Monday Genea-pourri, Week of Oct 19-25, 2020

Genealogists are great at documenting our ancestors’ lives but not so great documenting our own. I’ll write about what I’ve been doing the past week. This idea came from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musing, who started this meme.

I have completed thirty-two (32) weeks of semi- “lock down” due to Covid-19. I taught my genealogy class from an empty classroom at the Adult school. I worked a few hours at the History Center. I did phenology with Shirley (masked of course) at the meadow as usual. Other than that, I didn’t leave the house except for a longer walk on Saturday with Norman.

 Genealogy

Blog Writing:

Blogs posted this past week:

• 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 43: Quite the Character—My Aunt Beryl I wrote about how my Aunt Beryl loved to pose in clothes from her wardrobe. I included four photos. There were many more views than normal of my post, probably because I shared it on Facebook. In Feedly, it showed a metric of 29 (though I don’t know what that means, except I usually have a metric of 0).  

• Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Where Were Your Ancestors 80 Years Ago.  We figured out which of our ancestors were alive on 1 April 1940 and listed where they were living.

Online Study Groups Attended:   

• Good discussion on KDP & RR at Jill’s Certification Discussion Group (CDG).
• Three of the Amigos met and we learned all about Stewart’s research in New York.
• I attended the first of the GenProof sessions with Tom Jones. I’m learning to be a peer mentor for a group that will start up in February.
• The Thursday Cert Discussion session had three of us join. I had just found a Newton Johnston in AL and wanted to keep researching.
• There was no Friday Certification Peer group as too many were not free to meet.
• I attended Book Club on Sunday where we talked about books we’re reading. I shared some old cookbooks of my mother-in-law’s.

Webinars Attended:

• “Chart Your Own Course: Education Plans for Genealogists,” by Diane Boumenot.
• “Using DNA Test Results to Confirm a Pedigree,” by Angela Parker McGhie.

Client Work/Presentations:
I taught classes number three on Monday using my own computer and monitor and it worked great. I finished up lessons number four and uploaded the handouts and quizzes on the Canvas website.

Volunteer Work:
I visited the History Center on Tuesday and Wednesday and took care of a query, entered accessions into PastPerfect, and put away more collections.

Own Work:
I chased a “Newton Johnston” of Greene County, Alabama that I found in an 1867 voter registration. I’m thinking the name might be a family name, as my great-grandfather, Thomas Newton had it as a middle name, and Thomas’ father, Sam, whom I’m trying to find the origins of, named his son David Newton. This Newton could be a brother of Sam. His parents, John and Elizabeth, were born in South Carolina. Sam was living in Alabama prior to the 1850 census as his children were born there. But the origins of John and Elizabeth seem uncertain, too. More poking to do!

I also scanned quite a few slides from my aunt, Beryl Johnston. Many of them are of her posing in outfits from her wardrobe, but there are also some of her in Greece with co-workers, and others of her at my grandparent’s house in Pleasant Hill. There was even one of me!

Other:
I attended all three of my own Adult School classes: photography (until I lost internet), intermediate German conversation, and advanced German conversation. I attended part of the 2021 NMRA Convention Committee meeting, as I continued to have internet issues.  I attended the Friends of Alhambra Creek meeting until internet issues kicked me off. I have two more classes: German with Nancy on Monday and Ukulele lesson on Thursday.

I’m reading Finding Betty Crocker for book club. I watched one VHS movie, Paint Your Wagon, and started watching from the beginning, West Wing. I also watched The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and really enjoyed it.

Photos of the week: Cookbooks from Thelma's collection.

Copyright © 2020 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.