My Trails into the Past

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:  It's Saturday Nigh t again -  Time for some more Genealogy Fun!! Our assignment from Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings is to: 1)  Find an ancestor who has a life event (e.g, born, baptized, married, died or buried) on Hallowe'en (31 October). 2)  Tell us about him or her -- who were his or her parents, spouses, children, occupation, residences, etc.  NOTE:  No luck?  How about a relative?  Or a famous person?  Here's mine: I also have RootsMagic 12 and ran the “On This Day” report, selecting Oct 31, family events, and color coding. I only got a half page of returns, but I don’t’ have as many people in my database as Randy does. Family Events 1733 - Birth: Nils Jonsson-756 , Sweden 1809 - Birth: Creath Neal-3235, Jessamine Co, Kentucky 1811 - Land Purchase: John Kethley-3248 , Feliciana Parish, Louisiana 1816 - Birth: Eva Charlotta Johansdotter-4264, 1835 - Death: Jacob Bischof-...

We never can really know our ancestors. We locate documents that suggest what they did or not do, where they lived, and who their families were. However, we do not know what they thought, what kind of personality they had, and what their goals were. Sometimes we do find records that hint to a personality. My 2x-great-grandfather, Vincent Sievert, was one of my German-speaking immigrant ancestors, who came in 1852 with his family from a part of present-day Poland where Germans had settled. [1] He first started out in Will County, Illinois, as a farmer, [2] but later worked as a stonecutter. [3] He and his wife, Susanna, had eleven children, eight whom grew to adulthood. [4] Domestic Goose JJ Harrison , CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Assault Charge I was surprised to discover from a newspaper article that Vincent was charged in the County Court with assault with a deathly weapon. [5] Oh, my, what had he done? The next month he was arraigned and he plead not guilty. [6] ...

In a previous post , my paternal grandmother, Anna M. Sullivan (1892-1979) began her teaching career in Montana after attending the Montana Normal School. She taught in several schools in Ravalli and Deer Lodge Counties. She married William Cyril Hork on 30 November 1922 and they moved to Southern California, where she raised four children. The timeline of her early career was easy to follow using newspaper articles. Her second career was not so easy. Sometime between 1937 and 1940, she left her abusive husband. She worked to support herself in a local café. [1] Later that year, her brother-in-law, Vir Quigley asked her to come to Napa and work in his café, The Cozy Corner. She and the four children, along with their dog, Nappy, lived with Vir at first. [2] Napa County Schools By 1944, she was teaching at the Yount School on the Silverado Trail, a one-room schoolhouse. [3] In 1945, the school opened with a large attendance, though the article did not say how many pupils. [4] The...

Outside activities included phenology, gym, hike, Oakland FamilySearch Center, and a memorial. Genealogy Genealogy Volunteer/Work: This week, I volunteered at the History Center twice, first with John and Traci, and then my regular shift, where I accessioned some items. I put out a press release on the new BCG Executive committee. I did my volunteer stint at the Oakland FamilySearch Center. Still pretty quiet in the evenings with few wanting help. Genealogy Meetings:  I attended the NARA SIG and shared how I asked Elizabeth Shown Mills on her Evidence Explained website how to cite a document found on the NARA site. On Friday, Jacqueline and I met. Sunday, I attended a book club meeting. We’re reading White Trash and will discuss it over a few weeks. Genealogy Writing/Research : This week I continued researching and writing about the Sullivan family. Except for the 52 Ancestors post, the rest are about Sullivans. Blog Posts Published: Some Homemade Items Made by Geor...

My paternal grandmother, Anna Marie Sullivan, was a school teacher. She was born 15 Oct 1892 in Anaconda, Deer Lodge County, Montana, to John H. Sullivan and Anna M. Gleeson. [1] She died 14 Feb 1979 in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California. [2] In that lifespan, she probably taught school for about 28 years. This post will be about what newspaper articles have helped me piece together her teaching career in Montana. Education Anna grew up in Anaconda, attending school there. She graduated from high school in June 1911. [3] Following high school, she attended Montana Normal School in Dillon, Beaverhead County, Montana, graduating in June 1914. [4] Two sources helped me put together her life at the normal school: the 1913-14 school catalog and the 1913-14 yearbook. The school catalog listed Anna M. Sullivan of Anaconda as a member of the 1913-14 class. [5] Besides listing the students who attended that year, there is a list of the faculty, the course requirements, and photo...