Stanisław Jachowicz
Born: April 17, 1796 in Dzikow, Poland.
Died: December 24, 1857 in Warsaw, Poland.

Sunset by Stanisław Jachowicz. From Poets and Poetry of Poland by Paul Soboleski. Knight and Leonard Printers, 1881.

Carnival of Genealogy, 111th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:06:51 PST

Welcome to the November 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: Autumn Weddings! Can you hear those wedding bells ringing? I sure hope so because we have several lovely wedding stories to share with you. I know you'll enjoy these trips down memory lane. Come join in the celebrations!

A celebratory beverage is in order so pour yourself a glass of champagne to toast these brides and grooms as they walk down the aisle... the Carnival is back in town!

Linda Gartz presents Happy 100th Anniversary! 10/13/1911-10/13/2011 posted at Family Archaeologist, saying, "My grandparents married 100 years ago this autumn. I discovered my grandmother's description of that day in a letter, which is linked to this post celebrating their centennial anniversary on Oct. 13, 2011. Click on the link to "The Half Day Honeymoon" to get the story behind the photos."

Nancy Messier presents The Activities and Anticipations of a Bride in 1914 posted at My Ancestors and Me, saying, "What might it have been like to be a bride in 1914? Come read."

Dorene Paul presents The Wedding of Leona Schoenegge and Clifford Lindsley posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from Ohio describes the wedding of family friends Leona and Cliff from September of 1935."

Lisa Gorrell presents Three Generation of Gorrells Marry on October 6 posted at My Trails into the Past, saying, "This is my first entry."

Jasia presents :: C R E A T I V E G E N E ::: A November Wedding in Poland posted at Creative Gene. My second great grandparents, like most of my ancestors, married in the autumn. Why autumn? Come read my post and find out!

Julie Goucher presents Carnival Of Genealogy 111 - Autumn Weddings posted at Anglers Rest, saying, "Exploring the wedding of my Grandparents."

Carol presents Autumn Marriage of 1814, the 111th Carnival Of Genealogy posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, "While contemplating my choice for this carnival, I printed out a report of marriages and discovered I had over 13 pages, single spaced, of marriages in my data base that took place in September, October or November! So, I wimped out on reviewing that list and chose Man's 3rd great grandparents to highlight."

Linda McCauley presents Emma and Elmer Eloped posted at Documenting the Details, saying, "My grandparents eloped 11 Oct 1920 because my grandmother didn't want everyone to cry like they did at her older sister's wedding nine years earlier."

Kristin Cleage Williams presents Dr. Albert B. Cleage and Miss Pearl D. Reed were married at noon Thursday... posted at My Cleages And Reeds, saying, ""In the presence of relatives and immediate friends of the two families Dr. Albert B. Cleage, Interne at the City Dispensary, and Miss Pearl D. Reed 2730 Kenwood avenue, were married at noon Thursday.""

Leah presents An Autumn Wedding posted at The Internet Genealogist, saying, "My great-grandparents married in the shadow of Mt. Shasta in September of 1919 and had 46 happy years together."

Shelley Bishop presents A Big Game for the Big Day posted at A Sense of Family, saying, "My grandparents picked a momentous day in football-crazed Columbus, Ohio to elope in 1935. It was a story she loved to tell, and I've tried to let her say in her own words here."

Jennifer Shoer presents A Jewish Autumn Wedding posted at The Scrappy Genealogist, saying, "We've had lots of autumn weddings in our family, but I chose my own wedding because I want my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to know more about our wedding than I do about my own grandparents' special days."

Bill West presents AN EARLY AUTUMN WEDDING posted at West in New England. I chose to write about this wedding because a new member of the family will be arriving shortly and it seemed fitting to look back to the earliest West family wedding that we know of so far.

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Sigh. The romance still lingers in the air, don't you think? I'm a romantic at heart so this edition really appealed to me. How 'bout you? Well, if this didn't do it for you perhaps the topic for our next edition will.

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the COG will be: An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. Share with us a favorite memory of the Thanksgiving holiday. Or, if you'd prefer, imagine how you think the Thanksgiving holiday was celebrated by one of your ancestors and share that with us. If your family has no ties to America, perhaps you'd like to imagine how you would celebrate Thanksgiving if you were here visiting during the holiday. We're open to all family Thanksgiving stories, real or imagined. Come on, get creative! You can have some real fun with this topic! The 112th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be all about giving thanks. The deadline for submissions is December 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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A November Wedding in Poland

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:08:10 PDT

The wedding took place in a little Polish village church at 11 o’clock in the morning on November 23, 1864. The church was built in 1640, replacing the previous structure which was built in the early 1400s. This building stood the test of time and bore witness to many a baptism, marriage, and funeral in addition to thousands of daily and Sunday Masses of the Catholic faith by the time my great great grandparents were married there. It’s a true testament to the long standing Catholic faith of my Polish ancestors.

There is much more I can’t tell you about my great great grandparent’s wedding day than what I can tell you. I know that November 23rd was on a Wednesday back in 1864 but I don’t know what the weather was like that day. I don’t know what the bride wore or the groom either for that matter. I don’t know if the couple were in love or even had a fondness for each other. In all likelihood, it was an arranged marriage for that was the common way things were done in Poland back in the day. Did their family and friends attend the wedding? I don’t know. Was there a big celebration after the church ceremony? I’d like to think that but truly I don’t know that either. I have no diary, notes, or photos to tell me about this wedding day. But I do have what I know of Polish history and what I’ve found in the way of vital records to help me set the scene of the wedding of Bartłomiej Adamski and Konstancja Cieślak.

On his wedding day in 1864, the groom, Bartłomiej (pronounced BAR-TWOW-ME-AY, the Polish version of Bartholomew) was 40 years old and a farmer in a nearby village. This was his second marriage. He and his first wife had 7 children together, 4 of whom didn’t live to see their 8th birthdays. When his first wife died, 10 months before his marriage to Konstancja, Bartłomiej was left with 3 children to raise. Those children were ages 7, 5, and 3. Both of his parents were deceased at the time of his marriage to Konstancja.

On her wedding day in 1864, the bride, Konstancja (pronounced CONE-STAN-SEE-YA, the Polish version of Constance) was 26 years old and was a “lodger” at a nearby farm. That means she was one of a number of people who worked the land for a landowner in exchange for their room and board and likely nothing more than that. Think along the lines of a slave and you come close to her standing at the time. This was her second marriage as well. Her first husband died 11.5 months earlier. I don’t know how long she was married to her first husband or if they had any children together. Her mother was still alive and living in a nearby village but her father was deceased. A marriage to Bartłomiej, an established farmer, would have been a good opportunity for her at the time. Especially since she was pregnant on the day of her wedding to Bartłomiej and would give birth to my great grandmother, Jozefa, just 14 weeks later. Was Bartłomiej the father of her child? It’s a sure bet her first husband wasn’t the father. It’s certainly possible that Bartłomiej was the father but there’s no way to know for sure.

Autumn was the most common time for weddings in 19th century Poland because it was the season of harvest. And right after a harvest was the time when most larders were full of food and outdoor work was winding down for the year. What better time for frivolity and celebration! In my family history database, I have twice as many weddings in the month of November than the next most common month for weddings, October. Catholic weddings were not generally performed during Advent (basically the month of December) or Lent (basically the month of March) which only leaves 10 months to choose a wedding date from. The October-November time frame was very popular for weddings, so much so that I imagine most villages had one or more weddings each week. And given that everyone knew everyone in the typical rural villages in Poland, and given that wedding celebrations often spanned multiple days, they probably partied for 2 solid months each year! ;-)

I have no photos of Bartłomiej and Konstancja to share with you but I do have a picture of the church they were married in. It stood in this place for many years before them and it still stands many years after them.

I honor the 147th wedding anniversary of my great great grandparents with this post. I hope Bartłomeij and Konstancja are happy together in heaven.

Carnival of Genealogy, 110th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 07:56:58 PDT

Welcome to the October 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: Which type of tree best represents your family history? This was a creative challenge that 13 blog authors took on. I'm impressed by the variety of interpretations made and I'm sure you will be too. Trees are everywhere in our environment and are the most common metaphor in genealogy circles. But most often the graphics for genealogy trees are generic, giving no hint to the character of the family depicted on them. I thought it was time to challenge the genealogy blogging community to come up with a variety of tree that best represents their family history. Listed below are the creative thinkers who took up the challenge and the ideas they came up with.

There's a nip in the air these days and it's harvest time. So pour yourself a mug of fresh hot apple cider, grab a sweet warm doughnut, and read about the literal and metaphorical trees around you. The leaves, they are a changin', and the Carnival is back in town!

Dorene Paul presents Carnival of Genealogy: What tree best represents your family’s history? posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from Ohio says that the Cottonwood tree is representative of her family tree, because it can survive in harsh conditions."

Bill West presents THE TYPE OF TREE MY FAMILY TREE IS,,,, posted at West in New England, saying, "I had a hard time thinking about what to write until I realized there's more than one "type" of tree."

Friendly Genealogist presents Guadalajara Marriage Dispensations / Dispensas Matrimoniales en Guadalajara: Family Tree Art posted at Guadalajara Marriage Dispensations / Dispensas Matrimoniales en Guadalajara.

Julie Goucher presents Carnival Of Genealogy 110 - What Tree Are You?..... posted at Anglers Rest, saying, "What tree are you?....."

Dawn Westfall presents My Autumn Tree posted at Wisteria.

Greta Koehl presents The Family Tree posted at Greta's Genealogy Bog, saying, "A metaphor becomes a research plan: I have chosen an imperfect tree to represent my incompletely researched family tree."

jody presents What kind of a tree represents me? posted at Family Treasures, saying, "I want to be a different tree, but I am stuck being me."

Alice Keesey Mecoy presents Aspen Tree Best Describes The John Brown Family Tree posted at John Brown Kin, saying, "The Interconnected Aspen Tree Grove best describes the Brown Family"

Jasia presents Oh Linden Tree, Oh Linden Tree, How Lovely Are Thy Branches posted at Creative Gene. It was difficult to choose one variety of tree to represent my family's history. In the end I decided on a tree native to Poland and to the U.S. The linden tree and my family share several characteristics. Come see what those are!

Cynthia Shenette presents My Family Tree: A Literal Interpretation posted at Heritage Zen:, saying, "My photo for this post was too good not to use. I wish I could have included more ancestors in my family tree, but I'd need to get a bigger tree..."

Carol presents The Trees of my Family Tree, 110th Carnival of Genealogy posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, "Really?? One tree?? Our families?? HA HA HA Come read why it took me all month to answer that question, "What tree ...""

Jennifer Shoer presents The Scrappy Genealogist: My Tree Has Deep Roots posted at The Scrappy Genealogist, saying, "My one year blogiversary is quickly approaching. This was a super short post and first appeared as my blog description and banner. I am going to update the picture on October 13th. When my nephew married his wife, their pictures were taken in front of my tree. Plus I have learned some new information about the true history of my tree's life."

Frances Ellsworth presents If We Were a Tree In The Forest... posted at Branching Out Through The Years, saying, "This was a fun blog to write. I love trees."

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. Weren't these terrific posts? Congratulations to the authors who took up the challenge. You all did a wonderful job with the topic!

Call For Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the COG will be: Autumn Weddings! It's been 4 years since the topic of weddings was covered here in the Carnival of Genealogy so we're overdue for a little romance, I'd say! And in keeping with the season, we're going to feature weddings that took place in the autumn months of September, October, or November. So write up an article about a couple on your family tree that were married in autumn and submit it to the 111th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy! The deadline for submissions is November 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Oh Linden Tree, Oh Linden Tree, How Lovely Are Thy Branches

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:57:10 PDT

When I think of my family history the linden tree comes to mind. I suppose that’s partly because one branch of my family has the surname of LIPA, which in Polish means, “linden tree”. Until I started researching my family history I’d never heard of the linden tree. After a bit of research on the surname, and the tree, I learned that here in the U.S. the linden is sometimes referred to as a basswood tree. The wood from the basswood tree is very lightweight. If you’ve ever had wooden blinds on your windows, you’ve had basswood in your home.

In thinking about the type of tree that most reminds me of my family’s history, I considered several types of trees. Just because one branch of my family had the LIPA surname does not mean that the characteristics of the linden/basswood tree are similar to the characteristics of my family. So I did a bit of research and discovered that indeed the linden tree and my family have some characteristics in common.

For instance, the linden tree is known to have dense foliage. And, there are several members of my extended family that I also think of as “dense”.

“Nuts”? Did you say, nuts? Yes, the linden tree has them (referred to as “fruit”) and so does my family. Many, in fact.

The linden tree has a tendency to produce “suckers”. And so does my family!

The shape of the foliage on the linden tree is generally conical. Yep, I have some real cone heads in my family too.

Ya see where I’m going with this?

The linden tree is a perfect metaphor for my family tree!

All joking aside, the linden tree has leaves of “gold” in the autumn, and I have some family members who were golden oldies too. They are very precious to me.

The linden has large heart-shaped leaves, and I have some family members with big hearts too.

The linden tree is very popular in Poland. And of course my family’s roots come from there as well.

Yes, I would say the linden is the tree that most reminds me of my family’s history. And a fine tree it is.

[Written for the 110th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy]

The Red Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 06:33:59 PDT

My first article at The Catholic Gene appears today. It's a book review of The Red Skirt, Memoirs of an Ex Nun. Check it out!

Touched by An Angel, Hugged by A King

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:18:00 PDT

As the seasons change for us, once again I find myself in that transition stage. I'm thinking less about the beach and more about my genealogy. My photography goes year 'round but even with that I'm less inspired to take pictures when it's cold and gray outside. This summer was wonderful. I'm sorry for all the folks who had severe weather. For us it was a hot, dry summer... perfect for beach-going and I did plenty of that.

The last couple weeks aided my transition into fall. I got several good beach days in, took lots of beach, boating, and sunset pictures, and toured the tall ships that came into port. The tall ships remind me of history and with that my genealogy comes to mind (not that I had any ancestors on the Nina or the Pinta ;-) . A special treat for me was having The King and his Angel visit for a couple days. They toured the tall ships with me making the event all the more fun.

I'm always envious of the genealogy bloggers who are able to attend the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in June. It would be so fun to meet all the folks I follow online. But that's not likely to happen for me in the foreseeable future. California is a long way from Michigan. That's why it was such a treat to meet The King, Randy Seaver, and his lovely wife Angel Linda. I was thrilled that they would come up and see me and allow me to show them a little bit of Pure Michigan.

Those of you who have met Randy know what a kind soul he is. Gentleman, scholar, friend... Oh and genealogy expert and blogger extraordinaire too. He's quick to smile, has a twinkle in his eye, and is patient and caring. What a lucky lady Linda is to have him for her husband. Of course Randy is fortunate too. Linda is an angel. She's funny, very intelligent, outgoing, and very compassionate. She's a strong, independent woman who manages to find the good in everyone and everything. She is my role model. Now that I've met her I feel I've been touched by an angel.

One can't spend time with Randy without talking at least a bit about genealogy. We did that and I truly enjoyed it. It's so nice to spend time with a kindred soul. It got me thinking about my family history and how nice it will be to get back into my research and writing. Mother Nature's autumn color show will be here in just a few weeks and I'll be out there photographing all the lovely colors as much as I can. And then it will be time to focus on my genealogy and family history as the leaves fall from the trees once again.

OK summer, I guess I'm ready to let you go for this year. I'm looking forward to next year's beach weather already! But in the mean time, I'll be dusting off the genealogy books and getting back to writing. I've been inspired by The King and his Angel.

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:30:00 PDT

[Previously published here, September 11, 2007.]

September 11, 2001. I remember where I was that day, just like most Americans. It's a day that marks a major event in our lives. Not only do we remember the events of that day but it also marks a point on a time line. As we remember that day we also remember the day before and the day after. The day before represents life as we knew it without fear of terrorism on our shores. The day after represents life as we now know it, with a loss of innocence, and an increased concern for our own and our fellow man's well being.

One of the great things about digital cameras is that a certain amount of meta data is stored with each digital photograph. One of the most valuable bits of meta data is the date a photo was taken (assuming you set the date on your camera; -). That date allows you to quickly find photos taken on or about a given date using photo organizing software. So this morning when I wanted to reflect back on the events that happened in my life just prior to 9/11, I just started up Picasa (my photo organizer of choice) and did a search for 2001.

In just a few minutes I was able to scroll through months of family events leading up to September 11, 2001. It was the year my daughter turned 16 so there were pictures of her first boy-girl party, the car we gave her to drive, and some great pictures of her with purple hair (it was all the rage at the time). It was also the summer of our biggest family vacation. There are hundreds of pictures taken on our month-long drive across the country and back again… Mining for diamonds in Arkansas, eating barbecue at Billy Bob's in Ft Worth, Texas, touring the Alamo in San Antonio, hanging out at the resort in Phoenix, touring the stars' homes in Hollywood, walking the beach in Monterey, the 4th of July fireworks over Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, touring the venues under construction for the 2002 winter Olympics in Park City, Utah, and dining at a sidewalk cafe just outside Denver surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. It was the best vacation ever. On September 10, we celebrated my son's 11th birthday. There were two babies born in the family that summer so the photos from my son's birthday party are also filled with the faces of his new cousins. Life was good. Very, very good.

On the morning of September 11 the weather was absolutely beautiful here in Michigan. I remember blue skies and mild temperatures. I had an 8:30 AM appointment to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist's office and I was in the dentist's chair when the first plane struck the world trade center. I remember walking out of the examining room and seeing the waiting room filled with people, everyone looking up at the television. The receptionists were there, the dentist was there, the hygienists were there, and some patients were there. I remember asking," what's going on?", and someone answered, "a plane just hit the world trade center in New York".

I remember feeling puzzled. I just assumed that a small private plane had veered off course and crashed into a tall building. I couldn't figure out why everyone was standing around watching the television. I didn't feel an immediate sense of alarm or fear… just puzzled over people's reaction. One of the receptionists came over and checked me out after setting an appointment for six months later. I left the building and got into my truck and immediately turned on our local "all news all the time" station, WWJ am Detroit. Within less than a minute I knew the taste of fear.

The drive home took about 20 minutes and by the time I got to my house I was very frightened. As early news stories often are sketchy, I still didn't understand just what was going on. By then the second plane had hit the world trade center and the first report of the plane hitting the pentagon had come in. I knew that these events were not accidents. But it wasn't until I got home and turned on CNN that I realized what was really happening. My country, the place I always felt safe, was under attack.

I was glued to the television all day. I remember feeling very frightened and at times looking down at my hands and seeing them tremble. I remember praying for survivors. At some point in the late morning I spoke with my husband by phone. He said some folks were watching the events on the TV screen at work but for the most part it was business as usual. He didn't seem overly concerned. I thought about my children who were at school that day and wondered what if anything the teachers were saying to them. I wondered if they were frightened and hoped that they were not. I wondered what I should say to them when they got home from school. In the early afternoon I switched on the radio again for local news. I remember a neighbor phoning me and telling me that she had spoken to the high school principal who told her they would not be dismissing school early. I made a decision not to tell my son what was going on unless he asked about it. No need to frighten him unnecessarily. I also decided I would discuss it with my daughter who at 16 was old enough to understand the significance of the day's events.

My daughter called me on the phone when school got out. She said she and her girlfriend Lisa we're going to the mall to do some shopping and just hang out for a while. In a very no nonsense tone of voice, I told her she would do no such thing and that she and her friend Lisa had to come home right away. She wasn't used to me talking to her like that and asked what was going on. I asked her if she'd heard about what happened in New York City. She said she heard something about a plane hitting a building and asked if that's what I meant. I told her that it was much more serious than that and that our country was under attack and she needed to come home right away. I don't remember her exact words but I remember that she thought I was exaggerating or kidding. I assured her that I was not and that I expected her and Lisa to come straight home. Lisa's parents both worked fulltime and I didn't want her to go home to an empty house.

When the girls got home I told Lisa to call her mother right away and let her know that she was OK. Both girls were puzzled and confused and joined me to watch the CNN coverage. I gave them a brief synopsis of what had been going on all day. For my daughter it was not personal. She had never been to New York City or the World Trade Center. But for Lisa it was quite shocking as she had just recently been in the World Trade Center on a trip to New York City. Both girls watched in horror, asking few questions. I told them not to say anything to Colin when he got home from school. The three of us watched the CNN coverage of the September 11 events together until Lisa's parents got home from work and she went home.

When my son got home from school I acted as if everything was normal. He acted like everything was normal too so I knew that he wasn't frightened. I asked him if anyone at school had mentioned anything about a plane crash that was on the news today. He said no, but he heard some of the "big kids" on the bus talking about a plane crash. I told him it was no big deal, it didn't happen anywhere near us, and it didn't happen to anyone we knew. He was totally fine with that and wanted to go across the street and play with his friend. I told them that was OK because I knew they would be playing outside in the yard where I could see him, and away from television.

The rest of the day is a little fuzzy for me. At some point my husband came home. At some point I made dinner and we ate it. I remember my husband asking me why I kept watching the horror stories on TV and warning me that I would have nightmares. I remember watching the news coverage all evening and into the wee hours of the morning. And I remember that the next few days were much the same for me. It was on either the second or third day of coverage that the tears came. It was all I thought about or talked about for a long time.

I remember that President Bush grounded all the aircraft over U.S. airspace. I remember hearing discussions about whether high school, collegiate, and NFL football games should be played the following weekend (they played). I remember that when my daughter and the rest of the high school marching band took the field at halftime and played the national anthem there wasn't a dry eye in the stadium. I remember going to watch my son play football that Saturday and buying a U.S. flag pin from the Brownies and Girl Scouts who were selling them at the game. I remember wondering if life would ever be the same again.

Life did go on, I have the pictures to prove it. My mother's only sister died a few days before Christmas and was buried after a funeral mass on Christmas Eve. There was much sadness for all of us that holiday season. Not only did we grieve for my aunt but also for all those lost on September 11, 2001.

[Updated September 11, 2011]
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that struck our nation on September 11, 2001, I find myself remembering the feelings I had that day. I was terrified, horrified, confused, worried, angry, and very, very sad. It all seemed so surreal back then, like I was watching an action film on TV. But where were Bruce Willis or Pierce Brosnan to save the day? It's so much more awful when it's real and not a story Hollywood made up. Even 10 years later, it's still horrific to remember.

This week our local news station interviewed a couple of the guys who were working in the control tower at Detroit's Metro Airport on 9/11. It was chilling to hear them share their memories of the events of that day and the unprecedented grounding of the entire U.S. airspace. I still marvel that with all the thousands of aircraft in the sky that day, they were brought down safely and quickly with no rehearsal and no accidents. The air traffic controllers around the country did an amazing job.

My heart goes out to those who lost their lives that day and their families and friends who have had to live on without their loved ones... the people working at Cantor Fitzgerald and other businesses in the World Trade Center towers, the first responders who bravely tried to save lives, the folks at the Pentagon, and those on Flight 93 who crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The photo above is of a gold charm that my son gave me for Christmas 2001. I wear it each and every 9/11 as I remember and pray for those who lost their lives and those who lost their loved ones. May God bless them all.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, Bless This New Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 08:25:25 PDT

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

A new blog is born, The Catholic Gene. And I'm proud to be a part of it! This blog is the brain child of Donna Pointkouski who also writes What's Past is Prologue. It's a blog about Catholic Genealogy and it's authored by a host (see, I can be phunny ;-) of well known bloggers who practice the Catholic faith. In addition to Donna and myself, the team consists of Stephen Danko, Sheri Fenley, Lisa (Smallest Leaf), Lisa A. Alzo, Denise Levenick, Craig Manson, and Cecile Marie Agata Wendt Jensen (aka Ceil Jensen). You'll also likely read posts from the footnoteMaven from time to time. No, she's not Catholic in the traditional sense but we're bringing her into the fold anyway. Hey, this is not your grandmother's Catholic blog!

So what is Catholic genealogy anyway? Heck if I know. We're gonna define it as we go. We'll have some blog posts about our own memories of days in Catholic school, introduce you to some saints, chat about a holy day or two, touch on some Catholic rituals, feature some beautiful churches, and look at the lives of some of the faithful who have answered the call to serve their Church... all with a bent towards genealogy. The word "potourri" comes to mind.

The 109th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be hosted at The Catholic Gene, tomorrow, September 4th. How's that for starting off with a BANG! The topic for this edition of the COG is: Where did your ancestors worship? Submissions from those of all faiths will be included. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

And while you're there, be sure to visit the Authors page to see the cutest and loveliest Holy Communion and wedding photos of the blog's authors. Not to be missed!

Head on over to The Catholic Gene and check us out. Add us to your feed reader too!

St Lawrence Catholic Church, Wojnicz, Poland

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:40:48 PDT

My family has practiced the Catholic faith as far back as they appear in written records. And they practiced their faith in Poland up until the last 100 years or so when some family members immigrated to the U.S. and to nearby European countries. Those who came to the U.S. as well as those who stayed in Poland continued to practice their Catholic faith until their deaths. And they passed the Catholic teachings on to their children. So I come from a long established line of Polish Catholics.

My maternal grandmother came from the town of Wojnicz, Poland. It’s located in the southern part of Poland, Tarnow District, Malopolska Province. Back in the days when Poland was partitioned, it would have been in the Galcian (Austrian) section. The town of Wojnicz currently has a population of 3,500 people (2008). Back when my grandmother lived there the population was 1,683 (1880-1902), so it has roughly doubled in size since her birth in 1894.

I have come across a number of different dates for the founding of the city of Wojnicz, all in the 1200s. The first written reference to the city was in 1278 but it is thought that a Catholic parish existed there from the late 11th century. In 1465, Bishop Jan Lutek of Brzezie was the local provost. After a time, the church at Wojnicz was elevated to the rank of Collegiate (c. 1621) but the Collegiate status was removed by the Austrian government in 1786 (while Poland was partitioned).

The original church building was referenced in texts in 1325-1327. It was remodeled and added to in the mid 15th century. That church became St Lawrence the Martyr and was destroyed by fire on March 23, 1752. The entire original wooden structure was destroyed including the nave ceiling and roof. All that survived was the contents of the vault. The church was rebuilt in 1753.

In 1914, the church was again destroyed, this time as a result of war (WWI). Rebuilding took until 1920. My grandmother left Wojnicz for America in late 1913. It must have been heart breaking for her to learn the fate of her beloved church so soon after she left. It was the place where generations of her family before her worshiped and prayed, were baptized and married, and where they were finally laid to rest.

In 1930 the church was expanded to accommodate more pews. In the years 1958-1960 the front tower was added and it was architecturally refined 1997-2001. There were a number of other building improvements made over time as well. Originally the church had one nave, now it has three. There are chapels in both the north and south naves. I can’t help but wonder if my grandmother would even recognize it now. But expansion was needed as the population of the area grew. There were also additional churches built in surrounding towns to accommodate the need.

St Lawrence the Martyr Church in Wojnicz was more than just a church. In the 15th and 16th centuries it also served as a school. The first known teacher, Stanislaw, was referenced back in 1439. This church in Wojnicz served as a learning center for clergy from the Krakow and surrounding areas. It had a fine collection of books, most theological.

The parish of St Lawrence also has it’s own cemetery with a chapel. The cemetery is localed on Tarnowska Street, a ways east of the Rynek (city square).

Below you will find an aerial map of Wojnicz (thank you, Google!). The green arrow points to St Lawrence the Martyr Church. The yellow rectangle is the city square. The red circle indicates Zamoscie Street, the area where my Molecki and Kielbis families lived. The blue arrow pointing west on Krakowska Street indicates the area where my Bober family line lived. And the purple circle indicates the location of the parish cemetery. I have many more family lines from Wojnicz and surrounding towns but I only know the house numbers not the street names so I can’t pinpoint them on this map.

I put together a couple of scrapbook pages with photos of St Lawrence the Martyr Church and cemetery in Wojnicz. I am fortunate to have a dear cousin who took the photos for me (+ one from Wikipedia).

I am ever so grateful to Google Translate. It continues to be my most used tool for genealogy research. It goes without saying that I am also hugely grateful to my Mizera cousins in Poland who traveled to my family's ancestral villages to photograph that which I cannot do for myself.

St Lawrence the Martyr parish has a wonderful website with virtual tours of the interior and exterior of the church as well as the cemetery. You don't need to read Polish to navigate and enjoy them. See the beauty!

Interior of St Lawrence
Altar of St Lawrence
View from the choir loft
Exterior of St Lawrence
Wojnicz Parish Cemetery

[Submitted to the September 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.]

Genealogy Photo Challenge for World Photography Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 13:44:11 PDT

Dear Photograph,
My great grandmother's world looks so different from mine. Her grave site was in the middle of nowhere then. It's on the edge of a major Detroit street now, a street in a neighborhood long past its prime. So much time has passed since my great grandmother Ludwika's death in 1912, but she is still remembered.
With Love From Her Great Granddaughter,
Jasia

I believe the inset photo was taken on November 11, 1916, on the day Ludwika's husband was buried a short distance away. The seasons are obviously off in the two photos and I may try to retake this photo in the afternoon light one November day. The photo was difficult to line up because all I had to work with was the grave marker to the left of Ludwika's. I should have taken my laptop with me to download the images on the spot. There was just too much ambient light for me to be able to see if the photo was lined up and in focus in my camera preview screen. All in all, it's not bad but I could do better.

Submitted to The Past is Present: Genealogy Photo Challenge for World Photography Day at The Family Curator. World Photography Day is August 19, 2011 and submissions for the Genealogy Photo Challenge are being accepted until 6am PST 15 August 2011.

Carnival of Genealogy, 108th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:46:00 PDT

Welcome to the August 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: Food! Boy, do we ever have some great food stories for you. In fact, I guarantee your mouth will be watering by the time you finish reading all these tantalizing posts! This was a topic long overdue here on the COG. Food and families go hand in hand. Lots of great memories shared! I caution you not to read these articles right before dinner or you're bound to over eat. ;-)

Pour yourself a tall glass of ice cold water (anything else will mess with your taste buds) and come in out of the record breaking heat we've been having! The Carnival is back in town!

Nancy Messier presents Fresh or Stale, Buttered or Plain posted at My Ancestors and Me, saying, "I love popcorn! How about you? Come share childhood memories of my favorite snack."

Bill West presents BLUE-COLLAR CUISINE posted at West in New England, saying, "Sometimes both of our parents were working so our meals were usually fast and easy, But we always had enough to eat!"

Dorene Paul presents When the Reverend Ate the Whole Pie posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay recalls the story of the time the minister ate a whole pie at her great grandparents house."

FootnoteMaven presents Sour Cream, Raisins And Rhubarb posted at footnoteMaven, saying, "This article is dedicated to my mother-in-law, Lucille Palmer. She must have been a good cook, for after 41 years of marriage I’m still hearing about it."

Debbie presents Who Are These People? posted at Mascot Manor Genealogy, saying, "A story (and recipes) of some of the people in my recipe box."

Judy Cole presents It Must Have been Something I Ate posted at The Genealogy Gals, saying, "Brillat-Savarin said, "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are." He didn't have family history in mind, but he should have."

Jasia presents Duck Blood Soup, Breakfast of Champions! posted at Creative Gene. Oh the things we remember from our childhood. I can still taste that soup my mom used to make. She hated to make it but we loved to eat it! I doubt if I'd try it now for the first time but I grew up with it and liked it even before I knew what was in it. I wish I could have a bowl right now, lol!

Liz Haigney Lynch presents Ancestral Dish: CAKE! Edition posted at The Ancestral Archaeologist.

A. Morddel presents The Identity Wars - Part Fourteen posted at The French Genealogy Blog, saying, "How pie crusts saved my sanity."

Denise Levenick presents COG Food for Thought: The Day Herman Came to Visit posted at The Family Curator, saying, "The Family Curator remembers her mother as a good cook with a taste for the bizarre. In this post written for the Carnival of Genealogy: Food, Denise Levenick recalls the fad for Herman Cake and all things Herman made from the very soul of Herman, a sourdough starter born, bred, and blooming in the refrigerators of her youth. Bon Appetit!"

Julie Goucher presents Carnival Of Genealogy 108 - Food! posted at Anglers Rest, saying, "Foods and their links to the past."

Deb Ruth presents Summer Seafood Memories: 108th Carnival Of Genealogy - Food! posted at Adventures in Genealogy.

Carol presents My Love Affair With Peanut Butter, 108th Carnival Of Genealogy - Food! posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, ""Step back now, hands off that jar!" This gal loves her peanut butter, admits to being slightly addicted, so, if you ask nice I might share, other wise, keep your hands off the jar and your silverware out!"

Nolichucky Roots presents Salad Oughtn't Wiggle posted at Nolichucky Roots, saying, "These salads still haunt my dreams - and not in a good way! But it was fun to think about them from a safe distance."

Cynthia Shenette presents A Little Slice of Heaven posted at Heritage Zen:, saying, "It's all about pie! Key Lime, pecan, blueberry, pumpkin. My husband thinks I'm obsessed. I think it's nothing a little piece of pie can't cure. You be the judge. Coconut cream, peach, strawberry rhubarb..."

Donna presents Mom’s Greatest One-Hit Wonders « What's Past is Prologue posted at What's Past is Prologue, saying, "I grew up with my mother's great cooking, but because it was always so good I don't remember many specifics. But her "one-hit wonders" - those creations that were never able to be duplicated - they are very memorable indeed!"

Denise Olson presents Southern Saute posted at Moultrie Creek Gazette, saying, "The north Georgia mountains were a cool retreat from summer's heat, but the fresh vegetables from the kitchen garden at the farm were the real stars of summer. This recipe remains one of my favorites - and not just for breakfast."

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I'll bet you're craving something good to eat after reading about all those tasty foods. Before you go off to indulge in something to satisfy your cravings, check out the topic for the next edition of the COG... we're talking food for the soul!

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition will be: Our Ancestors' Place of Worship! Show us and tell us about the churches, synagogues, chapels, temples, grottoes, cathedrals, missions, kirks, mosques, revivals, or open air religious services where your family has worshiped. This edition of the COG will be guest hosted on a new blog, coming September 1st. No, I'm not going to tell you who the guest host is or what the blog is about. You'll just have to wait till the secret is revealed! (And no, it's not my blog.) So share with us your wonderful articles and submit them to the COG by the deadline, September 1st.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Duck Blood Soup, Breakfast of Champions!

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:50:49 PDT

Once upon a time, when I was just a wee kiddie, my mother used to make Czarnina. Czarnina is also known as duck blood soup because it is made with duck blood, and the rest of the duck too. ;-)

I can imagine your reaction right now. YUCK! probably sums it up, right? I guess that would be my reaction too if I hadn't grown up eating it. But I did. And I still love it.

Czarnina is a Polish soup. The name czarnina comes from the Polish word, "czarny" which means black. The soup isn't actually black but it is dark brown. There are many variations of czarnina but of course I like my mom's recipe best. Unfortunately, she never wrote it down so I don't have it. Even if I did, it's not likely I'd make czarnina because I have no source for duck blood. There are recipes for czarnina that don't require actual blood but I've tasted several of them and they just aren't the same and I don't care for them.

To the best of my recollection, the ingredients in my mom's version of czarnina included: duck meat, prunes (I know, more YUCK! right?), golden raisins (yes, in soup!), sliced carrots, large egg noodles, vinegar, and of course duck blood. It was always served hot with fresh bakery bread and butter.

The soup has a sour/sweet taste to it and because of all the fiber in it, it's quite filling. It's still commonly served in Polish restaurants although I've yet to taste any I really like at a restaurant. I prefer beet soup when I dine out at a Polish restaurant. Aw, come on now, you're not gonna wrinkle your nose at that too, are you? OK, if you're gonna be that way I'm not even going to tell you about dill pickle soup...

So, back to czarnina. My mom hated making it. Can you blame her? And she never ate it herself. I remember asking her why she never ate it and she said, "If you made it, you wouldn't want to eat it either." That could maybe, possibly be true but I don't know... I really like czarnina.

My dad was a huge fan of czarnina and that's why my mom made it. Still, she tried to avoid it as much as possible. But inevitably Dad would get a taste for czarnina and he'd make a trip to the Eastern Market, a mostly outdoor farmer's market in downtown Detroit that has been selling fresh produce and plants (and they used to sell live chickens, ducks, and rabbits for cooking but I doubt if they still do) since 1891. My great grandparents very likely shopped there since it's on Russell Street just a few blocks south from Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church, their Polish parish.

Dad took me to the Eastern Market with him on Saturday mornings. I enjoyed walking around and looking at what the vendors had to offer. The market was always full of colorful fruits and vegetables and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares. And you could hear the ducks and chickens for sale squawking away in their wire crates. It was always a busy place.

In my earliest memories, my dad used to pick out a live duck and ask the vendor to kill it and save the blood. Then we'd go do our other shopping and return to pick up the duck (wrapped in brown paper but with the feathers still on) and the blood (in a cardboard soup container) on our way out. When we got home, Dad would give all the market goodies to Mom and she had to take it from there.

In later years, we had to bring the live duck home (probably due to health department regulations) and my dad would kill it in the basement and hang it upside down from the clothes line and drain the blood into a serving bowl. Then he'd hand it over to Mom and she took it from there.

Mom would start a big pot of water boiling right away. Once the water was hot she would immerse the duck in it for some period of time. I don't remember how long. After that she would take the duck down into the basement and pluck the feathers from it by hand in the stationary tub. I remember it being a long and tedious job and she never had a smile on her face as she was doing it.

As a kid, I lost interest in the czarnina making process after that point. So I don't actually remember all the steps to it. If I'm not mistaken though, the blood was added last, just a short while before serving.

Czarnina was a New Year's Day tradition at our house. The only New Year's Day tradition I remember, actually. I clearly remember eating big bowls of it on metal tray tables in the living room in front of the television, along with my brothers. We were probably watching football Bowl games on TV. We'd make jokes about the soup often calling it, "breakfast of champions!" Dad usually ate his in the kitchen. He wasn't much for football games.

I can't remember how old I was the last time I had my mom's czarnina. I'm guessing I was probably in the 13-15 yr old range, possibly as late as my high school years. My dad died when I was 17 and I'm absolutely certain that my mom never made czarnina after that. My brothers and I asked her to make it many times over the years but she was quick to squelch that idea.

I have no photos of czarnina but the one here looks similar to my mom's soup.

Every now and then when I visit a new Polish restaurant I'll try the czarnina hoping it will taste like my mom's but so far I haven't had any luck. How I miss that "breakfast of champions!"

Carnival of Genealogy, 107th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:47:35 PDT

Bill West, the guest host for the 107th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, has done a marvelous job with it. I, on the other hand, have been very remiss in not letting you know about it! I apologize to Bill and all of you who have been wondering if I was asleep at the wheel. I guess I was, lol!

Honestly, it's no reflection on Bill or the great submissions contained in this edition. I'm just scatter brained these days... too much going on.

The topic for this edition is: the seasons of genealogy. The exact interpretation of that topic was left up to the authors who participated. And the articles submitted were thoughtful, enlightening, and entertaining. If you haven't read them yet, please do. I think you'll find them well worth your time.

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Food! We haven't focused on food in the COG in quite a while so we're asking you to bring us your family recipes, stories of picnics, food fights, food allergies, favorite summertime foods you remember, and best of all, photos of family favorite foods. Let's make a great mouth-watering edition of the COG! The deadline for submissions will be August 1st. Bring your appetite!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

The Seasons of My Genealogy Research

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:50:55 PDT

Spring (1996-1998)
I first began my genealogy addiction in 1996. Why I took a special interest in my family history at that specific time I cannot say for sure. It was a about that time that I received my first copy of genealogy software (Family Tree Maker) as a birthday gift and I’m sure that had something to do with it. My mother’s prodding probably had something to do with it too.

In any event, those early years of my research were filled with lots of frustration as I tried to figure out where to begin. Of course I started with what I knew and added information here and there as I talked with relatives but that didn’t get me very far. I also took an adult enrichment class in genealogy offered in my school district which was a total waste of time. I picked up some magazines and books but didn’t find much of help until I found Polish Roots by Rosemary Chorzempa. That’s when things started to make sense to me. Specifically what I learned was that I had to find the names and locations of my ancestor’s villages in Poland and then hope and pray that the LDS had filmed the vital records in those villages.

I think of this as the spring of my research because I was really learning and planting research seeds.

Summer (1999-2002)
Unfortunately, the research log I meticulously kept while I did my early research is now packed away in a box across the state that I cannot access at this time. So I’m having to write this from memory. I will correct the dates in the future if it turns out my memory isn’t so accurate. ;-)

My serious campaign to find the names and locations of my 4 grandparent’s ancestral villages in Poland began with a little luck. In 1999 my first happy dance came along when I discovered the ancestral village of my LIPA family line, Bobrowa. In 2000 I found the ancestral village of my MIZERA family line, Wojnicz. I remember looking for LASKA family records when I was at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City in the summer of 2001 so I know I hadn’t found their village yet. But I believe it was not long after that when I did find their records in Podborze so I’m going to say it was late in 2001 when I was doing that happy dance. The last and most difficult family for me to research was my LISOWSKI line. I did manage to locate their ancestral village in late 2001 or early 2002.

I spent countless hours during this period in dark rooms looking at microfilms at my local Family History Center. I think of these as the “mushroom years”.

During this period, I also joined the PGSM and the PGSA. What I learned from the folks at PGSM was invaluable to my research.

I think of this as the summer of my research because I was cultivating and harvesting vital records left and right. I was also weeding out erroneous information along the way.

Autumn (2002-2005)
During this period I launched a campaign to find living relatives in Poland and the U.S. I wrote to the parishes and civil offices of my family ancestral villages. I put ads in newspapers looking for family members. I hired a professional researcher to locate records for my LISOWSKI family line that were not available on microfilm and I paid to have many old Cyrillic script records translated. I was very successful in finding family members in Poland and throughout Europe and the U.S. I corresponded with them regularly, met some in person, did webcasts with others via Yahoo, and learned a tremendous amount about my ancestor’s lives in Poland.

I think of this as the autumn of my research because I was still adding a lot of information but it was less about adding names and dates to my database and more about adding color... life in Poland, family stories, village histories, exchanging photographs, etc.

Winter (2006-present)
By the time I started writing this blog, at the end of 2005, I had already been through the spring, summer, and autumn of my research. The seeds that I’d planted in the 1990s had been cultivated and harvested. I’d succeeded in finding not only the ancestral villages of all 4 of my grandparent’s families in Poland but also the vital records for my family members as far back as records were kept for them. I’d found living relatives that were able to take present day photographs of those villages for me and share family stories that paint a colorful picture of what life was like in Poland “in the old days”. I’ve received hundreds of photos of family members that I didn’t know existed when I started my research back in the 1990s. And I have made many, many good friends along the way.

In the winter season, 2006-present, I’ve been filling in some names and dates here and there, adding some documents as they have become available online (like the Draft Registration cards on Ancestry.com), and reading a lot about the history of my ancestral villages once Google began offering its website translation service. I’ve met a few more cousins and exchanged some more information but the 5.5 years of my winter season can’t begin to compare with the 4-year summer or 4-year autumn seasons in terms of the volume of information added to my knowledge of my family history.

I’m at the point now where I really need to organize all the information I’ve amassed and get on with the writing of my family history. I don’t see myself obtaining much more information, at least not information that would significantly change the stories of my family members as I’ve come to know them. Of course I’m always open to finding more cousins, more documents, more pictures, more history... but really, I should move into the next phase, organizing and writing, and not spend my time trying to find the death date of my 3rd great grandfather’s youngest sister (if you know what I mean). I’m finding it hard to let go of the research phase and move on though because the research phase is so much more fun! I love solving puzzles!!! Organizing and writing can’t compare with the joy in finding the death date of my 3rd great grandfather’s youngest sister.

Most recently, I’ve begun researching the family lines of those who’ve married into my family. It’s been a lot of fun to research families with Canadian, English, Scottish, Jewish, and yes even American history. It’s a great distraction, but really, I should be organizing and writing up my own family history. ;-)

So which season is your genealogy research in? Leave a comment or better yet, write it up on your blog and submit it to the next Carnival of Genealogy. The deadline is July 1st and you’ll find it published on July 4th on the West in New England blog!

Here's Why You Should Clean Out Your Attic

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:44:51 PDT

Father's Day is just a couple days away. So it's understandable that I would be thinking about my dad and remembering the good times we had together. My dad died when I was only 17 years old. I was away at college at the time and I returned to campus shortly after his funeral. I wasn't at home when my mom and brothers went through his things and donated most of them. My brothers took his tools and fishing tackle. My mom kept his wedding ring which was later given to one of my brothers. I didn't remember being given anything of my dad's. Over the years, I've often wished I had something tangible to hold in my hand to remember him by. I have a few photos, but not many. I would love to have one of his neckties or hats or even one his hankies (he preferred those to tissues). But those things were all donated to the St Vincent De Paul charity.

After my mom died (2007) and my brothers and I were cleaning out her house I asked them if they knew of anything remaining that had belonged to my dad. But there was nothing. It had been over 30 years since my dad died so that wasn't really surprising.

Fast forward to 2011. I've been cleaning out the attic, garage, and basement of our home. My kids have been carrying down box after box from the attic... things I haven't seen in many years. Over the last week I've been going through each of the boxes and donating and trashing most of the stuff. But I have found a couple of special items, one being an item of my dad's that I didn't realize I even owned. It's a pair of binoculars. I suspect the box they were in was never unpacked after we moved to this house or even in subsequent moves.

I knew these were my dad's binoculars as soon as I saw the case. I opened it up and sure enough the name tag inside had his name, address, and phone number on it. I don't remember the circumstances of him getting the binoculars. They may have been purchased with S&H Green Stamps. I do remember how often he used them, and I used them too. We used to take drives to the riverfront (Detroit River in Ecorse & Wyandotte or the St Clair River in Algonac) and watch the freighters go by. It was fun to look for identifying information to see where the ships had come from or were going to. My dad also liked to check out the fishermen in boats to see what they were catching. Those binoculars bring back lots of happy memories for me... leisurely time spent with my dad.

It's interesting that on the eve of Father's Day, a holiday when children normally give gifts to their fathers, I have received a gift from my father. It's a gift I can hold in my hands and remember him by. It's a gift that brings me great joy.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.
Thanks for all the good times we shared

and the happy memories I have.

Carnival of Genealogy, 106th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:08:00 PDT

Welcome to the June 4, 2011 edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic for this edition is: The Annual Swimsuit Edition! Summer's here and it's time for swimsuits and sand pails, beaches and barbeque's, and lots of warm weather fun. It's always great to look back at our ancestors and see how they enjoyed summer and stayed cool on hot summer days. That's what this edition is all about. This is the 4th annual Swimsuit Edition. You can take a look back at previous Swimsuit Editions for 2010, 2009, and 2008 too! Before you head out to enjoy summer at a beach or pool near you, pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea, put your feet up, and enjoy the swimsuits of yesteryear. The Carnival is back in town!

Bill West presents AUGUST 1976 posted at West in New England, saying, "I recently found a bunch of photos from a family gathering at Brant Rock Marshfield Ma from nearly 35 years ago. I thought I'd share!"

Heather Wilkinson Rojo presents Carnival of Genealogy- Annual Swimsuit Edition posted at Nutfield Genealogy, saying, "How sad, my Puritan Massachusetts ancestors didn't wear bathing suits! Please give me a point for participation!"

Dorene Paul presents Great Grandma Irene and Grandma Doris at the Beach posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "Dorene from Ohio enjoys viewing an old photo of her grandmother and great grandmother with a couple family friends at the Cedar Point Beach shortly after the turn of the twentieth century."

Dawn Thurston presents Carnival of Genealogy: A Day at the Beach (Redondo Beach, CA, 1928) posted at Memoir Mentor, saying, "There's nothing like a day at the beach when you're a kid. This story is about a photo taken of my mother and four of her siblings on the shore of Redondo Beach, California. The year is 1928. The Depression will hit the following year. They will soon lose their father, and their lives will change forever. But on this day, dressed in an assortment of makeshift swimming attire, they're as carefree as any kids on the beach."

Karen Hammer presents Bathing Beauties posted at Ancestor Soup, saying, "One hot summer day, my grandfather found two of the best-looking "hood ornaments"..."

John Newmark presents Carnival of Genealogy - 4th Annual Swimsuit Edition posted at Transylvanian Dutch, saying, "For the Fourth Annual Swimsuit Edition I share a photograph of my grandfather from approximately 1930, about to jump off a dock into a lake."

Pam Schaffner presents Come On In ... The Water's Fine ! posted at Digging Down East.

Cynthia Shenette presents Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... posted at Heritage Zen:, saying, "Bathing suit styles may have changed just a wee bit over the last hundred years, but one thing has stayed the same. Best friends can still enjoy a day at the beach together. So take off your corset, roll down your stockings (not too far), and enjoy a glorious day at the beach!"

Carol presents Guess Who Is That At The Beach - - posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, "Guess who? Bet you can guess. From the archives, nothing like a little blast from the past, swimsuit style. well, I think it is a swimsuit, if not, it comes close enough!"

Kristin Cleage Williams presents Idlewild Michigan - Mostly August 1948 posted at My Cleages And Reeds, saying, "It's 1948 and Hugh, Anna and my Grandfather are in Idlewild swimming while the rest of the family swelters in Detroit. A little Idlewild history, some postcards..time to remember."

Katie presents 106th Carnival of Genealogy: Swimsuit Edition posted at You Are Where You Came From, saying, "These handsome gentlemen are brothers-in-law, hanging out at the beach in 1920s NYC."

Cheryl Schulte presents Life on Lake Michigan posted at Two Sides of the Ocean.

Nancy Messier presents Father, Daughter, Swimming Hole posted at My Ancestors and Me, saying, "A 1920's-30's era swimsuit, a timid bather, and the swimming hole. Come see!"

Charles Hansen presents Carnival of Genealogy 2011 Swimsuit Issue posted at Mikkel's Hus, saying, "Took me a long time to find this photo, I knew I had seen it but could not remember where I had seen it lately. Notice we are all standing on the dock, the beach there was very sharp gravel and very hard on bare feet."

Brett Payne presents Carnival of Genealogy 105: Swimsuit Edition posted at Photo-Sleuth, saying, "My first contribution to the COG for a while, I hope this snapshot of a young lady and her tousle-haired charge who have forsaken the convention of a bathing machine, and are heading straight into the water in some very skimpy outfits, will delight readers. Whatever will they think of next."

Geniaus presents Speedos - Carnival of Genealogy Edition 106 - Fourth Annual Swimsuit Edition posted at Geniaus, saying, "Geniaus and her best friend thought they looked pretty cool in 1961"

Jasia presents The Summer of '42 posted at Creative Gene, saying, "My mom and her best friend are featured in this scrapbook page. This was a summer when the gals were young and single, but the country was at war. There weren't many boys at the beach but one could always take "pin-up" pics!"

Maureen Taylor presents Carnival of Genealogy-Swimsuits posted at Maureen Taylor. Check out this swimsuit!

footnoteMaven presents Many Things Thursday - Don't Go In The Water posted at Shades Of The Departed, saying, "A look at the past gives us many reasons "not to go into the water." And we're not talking sharks."

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I love summer and this is my favorite edition of the COG. Thanks to all for contributing your family photos. You made this another terrific edition of the COG!

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: the seasons of genealogy. Do you spend more time on genealogy research in the summer or in the winter, or maybe spring or fall? How does the amount of time you put into research and blogging differ from season to season? Or perhaps you'd like to think of things metaphorically... which season is your genealogy research in? Write up your thoughts and observations and submit your articles to the next edition of the COG. The deadline is July 1st. This edition will be hosted by Bill West of West in New England. Thanks, Bill!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks for the poster, fM!

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Jasia's Friday Night Puzzle

noreply@blogger.com (Jasia) — Fri, 20 May 2011 18:29:50 PDT

OK, so I posted a scrapbook page today of my mom and her best friend, Helen Lillian Wojciechowski Leszczynski (what a mouthful, eh?). That got me wondering about Helen's family. I did a search on Ancestry.com and quickly found them in the 1920 Census living at 196 Plumer St. in Detroit, Michigan.

Father: Adam Wojciechowski, age 35 (b. abt 1895) immigrated 1913
Mother: Viola Wojciechowski, age 38 (b. abt 1892) born in MI
Daughter: Helen Wojciechowski, age 12 (b. abt 1918) born in MI
Son: Chester Wojciechowski, age 10, (b. abt 1920) born in MI
Daughter: Irene Wojciechowski, age 8, (b. abt 1922) born in MI
Son: Raymond Wojciechowski, age 3 (b. abt 1927) born in MI

I went on and found the death record for Helen (in California) and I already had photos of the gravestones of Adam, Viola, and Chester (Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Detroit) so I have their dates of death too.

Here's the puzzle... I can't find the family in the 1930 Census on Ancestry.com. I know they were recorded in the census because I found the index of the family on FamilySearch.org.

I freely admit that I'm not an expert at searching Ancestry.com but I did give it an honest try... over and over again searching each of the parents names, as well as the children and whatever combinations and spelling variations I could come up with. But no luck. If anyone out there has insomnia tonight and is looking for something to do... see if you can find the Wojciechowski family in the 1930 Census on Ancestry.com. You'll have my appreciation and deepest gratitude if you do!